The Deathlord of Ixia (11 page)

King Sarnac dismisses his guardsmen before ushering you, Banedon, Lord Ardan, and Captain Prarg, into an adjoining antechamber. An oaken table commands the centre of this opulent room, upon which is spread a detailed map of northwestern Magnamund.

‘In response to Lord Ardan's request, I have made provision for your journey to Ixia, Grand Master,’ says the King, as the five of you gather around the map table. ‘As we speak, a man-o'-war is standing by in Vadera harbour, awaiting my order to set sail. Captain Prarg will accompany you during the first part of your sea voyage to our outpost, which is here on Azgad Island.’ King Sarnac points to the map, indicating a remote island near to the Gulf of Konkor.

‘The garrison on Azgad Island is commanded by Captain Lanza. Word has been sent of your coming, and Lanza has a crew and an ice-boat ready to place at your disposal. They will transport you across the stormy Tozaz Sea and land you on the southern coast of Ixia. From there you must make your way on foot to the city of Xaagon, where you will find the Deathlord and his accursed weapon — the Deathstaff.’

You study the map and, with growing dismay, you appreciate the difficult voyage which lies ahead. ‘Very well, sire,’ you reply. ‘I understand how I am to
reach
Ixia in order to find and defeat the Deathlord, but can you tell me how I am to
return
once my mission has been accomplished?’

Turn to 248
.

Disappointedly you turn away from the lockplate and descend the steps to the entrance hall below. You are still resolved to find and defeat the Deathlord, but in order to do so you must get to the upper levels of the Crystal Spire. Faced with no alternative, you walk forwards and enter the shimmering archway.

Turn to 8
.

Deftly you sidestep the molten missile and strike a scything blow which removes the creature's skeletal head. From its open throat comes a chilling shriek as its flailing body crashes backwards into the midst of the other undead Drakkarim. Roughly they trample it underfoot in their frenzy to get at you.

If you wish to stand firm and fight these undead foes,
turn to 58
.

If you choose to evade them,
turn to 247
.

Using your Kai Mastery, you cause the glass dome to rise a few inches from the plinth. Quickly you snatch up the key, taking care not to touch either the plinth or the cover hovering above it; then you will the glass dome to descend slowly to its original position. (Record the Onyx Key on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item, which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.)

Having obtained the key, you now try it in the door and find that it fits perfectly. You give it a gentle twist, confident that it will unlock this door and allow you entry to whatever lies beyond.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0 or 1,
turn to 50
.

If it is 2–9,
turn to 6
.

Despite the distance you fall, you manage to hit the floor with cat-like grace and roll over to lessen the impact. The damage you sustain in the process is minimal: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 36
.

Among the dusty, foul-smelling remains of the Ziog you find a small green gemstone on a platinum chain. If you wish to keep this Green Gem, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item which you keep in your pocket.

To continue,
turn to 329
.

You unsheathe your weapon just in time to fend off the creature's initial attack. A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the cave and, for the first time, you see the face of this mysterious beast: the sight is truly chilling to behold. Its mouth is a mass of twisted fangs and from its huge, bear-like body there writhes a score of slimy tentacles, each tipped with a venomous claw. Its reptilian head is domed and from its centre there protrudes a twisted horn, longer than a broadsword.

Illustration VI
—The creature's body is a mass of slimy tentacles, tipped with venomous claws.

The creature retreats a few paces and howls with anger as it prepares to make its second attack.

Ixian Mhagani:
COMBAT SKILL
 40   
ENDURANCE
 60

You may evade the combat with this undead creature at any time after the third round by
turning to 56
.

If you win the fight,
turn to 16
.

You spin around to see a circular section of the floor disappearing. At the centre of this gaping hole there arises a plinth on which stands the awesome figure of Deathlord Ixiataaga. Jets of flame encircle his robed form, shooting up from the moat which now separates the plinth from the floor of the chamber.

The cloying stench of decay is overwhelming. As you reel backwards, you see the Deathlord raising the Deathstaff that hums with the terrible power held precariously within its haft. A ghastly laugh issues from his goat-skull face as he levels the evil weapon and directs its tip towards your heart.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 113
.

If you possess the Power Spike,
turn to 296
.

If you possess neither of these Special Items,
turn to 215
.

Your lightning-swift reactions save you from certain death. The bolts crackle overhead, passing close enough to singe your tunic, before they explode harmlessly in the snow.

Turn to 221
.

Drawing upon your knowledge of Old Kingdom magic, you whisper the words of the spell
Invisible Fist
and extend your right arm towards the approaching beast. You feel a surge of energy leap from your hand and dart towards its torso, connecting with powerful effect. The ghastly creature shrieks in alarm as it is sent tumbling backwards along the gangplank to crash into a group of skeletal warriors massing on the quayside.

