The Plague Lords of Ruel (25 page)

You fix your eyes on the observation platform as you wait for the chain to reach the end of its arc. Upon the instant that momentum stops, you release your grip and hurtle through the air towards the platform's rail. You have timed your jump to perfection, but your landing leaves much to be desired. You collide heavily with the rail, bloodying your nose and bruising your hands and shins, yet you still manage to hold tight and prevent yourself from falling backwards to your doom (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points).

Winded and bleeding you drag yourself over the rail and stagger toward the inviting darkness of the doorway which services this platform.

Turn to 128
.

One of the rat-men pushes his snout to within inches of your face and says, to your surprise, that you can seek an audience with the Arch Druid so long as you first register your arrival. He points to a door in the tower wall and asks you to enter it. ‘There,’ he says, ‘you can make your registration.’

Immediately your Magnakai sense of Divination warns that the Vazhag is lying; a prison cell awaits you beyond that door.

If you wish to do as the Vazhag requests and enter the door,
turn to 30
.

If you refuse to enter the door,
turn to 162
.

With all your strength you resist the terrible power that is sucking you towards its heart. In desperation you call upon the Gods Kai and Ishir to aid you, and as if in response to your prayers, you sense yourself rising as the swirling vortex begins to recede. A terrible pain wracks your mind and body (lose 5
ENDURANCE
points) but it does not break your will to survive this supernatural ordeal.

Then, abruptly, the swirling funnel evaporates and you find yourself on your hands and knees, breathless and shivering, staring at the cold stone floor of Cadak's throne room. Slowly you rise to your feet; then a faint sound behind warns you that someone or something is moving about in the antechamber.

Turn to 222
.

Using your Magnakai skill of Nexus, you cause several of the boxes and sacks to fall from the rear of the wagon. They splinter and tear open, spilling foul-smelling foodstuffs which immediately incite the hungry females to rush forward once more. In the ensuing chaos you leave your hiding place and attempt to escape unseen through the portal.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have Grand Mastery of Assimilance, add 2 to the number you have chosen.

If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 169
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 14
.

The west passage continues for several hundred yards before ending at a heavy oak door. As you approach it you can sense an evil at work somewhere beyond, and the stench of its corruption stirs your anger.

With weapon in hand you run at the door and give it a mighty kick, sending it crashing open. With ease you have gained access to the chamber beyond, but you are stunned by the awful sight which greets your eyes.

Turn to 290
.

Your psychic defences buckle under the sudden onslaught and a wave of red-hot pain sweeps unchecked through your mind: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.

Almost immediately you muster your psychic Magnakai skills and the pain melts away, but the attack leaves you shivering with psychic shock. Seeing a slender advantage, the druid acts quickly to exploit it. He draws a dagger from inside his robes and hurls himself forward in a desperate attempt to drive it into your heart.

Cener Druid:
COMBAT SKILL
 23   
ENDURANCE
 27

Owing to the speed and desperation of his attack, reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 20 points for the first round of this combat only.

If you win the fight,
turn to 4
.

You strike and sever the plant-like tendril, but immediately there is another, and then another. With the speed of striking snakes they ensnare your legs and wrench you into the morass. Desperately you fight to free yourself as you are dragged deeper into the foul-smelling mire. Repeatedly you strike out below the surface, in the hope of dealing your attacker a mortal wound, and you feel something burst upon your weapon's tip. Momentarily, the creature's grip falters, but only to recover with renewed strength and tenacity.

Then sharp pain lances through your thighs as row upon row of barbed claws spring out from the unseen creature's tendrils and puncture your skin. You scream in agony and your cry is echoed from beneath the surface of the bog pool by the sound of a malicious, bubbling laugh.

If you possess Animal Mastery,
turn to 339
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 47
.

As the smoke from the explosion clears, you see a jagged, flame-blackened hole where once there had been a lock. You kick the door and it creaks open, allowing you to enter the hall which lies beyond.

Turn to 78
.

No matter how hard you try you cannot prise the chain from its mounting; you need to use a longer weapon in order to exert more leverage on the pin. Looking around you see nothing that can aid you, but then the image of the ideal object springs into your mind and you rush to the platform's edge. Below you, lying on the first platform, you see one of the slain Acolyte's spears.

Swiftly you grab hold of the ladder and begin a hurried descent. As you leap the last few feet to the platform you are confronted by the first of the Vazhag archers. A kick to the snout sends this slavering rat-man tumbling to his doom, but no sooner has he disappeared than another pops up to take his place. You draw your weapon and steel yourself for combat as the Vazhag comes leaping from the ladder with a knife held ready to cut you down.

Vazhag archer:
COMBAT SKILL
 22   
ENDURANCE
 21

If you win the combat,
turn to 161
.

Suddenly the Vazhag stops snoring and the silence freezes you in your tracks. The creature prises open its beady eyes, caked with dried sweat, and its whiskered nose sniffs the air suspiciously. Then, as if suddenly electrified, the pudgy rat-man rolls off the divan and reaches with its paw for something hidden beneath the fur covers. You decide to make an escape and pull at the secret door, but it will not open. Somehow the Vazhag has locked it.

