The Plague Lords of Ruel (15 page)

Having witnessed how swiftly you dispatched his entire Vazhag escort, the Cener chooses to escape while he can. He turns and runs along the track which leads away from the clearing, and hurriedly you give chase.

You catch up with him less than fifty yards along the track. In desperation, he tries to cut you down with another blast of energy but your swift reflexes save you from being hit. A well-placed blow knocks the rod from his hand and deflects the blast away into the trees. Cursing you, he unsheathes a dagger and lunges at your heart.

Cener Druid:
COMBAT SKILL
 28   
ENDURANCE
 28

If you win this combat,
turn to 53
.

Beyond the door awaits an echoing hall which reeks of decay. Its walls are adorned with gruesome paintings which depict terrible scenes of human slaughter. One in particular catches your eye and, although you try hard to ignore it, you find you cannot turn your head away. It shows a pit of helpless humans, writhing and screaming in anguish as they are slowly consumed by packs of wild-eyed plague dogs. The scene shocks you deeply for the doomed humans all have distinct Sommlending features.

With difficulty you tear your eyes away and force yourself to look elsewhere in this unfriendly hall. You see columns rising to the roof, each wound round with creepers and fungi which give off an unwholesome, pallid light. Ahead you see another door, identical to that by which you have entered, and before it there stands a desk on top of a plinth of green stone. A creature sits at the desk, huddled over the open pages of a ledger upon which it is writing with a feathered quill pen. As you draw closer it stops scrawling and places its quill into a nearby pot of ink, fashioned from the crown of a human skull. The creature raises its hairless head and stares at you unblinkingly with its solitary eye.

Illustration IX
—As you draw closer the creature stops scrawling and places its quill into an ink pot fashioned from a human skull.

‘Who seeks an audience with He?’ it croaks, hoarsely. ‘State your name, brother, and your purpose here.’

You are standing in the antechamber of Arch Druid Cadak's throne hall. To enter the hall itself and, hopefully, discover where the deadly virus is being cultivated, you know that you must first persuade this creature to allow you to pass.

If you decide to say that you have come from the battlefront with important news for the Arch Druid,
turn to 314
.

If you wish to say that you are an agent who has just arrived from the Lastlands with vital information for Cadak's eyes only,
turn to 208
.

If you possess Animal Mastery and wish to use it to exert control over this creature's mind,
turn to 91
.

You call upon the power of your Animal Mastery and hold the rat-man with your piercing gaze as you demand that he grants you entry to Mogaruith without further delay. He does not respond to your power and at once you detect that his mind is shielded by some magical means which enables him to resist your will.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Grand Mastery of Kai-alchemy
and
Kai-surge, add 3 to the number you have chosen.

If your total score is now 0–4,
turn to 70
.

If your score is 5 or higher,
turn to 175
.

The flame-creature rises up and hovers little more than an arm's length above your head. Its tentacles lash out and you are forced to sidestep swiftly to avoid them ensnaring you. Then, as if spurred on by the frantic cries of the cave beasts, it advances upon you. For a moment it seems to swell and contract, as if it is inhaling and exhaling a huge lungful of air; then suddenly a wall of blinding white light erupts before your eyes as a blast of psychic energy comes crashing into your mind. You reel from the unexpected shock of its impact, and your Magnakai senses are unable to shield you from its withering onslaught: lose 8
ENDURANCE
points.

If you survive this massive psychic assault,
turn to 301
.

You hide yourself as best you can, taking advantage of a brace of boulders that lie beside the stone steps, and wait with bated breath as the sound of the approaching group grows louder and nearer. Torchlight flickers, casting a watery yellow beam across the cavern floor; then the first of the group enters and you catch sight of their repulsive forms.

A patrol of six Vazhag files into the cavern. Each one is as tall as a Sommlending youth and all are armed with crude, rusty weapons. Fragments of armour and uniforms, which once belonged to human soldiers, encase their hairy, rat-like bodies. They are more than ten feet from your hiding place, but even so, they give off such a vile aroma of filth and disease that you are forced to draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus to prevent yourself from retching out loud.

They come closer and halt at the foot of the stone stairs, barely an arm's length from where you are hiding, and you hear them talking in a high-pitched squeal which reminds you of rusty door hinges. All the while they repeatedly cast furtive glances at the west tunnel entrance as if they are waiting for another of their party to catch up.

Within minutes another member of their patrol does arrive, only this creature is not one of their breed: it is human-sized. However, the hooded scarlet robe it is wearing makes it difficult for you to be absolutely sure that the creature within is human. The Vazhag cease their squealing when the hooded one raises a gloved hand. In that instant, you catch a glimpse of the glassy green mask which is covering his face, and at once you recognize this mask: it is a
jazak
, the ritual mask of a Cener Druid.

