The Caverns of Kalte (11 page)

As the stone door grinds open, the man jerks his head back in surprise. ‘Who's there?’ he whispers, in a thin strangled voice. His eyes glint from beneath the shadow of his ragged hood. Suddenly he seems to recognize you and jumps excitedly to his feet.

‘The gods be praised, a Kai Lord! My name is Tygon. I'm a merchant from Ragadorn. The Ice Barbarians kidnapped me in Ljuk and brought me here. I now await an audience with their new Brumalmarc, the Sommlending sorcerer they call Vonotar: it seems that he shall decide my fate. But if you free me from this sorcerer's pentagram, I'll aid you as best I can.’

You recognize the pentagram to be a circle of binding, a magical prison that can only be broken from the outside. You can easily wipe away part of the circle and free this man.

If you wish to free him,
turn to 170
.

If you have ever visited Ragadorn, you can ask him some simple questions about the city, to allay any suspicions you may have about who he claims to be, by
turning to 11
.

If you prefer to close the cell door and return to the main corridor,
turn to 254
.

The barb of the Kalkoth's tongue holds a powerful venom with which it paralyses its victims before eating them. It takes less than five seconds to affect you and you are unconscious before your head hits the snow.

When you awake, you feel something heavy pressing down on your chest. It is the corpse of Irian. As you struggle to your feet, a bleak sight greets you through the early morning mist. Your guides are all dead and the remains of your equipment is scattered across the ledge. The bodies of two Kalkoth lie in the bloodstained snow; both have died from sword wounds. Numbed by cold and shock, you stagger about for nearly an hour searching for your Backpack, before you realize you are still wearing it.

Although still shocked you eventually discover a steep path that leads away from the ledge. The winds of these hostile mountains are bitterly cold. If you have not applied Baknar oil to your skin, you lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 155
.

You run back past the junction and along the east passage. An Ice Barbarian warrior blocks your path, but you run straight at him. With a bone-jarring thud, you shoulder him aside and keep on running until you reach a staircase. You are halfway up the stairs when you hear the eerie screams of your unnatural pursuers. At the top of the stairs, a corridor runs north to south.

If you wish to go north,
turn to 198
.

If you wish to head south,
turn to 69
.

You sense that these buttons are an ancient lock of some kind. If pressed in the correct order, they may reveal a secret compartment or chamber. But there is also the possibility that, if pressed in the wrong order, they may activate a trap.

If you wish to press the buttons,
turn to 227
.

If you do not wish to take the risk of setting off a trap, you can leave the temple by
turning to 306
.

Unless you have just eaten, you lose 3
ENDURANCE
points from hunger.
⁵
You continue along the tunnel for over a mile, but you soon become tired and stop to sleep. You awake feeling refreshed, but have no idea just how long you have been sleeping — the light of these caverns never changes, be it day or night.

You continue onwards, mile after mile, passing through a series of huge ice halls containing towering pillars of crystal. In one vast chamber, you are mesmerized by the beautiful sight of a shimmering crystal ceiling. But beyond this chamber lies an even greater spectacle. A narrow passage leads on to a ledge running around the brink of a huge chasm, over half a mile wide. As you edge your way around this awesome void, you try not to look down into its windswept depths, many miles below.

You have been on the ledge for only a few minutes when a noise behind you makes you glance back. To your horror, you see you are being followed by a monstrous, two-headed serpent.

If you have the Kai Discipline of either Tracking or Animal Kinship,
turn to 229
.

If you do not have these skills,
turn to 88
.

A M'lare bowl hangs from the ceiling directly above the fissure.

If you wish to try to attach your rope to the bowl and swing across,
turn to 201
.

If you do not wish to risk falling into the fissure, return along the passage and take the other route by
turning to 297
.

The following morning, you awake at dawn to the welcome sight of Fenor preparing a hot breakfast. He passes you a steaming bowl, and you gratefully eat its contents. Then you begin loading the equipment onto the sledges for today's journey.

It is a beautiful morning. The wind has dropped and the air is fresh and clear. The Kanu-dogs are strong and eager to be off, and for most of the day the ice is smooth and the running easy. By nightfall, you have reached Syem Island, a pinnacle of granite rising through the ice shelf to a height of four hundred feet. You make camp to the leeward side of the island in order to avoid the worst of the night winds.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–3,
turn to 57
.

If the number you have picked is 4–6,
turn to 188
.

If the number you have picked is 7–9,
turn to 331
.

