Beyond the Nightmare Gate (11 page)

You head across the cloud plain towards the hunched figure. The man turns and looks at you, apparently unsurprised by your sudden appearance. He is dressed in grey, tattered rags and, with a start, you see that the flesh of his hands and face is almost transparent, revealing the veins, bones, and tissue that lie beneath his skin.

Illustration XI
—The hunched figure is dressed in grey rags and the flesh of his hands and face is almost transparent.

‘No peace. No peace,’ he mutters to himself. ‘So many interruptions … the passage of strangers, asking directions and breaking the silence.’ He gazes at you with a sad but steady stare. ‘I am Drear, wanderer between worlds,’ he says, as if reciting a litany. ‘Sailor upon pointless seas, traveller of timeless lands, born of a world grown old and tired. You are in the Neverness, my children, the unformed and unclaimed void of the Daziarn, where no one yet resides.’

‘What of yonder building?’ you ask.

‘The Crystal Tower, home of the Academicians, scientists and scholars from another plane. They are mad, my friend. Do not waste your time with them. Instead, follow me and find peace in the calm of wandering; shed all purpose and responsibility. Come, follow! I seek the salvation of silence, the tranquillity of endlessness.’

He beckons insistently and, with a glazed expression, Tanith steps forward. Persuasive, inviting, and increasingly irresistible, Drear's hypnotic voice pulls at your mind.

If you wish to follow Drear,
turn to 81
.

If you wish to turn away,
turn to 43
.

With a flurry of savage blows you engage the Jahksa.

Jahksa:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 30

If you are still alive after three rounds of combat,
turn to 117
.

The door disintegrates. With Tanith by your side, you enter a large, circular room. A wide, ornate stairway ascends at the far side of the room. The only other visible exit is a door to your left. On the walls are hung many strange paintings and the flagstones of this gloomy hall bear many strange designs; the one on which you are standing bears an inscription.

If you wish to look at the paintings,
turn to 7
.

If you wish to examine the floor,
turn to 29
.

If you wish to climb the stairway,
turn to 40
.

If you wish to enter the door on your left,
turn to 53
.

You walk down the stairs into a dimly lit cellar full of rusty armour. You have entered the tower's store room and the weapons of countless adventurers lie corroding at your feet. A tangle of cobwebs brushes against your face as your attention is caught by the glint of new metal. A closer examination reveals a large Bunch of Keys. If you wish to keep the Bunch of Keys, mark it on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item.

You climb back up the stairs.

Turn to 239
.

You call down to Tanith, who nods that she is ready. Your muscles are tired from the exertions of your climb and, panting heavily, you begin to pull on the Rope. Tanith is already overburdened by the added weight of your Backpack and her climb up the tower is made more difficult by the swinging of your Wizard's Staff. Suddenly, she gives a terrible scream and falls away from the tower. Her abrupt departure from the Rope jerks you from the ledge and you plummet to the ground after her. Neither of you survives the fall.

Your quest has failed and your adventure is over.

You peer into the gloom of the wooden hut. Two figures are sitting in the centre of the room: a gaunt-faced man in rags and Tanith. Your heart leaps with joy. ‘At last!’ you cry. ‘I've found you!’ Tanith and the gaunt-faced man turn and look at you with grief-stricken faces. They edge back to a corner of the room as you approach.

‘Get back!’ Tanith screams. ‘Go away; leave me alone.’

‘But … Tanith … ’ you falter, ‘it's me, Grey Star, your friend.’

‘You're no friend of mine, evil one!’ she spits. ‘You serve Shasarak now. You told me that yourself in the Crystal Tower.’ She and the man huddle together, cowering in fear. ‘Get out! Get out!’ she screams hysterically, throwing a cup at your head.

She believes that the Black Wizard, who bears your likeness, is truly you and that you have fallen into the service of evil. No matter how hard you try to explain, she will not understand. You feel sure that her fear is unnatural; for even if she does believe you have turned to evil, you have never before known her to exhibit such fear. She must have been placed under a powerful spell.

If you wish to speak to the Chaos-master,
turn to 199
.

If you possess a Mind Gem and wish to use it,
turn to 219
.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 207
.

If you have the Magical Power of Enchantment and wish to try to rid Tanith of the enchantment which holds her,
turn to 213
.

You continue down the long passage, your footsteps ringing on the marble floor. You can feel another's presence nearby but can see no one. A milky glow emanates from the end of the corridor.

If you wish to enter one of the rooms at the side of the passage,
turn to 47
.

If you wish to continue along the corridor,
turn to 162
.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 146
.

Suddenly the Ethetron is torn from the air by a strange, eyeless creature. Its huge, razor-sharp teeth close around the flying machine.

