The Caverns of Kalte (13 page)

As you lower the lever, a stone door slides across and seals off the rubbish-strewn chamber. When you raise the lever, the stone door slides open once again.

If you wish to enter the room and investigate its contents,
turn to 38
.

If you wish to continue along the east passage,
turn to 237
.

The tentacled horror rises from the moat and attacks you. You glimpse Vonotar raising his black staff and fixing his gaze towards Loi-Kymar. He is attacking the old magician with his Mindforce. You realize that if Loi-Kymar is killed, the secret of the Guildstaff will die with him.

Before you can do anything else, you must fight the monster to the death. This is an Akraa'Neonor: one of the undead. Remember to double all
ENDURANCE
points lost by this enemy during the combat, due to the power of the Sommerswerd.

Akraa'Neonor:
COMBAT SKILL
 23   
ENDURANCE
 50

If you win the combat in five rounds or less,
turn to 272
.

If the combat takes longer than five rounds,
turn to 324
.

The shock of his attack has knocked you to the ground. By the time you have staggered to your feet, you see that he has stopped and removed his skis.

Turn to 68
.

At the bottom of the staircase you discover a new tunnel going northwards. You are about to follow it when your hand touches a lever protruding from the wall to your right. A closer examination reveals a secret door.

If you wish to open the door,
turn to 111
.

If you wish to continue along the new tunnel,
turn to 336
.

The gale gradually drops, the air clears, and the Viad Glacier is revealed in all its splendour. The even surface of ice crystals look like a carpet of snow glittering with gems of every hue — yellow, violet, blue, green, orange, and crimson; yet the crystals are of such brilliance, they would put any jewel in the shade. The ice wall rises over eight hundred feet and for the main part it is a smooth but very steep climb. Although the weather is fine, it takes the best part of a day to climb the glacier's edge. All of the equipment has to be unloaded and taken to the top of the glacier where it is repacked onto the sledges. The Kanu-dogs do hardly anything but fight, and your food is so shaken up in the climb that a gruesome mush is all that remains of it.

By the end you are exhausted. With daylight fading fast, you decide to pitch camp in the shelter of a natural ice bowl, and settle down to a much deserved night's rest.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–6,
turn to 85
.

If the number you have picked is 7–9,
turn to 300
.

As you step onto the quartz, you sense a vibration that runs up your leg to your knee. You see that, within the flagstone, a dull light pulsates and a humming sound can be heard emanating from the altar.

With your heart pounding, you prepare yourself for an attack and slowly advance.

Turn to 60
.

As you reach the massive door, you desperately cast your eyes over it in the hope of discovering a way to make it open. The door is completely smooth; it has no handle, lock, or keyhole. The creature will soon reach the top of the ramp, and you are about to cry out in desperation when you notice a block of granite set into the nearby wall. It has a small triangle cut into its surface.

If you possess a Blue Stone Triangle,
turn to 41
.

If you do not,
turn to 265
.

Using the edge of your cloak, you wipe away a section of the pentagram that is wide enough to let the man escape. You notice that he is painfully thin and unsteady on his feet.

‘My thanks, Kai Lord. I shall endeavour to repay your kindness some day, if we ever escape from this fortress,’ he says. ‘You had best lead, for my eyes ail me. I have suffered snow-blindness and the pain still lingers on.’

You lead the way into the passage and are about to turn north into the main corridor, when a pair of steely-fingered hands suddenly close around your throat from behind. A hideous cry betrays the merchant's true identity: he is a Helghast, a deadly shape-changing servant of the Darklords. He has tricked you into releasing him from the pentagram, and he now intends to murder you.

You desperately fight for air as his skeletal fingers burn and tear at your throat. You lose 6
ENDURANCE
points. If you are still alive, you manage to break free of his grip, but you must now fight this creature to the death. Due to the surprise of its attack, you cannot swallow any potions before the combat.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 304
.

If you do not,
turn to 175
.

The stopper in this Vial is jammed and you have to take great care not to break the slender glass neck. It gradually loosens and you sniff the orange liquid.

If you have the Kai Discipline of either Sixth Sense or Weaponskill,
turn to 311
.

If you do not possess either Discipline, you become suspicious of this potion and decide to discard it.
Return to 10
and decide your next course of action.

You decline Irian's offer and return to the tent. However, the others, having congratulated you, leave the tent and join Irian. You watch in amazement as they, too, grab handfuls of Baknar oil and smear it inside their clothing.

Later that night, you eventually get to sleep but only after plugging both nostrils with cloth. The others seem oblivious to the dreadful smell.

Turn to 134
.

The Hall of the Brumalmarc is a vast chamber constructed of crystal blocks rising to a central plateau. On this stands the Brumalmarc throne, as old as Ikaya itself. There, Vonotar sits, surrounded by the tomes and eldritch trappings of a necromancer. He is rapt in study and does not see you enter the hall. He remains oblivious to your presence until Loi-Kymar sneezes.

‘Who dares disturb me?’ he hisses, rising from the Brumalmarc throne, his eyes searching for an intruder. Upon seeing you, he emits a horrified gasp and fumbles for his black staff. He has the look of a criminal who has been discovered in the act of some dreadful crime. Quickly you raise your weapon and begin to climb the crystal pyramid. You know that you have little time to reach him if you are to overpower and capture him alive.

