The Deathlord of Ixia (13 page)

As the insectoids come to within a body's length of where you stand, suddenly their shiny black shells sprout masses of razor-sharp spines. Then, the leading creature emits a high-pitched screech — it is the signal to attack. As one, the creatures leap into the air and fall upon you from above. Desperately you twist and dodge to avoid being crushed beneath their heavy, spiky bodies.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 160
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 43
.

Despite your prayers, your Kai senses tell you that you have indeed been seen by the creature on the jetty. Then you hear something which sends a shiver of fear racing down your spine; it is the dull, muffled noise of an underwater gate being winched open. You suspect that the undead have released a predator into the lake and, a few moments later, your Kai Sixth Sense confirms your fear.

If you wish to turn around and swim back towards the jetty,
turn to 348
.

If you choose to continue swimming towards the shore,
turn to 21
.

Lanza is a stocky, hard-nosed soldier whose leathery, frost-bitten face bears living testimony to the five years he has spent as commander of this bleak, godforsaken outpost. His posting here had been his punishment for a drunken brawl in a Vadera tavern in which he had killed, albeit in self-defence, the brutish elder son of Haglar, the mayor of the city. At his court-martial he had been allowed to choose his fate — command of the notorious Azgad Island garrison, or death by hanging. Lanza readily admits that there have been times when he has felt that he made the wrong choice.

Lanza's private quarters comprise a sparsely-furnished chamber near the top of the watchtower. You warm yourself in front of an open grate and listen as he and Prarg discuss your onward passage to Ixia aboard the garrison's ice-boat. At length, Lanza voices his fears about recent sightings at sea — strange craft which sail beneath the waves and ships crewed by the living dead. As you listen to his chilling account, you look out through the chamber's slit window at an icy mist which is creeping in from the north. It swirls knee-deep around the watchtower and the harbour wall.

If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery and have reached the rank of Sun Lord (or higher),
turn to 39
.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 61
.

If you do not possess these Disciplines or choose not to use them,
turn instead to 233
.

The grim-faced undead conduct a thorough search of the hold, passing many times within inches of where you are hiding, yet they fail to find you. Your Kai Mastery of Assimilance keeps you safe from detection. As you wait patiently for them to leave the hold, your thoughts turn to the Lencian crewmen. The sound of fighting on the deck above has long ceased and you are fearful that the crew may have been slain by these merciless enemies.

If you wish to follow the undead when they leave the hold,
turn to 186
.

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

Your chosen passage is wide and deep the whole way, enabling you to navigate a course through the ice-field with ease. Within three hours of entering, you emerge on the far side without a scratch and are able to continue your voyage to Fort Azgad without further delays.

Turn to 350
.

You emerge into a chamber composed entirely of polished black crystal, where you see myriad reflections of yourself trailing away into infinity within its mirror-smooth walls. You cast your gaze around this eerie chamber and see that you are not alone. Standing guard at an open archway are a trio of undead creatures, the like of which you have never seen before. They are armed with barbed tridents which they hold loosely in their corpse-green hands.

Suddenly they become aware of your presence and come scurrying towards you, their tridents raised in readiness to pin you to the wall.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 287
.

If you do not,
turn to 64
.

You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and extend your right hand towards the approaching beast. You feel a surge of energy run down your arm and explode into life at the tip of your index finger. There is a flash and a gout of blue-white energy arcs towards the creature's chest, connecting with powerful effect.

Illustration VII
—The ghastly creature comes leaping at you from the gangplank.

At first the ghastly creature shrieks in alarm and reels backwards, but to your horror it quickly recovers and comes leaping at you from the gangplank. It has absorbed the energy of your spell and it is now even stronger than before.

Ziog:
COMBAT SKILL
 50   
ENDURANCE
 44

This undead creature is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

If you win the combat,
turn to 228
.

As you stare upwards at the monstrous spire, you sense waves of pure evil radiating from its ice-sheathed surfaces. They seem to wax and wane in time with the crimson light which is pulsing from its tip. So strong are these waves of evil that they physically sicken you, yet you find it hard to look away; you are both fascinated and repulsed by them.

Suddenly you realize what it is that you are seeing and feeling: it is the evil power of Deathlord Ixiataaga himself. He is present here, somewhere inside this dread spire.

If you possess Kai-screen,
turn to 325
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 245
.

You look into the eyes of the approaching Demonlord and muster all your strength to summon a pulse of psychic energy. The pulse forms a radiant ball of power which speeds across the chamber and slams into Tagazin's mind, making him flinch and falter.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(count 0 as a 1). Now double the number you have chosen and make a note of the total in the margin of your
Action Chart
.

To continue,
turn to 45
.

