The Plague Lords of Ruel (19 page)

You steel yourself in preparation for what can only be a fight to the death as maniacally the mass of limbs comes swarming towards your throat.

Stragnah:
COMBAT SKILL
 36   
ENDURANCE
 39

This creature is immune to all psychic attacks.

If you win this combat,
turn to 327
.

The blazing flames engulf your body but you feel no pain. Protected by the power of your Grand Mastery, the hungry fire feels no hotter than a summer's breeze. You laugh as you luxuriate in its warmth, to the angry frustration of your would-be killer.

Turn to 17
.

With the angry squeals of the Vazhag patrol ringing in your ears, you race through the portal and escape along the winding passageway beyond. For nearly a mile you run without slowing until you turn a corner and are brought skidding to a halt by an unwelcome sight: a group of rat-men advancing along the passageway towards you. Although you have gradually outdistanced your pursuers, the sound of their squealing reminds you that they are still hot on your trail.

Trapped between the two approaching enemy patrols, you look in vain for some other means of escape.

If you wish to use your Kai skills to try to hide from the approaching Vazhag,
turn to 82
.

If you decide to ambush the oncoming patrol in an attempt to break through them and escape before your pursuers arrive,
turn to 62
.

You follow a circular tunnel for several minutes until you come to a flight of steps leading down. Here, a few paces before the steps begin, you see a plain wooden door which is set into the tunnel wall. An inquisitive prod with the toe of your boot reveals it to be unlocked.

If you wish to investigate what lies behind the door,
turn to 239
.

If you choose to ignore the door and descend the steps instead,
turn to 347
.

Dawn breaks and the sun appears through a rent in the ominous mass of grey cloud that is swirling overhead. You stop and tilt back your head to enjoy the warmth of its life-giving rays upon your face. It is a brief respite, for within minutes the clouds close ranks and you find yourself immersed once more in the forest's gloom.

During the night the track has led you out of the valley and up a steady rise towards a plateau where a jutting spur of slate-grey rock stands surmounted by a score of lightning-blasted trees. There, in the shadow of the rock, your eagle-eyes detect three dark pits which have been dug side by side. You cannot see what lies at the bottom of these excavations, but you can sense that they radiate a powerful aura of evil.

If you wish to use your Magnakai Discipline of Divination in order to detect any psychic residues which may be lingering at this site,
turn to 111
.

If you decide not to use this ability,
turn to 32
.

You focus your power at the Tzarg and will it to leave the hall along the passage by which you entered. At first you sense resistance to your command but this soon collapses and the Tzarg obeys. It waddles into the passageway with an excited group of Vazhag close on its heels, all of them now convinced by the Tzarg's reaction 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
.

You notice a flicker of suspicion register in the creature's eye.

‘The Arch Druid is not present in his chamber at this hour,’ he says, reaching once more for his quill. ‘Dictate your report to me and I shall see that he receives it this day.’

You approach the desk and, as you draw closer, you see that the creature has no legs. Its body rests in a crevice hollowed out from the seat of its stool. Its bulbous body is wedged there like an egg in a cup.

Carefully it charges its pen with ink and prepares to commence writing.

‘Report your news, brother,’ it says, impatiently, ‘I am waiting for you to begin.’

If you choose to attack the creature,
turn to 310
.

If you decide to try to bluff your way past,
turn to 108
.

Calling upon your Grand Mastery, you order the vicious war-dogs to cease their attack immediately. Instantly they obey your psychic command; they scrabble to a halt and turn their eyes to the floor, their once-chilling howls now little more than a weak chorus of kitten-like whimpers.

Having cowed them, you now use your power to redirect their latent aggression against their masters and, suddenly, they are transformed once more into a host of gnashing, snarling beasts. Horror fills the eyes of the Vazhag guards as their dogs turn around and come bounding towards them, hungry for the kill.

In the ensuing chaos, you skirt around the hall and escape through the entrance unchallenged. For a moment you are blinded by the early morning sunlight which illuminates the surrounding hills, but, as you escape along the trail which leads away from the caverns, your vision clears and you see a vast expanse of forest away to the east. This sea of sickly grey-green trees radiates an unmistakable aura of evil that immediately identifies it as the Forest of Ruel.

Your escape is not pursued and, after a few minutes, you stop among a cluster of boulders in order to catch your breath. The surrounding land appears deserted, the only unusual feature being the track which wends its way eastward through the hills towards a gap at the edge of the unwelcoming forest. You consult your
map
and conclude that this is the Skardos trail, the secret route used by the Ceners which leads all the way to Mogaruith itself. You resolve to follow the trail, but first (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery) you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 230
.

The Vazhag literally shiver with fright. Frantically they acknowledge your order and set off towards Mogaruith, with you following close behind, but they have only gone a little way when suddenly they drop the zombie's chain and flee headlong towards the forest.