Before the creature can recover, you leap to your feet and deal the gangplank a mighty blow, splitting it cleanly in two. Both sections collapse and splash into the harbour's freezing water. The creature and its skeletal minions can no longer get aboard the ice-boat but the danger has not diminished. The loathsome creature regains its feet; then it turns its icy rod around and points the blunt end at your head. There is a brilliant flash of light and a guttering ball of flame comes speeding from the base of the rod towards your face. Your reflexes save you — you dive for cover behind a tool chest and the fireball whistles over your head to explode into the decking. Howling with anger, the creature launches a second fireball, but this one is not aimed at you — it is targeted at the ice-boat's waterline. You feel the deck shudder and see tongues of fire leaping up all around. They spread with unnatural speed and within seconds you are engulfed by roaring flames.

If you wish to escape from this burning ice-boat by jumping into the harbour,
turn to 42
.

If you wish to attempt to reach the quayside by swinging from the rigging,
turn to 201
.

You dive and roll across the floor to avoid the onrushing bolt of energy. The massive flame-ball passes over your back and explodes at the far end wall of the chamber with devastating effect. It tears open a great hole in the steel-hard crystal wall, more than ten feet in diameter, and it fills the air with razor-sharp shards. Fortunately, due to your swift reflexes, you suffer only minor injuries: lose 1
ENDURANCE
point.

As you spring to your feet, you suddenly see an opportunity to grab the initiative and carry the attack to the Deathlord.

Turn to 108
.

The narrow passageway leads you to a chamber carved from glittering blue ice. Steps have been chiselled into its translucent north wall, a slippery staircase which ascends to a landing positioned high above the ice-cavern. As you climb the steps, the sub-zero temperature plummets even further, making you shiver involuntarily despite the combined protection of your Platinum Amulet and your Magnakai skills.

After a tiring climb you reach the landing to be greeted by the sight of an unguarded cave mouth. Through this opening you see a bleak and desolate wasteland of rock and ice. A blizzard is raging, whipped up by a fierce electrical storm that blazes above a distant mountain range. The jagged grey peaks are illuminated by the flashes of the storm's ghostly, blue-white fire.

After checking your equipment, you reluctantly leave the cave mouth and set off into the raging blizzard in search of the city of Xaagon.

Turn to 44
.

The firmness of the mossy ridge makes the going easier as, reluctantly, you trek deeper into the mire. Infrequently you are assailed by small, slimy-skinned horrors which live beneath the mud of this rotting land. They rise up from their evil-smelling lairs and attempt to bite your legs and feet as you pass. All their attempts prove costly and futile; your speedy reactions and your Kai weapon skill makes sure of this.

After an hour or so, you glimpse something through the tangle of trees ahead which makes you stop and stare. At first sight it looks like a huge slab of stone lying on the surface of the swamp, but when you magnify your vision, you see that it is the flat roof of a stone building which is being swallowed very slowly by the mire. You sense that you are gaining on Tagazin and, with weapon drawn, you approach the sinking stone roof.

If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 229
.

If you do not possess mastery of this Discipline,
turn to 278
.

You summon up a ball of psychic energy and project it at the advancing creatures, but at once you sense that your powers are weaker than normal due to the lingering effects of having passed through the shimmering curtain of light. Your mind-missile engulfs them, causing them to falter and fall back, but the effect is short-lived — they quickly recover and press home their attack.

In your weakened state, your use of Kai-surge costs you 2
ENDURANCE
points. You cannot evade this combat.

3 Kajarda:
COMBAT SKILL
 48   
ENDURANCE
 42

Kajarda are undead. These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

If you used the Sommerswerd,
turn to 238
.

If you win this combat in six rounds or less,
turn to 32
.

If you win the fight in seven rounds or more,
turn to 213
.

You steer the ship slowly along a string of narrow fjords which cut an uncertain route through this treacherous field of icebergs. Your hands, slick with nervous sweat, grip the wheel tightly and inch it back and forth in response to the pilot's frantic signals. It is a gruelling ordeal which takes its toll on all aboard. Every few minutes your vision is obscured by gusts of powdery snow which swirl across the deck, blown down from the tops of the surrounding ice cliffs. During these fierce blasts you often lose sight of the pilot and are forced to rely solely upon your Kai instincts to see you through.

The wind howls incessantly, accompanied by the tortured screech of the hull as it skims and grazes banks of submerged ice. The sounds send shivers of dread coursing down your spine. The crew are also clearly terrified by the noises; they cower beside the ship's rail and stare up at the encroaching walls of ice, mouthing prayers, their eyes haunted with fear.

Then, almost without any warning, the snow-laden wind abates and the ship emerges from the iceberg field into the open waters of the Tozaz Sea. The crew give a hearty cheer, relieved that their icy ordeal has at last come to an end. One man pulls the cork from a bottle of black rum which he has been keeping for a special occasion. He takes a mighty swig, and then passes it to a comrade. Just as the second man is raising the bottle to his lips, you hear unexpectedly the pilot's voice echoing along the deck: ‘Ship ahoy!’

Fear returns to tie a knot in your stomach as you turn and focus your eagle eyes upon the distant vessel.

Turn to 195
.