The third wave of undead come staggering across the heaped bodies of their slain confederates. They are led by a skull-faced warrior that clutches a ball of a liquescent, glass-like substance in its mangled hand. You raise your weapon and draw it back in readiness to strike a blow at the creature's ghastly face. It reacts to your move by hurling the glassy ball into the air. Moments later, there is a blinding flash and the ball comes hurtling towards your forehead like a streak of molten light.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess either Grand Huntmastery or Grand Pathsmanship, add 1 to the number you have picked. If you possess
both
of these Grand Master Disciplines, you may add 3.

If your total score is now 6 or less,
turn to 102
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 85
.

You stagger to your feet and unsheathe your weapon only just in time to defend yourself from their lightning-swift attack.

3 Kajarda:
COMBAT SKILL
 48   
ENDURANCE
 42

Kajarda are undead. These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

If you win this combat in six rounds or less,
turn to 32
.

If you win the fight in seven rounds or more,
turn to 213
.

You hit the floor with a terrific jolt which leaves you gasping for breath: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

If you survive this fall,
turn to 36
.

Fearing detection by the undead attendants, you hurry from this high gallery by means of a sloping tunnel which descends to an empty hallway. All along the left wall of this narrow passage are glassy portholes that are caked with ice and grime. Vigorously you scrape the encrusted filth from one of these circular windows and peer through it. Your curiosity is rewarded by a stunning sight.

Turn to 198
.

You stare at the spiked helm and a strange sense of purpose forms in your mind. You know that this artefact is wholly Evil, yet you have the curious notion that it could also be put to use in the cause of Good. Your Kai instincts tell you that this helm was forged and fashioned by Naar, the Dark God, and that its power is such that it can destroy most beings, living or dead. It may even be powerful enough to destroy Deathlord Ixiataaga.

You pick up the helm and, with a swift and violent action, you smash it onto the ground. The crystal spike snaps cleanly from the top of the helm and you stow it in your belt. (Record this Special Item on your
Action Chart
as a Power Spike, which you carry in your belt. If you already carry the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must discard another in favour of this one.)

Resolutely, you turn and walk towards the Shadow Gate. As you leap into its spinning core, you pray that you will arrive back on Magnamund with time enough to thwart the Deathlord's evil plan.

Turn to 200
.

You regard the captain with an appraising eye. He is tall, towering more than a dagger's length above the heads of the other court guardsmen. He possesses a proud military bearing, yet his most striking feature is his close-set eyes which sparkle above his hawk-like nose and bushy black moustache.

‘This is Captain Prarg, Grand Master,’ says King Sarnac. The captain bows formally before you.

‘Welcome to Vadera, my lord,’ he says. ‘I am honoured to have been chosen to help your urgent quest.’

Turn to 83
.

The ghoulish creatures shriek with glee as they fall upon you, like starving vultures upon a corpse.

3 Cabalah:
COMBAT SKILL
 53   
ENDURANCE
 54

These undead creatures are immune to Mindblast, Psi-surge, and Kai-surge.

You may evade this combat after four rounds by
turning to 41
.

If you win the fight,
turn to 293
.

You sense that the wisps of black smoke are a manifestation of several evil beings, each possessed of a strong psychic presence. Fearing attack, you quickly draw upon your Kai Mastery to construct a defensive wall to protect yourself from psychic assault. It is a wise precaution, but one that could prove less than effective against these powerful entities.

Moments after your psychic wall is in place, the wisps streak across the chamber and encircle your body. They accelerate to a dizzying speed before launching a massive wave of psychic energy at your mind.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. (In this instance, 0 = 10.)

The number which you have picked is equal to the number of
ENDURANCE
points you lose as a result of this massive psychic assault.

If you survive this attack,
turn to 283
.

You hurtle through the smoke towards the harbour wall, but unfortunately you have mistimed your leap and you miss the quayside by just a few feet. You glance off the wall and tumble head-first into the sea: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

The frigid water is shockingly cold, but at least your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus protects you from its numbing chill and you are able to surface quickly. Burning chunks of timber and sailcloth rain down all around as you strike out towards a flight of stone steps that rise out of the sea to the top of the quay. However, upon reaching the steps you are met by a dozen skeletal warriors who are determined to slay you before you can haul yourself out of the icy water.

Ixian Undead:
COMBAT SKILL
 41   
ENDURANCE
 46

These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast. Also, because you are still in the icy water, you must reduce your
COMBAT SKILL
by 5 for the duration of this combat.

If you win this fight,
turn to 109
.

During your underwater swim, your higher Kai rank and mastery enables you to use the Brotherhood Spell
Breathe Water
. This magical spell allows you to absorb oxygen from the icy seawater directly into your bloodstream through the pores of your skin, negating the need to surface repeatedly for air.

In just a few minutes you reach the distant shoreline and break through the surface alongside a shallow stone causeway. Atop this causeway is a track, a spur of which branches off towards the tunnel entrance. With only your head visible above the lake, you cling to the causeway stones and wait patiently for a nearby patrol to march past.

Turn to 169
.