You turn to face the nervous creature, your hand on the hilt of your weapon as you advance threateningly. In response it darts towards a corner of the chamber and huddles there, shivering with fright. But before you can reach the Vazhag and pull it to its feet, there is the sound of heavy footfalls and suddenly something comes bursting through the curtained archway.

Before you now stands a gigantic dog-like creature with fiery red eyes. Its shiny blue-black hide ripples over a muscular frame and a huge crocodile-like jaw protrudes from its cruel, canine face. It is sleek and powerful, yet, as it draws nearer, you see that its hide is pitted and scarred by a virulent disease.

If you possess a Bow and Arrow and wish to use them,
turn to 187
.

If you do not,
turn to 45
.

Instinct alone prompts you to take a chunk of the fungi from your Backpack and swallow it whole. Within seconds of consuming the tinder-dry flesh you feel a core of resurgent strength welling deep within your chest. Your spore-choked lungs burn no longer and you can breathe once more with ease.

Immune to the insidious effects of the spore-cloud you battle your way through the tunnel to a clearer section several hundred yards beyond. Aided by a fungus from another world, you have survived an encounter with a colony of deadly khloros spores. Few can claim as much!

Turn to 79
.

Arrows ricochet from the iron rungs and pass perilously close to your legs, but your agility and the speed of your ascent save you from being hit. Undaunted by the barrage, you continue climbing towards the winch with increased determination.

Turn to 103
.

You clamber out of the derelict hut and run towards a narrow gap in the trees. A thorny corridor lies beyond it, leading away into darkness. With the fanatical shrieks of the Vazhag echoing in your ears, you muster your courage and leap into the gap.

If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Assimilance,
turn to 190
.

If you do not possess this ability,
turn to 315
.

Once inside, you close the door gently and breathe a sigh of relief. You find yourself alone in a small room which reeks of a heady mixture of incense and sulphur. Scarlet robes line the walls, hanging from wooden pegs driven into the crumbling plaster, and upon a solitary table are heaped a pile of green masks, fashioned from a glass-like mineral.

If you possess a Cener Robe and a Cener Mask,
turn to 126
.

If you possess neither (or only one) of these items,
turn to 304
.

The creature finally overcomes your will and, in that instant, you see its eyes widen with fearful recognition. Then you notice its bony hand is gliding rapidly towards an alarm button which protrudes from the side of its desk. You advance towards the desk but it is too late: the button has been pressed.

Turn to 11
.

The Vazhag's eyes widen in alarm when it sees you approaching. It opens its mouth as if to scream, but a sharp blow to the side of its neck with the edge of your hand renders it instantly unconscious. You are about to search its pockets when a faint scrabbling sound warns you that the pit creature is on the prowl. Rather than face that nameless horror, you hurry across the chamber to the secret door and make a hasty escape.

Turn to 308
.

You hit the surface with a mighty splash and sink like a stone. Foul fluids fill your nose and mouth, causing you to cough and retch as you struggle to rise to the surface. You are submerged in a deadly cocktail of acids and toxic wastes from the dungeons of Mogaruith and, were it not for your Magnakai Disciplines of Nexus and Curing, you would have perished within seconds of entering the moat.

The Vazhag on the battlements are squealing in triumph for they are certain that you have jumped to your doom. They leave the wall and return to their duties for, in their experience, no living thing has ever survived a dip in the moat. When you do break the surface and strike out for the bank, you do so unseen. It is not until you are pulling yourself out of the moat that your luck suddenly fails you.

You are spotted by a group of three Vazhag returning from battle. Two are armed with spears and they face you on foot, but the third sits astride a captured Slovian steed. It is wielding a cavalry lance and you can tell by the way the rat-man balances it that it is skilled in its use. The two spear-wielders squeal their battle-cry and attack you simultaneously. However, this cry is quickly transformed into a duet of pain when you strike out and kill them instantly. They drop to the ground and almost immediately the rider is upon you, jabbing at your chest with the tip of its lance. You duck the first thrust, and steady yourself to meet the second as the Vazhag lancer turns and bears down on you once more.

Illustration XVII
—You are spotted by a Vazhag returning from battle, sitting astride a captured Slovian steed.

Vazhag lancer:
COMBAT SKILL
 32   
ENDURANCE
 20

If you win this combat,
turn to 113
.

Beyond the narrow opening you discover a dusty passage sandwiched between two walls of rough, unyielding stone. Worm casts and a myriad animal tracks mark the surface of the dirt floor, revealing at once to your expert eye that no creature larger than a domestic cat has trodden the floor of this passage in the past three months. Confidently you explore and, unhindered by the darkness, you experience no difficulty in following its sinuous course towards the heart of the Skardos Mountains.

You have been walking for two miles before you reach a junction where a wider tunnel leads away, both to the east and the west. Unlike the passage, this tunnel has been excavated from the rock and its walls still bear the scars of shovels and picks. Your Magnakai sense of Divination reveals no imminent dangers and your Pathsmanship can detect no unusual tracks.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery,
turn to 49
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, you can investigate the east tunnel by
turning to 118
.

Or you can investigate the west tunnel by
turning to 189
.