Castle Death

You are Lone Wolf — the last Kai Master of Sommerlund. Your vow to restore the Kai to their former glory takes you to the fabulous land of Dessi, a land of monsters and magicians. The sorcerers of this realm pledge to aid your quest — but they demand a price for their help. Somewhere deep within Castle Death lies a key to the wisdom of your ancestors. Will you find this key, or will you, like all who have entered before you, succumb to the terror that stalks the dungeons of this nightmare fortress?

Joe Dever, the creator of the bestselling Lone Wolf adventure books and novels, has achieved world-wide recognition in three creative fields — as an award-winning author of international renown, as an acclaimed musician and composer, and as a games designer specialising in role-playing games.

On graduating from college in 1974, Joe Dever became a professional musician, and for several years, he worked in the music industry in Europe and the United States.

While working in Los Angeles in 1977 he discovered a then little-known game called ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Although the game was in its infancy, Joe at once realised its huge potential and began designing his own role-playing games along similar conceptual lines. These first games were to form the basis of a fantasy world called Magnamund, which later became the setting for the Lone Wolf books.

Five years later, in 1982 at the Origins Game Fair, Joe won the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons World Championships in Baltimore, an event held before 16,000 people. Inspired and encouraged by his success at Origins, Joe decided to quit the music business and devote his time to writing and games design.

In 1983, after a brief spell at Games Workshop in London, he wrote Flight from the Dark — the first Lone Wolf interactive gamebook. His manuscript immediately attracted a frenzy of interest from three major London publishing companies, all of whom bid for world rights. Joe accepted an offer of publication from Hutchinson's (later to become Century Hutchinson Ltd; now Random House UK) and Flight from the Dark was first published in 1984.

This first book sold more than 100,000 copies within its first month of publication, and overseas rights were snapped up by twelve countries (including the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Sweden). The success of Joe's first book laid the foundations for the future of the Lone Wolf series, which has sold millions of copies around the world.

The Lone Wolf series ended after 28 books and 14 years. Joe has continued to work in the games industry as script writer and games design consultant.

Gary Chalk, the illustrator of the early Lone Wolf series, was born in 1952, grew up in Hertfordshire, England. Being interested in history, he began playing war games at the age of fifteen. When he graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts in design, Gary spent three years training in a studio before becoming a teacher in art and design.

Gary was working as a children's book illustrator when he became involved in adventure gaming, an interest which eventually led to the creation of several successful games. He is the inventor/illustrator of some of Britain's biggest-selling fantasy games including Cry Havoc, Starship Captain, and Battlecars (co-designed with Ian Livingstone). He is also known for his work on the very successful game, Talisman.

Gary was working at Games Workshop when Joe Dever asked him to illustrate some of his manuscript of Flight from the Dark. The two teamed up after that and they continued to work together until the eighth book in the series, The Jungle of Horrors.

Gary has also drawn the illustrations in Redwall and related books, The Prince of Shadows gamebook series, and several books which he also authored. Gary continues to enjoy war gaming and works as an illustrator and model maker.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

The Story So Far …

The Game Rules

Magnakai Disciplines

Equipment

Rules for Combat

Levels of Magnakai Training

Lore-circles of the Magnakai

Improved Disciplines

Magnakai Wisdom

Numbered Sections

The Magiocracy of Dessi

Action Chart

Combat Rules Summary

Combat Results Table

Random Number Table

Errata

Footnotes

Table of Illustrations

Project Aon License

Dedication

Acknowledgements

‘I would be especially pleased if my granting of the rights to distribute my books in this way was seen as my “millennium gift” to all those devoted readers who have kept the Kai flag flying high, through all the good times, and the not-so-good. It would make me very proud indeed if this enterprise laid the foundations of a lasting legacy, securing the longevity of Lone Wolf by making my creation freely and readily accessible to current and future online generations. For them, for us, for Sommerlund and the Kai. … ’ Joe Dever

Project Aon would first like to thank Joe Dever for making this generous offering of the books that we have all loved from the beginning. We are also grateful for the generosity of Rob Adams, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Ian Page, Graham Round, and Brian Williams for contributing their portions of the world of Magnamund to Project Aon. We would also like to acknowledge the following members of Project Aon for their diligent work:CreditsTranscriptionMatthew ReynoldsIllustration TranscriptionJonathan Blake

The Story So Far …

You are the warrior, Lone Wolf, last of the Kai Masters of Sommerlund and sole survivor of the massacre that destroyed your kinsmen during a bitter war with your age-old enemies, the Darklords of Helgedad.

Many centuries have passed since Sun Eagle, the first of your kind, established the Order of the Kai. Aided by the magicians of Dessi, he completed a perilous quest to find seven crystals of power known as the Lorestones of Nyxator. With their discovery he unlocked a wisdom and strength that lay within both the Lorestones and himself. He recorded the nature of his discoveries and his experiences in a great tome called The Book of the Magnakai. You have discovered this lost Kai treasure and have given a solemn pledge to restore the Kai to their former glory, ensuring the security of your land in the years to come. However, your diligent study of this ancient book has enabled you to master only three of the ten Magnakai Disciplines. To fulfil your pledge, you must complete the quest first undertaken by Sun Eagle over one thousand years ago. By doing so successfully, you, too, will acquire the power and wisdom of the Magnakai that is held within the Lorestones' crystal forms.

Much of Sun Eagle's script had faded with the passing years and little remained to help you find the seven Lorestones of Nyxator. Guided by the few words that could still be deciphered, you set out upon a journey that took you to the war-torn city of Tekaro in the hostile land of Slovia. There, hidden deep in the crypt of the city's cathedral, you found the first Lorestone of Varetta. As you held the crystal triumphantly in your hand, its power was transfused into your being, and the location of the second stone formed slowly in your mind — Herdos.

The remote township of Herdos stands upon the shore of Lake Khor, high in the Xulun Mountains of Dessi. Here the Elder Magi, the magicians who rule the land, helped Sun Eagle on his quest long ago. Time has turned full circle, and once more their aid is sought by a warrior of the Kai.

‘Fate has brought you to us, Lone Wolf,’ intones Rimoah, speaker for the High Council of the Elder Magi, as you stand before them in the Tower of Truth at Elzian. ‘And our fate is bound to your quest.’

His clear voice fills the great cylindrical council chamber and the white-robed elders gathered around you respond with one voice, ‘It is so.’

Rimoah leads you to a circular dais, set like a deep well into the green marble floor. Carefully, he kneels and touches its liquid metal surface with his gloved hand. A current flows through the shimmering metal and, within its mirror-like depths, a strange vision slowly takes shape. You see a black-walled fortress set upon a rocky isle, its deep purple shadows reflecting in the dark waters of a moonlit lake.

‘You see before you Kazan-Oud. The Lorestone of Herdos rests in this castle, deep within its accursed halls. We will take you to this fortress, Lone Wolf, but you must enter alone, for our powers hold no sway over the forces that command this terrible place. In the years that have passed since Sun Eagle first came to this land, a great evil has consumed Kazan-Oud. We lack the means to destroy this evil but we have laboured to contain it, to prevent it from spreading beyond the Isle of Khor. Some of the bravest warriors of Magnamund have tried at our behest to defeat the power of Kazan-Oud, yet all have perished. But fate now brings us a Kai Master and our hearts rejoice, for the success of your quest will defeat the bane of Kazan-Oud and deliver us all from its evil shadow.’

A ripple of hopeful whispers arises from the circle of Elders when they hear you state that you will go to Kazan-Oud. As they accompany you from the council chamber to equip you for the dangerous mission that lies ahead, you ask the meaning of the words ‘Kazan-Oud’. An uneasy silence descends on the dignified company and all eyes turn to Rimoah.

‘In the language of the Sommlending,’ he says, his voice wavering, ‘Castle Death.’

The Game Rules

You keep a record of your adventure on the Action Chart.

During your training as a Kai Master you have developed fighting prowess — COMBAT SKILL and physical stamina — ENDURANCE. Before you set off on your adventure you need to measure how effective your training has been. To do this take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it onto the Random Number Table. If you pick 0 it counts as zero.

The first number that you pick from the Random Number Table in this way represents your COMBAT SKILL. Add 10 to the number you picked and write the total in the COMBAT SKILL section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 4 in the Random Number Table you would write in a COMBAT SKILL of 14). When you fight, your COMBAT SKILL will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.

The second number that you pick from the Random Number Table represents your powers of ENDURANCE. Add 20 to this number and write the total in the ENDURANCE section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 6 on the Random Number Table you would have 26 ENDURANCE points).

If you are wounded in combat you will lose ENDURANCE points. If at any time your ENDURANCE points fall to zero or below, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost ENDURANCE points can be regained during the course of the adventure, but your number of ENDURANCE points can never rise above the number you started with.

If you have successfully completed any of the previous adventures in the Lone Wolf series, you can carry your current scores of COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points over to Book 7. You may also carry over any Weapons and Special Items you have in your possession at the end of your last adventure, and these should be entered on your new Action Chart. (You are still limited to two Weapons and eight Backpack Items.)

You many choose one bonus Magnakai Discipline to add to your Action Chart for every Lone Wolf Magnakai adventure you successfully complete (Books 6–12).

Magnakai Disciplines

During your training as a Kai Lord, and in the course of the adventures that led to the discovery of The Book of the Magnakai, you have mastered all ten of the basic warrior skills known as the Kai Disciplines.

After studying The Book of the Magnakai, you have also reached the rank of Kai Master Superior, which means that you have learnt three of the Magnakai Disciplines listed below. It is up to you to choose which three skills these are. As all of the Magnakai Disciplines may be of use to you at some point on your adventure, pick your three with care. The correct use of a Magnakai Discipline at the right time can save your life.

The Magnakai skills are divided into groups, each of which is governed by a separate school of training. These groups are called ‘Lore-circles’. By mastering all of the Magnakai Disciplines in a particular Lore-circle, you can gain an increase in your COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points score. (See the section ‘Lore-circles of the Magnakai’ for details of these bonuses.)

When you have chosen your three Magnakai Disciplines, enter them in the Magnakai Disciplines section of your Action Chart.Weaponmastery

This Magnakai Discipline enables a Kai Master to become proficient in the use of all types of weapon. When you enter combat with a weapon you have mastered, you add 3 points to your COMBAT SKILL. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, you may add 3 to any number that you choose from the Random Number Table, when using the Bow. The rank of Kai Master Superior, with which you begin the Magnakai series, means you are skilled in three of the weapons in the list below.

Equipment

Before leaving Elzian on your quest for the Lorestone of Herdos, the Elder Magi give you a map of their land and a pouch of gold. To find out how much gold is in the pouch, pick a number from the Random Number Table. Add 10 to the number you have picked. The total equals the number of Gold Crowns inside the pouch, and you should now enter this number in the ‘Gold Crowns’ section of your Action Chart. If you have successfully completed books 1–6 of the Lone Wolf adventures, you may add this sum to the total sum of Crowns you already possess. You can carry a maximum of only fifty Crowns, but additional Crowns can be left in safekeeping at your Kai Monastery.

The Elder Magi offer you a choice of equipment to aid you on your perilous mission. You can take five items from the list below, again adding to these, if necessary, any you may already possess. However, remember that you can carry a maximum of two Weapons and eight Backpack Items.

Sword (Weapons)

Rules for Combat

There will be occasions during your adventure when you have to fight an enemy. The enemy's COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points are given in the text. Lone Wolf's aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his ENDURANCE points to zero while losing as few ENDURANCE points as possible himself.

At the start of a combat, enter Lone Wolf's and the enemy's ENDURANCE points in the appropriate boxes on the Combat Record section of your Action Chart.

The sequence for combat is as follows:

Add any extra points gained through your Magnakai Disciplines and Special Items to your current COMBAT SKILL total.

Levels of Magnakai Training

The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles that are achieved by Kai Masters at each stage of their training. As you successfully complete each adventure in the Lone Wolf Magnakai series, you will gain an additional Magnakai Discipline and progress towards the ultimate distinction of a Kai Warrior — Kai Grand Mastership.

Kai Master

Kai Master Senior

Kai Master Superior — You begin the Lone Wolf Magnakai adventures with this level of training.

Primate

Tutelary

Principalin

Mentora

Scion-kai

Archmaster

Kai Grand Master

Lore-circles of the Magnakai

In the years before their massacre, the Kai Masters of Sommerlund devoted themselves to the study of the Magnakai. These skills were divided into four schools of training called ‘Lore-circles’. By mastering all of the Magnakai Disciplines of a Lore-circle, the Kai Masters developed their fighting prowess (COMBAT SKILL), and their physical and mental stamina (ENDURANCE) to a level far higher than any mortal warrior could otherwise attain.

Listed below are the four Lore-circles of the Magnakai and the skills that must be mastered in order to complete them.Circle of FireWeaponmastery & HuntmasteryCircle of LightAnimal Control & CuringCircle of SolarisInvisibility, Huntmastery & PathsmanshipCircle of the SpiritPsi-surge, Psi-screen, Nexus & Divination

By completing a Lore-circle, you may add to your COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE the extra bonus points that are shown below.Lore-circle BonusesCircle of Fire+1 CS+2 EPCircle of Light0 CS+3 EPCircle of Solaris+1 CS+3 EPCircle of the Spirit+3 CS+3 EP

All bonus points that you acquire by completing a Lore-circle are additions to your basic COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE scores.

Improved Disciplines

As you rise through the higher levels of Magnakai training you will find that some of your skills will steadily improve. If you are a Kai Master that has reached the rank of Primate, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Magnakai Disciplines:PrimateAnimal ControlPrimates with this Magnakai Discipline are able to repel an animal that is intent on harming them by blocking its sense of taste and smell. The level of success is dependent on the size and ferocity of the animal.CuringPrimates with this skill have the ability to delay the effects of poisons, including venoms, that they may come into contact with. Although a Kai Primate with this skill is not able to neutralize a poison he is able to slow its effect, giving him more time to find an antidote or cure.HuntmasteryPrimates with this skill have a greatly increased agility and are able to climb without the use of climbing aids, such as ropes, etc.Psi-surgePrimates with the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge will, by concentrating their psychic powers upon an object, be able to set up vibrations that may lead to the disruption or destruction of the object.NexusPrimates with the skill of Nexus will be able to offer a far greater resistance than before to the effects of noxious gases and fumes.

The nature of any additional improvements and how they affect your Magnakai Disciplines will be noted in the Improved Disciplines section of future Lone Wolf books.

Magnakai Wisdom

Your quest for the Lorestone of Herdos will be fraught with danger for the fortress of Kazan-Oud has a dark and sinister reputation for being the ruin of many a brave adventurer. Make notes as you progress through the story — they will be of great help in this and future adventures.

Many things that you find will help you during your adventure. Some Special Items will be of use in future Lone Wolf adventures, and others may be red herrings of no real use at all, so be selective in what you decide to keep.

Choose your three Magnakai Disciplines with care, for a wise choice enables any player to complete the quest no matter how weak his initial COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points scores. Successful completion of previous Lone Wolf adventures, although an advantage, is not essential for the completion of this Magnakai adventure.

May the spirit of your ancestors guide you on the path of the Magnakai.

Good luck!

1

The hours leading up to your departure from Elzian are spent checking and double-checking your equipment and provisions. But, no matter how hard you try to concentrate on these preparations, your mind is constantly invaded by the shadowy image of Kazan-Oud, an image identical to the vision that appeared the previous evening in the well of the council chamber. You are filled with a deep dread, as you contemplate the probable site of your own grave. However, coupled to this terrible sense of foreboding is a far greater and irresistible desire to discover the Lorestone of Herdos.

Shortly before dawn, your thoughts are disturbed by a knock at the door of your chamber: it is Rimoah. The time has come for your mission to begin. You follow him through halls and galleries to a rooftop platform nestling among the crimson towers of the Temple of Truth. Here you are greeted by a young man. He is tall and dark-skinned, with plaited flaxen hair and sharp, cat-like eyes, and he wears the gold and scarlet tunic of a Vakeros — a warrior-magician of Dessi. ‘Hail, Paido!’ says Rimoah, bowing to this proud young man.

‘Hail, my Lord Rimoah,’ he replies, respectfully. ‘We are ready to sail.’

The first rays of the dawn light shimmer along the golden hull of a magnificent skyship that hovers above the rooftop platform. As the hum of its powerful engine rises, you thank Rimoah and bid him farewell before following Lord Paido to the boarding ladder at the edge of the platform. Once safely on board, the skyship rises into the chill dawn air, and Lord Rimoah and the Tower of Truth shrink swiftly beneath its golden keel. You look down with growing fascination as the sleek, bat-winged craft passes over the circling waters of the Elzian Canal and speeds northwards above the jungle of central Dessi. As the grey Chasm of Gorgoron looms into view, splitting the emerald-green land like a deep and terrible wound, Lord Paido joins you at the rail. Time passes in conversation, and you learn much about the people of this untamed land and their history. You learn that the Elder Magi are all that remain of a race of great magicians who ruled central Magnamund many thousands of years ago. They were wise and powerful, and their leadership was great until their numbers were decimated by a plague that swept across the world. Those who survived sought refuge in Dessi and have lived here, in the mountains and the jungle, ever since. The Vakeros are native soldiers of Dessi who have been taught the art of battle-magic by the Elder Magi to help them defend the northern border against invasion by the war-like Vassagonians.

When you tell Lord Paido of your own past battles with the desert warriors, you sense a sadness within him. ‘How I wish my brother Kasin were here with us now,’ he says, staring thoughtfully towards the distant horizon. ‘He could tell many a brave tale of the great desert wars.’ You ask what has become of his brother. There is a long pause before he replies solemnly: ‘Kazan-Oud.’

The land of Dessi is now spread out beneath you like a gigantic map. To the northwest you can see the foothills of the Carcos Range and a faint ribbon-like glimmer that is the River Doi; to the east, a bank of grey storm clouds advances unchecked across a sea of jungle vegetation. Shortly before noon you sight your destination. The low-domed buildings of Herdos appear on the horizon, followed by the waters of Lake Khor and a blackened finger of rock upon which sits Kazan-Oud. Even at this great distance, the awesome sight of the terrible fortress sends a chill along your spine.

Lord Paido orders his crew to prepare for landing, and within the hour, the great skyship is casting its shadow upon the flagstones of the Plaza of Herdos. You are welcomed by Lord Ardan, Elder of Herdos, and a detachment of his Vakeros guards. They escort you through the streets of the ancient town, past the tiny stone-walled dwellings of fishermen and miners, to a quay where a glass-domed tower several storeys high commands access to the busy harbour. As you enter the tower, you notice that the glass dome radiates a greenish light that, in spite of the blinding glare of the midday sun, can be seen quite clearly.

Later, as the sun sinks slowly behind the peaks of the mountains, the light emanating from the tower becomes more visible, covering Lake Khor with an umbrella of ghostly luminescence. Lord Ardan explains: ‘This tower, together with five others that encircle the lake, generates a shield of magical energy that imprisons the evil of Kazan-Oud. No creature, living or dead, can enter or leave the Isle of Khor so long as our shield remains intact. We dare not lower our guard, and, to allow you to land on the island, we have devised a means by which you may pass through the shield unharmed.’ He takes a gem the size of a small apple from the pocket of his silken robe and places it in your hand. It is a dull translucent red, but within its core a swirling mist of glittering sparks flickers with gold and silver fire.

‘It is a Power-key. Guard it well, for so long as you possess it you may fulfil your quest; lose it and you will never escape from the Isle of Khor.’ (Mark the Power-key on your Action Chart as a Special Item, which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.) ‘At midnight, my Vakeros will take you by boat to the edge of the shield. On board is a small coracle in which you can pass through the shield and make your way to the Isle of Khor. We shall pray for you, Lone Wolf.’

Midnight finds you standing on the deck of a square-rigged fishing boat. The sighing night wind and the creak of rope and timber are the only sounds that accompany you across the black waters of Lake Khor. You arrive at a wall of shimmering, green light: the power-shield. The Vakeros whisper their goodbyes, and you paddle through the wall, drawing closer with every stroke to the sinister island fortress.

Two hundred yards from the glistening black shoreline, you note two places where you can make a landing.

If you wish to land at a stone jetty to the west of Kazan-Oud, turn to 135.

If you wish to land at a sheltered bay to the east of Kazan-Oud, turn to 288.

2

Your eye is drawn to a panel on the hexagonal wall. The central part of the stonework is much newer than the surrounding edges, a detail which your Magnakai Discipline enabled you to recognize at a glance. After closer examination, you are sure that there was once a door in this wall. The stone does not sound as if it is solid when you tap it, and you suspect it would not withstand several well-placed blows.

If you wish to try to break through the wall, turn to 228.

If you do not wish to break through the wall, you can still enter the ruby corridor turn to 349.

Or, you can enter the jadin corridor; turn to 163.

3

The rumble of a massive counterweight descending behind the wall sends a shudder through the flagstones. The portcullis rises and you hear the lever click back to its original position as you duck under the pointed bars.

4

Your lungs are close to the bursting point when your persistence finally pays off. The lock clicks and the door is forced wide open by the sheer weight of the water pressing upon it.

Turn to 172.

5

The shadow flares red before dissolving into a dense grey mist that is carried away swiftly on the stormy air. A sudden chill makes you shiver. You pull your cloak around you, taking comfort from its warmth, but it is as if the cold comes not from the damp wind but from somewhere deep inside you.

You feel hungry and you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. When you have finished, you make a quick check of your equipment before taking your first cautious steps inside the Great Hall.

Turn to 293.

6

‘Good!’ booms the voice of Zahda, as you land on the opposite side of the pit. ‘You are brave! But have you brains as well as battle-brawn, I wonder? Ha! Soon we shall see.’

The voice conjures an image of Lord Zahda in your mind. He is seated on a golden throne with the object of your quest, the Lorestone of Herdos, suspended in the air above him. You resolve to survive this accursed maze and escape. If you can then only find your way back to Zahda's throne hall, the success of your quest will be within your grasp.

You walk along the passage that leads away from the pit, your mind filled with dismay as you contemplate the problems and perils that lie before you. One such problem looms into view as the passage takes a sharp turn.

Turn to 100.

7

To your horror, you discover that the Quiver is completely empty. Your Arrows have fallen out and lie buried in the nest of vegetation upon which you awoke (erase these Arrows from your Action Chart).

With a cry of frustration, you shoulder your Bow and unsheathe a hand weapon as the snake draws itself back in preparation to strike.

Turn to 301.

8

As it springs out of the gloom, you hack at the beast, carving a slice from its great hairy shoulder. But the shock of its attack sends you reeling to the floor, and you scream out in pained surprise. Claws rake your arm; burning saliva stings your face. Desperately, you stab at the snarling beast as it dips its head and closes its massive jaws around your legs. The creature is immune to Mindblast but not Psi-surge.

Hound of Death: COMBAT SKILL 22   ENDURANCE 40

If you win the combat, turn to 194.

9

A faint rumble grows louder. There is a clatter of chains and the squeal of metal on metal as the portcullis rises jerkily into the roof. Wasting no time, you duck under the spiked bars and hurry into the tunnel beyond.

10

Grabbing a Fireseed from the pocket of your tunic, you hurl it at the monster's gaping mouth. It disappears from view, and for a brief moment, you feel the tendril tremble and slacken its crushing grip. Erase one Fireseed from your Action Chart.

Turn to 170.

11

Descending the narrow staircase, you arrive at a tunnel-like corridor, sandwiched between two walls of mouldering masonry. Foul, oily water gurgles along a channel in the slippery floor towards a distant archway, which is blocked by a black iron portcullis. Bolted to the criss-crossed bars is a plaque which bears a curious design:²

12

‘We're as good as dead if we stay here,’ says the warrior in a broad Stornlands accent. ‘Come, we best find ourselves a safe tunnel before they release a Trakka. We'll have a horde of Zahda's pets snappin' at our heels if it picks up our scent.’

You follow the man through a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers; descending by slope and staircase to deeper levels of this subterranean world. Not a word is spoken until, finally, you stop to rest in a small, musty chamber, its entrance partially hidden behind a rockfall of scarlet stone. ‘How long have you been tunnel-running?’ your companion asks. When you reply that you've been in Kazan-Oud no more than a few hours, his face registers a look of surprise followed by disappointment. ‘I'd have stood and fought the Dhax had I known I was so near to the surface,’ he says, shaking his head and staring dejectedly at the floor.

He tells you that his name is Tavig and that he comes from Suentina, a city in the western land of Slovia. Over a year ago his sister was captured by Sadzar, the slaver of Gzor, when a ship on which she was a passenger was attacked by his pirate fleet off the island of Lio. One thousand Crowns was the ransom Sadzar placed on her head, and Tavig vowed he would raise the gold and save his sister or die in the attempt. Undaunted by the rumours he had heard, he travelled to Herdos to offer his services to the Elder Magi, to attempt the destruction of the evil that haunts Kazan-Oud, in return for his sister's ransom. They agreed to his price, as they had agreed to scores of others' before him, and sent him through the power-shield with their hopes and prayers for success. That was one year ago.

‘One man alone could never hope to destroy Zahda, he who commands this fortress, for his power has grown greater than the Elders imagine. I tried and I failed. Twice I've been captured and twice I've escaped from his maze, and now my only wish is to escape from this fortress of nightmares. I'm a tunnel-runner, a survivor, a fugitive from Zahda's law, but I fear my time has nearly run out.’

Drawing his sword, Tavig walks to the entrance and peers into the corridor outside. ‘Luck be on your side, stranger,’ he says, and hurries away. You call out for him to wait, to tell you more of what he has learnt of Kazan-Oud, but your pleas go unanswered as he disappears into the tunnel.

If you wish to follow him, turn to 119.

If you decide to continue alone, turn to 308.

13

The shriek of metal on metal reverberates along the tunnel as great iron cogs grind into action.³ Slowly, the portcullis rises into the roof. Wasting no time, you duck beneath the pointed bars and hurry into the passage beyond.

Rats flee, squeaking, as you stalk along the slippery flagstones. You wince as their claws rasp on the wet rock and their hairless tails furrow the stinking green slime that covers the surface of the tunnel floor. The passage widens as it approaches a staircase that leads down. Halfway down the stairs you disturb a colony of bats nesting in the ceiling. They squeal angrily and whirl around your head, battering you with their wings and nipping at your face with their sharp, needle-like teeth.

14

The brick slides in and the secret door slides open. Before you stands an ugly, bearded dwarf, wearing a grimy black velvet jerkin. His pig-eyes twinkle malevolently as he raises a hollow brass tube and points it at your face.

‘Sweet dreams,’ he cackles, and a blast of icy cold vapour shoots from the tip, catching you squarely in the face. You reel back, coughing and choking as the bitter vapour fills your lungs. By the time you realize that you have inhaled a powerful sleep gas, your body is already succumbing to its irresistible power.

Turn to 165.

