The Caverns of Kalte

by Joe Dever

  209

  All night you cling to the frozen rock-face. The icy wind whips you and you shiver uncontrollably as you fight to stay conscious. You lose 2 ENDURANCE points. However, the Baknar oil keeps you from losing all your essential body warmth and on this desperate occasion, it saves your life.

  Turn to 155.

  210

  A tooth-encrusted Bone Sword lies at the Barbarian's side. You may take this weapon if you wish. You search his body and also discover a Gold Bracelet on his left wrist.

  If you have the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, turn to 316.

  If you wish to take the Gold Bracelet, turn to 236. (Put it on your wrist and mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.)

  If you do not wish to take the Bracelet, make your way quickly along the corridor towards a distant junction by turning to 215.

  211

  The cyclone is tearing at your clothes and bombarding you with chunks of ice and rock. You grit your teeth and try to run but the cold saps your strength, and you are forced to claw your way along the wall to avoid being sucked into the swirling vortex.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your current ENDURANCE point total is less than 10, deduct 3 from the number you have picked.

  If your number is now -3–3, turn to 95.

  If your number is now 4–9, turn to 196.

  212

  When you arrive back at the tent, Dyce cooks a delicious meal that fills your stomach and raises your spirits. You have made good progress and, in spite of the physical hardships, you feel confident and eager to continue.

  Irian fetches the sleeping furs from the sledge and you all prepare for a good night's sleep. The only clothes you ever remove are your boots — the few days that you have spent in this desolate land have taught you much about survival. As you take off your boots, you take care to leave them in the shape of your feet: in these temperatures, your soft boots soon freeze as hard as stone, making them agony to put on next morning if you don't. Unlacing the boots requires bare fingers, and you constantly have to pause and thrust your hands back into your mittens to avoid frostbite setting in. Curled up in your furs, your teeth chattering, and the wind howling outside, you eventually fall into a deep sleep.

  Turn to 238.

  213

  You point the Sommerswerd towards Vonotar's crystal rod. In an instant, the cone of frost arcs away from the bridge and shatters against the golden sword. You hear Vonotar curse you as, once again, the power of the Sommerswerd saves you from his destructive magic.

  Turn to 252.

  214

  Unfortunately, the Kalkoth has picked up your scent and launches an attack on your hiding place. Its huge paw swipes at you and claws open the sleeve of your jacket. You lose 2 ENDURANCE points. You realize you can only escape this creature by running across the lake.

  If you wish to escape from the Kalkoth, turn to 322.

  If you wish to fight it, turn to 123.

  215

  Turning a corner, you breathe a sigh of relief. Behind you all is silent. But you become aware that the low rumbling sound you detected earlier is much louder in this corridor. A few yards along to your left, a short passage leads to a closed stone door.

  If you wish to investigate the door, turn to 13.

  If you wish to continue along the corridor towards the north, turn to 254.

  216

  You have covered less than a mile when the first of the Ice Barbarian scouts appear to the north on skis. At first, there are only two of the fearsome warriors, but they are soon joined by three others. They are large, muscular, and bedecked with furs. Some of them wear bone armour. Despite their size, they glide across the snow with an almost feline grace and speed. Each of them has a pole attached to his back from which a small flag flutters.

  Suddenly, a bone-tipped arrow whistles past your knee and embeds itself in the sledge. An Ice Barbarian scout skis past to your right. He is less than ten yards away and you can clearly see his slanted eyes and sharp cheek-bones. You suddenly realize that what you had mistaken for muscle and fur is in fact an Ice Barbarian child. Each scout is carrying a large backpack containing a small child. These children are armed with small bone bows, and they fire a constant stream of arrows as their fathers ski nearer and nearer.

  Illustration XII—Each Ice Barbarian scout is carrying a backpack containing a child armed with a bone bow.

  Suddenly Irian falls, an arrow buried in his back. Dyce runs to his aid but is shot down before he has taken a dozen steps. Fenor is hit. An arrow passes straight through his throat. He bravely staggers on for nearly a minute before collapsing in the snow. You are on your own. An Ice Barbarian scout skis past to your left and returns towards you head on. He has a spear under one arm, which is levelled at your chest.

  If you wish to fight the Ice Barbarian scout, turn to 158.

  If you wish to try to escape, turn to 149.

  217

  The monolith suddenly explodes, sending hundreds of razor-sharp shards screaming through the air. You are pierced by the stone shrapnel and thrown to the far wall by the sheer force of the blast. You lose 10 ENDURANCE points.

  If you are still alive, turn to 154.

  218

  The bone box contains a beautiful Diamond. Its many facets gleam and sparkle, even in the dim half-light of the ice hall. In Sommerlund, a jewel of this size and quality would be worth thousands of crowns. If you wish to keep the Diamond, slip it into your pocket and mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.

  You can now examine the fortress door by turning to 52.

