The Curse of Naar (23 page)
You accompany the members of the secret council to the deepest chamber below the Guildhall wherein lies the Daziarn Portal. It is a perpetual entrance to a Shadow Gate and is one of only a handful which exist upon Magnamund. For many centuries the magicians of Toran have used this portal to banish criminals and traitors from Sommerlund, believing that it led to the limbo of deep space from where there could be no escape. However, in recent years their understanding of this portal has greatly increased following your own journeys through similar Shadow Gates. Inspired by your accounts of the planes of existence which lie beyond the material universe of Aon, and by their own experimentation, the Brotherhood magicians and the Elders of the High Council of Dessi have since been able to achieve limited control over the forces which exist within these supernatural portals.
Using this newly-acquired knowledge of Shadow Gates, coupled with their powerful arcane lore, the council members begin preparations for a ritual which will culminate with you stepping into the Daziarn Portal. Rimoah oversees the drawing of an intricate pentagram upon the flagstones at the threshold of the portal, whilst Guildmaster Banedon instructs his guildsmen in the recital of complex spell chants and the placing of magical artefacts at key points around the chamber. The preparations are painstaking and lengthy. During this period you reflect on the quest you have vowed to undertake and Lord Rimoah takes time to reassure you of the vital importance of your mission. He also offers you some magical items which could prove invaluable during your quest for the Moonstone.
If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 27
.
If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 307
.
The warrior raises his black sword and releases a crackling surge of electrical energy from its tip. It passes over your head and earths itself to the end of the stone beam, at the place where it joins the chasm wall. You feel a jolt beneath your feet as the beam cracks and breaks away from the wall and, to your amazement, you watch as this solid spar of rock curls up and slowly rolls in towards you, like a snake's tongue returning to its mouth.
The coiled beam retracts towards the mouth of the dragon-gate, forcing you nearer and nearer to the fearsome black warrior. As he watches your reluctant approach he swings his mighty sword above his head, slicing and stabbing at the air with it in eager anticipation of the coming fight. When you are pushed to within ten yards of the gate itself, you reach for your own weapon and brace yourself for a fight that now seems unavoidable.
If you possess the Sommerswerd or Skarn-Ska,
turn to 254
.
If you possess neither of these Special Items,
turn to 147
.
Using your improved Grand Mastery, you cause yourself to soar at great speed towards the distant bridge. Your sudden and unexpected acceleration takes Avarvae and her minions completely by surprise. By the time they react to your escape it is already too late: you have reached the Bridge of the Damned, the exit from Avarvae's domain.
You dig your heels into the soft loamy soil and steel yourself to fight these greedy bloodsucking vines.
Haemodyls:
COMBAT SKILL
49
ENDURANCE
47
These creatures are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-blast and Kai-ray. If you possess Animal Mastery, you may add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.
If you win the combat,
turn to 19
.
The unexpected sight of your face in the pool fills Shamath with a blind rage, for it has alerted her to your presence in her Throne Room. As her burning rage subsides, you sense that she is communicating telepathically with her two lieutenants. Suddenly, all three turn to stare at the icy pillar behind which you are hiding, and your Sixth Sense warns you that they are preparing to launch a combined psychic attack.
If you possess Kai-surge and have attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher,
turn to 267
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 335
.
Seated on the two throne-like chairs perched upon the back of the rotting carcass appear the ghastly forms of the Künae, the Lords of Decay. They are a hideous sight, and your stomach churns with revulsion as you struggle to comprehend their abominable manifestation. Their torsos resemble two mounds of glistening black jelly, studded with polyps and ulcers and sores that exude a noxious grey slime. They have flat heads that are oval-shaped and shell-like, with puckered mouths and indented eye-slits that radiate an evil yellow light. From their rubbery sides protrude two snaky limbs ending in three-fingered hands coloured a sickly, leprous green-grey. And fixed upon the first fingers of their right hands you see rings of gleaming gold that are exquisitely crafted and embellished with intricate patterns. These rings are exceptionally beautiful and seem glaringly out of place upon the fingers of these grotesque beings.
As you stare at the rings you recall the text of the Tome of Darkness and its instruction that if you are to leave this rotting domain, you must first obtain a ring from the Künae. Your Kai Sixth Sense confirms that these are the rings, and the tunnel-like opening in the body of the carcass is the exit from this realm of putrefaction. Your senses also reveal that the Künae are communicating with each other telepathically. Their eyes glow with increasing intensity and you fear that they are getting ready to launch a magical assault against you.
If you possess Assimilance and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Prince,
turn to 273
.
If you possess the Sommerswerd and wish to use it,
turn to 188
.
If you possess Skarn-Ska and wish to use it,
turn to 347
.
If you do not possess Assimilance, have yet to attain the required level of Kai rank, or do not possess either Special Item (or have chosen not to use it),
turn instead to 306
.
The poisonous fumes are highly corrosive and, despite your natural Kai defences, your close proximity to the smouldering bundle causes painful blisters to erupt on the exposed parts of your hands and face.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the number you have picked is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) deduct 3
ENDURANCE
points from your current total. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0) deduct 5
ENDURANCE
points.