If you possess Grand Mastery of Assimilance,
turn to 124
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 213
.

The inquisitive Tzarg passes within a few feet of your hiding place, but your Grand Mastery saves you from detection. Eventually it waddles into the passageway from which you entered and hurries off with an excited group of Vazhag close on its heels, all of them now convinced by the Tzarg's actions that it has picked up your trail.

Patiently you wait until the sound of their footsteps has faded before you emerge from your hiding place and leave the hall by the stairs.

Turn to 75
.

Cautiously you advance to the edge of the stagnant pool, your super-sharp senses alert to the slightest hint of danger. Using your innate Magnakai skill of Invisibility you take care to mask your body heat and scent least they should stir the unwanted attentions of any keen-nosed denizens of Ruel. You pause at the pool's edge for a moment where, using your powers of Divination, you scan the surrounding darkness for invisible or hidden enemies. Sensing no threat, you continue to skirt the fetid pond and follow the stream to where it trickles out of the forest. There you are greeted by an unwholesome warmth. It rises from a decaying mulch of roots and fungi that squelch repulsively underfoot. Silently you offer up a prayer to Ishir before venturing further into this inhospitable domain.

For several miles you trudge through the slime that borders the stream. This sickly strip of mud forms a narrow pathway that is, in turn, bordered by the tall trunks and thorny briars of the forest. So dense is this tangle of trees and brush that you feel sure it could only be the result of evil herbcraft.

At length the stream widens and the forest begins to thin out. Soon you are able to leave the foul-smelling brook and enter the forest proper, where after a short while you happen upon the remnants of a track. It descends towards a bog from which arises a cloak of misty vapour. Warily you approach, for the fog clings to the morass and masks its dangers.

Now your senses tingle: there is evil all around. At once you reach for your weapon and, as your hand closes upon it, you feel something snake-like coiling around your left foot.

If you possess Grand Pathsmanship,
turn to 19
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 273
.

‘What blasphemy is this!’ gasps the druid, horrified by your answer. ‘Know you not that it is forbidden for a brother to possess anything! The pursuit of possessions is a hammer that shatters loyalty to our cause. You will atone for this … oh yes. You will atone to me!’

And with these crazed words the druid unsheathes a dagger and raises it above his head. A wave of psychic energy washes over your mind and, for an instant, you see his cold eyes widen with shock as he discovers who you really are. He screams a curse and the blade of his dagger is transformed at once into a yellow spike of glowing luminescence. Swiftly you reach for your own weapon as the crazed druid forces you back, stabbing and slicing the air before him with his sorcerous blade.

High Priest:
COMBAT SKILL
 47   
ENDURANCE
 30

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

If you win the combat,
turn to 340
.

You release the creaking bowstring and send your Arrow burrowing deep into the Vazhag's chest. The rat-thing utters a strangled cry of pain and surprise as, wide-eyed, it crashes down face first into the midst of its hoard of shoddy treasure.

Immediately, with an angry roar, the dog-creature springs forward with its taloned paws outstretched. You retreat, discarding your Bow in favour of a hand weapon with which to fight this ravenous beast.

Pit Agarashi:
COMBAT SKILL
 34   
ENDURANCE
 38

This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge; only Kai-surge can harm it psychically.

If you win the combat,
turn to 297
.

A narrow corridor connects the chamber to another, where there stands an imposing door made of sheeted copper, inlaid with a filigree of gold and silver. It is the only exit from this otherwise drab chamber.

A closer inspection of the door reveals that it is surrounded by an airtight seal. Furthermore, there is no keyhole, bolt, or handle. However, your keen eyesight is drawn to a pattern in the door's centre panel which, thanks to past experience, you recognize to be a sophisticated combination lock.

The gold inlays form three rows of three numbers within a grid of silver lines:

Below these numbers, in ancient Cenerese script, is carved the message:

‘Declare ye the true number to pass this way’

Study the grid of numbers. When you think you know the answer to the riddle,
turn to the entry
that bears the same number as your answer.
⁷

If you cannot solve this puzzle,
turn to 132
.

A hellish noise echoes around the clearing, a terrifying whip-like crack that sets your ears ringing. From the tip of the Cener's rod there has erupted a stream of crackling blue light. It arcs towards the dwelling and comes bursting through the blocks of ancient stone, ripping them asunder as if they were no more substantial than bales of mildewed corn. Sharp slivers of stone pepper your legs, and the blast's concussion leaves you wide-eyed and gasping for breath: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Through the smoking hole in the wall you can see that the Vazhag pack have halted in their tracks. They hold their grimy paws to their ears and grimace as the Cener prepares to launch a second blast of power from his golden rod.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 322
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 123
.