Your quest and your life end here.

Skilfully, you manoeuvre the Ethetron and align it with the nearest black hole. Taking a deep breath, your heart beating with anticipation, you plunge into the darkness of the unknown.

First there is silence, then fear. You fight back a rising wave of panic in the absolute blackness, absolute silence, absolute stillness. You cannot return the way you came.

If you wish to try to cast a light with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 34
.

If you wish to chant the Shianti prayer of mind discipline to beat back the rising wave of madness that you feel engulfing your reason,
turn to 46
.

If you wish to take out the Gyronome,
turn to 60
.

You step back and cease fighting. You sense that the Jahksa is trying to wear you out. He smiles a knowing smile that makes your flesh creep.

‘Won't fight, eh?’ he says and, with a sudden flick of his staff, he sends an arc of fire pluming towards Tanith. She throws herself to the ground, escaping injury. The Jahksa is doing all he can to delay and divert you from your quest.

If you possess the Eagle Key of the Crystal Tower, or if you have given it to Tanith to carry,
turn to 82
.

If you possess the Wolf Key, or if you have given it to Tanith to carry,
turn to 141
.

If you possess the Dragon Key, or if you have given it to Tanith to carry,
turn to 35
.

If you do not have any of these Keys, or if you do not wish to use them, you are forced to fight the Jahksa.
Turn to 123
.

You examine the inscription once again, certain that it contains the secret of the missing door.

‘From south of here, to west, and north,
Then east and south once more,
A circle's motion rings the charm
That finds the Vanishing Door.’

If you wish to search for a door on the left side of the tower,
turn to 56
.

If you wish to search for a door on the right side of the tower,
turn to 206
.

If you decide to examine the crystal wall immediately below the metal plate that bears the inscription,
turn to 223
.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 347
.

If you have the Magical Power of Psychomancy and wish to use it,
turn to 70
.

A final blow with your Staff and the creature falls dead at your feet. But there are many more of them swooping around your head and dragging at the Ethetron.

Tanith stands by your side. If you have a weapon, you may give it to Tanith to help her defend herself. If you do, you may add 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the remainder of your combats against the Chaos-birds.

If you have the Magical Power of Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 78
.

If not,
turn to 188
.

‘I ask no favour and will pay no price,’ you tell the Chaos-master.

‘So be it. But you will never leave this realm until you pay the price.’

There is silence. Where once there were myriad illusions and visions there is now only a vast sea, which stretches endlessly below; multi-coloured, writhing and rolling, it conceals fearsome half-shapes. And there is no horizon.

If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 345
.

If you do not have this Power, or if you do not wish to use it,
turn to 327
.

You push the steering lever forward but, due to your inexperience, you push too hard and suddenly the flying machine lurches into a dive. Your stomach knots with fear as you plummet towards the ground with increasing speed. The shrill tone of the Gyronome becomes a shrieking in your ears.

If you wish to pull back the steering lever and increase the pressure on the foot bar, drawing more power,
turn to 140
.

If you wish to pull back the steering lever and decrease the pressure on the foot bar, using less power,
turn to 164
.

If you wish to pull the lever left,
turn to 168
.

If you wish to pull the lever right,
turn to 189
.

If you wish to continue heading in the direction indicated by the Gyronome,
turn to 203
.

The Elessi guard takes the Silver Coin. He returns it with a shrug, says something, and then returns to his post at the entrance to the palace.

If you have a Copper Coin and wish to show it to the guard,
turn to 151
.

If you have a Parchment and wish to show it to the guard,
turn to 166
.

If you have a Glass Rod and wish to show it to the guard,
turn to 196
.

The eagle is severely injured by the flame of your Wizard's Staff but it remains determined to fight you. Making an abrupt turn in mid-air, the gigantic bird falls upon you in a flurry of clawing talons, flapping wings, and wildly incessant pecking. Desperately, you try to fend off the attack with your Staff.

Wounded Eagle:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 25

If you win the combat,
turn to 186
.

You use another
WILLPOWER
point but this time you feel the balance of power shift in your favour. Before your enemy is able to pour extra force into his counterspell you order the wind spirits away. At the abrupt change in the force of the wind the Ethetron lurches violently and, as you struggle with the controls, the Jahksa staggers backwards. Tanith seizes her chance and, rushing furiously, she runs headlong into the Jahksa and heaves him over the rails. You both give a triumphant shout of joy and you quickly bring the Ethetron under control.

As you draw closer to the Moaning Mountain you soon locate the cavern in its side and, with some skilful manoeuvring, you line up the ship with the yawning cavern mouth.

Illustration XII
—You soon locate the cavern in the side of the Moaning Mountain.

Turn to 300
.