The Kingdoms of Terror

by Joe Dever

  Backstabber: COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 22

  If you win the combat, turn to 88.

  115

  The startled guard dives aside as you spur your horse straight for him. You find that the gatehouse arch opens onto a cobblestoned square, but the only exit is blocked by the wagon and merchant caravan. A dozen guards, dressed in the green and black tunics of the town watch, are checking their cargoes. As you burst from the shadows of the gatehouse arch, they see you and cry in unison: ‘Tollbreaker! Tollbreaker!’

  If you wish to rein in your horse and prepare to fight the town watch, turn to 248.

  If you wish to attempt to jump over the wagons and escape into the shadows of the winding street ahead, turn to 72.

  116

  Suddenly, the door bursts open and in lopes a ravenous warhound. ‘Supper time, Goregasher!’ cries the Kloon, gleefully, as the slavering hound leaps at your throat.

  Illustration VIII—‘Supper time, Goregasher!’ cries the Kloon gleefully.

  Ravenous Warhound: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 25

  You may evade this attack in the first round of combat only, by running from the room and escaping down the stairs to the street.

  If you wish to evade combat, turn to 105.

  If you win the fight, turn to 193.

  117

  Using your Magnakai Discipline, you examine both the hill path and the highway for recent tracks. To your surprise you discover that neither route has been used by horsemen in the last three hours. It can mean only one thing — the riders are hiding somewhere in the village.

  If you wish to ride back into the village, turn to 52.

  If you wish to hide in the trees and wait for the riders to show themselves, turn to 74.

  118

  You sleep soundly and then rise an hour after dawn, clear-headed and eager to continue your ride. The morning news from the south is that the mountain highway to Rhem is impassable; an avalanche has destroyed all traces of the road near Mount Navalyn, and it will be many weeks before the rubble is cleared and the road rebuilt. This leaves you with only one choice — you must take the valley road through Amory and the Forest of Eula.

  You gather together your equipment and set off without delay. If you are to reach Amory by sunset, you will need to ride at great speed and without a break.

  Turn to 96.

  119

  Cyrilus' eyes open with such surprise that you can see the startled whites around his mousy-brown pupils. ‘Lone Wolf,’ he whispers, incredulously, ‘I should have known. Humble apologies, my lord. I thought that you sought the Lorestone for less than honourable reasons.’

  Cyrilus talks at great length about the legend of the Lorestone. You learn that it remained in Varetta after Sun Eagle's quest, where it was set into the throne of Lyris in the Tower of the King. Hundreds of years ago, during the War of the Lorestone, it was stolen by a Salonese prince called Kaskor. He set the stone upon a gold sceptre and used it in battle to inspire his fanatical followers and crush his foes. He believed it made him invulnerable, but this was not so — he was killed on his royal barge during a battle at Rhem, and the Lorestone was lost when the gold sceptre fell from his hand into the depths of the River Storn. There were many accounts of the sceptre having been found, but they had always proved to be untrue or simply fanciful. It was said that whoever wielded the Lorestone was the rightful ruler of all the Stornlands. For this reason alone it was often sought by evil or unscrupulous warlords, and many had pursued the quest, all without success.

  Cyrilus does not know where the Lorestone is, but he does know a man in Varetta who claims to know its exact whereabouts. ‘Let me ride with you to Varetta; in return for the privilege I shall take you to this man.’ Your basic Kai instincts tell you his offer is genuine. You nod your agreement and arrange to meet him in the tavern courtyard at dawn.

  Turn to 5.

  120

  Less than fifty yards along the channel, another passage joins the main flow from the right.

  If you wish to investigate this new passage, turn to 339.

  If you wish to press on along the main course, turn to 140.

  121

  The shop is filled with a fascinating collection of stuffed creatures, each one in a life-like pose and displayed in a realistic setting. A two-headed wolf stands guard at the entrance to a cave, a baknar lies on a snowy ledge, and a desert ganthi drinks its fill from a sculptured oasis of sandstone and toa trees.

  You are examining the beautifully preserved head of an Itikar when you hear a soft, cultivated voice behind you.

  ‘Good evening, sir. Welcome to my establishment.’

  A tall, aristocratic man dressed in a richly embroidered robe steps forward and bows. He is clearly impressed by your interest in his work and offers to conduct you on a brief tour of his shop.

  If you wish to see more of the fascinating taxidermy, turn to 345.

  If you wish to decline his generous offer and leave the shop, turn to 149.

  122

  Your senses warn you that a steep drop lies beyond the breach in the castle wall. If you were to run that way, you could be heading for your doom.

  If you wish to ignore your instincts and climb through the hole in the castle wall, turn to 217.

  If you wish to run down the stairs towards the iron gate, turn to 169.

  123

  A handful of Alether Berries costs 3 Gold Crowns. If you swallow them before a fight, they will increase your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of the fight. You may purchase up to 3 handfuls of Alether Berries. Each handful counts as one Backpack Item, but you cannot swallow more than one handful during any one combat.

