The Prisoners of Time (6 page)

The two guards draw themselves upright and grip the hilts of their tarnished swords nervously as they watch you approach.

‘What d'you want?’ growls the larger of the two, his green, piggy eyes glinting through the slits in his rusty helm. ‘I've been summoned,’ you say with conviction, praying that your bluff is good enough to fool them. ‘They want to see me straight away.’

The porcine guard swivels his eyes, blinks at his comrade, and whispers something you cannot make out.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility,
turn to 308
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 259
.

You tug the Silver Rod from your belt and hold it before you. A look of surprise widens the leader's eyes but his shock soon turns to anger when he realizes where you obtained the silvery wand. He bellows his contempt for your act of grave-robbery and, in a fit of rage, he releases from his rod a charge of raw power.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you have completed the Lore-circle of Fire, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 3 or more,
turn to 191
.

If it is 2 or less,
turn to 328
.

Something huge and deadly is striding towards Tolakos. The ground trembles beneath its step and the air is filled with sounds of great destruction. The crack and groan of sundered trees and the thunderous growls of a gigantic beast grow steadily louder, driving many of Lorkon's soldiers to the brink of despair. Desperately he tries to rally them but his voice is lost in the deafening noise.

Suddenly a gap appears at the forest's edge as, effortlessly, a pair of stout trees are pushed apart by monstrous hands. Morbid terror grips the Meledorians and few stand their ground when they see the awesome visage of the Chaos-master looming thirty feet above. You look upon his massive, naked body and feel sickened by what you see. His features are in a constant state of flux, dissolving, merging, and melting into new and ever more hideous shapes. Only Lorkon appears unmoved by the dreadful sight; he raises his sword and challenges the evil being to single combat, but his brave words are met with a howl of derision.

Illustration II
—Meledorians flee at the dreadful sight of the Chaos-master looming thirty feet above them.

‘You would challenge a god?’ speaks the Chaos-master, his mocking voice unbearably loud. Lorkon remains undaunted by his enemy and repeats his call to combat. The Chaos-master laughs. ‘Ha! Then let us begin, for though our sport shall be but a brief affair, I will delight in killing such a righteous fool as thou, Lorkon.’

With terrifying ease the Chaos-master uproots a tree, pares away the branches with the edge of his hand, and then wields it like a gigantic club. He strides forward, pursuing Lorkon in a grim game of cat and mouse that leaves a trail of destruction wherever they go. The Meledorian relies on luck and fleetness of foot to avoid the crushing blows, but his luck and skill do not last indefinitely. He slips and falls near the wall of the crypt on the roof of which you are crouching. The Chaos-master bellows with glee and strides forward, his club raised to crush Lorkon to an unrecognizable pulp. His loathsome shoulders draw level with the parapet and, as he steadies himself for the
coup de grâce
, he comes within an arm's length of your position.

If you possess the Sommerswerd,
turn to 341
.

If you possess the Ironheart Broadsword,
turn to 204
.

If you do not possess either of these Special Items,
turn to 111
.

The shadowy riders raise their black hands, and spears of blue fire appear suddenly in their fists. They scream an unearthly cry as they brandish these crackling lances; then they level them at your chest and charge forward to ride you down.

Shadow Reavers (corporeal):
COMBAT SKILL
 34   
ENDURANCE
 40

You cannot evade combat and must fight the supernatural creatures to the death.

If you win the combat,
turn to 149
.

A soft, whirring noise emanates from inside the lock, and then silently and effortlessly the great portal swings open. With your nerves on edge you enter the dark interior and follow a featureless corridor to another large but less impressive door, which opens at your approach. A surge of damp air whips past you, sucked into the chamber beyond, as the airtight seal is broken after many decades. Torches ignite spontaneously and, for the first time in its long history, the secrets of the inner sanctum of the Great Sepulchre are revealed to the eyes of an Aonian.

Turn to 54
.

Unable to make the beam move, you decide to climb out of the hole and look further along the bridge for some other means of effecting a repair. As you rise to your feet you hear a noise that makes you freeze: it is the sound of an evil, snickering laugh.

If you have the Magnakai Disciplines of Divination
and
Huntmastery,
turn to 92
.