15

You spin a screw-like handle set in the centre of the door, releasing the lock. You open the door and enter: inside, you discover a room of steel. The walls, ceiling, and floor are all constructed of metal plate, which is polished to give a mirror-like shine. Low, iron tables are set out with the implements and accessories of magic: crucibles, retorts, aludels, flasks, and all manner of twisting glass tubes, which bubble and seethe with multi-coloured liquids. Vellum-bound tomes and crumbling parchments litter the shelves, competing for space with repulsive-looking pink organs floating in glass jars of vile-smelling preservative. Quickly you scan the shelves in search of useful items and, to your delight, rediscover all your confiscated Weapons. (Re-enter on your Action Chart everything that was taken from you before you were sent to the maze.)

In addition to your Weapons, you discover a large jar of concentrated Laumspur (restores 8 ENDURANCE points) and a Kazan-Oud Platinum Amulet. If you wish to take the Amulet, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item, which you wear on your wrist. It will protect you from injury due to exposure to high temperatures.

Elated by the rediscovery of your equipment, you leave the chamber and press on along the shiny steel tube.

Turn to 90.

16

It takes a few minutes for you to get your bearings in the gloom of the narrow corridor. Outside, strange sounds echo across the beach, making you forget your natural caution and move deeper into the darkness. The uneven floor is coated with mud, and the warm, moist air reeks with a repugnant odour that reminds you of gutted fish. You press on, taking great pains not to slip and fall, but the light soon fades completely and you slow to a halt.

If you possess a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox, turn to 61.

If you do not possess any of these items, turn to 277.

17

A movement at the end of the corridor warns you that more guards are entering the sarcophagus, alerted no doubt by the noise of combat. Rather than be caught without cover in this narrow corridor, you decide to enter the chamber and attempt to escape along the opposite passage.

Turn to 69.

18

With the words of the skull reverberating in your mind, you pull out the cork with your teeth and shake the liquid into the pit, spreading it in a wide arc from left to right. You are certain that there is an invisible bridge across the pit; if only you could locate it.

The footsteps halt. You hear a piercing crack, like that of a whip, and, immediately afterwards, an angry red weal opens around your wrist (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). The container spins from your hand and seems to bounce in mid-air before dropping into the void. You have found the bridge! But now you have an invisible enemy to contend with.

If you wish to step onto the invisible bridge, turn to 166.

If you wish to fight your unseen enemy, turn to 257.

19

A shadow crosses your path and you release the bowstring, but your Arrow does not find its mark. A ghoulish howl is the only warning you receive before the creatures leap out of the billowing smoke, clawing and biting at your face and arms.

Dhax: COMBAT SKILL 25   ENDURANCE 32

Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, deduct 3 points from your COMBAT SKILL for the first two rounds of combat, due to the speed and surprise of your enemy's attack.

You may evade combat after three rounds by running into the archway opposite; turn to 241.

If you win combat, turn to 141.

20

The passage leads to an enormous compound of cells that holds the slaves of Kazan-Oud. They are, in the main, a pitiful herd of gangling, black-skinned creatures, with sorrowful eyes and backs bent crooked by years of hard labour. These prisoners press their sad faces against the tiny grates of their cells, curious to see the fair-skinned warrior who walks upright among them.

They hiss as you pass until the entire complex echoes to the sound of their sibilant scorn. At the end of the block, there is a cell that resembles a cage, denying its prisoner even the small degree of privacy provided by the others. You stare through the bars at a dark-skinned man sleeping on the straw-covered floor. His blond hair and red and gold tunic are stained with blood and grime. A key to his cell hangs by a cord on a peg driven into the nearby wall.

If you wish to take the key and release him, turn to 113.

If you prefer to leave him and continue, turn to 142.

21

A maniacal scream of anger echoes from behind the grating as the giant snake crashes lifelessly to the ground. Suddenly bolts of red fire are raining down all around you, splintering the stone floor and leaving nothing but molten cinders wherever they strike. You clamber across the snake and dive into the tunnel to avoid this rain of crimson death.

To your dismay, you discover the tunnel is no more than a shallow cave, a shelter for a clutch of eggs, each one no smaller than a barrel of ale. They rest upon a bed of packs and torn clothing, the last remains of adventurers who fell foul of the traps of Kazan-Oud.

If you wish to examine these items more closely, turn to 148.

If you wish to look for a way of escape from this tunnel, turn to 346.

22

The Rahkos lies motionless on the ground before you, but, in spite of the many blows you have dealt the creature, it bears no sign of having ever been involved in combat.

If you wish to turn your back on the hand and enter the passage ahead, turn to 77.

If you wish to take a closer look at the hand, turn to 215.

23

The stone blocks of a fallen tower lie scattered in an uneven line across the beach, like the vertebrae of a long-dead giant. Lightning flashes and you see in the battlements of Kazan-Oud a wide breach in the wall where the tower once stood. A stone staircase rises from the beach to the top of the ruined wall, but sections of it are missing, presumably torn away when the tower collapsed.

If you wish to attempt to climb the stairs to the fortress, turn to 150.

If you prefer to continue along the beach, turn to 348.

24

After what seems like an hour, but in reality is only a few minutes at the most, the scorching heat subsides and the tunnel air becomes painless to breathe. You press on and soon arrive at an archway, where the shiny steel tube enters a chamber gouged out of solid black iron. There a spiral staircase ascends to a portal. You climb the stairs and peer out through the portal. A sight greets you that sets your pulse racing. Before you stands a gleaming block of solid gold — the back of Lord Zahda's throne. Above it, hovering motionless in the air, are two perfect crystals: one glows darkly with black fire; the other radiates a pure golden light that sends a shiver down your spine. It is the object of your quest — the Lorestone of Herdos.

If you wish to reach up and take the Lorestone, turn to 42.

If you wish to attack the black crystal, turn to 138.

If you prefer to examine the throne, turn to 98.

25

Your senses scream a warning that this object is evil. A powerful spell of shielding has been placed upon it to conceal its true purpose, but your mastery of the psychic disciplines helps you to overcome this barrier. It is a means by which its sorcerous creator may exert his control over any who touch it or gaze upon it.

A coldness probes your mind, like fingers of ice seeking to crush your will, but your Psi-screen melts the numbing grip of this psychic attack. You lash out with your foot and send the Sceptre spinning into the chasm. There is a silence, and then a dull boom, like distant thunder, reverberates in the abyss far below.

If you now wish to enter the east tunnel, from which the Dhax appeared, turn to 185.

If you prefer to enter the west tunnel, turn to 308.

26

The inner surface of the bubble is lined with globules of transparent fat, which absorb the force of your blows.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add 3 to the number you have picked. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with sword, deduct 2 from this figure. The final number equals the number of ENDURANCE points you lose owing to lack of oxygen before you cut your way free from the transparent prison.

If you survive the ordeal, you can cut your way through the rest of the bubbles; turn to 151.

27

Stepping carefully through the slime-smeared rubble, you stop for a moment to catch your breath and survey the shattered keep of Kazan-Oud. It is a desolate sight. Only stone buildings remain intact, and everything is covered with creepers and mildew. A great fire must have ravaged the inner fortress to have resulted in such total devastation.

In the centre of the keep stands the Great Hall, still an imposing stronghold and made all the more frightening by the constant flash of green lightning. Beyond its burnt and fungus-covered wooden door, twisted tree forms, with sharp, barbed thorns, sprawl across the cracked flagstones like coils of steel wire. You are about to enter when a movement in the air around your head arrests you. A shape is taking form in the doorway, a shadowy figure with flaming red eyes. An icy chill grips your heart as it sweeps past you with a swirling rush of wind. You spin round to see it hovering in the sky, its shadowy hand now gripping a great spiked ball and chain. It shrieks an unearthly cry, and the ball whistles down towards your unprotected face.

28

Before you reach his body, a second crossbow bolt hits your head. The missile passes through your skull, and you are dead before your body hits the ground.

Your life and your quest end here.

29

The tunnel winds its way deeper and deeper into the solid rock until it emerges at a chamber illuminated by a shaft of shimmering red light that pours down from a square hole in the ceiling. A pair of huge iron doors fills the opposite wall and appears to offer the only exit from the room. In order to reach the doors, you will have to pass through the eerie red light.

If you wish to walk through the light and examine the iron doors, turn to 269.

If you prefer to retrace your steps and take the east tunnel, turn to 272.

30

The sand is unexpectedly warm, and as you make your way between the boulders that litter the shore, your boots soon become unbearably hot. Just a few feet ahead, a distinct line of stepping stones rises out of the sand and heads towards a fissure in the sheer rock wall.

If you wish to leap onto the nearest stone slab, turn to 177.

If you choose to avoid the stepping stones and press on through the scorching sand, turn to 104.

31

Your attack is swift and deadly. You dispatch all three of them in as many blows and cover their dead bodies with a tapestry torn from the wall. There is nothing of value in the pockets of their robes, but lying on the table, you find a Skeleton Key and a Parchment. Both items look as if they could be of use, and you decide to keep them. (Mark them as Special Items on your Action Chart, to be kept in the pocket of your tunic.)

You leave the chamber, but as soon as you set foot into the corridor beyond, you are confronted by an armoured guard. He screams a cry that is muffled by the visor of his helmet and turns to run towards a bell-rope hanging from a hole in the ceiling.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 266.

If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 40.

32

As the tip of your weapon flicks the lever down, you feel a surge of water engulf your arm. The flow is reversed: the statue is sucking water from the chamber at a tremendous rate. Your weapon is torn from your hand (remember to erase it from your Action Chart), but you manage to wrench your arm clear and swim to the surface uninjured.

Within minutes, the water drops to the level of the statue's mouth and remains there. Suddenly, the door emits a click and is forced wide open by the weight of the remaining water pressing upon it.

Turn to 172.

33

At first there is silence. Then a faint squeak grows to a shuddering rumble as the cogs of a hidden counterweight grind into action. The squeal of tortured metal resounds in your ears as the portcullis rises jerkily into the soot-blackened ceiling.

34

In reply to your correct answer,⁵ the oval door emits a click and slowly swings open. You step through and descend a steep ramp to a long corridor whose walls are covered with what appear to be gigantic cocoons that stretch into the distance for as far as you can see. The oval door clicks shut but the clicking continues, like an echo, only growing steadily louder. In the gloomy corridor ahead you can see that something is moving. A huge worm-like creature with great black eyes and horny mandibles is slithering towards you, a purple froth bubbling from its mouth as it picks up your scent.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, turn to 86.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control and have reached the Kai rank of Primate, turn to 130.

If you have a Silver Whistle, turn to 347.

If you have neither of these skills nor the Special Item, turn to 233.

[5] This section is the correct answer to the Zakhan's riddle from Section 100.

35

By sheer force of will, you focus your skill through the pain that fills your head and try to command the sphere to stop its psychic attack.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have reached the Kai rank of Primate, you may add 1 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–4, turn to 97.

If it is 5 or more, turn to 246.

36

An opening to your right reveals a spiral staircase, and you can distinctly hear the sound of approaching footsteps. Judging by the noise, you estimate that at least a dozen iron-shod warriors are descending the stairs to this level.

If you wish to stand and face the approaching enemy, turn to 273.

If you wish to descend the stairs as quickly as possible, turn to 55.

37

In a matter of seconds, the exit is sealed off completely. A loud hissing fills your ears, and a strangely bitter smell assails your nostrils. By the time you realize that the air is being flooded with a powerful sleep gas, pumped in through tiny vents near the door, you are already succumbing to its irresistible power.

Turn to 165.

38

Your psychic senses tell you that what you see before you is an illusion. The Oudakon is a spectral force, placed here by a powerful magician and activated by anyone or anything that dares to approach the door of the Great Hall.

Mustering your courage, you challenge the illusion by commanding it to disperse. The shadow, which, seconds before, looked all too real, dissolves like mist into the chill night air. All that remains is a fading cry of frustrated anger that echoes through the ruins of the keep.

Turn to 293.

39

You sense that a bridge, hidden by a powerful spell of invisibility, spans the pit. Kneeling at the edge, you sweep your hand back and forth in the hope of locating it, but a noise in the passage behind makes you stop and turn. The sound of heavy footsteps grows louder, but the passage looks deserted. Frantically, you continue your search for the invisible bridge.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 344.

If it is 5–9, turn to 58.

40

The guard tugs the rope and the corridor is filled with the harsh clangour of an alarm bell. More armoured guards appear, their weapons drawn and their visors closed for combat. They take one look at you and hurl themselves along the corridor in a frenzied attack. They strike simultaneously and you must fight all four of them as one enemy.

Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 30   ENDURANCE 39

If you win and combat lasts three rounds or less, turn to 248.

If combat lasts more than three rounds, turn to 160.

41

A terrible growling follows you across the bleak shore as you race towards the high rock wall that is the base of Kazan-Oud. At first the sand felt comfortably warm, but now your boots have become unbearably hot.

A few yards ahead, a line of stepping stones rises out of the scorching black sand. The stones lead away towards a jagged fissure in the rock wall.

If you wish to leap onto the nearest stone slab, turn to 177.

If you choose to avoid the stepping stones and press on through the burning sand, turn to 104.

42

Your heart pounding, you reach for the Lorestone, your fingers trembling in anticipation of the moment when, by merely touching its crystal shell, you will absorb its vast wisdom. You feel giddy with excitement as your hand draws closer. Then suddenly a severe pain burns your fingers, jolting you to your senses: a gout of black fire has sprung from the dark crystal, stabbing you viciously with its spiky flame (lose 3 ENDURANCE points). Lightning dances around the crystal, fusing it to the Lorestone with a crackling fire. A cone of light bathes the throne and, in its shadowless glare, Lord Zahda appears, gaunt and wild-eyed; in his hand he holds a rod of inlaid platinum, which he now points directly at your head.

If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 174.

If you do not have this Special Item, turn to 202.

43

The Blue Pills are made from the dried and crushed roots of the Sabito plant, commonly found in the Boari Jungle, but rare in any other part of Magnamund. They enable the human body to extract oxygen from water by absorbing it through the skin, thereby allowing anyone who swallows Sabito root to ‘breathe’ underwater.

There are enough pills for one full dose. Record them as Sabito on your Action Chart.

Turn to 323.

44

Your bleeding hand strikes something close to the edge of the pit that feels like a narrow plank. You thank your good fortune, but before you can scramble across it, a blow catches you in the ribs and leaves you gasping for air (lose 3 ENDURANCE points). You have been dealt a vicious kick that leaves you sprawled over the edge of the pit.

If you wish to get to your feet and try to retaliate, turn to 257.

If you wish to pull yourself onto the invisible beam and try to struggle across to the other side, turn to 166.

If you wish to risk diving into the pit, turn to 275.

45

Unsheathing your weapon, you dig your heels into the wet sand and face the seething tide of rats. The damp air is now filled with the choking stench of their bodies, and your stomach knots as they scuttle nearer and nearer.

46

The passage opens out into a hexagonal chamber. There are two exits, both leading away beneath horseshoe arches of gleaming crystal. The arch to your left is carved from solid red ruby; the arch to your right, from solid green jadin.

If you have the Magnakai Disciplines of Invisibility, Pathsmanship, or Divination, turn to 2.

If you wish to pass under the red ruby arch, turn to 349.

If you wish to pass under the green jadin arch, turn to 163.

47

You are ten feet from the archway when a ghastly scream freezes you in your tracks and forces you to glance over your shoulder at a terrible scene. Three creatures, no taller than men but with shiny skin as black as night, claw at the warrior in a grisly tug-of-war. The snapping of bone and tearing of flesh makes you shudder, and the sight of the dead man's limbs being swallowed whole makes your stomach churn uncontrollably. The ghoulish creatures gurgle their delight, their jaws dislocating to accommodate their feast. As their fiery eyes fix themselves on you, a cold dagger of fear stabs into your mind. Blinded by panic, you turn and flee into the darkness of the archway.

Turn to 277.

48

You have barely covered a hundred yards when a blood-curdling howl echoes along the passage behind. Spinning round, you see the outline of a gigantic black wolf loping towards you at a frightening pace. Its evil eyes flash in the dim light, and its great fanged jaws hang open in eager readiness to bite.

If you wish to stand and fight this ravenous monster, turn to 78.

If you wish to run from the monster as fast as you can, turn to 287.

49

As the glow of your light fills the cave, you notice that the uneven floor is covered with chunks of mouldering rubble, spattered with blotches of dried blood. You are about to investigate a narrow tunnel that winds deeper into the solid black rock when your Kai instincts alert you to a shallow step that crosses from one side of the cave to the other. A closer look reveals the step to be a perfect square of marble that covers the first ten feet of the tunnel floor.

If you wish to prod the marble slab with a weapon to test for a trap, turn to 183.

If you wish to jump across the slab into the tunnel beyond, turn to 127.

If you decide to enter the tunnel by walking across the slab, turn to 277.

50

Your Arrow strikes its mark, burying itself deep in the chest of the leader. He screams like an animal and falls forward, impaling himself on his sword as he crashes to the ground. Shouldering your Bow, you draw a hand weapon as the other guards press on with their attack, undaunted by the death of their leader.

Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 28   ENDURANCE 35

If you win the combat in three rounds or less, turn to 248.

If combat lasts longer than three rounds, turn to 160.

51

After several attempts, you finally manage to ignite a flame. It flares brightly but soon goes out as it quickly consumes what little oxygen remains in the bubble. Clawing at your throat and chest, you drop slowly to your knees as you suffocate in this transparent, airless tomb.

Your life and your quest end here.

52

Mustering your reserves of psychic strength, you focus your skill at the tumbling trunk. You manage to slow its fall and lock one end into a hollow in the last stair. For a moment it stands upright, wavering from side to side like a gigantic metronome, before falling across the gap with a tremendous crash. When the dust clears, you find yourself staring at a perfect bridge. You waste no time traversing the gap and quickly make your way up the stairs to the breached fortress wall.

Turn to 27.

53

The pain quickly becomes unbearable (lose 5 ENDURANCE points). As you reel back in agony, the drumming increases speed: unless you act quickly it will destroy your mind.

If you wish to attack the hand, turn to 136.

If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it at the plinth, turn to 157.

If you wish to run between the two green pillars and escape into the passage beyond, turn to 103.

54

Your basic Kai skills tell you that the lock that secures the door is magical, not mechanical, in nature. All attempts to discover its secret are blocked by the spell that shields the lock. Reluctantly, you abandon the door and leave the chamber by the stairs.

Turn to 193.

55

At the bottom of the stairs is a deserted hallway that leads to two great doors of gleaming bronze. Sumptuous tapestries and statuettes of gold line the walls on either side, and an ornate fountain of silvered marble fills the hall with a melodious bubbling sound.

You have covered only a few yards when an armoured guard steps into view from behind the fountain. He is armed with a crossbow and is taking aim at your chest.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery or Divination, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–2, turn to 189.

If it is 3 or more, turn to 62.

56

Swiftly you search the bodies of the slain Beastmen, looking for anything that could shed some light on the mysteries of the fortress. After emptying their packs and pockets, you sift through the following items:

2 Axes (Weapons)

1 Bow (Weapons)

2 Spears (Weapons)

1 Quiver with 4 Arrows (Special Items)

Enough food for 4 Meals (Meals)

Pouch of Herbs (Backpack Items)

Flask of Wine (Backpack Items)

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing and wish to identify the herbs, turn to 129.

If you wish to examine the sarcophagus, turn to 83.

If you wish to leave the hall by the tunnel to your left, turn to 201.

If you prefer to enter the tunnel from which the Beastmen appeared, turn to 323.

57

You sense that neither the rope nor the rocks are quite what they seem: a terrible aura of wickedness hangs over them both. Your try to delve deeper, but your concentration is broken when your boat lurches violently towards the jetty. A collision is only seconds away.

If you wish to dive overboard to avoid being dashed against the stone wall, turn to 325.

If you wish to grab one of the hanging ropes, turn to 203.

If you prefer to close your eyes and pray, turn to 239.

58

You sweep the yawning void but with no success. Suddenly the footsteps halt. You hear a piercing crack like that of a whip, and an angry red weal opens across the back of your hand (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). You feel his presence, but you cannot see the enemy who dealt you this wound.

If you wish to continue to search for a crossing, turn to 44.

If you wish to stand and fight your unseen enemy, turn to 257.

59

The passage becomes hotter and noisier the deeper you explore it. Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus and have reached the rank of Primate, you must now deduct 3 ENDURANCE points from your total due to the suffocating heat and choking, sulphurous fumes. Another tunnel looms out of the yellowish mist to your right. With watery eyes, you peer down it; a red glow fills a crack in the distance. The ground vibrates to an incessant screeching of metallic objects scraping against stone and steel, and this noise, together with the stinking atmosphere, conspires to numb your senses.

If you wish to investigate the red glow, turn to 144.

If you decide to ignore it and press on along the tunnel, turn to 71.

60

As soon as your hand touches the mist, a terrific bolt of blue lightning arcs towards it from one corner of the ceiling. Pain shoots up your arm, and you are catapulted into the water by the shock (lose 4 ENDURANCE points).

If you possess some Sabito, turn to 230.

If you do not possess this item, turn to 263.

61

Your light flares brightly in the moist gloom of the passage. A cavern lies immediately ahead, its high-arched roof a mass of dripping stalactites, hanging like thick spears of pearly white stone. Cautiously, you step across the cavern floor, your skin prickling, as peculiar sounds emanate from the shadows.

You wind your way through the labyrinth of tunnels, slipping on moss-covered rocks, grazing your head on low ceilings, and scrambling up and down steep ridges and rockfalls until you arrive at a smooth-walled chamber carved with precision from the hard black rock. A staircase ascends through an archway to your left, and directly ahead stands a massive stone door.

If you wish to examine the stone door, turn to 274.

If you wish to ascend the stairs, turn to 193.

62

The guard fires as you run at him, the sneer on his face boasting his confidence that you will soon be a dead man. You twist aside to avoid the lethal bolt, escaping with nothing more serious than a torn sleeve, and shattering his confidence. You attack and he attempts to parry your first blow with his empty crossbow; you knock it from his trembling fingers, leaving him without a weapon to hand.

Throne-hall Guard: COMBAT SKILL 14   ENDURANCE 22

If you win the combat, turn to 282.

63

You crouch in total silence, every nerve and muscle tensed in readiness for combat. A new sound reaches your ears. It does not come from the chamber but from the tunnel in which you are hiding; it is the sound of a cracking shell.

64

You have walked less than ten feet along the corridor when you are knocked off your feet by a terrible numbing blow to your chest. The ghostly outline of a skeletal warrior shimmers in the air above you, a bloodied spear gripped in its fleshless hands. The wound is fatally deep, and the image soon fades into darkness as your life's blood ebbs away.

Your life and your quest end here.

65

You have a strong feeling that the entrance is guarded by a trap. The sickening odour reminds you of your first hunting trip as a Kai Initiate to the foothills of the Durncrag Mountains of Sommerlund. By chance you discovered an old bear pit that housed a colony of marsh vipers. The awful smell that arose from that pit is identical to the stench seeping from the cave mouth.

If you wish to enter the cave, turn to 258.

If you decide to return to the beach below, turn to 30.

66

You study the plate that blocks the locking mechanism. If you could just turn it aside, you might be able to release the lock.

If you have a sword, turn to 252.

If you do not have a sword, turn to 263.

67

Your Arrow sings through the smoky air and pierces the dog-like skull of the leading creature. It halts, as if frozen to the spot, and a sizzling sound emanates from its open jaws. Then, with a flash, it bursts into flames. The fire consumes the creature completely in a matter of seconds and its body disintegrates, dropping to the floor in glowing, sticky lumps like molten lava. The other creatures appear undaunted by this and quicken their unnatural gait. With a rasping click, curved talons shoot from their webbed fingers in preparation for attack.

If you wish to fire another Arrow, turn to 175.

If you decide to shoulder your Bow and escape into the archway opposite, turn to 241.

68

The sword itself appears plain and unremarkable, but the block on which it rests gives off a strong aura of magic. Your Kai Mastery makes you wary of stepping any closer.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, turn to 124.

If you have a Rope and wish to try to lasso the sword, turn to 182.

If you decide to ignore the sword and leave the vault by the left tunnel, turn to 298.

If you prefer to leave by the right tunnel, turn to 322.

69

The purple-robed creatures rise, shrieking, from their table, their long fingers pointing accusingly at you. In an instant, the corridor beyond is filled with the harsh clang of an alarm bell. Black-clad armoured guards, like those you encountered earlier, appear at the archway, their weapons drawn and their visors closed for combat. They take one look at you and hurl themselves forward in a frenzied attack.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 50.

If you decide to defend yourself with a hand weapon, turn to 316.

70

The Zagothal is totally blind and completely deaf. By using your Kai Mastery to mask the scent and heat of your body, you manage to avoid the creature's attack and make your escape towards the distant rock wall. Here, you discover a fissure running vertically through the jet-black stone and are about to enter when the rustle and slither of unseen things echoing in the darkness makes you hesitate.

If you wish to enter the fissure, turn to 16.

If you prefer to continue your escape along the beach, turn to 173.

71

Half-blinded by the fumes, you fail to see a trip wire strung knee-high across the corridor, but, as soon as you feel it touch your leg, your lightning-fast survival instincts alert you to a trap. There is a rumble in the ceiling, and two walls of stone begin to fall simultaneously, threatening to seal off the tunnel on either side.

If you wish to try to dive through the shrinking gap ahead, turn to 337.

If you decide to dive under the descending wall behind you, turn to 169.

If you chose to stay where you are, turn to 37.

72

The creature's flaming fists scorch your tunic, but your Kai Mastery enables you to survive the worst of the searing heat. The attack is wild and haphazard and you have no difficulty avoiding the blows. Ducking beneath the creature's arm, you sprint away towards the jets of flame in the hope of evading the attack, but the sight of the inferno ahead makes you hesitate.

If you wish to enter the flame-jets, turn to 204.

If you choose to stand and fight the Flame-man, turn to 126.

73

Taking hold of a crate, you pull open the lid as easily as if you were tearing the peel from an overripe orange. The damp timber crumbles in your hands, falling on the tarnished pewter plates lying within. Your boot staves in the side of another crate, and you hear the dull crunch of shattered porcelain. This one is full of old Kakushi vases, part of a cargo from a trading barge that sank on the reef over a decade ago.

You are about to leave when something unusual catches your eye: the tip of a cylindrical map case is jutting out from behind an empty cask. Unlike everything else in this foul room, it is both dry and quite new. Flipping the brass catch, you tip the contents into your palm: a small piece of parchment and a Diamond (you may keep this Special Item in your pocket). A snake with one large eye is drawn in red ink on the parchment. It is coiled around the number 123. Make a note of this number in the margin of your Action Chart — it may be of use to you later in your adventure.

Satisfied that there is nothing else of use or interest in the room, you leave and press on towards the stairs.

