The Plague Lords of Ruel

by Joe Dever

  If you win this combat, turn to 53.

  238

  You draw aside the mouldy velvet curtain and at once your senses are assailed by an unwholesome aroma redolent of decaying flesh. Beyond the curtain a narrow passage descends, by means of a wooden ramp, to the edge of a dark circular pit. Cautiously you approach the rim and peer down into this reeking hollow. There, lying asleep on a mouldering bed of straw, ten feet below, is a gigantic dog-like creature. It has a shiny blue-black hide and a huge crocodile-like jaw. It is muscular, although its powerful limbs are scarred and pined with an unsightly disease.

  Illustration XV—Peering into a dark pit, you see lying asleep on a mouldering bed of straw a gigantic dog-like creature.

  A few thin rays of light are descending from a shaft in the rocky ceiling directly above the pit. Intrigued, you look upwards and notice a clump of sickly foliage at the very top of the shaft which is partially covering the entrance. You focus on this gap and conclude that the shaft must lead directly to the surface, at a place somewhere in the eastern foothills of the Skardos Mountains.

  If you wish to attempt to scale the shaft and escape into the foothills, turn to 336.

  If you decide not to attempt to climb the shaft, you can turn around and leave the pit area. Turn to 165.

  239

  You enter a small foul-smelling chamber lit by a single candle perched atop a three-legged stool. A bed with a straw mattress fills one corner, and a bench with drawers stands by its side. A shelf on the wall displays three cracked plates, a lump of stale cheese, some dried meat, some bread, and a bottle of brownish water (in all, enough provisions for 1 Meal).

  You pull open the drawers and find some assorted clothing, infested with fleas, and a Copper Key. If you decide to keep the Key, remember to record it on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item. Satisfied that nothing has been overlooked, you leave the room and descend the stairs at the end of the tunnel.

  Turn to 347.

  240

  You flick the lever and turn to approach the throne room door. There is a faint rumble and the great metallic portal slowly glides open to reveal Arch Druid Cadak's private domain.

  The room is little larger than the antechamber; however its furnishings and appointments are lavish in the extreme. Ornately carved furniture, inlaid with gold and precious gems, lines walls hung with priceless tapestries and paintings. At the centre of the chamber stands a great black chair, sculpted to display demonic creatures paying homage to the Cenerese. Glowing orbs hang suspended from the ceiling, bathing the chamber in a multi-hued light which is continually changing in colour and intensity.

  Although your eyes and your Kai senses tell you that the chamber is empty, you are reluctant to pass through the door. A stench of pure evil is flooding out from this room, wafting over you like an invisible sea that seeks to soil and corrupt all it touches. Fighting back your nausea, you force yourself to cross the threshold and search the chamber before its owner returns.

  Of all the precious items which crowd this room, your eye is attracted to three that seem to stand out from the rest. The first is a large crystal sphere which rests on a table beside the great chair. The second is a tapestry, the largest of them all, which hangs directly opposite the door. And the third is a gold statuette which rests on a shelf to your left.

  If you possess Grand Mastery of Telegnosis, turn to 173.

  If you do not, turn to 338.

  241

  You take a deep breath, and then you fix your eyes on the descending portcullis as you race out of the door and sprint across the cobblestoned keep. The heavy portcullis is less than three feet from the ground when you enter the arch of the tower. In desperation you dive at the shrinking gap and, as you hit the ground, you roll over in the hope of avoiding being crushed by this heavy iron-tipped portal.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If your current ENDURANCE score is 25 or higher, add 1.

  If your total score is now 3 or less, turn to 321.

  If it is 4 or more, turn to 147.

  242

  For an hour you follow the muddy track as it twists a tortuous route through the trees of this accursed realm. Baleful eyes observe your passing yet you choose to ignore them for you sense that these watchers pose no real threat to your safety. They are lowly animals that possess little intelligence and even less courage (though you fancy the latter would not be so if you were weak or wounded). The path ascends a ridge, and then drops steeply towards the floor of a mist-enshrouded valley where you happen upon something that brings you to a halt.

  A moss-grown skull lies on the path ahead, its jawbone agape as if uttering a silent scream. Beyond it lie two skeletons in rotting mail, half-buried in a nest of saw-toothed briar. Then, through the mist, you see weapons, rusted and mouldering, and the grisly remains of a warhorse, its armoured rider slumped astride its ruined back. You are advancing towards the horse when you hear a sound that draws your eyes away to the east. It is a busy, squeaking noise, muffled by the dense undergrowth.

  You leave the path and melt into the tangled trees. With careful steps you edge towards the noise, your senses straining to extract information from your surroundings until you become almost a part of the forest itself. Then you detect movement ahead and, from the cover of a thorny bough, you draw your weapon and wait in readiness.