  When you have concluded your purchases, you remount your horse and leave the village.

  Turn to 100.

  124

  The city is choked with people: mercenaries from the north and west, weapon merchants from the east, and ragged refugees from the war-torn south. The captain orders his men to sleep aboard the Kazonara this night, forbidding them to go ashore, for Prince Balonn of Rioma and his mercenary knights are encamped inside the city wall. A bitter and long-standing rivalry exists between the two companies, and the captain wisely wishes to avoid any confrontation.

  Rumour has it that a number of the Stornlands' most powerful princes are gathered in Rhem to plot the defeat of the Slovians. However, the captain believes it is more likely that the robber-barons are conspiring against each other to steal the riches of Tekaro for themselves.

  You set sail at first light, bidding farewell to the slender twin-towers of the Rhem citadel, which overshadows the city quay. The Storn flows southwards through steep-sided fields of vines, arranged in endless straight rows like the waves of a green sea. The weather is warm, and you spend the day on deck watching the traffic of refugees heading north along a highway and the strange gigantic toads, the sloats, at work, pulling riverboats and barges upstream.

  It is late afternoon when you sight the town of Eula in the distance. You saddle your horse and shoulder your equipment as the Kazonara berths at the town's wooden pier.

  If you purchased a Riverboat Ticket for the riverboat at Soren, turn to 59.

  If you do not have a Riverboat Ticket, turn to 290.

  125

  The soldiers are swilling ale and reminiscing about their campaigns with wild exaggeration. They are brash and loud, but an uneasy silence quickly falls when they see you approach. You notice that their hands are no longer grasping mugs of ale; they now rest upon the hilts of their heavy-bladed swords.

  If you decide to offer to buy them a drink, turn to 30.

  If you wish to ask permission to join them, turn to 260.

  If you choose to ignore them and would rather take a seat elsewhere and order some food, turn to 172.

  126

  Arrows sweep across the river as the captain draws the company into line at the approach to the Tekaro Bridge. The burnt-out hulks of siege towers and the bodies of dead soldiers lie str
ewn in heaps before the battered city gate. The fortified gatehouse bristles with archers, and the setting sun glints on the cauldrons of boiling oil and molten lead mounted on top of the battlements.

  ‘Charge!’ screams the captain, and suddenly you are swept up and carried across the bridge by a frenzied wave of horsemen.

  Thirty yards from the gate, the archers open fire. Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–3, turn to 244.

  If the number you have picked is 4–6, turn to 29.

  If the number you have picked is 7–9, turn to 150.

  127

  The door clicks shut behind you. It takes a few seconds for your eyes to grow accustomed to the dimly lit interior, but the room appears to be the antechamber of a larger hall. Following the faint sound of voices, you pass through an archway, along a corridor, and into the main hall. Gathered about a circular table of gleaming steel, a group of elderly men are poring over books, star charts, and astral maps, engrossed in discussion. Globes of blue-white fire hang motionless in the air above them to illuminate their work. The old men do not see you until you are close to their steel table. Their reaction to your sudden appearance is astonishing — they look as though they have seen a ghost. There are yelps of shock and startled expressions; sweat forms on their brows. The sight is too much for one old man, who swoons and faints, falling limply across his books and maps. Only one man remains calm and collected.

  Illustration IX—The elderly men are poring over their books and star charts.

  If you have ever visited a hut on Raider's Road in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, turn to 233.

  If you have never been to this place, turn to 6.

  128

  Blood is pounding in your ears as you hear the approaching Yawshath splashing through the ankle-deep slime of the passage floor. Hideous laughter echoes from all sides, building up in a deafening crescendo. Suddenly, you realize the awful truth — there are in fact two Yawshaths. You have unwittingly entered their lair, and now they have you trapped. You fight valiantly, but in the dark and fetid confines of the Yawshaths' den, the creatures overwhelm you and tear you to pieces.

  Your quest and your life end here.

  129

  Suddenly, all hell breaks loose. Alarm bells ring, gruff voices bellow and scream and the crunching of boots on stone echoes round the town. A troop of soldiers surround you, their faces twisted and unnatural in the glare of their flaming torches. Your senses have been dulled by fatigue, and you are dragged from the saddle and disarmed before you have had a chance to react. Cold iron chains are wound tightly around your arms and body, and you are roughly pushed into a grey stone gaol. A wave of terror engulfs you as you catch a fleeting glimpse of a poster pasted to the gaol door. You see your own face before you; beneath it is written: ‘Death sentence — by order of Lord Roark, Highborn of Amory.’

  Within the hour, your head is resting upon the executioner's block. As the razor-sharp blade of a two-handed axe whistles towards your neck, the last sound you hear is the malicious and vengeful laugh of the young lordling.

  Your life and your quest end here.