The Disc fits and the door opens. As you pass through, it quickly slides shut behind you.

You find yourself in a short corridor leading to a curtained arch. Carefully, you part the curtains and peer into a large chamber. You are wise to be so cautious. Standing less than ten feet away is Vonotar the Traitor. In front of him are two Ice Barbarians and he is placing gold bracelets on their wrists. As the doorway behind you is now sealed, it seems you have no alternative but to launch a surprise attack and attempt to capture Vonotar. Steeling yourself, you charge.

Turn to 100
.

Suddenly, you are hurled backwards as the ice bridge begins to fall apart. For a few seconds, the sledge balances like a see-saw on the brink; you hear the terrified screams of your guides who are unable to reach you. Their voices are the last sound you will ever hear before the edge of the chasm crumbles away. In a tumble of snow and equipment, you fall to your death two thousand feet below.

Your life and your mission end here.

The door grinds open and you enter, ready for attack. You have killed two of the sleeping beasts before the Ice Barbarian and the remaining Doomwolf have time to react. But they both dive at you simultaneously, and you must fight them as one enemy. They are partially immune to Mindblast. If you possess this Discipline, add only 1 point to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.

Ice Barbarian + Doomwolf:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 30

If you win the combat,
turn to 28
.

You have surprised the Kalkoth, and manage to kill one of them before they can turn and fight back. The remaining two beasts attack one at a time, trying to sting you with their barbed tongues.

Kalkoth 1:
COMBAT SKILL
 11   
ENDURANCE
 35

Kalkoth 2:
COMBAT SKILL
 10   
ENDURANCE
 32

If you lose any
ENDURANCE
points during this combat, even when attempting to evade,
turn immediately to 66
.

If you win the combat without losing any
ENDURANCE
points,
turn to 25
.

You may evade the fight by
turning to 277
.

You are suddenly aware of a dull throbbing pain in your side. The skin beneath the pocket in which you placed the Glowing Gem is now raw and swollen. You feel dizzy and nauseous, and you are having great difficulty in standing.

If you possess a Red Potion of Laumspur
⁶
,
turn to 116
.

If you do not possess this Potion,
turn to 239
.

He pulls a hidden bone knife and slashes the back of your hand. You lose 2
ENDURANCE
points and drop the struggling child. The boy quickly runs off towards his father, who has now regained his senses and is unsheathing a vicious, tooth-encrusted sword of bone.

Turn to 68
.

The man pauses for a few seconds and then answers, ‘Killean the Overlord.’

If you now wish to wipe away the pentagram and free him,
turn to 170
.

If you do not wish to free him, close the cell door and return to the main corridor by
turning to 254
.

As you strike it, the mineral splinters into hundreds of silver shards. The rock begins to crack open but the Kalkoth are nearly upon you.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–5, the overhanging rock collapses and seals off the cave. You can now make your way back to the other tunnel by
turning to 284
.

If the number you have picked is 6–9, the rock does not fall and you must fight the Kalkoth.
Turn to 32
.

The cone of frost tears through the vines, freezing them instantly. They become brittle and begin to collapse under your weight. You try to leap to safety but it is too late, for the bridge falls away and you are thrown head-first into the moat. The last thing you see is Vonotar's evil sneer as he points his crystal rod at your head.

Your mission and your life end here.

You plummet into the darkness and crash into an ice ledge over one hundred feet below. Your spine is shattered and you are dead long before your body finally comes to rest in the soft snow on the floor of the crevasse.

Your life and your mission end here.

The passage is short and you quickly arrive at another stone chamber. Ahead you can see a flight of stone stairs leading to a darkened archway high above. At the foot of the stairs, still upright and in armour, are the skeletal remains of an ancient tomb keeper. A large black sword rests in the skeleton's bony fingers.

Illustration IX
—At the foot of the stairs, still upright and in armour, are the skeletal remains of an ancient tomb keeper.

If you wish to ignore the skeleton and climb the stairs,
turn to 36
.

If you wish to attack the skeleton,
turn to 278
.

You gingerly inch your way back to the rear of the sledge — but you hear the cracking of ice as the crevasse opens wider and wider. ‘Jump!’ shouts Fenor, as the sledge topples into the widening void.

You steady yourself to try to leap to safety but your left foot becomes entangled in the ropes and equipment.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 43
.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter,
turn to 121
.

If you possess neither of the above, pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 1–4,
turn to 226
.

If the number is 5–9,
turn to 266
.

If the number is 0,
turn to 312
.