The Curse of Naar (27 page)
You draw upon your improved Discipline to create an illusory double of yourself which appears standing a few yards away to your right. You sense that this unexpected apparition causes a wave of anxiety in the mental communication passing between the Künae. The creature seated upon the left throne becomes agitated and begins to flail the foul air with its snaky limbs. Then it utters a sinister command to its partner and you hear the words echo in your mind:
Slay him, Jantoor!
The creature seated upon the right throne responds immediately. It raises its right limb and a gout of fire shoots from the palm of its leprous hand.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.
If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 58
.
If it is 5–9,
turn to 153
.
As you hurtle through the void of the Shadow Gate, you fight to keep your eyes fixed on a tiny mote of light which glimmers tantalizingly in the dark, immeasurable distance. You quickly sense that your passage through this astral corridor is being guided by the combined efforts of the magicians you have left behind at the entrance to the Daziarn Portal. Using their psychic powers they are attempting to steer your body through a maze of invisible channels towards the remote speck of light. The journey is a painful one for each shift in direction places an agonizing strain upon your body. You draw upon your Grand Master Disciplines to lessen the trauma, but you are unable to fully protect yourself from the rigours of this passage (lose 5
ENDURANCE
points).
To continue,
turn to 90
.
Beyond the archway you see a vaulted cavern ringed by pillars of ice. A huge marble throne and a table of carved marble stand before two massive black gates which gleam like polished jet. Located behind the throne, and within an arm's length of the grand gates, you glimpse a well-like pool set flush into the frosted cavern floor. The surface of this well is seething and swirling, as if its black waters were about to bubble and boil over.
The sight of this wondrous cavern is a stunning spectacle, yet it pales in comparison to the visage of the creature which is occupying the massive marble throne.
If you have ever visited Lake Vorndarol in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 302
.
If you have never visited this place,
turn to 183
.
Your fight with Zantaz has left you severely wounded. As you drag yourself along the narrow stone beam towards the dragon-gate, you hear the sickening crunch and crack of tortured stone growing ever-louder in your ears. With fear running ice cold through your veins, you suddenly realize that if you are to escape from this realm alive, you must use your Grand Mastery.
If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 281
.
If you possess Deliverance,
turn to 48
.
If you possess neither of these Disciplines, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 325
.
You gasp as one spear tip nicks the back of your right leg and another grazes your left foot (lose 2
ENDURANCE
points). Fortunately, though, the pain quickly recedes when your natural Kai curing skills act to staunch the bleeding.
For ten minutes you pray that the Lavas will leave the parapet, but to no avail; the creature refuses to move. Then suddenly you feel yourself rising within the column of light. You struggle to break free, but nothing you do stops your inexorable ascent towards the crater. Minutes later, you emerge from the vent into a raging fire-storm.
If you possess Grand Nexus,
turn to 131
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 288
.
You sprint along the tunnel, away from the thunderous noise, and as you run you feel the temperature in this dusty passageway steadily rising. You veer around a shallow bend and see a junction less than a hundred yards ahead where another tunnel meets this one from the right. Displaced air is now rushing past you, whipping at your hair and cloak, and the rumbling noise has grown until it has become almost deafening. Drawing on your reserves of strength and stamina, you fix your eyes on the distant junction and race towards it as fast as you can.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the Kai rank of Grand Crown or higher,
turn to 298
.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 333
.
From out of the dark earth surrounding your hiding place there arise monstrous shapes, alien beings long dead and buried yet cruelly denied an eternal rest. Muddy tatters of flesh hang from their pitted skeletal frames, and from their skull-mouths writhe wormy tongues riddled with decay. Numb with shock, you watch as this ghoulish legion draws itself to the surface and comes shambling towards you, driven on by the hellish cries of the swooping fliers.
Instinct and training trigger you to draw your weapon in readiness to meet this sickening corpse-horde, yet before they begin their attack, you are faced by a threat from another quarter. One of the flying creatures circling above is clutching in its claws a length of chain to which is attached a smoking bundle. Suddenly this creature dives out of the clouds and comes swooping down over the horde towards you. At the last minute it pulls up to avoid crashing into the stone slabs of the roof and, as it does so, it releases the chain. The bundle hits the soft ground once and then bounces through the narrow entrance of your hiding place.
Illustration XVII—The ghoulish legion claws itself to the surface, driven on by hellish cries.
Instantly you are consumed by a cloud of acrid smoke that stings your eyes and threatens to close your throat. You sense at once that the smoke is a deadly poison, but fortunately your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus is sufficient to save you from a swift death.
If you possess Grand Nexus,
turn to 337
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 229
.