If you possess a Bow and a minimum of two Arrows,
turn to 43
.

If you do not,
turn to 89
.

The flame-creature 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, but instantly your Kai senses react by erecting defences to shield you from the onslaught: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

An unholy screech, full of fear and frustration, echoes loudly in your ears. The flame-thing has detected that you are capable of defending yourself and this realization is far from its liking. For a few fleeting seconds it whirls around your head, and then, with a final howl of anguish, it dives away into the gloomy depths of the stairwell and is gone.

Disappointedly, the caged creatures watch the flame-thing depart before they shuffle dejectedly to the rear of their cells and settle themselves down once more. Shaken, but relatively unharmed by your psychic encounter, you stare down the stone staircase into the gloom below. Tentatively you put one foot forward, but your Kai skills and your common sense tell you that to go any further in this direction would be sheer foolhardiness. With reluctance you turn and leave this landing and retrace your steps all the way back to the junction where you continue instead by way of the north tunnel.

Turn to 85
.

You draw your weapon and attack the druid with lightning speed, but this Cener is more of a match than he first appears. In the blink of an eye he creates a magical shield which deflects your initial blow, causing you to stumble and nearly overbalance. As you recover you feel a wave of psychic energy washing 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 suddenly there is a dagger in his hand, its blade a yellow spike of fiery luminescence. He lunges at your throat, forcing you to retreat into the room as he stabs and slices the air with this sorcerous weapon.

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
.

At first the Vazhag and the Cener seem unaware of your presence and you feel confident that your Kai skills are keeping your location secure. However, just as they are about to leave the cavern and head off towards the south tunnel, the Cener suddenly spins around and points directly at your hiding place.

‘Scarzh — nah!’
he screams, and with such vehemence that you are left in no doubt that you have been detected.

The Vazhag draw their weapons and rush towards the steps in response to their leader's cry. The sudden danger galvanizes you into action and, like a panther hungry for the kill, you spring to your feet and leap among the onrushing rat-men, striking down the two nearest with one wide, sweeping blow. Before they have fallen you kick out at the chest of another and feel its ribs crack under the impact. A side-swipe puts paid to a fourth of their number, neatly parting its disease-riddled head from its shoulders and, as you pause to draw breath, you see the remaining enemy backing away in shocked confusion.

Ineptly they fumble with their weapons while the Cener screams at them to avenge their slain comrades. One Vazhag plucks up enough courage to attack you but you duck its whistling sword stroke with ease. Before it can strike again, you dispatch the beast with a lightning-fast stab through the heart. Your strike is executed with such economy of movement that, to the druid and the remaining Vazhag, it looks as if you hardly moved at all. For the sole surviving Vazhag it is the last straw and, with a squeal of abject terror, it drops its torch and rusty blade and abandons the druid for the dark safety of the south tunnel.

Cursing vilely, the Cener retreats until his red-robed back is pressed flat against the cavern wall. His mask hides his entire face, yet even so you can sense the blazing hatred that is pouring from his eyes, as if it is a stream of liquid fire. You raise your weapon and advance, eager to finish him swiftly, but you are halted by a sudden, unexpected pulse of psychic energy that crashes like a wave against your mind.

If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 107
.

If you do not possess this Grand Mastery,
turn to 272
.

You follow the narrow passageway which gradually ascends towards the north. The clanging of a distant alarm bell reminds you that all of Mogaruith has been alerted to your presence and, in light of the devastation you have caused, you know better than to expect mercy from the Cenerese if they should catch you now.

After a few minutes the passage arrives at a hall where a railed balcony overlooks a deep circular shaft. A broad stone staircase at the north wall ascends to the next level and you stride swiftly towards it. As you pass the balcony you pause for a moment to stare down at a fascinating sight. Hundreds of feet below, at the base of the shaft, huge vats filled with a sickly brown fluid bubble and seethe as if they are boiling on a hob. You notice scores of robed druids standing on a great iron gantry suspended above these vats, each one equipped with what appears to be a gigantic butterfly net. They are busily scooping up large brown objects which keep bobbing to the surface of the morass. You use your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision and, as the scene looms larger, you see that the objects are alive. Your stomach churns with revulsion when you suddenly realize what it is that you are looking at. These are the spawning vats in which the Ceners create their loathsome, disease-ridden Vazhag.

Illustration XIII
—You stare down at the base of the shaft where huge vats filled with a sickly brown fluid bubble and seethe.

A noise from the staircase attracts your attention; it is the sound of shuffling footfalls descending the stairs. Moments later your keen sense of smell identifies the threat: a Vazhag patrol is hurrying towards the hall.

If you wish to attempt to hide from this patrol,
turn to 8
.

If you decide to stand and fight them,
turn to 262
.