Turn to 11.

74

The tapestries are similar to others you have seen in the lower levels of Kazan-Oud; they are extremely beautiful and exceedingly valuable. However, it is what you discover behind them that is of greater interest, for they conceal a secret door. Your basic Kai senses alert you to a tiny button set into the wall. You press it and the door slides open to reveal a circular tunnel of gleaming steel. Quickly you enter and the door slides shut, moments before the hall is filled with Zahda's guards.

Fifty feet along the gleaming steel tube, you arrive at a circular door in the wall to your left.

If you wish to open the door and enter, turn to 15.

If you wish to continue along the tube, turn to 90.

75

Your Arrow grazes his shoulder but does not stop him from reaching the rope. In an instant, the harsh clangour of an alarm bell fills the corridor. More armoured guards appear, their weapons drawn and their visors closed for combat. They take one look at their wounded comrade and hurl themselves along the corridor in a frenzied attack. They strike as one and you are forced to engage them as a single enemy.

Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 30   ENDURANCE 39

If you win the combat in three rounds or less, turn to 248.

If combat lasts longer than three rounds, turn to 160.

76

The Lekhor twists and writhes in frustrated fury, for it cannot shake you free from its trunk. The head rears up and a droplet of venom splashes the back of your hand. It burns like a red-hot dagger, and you cannot stifle a cry of pain. The serpent snickers, its red forked tongue lashing the air just a few inches in front of your face.

Lekhor: COMBAT SKILL 16   ENDURANCE 30

Due to your precarious position, you cannot make use of a shield or any two-handed weapon (i.e. Broadsword, Spear, Quarterstaff) during the combat, and, due to the corrosive venom of the Lekhor, you must treble any ENDURANCE point losses you sustain during the combat.

If you win the combat, turn to 296.

77

A searing pain explodes behind your eyes as the hand clamps itself to your head. As the decaying fingers pierce your scalp, forcing their way through your skull, your vision turns red and your body shakes uncontrollably. The hideous claw burrows deeper, feeding on the only source of nourishment that can sustain its existence: living human brain.

Your life and your quest end here.

78

The great wolf slams into your chest, ramming you to the ground with the weight of its massive body. Fangs rake your arm and burning saliva splashes your face. Desperately you stab and slice at its throat, fighting with all the strength and skill you can muster to free yourself from this merciless beast. The creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

79

Horror twists the warrior's face as your Arrow whistles through the air. He opens his mouth to scream, but the cry dies in his throat as your shaft buries itself deep in his chest. He staggers, his arms outstretched as if to grab at a rail, and tumbles from the walkway into the smoky chasm.

A hungry shriek resounds from the arch. You draw another Arrow and take aim at the darkness as a murmur of low mutterings becomes audible. The sounds chill you. Gurgling and hissing through clenched teeth, three creatures, their skins as black as night, creep from the shadows and fix you with terrible fiery eyes. They cackle repulsively and slink forward with long loping strides.

If you wish to try to kill all three with your Bow, turn to 328.

If you decide to shoulder your Bow and evade them by escaping into the archway opposite, turn to 241.

80

Despite the alarm bell and the sound of running feet, you make a quick search of the bodies before descending the stairs. Your search uncovers the following items:

1 Spear

2 Short Swords

1 Axe

2 Daggers

1 Mace

6 Gold Crowns

If you choose to keep any of these items, remember to make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.

Turn to 55.

81

The speed of your attack catches your enemy completely off-guard. He attempts to parry your first blow with his empty crossbow, but you knock it from his trembling fingers, leaving him without a weapon to hand.

Throne-hall Guard: COMBAT SKILL 14   ENDURANCE 22

If you win the combat, turn to 105.

82

As you mount the slippery stone steps, a roll of distant thunder rumbles across the lake, and a few drops of rain spatter the hood of your Kai cloak. A great storm is brewing. By the time you have climbed all the way to the cave mouth, a fierce wind lashes the rock wall, and the ground vibrates with every clap of thunder that follows flashes of awful green lightning. Foul air greets your arrival. You are anxious to be out of the storm, but the sweet stench of decay that assails your nostrils makes you hesitate at the entrance of the cave.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 65.

If you wish to enter the cave, turn to 277.

If you decide not to enter, you have no other option but to descend the stairs to the beach below; turn to 30.

83

The sarcophagus is covered with intricate carvings depicting a procession of strange creatures: some are part human, part animal; others are wholly alien to anything you have ever encountered before. One carving in particular holds your attention: that of a snake coiled around a row of three stone buttons. It reminds you of a lock designed by the locksmiths of Holmgard, the capital city of your homeland.

Your keen eyes are drawn to a faint crack that runs vertically through the stone. You follow the line of the crack and discover that it marks the outline of a concealed door.

If you wish to try to open the concealed door, turn to 115.

If you prefer to leave the hall by the tunnel to your right, turn to 323.

If you wish to leave the hall via the tunnel to your left, turn to 201.

84

You meet with no resistance: your hand pushes through the bubble's skin as if you were dipping it in water. However, when you try to withdraw it, the transparent membrane closes around your wrist in a vice-like grip. As the wolf's jaws snap shut around your legs, the bubble envelops the upper half of your body.

In the space of one grisly minute, you are simultaneously suffocated and torn to shreds.

Your life and your quest end here.

85

The climb proves to be one of the most difficult you have ever attempted. There are precious few places for you to put your feet, and for much of the climb, your arms have to support all your weight. Progress is slow and painful, and your efforts are further hampered by gusts of wind and rain.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add 2. If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery and have reached the Kai rank of Primate you may deduct 2 from this total figure. Your final figure equals the number of ENDURANCE points lost due to wounds and fatigue before you reach the opposite side.

Aching and exhausted, you climb to the top of the stairs and approach the breached fortress wall.

Turn to 27.

86

You press yourself between two of the silky cocoons hanging from the wall and use your Magnakai skill to mask the heat and scent of your body. The hideous worm-like creature halts, its clicking mandibles snapping the air in frustration. You turn your head away and look straight into one of the cocoons. A chill runs down your spine, for the decaying remains of a female warrior's face stare back at you from inside the web-like strands of the cocoon.

The sudden shock makes you draw breath sharply. Immediately, the worm-like thing slithers forward, propelled by its short, rubbery legs. You can only pray that it has not detected your hiding place.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 109.

If it is 5–9, turn to 278.

87

‘Stick with me,’ shouts the warrior over his shoulder as you race along the walkway, the creatures hot on your heels. Events are happening too quickly for you to rationalize your actions; instinct is now your only guide. At the arch he suddenly stops, throwing his arms out wide to hold you back. You run headlong into him with a jolt that leaves you breathless, but his strong hands grab your Backpack and keep you on your feet.

‘Snake-trap!’ he shouts, pointing to a stone slab set into the floor. ‘Curse this infernal place; is nowhere safe from Zahda's devilry?’ A shriek of malicious glee makes you turn your head; the creatures are closer than you feared. ‘Jump!’ cries the warrior. ‘For pity's sake, jump!’

If you wish to jump across the slab, turn to 268.

If you decide to stand and fight the onrushing enemy, turn to 299.

88

Jets of fire spurt from the floor and walls momentarily blinding you. A wave of searing heat buffets your face, singeing your hair and eyelashes (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), and forcing you to retreat for fear of being burned alive.

Suddenly there is a ghastly scream. Something is approaching you through the flames. In the next instant, a blazing human form staggers into view; it shrieks in agony and lurches out of the fire-jets, its arms flailing wildly as it launches an attack.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, turn to 72.

If you wish to prepare to defend yourself, turn to 126.

If you wish to run past the fiery attacker and into the blazing inferno, turn to 204.

If you wish to evade both by running back along the tunnel, turn to 320.

89

You sense that the bridge is strong enough to support your weight, so long as it is not subjected to any sudden or violent shock. Such a shock could easily open up one of the many cracks that riddle its core.

Forewarned by your Kai Mastery, you step onto the bridge and advance carefully.

Turn to 243.

90

As you walk the temperature steadily rises until you are bathed in sweat. The steel plates of the tunnel become too hot to touch, and wisps of smoke rise from the soles of your boots, where the leather is close to igniting.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus or a Kazan-Oud Platinum Amulet, turn to 24.

If you have neither the skill nor the Special Item, turn to 324.

91

To your dismay, you discover that the tunnel is no more than a shallow cave that shelters a clutch of eggs, each one as large as a barrel of ale. They lie upon a bed of packs and torn clothing, all that remains of previous adventurers who fell foul of the giant snake. An angry snickering and a stabbing forked tongue force you to the back of the tunnel, warning you that a similar fate may lie in store for you.

If you wish to examine the eggs more closely, turn to 148.

If you wish to search for a way to escape from the tunnel, turn to 346.

92

You advance along the passage, confident of your ability to deal with the sudden appearance of any guard who should be unfortunate enough to cross your path. Dark openings loom on either side, and you scrutinize the floor ahead for any signs of a trap or pit.

The passage becomes dank and dark. Whip cracks, screams, and sounds of weeping echo in the distance: the pitiful sounds of torture.

If you wish to continue along the passage, turn to 36.

If you wish to retrace your steps and take the other passage, turn to 20.

93

Cleaving a path through the thick cobwebs proves more difficult than you anticipated. Sticky, rope-like strands soon cover you from head to foot and, to your horror, they begin to shrink. It is too late to evade this attack — you must fight for your life. The enemy is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge. Owing to your restricted ability to move, reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 4 points for the duration of the combat.

Trap-webs: COMBAT SKILL 14   ENDURANCE 34

If you win the fight, turn to 131.

94

You glance back over your shoulder just as the wolf reaches the corner. The sight of its gleaming fangs makes your skin crawl with fear, but, to your surprise, it does not continue the chase. It stops and rests on its haunches, its horrible face lined with fear and frustration as it watches you disappear into the gloom.

Turn to 240.

95

The warrior is halfway across the walkway when a hungry shriek resounds from the arch. He spins on his heel and crouches in readiness for combat. A murmur of low mutterings follows; the sound chills you. Then, gurgling and hissing through clenched teeth, three creatures, their shiny skins as black as night, creep from the shadows and fix you both with fiery stares. The warrior begins to shake, his sword wavering in his gloved hand. As the creatures stalk forward, his nerve breaks and he turns and flees towards you.

‘Save yourself, stranger. They'll eat you alive!’

If you wish to run with the warrior and evade the creatures by escaping into the archway opposite, turn to 87.

If you wish to attack the warrior as soon as he is close, turn to 345.

If you decide to let him pass and face the creatures alone, turn to 249.

96

As the blade leaves the block there is a tremendous howl, like that of a mountain wolf baying at a full moon. Your heart leaps into your mouth, and you back away hurriedly, half-expecting it to change into a ravening monster at any second. It takes several minutes for your fears to subside.

Cursing your predicament, you sheathe your newfound weapon and ponder which exit to take from the vault.

If you wish to take the left tunnel, turn to 48.

If you wish to take the right tunnel, turn to 176.

97

The creature seems immune to your attack. Swiftly the tendril writhes past you, coiling itself twice before tightening around your neck. With a merciless jolt, it wrenches you away from the fissure and drags you towards its ghastly mouth.

Terror and pain give way to blind desperation as its fetid breath washes over your trembling face.

If you have any Fireseeds, turn to 10.

If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 317.

If you have neither of these Special Items, turn to 331.

98

Cautiously you walk around the throne, your weapon held out in readiness to strike. As you draw level, your heart leaps into your mouth — you are staring into the cold, unblinking eyes of Lord Zahda. He sneers evilly and points a rod of inlaid platinum at your head.

If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 174.

If you do not have this Special Item, turn to 202.

99

You sense that the air in the north tunnel is far hotter than that of the west. Judging by the smell of sulphur that pervades the cavern you guess that some form of volcanic activity is taking place to the north.

If you wish to investigate this activity, turn to 59.

If you decide that the west tunnel would be safer, turn to 323.

100

You enter a chamber where a tall bronze statue stands. You recognize its distinctive head-dress and robes immediately: it is a Zakhan, a ruler of the desert empire of Vassagonia. The statue looks most distressed: its arms are outstretched in a gesture of hopelessness, and the expression on its face is one of sorrow and despair. Beyond the statue, an oval-shaped door is set flush in the wall, but you discover that it is locked.

101

Without any warning, a solid iron door slams down behind your back, sealing off the entrance to the chamber. The distant sound of rattling chains and sliding bolts makes your pulse quicken, and instinctively you reach for your weapon to defend yourself against a sudden attack. Several uneventful minutes pass before you relax your guard.

If you decide to find out where the tunnel leads, turn to 277.

If you wish to try to force open the iron door, turn to 214.

102

The panel slides shut of its own accord, and the buttons click back to their original positions.

If you wish to leave the hall by the tunnel to your left, turn to 201.

If you decide to leave by the tunnel to your right, the same tunnel by which the black-clad warriors entered the hall, turn to 323.

103

You run straight into an invisible barrier, a field of destructive energy that flows between the two green pillars. With a thunderous concussion, you are repelled from the shield and sent tumbling back into the chamber (lose 8 ENDURANCE points; lose only 6 ENDURANCE points if you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus).

If you are still alive, turn to 116.

104

Unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, by the time you reach the fissure you have lost 3 ENDURANCE points due to the effect of the scorching sand. Standing at the jagged opening, you hear the rustle and slither of unseen things echoing within the depths of the darkness. Suddenly something round and black breaks through the surface of the lake. A hideous gurgling cry splits the night as the thing hurtles across the beach towards you.

If you wish to take cover inside the fissure, turn to 16.

If you wish to draw a weapon and prepare for combat, turn to 342.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 225.

105

You race over to your companion's side and discover that he is still conscious, although he has lost a lot of blood. Using your healing skill, you repair the wound as best you can, but it is deep and severe and you can only prolong his life for a few minutes at most. You tell him of your quest and the help the Elder Magi have given to enable you to enter Kazan-Oud. As you recount your air voyage to Herdos aboard Lord Paido's skyship, you notice his eyes flicker in recognition of the name.

‘My name is Kasin,’ he says, painfully. ‘Lord Paido is my brother.’ You notice the resemblance in his cat-like eyes and square jaw. ‘I'm finished, Kai Lord,’ he says, his face bathed in sweat, ‘but I can and will help you in your quest. Listen carefully. Over there, behind the tapestry, is a secret passage. It leads to Zahda's throne. Above the throne is the Lorestone of Herdos, but beware, Zahda has coupled its power to a Doomstone from the realm of Naaros. He draws his power from that accursed gem. If you are to succeed, you must first destroy the Doomstone or you will surely perish. Sadly, I cannot help you escape from Kazan-Oud, for I myself was captured long before I reached the surface, but if you can get to the beach, make your way to the old stone jetty. I hid my boat beneath the steps there.’ His grip tightens around your hand as a wave of pain washes over his body. ‘When you return to Elzian,’ he gasps, ‘tell my brother that my death was not in vain … May the gods protect you … Lone Wolf.’

As his eyes close for the last time, you promise that his bravery will live forever in the hearts of the Vakeros — his brave warrior kin.

Turn to 282.

106

You are less than twenty yards from the west tunnel when an agonizing pain tears through your back and explodes from your chest in a gout of blood and flame. You stagger and fall, your body virtually torn in two by a powerful bolt of destructive energy, and you die within seconds of hitting the hard stone floor.

Slain by a Dhax power-staff, your life and your quest end here.

107

Your hand passes through the surface of the first bubble meeting little resistance; it is as if you are dipping your hand into a pool of water. But when you try to remove it, the rubbery skin closes in a vice-like grip. You fight to free your hand, but you only cause the bubble to work its way further up your arm. Soon it envelops your whole body, locking you within its airtight skin.

Your eyes bulge and your lungs burn viciously as you fight for air in this transparent prison (lose 6 ENDURANCE points).

If you have a sword and want to try to cut your way out of the bubble, turn to 26.

If you have a Torch and Tinderbox, or a Lantern, and want to try to burn your way free, turn to 51.

If you have a Kalte Firesphere, turn to 145.

If you have none of the above items, turn to 292.

108

The swift undercurrent of the stream is so powerful that you are swept along the gully and far out into the lake. The weight of your equipment, your fatigue, and the highly polluted stream water all conspire to sap your strength. You cannot keep your head above the water and lose 5 ENDURANCE points due to lack of oxygen.

Turn to 158.

109

You fight back your rising nausea as the worm slithers past, its slimy body wiping itself against your back. As soon as it has passed, you leave your hiding place and hurry along the corridor, anxious to put as much distance as possible between the horrible worm and yourself in case it should turn and pursue you.

Turn to 46.

110

Four warriors, dark and grim, march into the hall in single file. At once their black armour and skull-like helmets make you think they are Drakkarim — evil human warriors who serve the Darklords of Helgedad. But when they draw to a halt before the sarcophagus, you see that they cannot possibly be human. Their great sloping shoulders support unnaturally long arms, and the hands that grip their weapons are covered with bristling ginger hair. Yellowed talons curve from their fingers, and behind them hang long black tails, tufted at the end like the tails of lions.

111

You are standing in a passage, the walls and floor of which are completely sheer and smooth. Overhead swirls a mist that gives off a dim, diffused light, just sufficient for you to be able to see your way ahead. Without your weapons you feel naked and vulnerable, but you take some comfort in the fact that you still have your Backpack, your Gold Crowns, and your Special Items.

Cautiously you walk along the passage, expecting the unexpected, until you arrive at a circular vault. There, upon a block of marble in the centre of the floor, lies a steel sword. As you step into the vault, slabs of stone sink into the floor to reveal two exits: one to your left, the other to your right.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination or Psi-screen, turn to 68.

If you wish to pick up the sword, turn to 224.

If you wish to enter the left tunnel, turn to 298.

If you wish to enter the right tunnel, turn to 322.

112

The Arrow pierces the centre of the sphere and disappears completely. Fearing that your missile has proved harmless, you shoulder your Bow and are about to draw a hand weapon when suddenly there is a flash of light and a tremendous explosion. The black sphere bursts into thousands of pieces and is consumed in a fireball of brilliant yellow flame. A wave of heat sears your face (lose 1 ENDURANCE point) and you are hurled backwards into the fissure by the blast.

Turn to 16.

113

The creaking door stirs the man from sleep, and he rolls over and cowers in the corner of his foul-smelling cage. His eyes are cloudy, like frosted glass, and his face and hands are pitted with disease.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, turn to 192.

If you do not have this skill, turn to 247.

114

Your efforts have jammed up the door, creating enough space for you to squeeze underneath. You crawl into the chamber beyond and, aching with fatigue, stagger to your feet. You pause to catch your breath before entering the northern tunnel.

Turn to 187.

115

If the lock operates in the same way as those made by the Locksmiths' Guild of Holmgard, you need only press each button once to open the door. But in which order should you press them?

If you wish to press the first, then second, then third button, turn to 123.

If you wish to press the second, then third, then first button, turn to 231.

If you wish to press the second, then first, then third button, turn to 213.

If you wish to press the third, then first, then second button, turn to 312.

If you wish to press the third, then second, then first button, turn to 321.

If you wish to press the first, then third, then second button, turn to 132.

116

To your horrified amazement, the hand springs into the air and hovers above your head. Writhing fingers stretch open as the hand plummets towards your skull.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–2, turn to 77.

If it is 3–6, turn to 198.

If it is 7 or more, turn to 235.

117

The rats are unafraid of the water. They hurl themselves at you, clawing and biting at your back as you push the coracle out into the icy cold lake. Tumbling into the little boat, you swiftly dispatch the most determined of the rodents before paddling away from the bay. You have covered barely a hundred yards when the coracle lists heavily to one side. The rats have chewed through the wood below the waterline and you are sinking fast.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, turn to 234.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 325.

118

A wave of energy surges through your body as you close your hand around the Lorestone of Herdos (restore your ENDURANCE points score to its original total). Your senses tingle and a newfound strength wipes away the fatigue of your terrible ordeal, enabling you to assess the situation anew. You step into the blue beam and immediately you are drawn upwards, following closely on the heels of Zahda, who is struggling to stay in the centre of the column of light. He is gripped with mortal fear of you, and as he sees you gaining on him, he unsheathes a glowing dagger and inverts himself to face you as you approach. When you are at arm's length he launches a wild attack. Lord Zahda is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 2 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the fight.

Lord Zahda: COMBAT SKILL 23   ENDURANCE 45

If you win the combat, turn to 200.

119

Your basic Kai skill of tracking enables you to stay on Tavig's trail. As you retrace the route you took earlier, your mind is filled with urgent questions. Who or what is the Trakka? Where do the Dhax come from? Who is Zahda that Tavig spoke of so fearfully?

Suddenly your thoughts are shattered by a scream that resounds from the top of a staircase directly ahead. Tavig appears, clutching his face, blood trickling through his fingers. He is about to fall when the scaly green fingers of a gigantic hand reach out of the darkness and snatch him back. He vanishes from sight, but his screams grow louder.

If you wish to charge up the stairs to try to save him, turn to 280.

If you wish to escape in the opposite direction, turn to 323.

120

The wolf leaps at your chest, its claws ripping your tunic as it slams you to the ground with its monstrous weight (lose 4 ENDURANCE points). Fangs flash before your eyes and fetid saliva splashes your face as you fight desperately to save yourself from the jaws of death.

Suddenly there is a ghastly scream. The wolf pulls away, its eyes fixed fearfully on the roaring jets of flame. At that moment a human form staggers into view, shrieking in agony and lurching from side to side; the wolf howls and lopes away as the flaming apparition stumbles forward, its arms flailing as it launches a wild attack.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, turn to 72.

If you wish to defend yourself, turn to 126.

If you wish to run past the fiery attacker and into the roaring jets of flame, turn to 204.

121

The tentacle lifts you into the air, tightening its grip with each passing second until almost all the breath is squeezed from your lungs. Suddenly you are hurled towards another massive boulder, which opens to reveal a monstrous jaw dripping with loathsome saliva. You are swallowed whole.

Your life and your quest end here.

122

You are forced to cut a path through the horde of creatures that huddle on the steps leading to the jetty. Creatures are crawling out of the ground itself; everywhere you look black slimy hands are bursting through the surface, squeezing their way free from Kazan-Oud through the scores of fissures opening up in the sheer rock wall.

Near to the base of the steps, you are dragged to the ground by a clutch of loathsome slaves. They pay dearly for their mistake but not before your Backpack is torn from your shoulders (erase your Backpack and all that it contained from your Action Chart).

When you reach the jetty you are covered from head to toe in the blood of your foes. The sight is so frightening that all resistance melts away, and creatures hurl themselves into the lake rather than face the fearsome straight-backed, white-skinned killer of their kin. Beneath the jetty steps you discover an arch, sealed off at one end and with a weed-encrusted stone door at the other. Inside are a small wicker coracle and a paddle.

Having fought off the most determined of Kazan-Oud's horrors, you launch the coracle, jump aboard, and paddle frantically towards the distant glimmer of the power-shield. The deafening death-cry of Kazan-Oud echoes in your ears.

Turn to 350.

123

As you press the third button you hear a distinct click. The panel slides open and you find yourself staring down a flight of steps that lead to a strong, iron-shod door.

If you wish to enter the sarcophagus, turn to 216.

If you choose not to enter, turn to 102.

124

By focusing your Kai skill on the sword, you can cause it to rise from the marble block and move through the air towards you.

If you wish to use your mastery of Nexus in this way, turn to 279.

If you decide to leave the sword undisturbed and leave the vault by the left tunnel, turn to 298.

If you decide to leave by the right tunnel, turn to 322.

125

His heart beats a dozen times then stops. You close his sightless eyes and lay his sword upon his chest, in the custom of the land of Slovia when a warrior falls in battle.

If you decide to leave the body and continue, turn to 323.

If you wish to search the body before you go, turn to 227.

126

With a cry that shakes your soul, the creature leaps forward to claw at your throat. The creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, double all ENDURANCE points that you lose during the combat, due to the severity of the burns you sustain.

Flame-man: COMBAT SKILL 14   ENDURANCE 40

If you win the combat, turn to 147.

127

You clear the slab with one bound and press on along the winding tunnel. A warm, damp wind whistles along the rough-walled passage, carrying with it a rancid smell of sulphur and decay. For over an hour you walk down the tunnel, leaping over fissures in the uneven floor and taking care not to tread on glistening blue-black worms that slither away into cracks in the rock when your light invades their damp, dark world.

128

As the flames die down and the smoke clears, you see the blackened hand lying at the base of the plinth. To your horror and amazement it begins to move, flexing its charred fingers jerkily. Open-mouthed, you stare in disbelief as it suddenly springs into the air and hovers above your head. Its writhing fingers stretch open as it plummets towards your skull.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–1, turn to 77.

If it is 2–6, turn to 198.

If it is 7 or more, turn to 235.

129

You recognize the herbs to be crushed Adgana leaves, a plant that grows in abundance in the Bavari Hills of northern Dessi. One dose is enough to increase your COMBAT SKILL by 6 points for the duration of a fight.

However, Adgana is shunned by most professional warriors and its use is outlawed in the Lastlands because it is highly addictive. If you decide to take this potion prior to combat, there is a small chance that you could become addicted. As soon as the combat is resolved, you must pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you pick is 0 or 1, you have become addicted and your ENDURANCE score must be reduced by 4 points. This reduction is a permanent loss to your basic ENDURANCE points score.

Should the opportunity to use a further dose of Adgana ever arise, its effect on that occasion will be only half that of the original dose (i.e. it will increase your COMBAT SKILL by 3 points instead of 6).

If you now wish to examine the sarcophagus, turn to 83.

If you wish to enter the tunnel from which the Beastmen appeared, turn to 323.

If you wish to leave the hall by the other tunnel, turn to 201.

130

You stare into the inky black eyes and command the creature to cease its attack. Instantly the slimy, worm-like thing rears up, its short, rubbery legs scrabbling the air in agony, as your command burns into its sensitive and vulnerable brain. As it twists back on itself, its head disappears into the mist. There is an ear-splitting crack as blue lightning engulfs the creature, crackling snake-like around its neck, and filling your nostrils with the stench of burning meat. The creature thrashes wildly for several minutes, and when its gruesome dance is finally done, the canopy of mist is no longer there. In the darkness above, you see a walkway with an observation platform.

If you wish to climb the body of the dead worm-thing and pull yourself onto the platform, turn to 294.

If you prefer to climb over the worm and continue along the corridor, turn to 46.

131

Cutting yourself free from the last of the deadly strands, you race headlong up the stairs and out through the open portal. You discover that during the struggle you lost a Weapon and one item from your Backpack (erase a Weapon of your choice and the second item on your list of Backpack Items).

132

The buttons remain depressed but nothing seems to happen. You are about to abandon your attempt at entry when there is a distinct click. The panel slides open to reveal a set of steps that descends to a large wooden door, reinforced with studs and strips of iron.

