The Deathlord of Ixia (19 page)

The howling winds of the void rip at your face and clothing as you plummet into the core of the lightless abyss. You lose all sense of time until, in the remote distance, you see tiny motes of light come streaking towards your face. Then, as suddenly as it began, the sensation of falling through deep space is replaced by an abrupt cessation of movement.

Stunned and disorientated, you shake your head and rise uneasily to your feet. As your blurred vision clears, you see that you have returned to the chamber of the Crystal Spire from where you were first sent tumbling into the Shadow Gate. It is empty now. Fearing the worst, you use your Kai skills to determine the time and the date. To your immediate relief you discover that only a few hours have elapsed during your absence from Magnamund; it is still possible for you to achieve your quest.

You resolve to find the Deathlord, even if it means searching every chamber of the Crystal Spire. You turn to leave this hall, but a noise behind you makes you freeze in your tracks. The sudden stench of decay and corruption tells you that you may not have to look too far to find your adversary after all.

Turn to 90
.

You climb the rigging rapidly until you reach the middle section of the mainmast. Here you cut free a guide rope and use it to swing clear of the burning ship. Your Kai skills enable you to see through the billowing clouds of smoke and, as your swing begins to lose momentum, you get ready to release your grip and make your jump to the quayside — a distance of more than fifty feet.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Grand Huntmastery, add 1 for every level you have attained above that of Kai Grand Defender.

If your total score is now 5 or less,
turn to 132
.

If it is 6 or more,
turn to 317
.

Your Kai Mastery warns you that you have inadvertently triggered a silent alarm. You unsheathe your weapon and turn to leave this rubble-strewn chamber, but as you move towards the stairs you hear a sound that makes you spin on your heel: it is the grating rumble of stone on stone.

From out of a secret panel in the wall to your left come six skeletal warriors, each one brandishing a rust-pitted sword. They make no sound, yet their eye sockets are aglow with sorcerous fire as they rush across the chamber towards you.

If you wish to stand and fight these skeletal warriors,
turn to 242
.

If you choose to escape from this chamber by the stairs,
turn to 343
.

After a few minutes of intense concentration your Kai Mastery pays off. Successfully you will the lock to disengage, yet the effort required is far greater than you could have anticipated and it leaves you mentally weakened: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

The portal begins to shimmer and lose its solidity. At first it becomes transparent and then it fades completely, as if evaporating into thin air. With a smile of satisfaction on your lips at having overcome it, you step through the now-open archway and into an adjoining hall.

This vaulted, oblong-shaped hall is illuminated by flickerings of electrical fire which arc between two freestanding pillars at the far end of the chamber.

Beyond the pillars you can make out the shadowy entrance to another chamber; it is the only other exit from this hall. You realize at once that to pass between the pillars could prove to be fatal: the power arcing between them is as great as any lightning storm raging in the skies above Xaagon. Yet there may be a way of avoiding contact with this raw power. You notice that the two freestanding pillars do not go all the way to the ceiling — there is a gap at the top, a little over two feet wide.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 136
.

If you wish to attempt to climb one of the pillars and squeeze through the gap in order to reach the adjoining hall,
turn to 297
.

If you decide to throw caution to the wind and run directly between the pillars,
turn to 211
.

Lying behind the stone table you discover three leather haversacks. Curious as to what they contain, you rip them open and spill their contents out onto the frost-covered floor. Mostly they hold crudely-made eating utensils — battered metal bowls, flasks, iron cutlery, and the like. But among these worthless items you discover something that makes your eyes widen — it is a key fashioned expertly from green stone.

If you wish to keep this Onyx Key, record it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.

To continue,
turn to 34
.

At once you recognize the winged creatures. You encountered them the last time you were here upon the Plane of Darkness. They are Lavas — fell servants of the Dark God Naar.

The dozen or so Lavas surrounding the ailing Tagazin appear to be urging him on towards the Shadow Gate. Your hopes of returning to your home world rose when first you saw the Shadow Gate, but now the familiar sensation of fear returns to chill your blood. The thought occurs to you that if Tagazin should enter the Shadow Gate before you, the Lavas may be able to close it behind him and deny you the chance of escaping from this evil domain. It is a risk you cannot afford to take.

