The Deathlord of Ixia (27 page)

Sadly you react too slowly to avoid being hit by the combined bolts of energy. As you splash face-first into the snow, you feel agonizing pain shoot through every part of your body. An explosion of white-hot fire obliterates your senses and, in a terrifying instant, the light that is your life is snuffed out.

Tragically, your life and your quest end here in the city of Xaagon.

The portal opens out into a domed chamber where several great orbs of fire-filled crystal, mounted on mechanical plinths, generate the intense light which is flooding the deck of the captive ship. You cross to a tunnel which leads out of the chamber and follow along a series of dingy, ice-caked corridors that wend their way deeper into the bowels of this vast alien vessel. You explore a maze of empty holds where the walls are braced with gleaming crystal girders, and pass through countless low-ceilinged chambers that, despite the biting chill, reek of death and decay. At length you come to a junction where the corridor splits in two directions.

If you wish to take the left branch of this corridor,
turn to 106
.

If you decide to take the right branch,
turn to 292
.

As the
Maycastle
cuts through the icy waves towards the fort, a beacon flares into life, its guttering yellow flame marking the entrance to the outpost's slate-walled harbour. A Lencian flag is raised atop the watchtower and the crew give a cheer — for them it is a welcoming sight after two cold and difficult weeks at sea.

The
Maycastle
docks at the harbour wall, alongside the iron-bowed ice-boat which will take you to Ixia. The excited garrison have gathered to greet the crew; they have been looking forward to receiving fresh provisions and news from their homeland for several weeks. You disembark with Prarg and are met on the quay by a bearded sergeant clad in a fur-trimmed leather tunic. He escorts you to the watchtower, where you are welcomed in person by Captain Lanza, the garrison commander.

Turn to 117
.

You examine the intricate lockplate and determine that it operates by psychic energy. You study the intricate patterns which embellish it and gradually you realize that they give clues to a three-digit number. By projecting the image of this number at the lock, using your psychic powers, you will release the locking mechanism and cause the door to open.

The first of the three numbers is equal to the number of islands which can be found between the Tozaz Sea and the Gulf of Konkor.

The second of the three numbers is equal to the total of islands which can be found in Lake Ghargon.

The third and final number is equal to the number of cities that can be found on the banks of the River Zegar.

Consult the
map
in order to determine the correct three-digit number which will open the lock. When you think you have cracked it,
turn to the entry
that bears the same number as your answer.
¹⁸

If you calculate incorrectly, or if you cannot solve the clues,
turn instead to 84
.

With difficulty you retrieve your Rope from your Backpack and hurriedly make a lasso. Then, uttering a short prayer to Kai and Ishir, you cast it upwards in an attempt to catch it upon the rocky spur.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–3,
turn to 285
.

If it is 4 or higher,
turn to 137
.

You kick aside the mouldering bodies of your foes and make to leave by the stairs, but your Sixth Sense warns you that more undead are about to descend at any moment. Cursing your luck, you turn and run towards the stern section, where you hide behind the ship's rudder gear. The undead warriors ignore the broken bodies of those you fought, and make only a cursory search. As you watch them climbing out of the hold 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 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
.

You raise your psychic defences to protect yourself from the debilitating effect of the evil which is radiating from the Crystal Spire. Yet, even so, you do not escape some discomfort and pain: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 330
.

Using your advanced mastery, you reduce your body weight to a minimum before stepping into the gaping hole. You fall through the dust-choked air to land on the floor of the hall, fifty feet below. On landing you weigh little more than a domestic cat, yet the speed and shock of impact is still rough enough to strain your ankles and force the breath from your lungs: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 62
.

Finally the lock surrenders to your blows and the heavy portal creaks ajar. Immediately you are greeted by a blast of frozen air as you push open the door and step out onto a viewing platform which is fixed to the outer metallic skin of this huge alien submarine. Away to your right you can see a line of ice-boats at anchor at the lake's edge, and to your left you notice a column of skeletal warriors. These are being led by a black-robed Cabalah, marching in mechanical fashion along the jetty towards the mouth of a tunnel which leads out of the vast ice cavern. Your keen Kai senses tell you that you have arrived in Ixia, and that the distant tunnel leads to the surface.

You commit the position of the ice-boats to memory; if your mission is successful, you will be needing some means by which you can escape from Ixia. Then you carefully observe the area immediately surrounding the submarine, and notice that there are only two ways by which you can reach the distant tunnel — by the adjacent jetty, or by entering the icy waters of the lake and swimming to the shore.

If you wish to attempt to reach the tunnel via the jetty,
turn to 30
.

If you choose to attempt to reach the tunnel entrance by swimming from the submarine to the shore,
turn instead to 161
.

Your attempt at opening the lock using only the power of your mind proves to be a fatal mistake.

Inadvertently, you set off an alarm which in turn activates a powerful necromantic spell of protection. You see a flash of white light as, in an instant, a surge of radiant energy comes shooting from the hole to hit you squarely in the face. Pain engulfs your mind, to be followed by an explosion of white-hot fire which obliterates your senses. In a terrifying instant, the light that is your life is snuffed out.

Tragically, you have fallen victim to one of the Deathlord's spells. Your life and your quest end here in the Crystal Spire.

Lanza and his men reach the quayside, having fought their way stoically through the ranks of the Ixian undead. The Captain, his face streaked with sweat, shouts excitedly and waves his sword. The tide of the battle appears to have turned and he seems elated by his hard-won victory. But then you realize that he is not cheering — he is shouting a warning.