If you do not possess
both
these skills,
turn to 316
.

The markings are letters, although the strange script is unlike any you have seen before. All you can discern is that this is an epitaph to a creature named ‘Ztuul’ who lies buried inside the cairn.

Turn to 260
.

Your Arrow strikes his chest at an acute angle and glances off to splinter harmlessly against the parapet of the roof. He utters a mocking laugh, his cat-like eyes glinting through the slits in his visor, and hurriedly he drops the Lorestones into a small velvet sack which hangs from his sword belt. Angered by his laugh, and your failure, you shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon as you rush forward, determined to prevent his escape.

Turn to 22
.

You manage to fell three charioteers before you are trampled and crushed to death beneath the flailing hooves and heavy wheels of the following Ookor chariot teams.

Tragically, your life and your quest end here at the city of Thas.

As you strike the fatal blow, the Chaos-master vents a shriek loud enough to wake the dead. His great body stiffens and his skin writhes and shimmers, making it impossible to discern any detail. Then he fades until all that remains to record his existence is the lingering smell of his spilt blood.

Turn to 232
.

By magnifying your vision you are able to see that the middle of the bridge is damaged. Many of the planks have been torn up and strewn across the surface at random, crudely disguising the gaping hole. You scream a warning to T'uk T'ron and he is able to halt the chariots just in time, as they thunder towards the approach ramp.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship and have reached the rank of Tutelary or higher,
turn to 69
.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training,
turn to 196
.

Desperately you dive aside to avoid the searing gout of smoky yellow flame that pours from the Zhengha's mouth. Your lightning reactions save you from a roasting and, as you roll to your feet, you are able to unsheathe a weapon and advance on the beast unobserved.

Turn to 329
.

The shining City of Yanis lies before you, rising in circular levels around a turreted citadel of sparkling crystal which dominates the vast, alien metropolis. Constructed out of sheeted platinum, silver, glass, and mirrored steel, it reflects the light in a thousand colours from its walls, windows, and huge, conical towers, giving it the appearance and splendour of a glowing sun. As the dragonmount glides over the outer walls, you feast your eyes upon a network of broad avenues lined with fragrant, tree-like plants, squares with fountains, and huge, silver, bell-shaped dwellings.

Illustration III
—From your perch on the dragonmount you feast your eyes on the shining City of Yanis.

Directly ahead stands the citadel. The leader signals once more and together the Yoacor land their winged steeds upon a glassy platform adjacent to one of the citadel's five circular watchtowers. There you are met by Yoacor guards, resplendent in armour of burnished silver, who attend to the dragonmounts with dutiful efficiency. The leader helps you dismount before dismissing his company and escorting you to a room in the watchtower.

You will rest here,
he says, using only his mind.
I shall take word to the Beholder and he shall speak with you. Refresh yourself and sleep if you wish.
He motions towards an adjoining room then turns and leaves, the door closing behind him seemingly of its own accord.

If you wish to investigate the adjoining room,
turn to 170
.

If you wish to attempt an escape from the watchtower,
turn to 340
.

If you choose to remain in this room,
turn to 219
.

The vision of your maker shatters with breathtaking suddenness and, without any warning, you fall forwards and plummet into thick, swirling cloud. The scary sensation of this rapid descent leaves you gasping, but the initial shock is soon replaced by the calm certainty that your fall is being controlled by unseen hands. Then, as if awaking from a dream, you become aware that the cloud has faded and the welcome feel of firm ground has returned beneath your feet.

You stand at the foot of a massive sandstone cliff, its sheer wall pitted and scarred by fierce winds that whip across the surrounding rocky landscape. Perched at the top of the cliff is a walled city, whose grim outline and dragon gate you recognize immediately: it is Haagadar, the forgotten city of the Sandai. You stare up at the stronghold, pondering the near-impossible climb to its gate, and try to suppress your mounting fears. Nearby you see a stinking stream of foul water. You follow it to its source and discover that it pours from a grille set into the cliff wall. It must be a sewage channel that services the city above.

If you wish to attempt to enter the city via the sewage channel,
turn to 140
.

If you wish to try to climb the sheer, windswept cliff to the city gate,
turn to 244
.