The Plague Lords of Ruel (13 page)

The tunnel continues for more than a mile before it descends, by means of a steep staircase, to another passageway over one hundred feet below the first. Here the air is full of fine dust and you can hear small scratching sounds coming from inside the walls.

In the dark distance, you see clearly a score of crab-like creatures grouped in circles on the tunnel floor. Their shells are bone-white and you hazard a guess that these strange crustaceans have probably never been exposed to the sun. At your approach they scuttle up the walls with surprising speed and disappear into funnel-shaped holes that riddle the ceiling.

Confident that the crabs have taken fright and fled, you advance along the tunnel towards another staircase, the top of which you can just discern in the far distance. You are passing beneath the crab-holes when you hear a faint hissing noise and suddenly you feel droplets of sticky clear liquid spattering your head and shoulders. Then wisps of grey smoke arise from your cloak and you feel a searing pain, as if a fistful of red-hot needles were being stabbed repeatedly into your scalp. You are being attacked by a powerful organic acid and it is rapidly eating its way into your flesh!

If you possess Grand Nexus,
turn to 249
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 329
.

Stealthily you make your way towards the stairwell and descend the steps without being seen. The circular stairs spiral down more than fifty feet to a chamber directly below the hall, empty save for a line of red robes and masks which hang from pegs driven into the marble wall.

If you are already wearing a Cener Robe
and
a Cener Mask,
turn to 158
.

If you possess only one or neither of these items,
turn to 77
.

The creature's ghastly visage is the very stuff of nightmares. From its bear-like torso there protrude four tentacles and two powerful legs, all sheathed in shaggy scales. The limbs are surmounted with horny talons which glint menacingly in the gloom. Its head, set with huge fishy eyes, is bulbous and disfigured by disease. It rests awkwardly upon a crooked neck which wobbles with every movement the lumbering beast makes. A livid crimson gash just below the eyes serves as its mouth, and a long tail, ridged with sharp spines, swishes behind it.

Illustration VI
—You see a creature advancing towards you whose ghastly visage is the very stuff of nightmares.

With unexpected speed the beast is suddenly upon you, stabbing and slashing at your body with its sword-sharp talons.

Degradon:
COMBAT SKILL
 49   
ENDURANCE
 36

This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge (but not Kai-surge).

If you win this combat,
turn to 296
.

As you step away from the dead Vazhag, you notice a tiny box-like device hanging from a chain around the Pit Agarashi's neck. At once your natural Sixth Sense informs you that the device is magical. It controlled the creature's instincts, enslaving it to the commands of the weaker Vazhag.

If you wish to take this Restrainer, record it as a Special Item on your
Action Chart
.

Anxious to leave, you lift the furs which cover the divan and see, protruding from the side, a small lever identical to the one that opened the secret door. You pull it and the door clicks open, enabling you to escape by the way you entered.

Turn to 308
.

The Vazhag inform you that they are returning from a place called the Temple of Dzenya. Brother Hoylez, the druid in charge of the temple, recently resurrected this human from the temple's grave-pits. They have been ordered to deliver it to Brother Croumah at the Hall of Sacrifice in Mogaruith.

‘Excellent!’ you reply, convincingly. ‘I myself am on my way to seek counsel with Brother Croumah this very instant. You will escort me there. Now, lead on!’

The Vazhag appear to relax upon hearing your order, as if they had half-expected you to punish them, and they set off readily towards the drawbridge with you following close behind.

Turn to 233
.

You see the red-robed druid flick his wrist and from his golden rod there leaps a second charge. This lance of crackling fire spirals through the hole in the wall and comes arcing towards your face, like a ravenous vampire let loose upon a maiden's throat.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 215
.

If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 51
.

If you have neither of these Grand Master Disciplines or choose not to use them,
turn to 344
.

You sense a strong aura of power surrounding the druid. He stands only a few feet from where you are crouching and, in order to prevent him detecting your presence, you call upon all of your advanced mastery of camouflage to keep you safe.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
and add 3 to the number you have chosen.

If your total score is now 3–4,
turn to 213
.

If it is 5–12,
turn to 164
.

You sense that Cadak's command is no simple trick for you can feel another presence in the room, moving towards your back. You sidestep to your left and turn, keeping the Arch Druid still in sight as you glance across your shoulder at the rest of the chamber.

You had been half-expecting to see one of Cadak's henchmen sneaking forward with a dagger in his hand, and so the terrible sight which greets your gaze now is doubly shocking.

Stepping from out of the tapestry which covers the wall is a gigantic, bull-like creature, with the head and face of a man. Two needle-sharp fangs protrude from its bloodstained upper lip, and its eyes gleam with a murderous lust that chills your soul. What had once, only minutes before, been woven into the fabric of the tapestry, now strides towards you with slow purposeful steps, its taloned hands outstretched in eager readiness to tear you apart.

Illustration VII
—A gigantic, bull-like creature steps towards you out of the tapestry.

Exterminus:
COMBAT SKILL
 50   
ENDURANCE
 50

You may evade this combat after 4 rounds by
turning to 2
.

If you win the fight,
turn to 320
.

A sudden noise startles you and you spin around to face it. A section of the wall is moving inwards, carrying with it the robes that are hanging there. A figure, dressed in a hooded purple cloak and clasping a large leather-bound book, appears in the opening. As he steps into the room the section of wall closes behind him.