From the prow of the enemy ship comes a hissing cloud of fire-tipped arrows. You dive for cover and escape being hit, but many of the burning shafts pierce the ice-boat's decking and start fires in the sails. The flames spread with unnatural speed and you are quickly engulfed by flames.

If you wish to escape from the burning ship by jumping into the harbour,
turn to 42
.

If you wish to attempt to reach the quayside by swinging from the rigging,
turn to 201
.

Your fascination with the power of the Crystal Spire has distracted you from a more imminent danger. From a narrow passageway to your left appear three creatures draped in mouldering black robes. They see you and give vent to a chorus of high-pitched shrieks of alarm. You spin on your heel to face them, fearful that their hideous cries will bring all of Xaagon down upon your head.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 281
.

If you possess Kai-surge, have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian or higher, and wish to make use of this Discipline,
turn to 234
.

If you possess neither the weapon nor the Discipline, or choose to use neither,
turn instead to 60
.

You dive and roll across the floor to avoid the onrushing bolt of energy. The massive flame-ball passes over your back and explodes at the far end wall of the chamber with devastating effect. It tears open a hole in the steel-hard crystal wall, more than ten feet in diameter, and it fills the air with razor-sharp shards. You are peppered in the legs by these splinters: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

As you stagger to your feet, you suddenly see an opportunity to seize the initiative and carry the attack to the Deathlord.

Turn to 108
.

You leave the harbour and set a northerly course to Ixia. It is less than an hour past noon and yet the winter night has already closed in. You share this icy darkness with a crew of six Lencian outposters, all of whom volunteered for this perilous mission. Lanza has ordered them to land you on the coast of Ixia and wait at anchor for seven days for you to return; they must wait no longer.

The blackness is lit only by the throbbing green glow which radiates from the sphere. You stare at this mesmerizing light and you are gripped by a feeling of unease. Your Kai senses warn you that there is a lingering aura of evil aboard this ship.

If you possess Deliverance and have reached the rank of Sun Thane,
turn to 155
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 291
.

Your mastery warns you that the shimmering curtain of light which fills the archway ahead will cause harm to any living thing that passes through its beams. However, your senses also detect that beyond the archway lies the only sure route by which you can gain access to the higher levels of this dread citadel.

If you wish to pass through the shimmering archway and risk injury, possibly even death, then
turn to 265
.

If you decide to search for an alternative way of reaching the upper levels of the Crystal Spire,
turn to 4
.

Before you leave, you take up one of the crystal swords and examine it. It is a fine blade, but one that was not crafted for a human hand. You replace it carefully in the rack before leaving this chamber and climbing the stairs to the ice-cavern. Here you wait in the shadows for a chance to escape from this subterranean complex by the only other exit — the open archway in the east wall.

Turn to 7
.

An hour passes before the arched entrance becomes devoid of undead slaves. Steeling yourself for the awesome task ahead, you slip away from the ruins of the watchtower and hurry up the ramp towards the open, empty archway.

Turn to 249
.

Using your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge, you cast a powerful blast of psychic energy at the two guards in the hope of disrupting the power that controls them. Unfortunately, your attack is deflected by an invisible shield, a magical protection which has been placed upon these two guards by a powerful necromantic sorcerer. Alerted psychically to your presence, the undead Drakkarim guards suddenly spring into action and come rushing towards your hiding place with their spears raised.

Drakkarim Undead:
COMBAT SKILL
 34   
ENDURANCE
 42

Without weapons or equipment you have no choice but to fight these foes bare-handed. (Remember to make the appropriate adjustments to your
COMBAT SKILL
.)

If you win the combat,
turn to 63
.

You call upon your mastery to repel the unseen creature which is circling around your legs. To your dismay, however, the creature does not respond as you would wish. Pain knifes through your lower right leg as the powerful jaws of this unseen beast clamp around your calf in an attempt to drag you below the surface of the bog. Desperately you stab with your weapon at the creature's head in an attempt to cut yourself free from its agonizing grip.

Suggaz:
COMBAT SKILL
 40   
ENDURANCE
 44

If you win this fight,
turn to 67
.

Several hours pass before the blizzard dies down sufficiently for you to be able to leave your hollow and continue your lonely trek towards Xaagon. You scale the mountain of snowy debris brought down by the avalanche and reach the end of the pass where, for the first time, you get a clear view of the Deathlord's dread city. Once, millennia ago, this city had been the home of a brilliant civilization; today the stately crystal places and temples of Xaagon are occupied by the evil dead.

Onward you trek, through knee-deep snow and jagged ice, towards the towering walls of Xaagon. The city is dominated by a spire of crystal which stabs the stormy sky, drawing lightning from the black clouds which swirl around its tip. From this needle-sharp point there radiates a crimson glow which sweeps the surrounding landscape. It is like a hellish lighthouse, casting its baleful crimson beams across a landscape that has frozen to death.

Gradually, as you come within the shadows of Xaagon's outer wall, you see two places where you could gain entry to the city beyond. The first is through a breach in the south wall, near to the coast; the second is through the city's shattered west gate. Neither entrance appears to be guarded.

If you wish to enter Xaagon by the breach in the south wall,
turn to 165
.

If you choose to enter by the west gate,
turn to 266
.