If you choose to enter the sarcophagus, turn to 37.

If you decide not to enter, turn to 102.

133

Desperately you use your mastery of healing to save his life, applying your power to the open wounds that disfigure his face and throat. The bleeding stops and his heartbeat grows stronger, but you sense that it is only a temporary reprieve. His back is broken and, here, in this hostile fortress, there is no hope for his survival and recovery with so serious an injury. Briefly he regains consciousness and forces himself to speak. ‘Beware the maze, Northlander … green … is death.’

It is all he says before slipping away into endless sleep. You close his sightless eyes and lay his sword upon his chest, as is the custom in the land of Slovia when a valiant warrior falls in battle.

If you now decide to leave the body and continue, turn to 323.

If you wish to search the body before you go, turn to 227.

134

You feed off the power directed against you, charging your Psi-surge with the energy waves that buffet your psychic shield. With an immense effort of will, you launch pulses of energy at the hand. The vibrations gather power from the hand itself, setting up an explosive reaction that cannot be reversed. Suddenly there is a searing white flash as the hand disintegrates into thousands of tiny fragments. Your head swims with the fatigue of psychic combat (lose 4 ENDURANCE points), but you feel elated by your bloodless victory.

Turn to 334.

135

A streak of green, forked lightning lights up the collapsed roof of Kazan-Oud, and for a second, it looks like the shattered ribs of a giant lizard. There is another flash of lightning, and a hundred tower windows glare at you like empty eyes edged with slivers of broken glass. A line of carved stone gargoyles adorns the black stone walls, overhanging the jetty. Rings of rusted iron are clamped in their snarling jaws, each wound round with slime-encrusted ropes that dangle in the water. At the jetty, it is deep enough to allow a large vessel to dock, but the current and the swell of the tide make it increasingly difficult for you to control your tiny boat.

Your stomach tightens as the swell threatens to dash you against the jetty.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 57.

If you wish to stop paddling and try to grab one of the ropes, turn to 203.

If you decide to abandon the boat and swim towards a line of rocks further west, turn to 325.

136

As soon as you strike the hand, the psychic attack ceases. Although your blow causes no visible wound, the hand suddenly falls limp and drops to the ground near to the base of the plinth.

If you wish to attack it again, turn to 116.

If you decide to leave it and pass through the two green pillars and into the passage beyond, turn to 103.

137

With all your will, you command the snake to come no closer. Its great eye burns you with an icy stare, the black slit pupil shrinking and dilating with every beat of its evil heart. It sways above you, hesitating to attack, as your Kai Mastery plants seeds of doubt in its mind, blocking its primeval desire to savage and consume your warm-blooded being. As the monstrous head sways from side to side, you catch a glimpse of a small tunnel in the opposite wall, previously hidden by the snake and its nest. The sight of this possible means of escape momentarily breaks your concentration: the snake lunges forward to attack. Only the speed of your reactions saves you from its venomous fangs. Reluctantly, it retreats at your command and settles in the centre of the chamber, its head resting on its coils as it settles down to sleep.⁷

If you wish to attack the snake, turn to 219.

If you decide to skirt around it and enter the tunnel, turn to 260.

[7] If you have any Arrows in your Quiver, they have fallen out in your fall, and you must erase them from your Action Chart (cf. Section 7).

138

You unsheathe your weapon and strike a mighty blow at the black crystal. It splits clean in two, releasing its dark power and showering you with hot sparks in the wake of its destruction. The riven fragments hurtle into the fiery abyss that surrounds Zahda's throne, quashing the roaring flames.

‘Curse you, Kai Lord!’ screams Lord Zahda, leaping out from behind the golden throne, brandishing a platinum rod. Defiantly, he points the rod at your head and spits an evocation, but the power he calls upon no longer heeds his cry. From the depths of the pit, a terrible roar begins to grow. The floor shakes and a column of flame lights the entire throne-hall as molten lava spews high into the air. Zahda staggers back, his face aghast with terror. Hurriedly he kneels before his throne, his crooked fingers stroking at a pentagram engraved in the gold. Above the din of destruction, another sound, like the ringing of a thousand tiny bells, can be heard, and in the blackness above the throne a speckled glow appears. It descends towards Lord Zahda until he is totally engulfed by a column of shimmering blue light. His body rises, lifted by unseen hands.

If you wish to grab the Lorestone and step into the column of shimmering blue light, turn to 118.

If you wish to grab the Lorestone and escape back into the steel tube, turn to 250.

139

Covering the floor of the north tunnel are myriad tiny animal tracks. Rats, mice, worms, and snakes — denizens common to every subterranean lair — have all left their mark upon the grime-encrusted flagstones. But the east tunnel bears no such markings. There the ground is smooth and undisturbed: not even a film of dust discolours the grey stone floor. Your senses warn you that this tunnel is more than it seems.

If you now wish to enter the east tunnel, turn to 101.

If you decide to take the north tunnel, turn to 187.

140

Your senses heightened by the threat of a gruesome death, you are quick to notice a beam of light crossing the passage ahead at knee height.

If you wish to jump over the beam, turn to 155.

If you choose to run through the beam, turn to 94.

141

Wiping away the sweat of battle on your grimy sleeve, you turn to go, but as you do so, you stumble over something lying on the blood-spattered path. At first glance it looks like a mace, but closer inspection reveals a slim, silver rod with an orange ball of glass held in a claw at one end. It is far too delicate to be used as a weapon in the normal way.

If you have completed the Lore-circle of the Spirit, turn to 25.

If you wish to pick up the Silver Sceptre, turn to 223.

If you wish to leave it where it is and continue, turn to 308.

142

At the end of the cell block corridor a staircase descends to a lower level. It is guarded by a grim-faced creature armed with an axe.

143

Swiftly the tendril writhes past you, coiling twice before tightening around your neck. With an electrifying jolt, it wrenches you away from the fissure and drags you slowly towards its ghastly mouth.

Terror and pain give way to blind desperation as its fetid breath washes over your trembling face.

If you have any Fireseeds, turn to 10.

If you possess the Sommerswerd, turn to 317.

If you have neither of these Special Items, turn to 331.

144

You inch your way along the tunnel until you reach a dead end. The red glow you saw earlier is pouring through a narrow portal, shaped like a large arrow slit. You look through it at an awesome sight. A cavernous crater, formed of black iron, drops in tiers to a blood-red floor far below. Hundreds of moving forms crowd every level, dragging wagons and pulling monstrous machines up long ramps and across connecting causeways. Other forms, dressed in black, beat and curse them; the heat and fumes that are wafting through the portal prevent you from seeing them more clearly.

Suddenly a solid sheet of iron descends from the ceiling and seals off the portal. You step back and turn to leave, but in the smoky distance you see another wall of iron closing off the exit.

Turn to 37.

145

Breaking open the two halves of your Firesphere, you hold the magical flame close to the transparent skin. It quickly melts a hole, and a great gust of air surges into the bubble, splitting the skin wide open from top to bottom. Holding the Firesphere before you, you melt a path through the other bubbles. As the flame punctures their jelly-like skins they implode and plop to the floor in tatters.

You move on, your eyes peeled for the slightest hint of danger. A shadow on the floor in the distance makes you wary, and your fear soon turns to dismay when you see that it is a deep, dark pit, which covers the corridor with thirty feet of blackness. A sudden glow in the mist overhead heralds the unwelcome return of the skull:

146

The first thing that you notice is the warrior's lack of wounds: no sword cuts or arrow shafts pierce his armour. If it were not for the unmistakable smell of death, you could be forgiven for thinking that he was asleep. You turn the body over to take a look at his face and recoil in shock at the sight before you. The eyes are missing, leaving two ghastly black holes; the tongue hangs out, dark and swollen, and from the corners of the twisted mouth oozes a thick, greenish fluid. Filled with revulsion, you leave the body and step into the secret passage.

Turn to 11.

147

A heap of molten ash is now all that remains of the Flame-man. Then, as suddenly as they began, the jets of flame shut off, leaving the passage ahead shimmering with a heat haze. A laugh, cold and distant, echoes above the ceiling of mist, stirring you to curse Lord Zahda and his deadly maze.

Turn to 240.

148

The eggs are warm, and you can feel tiny movements through the leathery shells. Carefully you roll them aside and sift through the debris of the nest; you discover several items of interest:

Mace (Weapons)

Padded Leather Waistcoat (Special Items) Adds 2 points to your ENDURANCE total when worn.

Sword (Weapons)

Helmet (Special Items) Adds 2 points to your ENDURANCE total when worn

Blanket (Backpack Items)

Bottle of Wine (Backpack Items)

Dagger (Weapons)

Potion of Laumspur (Backpack Items) Restores 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed; enough for one dose.

If you take any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.⁸

The sound of a bolt and the creak of a dry hinge echoes from the chamber behind you, causing your pulse to race anew. Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 63.

If it is 5–9, turn to 346.

[8] You may not carry the Helmet at the same time as the Silver Helm, if you have it.

149

Lord Zahda shrieks an unearthly howl as your killing blow rips open his black heart. He thrusts a pleading, claw-like hand towards the roof and drops heavily to his knees, his dying curse lost as blood fills his throat. His left eye gleams brightly for a second then suddenly dies, like a candle flaring in a storm before it is extinguished by the rain. He sways and falls from the pinnacle to be devoured by the hungry flames of the pit.

Hurrying over to the throne, you draw back your weapon and strike the black crystal with a mighty blow. It splits clean in two, releasing its dark power and showering you with hot sparks in the wake of its destruction. The riven fragments hurtle into the fiery abyss, and the flames grow deadly quiet.

From the depths of the pit, a terrible roar begins to grow. The pinnacle shakes and a column of flame lights the entire throne-hall as molten lava spews high into the air.

If you wish to take the Lorestone and escape into the steel tube, turn to 250.

If you wish to take the Lorestone and search for some other way of escape from the throne-hall, turn to 267.

150

To begin with, the shattered steps and hollows pose no problems that your agility and skill cannot overcome. However, as you are nearing the top of the stairs, you suddenly find yourself staring into a yawning void: the steps have been sheared away, leaving a gap over twenty feet wide.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus and wish to use it, turn to 255.

If you have a Rope, turn to 310.

If you have neither mastery of Nexus nor a Rope, turn to 211.

151

You cleave a path through the bubbles as easily as if you were scything cobwebs. As your sword punctures their jelly-like skins, they implode and plop to the floor in tatters.

You move on, your eyes peeled for the slightest hint of danger. A shadow on the floor in the distance makes you wary. Your fear soon turns to dismay, for, as you grow closer, you can see that it is a deep, dark pit that stretches across the entire corridor. There appears to be no way across. Staring at the opposite side, over thirty feet away, you ponder the impossible task confronting you. A sudden glow in the misty ceiling heralds the return of the skull:

152

Your Arrow strikes home, sinking into the side of another creature. The creature jerks backwards and freezes in a ghastly contortion of pain. The thrashing legs of its wounded companion knock it from the walkway, and it topples stiffly into the chasm.

Only one creature remains uninjured. It turns on you, its grisly mouth stained green with the blood of its companion.

If you wish to fire another Arrow at this enemy, turn to 253.

If you wish to turn and flee into the archway opposite, turn to 277.

153

The rising water lifts you, floating you nearer to the swirling mist that is the ceiling of the chamber.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 307.

If you wish to try to escape through the mist, turn to 60.

If you wish to dive down and examine the statue, turn to 168.

154

Flattening yourself against the wall, you watch with growing fear as the trunk crosses the gap and smashes into the steps close to where you stand. A ragged branch cuts open your cheek and another scrapes your ribs, causing you to cry out at the sudden pain (lose 3 ENDURANCE points).

As the tree hits the beach below, it quivers in the black sand like a huge javelin. You wipe away the blood from your face and look once more at the shattered staircase above.

If you have a Rope, turn to 310.

If you do not possess a Rope, turn to 211.

155

A flash of intense white light blinds you momentarily as jets of fire spurt from the floor and walls. They are so bright and numerous that you cannot see where they end. A searing wave of heat scorches your face (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), forcing you back towards the ravening black wolf.

If you wish to stand and fight the wolf, turn to 120.

If you choose to run into the blazing inferno, turn to 204.

156

Tavig has stopped screaming long before you force the hand to give up its prize and withdraw, gashed and bleeding, into the gloom of the tunnel. Tavig's body lies motionless at your feet. You stoop to close his sightless eyes and lay his sword upon his bloodstained chest, as is the custom in the land of Slovia when a warrior falls in battle.

If you decide to leave the body and continue, turn to 323.

If you wish to search the body before you go, turn to 227.

157

Snatching the seed from your tunic pocket, you hurl it at the plinth as hard as possible. There is a loud crack as the shell shatters, and a splash of bright flame engulfs the plinth. Soon the hand catches fire; it wriggles and squirms as the flames feed on its loathsome flesh and is soon obscured by a pall of acrid black smoke.

If you wish to stand back and wait for the flames to die down, turn to 128.

If you decide to pass around the fire and enter the passage beyond, turn to 284.

158

Gasping for air, you claw your way to the surface and swim for the rocky shore. Heaving yourself from the cold water, you crouch down, breathless and exhausted, beside a line of huge boulders, half-buried in the coal-black sand, and take stock of your belongings. You have lost two items from your Backpack, and all the food has been ruined by the tainted water (erase all Meals and two Backpack Items of your choice from your Action Chart).

No sooner have you managed to control your breathing than you hear the sound of scraping, as if some heavy weight were being dragged across the rocks to your left. A vertical crack appears in the surface of the nearest boulder, and a sickly yellow light washes over you. It is not a boulder — you are staring at a huge eye.

If you wish to draw your weapon and attack the eye, turn to 265.

If you wish to leap to your feet and escape towards the sheer rock base of Kazan-Oud, turn to 41.

159

You walk upon the glittering marble flagstone of Zahda's throne-hall, your footsteps echoing among the circular tiers as you approach the central pit. The chamber is deserted, and only the flickering flames that curl around the pinnacle of black iron shed any light upon the vastness.

‘You dare to challenge the power of Zahda?’ booms a voice in the darkness above, a voice made thunderous in the cavernous expanse of the throne-hall. A blinding white light holds you in its beam, blazing down from the throne with unnatural intensity. ‘You dare to pit yourself against the Lord of Kazan-Oud?’

Desperately you try to escape from the beam, but you cannot move. Your muscles are numb and nerveless, paralysed by Zahda's beam.

‘I know your purpose — your identity was revealed to me in the maze. You are the Kai Lord — the one they call Lone Wolf.’ The voice is now filled with anger and indignation. ‘You have come here to steal that which belongs to me. For such a crime there can be only one penalty — death!’

A pulse of raw energy hurtles down from the throne, speeding towards you like a burning sun. It consumes you in a searing ball of flame, destroying you completely and forever.

Your life and your quest end here.

160

As the last enemy falls dead at your feet, a section of the wall slides back to reveal an ugly, bearded dwarf, wearing a grimy black velvet jerkin. His pig-like eyes twinkle malevolently as he raises a hollow brass tube and points it at your face.

‘Sweet dreams,’ he chortles, and a blast of icy cold vapour shoots from the tip, catching you squarely in the face. You reel back, coughing and choking, as the bitter vapour fills your lungs. By the time you realize that you have inhaled a powerful sleep gas, you are already succumbing to its irresistible power.

Turn to 165.

161

As the few remaining survivors whirl away into the darkness, you sheathe your weapon and kick aside the torn bodies of those who fell to your deadly blows. A stone room awaits you at the bottom of the stairs, featureless and bare except for a weapons' rack hanging on the wall in the far corner. It holds a Spear and a Broadsword, both in remarkably fine condition. The torchlit tunnels offer an exit from this chamber: one descends to the north, the other to the east.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 139.

If you wish to enter the north tunnel, turn to 187.

If you wish to enter the east tunnel, turn to 101.

162

Your shot is fast and deadly accurate: the Arrow pierces the warrior's armoured back just above the waist, pitching him forward onto his face. He writhes for a brief moment on the rubbish-strewn floor before surrendering to death.

Swiftly you race along the corridor, leaving the dead guard and the chamber far behind. You pass through an archway that opens out to a landing at the top of a spiral staircase and you descend the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs a tunnel leads off to the west and the east.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship or Divination, turn to 171.

If you wish to go west, turn to 29.

If you wish to go east, turn to 272.

163

You step through the green jadin arch and immediately a blistering wave of heat rises up through your body, burning you with agonizing pain. You have stepped into a portal of annihilation, and the last sound that you hear is the faint mocking laughter of Lord Zahda as he watches you walk to your doom from a platform high above the misty ceiling.

Your life and your quest end here.

164

You regain consciousness with a start, reaching instinctively for your weapon lest danger be waiting to greet you. A dull throbbing fills your head as you sit up to take stock of your surroundings.

You find yourself on top of a mound of rotting vegetation, stacked high in the corner of a shadowy chamber. A harsh reptilian odour fills your nostrils: the unmistakable smell of snakes. As your vision clears, you notice, amid the slime that covers the floor, what appear to be undigested human bones. A rib cage, two skulls, and several vertebrae are illuminated by a shaft of light that descends from a grate in the ceiling. It flickers and, for a second, you catch a glimpse of a skull-like face through the iron bars. Fear wells up inside you as a chilling laugh pierces the silence. But it is not the sound of the cruel, inhuman laughter that freezes your blood, it is the sight of the colossal, wedge-shaped head that is rearing up through the mound on which you sit; it is the head of a gigantic snake.

165

You awake to such an astounding sight that you feel sure you must be dreaming. Before you lies a titanic, circular hall of glittering marble, rising tier on tier like a gigantic amphitheatre. A vast pit fills the centre, from which arises a pinnacle of black iron, which is licked by sheets of flame that roar up from the depths below. Scores of seated creatures crowd the tiers, every one of them staring at you, their eyes like pinpoints of fire gleaming coldly from the shadows of their hooded robes. You hear the rustle of their mocking laughter, and your skin prickles with eerie premonition. A great gong booms in the distance, and a doleful chant arises from the crowded tiers. An urge to run from this evil place grips you like a fever, but your wrists are manacled securely to a bronze ring fixed to the wall above your head.

166

On your fifth step, the silence is broken by another crack. The invisible whip bites into the back of your legs, causing your knees to buckle, and you flinch with pain as you stagger forwards.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–2, turn to 275.

If it is 3–7, turn to 222.

If it is 8 or more, turn to 311.

167

You sense that a trap guards this portal; should you choose the wrong number, or numbers, before pulling the lever, the consequences could be fatal.

Turn to 329.

168

The water is still pouring from the statue's face, although the pressure has dropped dramatically now that the chamber is nearly full. The entire face has crumbled away under the pressure of the water, leaving a hole the size of a dinner plate. Peering inside, you can see a large nozzle and a lever, both deep within the body, beyond arm's reach.

If you have a Sword or a Spear, turn to 32.

If you do not have either of these weapons, turn to 263.

169

The descending wall is gathering speed at a terrifying pace; there is now very little space left through which to escape.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–4, turn to 237.

If it is 5 or more, turn to 326.

170

Suddenly there is a flash of blinding light followed by a tremendous explosion. The creature is torn to pieces, consumed by a fireball of blistering yellow flame. The intense heat sears your face and hair (lose 4 ENDURANCE points) and hurls you backwards through the air. Shocked and stunned, you drag yourself into the fissure that is now illuminated by the remains of the monster that lie scattered and burning all around you.

Turn to 16.

171

Your Kai Mastery reveals that the wall at the bottom of the stairs conceals a secret door. One of the bricks is far smoother than the others, and you sense that it activates the lock which keeps the door closed.

If you wish to press the brick, turn to 14.

If you prefer to follow the tunnel to the west, turn to 29.

If you prefer to take the tunnel to the east, turn to 272.

172

You are washed out of the chamber and deposited on the floor of a corridor at the bottom of a steep ramp. Blinking the water from your eyes, you gaze with trepidation at your surroundings. The walls of the corridor, festooned with what appear to be gigantic cocoons, stretch into the distance as far as you can see. The oval door clicks shut and the click reverberates down the corridor, growing louder and louder. In the gloomy corridor ahead you see that something is moving.

A huge worm-like creature with great black eyes and horny mandibles is slithering towards you, a purple froth bubbling from its mouth as it fastens on your scent.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, turn to 86.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control and you have reached the Kai rank of Primate, turn to 130.

If you have a Silver Whistle, turn to 347.

If you have neither these skills nor the Special Item, turn to 233.

173

The frenzied squeal of the rats fills your ears as you force your aching legs to propel you across the beach. Beyond an outcrop of pitted stone, a stream cascades down the sheer rock wall, cutting a deep gully across the beach as it flows into the lake. Spanning this gully is a natural bridge of stone. Its centre is very thin and narrow, and as you near the bridge, you fear it is too thin to support your weight.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 89.

If you wish to cross the narrow stone bridge, turn to 243.

If you decide to try to swim across the gully, turn to 108.

174

Blue fire leaps from Zahda's staff, but you intercept and deflect it upon the blade of the sun-sword. The murderous bolt screams into the dark hall, destroying a whole tier of seats with a thunderous concussion.

‘You will die … die … die!’ shrieks Zahda like a man possessed. He whirls his staff twice about his head before lunging at your face with its clawed tip. Lord Zahda is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge.

Lord Zahda (with power-staff): COMBAT SKILL 33   ENDURANCE 45

If you win the combat, turn to 149.

175

A pall of thick smoke spreads towards you from the body of the creature you have already killed, and your enemies use it to mask their advance. You steel yourself for a shot; but your aim is greatly hindered by the acrid fumes that are making your eyes stream and your throat tighten.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, or the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, deduct 3 from the number you have picked.

If your total is now 5 or lower, turn to 19.

If it is 6 or more, turn to 314.

176

Slowly and carefully you advance, your eyes straining to see in the gloom. Ahead you notice that the tunnel takes a sharp left turn, but before you can reach the corner, you are frozen in your tracks by a blood-curdling howl that echoes from the vault behind. Spinning round, you stare aghast at the outline of a gigantic black wolf loping along the passage towards you. It moves at a terrifying pace, its evil eyes glowing scarlet and its great fanged jaws wide open in readiness to bite.

If you wish to stand and fight this ravening wolf, turn to 8.

If you decide to turn the corner and run as fast as you can, turn to 140.

177

The relief is instantaneous. Quickly you move from one stone to the next until you arrive at the shadowy opening in the wall. Echoing in the darkness, you hear the rustle and slither of unseen things. Suddenly something round and black breaks through the surface of the lake, splitting the night with its hideous cry. It hovers for a few seconds above the water before hurtling towards you at an unnerving speed.

If you wish to take cover inside the fissure, turn to 16.

If you wish to draw a weapon and prepare for combat, turn to 342.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 225.

178

Blindly, the young serpents writhe around your feet, their fanged jaws snapping wildly at your unarmoured legs. Combat is unavoidable and you must fight them as one enemy.

If you possess a Fireseed and wish to use it, turn to 191.

179

Your Discipline blocks the psychic assault and eases pain in your head, but the hand senses your resistance and tries a new form of attack. It curls its fingers, forming a grotesque fist, and pounds the plinth repeatedly with slow, heavy blows. Waves of psychic shock buffet your Psi-screen, forcing you to draw on all your strength just to keep the shield from collapsing.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge and have also reached the Kai rank of Primate, turn to 134.

If you do not have the power of Psi-surge, or if you have not yet reached the rank of Primate, turn to 297.

180

Drawing on the power of your Kai skill, you take a deep breath and give voice to a single, unbroken tone. Sweat breaks out on your forehead as you raise the pitch of your voice steadily until it passes beyond the range of your own hearing. Suddenly, the bats shriek in unison. They twist and shudder, hurling themselves into the walls and ceiling as your cry paralyses their senses. As the few survivors whirl away into the darkness, you cease your call and hurry down the stairs. (If you used the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge, you need not deduct any ENDURANCE points from your current total.)

Turn to 236.

181

The patrol comes to a halt less than ten feet from where you are hiding. The leader grunts an order and one of the black-clad armoured guards takes a flint from his pocket. He strikes it and sets light to a tar-coated torch fixed to the wall. The torch sputters into life, and you are caught in the glare of its vivid yellow flame.

If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the guards before they react to your presence, turn to 206.

If you wish to attack the guards with a hand weapon, turn to 332.

If you decide to run through the chamber and attempt an escape into the opposite corridor, turn to 69.

182

You have no difficulty in looping your Rope around the hilt of the sword and drawing it towards you. It is a very plain, heavy-bladed weapon of poor quality and unworthy of your scabbard, but in this strange and hostile maze, this rough steel blade helps to restore your hope of survival.

If you wish to leave the vault by the left tunnel, turn to 298.

If you prefer to take the right tunnel, turn to 322.

183

No matter how hard you prod the slab it shows no sign of movement, but your probing does uncover something previously hidden beneath the dust. Carefully you scrape away the grime until the outline of a coiled snake is revealed, etched deep into the dull grey marble. Carved in the centre of its scaly coils is the number 123. Make a note of this number in the margin of your Action Chart — it could be of use at a later stage of your adventure.

If you wish to jump across the slab and press on into the tunnel beyond, turn to 127.

If you decide to enter the tunnel by walking across the slab, turn to 277.

184

Your lungs feel as if they are about to explode, but still the door will not open.

If you possess some Sabito, turn to 230.

If you wish to continue to try to open the door with your Magnakai Discipline, turn to 313.

If you wish to swim to the surface, turn to 153.

185

A hollow sound, like the clatter of horses' hooves on cobblestones, arrests you in mid-step. Your basic Kai skills warn you that more of these evil creatures are running along the tunnel, heading in your direction. To proceed further would be suicidal. Over two hundred yards of narrow walkway separate you from the opposite tunnel, and as you turn and run, you pray that you reach it before the Dhax appear. Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–8, turn to 241.

If it is 9, turn to 106.

186

As you strike the killing blow, your enemy cries out in agony, materializing as he falls at your feet. At first glance, he appears to be human, but as you search the body you discover otherwise. His eyes, now glazed and lifeless, are cat-like in structure; his fingers are short and tipped with claws; and his lower jaw protrudes several inches below his upper jaw. The skin is badly scarred but not by battle-wounds; they are the scars of crude surgery.

There is no sign of the whip with which he attacked you, but you find a Spear slung by a cord over his shoulder, and a Silver Whistle (mark this on your Action Chart as a Special Item) on a chain around his blood-spattered neck. Instinctively, you place the whistle to your lips and blow, but there is no sound. Shaking your head, you turn to face the pit, and there before you, spanning the blackness, is a solid beam of blue metal.

If you wish to cross the beam, turn to 6.

If you choose to retrace your steps along the corridor, turn to 64.

187

The tunnel descends to a vast, cavernous hall. Spirals of yellow smoke rise up on either side of a narrow stone walkway that leads to its centre. There it meets another path running from east to west. Cautiously you advance along the walkway, your stomach unsettled by the stench of the sulphurous smoke and the sight of the dark, yawning void on either side.