You reach the edge of the plateau in time to see a wide circle of blocks descending around the throne. Between you and Vonotar, a deep moat is forming. Then from the depths of the moat you hear a ghastly, inhuman gibbering. You brace yourself for combat but are totally unprepared for the horror that now faces you. From out of the dark slithers a huge, ghoulish, green monster. Its deformed head is a mass of tentacles and suckers that ooze a putrid black slime. At the centre of this writhing mass a hideous yellow eye pulsates. Vonotar has control over this monster and he is directing it towards you.

Illustration XI
—From out of the dark slithers a huge ghoulish green monster over which Vonotar has control.

If you possess an Effigy,
turn immediately to 34
.

If you do not possess an Effigy but do possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 164
.

If you have neither of the above,
turn to 200
.

The Kalkoth is dead but its growls still seem to echo around the cavern. You suddenly realize that another of the beasts is now thundering down the tunnel towards you. It is the Kalkoth's mate, and she is hell-bent on revenge. You now have only one possible escape route: you must cross the lake.

Turn to 322
.

You sidestep the hissing creature and strike a blow at its head that would maim any mortal warrior. To your horror, the Helghast advances towards you unscathed. It is a powerful captain of the undead, and is immune to normal weapons. An agent of the Darklords, it has been sent to kill Vonotar for his failure at the Battle of Holmgulf. Now free from the pentagram that imprisoned it, the Helghast can complete its mission and return to the rewards and praise of its masters.

You cry out in terror as the Helghast's fingers rend and burn at your throat. But your cries fade unheeded in the dark passage; only death will end your agony.

Your life and your mission end here.

Running for the tunnel entrance, you quickly leave the icy river far behind. You follow the tunnel for countless hours as it bends its way northwards. It becomes impossible to recall what hour of the day it is; the perpetual half-light of these caverns never changes. Through fissures in the wall of the tunnel, you catch glimpses of other chambers, and you marvel at the sheer scale of the labyrinth.

You are nearly asleep on your feet when you suddenly detect the aroma of cooked meat. It is coming from a chamber just a few yards ahead to your right. You are very hungry and must soon eat.

If you wish to investigate the chamber,
turn to 5
.

If you wish to ignore the chamber and continue,
turn to 132
.

You recognize the pungent smell of distilled Graveweed. This black concentration is a very powerful poison, and you quickly replace the stopper to prevent the noxious fumes from escaping. If you wish to keep this Potion, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.

Now
return to 10
and choose your next course of action.

You have been following the Ice Barbarian scouts for nearly two hours when a fierce ice squall rises from the west. The terrain becomes very broken with drifts of snow hiding the razor-sharp ridges and undulations of the ice beneath. For the Ice Barbarian scouts with their skis (fashioned from the ribs of Kalte mammoths), the treacherous surface presents no problems. But to cross it on foot is a slow and painful ordeal.

The biting wind whips across the glacier, bringing with it clouds of fine snow that obscure your vision. You realize the danger of being caught in the open in the middle of a Kalte blizzard, and signal to the others to call off the chase. Walking towards your scouts, you suddenly plummet through the surface of the ice.

Turn to 105
.

A bold plan springs to your mind. If you pose as an Ice Barbarian, you may be able to place the bowl of herbs near to the guards; in the dim light of the corridor, the smoke would be difficult to detect. Loi-Kymar agrees to your suggestion and prepares a mixture of herbs to prevent you succumbing to the fumes yourself.

Clad in the furs of an Ice Barbarian, you march along the corridor with the bowl hidden inside your jacket.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 39
.

If the number you have picked is 5–9,
turn to 296
.

Through the snow-swept gloom you can make out two small pinpoints of red light. They are growing larger. Suddenly, in the gloom you see the shape of a large and hideous, four-legged creature. It leaps at you, its red eyes glowering and its fanged mouth open to reveal a long barbed tongue, lashing towards your face.

‘Agh! A Kalkoth!’ screams Fenor. He rushes to your side, holding a sword high in his hand. He attempts to strike at the creature's tongue. But the creature is already upon you, and you must fight it.

In spite of Fenor's attack the beast only seems to be interested in you. Fenor does not receive any wounds as he stabs at it from behind.

Deduct an additional 3
ENDURANCE
points from the Kalkoth's
ENDURANCE
point total for each round of combat you fight. This represents the damage inflicted by Fenor.

Kalkoth:
COMBAT SKILL
 11   
ENDURANCE
 35

If you lose any
ENDURANCE
points during this combat,
turn immediately to 129
.

If you kill the creature without losing any
ENDURANCE
points,
turn to 70
.

The Gold Crowns clatter along the corridor, but do not have the desired effect. The Ice Barbarian remains at his post, seemingly unaware of the gold now lying just a few feet away.

If you wish to attempt this ploy again,
return to 152
.

If you have no more Gold Crowns or do not wish to attempt this ploy again, you can attack the guard by
turning to 208
.

If you prefer, you can go back along the corridor, past the junction, and explore the west corridor by
turning to 189
.