The Curse of Naar (14 page)
You shout the word ‘Khula’ and the effect is both immediate and electrifying. Nza'pok freezes, as if he has suddenly turned to stone, and a sheen of grey ice appears on his foul-smelling blubbery skin. Then the iron amulet which is hanging by a chain from his lower lip begins to pulsate with an eerie green light. The chaos-horde are at first stunned by their leader's transformation; then shock rapidly becomes a blind panic and they turn and flee, dropping their spears and trampling each other in their scramble to get away.
Swiftly you climb the wall of the pit, and as you pull yourself over the edge, you see the mass of humanoids and ant-creatures swarming across a bridge which leads to a neighbouring delta island. Once the last few are across, a rope is pulled and the middle section of the bridge drops away into the river to prevent you from pursuing them. Confident that the horde no longer poses any threat, you return your gaze to its frozen leader. Nza'pok is completely immobile except for his eyes which blaze with a potent mix of fear and hatred. You sense that this once all-powerful being is terrified that you will now enact your revenge upon his helpless body.
If you wish to unsheathe a weapon and slay Nza'pok while he is unable to resist,
turn to 13
.
If you decide not to kill him, but wish to take the glowing amulet which hangs from his mouth,
turn to 139
.
If you choose to ignore Nza'pok and the amulet, you can escape from the settlement by
turning to 126
.
Your fear of being engulfed by the approaching fire-storm prompts you to take immediate and decisive action. You leap into the well and a painful jolt runs the entire length of your body as you are consumed by the shimmering light. It feels as if you have just jumped into a pool of ice-cold electricity: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.
The initial shock quickly passes and you surrender yourself to a long descent through a column of glimmering azure light. You feel your Platinum Amulet glowing warmly at your throat and you sense that it is protecting you from the rigours of this journey into the unknown.
Looking down through the curtain of blue light, you can see the roofs of ziggurats and towers rising up to meet you. Gradually you slow to a halt and find yourself standing upon a circular dais of basalt rock atop a large, flat-roofed building. Several yards away to your left you see a squat tower, and to your right, standing at a parapet, you see a horny-skinned creature with wings that glimmer like folded sheets of gold leaf. Your pulse races when you recognize this creature to be a Lavas, one of Naar's deadly minions. The Lavas is peering idly at the view beyond the parapet and is unaware of your arrival, yet you are reluctant to leave the shimmering beam for fear that it may see you and raise an alarm.
If you possess Assimilance and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 72
.
If you possess Assimilance or Grand Huntmastery,
turn to 174
.
If you do not possess these skills, or if you have yet to attain the required level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 140
.
The sight of the approaching creatures stirs distant memories of the Temple of Maaken, the forbidden place which lies buried beneath the ruins of an old Sommlending city that teeters on the edge of the infamous Maakengorge.
9
These winged horrors are Daemonaks, a breed of vampiric predators who were originally spawned by Lord Vashna, the first and mightiest Darklord leader. You first encountered one of their kind at Maaken, but now you face a flock of twenty such creatures.
As they descend towards your hiding place they give vent to a piercing wail that makes your flesh crawl. The sound of their cries unsettles you, but this discomfort pales in comparison to the shock you experience upon seeing the response to their hideous cries.
[9] It is possible to have visited the Temple of Maaken without encountering a Daemonak.
You run to where Alyss sits imprisoned within her sparkling force-field and, with one precise and powerful blow from your magical blade, you shatter her sorcerous prison. The anguished scream of Naar echoes through the corridors and dungeons of Dazganon. As its terrible timbre begins to rumble and fade, you are horrified to see a host of monstrous creatures burst forth from the smoky walls of the inner sanctum and close in upon you from all sides.
Freed from the constraints of her prison, Alyss is able to use the power of the Moonstone to bring into being a Shadow Gate which materializes in the floor of the chamber.
‘Come, Grand Master,’ she implores as she gets ready to step into the whirling black abyss. ‘Follow me!’
And with these words she is swallowed up by the inky abyss. Seconds later, you take a running leap and dive head-first into the Shadow Gate, escaping in her wake barely moments before a pack of screeching, gnawing, parasitic horrors engulf the place where you last were standing.
From the runic inscription on the floor you suspect that the portal may be opened by using a piece of gold. Taking a Gold Crown from your Belt Pouch you carefully examine the three slots, using your Kai senses to help you choose into which one you should place your coin. Unfortunately, your senses can only detect the powerful magical energy that is present in the core of this portal.
If you wish to insert your Gold Crown into the circular slot,
turn to 195
.
If you decide to insert the coin into the square slot,
turn to 214
.
If you choose to insert the coin into the triangular slot,
turn to 332
.
Successfully you dodge the flying bolts until you are within a few yards of the open Gates of Darkness. One of the silver missiles ricochets from the floor and gouges a deep groove of flesh from the back of your left thigh: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
Clutching your injured leg, you stagger forwards and hurl yourself head-first into the darkness of the void.
You take hold of your rope and make a lasso from one end. Then you cast this loop at a sapling growing on the bank, several yards from the water's edge. The rope hits its mark and you are able to pull yourself over dry land before cancelling the effects of your
Levitation
spell.
