The Deathlord of Ixia (10 page)

As you strike a killing blow deep into the Gybia's frightful maw, it gives vent to a deafening cry. For a few moments it thrashes wildly; then, amidst a cloud of its vile green blood, it sinks slowly to the bottom of the lake.

Aching mentally and physically from the fatigue of your underwater combat, you swim towards the shallows and stagger out of the icy water. Some boulders, which lie embedded along the shore, offer you a hiding place while you recover your strength. As your vitality returns, you find to your dismay that during your fight with the Gybia you lost all but three items from your Backpack.

Erase all of your Backpack Items with the exception of those which you have recorded in spaces 4, 5, and 6 on your Backpack Items list.

To continue,
turn to 304
.

At the end of the hallway you arrive at a flight of metal stairs which ascend to a heavy, bronze-banded door. This sealed door appears to be a recent addition to the vessel; it is secured by a curious combination lock which you recognize to be Drakkarim in design.

The lock comprises three raised blocks, each of which is divided into four equal squares. In each square, except one, there is a number. You have encountered this type of lock before and are aware that by tapping the empty square a correct number of times, you will cause the lock to disengage and the door to open.

Consider the grid of numbers. When you think you have determined the missing number,
turn to the entry
that is the same number as your answer.
⁹

If your answer is incorrect, or if you cannot solve this lock puzzle,
turn to 139
.

The moment you deal the Ziog the
coup de grâce
it collapses to the deck and crumbles like ancient parchment. An inhuman cry arises from the skeleton horde that is grouped on the quay. They come charging down the gangplank towards you, as if hungry for vengeance. You strike the plank a mighty blow, splitting the timber cleanly in two. Both sections collapse, dumping the onrushing skeletons unceremoniously into the harbour's freezing water.

If you now wish to examine the Ziog's remains,
turn to 88
.

If you do not wish to approach the Ziog's body,
turn to 329
.

Cautiously you peer into the tiny opening at the base of the arch and realize that what you are looking into is a keyhole.

If you possess Grand Nexus and wish to use it,
turn to 175
.

If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you choose not to use it,
turn to 19
.

You dive aside from the onrushing Demonlord but your reactions are too slow to avoid being hit. He catches you with the tip of his spiked helm and you feel an agonizing pain shoot through your body. Then an explosion of white-hot fire obliterates your senses, and in a terrifying instant, the light that is your life is snuffed out.

Tragically, you have fallen victim to a helm of power, forged and fashioned by the Dark God Naar himself. Sadly your life and your quest end here on the Plane of Darkness.

You advance cautiously along the ice-slick decking towards the high curving prow of this alien vessel. Strange and intricate carvings decorate every inch of its coal-black timbers, and runic symbols embellish the metal plates which sheathe the hull forward of the mainmast. Calling upon your Kai senses, you determine that this vessel was not constructed by the unhuman creatures who crewed it, but that it is an ancient ship, built and crafted by a race of mariners who have long since disappeared into the mists of time. Closer examination of the timbers reveals it to be more than eleven thousand years old.

An open hatch at the bow leads down into a gloomy hold where you discover a tangle of rotten rags and rusty weapons. Among this debris you find a Stone Bowl, a Crystal Tiara, and a Coil of Oiled Rope. (If you wish to keep any of these Backpack Items, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.)

You are about to venture deeper into the hold when suddenly you hear Prarg's voice — he is calling for you to come to the stern.

Turn to 271
.

You unsheathe your weapon and carefully work its tip under the lip of the lockplate in an attempt to prise it open. It is a difficult and delicate procedure, made all the more unnerving by the sound of marching footsteps in the dark distance behind you: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

After several fretful minutes you succeed in lifting off the covering plate, but doing so does not release the lock: the door is still firmly shut. In order to open it you must manually disengage the locking mechanism.

Bulkhead Door:
COMBAT SKILL
 40   
ENDURANCE
 50

Conduct a combat in the usual manner. Any
ENDURANCE
points lost by yourself result from fatigue at having to pick the lock with your bare hands.

When you have reduced the door's
ENDURANCE
total to zero or below,
turn to 327
.

You raise your weapon and leap forward to strike a preemptive blow at the advancing Demonlord. The force of your strike would have decapitated any normal creature made of flesh and blood, but Tagazin is no such creature. A splash of bluish-white sparks explode at the point of impact and, to your horror, your weapon disintegrates to dust in your hand (delete this Weapon from your
Weapons List
).

Snickering evilly, the Demonlord springs forward to rake you with his razor-sharp claws.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. Now, unless you possess the Discipline of Deliverance, double the number you have chosen (in this instance, 0 = 10). The resultant total equals the number of
ENDURANCE
points lost by you in this deadly attack.

If you survive Tagazin's initial attack, make the appropriate changes to your
ENDURANCE
points score and
turn to 183
.