You whisper the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Strength
and feel a sudden surge of energy course through your body. You stagger to your feet and rush towards the glowing portal, leaping through it just as the retracting coil of rock reaches the mouth of the dragon-gate. The crash of stone echoes in the far distance as you fall headlong through a corridor of swirling flame. Your Platinum Amulet protects you from this fierce conflagration, and it also feeds you with a steady warming stream of energy which radiates from the centre of your body outwards to soothe your aching limbs.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. (0=10). Now double the number you have picked. This total equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points you may restore as a result of the healing effects of the Platinum Amulet. (Remember: your
ENDURANCE
score cannot exceed the total with which you began this adventure.)
After a short time the swirling corridor of flame gradually darkens and you feel the speed of your fall begin to decrease. Then, in a breathtaking instant, your feet slam into hot, cindery ground and you crash forwards to land in a tangled heap.
If you have ever visited the Palmyrion town of Scade in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 125
.
If you have never visited this town,
turn to 215
.
You sense that the Dark God Naar is present in this chamber, but he is being prevented from materializing by Alyss who is courageously using the last of her stamina to hold him at bay to assist you in the fight against his champion.
Kekataag pounds the floor repeatedly with his armoured boot to demonstrate his impatient eagerness to commence combat. In response, you give voice to your battle-cry — ‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’ — and launch yourself at your fell adversary in an attempt to land the first blow.
Kekataag the Avenger:
COMBAT SKILL
60
ENDURANCE
58
You gain a temporary advantage from your speedy attack: you may ignore any
ENDURANCE
points losses sustained in the first two rounds only.
If you win the combat,
turn to 29
.
You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
and instantly you feel yourself rise up out of the mud and soar into the humid air. You bring yourself to a halt twenty feet above the muddy river shore; then you look down at the predatory arachnids that are now gathered directly below. They stare up at you in silence, their scarlet-rimmed eyes blinking rapidly as they patiently wait for you to return to the river.
If you have attained the Kai rank of Grand Crown or higher,
turn to 246
.
If you have not yet attained this level of Kai rank but you do possess a Rope,
turn to 111
.
If you have yet to attain this level of Kai rank and you do not possess a Rope,
turn instead to 30
.
To your dismay you sense that the dragon is oblivious to your mental commands. It does not alert the accompanying Lavas as you had feared, but it does begin rapidly to lose height. Rather than continuing its flight towards the construction area, it descends towards an area of broken rocks and derelict dwellings near to the edge of the chasm.
The few remaining insects that survive your blows hurriedly flee across the swamp and disappear into a curtain of acidic rain. Mindful of the damage this rain is inflicting upon your clothes and equipment, you turn and run back towards the pile of fallen slabs. The hollow beneath these stones is now empty of insects and so you squeeze yourself through a gap and take shelter here.
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
.
You take a running leap at the table and grab the phial from the pillow. Then, as your feet return to the ground, you stagger forwards and throw yourself behind Shamath's great Throne of Power. Crouching here with fear running cold in your veins, you listen to the hiss of the first crossbow bolts and the screams of the approaching horde. Then you notice the waters of the strange pool which lies no more than a dozen yards away from the throne. Beyond this pool you see the pair of huge black gates which dominates the far wall of the chamber and suddenly you recall the text which appeared in the Tome of Darkness. This is the Pool of Sorrows, and beyond it lie the Gates of Darkness, an exit from this cruel domain. Your feelings of excitement at having discovered a way to escape the approaching horde are tempered when you further recall that you must spill your own blood into the pool if you are to leave this realm successfully.
With little hesitation, you stab a finger against the point of your belt buckle and draw a few droplets of blood. Then you spring to your feet and rush towards the pool. As you come to within a few yards, you flick your finger and a stunning transformation takes place the instant your blood hits the pool's swirling surface.
(On your
Action Chart
you may record the phial you have taken as Shamath's Potion. It is a Backpack Item.)
To continue,
turn to 300
.
The hyena-beast suddenly opens its great jaw and coughs up a ball of vile phlegm which it spits at you with stunning force. You dive to the floor to avoid being hit by this evil-smelling projectile and it speeds over your shoulder to splatter loudly against the portal. Droplets of saliva spray the back of your legs, leaving tiny white stains where it instantly removes the checked dyes from your breeches. You wipe your legs with the hem of your cloak but your stomach heaves when you detect that the creature's saliva contains a virulent plague bacteria.
Fortunately, your innate Magnakai Disciplines of Nexus and Curing immediately neutralize this deadly plague virus, rendering it harmless to you. The creature howls with anger and frustration; it has never before encountered any living being capable of resisting its deadly plague-ridden saliva, and your unexpected survival makes it feel suddenly anxious and unsure.
If you possess Animal Mastery,
turn to 80
.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 132
.