  A line of rat-like creatures, each as tall as a youth, is wending its way along the forest path. They are armed with crude and rusty weapons and clothed in rags that once were worn by human soldiers. Your keen sense of smell detects the vile aroma of disease which hangs heavy about these loathsome rat-men, and at once you realize that these must be the Vazhag that Rimoah spoke about. Shielded by your Magnakai skills, you watch in silence as they file past your hiding place and slowly disappear. When you are sure they have gone, you sheathe your weapon and continue your trek towards Mogaruith.

  Turn to 206.

  243

  You have climbed little more than halfway up the shaft when a snickering growl echoes from below. Awoken by falling clods of earth and dust, the gigantic dog-like creature now stands erect with its head tilted back and its fiery red eyes fixed on you. It gives a hungry roar and, with terrifying agility, it leaps from the pit and starts to claw its way up the shaft after you. Hurriedly you press on in the hope of reaching the entrance before this creature reaches you.

  You are less than ten feet from the top when the creature slashes at your legs with its razor-sharp claws. A searing pain shoots through your calves, making you cry out with shocked surprise: lose 4 ENDURANCE points. Quickly you draw up your injured legs before it can strike again, and you glimpse the beast's huge fang-filled jaw. It snaps at your feet ravenously, spraying them with its foul saliva, and at once you know that you cannot hope to out-climb this horror. If you are to escape from the shaft in one piece, you must fight this creature to the death.

  Pit Agarashi: COMBAT SKILL 34 ENDURANCE 38

  Owing to your precarious position you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 6 points for the duration of this fight. If the weapon you are using is a Broadsword, a Spear, or a Quarterstaff, reduce your COMBAT SKILL by a further 3 points. This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge; only Kai-surge can harm it psychically.

  If you win the combat, turn to 24.

  244

  Slowly you advance towards the shimmering lights and, as the tunnel begins to level off in the distance, you see that it opens out into a huge cave. The shimmering is caused by a line of glowing beacons hung by chains from the vault-like ceiling of the cave. Their warm amber light is reflecting upon the cold dark waters of a lake.

  At first there appears to be no way across the lake, but as you draw nearer to the tunnel's end you see a spur of rock and a raised drawbridge on the opposite side. On the near side, close to a platform upon which the bridge rests when lowered, there stands a large iron cage filled with giant frog-like creatures. The
se must be the Tzargs that Lord Rimoah spoke of, the scouts bred by the Ceners to guide them through the swamps of Caron. A pair of Vazhag are teasing and taunting the Tzargs with sharpened sticks, jabbing them through the criss-crossed bars of their rusty cage.

  After a while the rat-men tire of their spiteful game. Casually they cast their sticks into the lake and then settle themselves down upon the muddy shore. The larger of the two produces a haunch of maggoty meat from a haversack slung over its shoulder, and eagerly the two Vazhag proceed to devour this vile food. Both are seemingly oblivious to the hungry cries of the caged Tzargs.

  Turn to 41.

  245

  The thorny vines hold you in a vice-like grip. With Cadak's cold laughter ringing in your ears you struggle to escape before the hands of his demonic servant, Exterminus, close around your throat.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy or Magi-magic, add 3 to the number you have chosen (if you possess both of these Grand Master Disciplines, add 7). If your current ENDURANCE points score is higher than 16, add a further 1 to your score.

  If your total score is now 6 or lower, turn to 166.

  If it is 7 or higher, turn to 73.

  246

  With your lungs aching desperately for air, you propel yourself towards the shimmering, pale blue light and burst through the surface, choking and spluttering like a netted fish. You gulp at the cool air hungrily and try simultaneously to take stock of your new surroundings. You have surfaced in a vaulted chamber, small by comparison with the one from which you have just escaped, but substantial nevertheless. Here, there is no shoreline, just sheer rock walls, but to your left you see a narrow ledge of flat stone and you swim towards it. As you clamber out of the water you notice the source of the pale light that drew you to this chamber. Directly above the ledge there is a natural chimney which rises into the ceiling, and at its end you see a warm, lantern-like glow. The chimney is rough and pitted, and to someone of your experience it is as easy to climb as a wide-stepped ladder.

  Within ten minutes you reach the neck of the chimney and find yourself staring through a hole at the floor of a passageway beyond. The source of the light comes from several oil lamps which hang at regular intervals from the roof of this narrow tunnel.

  You can sense the presence of Vazhag somewhere in the vicinity, and so you choose to wait here in case a patrol is about to pass this way.

  During your wait, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  To continue, turn to 94.

  247

  The two figures look down at their ghastly handiwork and shake their heads in dismay. As you watch, the sloat shudders beneath its bonds and becomes abruptly still. One of the robed figures stoops to inspect the creature's exposed heart; then you hear him whisper words of disappointment that, yet again, their experiment has failed.