Hurriedly you extricate yourself from the fighting and take cover in the doorway of a nearby hut. The heavy wooden door is hanging off its hinges, and you can tell from the number of sacks, barrels, and boxes that are stacked inside that this hut is a food store. Through a window on the far side of the hut, you see the Lencian ice-boat. A score of undead have clambered aboard the vessel and it is clear by their actions that they intend to destroy and sink it.

Determined to put a stop to their plan, you race into the hut, squeeze yourself through its solitary window, and then run headlong towards the stricken ship. You are halfway along the gangplank when you find yourself confronted by a wedge of skeletal warriors, each armed with a crude axe or sword. You leap into their midst, striking them down with blurring speed and deadly accuracy. But, as the last one falls, its corpse-like body almost severed at the waist, you hear a noise behind you which makes you spin around in fearful expectation.

Turn to 78
.

You raise the Power Spike and a halo of silvery flame engulfs the tip, flaring with such brilliance that Deathlord Ixiataaga is momentarily blinded by its intensity. He shrieks, and raises the Deathstaff defensively to ward off your first blow. As the tip of the Power Spike bites deep into the haft of Ixiataaga's fell weapon, a hissing mass of crimson and white sparks explode into the air. These fiery motes are immediately sucked into the vortex of the Shadow Gate, which has now begun to whirl with alarming intensity.

The Deathlord reels from the force of the impact, but he recovers swiftly and slashes with the sharp tip of the Deathstaff at your face. You duck the blow, but you sense that this is only the opening exchange in what will surely be a titanic fight to the finish.

Illustration V
—Deathlord Ixiataaga slashes at your face with the Deathstaff.

Deathlord Ixiataaga (with Deathstaff — uncharged):
COMBAT SKILL
 60   
ENDURANCE
 39

This supernatural being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast. The Power Spike is a magical Dagger.

If you win the combat,
turn to 290
.

Standing on the quayside, close to the gangplank, is a ghastly creature which exudes the cloying stench of death and decay. It towers over you by more than an arm's length, and its long spindly limbs are covered with grey-white fur. From its skull-face bulge three milky-white eyes, set above a lipless maw edged with dozens of barbed fangs. In its claw-like hand it clutches what appears to be a stalactite. It raises this icy rod and a bolt of cold, orange fire leaps from its tip and comes crackling towards your chest.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 346
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 170
.

As you land your final blow and dispatch the last of these mouldering foes, you make to leave by the stairs. But you are halted in your tracks when your Sixth Sense warns that more undead are about to descend into the hold at any moment. Cursing your luck, you turn and run towards the stern section where you hide behind the ship's rudder. More undead enter the hold, yet they ignore the broken bodies of those you have just fought and make only a cursory search. As you watch them climbing the stairs you breathe a silent sigh of relief.

Soon the ship becomes deathly quiet and your mind is filled with concern for the Lencian crewmen — your Kai senses detect there are no living beings close by.

If you wish to investigate what is happening up on deck,
turn to 186
.

If you choose to stay hidden here in the hold,
turn to 314
.

Squatting upon a plinth of stone arising from out of the floor is a huge, sabre-toothed, jackal-like creature with cream-coloured skin. Ice sheens on its muscular body and wisps of black smoke curl from its snuffling snout.

‘Prepare for death, lowly mortal,’ growls this creature, as it steps from the risen plinth. ‘I, Tagazin, am the deliverer of your destruction!’

The unexpected sound of its voice sends a shiver of dread coursing down your spine. Your Kai instincts tell you that this supernatural creature is slave to Ixiataaga — he is the Deathlord's loyal companion. Venom drips from his bared fangs and murder glows darkly from the depths of his nightmarish eyes as slowly he stalks towards you.

Turn to 254
.

Drawing on your knowledge of Old Kingdom magic, you form your lips into an O-shape in readiness to utter a power-word. The instant the spell-thoughts coalesce in your mind, you project the word at the door's triple combination lockplate.

The concentrated force of the word at such short range twists and buckles the plate, but it does not release the lock: the door is still firmly shut. In order to open it you must prise away the twisted lockplate and manually disengage the locking mechanism.

Bulkhead Door:
COMBAT SKILL
 30   
ENDURANCE
 40

Conduct a combat in the usual manner. Any
ENDURANCE
points lost by yourself result from fatigue at having to pull apart the damaged lock with your bare hands.

When you have reduced the door's
ENDURANCE
total to zero or below,
turn to 327
.

Before the sundered remains of your enemies can merge and reform, you kick them into the pit where they are consumed by the creature which lurks at the bottom of its slime-filled base. Then, without looking back, you make a swift escape up to the roof and hurry away along the mossy ridge.

Minutes later, you come to a thicket of mist-enshrouded trees. As you pass through this eerie wood, you detect the presence of Tagazin once more. Fresh tracks indicate his direction and determinedly you set off, finding it an easy task to follow his clawed footprints in the loamy soil. They lead you through a tangle of saw-toothed briar and up a gently sloping rise. As you crest the top of the rise, you look upon an awe-inspiring sight.

Turn to 150
.