  219

  You sense that the low rumbling noise echoing throughout this part of Ikaya is much louder along the west corridor than the east. There is something unnatural about its tone that makes you feel uneasy. You decide to avoid the west corridor and set off towards the east.

  Turn to 349.

  220

  The next day is bitterly cold. A strong wind from the west blows relentlessly as you steer your sledge towards the Hrod Basin. The snow clogs your eyes and your lips crack and bleed, but by midday you reach the edge of the basin. Irian and Dyce's sledge arrives at the ice wall first and they eagerly encourage you onwards.

  Without any warning, a great crack appears between the two sledges, opening with a tremendous roar, until you are faced by a huge dark crevasse. Frantically you pull on the reins but it is too late to prevent your Kanu-dog team from disappearing into the void. Your sledge is left balancing on the edge of the crevasse, while the team of howling Kanu-dogs dangle helplessly in their harnesses below you. Very carefully, you risk a glance into the chasm. You see that the first two dogs have broken free and dropped over one-hundred-and-fifty feet to a ledge below. One of them appears to be dead. The other is badly injured and whimpers beside the still body of its comrade. Suddenly, a shudder jolts the sledge and you gasp with fright.

  If you wish to crawl with Fenor to the rear of the sledge, turn to 146.

  If you decide to try to leap clear of the sledge onto the cracked ice, turn to 29.

  221

  The corridor in which you now stand is far warmer than the icy cavern outside. For the first time in many days, you can lower the hood of your cloak and remove your mittens without risking frostbite.

  You notice that the stone passage ascends to a landing where another passage branches off to the east. M'lare bowls hang at regular intervals along the arched ceiling, their unnatural light illuminating the carved walls.

  As you approach the landing, you notice an archway leading into a small room beyond. A strange sight meets your eyes. Ragged furs, pottery shards, and the debris of hundreds of years seem to have been thrown into this chamber. A large lever protrudes from the wall beside the archway.

  If you wish to enter the room and investigate the contents, turn to 38.

  If you wish to pull the lever, turn to 163.

  If you wish to explore eastwards along the passage, turn to 237.

  222 />
  Using your Kai skill, you press yourself into the shadow cast by a pilaster. The Ice Barbarians pass within six inches of you, but do not detect that you are there. Once you are sure that they have disappeared, you emerge from the shadows and continue along the corridor.

  Turn to 330.

  223

  The sledge contains the following equipment. You may take any of the following items and store them in your Backpack, but remember that your Backpack can only hold a maximum of eight items:

  Enough Food for 1–5 Meals (each Meal counts as 1 item)

  Tent (counts as 3 items)

  Sleeping Furs (counts as 2 items)

  Long Rope (counts as 2 items)

  Dyce volunteers to return to the Cardonal with the Kanu-dog teams and the sledge, while the rest of you push on towards Ikaya, the ice fortress.

  Ikaya was carved out of the Hrod Range many ages ago, by a race of creatures that have long since disappeared. Thousands of years passed before the Ice Barbarians migrated here from the Uncharted Void, claiming Ikaya for themselves. Their leaders, the ‘Brumalmarc’ as they are called, have ruled over Kalte from the safe shelter of this fortress ever since.

  You have covered nearly five miles when Irian suddenly points to the west. ‘There … over there. I'm sure I saw something.’

  You halt and strain your eyes to try to identify something unusual in the monotonous landscape of ice and snow.

  ‘Look over there!’ shouts Fenor, pointing towards a ridge less than a mile away. Two fur-clad warriors are standing on top of a large slab of ice. They are staring at you.

  ‘Ice Barbarians!’ whispers Irian, his voice shaking with fear. ‘If they beat us to Ikaya, we're as good as dead.’

  You are still ten miles from the ice fortress and less than two hours of daylight remain.

  If you wish to ignore the Ice Barbarians and press on to Ikaya, turn to 327.

  If you wish to attack them and try to prevent them warning others, turn to 307.

  224

  Twenty feet directly below the portal, you can see a man dressed in a dark cloak. He is kneeling in the centre of a large pentagram, which is chalked on the floor of the dingy cell.

  If you wish to call to the man, turn to 67.

  If you decide to remain silent, leave the portal and continue on your way along the passage towards the stairs by turning to 166.

  225

  The stopper is sealed with wax. If you wish to break the seal, you must risk smashing the thin glass of the Vial.

  If you wish to attempt to break the seal, turn to 54.

  If you are suspicious of the contents and do not wish to risk breaking the Vial, leave it and return to 10 to choose your next course of action.

  226

  You frantically pull at your trapped foot and free it just as the sledge topples over into the crevasse. Fenor rushes to your side and pulls you away from the crumbling edge of this void. You both safely jump the widening gap and join the others.

  You have lost your dogs, your sledge, and most of your food, but you are alive. In spite of the loss and the additional hardships that will result, your guides agree to continue the mission.