  They wipe their bloodied hands on their robes before leaving the laboratory, locking the door behind them. Sensing that you are now alone, you take the opportunity to search the laboratory, including seven of its eight smaller anterooms, but you find nothing that remotely resembles the cultivation of a plague virus. The eighth anteroom, the door to which is bolted and barred, is the only area of the laboratory you have not investigated.

  Although the main door is now locked, during your search you have discovered one other exit.

  If you wish to leave the laboratory by this door, turn to 333.

  If you decide to investigate the eighth anteroom, turn to 131.

  248

  Straining with all of your might, you pull back on your weapon in a desperate attempt to prise the heavy chain from its mounting. Then there is a loud crack: the support pin has popped out and, as the massive weight of the cauldron is suddenly removed, the chain whips away like an angry snake.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have chosen is 0–1, turn to 294.

  If it is 2–5, turn to 191.

  If it is 6–9, turn to 105.

  249

  With little effort you are able to draw on your mastery of Nexus to protect yourself from the effects of the corrosive acid. Where you have been splashed, you cause the affected skin to exude a strong alkaline that immediately neutralizes the acid. Quickly the pain recedes and you are able to escape along the tunnel, away from this deadly shower.

  You reach the distant staircase and stop to cut away the parts of your cloak and tunic that have been eaten by the acid. To your annoyance you find a smouldering hole in the top of your Backpack and, when you check the contents, you discover that two items have been damaged beyond repair. (Erase from your Action Chart those items which you have noted second and fourth on your list of Backpack Items.)

  To continue, turn to 28.

  250

  Your Arrow strikes the druid in the back and its tip skewers his evil heart. He takes a few faltering steps, and then raises his arms and vents his death-cry before collapsing into the undergrowth.

  You run to where he has fallen and curiosity prompts you to prise away his green mask and look upon the face of this servant of evil. It is an ugly, disease-riddled face, human in shape yet lacking any trace of humanity. Reluctantly you search his body and discover the following items:

  Dagger

  Cener Robe (If kept, this item will occupy 2 space in your Backpack)

  Cener Mask

  20 Lune (equivalent to 5 Gold Crowns)

  If you decide to keep any of the above, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

  Your Magnakai skills tell you that the golden rod no longer possesses any magical aura; its destructive powers vanished the moment its wielder breathed his last. You stoop to prise it from the dead druid's hand, but as soon as your fingers touch its metallic surface it disintegrates into a fine, foul-smelling dust.

  With twilight but an hour away, you leave the clearing via the gap and hurry along the muddy track beyond.

  Turn to 10.

  251

  Desperate to prevent the creature from sounding the alarm, you unsheathe a hand weapon and throw it at its hairless head.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have Grand Huntmastery, add 4 to the number you have chosen.

  If your total score is now 6 or less, turn to 69.

  If it is 7 or more, turn to 197.

  252

  As the smoke from the explosion clears, you see a jagged, flame-blackened hole where once there had been a lock. You kick the door and it creaks open, allowing you to enter the hall which lies beyond.

  Unfortunately, the sound of the explosion did not go unnoticed and as you rush into the hall you are confronted by a creature freshly awoken by the noise.

  Turn to 120.

  253

  A thorough search of the druid's body uncovers the following items:

  Dagger

  Cener Robe (If kept, this item will occupy 2 spaces in your Backpack)

  20 Lune (equivalent to 5 Gold Crowns)

  Jar of Black Berries

  If you decide to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 58.

  If you do not possess this Grand Mastery, turn to 306.

  254

  Triumphantly, you clamber over the corpses of the slain war-dogs and advance menacingly towards their handlers. The sight of your stern, blood-flecked face is enough to break the nerve of these Vazhag guards, especially now that their canine protectors lie sprawled in a lifeless heap upon the cavern floor. Shivering with fear, the rat-men retreat and allow you to escape unchallenged.

  For a moment, as you emerge from the hall, you are blinded by the early morning sunlight, but as you escape along the trail which leads away from the caverns, your vision soon clears and you see before you a vast expanse of forest away to the east. This sea of sickly grey-green trees radiates an unmistakable aura of evil that
immediately identifies it as the Forest of Ruel.

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

  To continue, turn to 230.

  255

  You run through a maze of corridors and narrow passageways, up flights of stairs and across dingy halls and chambers. On several occasions you are forced to hide when a Vazhag patrol passes within a few feet, but your wits and your camouflage skills keep you safe and undetected.

  At length you reach a pillared hall on the surface level where you hide from the patrols until the coast is clear. Daylight is streaming in through the hall door, and from where you are hiding you can see the keep and tower beyond. Your hopes rise when you notice that the keep is deserted and the drawbridge is still lowered, tempting you with a direct escape route out of Mogaruith.

  Suddenly another bell tolls, adding to the persistent din of the alarm. It is coming from the tower and it signifies that the portcullis is being lowered.