At the junction, you hear the sound of running feet echoing from an archway to your right. The footfalls grow louder and, suddenly, a man in leather armour bursts out of the darkness, his studded boots striking sparks on the stone pathway as he skids to a halt. Sweat pours down his lean and leathery face, and his eyes flash with fear. He casts an anxious glance over his shoulder before unsheathing his sword and advancing towards you.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 205.

If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the warrior, turn to 79.

If you wish to draw your weapon and prepare to defend yourself, turn to 95.

188

You dive through the gap, with barely an inch to spare, and the wall slams down behind you with a tremendous crunch. You lie flat on your back, your heart pounding fit to burst, your stomach churning at the thought of how near you came to death. Wearily, you get to your feet and press on along the tunnel, which is now noticeably cooler and clearer than before. You soon emerge into a hall that is filled with a strong, earthy smell. Two rows of great stone pillars support the roof, and a huge granite sarcophagus stands in the centre of the floor. From the black entrance of a tunnel to your right, you hear the clanking of armour and the sound of approaching footsteps.

If you wish to hide behind one of the pillars, turn to 110.

If you wish to leave the hall by a tunnel to your left, turn to 201.

If you decide to lie in ambush for whoever or whatever it is that is approaching the hall, turn to 319.

189

You duck and weave to present a difficult target to your enemy, but at such short range it is difficult for him to miss. The bolt hits you as you are diving forward, passing right through your skull and killing you instantly.

Your life and your quest end here.

190

The tentacle shudders as you direct the full power of your psychic discipline at the huge, wounded eye. Its grip weakens and you seize the chance to tear yourself free and scramble to your feet. The use of your Magnakai Discipline has cost you 2 ENDURANCE points, but it has saved you from a ghastly death. Make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.

Turn to 41.

191

You grab the Fireseed from your pocket and hurl it to the ground. It explodes on impact with a blinding flash. Hissing and spitting, the serpent brood slither away into the shadows, eager to escape the stinging pain of the flames.

More noises echo from the chamber. This time it is the chinking of armour and weapons.

Turn to 346.

192

You recognize the symptoms of takadea, or ‘gaolrot’ as it is commonly called in your country. As you approach the trembling man, you reassure him that you mean him no harm, that you can help him if only he will trust you. Placing your hands over his eyes, you transfuse the healing power of your Magnakai skill into his sick body, concentrating your energy into reversing the terrible effects of the disease. When you remove your hands, his eyes are no longer opaque; they gleam with a cat-like intensity.

‘I can see,’ he says in astonishment, his voice cracked with emotion. ‘How can I ever repay you for this miracle?’ Before you can answer, the sound of running feet echoes along the corridor outside.

‘Follow me,’ he says, springing to his feet. ‘If Zahda's guards find you in here they'll kill us both.’

Turn to 290.

193

The staircase seems to continue forever, coiling its way upwards through the solid rock, but eventually you arrive at a landing from which a tunnel stretches into darkness. You are about to enter, when your basic Kai instincts alert you to a shallow step that crosses from one side of the tunnel to the other. A closer look reveals the step to be a perfect square of marble that covers the first ten feet of the tunnel.

If you wish to prod the marble slab with a weapon to test for a trap, turn to 183.

If you wish to jump across the slab into the tunnel beyond, turn to 127.

If you decide to enter the tunnel by walking across the slab, turn to 277.

194

Wiping the gore from your face and hands, you fight back the nausea that rises in your throat when you think of how close you came to a grisly death in the jaws of the monster. The dim light grows suddenly brighter, and for a moment, you hear laughter, cold and distant, before the light dims once more to its usual murky glow and silence descends.

Turn to 322.

195

Suddenly the corridor echoes to the clangour of an alarm bell. A solid sheet of iron crashes down from the ceiling to seal off the chamber behind you, and in the murky distance, you see a similar barrier descending in front of the wooden door by which you entered.

Turn to 37.

196

The Arrow whistles through the air towards the oncoming sphere. Impact looks imminent until the black ball suddenly changes course, darting aside at the last possible moment to avoid the missile. The Arrow splashes harmlessly in the lake, and you are forced to shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon as the menacing sphere resumes its attack.

If you wish to stand and fight this object, turn to 342.

If you decide to evade its attack by moving deeper into the fissure, turn to 16.

197

Using every scrap of cover to hide your passing, you move through the chamber like a phantom. As soon as you set foot into the corridor beyond, you are confronted by an armoured guard. He screams a cry that is muffled by the visor of his black helmet and turns and runs towards a bell-rope that hangs from a hole in the ceiling.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 266.

If you do not have a Bow, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 40.

198

Suddenly you realize the horrific purpose of the hand. It is a predator, an evil sentient being that can only survive by consuming one form of nourishment — live human brain.

199

You recognize the dead man's hauberk as that of a Kakushi mercenary: the ten-pointed star of Nikesa, the symbol of that country's capital city, adorns each of the rusty buckles that fasten his chainmail armour. In a leather pouch hanging from his belt you discover 6 Gold Crowns, and inside the tattered remains of his backpack, there is a Rope and a hooded Red Robe.

A close examination of the weapons shows them both to be quite useless: the bone-handled dagger crumbles to dust when you try to dislodge it from the corpse's skull, and the blade of the sword is dull and eaten by rust.

If you now wish to continue along the tunnel, turn to 318.

If you decide to climb the stairs and investigate the open trap door, turn to 93.

200

Chunks of stone and iron are blasted into the upper reaches of the throne-hall by the increasing power of the eruptions. Boulders, some the size of horses, seem to tumble in slow motion all around the beam as you are drawn irresistibly nearer to the roof. Suddenly the beam fades and you find yourself standing on a circular plinth in the centre of a ruined temple near to the gatehouse of the castle keep. The glare of daylight blinds you, but as you gradually become accustomed to it you cast your eyes over the shimmering waters of Lake Khor to the town of Herdos, perched on the horizon. The walls of the fortress are beginning to crack and slant. Buildings are crumbling, and the ground is alive with constant vibration. You run through the ruined main gate as bolts of lightning are drawn from the sky by the dying power of Kazan-Oud.

At the top of a ruined staircase you stare down at the lake far below.

If you wish to descend the steps to the old jetty, turn to 122.

If you choose to make your way to the beach, turn to 309.

If you decide to dive from the cliff into the water far below, turn to 254.

201

You make your way quickly along the tunnel until you reach a chamber illuminated by a shaft of shimmering red light that descends from a square hole in the ceiling. A pair of huge iron doors fills the opposite wall, but in order to reach them you will have to pass through the eerie red light. Close to the archway by which you entered, another tunnel exits from the chamber, curving off towards the east.

If you wish to walk through the red light to examine the iron doors, turn to 269.

If you wish to leave the chamber by the east tunnel, turn to 272.

202

A howling blue fire leaps from Zahda's staff and instinctively you hurl yourself to the floor to evade its searing heat. The bolt screams past into the darkness of the hall, where it explodes in a splash of vivid sparks.

Zahda screams with anger and frustration and attempts to crush your head with one vicious blow, but you save yourself by rolling aside, and the staff cleaves open the black iron floor. A gout of flame rises from the split and blisters the mad lord's hand; he shrieks like a wounded crow, and the staff drops from his fire-blackened fingers.

You see your chance to attack and lash out, but Zahda is quick to react. He leaps backwards, unsheathing a glowing dagger as he steadies himself on the brink of the abyss. Lord Zahda is immune to Mindblast but not Psi-surge.

Lord Zahda: COMBAT SKILL 25   ENDURANCE 45

If you win the combat, turn to 149.

203

With your trembling hands clasped tightly around the slippery green rope, you fight to lock your feet together to prevent yourself from sliding into the heaving swell. The crack of splintering wood fills the night as the coracle shatters and sinks without trace. A sudden jolt runs the length of the rope, and a snaky head rises from the black water. It dips and swerves upwards, opening its jaws, set with fangs like long yellow knives, and fixing you with its blind white eyes. You are clinging to the body of a deadly Lekhor that is poised to strike.

204

The temperature grows higher with every step you take, but as the first flame washes over your body, you feel no heat or pain at all. The gout of flame feels cool and refreshing, like a breeze on a hot summer's day. You quicken your step and soon emerge from the heatless flames into the empty passage beyond.

Turn to 240.

205

You sense that the man is petrified with fear. An aura of evil grows stronger by the second, radiating from the darkened archway like a terrible black heat. The evil is so strong that it blocks your Discipline, and you cannot be sure if the warrior is a friend or a foe.

If you wish to draw a weapon and prepare to defend yourself, turn to 95.

If you wish to avoid a confrontation by running into the archway opposite, turn to 47.

If you have a Bow and wish to fire at the warrior, turn to 79.

206

You aim and fire a fraction of a second later, hitting the leader in the chest. He tumbles backwards, knocked off his feet by the force of your Arrow. His followers growl their anger, unsheathing long knives and axes as they press forward to wreak their revenge.

Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 28   ENDURANCE 35

If you win the combat in three rounds or less, turn to 17.

If combat lasts longer than three rounds, turn to 160.

207

The key fits perfectly. You turn it and the door gives way instantly, forced wide open by the huge weight of water pressing upon it.

Turn to 172.

208

The trunk tumbles into the gap, followed by a deluge of rock and rubble. As the dust clears, you find yourself still staring at the staircase above.

If you have a Rope, turn to 310.

If you do not possess a Rope, turn to 211.

209

Your killing blow makes the Oudagorg twist back on itself, its head disappearing into the misty ceiling. There is a deafening crack as blue lightning engulfs its neck, crackling snake-like around its horrible body and filling the corridor with the smell of burning meat. The creature thrashes wildly for several minutes, and when its gruesome dance finally ends you see that the canopy of mist is no longer there. In the darkness above you see a deserted walkway and a metal observation platform.

If you wish to climb onto the body of the dead Oudagorg and pull yourself onto the platform, turn to 294.

If you wish to climb over the worm-like carcass and continue along the corridor, turn to 46.

210

Once more you call on your Kai Mastery to save you from reptilian threat, and once more it proves effective. The snakes turn away and slither to the safety of their nest, repelled by your presence as if the sight of you were as repulsive to them as the sight of them is to you.

Turn to 346.

211

The only way you can cross the gap is by climbing the rock wall. However, the surface is virtually sheer, and any attempt to climb it without proper equipment would be perilous in the extreme.

If you wish to attempt such a climb, turn to 85.

If you decide to descend the stairs and continue along the beach, turn to 348.

212

As the Beastman crashes to the floor, two more come rushing in from the cell compound. They growl with anger at the sight of their dead comrade-in-arms and launch themselves in a fearsome attack.

Beastman Gaoler No. 1: COMBAT SKILL 17   ENDURANCE 23

Beastman Gaoler No. 2: COMBAT SKILL 16   ENDURANCE 21

If you win the combat, turn to 80.

213

There is a click and the panel slides open to reveal the small, dimly lit interior of the sarcophagus. A set of stairs descends to a strong wooden door that is reinforced with strips and studs of iron.

If you wish to enter the sarcophagus, turn to 37.

If you decide not to enter, turn to 102.

214

The iron door is several inches thick and will demand a tremendous effort to raise it high enough off the floor for you to escape underneath it.

To raise the door follow the normal combat rules as if you were unarmed (subtract 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL total). If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you need not deduct any points from your COMBAT SKILL score. Any ENDURANCE points that you lose during this ‘combat’ represent the fatigue you suffer as you strain to lift the heavy door.⁹

Tunnel Door: COMBAT SKILL 19   ENDURANCE (RESISTANCE points) 50

You may cease ‘combat’ at any time and explore the tunnel instead; turn to 277.

If you reduce the door's RESISTANCE (ENDURANCE) to 0, turn to 114.

[9] It is unclear, but you may be able to use the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge to aid you in this fight (cf. The Kingdoms of Terror Section 259).

215

As you peer at the horrible hand, it suddenly leaps at your face. You scream with terror, instinctively lashing out to deflect its attack. You strike it hard and send it spinning towards the green pillars and the passage beyond. Just as it draws level with the pillars the hand explodes: it has spun straight into an invisible barrier of destructive energy that flows between the pillars. As the hand disintegrates into thousands of tiny fragments you feel elated that, at last, victory is yours.

Turn to 334.

216

To your relief you discover that the door is unlocked and unguarded. Beyond it, a torchlit corridor descends through a series of deserted chambers, each one defaced by years of neglect and decay. Rotting curtains and mouldering furniture are all that remain of a sumptuous abode, a luxurious underground retreat for the Lord of Kazan-Oud.

You are about to enter another of these chambers when the sound of muttering stops you dead in your tracks. Three spindly-limbed creatures are seated at a table in the centre of the room. They chatter excitedly in a language that is alien to your ears and point with slim, green fingers at a parchment spread out before them. They wear long, hooded robes of purple silk and appear to be unarmed.

If you have completed the Lore-circle of Solaris, turn to 244.

If you wish to launch a surprise attack on these unsuspecting creatures, turn to 295.

If you wish to try to sneak through the chamber and attempt to reach the opposite corridor unseen, turn to 343.

217

The strength of your Kai Mastery overcomes the pain that tears at your mind, and you swiftly regain full control of your body. Snatching up your weapon from the hot black sand, you lash out at the tendril, severing its tip. But instead of blood, or what would pass for blood in the body of this ghastly creature, a flame sparks into life like a sputtering fuse. The brain ceases to move, hovering motionless above the sand, as the spitting flame burns fiercely along its thin tube of sundered flesh.

Turn to 170.

218

The first bubble bursts with a loud bang that causes the creature to howl with fear. You watch as the great black hound scrambles to a halt, its horrible face lined with fear. Whimpering pitifully it backs slowly up the corridor. At the corner it howls with frustration before slinking away out of sight.

Turn to 151.

219

You lash out at the monster's eyelid and open a terrible wound. But before you can deal another a bolt of red fire screams down from the grating, hits your shoulder, and paralyses your whole arm with a sickening pain. You reel back, your weapon clattering to the ground as your fingers are robbed of all feeling (lose 6 ENDURANCE points).

The snake writhes and twists in blind rage, its open jaws seeking you out to exact its revenge. It soon picks up your scent and attacks with frightening speed.

Giant Hactaraton: COMBAT SKILL 20   ENDURANCE 45

Your weapon lies on the ground near your feet, and you must deduct 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL total for the first two rounds of combat. If you are still alive at the beginning of the third round, you can retrieve your weapon. Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing double all ENDURANCE points that you lose during the combat, due to the venomous bite of your enemy.

If you win the fight, turn to 21.

220

Your companion rolls the body over and unsheathes a Short Sword and a Dagger from the belt. You may take the Axe that was used in combat and the Dagger, if you wish.

221

A great toad-like face stares unblinkingly into your eyes as it emerges from the shadows to bask in the green light that illuminates the beach. Its body, pale and bloated like a huge, fat worm, slithers into view, and you shudder at the sight of the open sores that disfigure its skin.

222

You slip and fall but miraculously you manage to hang on to the invisible beam. Your legs are stinging (lose 2 ENDURANCE points) but you ignore the pain, concentrating all your effort on swinging them back onto the beam. Just as you succeed, the crack of the whip resounds once more and burns its mark across your back (lose another ENDURANCE point).

When the whip cracks a third time it cuts only air, for you have crawled out of range of its cruel bite.

Turn to 6.

223

A searing current of pain runs the length of your arm and explodes in your head. Lights flash before your eyes, and you collapse into unconsciousness.

Turn to 165.

224

As your hand closes around the hilt of the sword, somewhere in the mist above your head the voice of the skull speaks a chilling rhyme:

225

Only the faint green light of the power-shield illuminates your moving target. You notch an Arrow and take careful aim as it speeds up the beach, weaving in and out of the boulders that litter its path.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–6, turn to 196.

If it is 7 or more, turn to 112.

226

Without any warning, the hand springs to life. It stands upright on its fingers, the first two drawn back so that it resembles a monstrous spider preparing to attack. You step back aghast as it scurries around in a circle on the granite plinth.

If you wish to attack the hand, turn to 116.

If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it at the plinth, turn to 157.

If you wish to skirt around the plinth and enter the passage beyond, turn to 302.

227

His pack and the pockets of his leather armour contain the following items:

Enough dried meat for 1 Meal

Rope

Blanket

Dagger

Vial of Blue Pills

Bottle of Water

Power-key

All the items, with the exception of the Power-key, which is a Special Item, are Backpack Items. If you wish to take any of them, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you can identify the nature of the Blue Pills by turning to 43.

To leave the body and continue, turn to 323.

228

The stone blocks crumble on the third blow, and you waste no time climbing through the hole and into the rough-hewn tunnel beyond. The canopy of mist no longer obscures the ceiling and the tunnel is dark and damp; you feel sure that you have escaped from the maze.

The tunnel twists and turns like a gigantic snake until you arrive at a wall made up of planks of wood. The timber is rotten and you have no difficulty gaining access to the vaulted corridor beyond. The tunnel on this side of the wooden wall is far cleaner and drier, and you walk easily along it until you come to a junction: a passage crosses from left to right.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 330.

If you wish to take the passage to your left, turn to 20.

If you wish to take the passage to your right, turn to 92.

229

Your heart pounding, you run as fast as you can towards the shelter of the rocky base of Kazan-Oud. Panting for breath, you reach the glistening black stone wall, where you discover a ragged fissure that splits its sheer surface. You are about to step in, when the rustle and slither of unseen things, echoing from the inky darkness, make you hesitate.

If you wish to enter the fissure, turn to 16.

If you wish to press on along the beach, turn to 173.

230

As soon as you swallow the pills, you feel your body relax and your lungs cease to ache. Oxygen is being drawn from the water around you, absorbed by your body through the pores of your skin.

Freed from the immediate threat of drowning, you apply yourself to finding a way out of this watery tomb.

If you wish to try to open the locked door, turn to 66.

If you wish to examine the statue, turn to 168.

231

There is a soft click and the panel slides open to reveal a set of steps leading down to a wooden door, its timber reinforced with bands of iron.

If you wish to enter the sarcophagus, turn to 37.

If you decide against entering, turn to 102.

232

Your Arrow pierces the leading creature's arm. It staggers and howls abysmally as a thick, green fluid oozes from the wound. To your surprise and disgust, the others leap upon their injured companion, biting and clawing at the wound with their teeth and talons. The limb is swiftly torn from the body and consumed.

If you wish to draw another Arrow and fire again, turn to 152.

If you decide to shoulder your Bow and evade these ghoulish creatures by escaping into the archway opposite, turn to 241.

233

Relentlessly the worm moves forward, forcing you back up the ramp towards the oval door. But there is no escape this way — you have no choice but to fight the repulsive creature. The monster is especially susceptible to psychic attack. If you choose to use Mindblast or Psi-surge during combat, double all ENDURANCE point losses sustained by the enemy.

Oudagorg: COMBAT SKILL 17   ENDURANCE 17

If you win the combat, turn to 209.

234

You recognize the tangle of greyish-green weed half-submerged in the waters around your sinking boat. It is Black Lakeweed, a carnivorous plant commonly found in the swamps and freshwater lakes of central Magnamund. Forewarned by your Kai Mastery, you dive into the lake and swim submerged until you are clear of the deadly plants.

Turn to 158.

235

The hand is fast, but you are faster. Diving and rolling, you avoid its initial attack and crouch ready to receive its next attempt. It rises once more and, as you stare at its ghastly form, you suddenly realize its horrific purpose. It is a predator, an evil, sentient being that can only survive by consuming an exclusive form of nourishment — live human brain. You fight back your rising fear as it speeds towards you. This creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge) in combat.

Rahkos: COMBAT SKILL 18   ENDURANCE 30

If you win the combat, turn to 22.

236

A stone room awaits you at the bottom of the stairs, featureless and bare except for a weapons rack hanging on the wall in the far corner. It holds a Spear and a Broadsword, both in remarkably fine condition. Two torchlit tunnels offer exits from the chamber; one descends to the north, the other to the east.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 139.

If you wish to enter the north tunnel, turn to 187.

If you wish to enter the east tunnel, turn to 101.

237

You dive and roll, but your Backpack hits the falling wall and jams. In the next instant you are crushed by twenty tons of solid stone.

Your life and your mission have come to a tragic end here.

238

Rolling the body over with the toe of your boot, you quickly check for useful items and discover the following:

Axe

Short Sword

Dagger

2 Gold Crowns

Remember to mark any items you wish to keep on your Action Chart before making your escape down the stairs.

Turn to 55.

239

The sharp crack of splintering wood fills your ears as you are thrown bodily through the air. The stinking cobblestones of the jetty greet your return to earth, and instinctively you roll on landing to lessen the shock of impact. You are winded but otherwise unharmed. Staggering to your feet, you see two rough-hewn staircases at the far end of the jetty: one ascends to a cave-like entrance in the sheer rock wall; the other leads down to a tiny beach covered with boulders and black sand.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 251.

If you wish to climb the staircase to the entrance above, turn to 82.

If you wish to descend to the beach below, turn to 30.

240

You cover fifty yards before the passage opens into a large, circular chamber. There, on a plinth in the centre of the floor, rests a severed human hand. The skin is mottled and swollen, the fingers black and decayed. Beyond the plinth, the passage continues straight ahead, flanked by two pillars of speckled green stone.

If you wish to examine the severed hand, turn to 226.

If you wish to skirt around the plinth and enter the passage beyond, turn to 302.

241

A bolt of red fire whistles past your head and explodes just above the archway. Fragments of rock graze your scalp and you are momentarily blinded as you run through the debris. As you raise your arm to wipe your face on your sleeve, another bolt catches you squarely in the back and pitches you flat on your stomach.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, deduct 1 from this number. The resulting figure represents the number of ENDURANCE points you have lost due to the attack. Fighting back the pain, you clamber to your feet and stagger into the dust-choked tunnel.

Turn to 277.

242

You peer into the keyhole but cannot see beyond the plate that hides the mechanism. The water reaches your chin, submerging the lock completely, and you are forced to tilt back your head in order to breathe.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, turn to 327.

If you do not have this skill, turn to 153.

243

As you reach the centre of the bridge, the leading rats are flowing up the slope of the arch. You turn and confront them, drawing a weapon in preparation for a fight to the death, if necessary. As they swarm nearer, you lash out, cleaving them from the narrow apex to fall, splashing, into the torrent of water below.

With your third blow, a shudder runs through the stone, causing you to stagger and fall. You land on the opposite bank, winded but otherwise unharmed. A loud crack fills the night and the whole centre section of the bridge collapses into the gully with a tremendous splash. Safe now from the ravenous rats, you can afford to continue along the beach at a less punishing pace.

Turn to 23.

244

Your mastery of this Lore-circle enables you to understand the creatures' strange language, and from the shadows of the entrance you listen intently to their conversation.

‘Repairs in the central shaft are nearly finished. In three suns' time we will be able to continue,’ comments a reedy voice.

‘We cannot wait that long,’ interrupts another, its voice deeper and angrier in tone. ‘Lord Zahda ordered the tunnelling to begin again without delay. We must obey his command.’

‘But the risks are too great,’ retorts the first voice. ‘We lost a hundred slaves in the flood — next time we may lose more than just slaves.’

A noise in the corridor alerts you to approaching danger: a patrol of armoured guards is heading in your direction.

If you wish to try to sneak through the chamber and attempt to reach the opposite corridor unseen, turn to 343.

If you wish to hide in the shadows of the doorway, turn to 181.

245

The hound bounds forward and leaps at your chest, slamming you to the ground with its monstrous weight. Its fangs flash before your eyes, and a burning saliva stings your face. With all the strength you can muster you fight desperately for survival.

The creature is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge).

Hound of Death: COMBAT SKILL 22   ENDURANCE 40

If you win the combat, turn to 259.

246

Your command works: the pain quickly subsides. However, the creature's rubbery tendril is still drawing closer to your vulnerable throat. Snatching up your weapon from the hot, black sand, you lash out and sever the tip, but instead of blood, or what would pass for blood in the body of this ghastly creature, a flame sparks into life like a sputtering fuse. The brain ceases to move, hovering motionless above the sand, as the spitting flame burns fiercely along the thin tube of flesh.

Turn to 170.

247

‘You need not fear me,’ you say, trying to calm the frightened man. ‘I will not harm you.’

The sound of your voice stops him shaking. He turns his scarred face towards you and asks, ‘Have the Elder Magi sent you here?’

If you wish to answer the man, turn to 340.

If you wish to leave the cell without answering his question, turn to 142.

248

Before your last defeated enemy hits the ground, you are sprinting along the corridor, anxious to leave the chamber and the dying guards far behind. You pass through an archway that leads on to an open landing at the top of a spiral staircase and hurry down. At the bottom, a tunnel leads off to the west and the east.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship or Divination, turn to 171.

If you wish to go west, turn to 29.

If you wish to go east, turn to 272.

249

Snickering with evil delight, the creatures stalk closer and closer. Talons spring from the fingers of their leathery, webbed hands, and their eyes blaze with wild red fire as they prepare to pounce.

250

You close your hand around the Lorestone of Herdos, and your senses reel as a wave of energy washes over your body (restore your current ENDURANCE points score to its original total). Your senses tingle and a newfound strength wipes away the fatigue of your terrible ordeal, enabling you to assess the situation anew. A vibration runs through the iron floor, a forewarning of the eruptions that will tear Kazan-Oud to pieces. Swiftly you descend the spiral stairs and sprint along the tube, oblivious of the heat and noise that buffet you mercilessly as you run towards the distant hall. There, you find everything in chaos: Zahda's minions, his guards, and his slaves run in blind confusion as they try to escape from the impending doom.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship or Divination, turn to 338.

If you wish to fight your way up the stairs to the prison cell complex level and try to escape from there, turn to 300.

If you choose to ignore the stairs and follow the corridor on this level, turn to 315.

251

You can see the faint outline of stepping stones, stretching across the beach to a narrow crack in the rock wall. You sense that there is an entrance there.

If you wish to descend to the beach and investigate further, turn to 303.

If you decide to climb the staircase to the entrance above, turn to 82.

252

It takes several minutes of continuous probing and twisting with the tip of your sword to persuade the plate to slide across, but still the door does not open. The effect of the pills is beginning to wear off now, and the pain is slowly returning to your chest.

If you wish to continue to probe the lock with your sword, turn to 4.

If you choose to abandon the door, only the statue offers any hope of escaping from this chamber; turn to 168.

253

Swiftly you take aim and fire, but the creature escapes with just a graze across its dog-like forehead. Screaming with fury, it hurtles along the walkway and throws itself, clawing and snapping, at your face. You drop your Bow and unsheathe a weapon just in time to receive its attack.

Dhax: COMBAT SKILL 20   ENDURANCE 26

You may evade combat at any time by running into the archway opposite; turn to 277.