  In the distance you can see a narrow passage at the edge of the ice shelf where it joins the Hrod Basin. By nightfall, you have reached the shelter of this narrow pass and decide to set up camp. A quick check of your remaining food soon reveals the need to cut rations by half in order to reach Ikaya. Lose 1 ENDURANCE point due to the meagre evening meal.

  Turn to 325.

  227

  The stone buttons rise less than an inch above the smooth altar surface. You notice that they are each surrounded by strange, barely perceptible, hieroglyphs, eroded by the passage of time. You now have to decide in which sequence you will press the buttons. If you possess the Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter, you can depress the buttons without actually touching them.

  If you decide to press the left button and then the right, turn to 102.

  If you decide to press the right button and then the left, turn to 334.

  If you decided to press them both together, turn to 299.

  228

  You draw on all your powers of concentration to levitate the bowl of fuming herbs, and send it hovering along the corridor. You bring it to rest in the shadow of the pilaster and watch its effects with great curiosity; for in less than a minute, the Ice Barbarian guards have collapsed to the floor.

  ‘Now's our chance,’ whispers Loi-Kymar, and he ushers you out of the kitchen. You approach the Hall of the Brumalmarc undetected and discover that one of the magnificent jewelled doors is unlocked. Drawing your weapon, you gently push the door ajar and enter Vonotar's chamber.

  Turn to 173.

  229

  You recognize the serpent to be a Javek, a two-headed and deadly poisonous ice snake. As it slithers nearer, you can clearly see the open jaw of the second head and the yellow, curved fangs dripping with venom. It moves very quickly and you know that you will not be able to outrun it along this narrow ledge.

  If you possess a Firesphere, turn to 46.

  If you do not, you must prepare to fight. Turn to 88.

  230

  The Helghast smoulders and decays at your feet, a vile green gas seeping from beneath its robes. As you stare at the remains, you realize that this creature must have been sent here to kill Vonotar by the Darklords who crave Vonotar's death for his failure at the Battle of Holmgulf. The evil wizard must have discovered the Helghast and imprisoned it within a pentagram until he could devise some way of killing it for good.

  You gingerly touch your wounded throat and thank the gods that you wield the Sommerswerd — its power has once again saved your life. You turn and quickly descend the stairs, leaving behind the Helghast's foul remains.

  Turn to 166.

  231

  You sense that something is very wrong here. There are no mines in Kalte, and, as a result, not only gold but all metals are considered rare and precious. The only means by which Ice Barbarians can obtain metal is by fur trading at Ljuk each summer, and then it is only steel that interests them. You suspect therefore, that these bracelets are worn by force rather than choice. If you wish to put on one of the Gold Bracelets, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.

  If you take a Bracelet, turn to 187.

  If you wish to ignore the Bracelets and continue your exploration of Ikaya, turn to 63.

  232

  It takes nearly an hour to cross, but you eventually make it in safety. The ascent of the glacier is a daunting task. The ice wall is smooth but very steep, rising over eight hundred feet. All of the equipment has to be unloaded from the sledges and ferried to the top of the glacier, where it is repacked piece by piece. The Kanu-dogs do hardly anything but fight amongst themselves and your food gets so shaken up, that all that remains to eat that evening is an unsavoury mess.

  On the summit of the glacier wall, you pitch tent in the shelter of a natural ice bowl and settle down to a much deserved rest.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–6, turn to 85.

  If the number you have picked is 7–9, turn to 300.

  233

  You recognize the liquid to be distilled Laumspur, a herb of great healing properties. This concentrated Potion is powerful enough to restore 5 ENDURANCE points. If you wish to keep this Vial, remember to mark it on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item.

  Now return to 10 and decide your next course of action.

  234

  The man hesitates and then answers. ‘Why, the Rusty Anchor Inn, of course.’

  If you now wish to wipe away the outside of the pentagram and free him, turn to 170.

  If you do not wish to free him, close the cell door and return to the main corridor by turning to 254.

  235

  After a short walk, you arrive at a massive ice hall full of crystal stalagmites and stalactites. The floor is covered with animal tra
cks and bones, yet the vast hall seems empty and still. You notice that the northern wall is a completely smooth surface of granite blocks stretching upwards to the icy ceiling, over one hundred feet above. You suddenly realize that you are staring at the foundation stones of Ikaya — you have reached the ice fortress.

  Illustration XIII—You arrive at a massive ice hall full of crystal stalagmites and stalactites.

  Partially obscured by a large mound of crystals, you can just make out a ramp leading up to a massive stone door in the fortress wall. Your discovery brings renewed hope. If you can gain entry to Ikaya and quickly capture Vonotar, there is still time to reach your ship, the Cardonal, before the pack-ice starts to freeze.

  If you wish to cross the icy hall and examine the stone door, turn to 52.

  If you decide to stop and search the bone-littered floor, turn to 115.

  236

  As the Gold Bracelet snaps shut around your wrist, a terrible pain shoots through your head. You are being attacked by a powerful Mindforce, that is trying to drain your will.

  If you possess the Kai Discipline of Mindshield, turn immediately to 345.