The Dungeons of Torgar (11 page)

The clasp that secures the amulet to the black chain around Tagazin's neck is a riveted link of iron. To break this link you must strike a blow that will destroy the rivet.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If the weapon you are using is a dagger or a quarterstaff, deduct 3 from the number you have picked. If the weapon you are using is an axe or a mace, add 1 to the number. If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 2 to the number.

If your total is now 6 or less,
turn to 95
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 233
.

You push open the tower door with your foot and a splash of morning sunlight illuminates the gloomy interior. Slowly the man raises his weather-browned face and a smile softens his craggy features as he recognizes the uniform you are wearing.

‘Welcome, Pathfinder,’ he says, his thick Eruan accent echoing around the empty stone chamber. ‘I am Halgar of Pirsi. Come and share my humble feast in celebration of our victory over the Drakkarim.’

He splits the roasted bird in two and tosses half to you. It tastes delicious. ‘I saw you approaching,’ he says, wiping away the grease from his mouth with the back of a calloused hand, ‘and I wagered you would stop to breakfast here. Where are you bound?’

You hesitate to answer, but your basic Kai Sixth Sense tells you that this man is no trickster. ‘I'm riding to Pirsi. I've orders to contact Sebb Jarel,’ you reply, hoping he will offer to tell you where the partisan leader may be found. Halgar narrows his sea-green eyes and strokes his chin thoughtfully.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility,
turn to 331
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 267
.

You examine the lock and recognize its simple latch mechanism.

If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus,
turn to 328
.

If you possess a Dagger,
turn to 142
.

If you possess neither this skill nor this Weapon,
turn to 17
.

You draw an Arrow and take aim at an archer just as he raises his bow to fire at you. Your shaft beats his: it buries itself in his chest and sends him spinning to the ground. Quickly you note that of the five men advancing towards you two are armed with bows.

If you have at least two Arrows in your Quiver and wish to fire at these men,
turn to 344
.

If you wish to try to escape by crossing the ford,
turn to 166
.

If you decide to shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon,
turn to 251
.

The men glare at you uncertainly. ‘If you've come here to kill me,’ says the pretender, ‘you've come on a suicide mission.’

Slowly the five rise to their feet and step away from the fire, their hands drifting casually towards the hilts of their swords. On a whispered cue they unsheathe their blades and attack you.

Partisans:
COMBAT SKILL
 24   
ENDURANCE
 36

You can evade combat at any time;
turn to 23
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 170
.

You draw the Sommerswerd and hold the shimmering blade before your face. The phantoms give a ghastly shriek as its golden light scorches the unnatural fabric of their forms. Unused to the sensation of pain, they recoil but they do not disperse or abandon their attack. Their need to feed on your life-force overcomes their fear of your sword. With a terrifying howl of anger they swirl around you and swoop down to attack.

Cener Ghosts:
COMBAT SKILL
 32   
ENDURANCE
 40

These undead beings are immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Remember to double all
ENDURANCE
point losses sustained by the enemy due to the power of the Sommerswerd.

If you win the combat,
turn to 156
.

You dig your heels into the flanks of your horse but he reacts sluggishly: his senses have been dulled by the heady aroma of the flowers and he has barely enough strength to canter. A whirring sound fills your ears and instinctively you flatten yourself against the horse's neck as the sound grows louder. A bolas, three solid metal balls connected by strong cords tied together in the shape of a letter ‘Y’, skims your scalp and smashes into the base of the gorge. Frantically you urge your horse onwards, but he stumbles and his forelegs buckle beneath him. You are thrown forward and concussed as your head hits the ground: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

If you possess a Bullwhip,
turn to 214
.

If you do not have this Special Item,
turn to 327
.

Inch by inch you climb the sheer rock wall, transferring your weight from one hollow to the next with painstaking care. The higher you climb, the more you have to support yourself solely with your fingers until, at last, you reach up and take hold of a trailing mass of tree roots, which are strong enough to hold your weight. With great effort you haul yourself out of the chasm and collapse into the undergrowth: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

As soon as your strength returns, you check your equipment and advance deeper into the eerie forest.

Turn to 50
.

The Death Knights tramp past your hiding place and hurry out of the chamber. Paido breathes a sigh of relief as the sound of their heavy footfalls is quickly lost in the noise of the alarm bell; but only when you are sure you are alone do you leave your hiding place and approach the triangular doors.

Turn to 230
.

On the hill the Drakkarim are beginning to falter; they are no match for the Palace Guard, the cream of the Eruan army. As their casualties escalate their line crumbles and suddenly they turn to flee in disarray towards the town. An explosion rumbles across the field and a billowing cloud of black smoke rises from the temple. Your stomach churns and you fear the worst as smoke and debris pour from the ruins like an erupting volcano. Then, as quickly as it began, the eruption subsides and the smoke clears to reveal a triumphant Prince Graygor, clutching the Eruan flag and exhorting his troops to victory. The Palace Guard have captured the hill, and the sorcery that threatened to destroy them has been smashed. But from where you stand you can see a new threat fast approaching the Prince and his men, a threat that could kill them all.