Drawing your weapon, you race along the track in pursuit of the Demonlord, grimly determined to prevent him from reaching the Shadow Gate alive.

If you possess Assimilance,
turn to 347
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 38
.

As you stumble away from the cave mouth, you look back over your shoulder to see the mysterious creature illuminated momentarily by a flash of lightning. The sight is chilling to behold. From the creature's huge, bear-like body there writhes a score of slimy tentacles, and from the top of its reptilian head there protrudes a twisted horn, longer than a broadsword. It gives a loud gibbering howl of victory before returning to its evil-smelling lair.

Denied shelter in the cave, you return to the bottom of the pass and seek cover among the circle of rocks which lie on the southern face. When you are within a few dozen yards of the circle, you hear a deafening
crack!
which sets your pulse racing. With that split-second warning, a huge expanse of rock and ice breaks away from the slopes above and swiftly transforms itself into a thundering avalanche. Wide-eyed with horror, you watch as a million tons of ice, snow, and shale comes rumbling down the mountainside towards you.

Galvanized into action, you turn and run from this deadly white wall of destruction. It is almost upon you when you see a low shelf of rock near the base of the pass, and desperately you dive for cover beneath it.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Nexus, you may add another 2.

If your total is now 5 or lower,
turn to 99
.

If it is 6–9,
turn to 231
.

If it is 10 or higher,
turn to 104
.

Less than fifty yards away you see a shaggy, grey-furred beast of burden which is harnessed to a wooden wagon. A troop of undead soldiers is unloading shiny metallic containers from the back of this wagon which they then carry, cradled in their bony arms, into the open mouth of the submarine.

Stealthily, you make your way closer to the wagon and await the chance to climb aboard as soon as the final container has been off-loaded. At last the opportunity arrives; you leap aboard and hide yourself from sight beneath a greasy, foul-smelling tarpaulin.

After a few minutes you feel a jolt as the wagon moves off. Through a crack in its ancient wooden planks, you watch with trepidation as the wagon trundles along a causeway towards the distant tunnel entrance. It enters the tunnel, unchallenged by the skeletal warriors who stand guard here, and ascends a gentle gradient to another ice-walled cavern. Several passages connect here from all directions, like the spokes of a giant wheel converging at the hub.

Illustration XIII
—The undead soldiers unload metallic containers into the open mouth of the submarine.

An undead Drakkarim soldier steps forward, takes hold of the shaggy beast's harness, and leads the wagon towards a stockpile of metallic containers. Clearly he intends to load these onto the wagon for transportation back to the submarine. Fearing discovery, you leap from the rear of the moving wagon and hide yourself among a stack of empty wooden crates. From here you observe two possible ways by which you could leave this busy cavern: by an unguarded staircase in the north wall, or through an open archway in the east wall.

If you wish to leave this cavern by the staircase,
turn to 141
.

If you choose to leave through the open archway,
turn to 7
.

Aided by your mastery, you crouch down amongst the foul-smelling debris which litters the floor of the hold. A dozen undead warriors enter by the stairs and begin a systematic search, but your advanced camouflage skills make you virtually invisible, even to their psychic probes.

Turn to 118
.

You strike your killing blow and the creature's tongue flickers in and out as it hisses like a sleeting gale. It drops to its knees, its talons scrabbling for your legs, and its eyes flaring brightly with evil fire. Quickly you step back and watch the flames that are its eyes flicker and go out. Then it crumples to the icy ground, its body transforming swiftly into an evil-smelling pool of bubbling black venom.

The destruction of the Cabalah seems to weaken the attacking horde. They falter, and Lanza's men seize the opportunity to counterattack. You rush forward and join them as they fight their way valiantly back towards the quay.

‘Look there, Grand Master!’ shouts Lanza, pointing to the ice-boat. A score of undead have clambered aboard the vessel and it is clear by their actions that they intend to destroy and sink it.

‘They must be stopped!’ you cry. You break free from the battle and run headlong towards the stricken ship. You are halfway along its gangplank when you find yourself confronted by a wedge of skeletal warriors, armed with crude axes and swords.

You leap into their midst, striking them down with blurring speed and deadly accuracy. As the last one falls, its corpse-like body almost severed at the waist, you hear a noise behind you which makes you spin around in fearful expectation.

Turn to 78
.