If you win the combat, turn to 141.

254

You dive straight and true, avoiding the bodies that float on the surface, and enter the water at a perfect angle. Unfortunately, the water is scalding hot — fissures of molten lava have erupted through the brittle crust of the shallows. You scream all the way to the surface, but the shock paralyses your limbs and you sink like a stone shortly afterwards.

Tragically, your life and your mission end here.

255

A number of trees were unearthed by the falling tower, and one of them lies balanced precariously over the edge of the rock wall above. You focus your Kai Mastery on this trunk, and after great mental exertion, you cause it to topple over the edge. As it crashes down the stairs, you fight to steer it end over end so that it comes to rest across the gap. But it gathers speed too quickly and is soon falling out of control.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your current ENDURANCE points total is 20 or more, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–2, turn to 154.

If it is 3–8, turn to 208.

If it is 9 or more, turn to 52.

256

A dark corridor greets you beyond the door. You enter and feel your way along the wall, guided only by a tiny light in the distance. The sudden screech of metal sends a chill down your spine, and to your horror, you see a wall of black iron falling in front of the door.

Turn to 37.

257

Another crack cuts the air, and you flinch as the invisible whip draws a crimson line across your thigh (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). You strain your Kai senses trying to discover the location of your enemy, but the magic that shields him is very strong.

Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of the fight. If you possess a Blanket, a Red Robe, or a Towel, you may wrap it around your arm as extra protection from the blows of your enemy (it will increase your COMBAT SKILL by 1 point).

Invisible Whipmaster: COMBAT SKILL 24   ENDURANCE 26

You may evade combat after three rounds by running back along the passage; turn to 64.

If you win the fight, turn to 186.

258

The faint green glow of the power-shield is the only source of light in the cave. Cautiously you advance, but you are soon swallowed up by the darkness, and progress becomes painfully slow.

If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox, turn to 289.

If you do not have any of these items and wish to continue ahead in total darkness, turn to 277.

If you prefer to abandon the cave and return to the beach below, turn to 30.

259

Wiping the dead wolf's blood from your eyes, you turn to face the floating bubbles that cluster in the corridor beyond.

If you wish to push your way past them, turn to 107.

If you wish to cut a path through them with your sword, turn to 151.

If you decide to retrace your steps to the vault and take the other tunnel, turn to 322.

260

The tunnel reeks with the rancid odour of decay, and to your dismay, you discover that it is no more than a shallow cave — a shelter for a clutch of gigantic eggs, each one as large as a barrel of ale. They rest upon a bed of packs and torn clothing, belonging to previous adventurers who fell foul of the giant snake.

If you wish to examine these items more closely, turn to 148.

If you wish to search for a way to escape from the tunnel, turn to 346.

261

Both the skull and the echo of its voice gradually disappear, to be replaced by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching from the passage behind. The gloomy corridor looks deserted, but the footsteps are growing louder and louder.

If you have a Flask of Wine or a Bottle of Water, turn to 18.

If you have neither of these items, turn to 304.

262

The door is locked, but the mechanism is so rusted that it crumbles under the slightest pressure. Inside is a squalid little room filled with barrels, crates, and dusty bottles of wine, all sour. On a damp wooden bench lies a Short Sword, and beside it a plain circular Shield (if you wish to take either of these items, remember to mark them on your Action Chart, the Shield is a Special Item which adds 2 points to your COMBAT SKILL when used in combat).

If you wish to search the room further, turn to 73.

If you decide to leave the room and explore the stairs, turn to 11.

263

As your brain is starved of oxygen your vision grows dimmer, and you feel light-headed. Gradually the pain that burns in your chest fades away as unconsciousness smothers your senses. You sink slowly to the floor, weighed down by the water that now fills your lungs.¹⁰

Your life and your quest end here.

[10] If you have used some Sabito recently, their effects have worn off after being submerged for too long.

264

The crowd howls its approval as a rickety, hunchbacked creature, swathed in a hooded robe, approaches the platform on which you stand manacled to the wall. Deftly he strips you of all your weapons and passes them to an ugly-faced dwarf, hovering close by his side.

‘Take him to the maze,’ commands the white-haired lord. His cruel, mocking laughter echoes in your ears as you are dragged from the hall in chains.

Erase all weapons and weapon-like Special Items from your Action Chart and make a note of them on a separate piece of paper in case you should rediscover them at a later stage of your adventure.

Now turn to 286.

265

You plunge your weapon into the monstrous eye and gouts of a luminous jelly-like substance pour from the wound. A ghastly inhuman scream of pain rises from the ground beneath your feet. Jets of hissing steam erupt through the sand, and a stinging cloud of grit assails your eyes.

266

To prevent the guard from reaching the bell-rope you are forced to fire without taking careful aim.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 6 or lower, turn to 75.

If it is 7 or higher, turn to 162.

267

You search the gleaming throne and the dais of black iron rock upon which it rests and discover a pentacle carved deep into the gold. As you trace its design with your finger, a sound grows above the din of destruction — a sound like the tinkling of a thousand tiny bells. In the blackness above the throne, a speckled glow appears. Slowly it descends towards you until a large section of the dais is engulfed by a column of shimmering blue light.

You reach up and a wave of energy surges through your body as you close your hand around the Lorestone of Herdos (restore your ENDURANCE points score to its original total). Your senses tingle and a newfound strength wipes away the fatigue of your terrible ordeal, enabling you to assess the situation anew.

The column of light is a magical transporter, a beam in which gravity has been reduced almost to zero. By entering it you will be drawn towards the surface level of Kazan-Oud.

Without hesitation you pocket the Lorestone and step into the magical beam.

Turn to 200.

268

Simultaneously, you jump across the slab, rolling over as you hit the solid floor beyond. The creatures laugh horribly. They raise their sinewy arms and spread their webbed fingers, shooting forth their talons like curved assassins' knives. They lurch forward to attack, blinded by bloodlust to the danger that lies beneath their cloven hooves.

In an instant their laughter turns to lamentation as the slab drops away and they disappear, screaming as they plummet, into a deep, dark abyss.

Turn to 12.

269

As the red light washes over you a tingling sensation passes through your body, leaving your muscles stiff and painful. Your limbs feel abnormally heavy, and soon you have great difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. Suddenly the ground shakes and a large slab of stone rises from the floor to seal off the exit. A loud hissing fills your ears.

A strangely bitter smell assails your nostrils. By the time you realize that the air is being flooded with a powerful sleep gas, pumped from vents hidden in the ceiling, you are already succumbing to its irresistible power.

Turn to 165.

270

A noise, like the sound of a thousand screeching cats, issues from the statue, and water pours from its eyes and mouth. The stream quickly becomes a raging torrent and threatens to flood the chamber. You turn and run towards the passage, but, to your dismay, you find the passage is now sealed off by a wall of solid stone.

With the water level at your waist, you wade across to the oval-shaped door and feverishly examine the lock.

If you have a Skeleton Key, turn to 207.

If you do not have this Special Item, turn to 242.

271

The hideous creature lets out a deafening cry as you strike your final blow. It crashes to the ground, displacing a ton of sand as its massive bulk settles on the beach. Attached to a heavy black chain around its loathsome midriff is a Gold Key. If you wish to take this Key, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item, which you keep in your pocket.

Your victory raises your spirits, but they soon sink again when you hear the unmistakable sound of rats — the chase has resumed.

Turn to 173.

272

You follow the tunnel for nearly an hour before arriving at a torchlit hall, whose walls are hung with beautiful tapestries, undamaged by the damp that pervades the upper levels of the grim fortress. It looks as if the hall is a dead end, and you are about to turn back when you notice a small door tucked away in one corner of the opulent chamber.

If you wish to open the door, turn to 256.

If you prefer to take a closer look at the tapestries, turn to 305.

273

A flood of armoured guards pours down the stairs, followed by a pair of hideous black-skinned, dog-faced creatures that wield long, glowing maces. You brace yourself for their assault, but they advance no closer. Instead the creatures make dreadful snickering sounds and raise their maces, tapping the ends together before simultaneously pointing them at you.

Suddenly you are torn with an agonizing pain, as your chest explodes in a gout of red flame. You topple backwards, your body almost rent in two by the bolt of destructive energy.

You have fallen victim to deadly Dhax power-staves, and your life and your quest end here.

274

At first glance, the door looks completely smooth: no locks, bars, rivets, or hinges mar its polished surface. However, a closer examination reveals a tiny keyhole set near to the floor.

If you have a Gold Key, turn to 333.

If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 54.

275

You tumble into the pit and are swallowed up by total darkness. You fall at a terrifying speed for what seems an eternity and, after several minutes, you lapse into unconsciousness. It is a blessing, for you are spared the agonizing pain of being burnt alive when your body hits a lava pool ten thousand feet below.

Your life and your quest end here.

276

Silently you aim and fire. The Arrow sinks feather-deep into the skull of the creature seated to your left. The others shriek with horror and surprise and leap from their seats, scrambling to take cover behind the table. Suddenly the clang of a bell fills the room, and the sound of running footsteps echoes along the corridor. Four warriors burst into the chamber, their weapons drawn, their bodies encased in shiny black armour. They take one look at the dead creature and hurl themselves at you in a frenzied attack.

If you wish to fire your Bow again, turn to 50.

If you decide to shoulder your Bow and draw a hand weapon, turn to 316.

277

You have taken only a few steps when you hear a faint whispering sound. You watch, horrified, as the hard stone floor beneath your feet disappears into a yawning black hole. Helpless, you tumble into the void, knocking yourself unconscious on a jagged outcrop of rock as you plummet into unknown depths.

Turn to 164.

278

The creature launches itself at the cocoons, shearing them from the wall with its razor-sharp mandibles. The air is filled with fibrous shards and dust, and you no longer have a hiding place. You have no choice but to retreat along the corridor.

Turn to 233.

279

In response to your psychic power, the sword rises from the block and glides towards your open hand. It is a plain, heavy-bladed weapon of poor quality and unworthy of your scabbard, but in this strange and hostile maze, this rough steel blade helps to restore your hopes of survival.

If you wish to leave the vault by the left tunnel, turn to 298.

If you wish to leave by the right tunnel, turn to 322.

280

Tavig is barely visible inside the massive fist that is retreating down the tunnel. His screams, and the low rumbling growl of the monster that holds him, echo in your ears as you unsheathe your weapon and give chase. You must strike on the move if you are to break the monster's grip and save Tavig from a ghastly death.

281

Pressing yourself flat against the tunnel wall, you draw on your skill to mask the warmth of your body. Nausea rises in your throat as the loathsome snakes slither across your feet and coil around your legs, but to them you are of no more interest than the cold and clammy stones that cover the tunnel floor. The snakes move on, leaving you shaken but unharmed.

Turn to 346.

282

You hear footsteps on the stairs — more of the enemy are approaching. If they, too, are armed with crossbows, your chances of survival will be very slim indeed. Before you stand two great bronze doors, flanked on either side by tapestries and gold statuettes.

If you wish to open the doors and enter, turn to 159.

If you wish to examine the tapestries, turn to 74.

If you decide to stand and fight the approaching enemy, turn to 273.

283

The vast swarm reels back to feast upon the mutilated remains of their kin that lie piled in heaps all around you. Your arms, legs, and hands are bleeding from several small nips and gashes, where one or more of the rats broke through your formidable defence to bury their chisel-like teeth into your skin. Your victory has bought you time to think, but it will be only a matter of seconds before the rats launch another attack.

If you wish to climb over the reef of jagged rocks to your left, turn to 336.

If you decide to drag your coracle back into the water and escape from the bay, turn to 117.

284

Covering your nose with your Kai cloak, you edge your way around the smoking flames and head towards the passage. As you step through the entrance, you walk straight into an invisible barrier, a field of destructive energy that flows between the two green pillars. With a thunderous concussion, you are repelled from the shield and sent tumbling back into the chamber (lose 8 ENDURANCE points; lose only 6 points if you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus).

If you are still alive, turn to 128.

285

The bats are ravenously hungry and have been stirred to a frenzy by the unexpected smell of their favourite food — warm human blood. It is too late to avoid combat; you must fight for your life if you are not to become their feast.

Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you must double all ENDURANCE point losses you sustain during the fight, due to the bats' poisonous saliva.

Vampire Bats: COMBAT SKILL 19   ENDURANCE 32

If you win the combat, turn to 161.

286

An escort of armoured guards forces you along a steel passageway lined by a crowd of jeering minions. They punch and spit as you pass between them, and their foul curses ring in your ears. The guards halt before a huge door of iron and unlock the manacles that encase your bruised and bloodied wrists. The points of their spears never wander far from your throat, discouraging any attempt at escape. The door rumbles open, and a cheer goes up as you are pushed head-first into a foul-smelling pit.

‘Welcome to the maze,’ sneers the chilling voice of Lord Zahda from somewhere high above your head. You struggle to your feet and peer up at a ceiling of swirling mist. A faint glow is gradually taking shape, condensing and forming into the likeness of a human skull. Baleful green eyes stare down at you from bony sockets, and a powdered wig, like that of a high court judge, sits squarely upon its fleshless head.

287

Mustering all your reserves of strength, you spring along the passage, spurred on by the sound of gnashing fangs. There is a dead end ahead, but a passage leads off to the right. You turn the corner as fast as you can, scraping the wall painfully with your shoulder as you fight to keep on your feet, but you are soon forced to a halt — the passage is blocked. Glinting in the dim light is a cluster of huge bubbles, floating languidly up and down between the misty ceiling and the polished floor. A slight breeze lifts them and they bounce towards you.

A snarl and the scraping of claws on stone tell you that the wolf is at the corner.

If you wish to push through the bubbles and continue along the passage beyond, turn to 84.

If you wish to stand and fight the wolf, turn to 245.

If you decide to cut your way through the bubbles with your sword, turn to 218.

288

Vivid green flashes of forked lightning and the rumble of distant thunder add menace to the towers and sheer stone walls of Kazan-Oud. Many of the roofs and turrets are in ruin; their twisted beams and floors lie open to the sky, giving the fortress a burnt-out and deserted appearance.

As you approach the tiny bay, which is tucked inside the shelter of a horseshoe reef of jagged black rocks, your eye is caught by the glow of tiny red lights, moving in the shadows at the base of the fortress wall. You notice a dry hollow among a group of rocks close to the shore that offers an ideal hiding place for your little boat. Silently, you disembark and drag the coracle up the beach towards the rocks. Seconds later you are halted dead in your tracks by the sound of muffled squealing. Sweat breaks out on your brow when a flash of lightning reveals scores of small red eyes close to the sand. A seething flood of rats, each as large as a puppy but gaunt and half-starved, is scurrying down the beach towards you like a torrent of black water.

With pounding heart, you search for some means of escape from this ravenous horde of squealing, snapping rodents.

If you wish to climb over the rocks and escape across a deserted beach, turn to 336.

If you wish to drag your little boat back into the lake and paddle away from the bay, turn to 117.

If you prefer to stand and fight the onrushing flood of giant rats, turn to 45.

289

Your light flares brightly in the moist gloom of the passage. A cavern lies immediately ahead, its high-arched roof a mass of dripping stalactites, hanging like thick spears of pearly white stone. Cautiously you step across the cavern floor, your skin prickling, as peculiar sounds emanate from the shadows.

You wind your way through a labyrinth of tunnels, slipping on moss-covered rocks, grazing your head on low ceilings and scrambling up and down steep ridges and rockfalls until you arrive at a smooth-walled chamber carved with precision from the hard black rock. A staircase ascends through an archway to your left, and directly ahead stands a massive stone door.

If you wish to examine the stone door, turn to 274.

If you wish to ascend the stairs, turn to 193.

290

You follow him to the end of the cell block corridor, the angry shouts of Zahda's gaolers ringing in your ears. A staircase looms ahead, descending to a lower level, but it is guarded by a grim-faced Beastman, armed with an axe. Double all ENDURANCE points lost by your enemy during this combat, for the Beastman is also being attacked by your newfound partner.

Beastman Gaoler: COMBAT SKILL 17   ENDURANCE 22

If you win the combat, turn to 220.

291

A terrible moan shakes the tunnel as your blows sever a finger from the monstrous hand. The others instantly spring open, dropping Tavig, bloodied and dishevelled, in a heap on the gore-stained floor. As the hand withdraws into the gloom, you kneel by Tavig's side and try to aid him as best you can. His injuries are severe; he is on the very brink of death.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, turn to 133.

If you do not possess this skill, turn to 125.

292

The air becomes thinner, and slowly, painfully, you weaken and collapse. Consciousness soon fades and you are spared the agonies of death by suffocation.

Your life and your quest end here.

293

Stealthily, you cross the cracked, flagstoned floor of the Great Hall, your muscles and nerves tensed for the sounds of danger. The constant sound of dripping water and the howl of the storm add to the utter desolation of the chamber. A thorny jungle of briars climbs the walls with greedy claws, coiling around the rotten frames of paintings and weaving through damp and mouldering tapestries.

Suspended above the fireplace is a great Anarian broadsword, its pitted steel blade pointing to one side. Your eyes travel along the blade to the shadows of the fireplace, and you notice something lying in the grate. Moving nearer, you see that it is the body of a dead man. Behind it is a panel, wedged open by the corpse, and, peering into the gloomy opening, you can just make out some stairs disappearing down into the darkness.

294

As you pull yourself onto the cold iron platform, you see the maze spread out below you like the surface of a massive brain, each chamber a cell populated with perils created by the devilish imagination of Lord Zahda. A criss-cross of interconnecting walkways is suspended above the maze by gigantic chains that vanish into blackness. You hurry along the iron path towards a staircase that descends to an arch beyond the boundary wall of the maze. As you run through it, you can hear an alarm bell echoing in the vastness above: your escape has not gone unnoticed.

A vaulted corridor lies beyond the arch, which leads to a junction with two exits.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 330.

If you wish to take the passage to your right, turn to 92.

If you wish to take the passage to your left, turn to 20.

295

The creatures are so engrossed in their discussion that they do not notice you enter the chamber.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 276.

If you wish to attack them with a hand weapon, turn to 31.

296

Your killing blow severs the Lekhor's head, sending it spinning into the cold black waters below. A wave of shock ripples through its body, and suddenly you are falling, its limp torso still gripped between your feet. Seconds later you hit the lake with a loud splash and sink like a stone.

Turn to 158.

297

The relentless attack begins to take its toll (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). You know that you cannot resist this psychic battering for much longer — you must do something to stop it.

If you have a Fireseed and wish to throw it at the plinth, turn to 157.

If you wish to run forward and physically attack the hand, turn to 116.

If you wish to run between the two green pillars and escape into the passage beyond, turn to 103.

298

After a few hundred yards, the passage turns abruptly to the right. Glinting in the dim light is a cluster of huge bubbles floating languidly up and down in the passage ahead. A slight breeze lifts them, and slowly they bounce towards you.

If you wish to push your way past them and continue on your way along the passage, turn to 107.

If you have a sword and wish to strike out at them, turn to 151.

If you decide to return to the vault and take the right tunnel, turn to 322.

299

The warrior leaps to safety as you draw your weapon and face the snarling enemy. ‘Brave fool!’ you hear him cry, his footfalls fading into the tunnel.

Snickering with delight, like cruel and hungry predators that have trapped themselves a feast, the creatures slink forward. Talons spring from the tips of their webbed fingers, and their eyes blaze with wild red fire as they get ready to pounce.

Dhax: COMBAT SKILL 27   ENDURANCE 35

With a trap at your back, you cannot evade combat and must fight these creatures to the death.

If you win the fight, turn to 339.

300

You fight and claw your way up the crowded staircase and run headlong into the prison complex. Chunks of stone and iron drop from the ceiling as wave upon wave of explosions rock the foundation of the fortress. You cross the complex, cutting down anything that impedes your path, and race along the one corridor that has not been blocked by a rockfall or chasm.

You are halfway up a winding staircase, when there is an enormous groan, followed by a cracking of iron. The creatures around you shriek in terror, but their voices are lost as the entire stairway collapses and falls, crumbling and roaring, into a hollow, lava-filled chasm five hundred feet below.

Tragically, your life and your quest end here in the ruins of Kazan-Oud.

301

The snake reveals its fangs. Like great curved broadswords glistening with venom, they shine coldly in the light that pours down through the grating high above. You grip your weapon, bracing your back against the wet stone wall and waiting for the right moment to strike. As the monstrous head sways awkwardly from side to side, you catch sight of a small tunnel cut out of the far wall, which was previously hidden from view by the snake and its nest. Your spirits are raised by the possibility of escaping from this nightmare, but first you must fight this hideous creature.¹¹

Unless you have the Magnakai Discipline of Curing, double all ENDURANCE points you lose during this combat due to the venomous bite of the monster.

Giant Hactaraton: COMBAT SKILL 22   ENDURANCE 60

After four rounds of combat you can attempt to evade the creature by crawling into the tunnel; turn to 91.

If you win the combat, turn to 21.

[11] If you still have any Arrows in your Quiver, they have fallen out in your fall, and you must erase them from your Action Chart. (cf. Section 7).

302

As you draw level with the plinth, the fingers on the hand begin to move. They rise and fall, drumming a slow and clumsy rhythm on the granite surface. The dull thudding causes your head to ache, and the pain increases with every tap of the swollen black fingers.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen, turn to 179.

If you do not possess this skill, turn to 53.

303

The partly submerged pathway takes you to the fissure. Here, the rustle and slither of unseen things echoes from the inky darkness. Suddenly, the shadow of something round and black breaks through the surface of the lake and a hideous gurgling cry splits the night. It flies straight towards you and you quickly take cover inside the narrow fissure.

Turn to 16.

304

The footsteps halt but a piercing crack, like that of a whip, breaks the silence. You cry out in pained surprise as an angry red weal opens from your temple to your chin (lose 3 ENDURANCE points). You sense his presence, but you cannot see the enemy who dealt you this wound.

If you wish to try to defend yourself against your invisible attacker, turn to 257.

If you choose to run back along the corridor, turn to 64.

If you decide to risk jumping into the pit, turn to 275.

305

The designs are woven from pure gold and silver, studded with gems and semi-precious stones. You marvel at the craftsmanship and beauty of these tapestries — they must be worth many thousands of crowns. One gem in particular catches your eye — a large Diamond. Unable to resist the temptation, you prise it from the cloth and drop it into your pocket (mark this as a Special Item on your Action Chart), before leaving the hall by the door.

Turn to 256.

306

Using your Discipline, you focus your attention on the strange triangular plaque fixed to the bars and, gradually, its purpose becomes clear. By finding the total number of triangles contained in the design and turning the pointer to the same number on the dial before pulling the lever, you will ensure that the portcullis opens safely.

Turn back to 11 and study the design.

When you think you have the answer, turn to the entry that bears the same number.¹²

[12] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.

307

You sense that the ceiling of mist hides a powerful energy field. Touching such a force barrier, especially when immersed in water, could prove fatal.

If you decide to touch the mist in spite of the danger, turn to 60.

If you decide to dive down and examine the statue, turn to 168.

308

A few feet along the tunnel, you notice an irregular square in the floor ahead — the tell-tale sign of a trap. It poses no problem to a warrior of your prowess, and you clear it with one bound. Further on, you reach a spiral staircase that leads down to a rough-walled cavern. At the bottom of the staircase two tunnels lead away, one to the north and one to the west.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, turn to 99.

If you wish to enter the north tunnel, turn to 59.

If you wish to enter the west tunnel, turn to 323.

309

The descent is slow and arduous. Much of the staircase has been carried away by falling stonework from the battlements, and you have to contend with a rain of molten ash and pumice that is erupting from the core of the keep. You take shelter where you can, but you dare not linger too long in any one place for fear of being caught in a fissure or a rock slide.

By the time you reach the beach, your cloak and hood are smouldering and the soles of your boots have nearly melted. Many of the creatures of Kazan-Oud have escaped before you and they crowd the beach, clawing and biting each other in a frenzy of terror. The lake is choked with their dead, and the black sand is barely visible beneath the carpet of carcasses. You fend off the crazed beasts as best you can, but to stay on the beach would be suicidal.

If you choose to climb up the rocks and dive into the lake, turn to 254.

If you decide to fight your way down to the old stone jetty, turn to 122.

310

You tie a loop in one end of the rope and scan the opposite side for a secure target. A spur of stone near the centre of the shattered staircase looks promising, and you aim for that. On your second attempt the rope finds its mark and tightens around the stone. You waste no time crossing the gap, and within minutes, you are safely across and climbing the few remaining stairs to the breached fortress wall.

Turn to 27.

311

You are quick to regain your balance and press on regardless of your stinging wounds (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Once more the whip cracks, but you are now out of range of its cruel bite.

Turn to 6.

312

There is a faint click, and the panel slides open to reveal a set of steps leading down to a sturdy wooden door, reinforced with bands of studded iron.

If you wish to investigate further, turn to 37.

If you choose not to enter, turn to 102.

313

The lack of oxygen is making you light-headed (lose 3 ENDURANCE points), but you try to ignore the pain and continue.

If your ENDURANCE points total is 10 or more, turn to 4.

If it is 9 or less, turn to 263.

314

Blinking away the tears, you concentrate all of your Discipline and skill on finding a target in the billowing smoke. A shadow to your left betrays a creature that is crawling along the walkway on its belly. You lower your Bow and fire. An instant later, a howl of rage and pain confirms a hit. The scream quickly fades, as the creature rolls over and falls to its doom.

Suddenly a shape hurtles out of the smoke, clawing and biting savagely at your face and arms. You drop your Bow and unsheathe a weapon just in time to receive its attack.

Dhax: COMBAT SKILL 20   ENDURANCE 28

You may evade combat at any time by running into the archway opposite; turn to 277.

If you win the combat, turn to 141.

315

The entire corridor shakes with the violence of a series of eruptions that tears rock and iron with ease. All around you Zahda's loathsome minions run in utter panic, their voices rising to a cacophony of terror as frantically they seek to escape from Kazan-Oud.

316

You are in combat with four armoured Beastmen. They attack simultaneously, and you must fight them as one enemy.

Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 30   ENDURANCE 39

If you win the combat in three rounds or less, turn to 248.

If combat lasts longer than three rounds, turn to 160.

317

Filling your hand with the hilt of the sun-sword, you unsheathe its golden blade and sever the tendril with one stroke. But instead of blood, or what would pass for blood in the body of this ghastly creature, a flame bursts into life like a sputtering fuse. The brain ceases to move, hovering motionless above the sand, as the spitting flame burns fiercely along its thin tube of sundered flesh.

Turn to 170.

318

The cloying smell of damp and decay grows steadily stronger, and you are forced to cover your nose with your cloak to block out the sickly stench. The tunnel twists to the right, and you notice a small iron door set into the wall ahead and a narrow staircase descending into the gloom.

If you wish to investigate the door, turn to 262.

If you decide to descend the stairs, turn to 11.