Turn to 270
.

With breathtaking speed you clear the rampart and reach the stunned Adamas. Rocks continue to crash down but you ignore the danger as you drag the injured lord to safety with just one second to spare.

Turn to 301
.

You draw on your psychic energy and launch a pulse of psi-power at his mind. He staggers backwards, his mailed fists clenched to the sides of his black helm as your attack rakes his nervous system. But he is inured to pain. His years of training in the combat pits of Blackshroud have tempered his nerves so that he can withstand agonies that would destroy an ordinary man. He regains his balance and raises his spear to strike.

If you wish to stand and fight this warrior,
turn to 180
.

If you choose to evade combat,
turn to 316
.

After a week of trekking across difficult terrain, the firm surface of the hill track feels as smooth as a mirror beneath your aching feet. By noon you have put ten miles behind you and have reached a bridge which crosses a sickly yellow stream flowing down from the surrounding hills. You must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

You are about to continue your journey across the bridge when you hear a rumble of hoofbeats and see a group of horsemen, shrouded in dust, riding along the road towards you.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Principalin or higher,
turn to 12
.

If you do not possess this skill or have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training, you can either wait for these riders to reach you;
turn to 122
.

Or hide beneath the bridge;
turn to 322
.

The bore-hole is cramped and you can progress only by crawling along on your hands and knees. A gentle breeze stirs the dust at the base of the shaft and a faint glow in the distance sheds just enough light for you to be able to see your way ahead. Gradually the slope becomes steeper and you are forced to climb a crude staircase formed by jagged outcrops of rock. Above you see a strip of daylight and it draws you upward with its promise of escape.

As you climb nearer to the opening you hear a hissing sound off to your right. Instantly you freeze as you catch sight of a black serpent, its jaw open and its venomous fangs glinting in the gloom of a hollow. It is coiled upon a nest of eggs less than an arm's length from your face.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control,
turn to 35
.

If you wish to ignore the snake and continue your climb,
turn to 235
.

If you decide to retreat along the bore-hole and attempt to climb the chasm wall instead,
turn to 135
.

It takes several minutes to pick the lock using your dagger, and in doing so you snap the tip off and ruin the blade: delete this Weapon from your
Action Chart
.
⁵

The door opens on to a passageway lined with torches. Halfway along the left wall you see another door — a solid slab of iron broken only by a small, barred window. Silently you approach it and peer in through the grille.

If you have visited the Danarg in a previous
Lone Wolf
adventure,
turn to 260
.

If not,
turn to 114
.

The warrior stoops to snatch up the shimmering rod but the Prince leaps forward and kicks it from his grasp. His action costs him dearly, for when his foot touches the stave a blast of searing flame scorches his leg and hurls him backwards to the ground. You rush forward and block the warrior's attempt to scurry after his weapon. Cursing vilely, he snatches a dagger from his belt and launches himself at your throat.

Ziran:
COMBAT SKILL
 25   
ENDURANCE
 33

If you win the combat,
turn to 56
.

That night you make camp in a stone hut. It is little better than a hovel but at least it provides shelter from the rain, which begins to fall shortly after dark and is still falling when you set off again at dawn. The dull grey hours pass uneventfully until the wooded shoreline gradually gives way to a wilderness of slime-laden mud flats and twisted, petrified trees. Here the current is weak and you are forced to row in order to make progress through the brown, scum-flecked water. Jarel sits at the prow, his wolfskin cloak drawn close around his shoulders to keep out the chill rain. He stares fixedly ahead as he guides you through the narrow channels that bisect this evil-smelling swamp. Twice you find yourselves caught in watery
culs-de-sac
and have to retrace your course, but as the light begins to fade you catch sight of an island that promises firm mooring and a place to camp overnight.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 59
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 259
.

Halgar falls heavily to his knees, the blood oozing thickly between his fingers as life deserts him. With a gurgling croak he stiffens and drops sideways into the fire, smothering the embers and filling the air with the smell of scorched leather. At your feet lies the cruelly fashioned Bullwhip, and nearby you discover a backpack. Flicking open the buckle, you tip the contents out onto the grimy stone floor. The pack contains the following items:

• Leather Pouch containing 36 Lune (9 Gold Crowns)
  
• Torch
  
• Tinder Box
  
• Bottle of Water
  

You may keep any or all of these items. If you decide to keep the Bullwhip, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.

Set into the floor you discover a wooden trapdoor that gives access to an empty cellar. You hide the body in the cellar before remounting your horse, crossing the bridge, and continuing your ride to Pirsi.

Turn to 75
.