  130

  When they realize who you are, their suspicion vanishes to be replaced by respect; your reputation, it seems, has spread far beyond the borders of your northern home. Eagerly, the three men offer you a seat and call for a fresh round of ales at their expense. They are clearly honoured by your company and keen to press you about your exploits. You try to answer their barrage of questions with polite caution, taking care not to reveal the precise nature of your quest. However, despite their surly features and rough manner, you sense that these men are genuinely friendly.

  Turn to 230.

  131

  Your keen eyesight enables you to make out a line of dark shapes in front of the ship. It is a line of logs chained together: a boom lying directly in the path of the riverboat. Instantly you recognize the danger and rush to the bridge to warn the helmsman.

  ‘Look out! There's a boom across the river!’

  Desperately, he spins the ship's wheel, but it is too late to avoid a collision. The screech of twisted metal and splintering wood tears through the silence as the Kazonara swings broadside-on into the chained logs. You brace yourself and hang on tightly as the boat lurches and rocks back and forth.

  Turn to 224.

  132

  You recognize the small, flat-faced man: he was the umpire of the archery tournament. He asks you what is troubling you, and you explain your sorry predicament.

  ‘I'm sure we can find a solution to your problem,’ he says, obviously relishing the thought of profiting by your misfortune. He will accept either 2 Special Items or 20 Gold Crowns in exchange for his horse.

  If you agree to his proposal, turn to 212.

  If you cannot, or do not wish to, agree to his proposal, turn to 176.

  133

  ‘You're looking at the “Hell-hole”,’ says an Ogron. ‘When the siege began, Prince Ewevin sent ten humans in there to find out where it leads. When they never came back he sent ten Ogrons in. Ain't seen none of 'em since!’

  Another Ogron, who is splitting a log with his bare hands, overhears the conversation. ‘We've heard noises in the “Hell-hole” late at night,’ he says slyly, ‘horrible noises.’ He draws a fat finger across his blue-black throat before returning to his work.

  If you wish to ask the Ogrons if you can use one of their pontoons to row across to the ‘Hell-hole’, turn to 179.

  If you decide to swim across instead, turn to 171.

  134

  Beyond the Taunor valley, the highway twists and climbs across wooded hillsides, often plunging into narrow valleys where bubbling, trout-laden streams wend their way southwards to the Quarl. Butterflies gather in clouds above clumps of sweet-smelling flowers bordering the road, and the constant twitterings of bird song add a sense of tranquillity to the beautiful countryside.

  ‘It comforts me to know there is still one part of Lyris where war and death are unfamiliar visitors,’ says Cyrilus, puffing nonchalantly on a long-stemmed clay pipe. ‘Alas, nowadays, such peace is rare.’

  The highway passes the ruins of a monastery and then descends steeply towards some log huts, clustered in a semicircle at the approach to a stone bridge. A tall gate, flanked by two mighty towers of stone, commands the access to the bridge.

  ‘The Denka Gate,’ says Cyrilus. ‘The toll is 3 Gold Crowns to cross the bridge, unless, of course, the gatekeeper is your brother.’ He gives a sly wink and smiles. ‘This may take a while — I haven't seen my brother Esmond for over a month, and he is bound to want to hear all the latest gossip from Quarlen before he lets us cross.’

  Cyrilus points out two of the log huts where wooden signs, carved in the shapes of an ale tankard and a loaf of bread, hang above the doors. ‘The best ale and bread in all of Lyris. Mention my name and you'll be treated like a king.’

  You are feeling hungry and thirsty after your long ride, and the prospect of free refreshment is very tempting.

  If you wish to enter the ale hut, turn to 185.

  If you wish to enter the bread hut, turn to 287.

  If you decide to stay with Cyrilus and approach the Denka Gate, turn to 89.

  135

  You ride between ranks of carved stone idols, whose mouths hold flickering torches, which illuminate this broad avenue. Mercenaries of all races and nationalities pack the street, talking, boasting, or simply dozing in the shadows. At the end of the street, you arrive at a junction where a woman in filthy clothes sits nursing a crying child. As you pass, she holds out a grimy hand and begs for Gold Crowns to feed her hungry baby.

  If you wish to stop and give the poor woman some Gold Crowns, turn to 333.

  If you wish to ignore her and continue along the street, turn to 279.

  136

  Your skill makes you sensitive to the faint aroma of gallowbrush. It is commonly known as ‘Sleeptooth’ in Sommerlund
, for its crushed thorns make a powerful sleeping potion. You realize that, for reasons unknown to you, this man is trying to render you unconscious.

  If you wish to draw your weapon and attack him, turn to 66.

  If you wish to put down your goblet and hurry out of the taxidermy, turn to 279.

  137

  A peasant wagon and a merchant caravan bearing the toa-tree emblem of Casiorn are waiting in front of the town gate. You bring your horse to a halt and wait in line as the great door of rust-red iron slowly creaks open. A guard appears and gestures to the wagon and caravan to enter, but he lowers his spear menacingly as you prepare to follow. ‘The town levy is 3 Gold Crowns, stranger. Pay or turn away.’