The Plague Lords of Ruel (10 page)

The stairs lead to another hall on a level fifty feet higher. Here, two staircases ascend to the left and right, and a gloomy tunnel disappears directly ahead of you. Your senses pick up something moving at the end of the tunnel and, when you focus your infravision along this dark passageway, you see another Vazhag patrol heading straight towards you. This one is being led by two Acolytes of Vashna and a pack of Ruel war-dogs.

Eager to evade these enemies, you glance at both staircases and try to decide which one to climb.

If you wish to ascend the left staircase,
turn to 21
.

If you decide to ascend the right staircase,
turn to 27
.

The sphere explodes on impact and you are engulfed by a cloud of sickly grey gas. At once you feel your throat tighten and your stomach churn as deadly bacteria-infested vapour penetrates your lungs. But, within seconds, your powerful defences destroy this bacteria and you recover enough to be able to run towards the entrance, hidden by the billowing gas.

In the ensuing chaos, you escape through the entrance unchallenged. For a moment you are blinded by the early morning sunlight which illuminates the surrounding hills, but, as you stumble along the trail which leads away from the caverns, your vision clears and you see a vast expanse of forest away to the east. This sea of sickly grey-green trees radiates an unmistakable aura of evil that immediately identifies it as the Forest of Ruel.

Your escape is not pursued and, after a few minutes, you stop among a cluster of boulders in order to catch your breath. The surrounding land appears deserted, the only unusual feature being the track which wends its way eastward through the hills towards a gap at the edge of the unwelcoming forest. You consult your
map
and conclude that this is the Skardos Trail, the secret route used by the Ceners which leads all the way to Mogaruith itself. You resolve to follow the trail, but first (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery) you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 230
.

A Cener Robe and a Mask would provide you with a useful disguise as you explore the chambers of Mogaruith, a disguise that would undoubtedly raise your chances of success. With this in mind you take and put on what you need from the pegs.

Record the Cener Robe and Cener Mask in the margin of your
Action Chart
. As you are wearing these items rather than carrying them, you need not discard any Backpack Items in their favour.

To continue,
turn to 158
.

Before you stretches a cavernous hall, lit by the glow from fire-filled orbs hanging by chains from the ceiling. Facing each other are two rows of stone statues which form a grotesque corridor leading to an archway on the far side. A flicker of fear chills your heart when you notice that the expressions frozen upon their misshapen faces are those of pain and despair.

Cautiously you advance. You are wary of the statues and your body is tensed to react should they show the slightest hint of animation. Then you detect something which makes you freeze in mid-step. Your Kai senses warn you that something is sleeping in a shadowy alcove close to the distant archway. Anxious not to disturb whatever is resting there, you call upon your camouflage skills to mask your presence before moving any nearer.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Grand Mastery of Assimilance, add 3 to the number you have chosen.

If your total score is 5 or lower,
turn to 186
.

If your score is 6 or higher,
turn to 196
.

You follow the tunnel for many miles as it plunges deep into the bowels of the Skardos Mountains. At length you reach a wider, smooth-walled corridor, which bears recent tracks upon its dusty floor. Your infallible Magnakai skills of Pathsmanship reveal that this corridor leads due west, towards Mogaruith.

The numerous tracks tell you that this passage is frequently used. Judging by their size and depth, they have been made by large, rat-like creatures, but ones who walk upright, like humans. From what you have been told about the denizens of Ruel, you are sure that these are the tracks of Vazhag, warrior vermin bred by the Cenerese. Among them you note other tracks that are far from rat-like.

Cautiously, you follow the corridor and, despite your mounting fears, you encounter nothing more threatening than a nest of ragged-winged bats and an occasional rock snake, which slithers away at your approach. Gradually, the air becomes increasingly cooler and more humid. You can smell the strong scent of water somewhere in the distance and you are not at all surprised when, as you round a sharp bend, you see shimmering reflections playing upon the smooth stone ceiling ahead.

If you possess Telegnosis,
turn to 67
.

If you do not possess mastery of this Discipline,
turn to 244
.

In desperation you draw upon your reserves of psychic strength to shape a ball of energy, and then you hurl it at the nearest abomination. It strikes its subconscious and the beast's eyes shut tight in pain as the force of your mind-strike bites deep into its unshielded cortex.

The attack is successful; the creature is wounded and it slithers back into the safety of its pit. Yet, despite seeing what has befallen their brother, the remaining two creatures continue to advance undaunted.

2 Ruel Giganite:
COMBAT SKILL
 38   
ENDURANCE
 60

These creatures are susceptible to all forms of psychic attack. When their
ENDURANCE
points score has been reduced to 36 or less, you can elect to evade combat by
turning to 13
.

If you win the combat,
turn to 286
.

You draw your weapon and slide it between the pin and the body of the cauldron. You cannot break the thick iron pin but you may be able to lever it away from the chain.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. Now consult the list below and modify the number you have picked:

If you possess the Sommerswerd, add 4.