The moment your feet touch the ground, you retrieve your rope and run headlong across the clearing towards a distant perimeter of trees and dense undergrowth. At first the arachnids give chase, but they are not so agile on dry land, and you are soon able to outdistance them. On entering the jungle perimeter, you force your way through thick foliage and discover the remnants of a trail which you follow for nearly a mile until you arrive at the edge of a second clearing. This expanse of level ground is devoid of foliage yet it is littered with strange fruits that resemble gigantic grey pineapples. Beyond these curious fruits you can see the ruins of a settlement partially overgrown with moss. Warily you leave the jungle, make your way around the fruits, and hurry across the clearing towards a statue which is crouching among the ruins. It is constructed of a smooth, lustrous black mineral and is fashioned in the likeness of some evil beast of prey. It reminds you of a hyena, but one with a massive lower jaw set with a pair of sabre-toothed fangs. Between its forelegs is a flight of rubble-strewn steps leading down to an open door. You detect waves of power emanating from somewhere beyond this darkened doorway, but you are unable to determine just how deep below the ground the source of this energy is located.
Illustration VII—Between the statue's forelegs is a flight of rubble-strewn steps leading down to an open door.
If you possess Telegnosis and wish to use this skill to spirit-walk through the doorway to investigate what lies beyond,
turn to 76
.
If you do not possess this skill or choose not to use it,
turn to 177
.
As you wait for the rain to abate, you inspect the inside of the hollow and the pendulous insect hive. Despite the seemingly haphazard lie of the stone slabs, the rain does not penetrate into the interior, and the inside of the hollow stays remarkably dry. On the ground lies a thick carpet of soft leathery leaves. They are spattered with a yellow, honey-like, substance which is oozing from the base of the hive. It smells sweet but your Kai senses warn you not to taste any: it is poisonous. (If you wish to take some of this, record it on your
Action Chart
as Muntaag Honey. You can wrap it in a leaf and store it as a Backpack Item.)
You are busy cleaning the acidic rain from your equipment with a handful of leaves when suddenly your Sixth Sense warns you of approaching danger. You peer out through a crack in the stones and catch sight of a flock of bat-winged creatures. They are swooping down from out of the rainy sky towards your hiding place.
If you have ever been to the Ruins of Maaken in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 107
.
If you have never visited this place,
turn to 252
.
Your improved mastery enables you to detect the outline of a large creature approaching through the tunnel. Viewed from the front it has the appearance of a gigantic beetle, but one with hundreds of stubby legs that are moving in rapid waves like those of a millipede. You sense that it is a living creature and not a mechanical device, and that it is approaching at a terrific pace. Its width almost completely fills the tunnel and, unless you take immediate steps to avoid it, you could be knocked down and crushed as it passes through this section.
If you wish to turn and run from the advancing creature,
turn to 279
.
If you wish to try to find a safe haven where you can avoid its passing,
turn to 122
.
To your relief you sense that you have persuaded the dragon that it is not carrying a stowaway. It raises its head and continues its flight towards the construction area which lies close to the main temple. Upon reaching this busy area it hovers above an expanse of levelled ground which is covered with dozens of cargo nets full of blocks awaiting collection by the building teams. A crew of four reptilians guides your net gently to the ground and then swiftly unhooks it from the dragon's harness using long poles.
From the safety of your hiding place you watch as the dragon flies away to collect another cargo. As soon as the reptilians move on to attend to the next delivery of blocks, you leave the net and make your way as quickly as you can towards the main temple.
You decide to explore the perimeter of the undergrowth and have walked almost a mile along its edge before you come across the remnants of a path which leads into the jungle's dark interior. Cautiously you advance along this overgrown trail, but you have not gone far before you are forced to a halt by a thick curtain of hanging vines and creepers.
Using your advanced Kai Discipline, you command the mossy creepers to move aside and create a tunnel through which you can pass. The reaction to your order is immediate and dramatic. There is a deafening noise, like the sound of heavy tropical rainfall, and suddenly the hanging vines rise up and flail the air. They lash out at you with stunning ferocity, forcing you to retreat back along the trail before their stinging blows. Rapidly your sense of surprise is surpassed by fear when you realize that these vines are not plants at all; they are hostile living creatures.
If you wish to attempt to evade their attack,
turn to 35
.
If you decide to try to fight your way through them,
turn to 46
.
You wait until the bickering dies down and the tunnel traffic thins out. When you see your chance to move you seize it swiftly and successfully. Shielded by your Kai skills, you avoid the guards and hurry along this tunnel. The deeper you explore, the stronger the sensation and concentration of Evil becomes, but still you can sense the presence of Alyss. Eventually you reach the tunnel's end at an antechamber, where an open archway to an adjoining hall is dripping with blood. You peer through this gruesome entrance and recognize the hall beyond to be the inner sanctum of Naar's stronghold — his personal chamber. The walls comprise swirling smoke in which alien shapes writhe and contort themselves into impossible shapes. A circular plinth occupies the central section of the floor, and your heart skips a beat when you glimpse something beyond the plinth, something encased within a glimmering field of energy.