319

Taking up a position to one side of the tunnel, you press yourself flat against the wall and wait for the best moment to strike. Four warriors, dark and grim, march into the hall in single file. At first sight you mistake them for Drakkarim, for their black armour and skull-like helmets are identical to those worn by the evil human warriors who serve the Darklords of Helgedad. As you launch your attack, you see their features and realize that they cannot possibly be human. Great sloping shoulders support their unnaturally long arms; yellow-clawed hairy hands grip axes and spears of rough-wrought iron; and behind them swing long, tufted tails, like those of lions.

Your first blow shears through the backplate of the last warrior in the line, causing him to howl like a demon and collapse in a crumpled heap at your feet. The others spin to face you, their reactions battle-swift, their weapons raised to counter your threat. The leader throws open his visor to reveal a boar-like snout and tusks. He bellows a fearsome growl and stabs at you with his spear. The others echo his cry and close around you. You cannot evade combat and must fight all three as one enemy.

Zahda Beastmen: COMBAT SKILL 28   ENDURANCE 35

If you win the combat, turn to 56.

320

You race back towards the corner but a slab of smooth stone is rumbling into view, sealing off the only exit. You are forced to stop and face the fiery attacker.

Turn to 126.

321

Nothing seems to happen. The buttons remain depressed and the concealed door remains closed. You are about to step away from the sarcophagus when there is a faint click and the panel slides open. You chance a cautious glance inside and see a set of steps leading down to a stout wooden door, its gnarled timber studded and reinforced with bands of iron.

If you wish to enter the sarcophagus, turn to 37.

If you choose not to enter, turn to 102.

322

You walk along the passage for several minutes until it turns sharply to the left. Cautiously you peer around the corner, your basic Kai instincts alerting you to a potential threat. Peering down, you see a beam of light shining from one side of the corridor to the other. The passage ahead looks no different to those in the rest of the maze, but you feel sure that it contains a deadly trap.

If you wish to step over the beam of light and continue along the passage, turn to 88.

If you choose to walk through the beam, turn to 240.

323

You thread your way through a network of empty passages and chambers. Twice you are forced to hide when groups of black-armoured warriors appear unexpectedly. At first you think that they are Drakkarim, evil humans who serve the Darklords of Helgedad, but their unnaturally long arms and the tails that swing behind them soon dispel that fear, replacing it with a far greater one.

At the bottom of a narrow winding stairway, you arrive at a small but opulently furnished chamber, its walls hung with beautiful tapestries, undamaged by the damp that pervades the upper levels of the fortress. It looks as if you have reached a dead end, and you are about to turn back when you notice a small door tucked away in one corner of the room.

If you wish to open the door, turn to 256.

If you decide to take a closer look at the tapestries, turn to 305.

324

The heat is unbearable (lose 4 ENDURANCE points). In order to keep your boots from catching fire, and in the hope of reaching a cooler section of the tube, you force yourself to run deeper into the oven-like tunnel.

Turn to 24.

325

You strike the seething water with a mighty splash and sink like a stone. The sharp tang of the lake fills your mouth, and its icy cold embrace numbs your muscles. Your first impulse on hitting the water is to lash out with your arms and swim, but you are hampered by a mass of plant life that coils around your flailing limbs. Desperate for air, you hack blindly at the weeds that now threaten to drag you to a watery grave.

Fight the combat as normal. However, due to your lack of air, you must automatically deduct 2 ENDURANCE points for every round that you fight.

Black Lakeweed: COMBAT SKILL 10   ENDURANCE 50

If you survive the struggle, turn to 158.

326

You make it through the gap with less than an inch to spare. With your stomach churning, you drag yourself to your feet and retrace your steps along the murky tunnel. The familiar red glow of the tunnel you passed earlier appears once more in the gloom ahead.

If you now choose to explore this tunnel, turn to 144.

If you decide to go back to the rough-walled cavern and take the west tunnel instead, turn to 323.

327

Gulping a lungful of air, you dive below the water and focus your Magnakai Discipline on the lock, willing it to open. It is a severe test of your skill, made all the more difficult by the lack of air.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have reached the rank of Primate, add 2 to the number you have picked.

If your total is 4 or less, turn to 184.

If it is 5 or more, turn to 4.

328

The slinking creatures fill the narrow walkway, offering themselves as easy targets to your Bow. Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you have completed the Lore-circle of Fire, add 1.

If your total score is now 0–4, turn to 232.

If it is 5 or more, turn to 67.

329

You ponder the problem for several minutes, using your natural Kai instincts to the full as you try to discover which of the numbers on the dial will open the portcullis. The image of four numbers — three, nine, thirteen, and thirty-three — fill your mind, but try as you might, you cannot determine which of them is correct.

If you wish to turn the pointer to number three before pulling the lever, turn to 3.

If you wish to turn the pointer to number nine, turn to 9.

If you wish to turn the pointer to number thirteen, turn to 13.

If you wish to turn the pointer to number thirty-three, turn to 33.

330

Your Pathsmanship skill reveals that the passage to your left leads to a complex of prison cells; the passage to your right leads to a guard room and torture chamber.

If you decide to take the left passage, turn to 20.

If you choose the right passage, turn to 92.

331

Your death is mercifully swift. As the mouth of the monster closes around your upper body, you are paralysed by corrosive saliva and so spared the agony of being eaten alive.

Your life and your quest end here.

332

You leap forward and strike left and right, ripping through the startled guards and meeting little resistance. Two fall and a third steps forward, his sword yet to clear his scabbard. You hit him below the chin and see his beast-like eyes roll up in sudden agony as blood gushes from under his helmet. As he sinks, gurgling, to his knees, you see the fourth warrior disappearing down the corridor, his cries of alarm reverberating along the passage.

If you wish to run after him, turn to 195.

If you decide to enter the chamber and attempt to escape along the opposite corridor, turn to 69.

333

As you place the key into the tiny keyhole, you feel your fingers tingle. There is a soft noise like rushing wind, and then, suddenly, the key vanishes from your grip (erase this Special Item from your Action Chart). Soundlessly, the great door swings open to reveal a plain stone room. You enter and, as the door closes, you notice a coiled snake etched deep into its surface.

Carved in the centre of its scaly coils is the number 123. Make a note of this number in the margin of your Action Chart — it may be of use to you at a later stage of your adventure.

Beside the closed door, hanging in a rack suspended from the ceiling, are a Spear and a Quarterstaff. Both weapons are in remarkably fine condition despite the warm, damp air. At the other side of the room, two torchlit tunnels descend to the north and the east.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 139.

If you wish to enter the north tunnel, turn to 187.

If you wish to enter the east tunnel, turn to 101.

334

‘Good!’ booms the voice of Zahda as you enter the passage; ‘the cowards of Elzian have at last sent a warrior worthy of my maze.’

The words conjure up a picture of Lord Zahda seated on his golden throne, with the object of your quest, the Lorestone of Herdos, suspended above it. The image strengthens your resolve to survive this accursed maze and escape. If you can then find your way back to Zahda's throne-hall, the success of your quest will be within your grasp.

You walk along the passage, your mind filled with the possible problems and perils you might have to overcome. One such problem looms into view as the passage takes a sharp turn.

Turn to 100.

335

A rickety, hunchbacked creature, swathed in a hooded robe, approaches the platform on which you stand manacled to the wall. With an efficiency born of practice, quickly he strips you of all your weapons and hands them to an ugly-faced dwarf, hovering at his side. The dwarf looks at the Sommerswerd with an appraising eye, and then raises it above his head to show it to his master. Before he can speak, there is a sudden roar, as a bolt of golden energy engulfs the hilt. Screaming with pain, the dwarf drops the sword and cradles his smoking hand, his fingers now missing half their length. You are unable to hide your smile and are quickly punished for your insolence. The robed creature strikes you across the face, gashing your cheek with its rough, warty fist (lose 1 ENDURANCE point).

‘Take him to the maze,’ commands white-haired Lord Zahda, ‘and leave the sword for me.’

The Sommerswerd rises into the air and floats towards the golden throne on a cushion of blue mist.¹³ As you are dragged from the hall in chains, you are taunted by Zahda's cruel laugh and the fear that your quest is now doomed to failure.

Erase all Weapons and weapon-like Special Items from your Action Chart and make a note of them on a separate piece of paper in case you should rediscover them at a later stage of your adventure.

Now turn to 286.

[13] Lone Wolf Club Newsletter No.6 clarifies: ‘In Book 2 [Section] 79, it states that in order to release the power of the Sommerswerd, only a Kai Lord should wield it. Should it be used in combat by anyone who is not a Kai Lord, its power will fade and be lost forever. The Dwarf in Castle Death did not use the Sommerswerd in combat, and therefore its power has not been diminished as a result.’

336

A new sound is added to the terrible squeals of the hungry rats: the sound of splintering wood. In less than a minute, your small boat is completely devoured, leaving no trace of its ever having existed. The jagged rocks cut into your hands and knees, but you are oblivious to the pain as you clamber across them to the beach beyond. You set off at a run, but the fine, black sand closes around your ankles, and your legs ache violently with every desperate step.

337

The wall is descending fast; there is very little space left through which to escape.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, you may add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 0–4, turn to 237.

If it is 5 or more, turn to 188.

338

Your Magnakai Discipline, heightened by the discovery of the Lorestone of Herdos, screams a warning that the stairs to the cell complex are doomed to disaster. Your senses tell you that by staying on this level and following the corridor to the far side of the subterranean lair, you will be sure of finding a safe route up to the surface.

Turn to 315.

339

Wisps of smoke are beginning to rise from the dead bodies; suddenly one bursts into flames. Quickly you leap across the slab, away from the heat and choking black fumes, as the others are swallowed by a fire that crackles and spits like an angry demon.

Further along the tunnel, you see the warrior. He is crouching on his heels, his hands resting on the hilt of his sword. A smile spreads across his unshaven face as he sees your approach. ‘You're brave, I'll grant you that. There's none I know who'd stand against three hungry Dhax.’ He jumps to his feet, sheathes his sword, and offers his hand in friendship.

Turn to 12.

340

You tell him of your quest and the help the Elder Magi have given to enable you to enter Kazan-Oud. When you recount your air voyage to Herdos aboard Lord Paido's skyship, you notice a tear trickle from the blind man's eye. ‘My name is Kasin,’ he says, sorrowfully. ‘Lord Paido is my brother.’

Pity fills your heart for this unfortunate warrior, for you know that he is doomed to die. Blindness occurs in the final stage of takadea, the disease that is ravaging his body. ‘I am beyond help,’ he says, his face lined with pain, ‘but I can and will help your quest, Kai Lord. Listen to me carefully. There are stairs at the end of the corridor that lead down to the throne-hall of Zahda. At the entrance to the hall there is a tapestry behind which there is a secret passage. It leads to Zahda's throne. Above the throne is the Lorestone you seek, but beware. Zahda has coupled its power to a Doomstone from the realm of Naaros — Zahda draws all his power from this accursed gem. If you are to succeed, you must first destroy the gem or you will surely perish. Sadly I cannot help you escape from Kazan-Oud, for I myself was captured long before I reached the surface, but if you reach the beach, make your way to the old stone jetty. Beneath the steps is the place where I hid my boat.’

He grips your hand in friendship, his face now calm and peaceful. ‘When you return to Elzian, tell my brother that my death was not in vain. May the gods protect you, Lone Wolf.’

The sound of approaching guards forces you to leave the cell. As you close the door, you promise that his bravery will live forever in the legends of the Vakeros — his warrior kin.

Turn to 142.

341

The blood of the dead wolf stains you from head to foot, filling your nose with an acrid smell. With sword in hand, you stare down at the carcass and shiver at the thought of how close you came to death. The dim light grows brighter, and for a moment you hear laughter, cold and distant, before the light fades to its usual murky glow, and you are surrounded by silence.

Turn to 298.

342

The sphere halts in mid-air less than ten feet from where you stand. It looks like a huge, black human brain studded with large, hairy warts. A whistle, soft but chilling, gradually rises in pitch until it fills your head with agonizing pain. Your fingers tremble and, as your weapon slips from your grasp, a slit opens in the side of the brain. It is a mouth, broad and puffy, with an upper lip that hangs over the lower jaw like milk boiling over the pan. A long tendril of flesh emerges from the mouth and snakes through the air towards your throat.

343

The chamber is well lit by a row of torches lining all four walls, and there is very little furniture to hide behind.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total is now 7 or less, turn to 69.

If it is 8 or more, turn to 197.

344

Your hand strikes something invisible set close to the edge of the pit — the beginning of a magically hidden bridge. Your fingers tell you that it is a plank, for it feels very thin and narrow. Suddenly the footsteps halt. There is a piercing crack, like that of a whip, and an angry red weal opens across the back of your hand (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). You sense his presence, but you cannot see the enemy who dealt you this wound.

If you wish to step onto the invisible bridge, turn to 166.

If you wish to try to fight your unseen enemy, turn to 257.

345

The warrior makes no attempt to parry your attack, and your blow rips deeply into his unguarded chest. He stares at you in disbelief as he clutches at his wound and drops heavily to his knees. ‘Why?’ he croaks, as his eyelids flicker and close.

A howl of maniacal glee arises from the black creatures. As the warrior falls into the smoky abyss, they slink towards you with long, loping strides.

If you wish to stand and fight these creatures, turn to 249.

If you decide to evade them by escaping into the archway opposite, turn to 241.

346

Desperately you tap the wall with the hilt of your weapon, praying for the dull, tell-tale thud of a thin or hollow partition through which you might effect an escape. The walls yield no such sound, but in the roof you discover an old trap-door hatch sealed off with bricks and mortar. The faint glimmer of light seeping through a hairline crack fills you with renewed hope.

With a flurry of blows the mortar crumbles and the bricks split and fall. Without waiting for the dust to settle, you climb through the jagged hole and emerge into a hall that is filled with a damp and earthy smell. Two rows of great stone pillars support the roof and a huge, granite sarcophagus stands in the centre of the floor. From within a black tunnel to your right, you hear the clanking of armour and the sound of approaching footsteps.

If you wish to hide behind one of the pillars, turn to 110.

If you wish to leave the hall by a tunnel to your left, turn to 201.

If you wish to lie in ambush for whatever is approaching the hall, turn to 319.

347

You snatch the Whistle to your lips and blow. Instantly, the slimy creature rears up, its short rubbery legs scrabbling the air in agony as the ultra high-pitched sound destroys its sensitive nervous system.

As it twists back on itself, its head disappears into the misty ceiling. There is an ear-splitting crack and blue lightning engulfs the creature, crackling snake-like around its neck, and filling the corridor with the stench of burning meat. The creature thrashes wildly for several minutes, and when its gruesome dance finally ends the canopy of mist is no longer there. In the darkness above, you see a walkway and an observation platform.

If you wish to climb the body of the dead worm and pull yourself onto the platform, turn to 294.

If you prefer to climb over the carcass and continue along the corridor, turn to 46.

348

Shortly you arrive at another stone staircase. This one is intact, however, and ascends to a cave-like entrance in the sheer rock wall. You cannot follow the beach any further, for a salient of the wall blocks your way. Moreover, the weather is getting worse with every passing minute and you need to seek shelter from the coming storm.

By the time you have climbed all the way to the cave, the storm has broken. As you stand in the entrance, the rain-filled wind lashes you mercilessly and the ground shudders with every clap of thunder. The faint green glow of the power-shield is the only source of light, and you enter cautiously. You are soon swallowed up by darkness and your progress becomes painfully slow.

If you have a Kalte Firesphere, a Lantern, or a Torch and Tinderbox, turn to 49.

If you have none of these items, turn to 277.

349

As soon as you step into the ruby corridor, the horseshoe arch turns completely opaque. You try to go back, but the milky-white barrier will not let you pass. Soon, the skull appears once more, but this time its message chills you to the core:

350

As soon as you have passed through the power-shield, you are greeted like a hero by a huge flotilla of fishing vessels and trading barges. An hour ago, upon seeing the eruption of Kazan-Oud, every boat in Herdos set sail for the shield, for the eruption signalled the end of the bane that had haunted Dessi for hundreds of years. Now they cheer the Sommlending warrior who has delivered them from Dessi's evil shadow. Eager hands pull you aboard Lord Ardan's caravel, and a fanfare salute is sounded by the trumpeters of his Vakeros guards.

‘We are forever in your debt, Lone Wolf,’ says Lord Ardan, as he shakes your hand warmly in gratitude and friendship. ‘You have achieved what we feared to be impossible, and you live to tell the tale. Your bravery is an inspiration to us all.’ His words are reinforced by the delirious cheers of his people. He asks of your own quest, and, when you remove the Lorestone of Herdos from the pocket of your tattered and scorched tunic, his eyes widen with amazement.

Numbered Sections

1-10: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The Magiocracy of Dessi

Action Chart

Combat Rules Summary

Add your COMBAT SKILL to any extra points given to you by your Magnakai Disciplines.

Subtract the COMBAT SKILL of your enemy from this total. This number = Combat Ratio.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

Turn to the Combat Results Table.

Find your Combat Ratio on the top of the chart and cross-reference to the random number you have picked. (E indicates loss of ENDURANCE points to Enemy. LW indicates loss of ENDURANCE points to Lone Wolf.)

Continue the combat from Stage 3 until one character is dead. This is when the ENDURANCE points of either character falls to 0 or below.To Evade Combat

You may only do this when the text of the adventure offers you the opportunity.

You undertake one round of combat in the usual way. All points lost by the enemy are ignored; only Lone Wolf loses the ENDURANCE points.

If the book offers the chance of taking evasive action in place of combat, it can be taken in the first round of combat or any subsequent round.

Combat Results Table

Random Number Table

ErrataIntroduction

We have taken our unique opportunity to correct errors and to enforce a standard of English usage. We list our changes here. If you see anything that needs correction, please contact the Project Aon Staff.Errata List

(Title Page) Replaced ‘CASTLE DEATH’ with ‘Castle Death’.

(The Story So Far … ) Added a quotation mark to the beginning of the paragraph that starts ‘You see before you Kazan-Oud … ’. Replaced ‘Xulun mountains’ with ‘Xulun Mountains’. Replaced ‘successfully, you too, will’ with ‘successfully, you, too, will’.

(The Game Rules) Replaced both occurrences of ‘ie,’ with ‘i.e.’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Lone Wolf’ with ‘Lone Wolf’ when referring to the series. Placed ‘or below’ after ‘fall to zero’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘Chart (you’ with ‘Chart. (You’. Replaced ‘Items).’ with ‘Items.)’. Replaced ‘Lone Wolf Magnakai’ with ‘Lone Wolf Magnakai’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Action Chart. (ie, if’ with ‘Action Chart. (i.e. if’. Replaced ‘of 14.) When’ with ‘of 14). When’. Replaced ‘ENDURANCE points.)’ with ‘ENDURANCE points).’.

(Disciplines) Replaced ‘weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’. Replaced ‘two weapons’ with ‘two Weapons’. Added ‘(Psi-surge and Mindblast cannot be used simultaneously.)’ to the description of Psi-surge. Replaced ‘knowledge mastery’ with ‘knowledge that mastery’. Italicised ‘Lone Wolf’ when referring to the series. Replaced ‘will be of use’ with ‘may be of use’. Added ‘If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, you may add 3 to any number that you choose from the Random Number Table, when using the Bow.’ from the Equipment section. Replaced ‘Lone Wolf Magnakai’ with ‘Lone Wolf Magnakai’.

(Equipment) Removed ‘ (see inside front cover of this book)’. Replaced ‘safe keeping’ with ‘safekeeping’. Capitalized the list of items rather than setting them in all capital letters. Replaced ‘fireseeds’ with ‘Fireseeds’. Replaced ‘(eg’ with ‘(e.g.’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Lone Wolf’ with ‘Lone Wolf’ when referring to the series. Replaced ‘Kai monastery’ with ‘Kai Monastery’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’. Replaced all occurrences of‘arrows’ with ‘Arrows’. Replaced ‘quiver’ with ‘Quiver’. Replaced ‘Weaponmastery with a bow’ with ‘Weaponmastery with Bow’. Replaced ‘combat, therefore’ with ‘combat; therefore’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘two weapons’ with ‘two Weapons’. Replaced ‘number of weapons’ with ‘number of Weapons’. Replaced ‘blindness and’ with ‘blindness, and’. Replaced ‘roots and’ with ‘roots, and’. Replaced ‘your list’ with ‘your Weaponmastery Checklist’. Removed ‘If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, you may add 3 to any number that you choose from the Random Number Table, when using the Bow.’. Added ‘You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.’ in harmony with the Collector's Edition. Added ‘It cannot be used to increase ENDURANCE points immediately prior to a combat.’ in harmony with the Collector's Edition.

(Rules for Combat) Replaced ‘reduced to zero’ with ‘reduced to zero or below’. Replaced ‘points reduced’ with ‘points possibly reduced’. Removed ‘on the inside back cover of this book’. Replaced ‘at which point the one with the zero score is declared dead.’ with ‘at which point that combatant is declared dead.’.

(Levels of Magnakai Training) Replaced ‘rank and titles’ with ‘ranks and titles’. Replaced ‘Lone Wolf Magnakai’ with ‘Lone Wolf Magnakai’.

(Improved Disciplines) Added the title ‘Primate’ to parallel later books. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Lone Wolf’ with ‘Lone Wolf’ when referring to the series. Replaced ‘will not be able’ with ‘is not able’. Replaced ‘skill will have’ with ‘skill have’. Replaced ‘skill will have a greatly increased agility and be’ with ‘skill have a greatly increased agility and are’.

(Magnakai Wisdom) Replaced ‘Lone Wolf’ with ‘Lone Wolf’ when referring to the series.

(1) Replaced ‘stormclouds’ with ‘storm clouds’. Replaced ‘transluscent’ with ‘translucent’. Replaced ‘air and’ with ‘air, and’. Replaced ‘Canal, and’ with ‘Canal and’. Replaced ‘connversation and’ with ‘conversation, and’. Replaced ‘powerful and’ with ‘powerful, and’. Replaced ‘landing and, within’ with ‘landing, and within’. Replaced ‘visible covering’ with ‘visible, covering’. Replaced ‘shimmering green’ with ‘shimmering, green’. Replaced ‘goodbyes and’ with ‘goodbyes, and’. Replaced ‘north-west’ with ‘northwest’. Replaced ‘Carcos range’ with ‘Carcos Range’. Replaced ‘chasm of Gorgoron’ with ‘Chasm of Gorgoron’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘sky-ship’ with ‘skyship’.

(2) Replaced ‘Kai’ with ‘Magnakai’. Replaced ‘tap it and’ with ‘tap it, and’.

(4) Replaced ‘persistance’ with ‘persistence’. Replaced ‘to bursting’ with ‘to the bursting’.

(7) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrows’ with ‘Arrows’. Replaced ‘discard your’ with ‘shoulder your’. Replaced ‘quiver’ with ‘Quiver’.

(10) Replaced ‘view and, for’ with ‘view, and for’.

(11) Replaced ‘black, iron portcullis’ with ‘black iron portcullis’. Moved the option to use Pathsmanship to the first position.

(12) Replaced ‘head and’ with ‘head, and’. Replaced ‘Lipo’ with ‘Lio’. Replaced ‘its entrance is partially’ with ‘its entrance partially’.

(13) Replaced ‘flatstones’ with ‘flagstones’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(14) Replaced ‘ugly bearded’ with ‘ugly, bearded’. Replaced ‘Sweetdreams’ with ‘Sweet dreams’. Replaced ‘icy-cold’ with ‘icy cold’.

(15) Replaced ‘points), and’ with ‘points) and’. Replaced ‘ceiling and floor’ with ‘ceiling, and floor’. Replaced ‘flasks and all manner’ with ‘flasks, and all manner’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘weapons’ with ‘Weapons’. Replaced ‘Platinum Amulet’ with ‘Kazan-Oud Platinum Amulet’ to disambiguate it from Platinum Amulets found later in the series that also protect against extremes of cold.

(16) Replaced ‘fall but’ with ‘fall, but’. Replaced ‘Lantern or’ with ‘Lantern, or’. Replaced ‘these Items’ with ‘these items’.

(18) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(19) Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(20) Replaced ‘sibilent’ with ‘sibilant’.

(22) Replaced ‘you but’ with ‘you, but’.

(23) Replaced ‘fortess’ with ‘fortress’. Replaced ‘long dead giant’ with ‘long-dead giant’.

(25) Replaced ‘silence, then’ with ‘silence, and then’.

(26) Replaced ‘Weaponskill’ with ‘Weaponmastery’.

(27) Replaced ‘intact and’ with ‘intact, and’. Replaced ‘cry and’ with ‘cry, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(28) Replaced ‘skull and’ with ‘skull, and’.

(30) Replaced ‘warm and, as’ with ‘warm, and as’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(31) Replaced ‘despatch’ with ‘dispatch’. Replaced ‘robes but, lying’ with ‘robes, but lying’. Replaced ‘use and’ with ‘use, and’. Replaced ‘chamber but, as’ with ‘chamber, but as’. Replaced ‘helmet, and’ with ‘helmet and’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’. Replaced ‘bow, or do’ with ‘Bow, or if you do’.

(32) Replaced ‘Action Chart) but’ with ‘Action Chart), but’. Replaced ‘click’ with ‘click’.

(34) Replaced ‘Animal Kinship’ with ‘Animal Control’. Replaced ‘click’ with ‘click’. Replaced ‘corridor, whose’ with ‘corridor whose’.

(35) Replaced ‘head, and’ with ‘head and’. Replaced ‘Magnakai rank’ with ‘Kai rank’ for consistency with the rest of the series.

(36) Replaced ‘staircase and’ with ‘staircase, and’.

(39) Replaced ‘louder but’ with ‘louder, but’.

(41) Replaced ‘warm but’ with ‘warm, but’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(43) Replaced ‘Boari jungle’ with ‘Boari Jungle’. Replaced ‘Boari jungle’ with ‘Boari Jungle’. Added ‘Record them as Sabito on your Action Chart.’ (cf. The Cauldron of Fear Section 29).

(44) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(45) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(46) Moved the Invisibility/Pathsmanship/Divination choice into the first position. Replaced ‘Pathsmanship or’ with ‘Pathsmanship, or’.

(47) Replaced ‘tracks, and’ with ‘tracks and’.

(48) Replaced ‘yards, when’ with ‘yards when’. Replaced ‘light and’ with ‘light, and’.

(49) Replaced ‘rock, when’ with ‘rock when’.

(50) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’. Replaced ‘Dropping’ with ‘Shouldering’.

(56) Replaced both occurrences of ‘beastmen’ with ‘Beastmen’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’. Replaced ‘Weapons List’ with ‘Special Items’ for clarity.

(57) Replaced ‘deeper but’ with ‘deeper, but’.

(58) Replaced ‘points.)’ with ‘points).’. Replaced ‘presence but’ with ‘presence, but’.