If you are using a Spear or a Broadsword add 2.

If you are using a Quarterstaff or a Dagger subtract 2.

If your total is now 4 or less,
turn to 275
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 248
.

You raise your hood and draw your Kai cloak close about your shoulders before pressing yourself flat against the dusty tunnel wall. The shadows and your camouflage skills mask you completely; it is as if you have suddenly vanished. When the two groups of Vazhag come together, close to where you are hiding, they immediately blame each other for having allowed you to escape. They argue loudly and a fight looks imminent until the timely arrival of a Vazhag elder cools their flaring tempers. He orders them back to the lava-lit cavern, and you wait calmly for the grumbling rat-men to disperse before continuing eastwards, along a now-empty tunnel.

For nearly five miles you explore and, with the exception of an occasional Vazhag sentry, the tunnel remains virtually deserted. At length you arrive at the entrance to another hall, smaller than the lava-cavern but equally as crowded. Daylight streams into this hall through a large archway guarded by armoured Vazhag, and pairs of horny-skinned war-dogs which they hold on the leash. Beyond the archway you can see a track that disappears towards a distant ridge of hills.

Directly above the archway, you notice a thin ray of sunlight streaming through a window-like hole in the rock. Sorely aware that the main entrance is so heavily guarded that it will be very difficult, even for someone as gifted as yourself, to escape that way undetected, you resolve instead to escape by means of the smaller opening in the rock wall.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have chosen.

If your total score is now 5 or less,
turn to 192
.

If it is 6 or more,
turn to 346
.

Breathless and bespattered with the blood of your slain foes, you step back from the bodies which lie heaped around your feet and sheathe your gore-stained weapon. The alarm bell continues to toll, warning you that every living creature in Mogaruith is being summoned for the hunt.

Anxious to reach the surface as quickly as you can, you leap over the bodies and stride up the stairs. You are hungry and while you run you must eat a meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery).

To continue,
turn to 75
.

Using your innate Magnakai skill of Invisibility, you take care to mask your body heat and scent lest they should stir the curiosity of any keen-nosed denizens of Ruel. Then, with caution guiding your every step, you advance through the knee-high grasses towards the fallen tree. As you approach, you focus your powers of Divination and scan the surrounding darkness for invisible or hidden enemies. Sensing no immediate threat, you continue to the forest's edge where you are greeted by an unwholesome warmth. It rises out of a mulch of insects and fungi that are feasting upon the corpse of the tree. Silently you offer up a prayer to Ishir before venturing a step further into this inhospitable domain.

Beyond the dead tree you find a muddy track which is bordered on both sides by the tall trunks and thorny briars of the forest. So dense is this tangle of trees and brush that it is impossible to leave the track. You feel as if you are walking along an endless passage, one so unnatural that its construction could only be the result of evil herbcraft.

At length the track widens and the trees begin to thin out. Ahead you see a clearing and at once your senses tingle: it is a warning that you are not alone. Instinctively you reach for your weapon and, as your hand closes upon it, you see that the floor of the clearing is alive with a carpet of loathsome scuttling creatures. At once you attempt to use your Magnakai powers of Animal Control to determine if these creatures are hostile, but your efforts go unrewarded.

If you possess Animal Mastery,
turn to 7
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 171
.

There is a slight gradient to the tunnel and, gradually, as the stone floor ascends, you feel a draught of warm air wafting gently in your face. It feels comfortable and yet it is far from welcoming for the air is sticky and humid, as if the breath of some great jungle beast was being exhaled along the passageway.

In the distance you hear a fire-like roar, and another sound — squeaking — which forewarns you that Vazhag lie ahead. You advance, masked by your Magnakai skills, and step forth into a massive chamber which is lit by the fierce light of volcanic fire. From a crater-like pit at the chamber's centre, a jet of red-gold flame roars up to a towering height, and clouds of steam fill the cavernous roof space where it plays upon a ceiling of damp rock. Around the pit are constructed several small, domed huts, all made of volcanic clinker scavenged from the crater's edge. The huts house a colony of Vazhag; you count more than fifty females and their young scurrying around the crude dwellings and estimate that at least that number again could be sheltering inside.

Illustration V
—From a pit at the centre of a massive chamber, a jet of red-gold flame roars up to a towering height.

Using your skills, and the advantage of the flickering shadows which dance upon the rough cavern walls, you circle around the settlement unseen. On the far side there is an onion-shaped archway guarded by six Vazhag males, all of whom are heavily armed and armoured. You move a little closer, confident that your natural abilities will get you past these oversized spear-toting rodents unnoticed, but you are brought to a halt by a daunting sight. A few feet beyond the archway stands a massive portal, a wall of solid black iron.

If you possess Grand Huntmastery,
turn to 342
.

If you do not,
turn to 127
.