‘What are you doing here, brother?’ he asks, his voice heavy with suspicion. You sense that he is a druid of high rank and you know your answer must be convincing if you are to avoid his wrath.

If you wish to answer by saying that you have come here to help him,
turn to 170
.

If you wish to say that you are looking for a lost possession,
turn to 156
.

If you decide that actions speak louder than words, you can attack him by
turning to 212
.

Waiting in the shadows, camouflaged from detection by your cloak of Kai skills, you patiently observe the portal and guards. After several minutes, the resonant boom of a metal gong echoes in some deep and distant part of the caves. As the echo slowly fades, another sound, that of metal scraping on stone, resounds around the cavern. Then a crack of light appears along the bottom of the portal and, with a grating screech, the great wall of iron slowly rises up into the ceiling.

Through the opening comes a patrol of Vazhag who are escorting a wagon stacked high with wooden boxes, barrels, and sacks. A sudden rush of female Vazhag, all squealing and clamouring for food, brings the wagon to a halt directly beneath the onion-shaped portico. The escort struggles to fend off the hungry females with little effect until, with a spine-tingling screech, the portal begins to descend. A wave of panic washes over the Vazhag and they turn and run back into the cavern, fearful of being crushed beneath the falling iron door.

When it is just a few feet from the wagon, the portal shudders and grinds to a halt. Those few guards and Vazhag escort who remained nearby quickly rush forward to drag the wagon from beneath the portal. You notice that the females are beginning to return and you know that you must act now if you are to escape from the cavern before the wagon is pulled clear and the iron door closes.

If you wish to use your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus to help you escape,
turn to 270
.

If you wish to use your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge,
turn to 68
.

If you wish to use your Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility,
turn to 9
.

Beyond the doorway is a flight of stone steps which ascend into the gloom. You pound up the steps, your heart beating in time with your feet, and emerge at a chamber which is lit by foul-smelling torches fixed around the walls. Two passages lead out of this room: one heads towards the west, the other towards the east. You pause for a moment to use your Magnakai senses of Divination and Pathsmanship, but you detect nothing unusual about either passage.

If you wish to enter the west passage,
turn to 271
.

If you choose to enter the east passage,
turn to 95
.

Coughing and retching, you haul your way out of the stinking bog and collapse upon the soft forest floor. For a few moments you lie there, unable to see through the mask of filth that hangs down in front of your eyes. Then, with the edge of your hand, you slowly scrape the slime from your face and look back at the threads of dark crimson blood which trace a marbled pattern against the green surface scum. They are testimony to your hard-won fight.

With the memory of your battle against the bog creature still vivid in your mind, you clamber to your feet and hurry along the track heading east.

Turn to 242
.

Anxious to avoid being seen by the approaching Vazhag, you release your grip and allow yourself to drop silently into the lake. The moment the cold waters close above your head you strike out and swim underwater towards the north bank. The lake is dark and forbidding yet your powerful sight enables you to see the contours of the lake bed as they pass beneath you.

For the most part the water is no more than twenty feet deep, hardly a depth capable of hiding the huge body of a Dholdaarg. But as you are nearing the centre you catch sight of the monster's lair. A yawning black crevasse cuts a jagged line east to west along the bottom of the lake bed. A strong undercurrent and an inky blackness tell you that this watery abyss could be several hundred feet deep.

You increase your stroke and swim across the crevasse as swiftly as you can, fearful of what lurks in its hellish depths. Like an underwater cliff's edge the lake bed reappears, and beyond it you glimpse the inviting shallows of the north bank.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have chosen is 0–4,
turn to 183
.

If the number is 5–9,
turn to 312
.

Using your Magnakai power of Nexus, and the strength of your own two hands, you force open the barred door and gain access to the anteroom beyond. It is unlit and every surface is thick with a dust that has lain undisturbed for many years. On a marble dais, which occupies most of the floor, there stands a large rectangular stone casket. It has no lid, and as you approach it you see that it contains the mummified remains of a creature you cannot readily identify.

Illustration VIII
—You approach a marble dais containing remains of a creature you cannot identify.

You can feel no evil in the vicinity of this corpse, and your senses tell you that there is nothing, other than yourself, alive in this room. Confident in this knowledge you lean forward to examine the corpse.

Without warning, a powerful spike of psychic energy penetrates deep into your mind. Its icy cold attack numbs your senses and leaves you trembling helplessly with shock — lose 6
ENDURANCE
points.

Reeling from the unexpected onslaught, you struggle to erect a mind shield as the mummified remains of the corpse slowly stir into life.

Suddenly, a claw-tipped limb snakes towards your throat and grabs you in a choking, vice-tight grip. Desperately you struggle to unsheathe a weapon and free yourself as the grisly remains of a Plague Agarashi rise up from the casket only inches before your disbelieving eyes.

Plague Agarashi (Undead/magically animated):
COMBAT SKILL
 46   
ENDURANCE
 36

Due to the speed and surprise of this creature's attack, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 3 for the duration of this fight. If you wield the Sommerswerd, remember to double the Undead Plague Agarashi's
ENDURANCE
point loss in each round of combat.

If you win the combat,
turn to 18
.