(60) Replaced ‘arm and’ with ‘arm, and’. Replaced ‘this Item’ with ‘this item’. Replaced ‘have a Vial of Blue Pills’ with ‘possess some Sabito’.

(61) Replaced ‘ceilings and scrambling’ with ‘ceilings, and scrambling’.

(63) Replaced ‘chamber, but’ with ‘chamber but’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(64) Replaced ‘deep and’ with ‘deep, and’.

(65) Replaced ‘Kai initiate’ with ‘Kai Initiate’. Replaced ‘Durncrag mountains’ with ‘Durncrag Mountains’.

(66) Replaced the second choice ‘If you do not have a sword, you will have to abandon the door. Only the statue offers any hope of escape for you; turn to 168.’ with ‘If you do not have a sword, turn to 263.’. Section 168 offers basically the same choice and is only forestalling the impending outcome in Section 263.

(67) Replaced ‘glowing sticky’ with ‘glowing, sticky’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’. Replaced ‘click’ with ‘click’.

(68) Replaced ‘unremarkable but’ with ‘unremarkable, but’. Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(69) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(70) Replaced ‘beach turn to 173’ with ‘beach, turn to 173’. Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(71) Replaced ‘ceiling and’ with ‘ceiling, and’.

(72) Replaced ‘tunic but’ with ‘tunic, but’. Also deleted the ‘(lose 2 ENDURANCE points)’ since Nexus is supposed to prevent or reduce ENDURANCE loss — not induce it. Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(73) Replaced ‘Kakush’ with ‘Kakushi’.

(74) Replaced ‘Kazan-Oud, they’ with ‘Kazan-Oud; they’.

(75) Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(76) Replaced ‘dagger and’ with ‘dagger, and’. Added ‘or any two-handed weapon (i.e. Broadsword, Spear, Quarterstaff)’ (cf. The Dungeons of Torgar Section 304).

(77) Replaced ‘than can sustain’ with ‘that can sustain’.

(78) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(79) Replaced ‘scream but’ with ‘scream, but’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(80) Replaced ‘these Items’ with ‘these items’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’.

(81) Replaced ‘crossbow but’ with ‘crossbow, but’.

(82) Replaced ‘lake and’ with ‘lake, and’. Replaced ‘wall and’ with ‘wall, and’. Replaced ‘storm but’ with ‘storm, but’.

(84) Replaced ‘legs the’ with ‘legs, the’.

(85) Replaced ‘feet and’ with ‘feet, and’. Replaced ‘climb your’ with ‘climb, your’.

(88) Moved the Nexus choice into the first position.

(89) Replaced ‘subjectd’ with ‘subjected’. Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(90) Replaced ‘touch and’ with ‘touch, and’. Replaced ‘that Magnakai’ with ‘the Magnakai’. Replaced ‘skill or’ with ‘skill nor’. Replaced ‘Platinum Amulet’ with ‘Kazan-Oud Platinum Amulet’. Replaced ‘Nexus, or’ with ‘Nexus or’.

(92) Replaced ‘side and’ with ‘side, and’. Replaced ‘screams and sounds’ with ‘screams, and sounds’.

(93) Replaced ‘difficult that’ with ‘difficult than’. Replaced ‘Sticky rope-like’ with ‘Sticky, rope-like’.

(95) Replaced ‘Then gurgling’ with ‘Then, gurgling’. Replaced ‘The warrior beings’ with ‘The warrior begins’.

(96) Replaced ‘mouth and’ with ‘mouth, and’. Replaced ‘new-found’ with ‘newfound’.

(100) Replaced ‘wall but’ with ‘wall, but’. Replaced ‘ceiling and’ with ‘ceiling, and’. Replaced ‘has, and’ with ‘has and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(102) Replaced ‘accord and’ with ‘accord, and’.

(104) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(105) Replaced ‘Elzian, he’ with ‘Elzian,’ he’.

(107) Replaced ‘hand but’ with ‘hand, but’. Replaced ‘envelopes’ with ‘envelops’. Replaced ‘air-tight’ with ‘airtight’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’.

(110) Replaced ‘open and’ with ‘open, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(111) Replaced ‘dim diffused’ with ‘dim, diffused’. Replaced ‘Crowns and your’ with ‘Crowns, and your’.

(112) Replaced ‘pieces, and’ with ‘pieces and’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(113) Replaced ‘sleep and’ with ‘sleep, and’.

(115) Replaced ‘Locksmith's’ with ‘Locksmiths'’.

(117) Replaced ‘despatch’ with ‘dispatch’. Replaced ‘skill, or do’ with ‘skill, or if you do’.

(118) Replaced ‘you and, as’ with ‘you, and as’. Replaced ‘new-found’ with ‘newfound’.

(119) Replaced ‘sight but’ with ‘sight, but’.

(120) Replaced ‘atttack’ with ‘attack’. Moved the Nexus choice into the first position.

(122) Replaced ‘rockwall’ with ‘rock wall’. Replaced ‘itself everywhere’ with ‘itself; everywhere’. Replaced ‘away and’ with ‘away, and’. Replaced ‘aboard and’ with ‘aboard, and’. Replaced ‘Inside is a small wicker coracle and a paddle’ with ‘Inside are a small wicker coracle and a paddle’.

(123) Replaced ‘strong iron-shod’ with ‘strong, iron-shod’. Replaced ‘click’ with ‘click’.

(127) Replaced ‘wind, whistles’ with ‘wind whistles’.

(129) Replaced ‘(ie,’ with ‘(i.e.’.

(130) Replaced ‘slimy worm-like’ with ‘slimy, worm-like’. Replaced ‘minutes and, when’ with ‘minutes, and when’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(131) Replaced ‘choice, and’ with ‘choice and’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘weapon’ with ‘Weapon’. Replaced ‘Item from’ with ‘item from’.

(132) Replaced ‘click’ with ‘click’.

(133) Replaced ‘northlander’ with ‘Northlander’.

(135) Replaced ‘green forked’ with ‘green, forked’. Replaced ‘Kazan-Oud and, for’ with ‘Kazan-Oud, and for’. Replaced ‘lightning and’ with ‘lightning, and’. Replaced ‘dock but’ with ‘dock, but’. Moved the Divination choice into the first position.

(137) Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(138) Replaced ‘heard and’ with ‘heard, and’. Replaced ‘Kai Lord’ with ‘Kai Lord!’.

(139) Replaced ‘undisturbed, not’ with ‘undisturbed: not’. Replaced ‘worms and snakes, denizens common to every subterranean lair, have’ with ‘worms, and snakes — denizens common to every subterranean lair — have’.

(141) Replaced ‘go but, as’ with ‘go, but as’. Replaced ‘mace but’ with ‘mace, but’. Moved the Lore-circle of the Spirit choice into the first position.

(142) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘If the fight lasts’ with ‘If you win and the fight lasts’ in harmony with the Collector's Edition.

(145) Replaced ‘hole and’ with ‘hole, and’.

(146) Replaced ‘face, and’ with ‘face and’.

(148) Replaced ‘warm and’ with ‘warm, and’. Capitalized the list of items rather than setting them in all capitals. Replaced ‘these Items’ with ‘these items’. Replaced ‘several Items’ with ‘several items’. Replaced ‘drawbolt’ with ‘bolt’.

(149) Replaced ‘abyss and’ with ‘abyss, and’.

(150) Replaced ‘with the’ with ‘with, the’. Replaced ‘Nexus, and’ with ‘Nexus and’.

(151) Replaced ‘skins they’ with ‘skins, they’. Replaced ‘return of the skull.’ with ‘return of the skull:’.

(152) Replaced ‘walkway and’ with ‘walkway, and’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(153) Moved the Divination choice into the first position.

(156) Replaced ‘blood-stained’ with ‘bloodstained’.

(158) Replaced ‘backpack and’ with ‘Backpack, and’. Replaced ‘boulder and’ with ‘boulder, and’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’.

(159) Replaced ‘deserted and’ with ‘deserted, and’. Replaced ‘beam but’ with ‘beam, but’.

(160) Replaced ‘icy-cold’ with ‘icy cold’. Replaced ‘your realize’ with ‘you realize’.

(161) Moved the Pathsmanship choice into the first position.

(162) Moved the Pathsmanship/Divination choice into the first position. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(164) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘skulls and several’ with ‘skulls, and several’. Replaced ‘cruel inhuman’ with ‘cruel, inhuman’.

(165) Replaced ‘laughter and’ with ‘laughter, and’. Replaced ‘distance and’ with ‘distance, and’. Replaced ‘fever but’ with ‘fever, but’. Replaced ‘two and’ with ‘two, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(168) Replaced ‘sword or a spear’ with ‘Sword or a Spear’.

(171) Replaced ‘others and’ with ‘others, and’. Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(173) Replaced ‘narrow and, as’ with ‘narrow, and as’. Moved the Divination choice into the first position.

(174) Replaced ‘staff but’ with ‘staff, but’. Replaced ‘DIE!’ with ‘die!’.

(175) Replaced ‘number have’ with ‘number you have’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(177) Replaced ‘lake splitting’ with ‘lake, splitting’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(179) Replaced ‘discipline’ with ‘Discipline’. Replaced ‘Psi-shield’ with ‘Psi-screen’.

(181) Replaced ‘life and’ with ‘life, and’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘The torch splutters’ with ‘The torch sputters’.

(184) Replaced ‘discipline’ with ‘Discipline’. Replaced ‘have a Vial of Blue Pills’ with ‘possess some Sabito’.

(185) Replaced ‘run you’ with ‘run, you’.

(186) Replaced ‘human but’ with ‘human, but’. Replaced ‘spear’ with ‘Spear’. Replaced ‘blow but’ with ‘blow, but’. Replaced ‘battle wounds’ with ‘battle-wounds’.

(187) Moved the Divination choice into the first position. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(188) Replaced ‘burst; your’ with ‘burst, your’. Replaced ‘roof and’ with ‘roof, and’.

(194) Replaced ‘brighter and, for’ with ‘brighter, and for’.

(195) Replaced ‘you and, in’ with ‘you, and in’.

(196) Replaced ‘lake and’ with ‘lake, and’. Replaced ‘weapon, as’ with ‘weapon as’. Replaced ‘bow and’ with ‘Bow and’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(197) Replaced ‘helmet, and’ with ‘helmet and’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘bow, or’ with ‘Bow, or if you’.

(198) Replaced ‘more you’ with ‘more, you’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(199) Replaced ‘chain-mail’ with ‘chainmail’. Replaced ‘his Backpack’ with ‘his backpack’. Replaced ‘Kakush’ with ‘Kakushi’.

(200) Replaced ‘crumbling and’ with ‘crumbling, and’.

(201) Replaced ‘wall but’ with ‘wall, but’.

(202) Replaced ‘crow and’ with ‘crow, and’.

(203) Replaced ‘rope and’ with ‘rope, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(204) Replaced ‘take but, as’ with ‘take, but as’.

(205) Replaced ‘discipline and’ with ‘Discipline, and’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(206) Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(209) Replaced all occurrences of ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(210) Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(212) Replaced ‘comrade-in-arms, and’ with ‘comrade-in-arms and’.

(214) Replaced ‘resistance’ with ‘RESISTANCE’.

(216) Replaced ‘ears, and’ with ‘ears and’. Replaced ‘spindly limbed’ with ‘spindly-limbed’.

(217) Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’. Replaced ‘spluttering fuse’ with ‘sputtering fuse’.

(218) Replaced ‘bang’ with ‘bang’.

(219) Replaced ‘feet and’ with ‘feet, and’.

(220) Replaced ‘new-found’ with ‘newfound’. Replaced ‘despatch’ with ‘dispatch’.

(221) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(222) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(223) Replaced ‘eyes and’ with ‘eyes, and’. Replaced ‘Turn to 164’ with ‘Turn to 165’. All other paths leading to Section 164 came through Section 277 which involves falling into a pit. All paths leading to Section 165 involved getting ensnared in a booby trap similar to the trap in Section 223.

(225) Replaced ‘Weaponskill’ with ‘Weaponmastery’. Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(227) Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’.

(228) Replaced ‘blow and’ with ‘blow, and’. Moved the Pathsmanship choice into the first position.

(229) Replaced ‘darkness makes’ with ‘darkness, make’.

(232) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(234) Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’.

(235) Replaced ‘fast but’ with ‘fast, but’.

(236) Replaced ‘spear’ with ‘Spear’. Replaced ‘broadsword’ with ‘Broadsword’. Moved the Pathsmanship choice into the first position.

(238) Capitalized the list rather than setting them in all capital letters. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’.

(239) Replaced ‘earth and instinctively,’ with ‘earth, and instinctively’. Moved the Pathsmanship choice into the first position.

(244) Replaced ‘flood-next’ with ‘flood — next’.

(245) Replaced ‘eyes and’ with ‘eyes, and’.

(246) Replaced ‘spluttering fuse’ with ‘sputtering fuse’.

(248) Replaced ‘staircase, and’ with ‘staircase and’. Moved the Pathsmanship/Divination choice into the first position.

(249) Replaced ‘hands and’ with ‘hands, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(250) Replaced ‘Herdos and’ with ‘Herdos, and’. Replaced ‘level, and’ with ‘level and’. Moved the Pathsmanship/Divination choice into the first position. Replaced ‘new-found’ with ‘newfound’. Replaced ‘guards and his’ with ‘guards, and his’.

(252) Replaced ‘now and’ with ‘now, and’.

(253) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(255) Replaced ‘trunk and, after’ with ‘trunk, and after’. Replaced ‘Kai mastery’ with ‘Kai Mastery’. Replaced ‘5–8’ with ‘3–8’.

(256) Replaced ‘spine and, to’ with ‘spine, and to’.

(257) Replaced ‘Blanket or a Red Robe’ with ‘Blanket, a Red Robe, or a Towel’.

(258) Replaced ‘advance but’ with ‘advance, but’. Replaced ‘darkness and’ with ‘darkness, and’. Replaced ‘turn to 186’ with ‘turn to 289’. Note that we chose Section 289 instead of Section 49 as noted in Lone Wolf Club Newsletter Summer Special 1987. Replaced ‘these Items, and’ with ‘these items and’.

(260) Replaced ‘decay and, to’ with ‘decay, and to’. Replaced ‘Items’ with ‘items’.

(261) Replaced ‘deserted but’ with ‘deserted, but’. Replaced ‘these Items’ with ‘these items’.

(262) Replaced ‘locked but’ with ‘locked, but’. Replaced ‘these Items’ with ‘these items’. Replaced ‘crates and dusty’ with ‘crates, and dusty’.

(265) Replaced ‘sand and’ with ‘sand, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘Psi-surge, and’ with ‘Psi-surge and’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.

(266) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(267) Replaced ‘rests, and’ with ‘rests and’. Replaced ‘new-found’ with ‘newfound’.

(269) Replaced ‘heavy and’ with ‘heavy, and’. Replaced ‘exit; a’ with ‘exit. A’.

(270) Replaced ‘statue and’ with ‘statue, and’.

(272) Replaced ‘end and’ with ‘end, and’.

(273) Replaced ‘power-staves and’ with ‘power-staves, and’.

(274) Replaced ‘rivets or hinges’ with ‘rivets, or hinges’.

(276) Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’. Replaced ‘arrow’ with ‘Arrow’.

(280) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘to zero in’ with ‘to zero or below in’. Replaced ‘If combat lasts four rounds’ with ‘If you win the combat in four rounds’ in harmony with the Collector's Edition.

(282) Replaced ‘turn to 173’ with ‘turn to 273’.

(283) Replaced ‘legs and hands’ with ‘legs, and hands’.

(286) Replaced ‘open and’ with ‘open, and’. Replaced ‘head first’ with ‘head-first’. Replaced ‘mist and’ with ‘mist, and’. Replaced ‘semi-circular’ with ‘semicircular’. Replaced ‘darkness and’ with ‘darkness, and’.

(287) Replaced ‘ahead but’ with ‘ahead, but’.

(288) Replaced ‘floors lay open’ with ‘floors lie open’.

(290) Replaced ‘combat for’ with ‘combat, for’. Replaced ‘new-found’ with ‘newfound’.

(293) Replaced ‘storm adds to’ with ‘storm add to’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(294) Moved the Pathsmanship choice into the first position. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(295) Replaced ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(296) Replaced ‘body and’ with ‘body, and’.

(298) Replaced ‘them and’ with ‘them, and’.

(299) Replaced ‘fingers and’ with ‘fingers, and’.

(300) Replaced ‘terror but’ with ‘terror, but’.

(304) Replaced ‘presence but’ with ‘presence, but’.

(306) Replaced ‘discipline’ with ‘Discipline’. Added a paragraph break before ‘When you think’.

(308) Replaced ‘prowess and’ with ‘prowess, and’. Moved the Nexus choice into the first position.

(309) Replaced ‘can but’ with ‘can, but’.

(311) Replaced ‘cracks but’ with ‘cracks, but’.

(312) Replaced ‘click and’ with ‘click, and’.

(313) Removed the instruction to choose an unused random number.

(314) Replaced ‘discipline’ with ‘Discipline’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(315) Replaced ‘rapidly and’ with ‘rapidly, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘climb and’ with ‘climb, and’.

(316) Replaced ‘simultaneously and’ with ‘simultaneously, and’.

(317) Replaced ‘spluttering fuse’ with ‘sputtering fuse’.

(318) Replaced ‘right and’ with ‘right, and’. Replaced ‘ahead, and’ with ‘ahead and’.

(322) Replaced ‘maze but’ with ‘maze, but’.

(323) Replaced ‘end and’ with ‘end, and’.

(325) Replaced ‘mouth and’ with ‘mouth, and’. Replaced ‘icy-cold’ with ‘icy cold’.

(328) Replaced ‘Weaponskill’ with ‘Weaponmastery’. Replaced all occurrences of ‘bow’ with ‘Bow’.

(329) Replaced ‘mind but, try’ with ‘mind, but try’.

(333) Moved the Pathsmanship choice into the first position. Replaced ‘wind, then’ with ‘wind, and then’.

(335) Replaced ‘hunch-backed’ with ‘hunchbacked’. Replaced ‘all weapons’ with ‘all Weapons’. Replaced ‘eye, then’ with ‘eye, and then’.

(336) Replaced ‘knees but’ with ‘knees, but’. Replaced ‘air and’ with ‘air, and’. Replaced ‘the pack are’ with ‘the pack is’.

(339) Replaced ‘sword and’ with ‘sword, and’.

(341) Replaced ‘brighter and’ with ‘brighter, and’. Replaced ‘glow and’ with ‘glow, and’.

(342) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.

(344) Replaced ‘presence but’ with ‘presence, but’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.

(346) Replaced ‘sound but’ with ‘sound, but’.

(347) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘whistle’ with ‘Whistle’.

(348) Replaced ‘light and’ with ‘light, and’. Replaced ‘Lantern or a Torch’ with ‘Lantern, or a Torch’. Replaced ‘these Items’ with ‘these items’.

(349) Replaced ‘corridor the’ with ‘corridor, the’. Replaced ‘back but’ with ‘back, but’. Replaced ‘maze and’ with ‘maze, and’.

(350) Replaced ‘trumpeteers’ with ‘trumpeters’. Replaced ‘caravel and’ with ‘caravel, and’. Replaced ‘impossible and’ with ‘impossible, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘Lone Wolf series’ with ‘ Lone Wolf series’.

(Combat Rules Summary) Replaced ‘cross reference’ with ‘cross-reference’. Replaced ‘top of chart’ with ‘top of the chart’. Replaced ‘fall to 0’ with ‘falls to 0 or below’. Replaced ‘Kai Disciplines’ with ‘Magnakai Disciplines’. Replaced ‘Pick number from’ with ‘Pick a number from the’. Replaced ‘Turn to Combat’ with ‘Turn to the Combat’. Replaced ‘to random number’ with ‘to the random number’. Replaced ‘when ENDURANCE’ with ‘when the ENDURANCE’. Replaced ‘ignored, only’ with ‘ignored; only’.

Footnotes

[1] (Equipment) The Lantern is designed to be self-lighting. You will not need a Tinderbox or any other means of creating a flame to light it.

[2] (Section 11) For those who cannot use the illustration of the plaque or those who don't have access to it, we offer the following description.

The plaque can be formed in the following way. A regular hexagon (i.e. a six-sided shape with all sides of equal length and all angles equal) is divided into six equal triangles by three lines which extend from each corner to its opposite (i.e. one line for each of three pairs of opposite corners). A larger triangle is formed from the hexagon by placing three triangles (of the same size and shape as the triangles in the hexagon) next to three alternating sides of the hexagon (i.e. if the sides of the hexagon are numbered 1–6, then the sides of the triangles should be attached to sides 2, 4, and 6).

Alternately, the plaque could be formed from equilateral triangles (i.e. triangles with three equal sides) in the following way. A single triangle is placed on the plaque with one of its corners pointing down. Three new triangles are attached to the sides of the first triangle. The result so far should resemble a large triangle with one corner pointing up. Two more small triangles (pointing down) are attached to the bottom of this large triangle. Finally, three new triangles (pointing up) are attached to the latest two so that, all together, the plaque forms one large triangle.

The final, triangular plaque has five interlocking rows of small triangles. Starting from the top, it has a row of one triangle pointing up, a row of one triangle pointing down, a row of two triangles pointing up, a row of two triangles pointing down, and a row of three triangles pointing up.

[3] (Section 13) This section is the correct answer to the dial problem from Section 306.

[4] (Section 27) You may decide to add a +5 bonus to your COMBAT SKILL if you are using the Jewelled Mace (cf. Shadow on the Sand Section 253).

[5] (Section 34) This section is the correct answer to the Zakhan's riddle from Section 100.

[6] (Section 100) The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.

[7] (Section 137) If you have any Arrows in your Quiver, they have fallen out in your fall, and you must erase them from your Action Chart (cf. Section 7).

[8] (Section 148) You may not carry the Helmet at the same time as the Silver Helm, if you have it.

[9] (Section 214) It is unclear, but you may be able to use the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge to aid you in this fight (cf. The Kingdoms of Terror Section 259).

[10] (Section 263) If you have used some Sabito recently, their effects have worn off after being submerged for too long.

[11] (Section 301) If you still have any Arrows in your Quiver, they have fallen out in your fall, and you must erase them from your Action Chart. (cf. Section 7).

[12] (Section 306) The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.

[13] (Section 335) Lone Wolf Club Newsletter No.6 clarifies: ‘In Book 2 [Section] 79, it states that in order to release the power of the Sommerswerd, only a Kai Lord should wield it. Should it be used in combat by anyone who is not a Kai Lord, its power will fade and be lost forever. The Dwarf in Castle Death did not use the Sommerswerd in combat, and therefore its power has not been diminished as a result.’

Table of Illustrations

The following is a list of all Sections containing illustrations found in this book:Primary Illustrations

Illustration I (Section 13)

Illustration II (Section 27)

Illustration III (Section 45)

Illustration IV (Section 63)

Illustration V (Section 78)

Illustration VI (Section 100)

Illustration VII (Section 110)

Illustration VIII (Section 142)

Illustration IX (Section 164)

Illustration X (Section 165)

Illustration XI (Section 198)

Illustration XII (Section 203)

Illustration XIII (Section 221)

Illustration XIV (Section 249)

Illustration XV (Section 265)

Illustration XVI (Section 280)

Illustration XVII (Section 293)

Illustration XVIII (Section 315)

Illustration XIX (Section 342)

Illustration XX (Section 350)

The Magiocracy of Dessi

Action ChartSecondary Illustrations

Magnakai Disciplines

Equipment

Section 3

Section 9

Section 11

Section 33

Section 127

Section 131

Section 145

Section 151

Section 178

Section 220

Section 224

Section 286

Section 336

Section 349

Project Aon License

21 August 20090. Preamble

Joe Dever, author of the Lone Wolf game books, and Ian Page, author of the World of Lone Wolf books are providing certain of their works for free (gratis) download from the internet. Rob Adams, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Trevor Newton, Peter Parr, Graham Round, and Brian Williams are similarly offering the illustrations that they did for these books. This license is intended to protect the rights of the authors and the illustrators, grant rights to their readers, and preserve the quality of the books distributed in this way.

By viewing or downloading the books or the illustrations, you agree to refrain from redistributing them in any format for any reason. This is intended to protect readers from getting poor quality, unofficial versions or from being asked for payment in exchange for the books by someone who is redistributing them unofficially.

Anyone who wishes to simply view or download the Internet Editions for their own personal use need not worry about running afoul of the terms of this License. These activities are within acceptable behaviour as defined by this License.

This section does not contain the legally binding terms of this license. Please read the precise terms and conditions of this license that follow.

The current version of this license can be found at the following URL:

http://www.projectaon.org/en/Main/License1. Definitions1.0

‘License’ shall hereafter refer to this document.1.1

‘Authors’ shall hereafter refer to Joe Dever, Ian Page, and Gary Chalk, copyright holders for the literary works covered by this license. Where Joe Dever, Ian Page, or Gary Chalk is mentioned singly, they will be referred to by name.1.2

‘Illustrators’ shall hereafter refer to Rob Adams, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; Paul Bonner, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of the World of Lone Wolf books; Gary Chalk, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of Lone Wolf books one through eight counted inclusively, holder of the copyrights of portions of The Magnamund Companion, and holder of the copyrights for The Lone Wolf Poster Painting Book; Melvyn Grant, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of Freeway Warrior 1: Highway Holocaust; Richard Hook, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; Peter Andrew Jones, copyright holder for the illustrations used in the Lone Wolf 10th Anniversary Calendar; Cyril Julien, copyright holder of portions of The Skull of Agarash; Peter Lyon, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; Trevor Newton, copyright holder of the illustrations of Voyage of the Moonstone; Peter Parr, copyright holder of the illustrations of Black Baron and White Warlord, Emerald Enchanter and Scarlet Sorcerer; Graham Round, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; and Brian Williams, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of Lone Wolf books nine through twenty-eight counted inclusively with the exception of the illustrations for book twenty-one, The Voyage of the Moonstone, holder of the copyrights of portions of The Skull of Agarash, and holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of books two through four, counted inclusively, of the Freeway Warrior series. Where Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Trevor Newton, Peter Parr Graham Round, or Brian Williams is mentioned singly, they will be referred to by name.1.3

‘Internet’ shall hereafter refer to any means of transferring information electronically between two or more ‘Licensees’. (The term ‘Licensee’ is defined in Section 1.5 of the License)1.4

‘Internet Editions’ shall hereafter refer to the document or documents, any parts thereof or derivative works thereof (including translations) made available to the public under the terms of this License via the Internet. The term ‘Internet Editions’ is limited to the electronic transcription of certain text and illustrations by the Authors and Illustrators respectively as listed hereafter.

The following are the works written by Joe Dever which are being offered in English and Spanish under the terms of this license:

Flight from the Dark;