Gritting your teeth against the pain of these chemical burns, you draw on your powers of infravision to counter the effects of the blinding smoke. At once you are able to see again and you can clearly make out the leaders of the shambling legion; they are now just a few yards from the entrance.
If you wish to attempt to escape before they block the entrance completely,
turn to 151
.
If you choose to stand and fight them,
turn to 32
.
You use your Grand Huntmastery skills to improve your mobility as you trek across the dangerous terrain which separates you from the distant volcanic crater. However, despite your ability and agility, during this trek you incur several minor injuries: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 86
.
You reach up and grab one of the supporting beams, but your fingers slip on its dusty surface and you fall heavily on your back. Winded by the impact, you fail to scramble to your feet in time to avoid the onrushing leviathan. This gigantic beetle-creature slams you to the ground and flattens you beneath its vast bulk, yet amazingly you survive this collision — but not for very long. Trailing in the creature's wake is a long line of wagons piled high with grey metallic ore. You are hit by several of these heavy iron carriages and killed.
Tragically, your life and your quest end here in the Mines of Zantaz.
Gradually the sea mist clears and you catch sight of land on the horizon. Your senses tingle with expectation for you have now entered a new realm of the Plane of Darkness and you are aware of several dramatic changes to your immediate surroundings. The sluggish grey sea has become a muddy brown sludge that clings to your paddle like marsh slime. Every time you break the crusty surface a cloud of tiny black insects erupts from the slime and soars into the warm, fetid air. The sky above is no longer green; it is a bilious yellow and it is streaked with high clouds that flash intermittently with sheet lightning.
Despite the glue-like consistency of the ocean, you detect a strong tidal undertow. Rather than fight it you decide to cease paddling and allow it to carry you towards the distant shore. While you wait for the current to do its work, you retrieve the Tome of Darkness from your Backpack and turn through its pages in the hope of learning some of the secrets of this new, foul-smelling realm.
The page that revealed to you information about Nza'pok's realm is now blank, but the one following it has changed in both colour and texture. Lines of spidery writing have appeared on a page that now looks and feels like cured animal hide. Once again, using your Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, you are able to decipher much of this arcane text.
The writings tell of two powerful beings called the Künae, the Lords of Decay, and of their Throne of Power which is located upon ‘the rotting corpse of Ghandezh, the Wyrm of Naaros’. You scan the page, passing over a long list of vile deeds that have earned the Künae the right to rule their ignoble realm, until you come to the part which details the secret names which can bind them. The names are ‘Jantoor’ and ‘Rhunadan’. The text instructs those who would use these names in the presence of the Künae to exercise great caution, for if the name that is spoken is not directed at the correct Lord of Decay, the ‘evocator will sacrifice his body and soul and be enslaved to the Künae forever upon the realm of putrefaction’. The text gives no indication of how to identify each of the Künae and does not state how and when their secret names should be used to bind them. Yet it does state that in order to leave their realm one must possess a ‘ring of power’, one of two such rings which exist and are worn ‘upon the first fingers of the right hands of the Künae’.
You close the Tome and stow it in your Backpack. Time has passed rapidly while you have been consulting the book, and your canoe is now but a few hundred yards from the shore. Directly ahead you can see the estuary of a river, and away to your left you note a stony beach which gently ascends to a forest of grey-green trees.
If you wish to paddle your canoe into the river estuary,
turn to 216
.
If you decide to beach your craft on the stony shore and explore the forest beyond,
turn to 85
.
You are within ten feet of the threshold of the Gates of Darkness when a silver bolt passes clean through your left shoulder and the shock of its impact slams you to the ground: lose 5
ENDURANCE
points.
Gritting your teeth against the agonizing pain, you stagger to your feet and then hurl yourself forwards into the darkness of the void.
To continue,
turn to 60
.
As the beast leaps from the ramp you jump into the air, pivot in mid-flight, and bring your weapon crashing down upon the top of its skull. The power of your blow deflects the creature and sends it slamming into the wall. It growls in surprise and pain but it does not forget its hunger; it simply shakes its bloodied head and springs once more towards you. Dodging this clumsy attack with ease, you let loose a backhanded swipe which slices a chunk of flesh and muscle from its furry shoulder. It yelps and writhes against the pain, but it still refuses to give up the fight. With lightning speed it recovers and lunges for your chest with its claws. You sidestep but it succeeds in knocking you backwards as its heavy bulk glances your arm. Cursing its tenacity, you steel yourself for what will be a desperate fight to the finish.
Ghazoul:
COMBAT SKILL
50
ENDURANCE
40
This creature is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-blast and Kai-ray.
If you win the combat,
turn to 36
.
Your stealth and Kai skills keep you safe from the gaze of the Lavas. Undetected, you reach the open archway at the base of the tower and descend a spiral stone stairway which leads to a landing, one level below. It is here that you see something that brings you skidding to an abrupt halt.