its dust, you are able to see the vast forest of Helkona stretching away to the northern horizon. It is a forbidding sight, a lifeless expanse of petrified trees that have been destroyed by poisons leeched from the blighted soil of the Darklands. You climb atop a boulder, and when you magnify your vision, you are able to make out a crimson speck of light in the far distance. It emanates from the towers of Gazad Helkona, which you estimate to be no more than thirty miles away. This pinpoint glow of blood-red light tells you that the fortress is occupied.
It is dark and cloudy, yet even in the dead of night the skies above this region are dully illuminated by the reflection of volcanic fires that rage amidst the surrounding mountains. When you glance to the east you can see the lava streams of the Kagazitzaga Range; to the west, you see the fiery spouts of the Kokozritzaga. As you approach the twisted tree-line of Helkona, you can feel the constant tremor of their eruptions vibrating beneath your feet.
To continue, turn to 232 .
109
A search of their packs and pockets reveals the following items which may be of some use during your mission:
3 Arrows
2 Swords
1 Axe
1 Dagger
Rope
Tinderbox
Copper Key
Torch
If you wish to keep any of the above items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
Having hidden the bodies beneath the rubble, you turn your attention once again to the secret panel in the alcove. Your attempt to prise it open triggered the release of the explosive spell that blinded you, but now you detect that the magic has dissipated and the alcove is safe.
You examine the rune-carved wall and discover a hollow which contains a shiny black amulet engraved with the spider-and-blazing-sun emblem of Darklord Chlanzor. It feels unusually cold to the touch, as if this item has been kept packed in ice. (If you wish to keep this Black Amulet, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.)
There are no other items secreted in the hollow and so you leave the alcove and approach the open iron door.
Turn to 290 .
110
Lone Wolf bids you follow as he steps through a shattered pane of the dome and climbs out onto the platform that encircles the observatory tower. The wild, sulphurous winds rip at your cloak and tunic, forcing you to crouch down and grasp the iron platform with both hands for fear of being blown over the edge. Yet these powerful winds do not seem to affect your leader. He stands erect and immobile, as if cast in solid stone. With an unblinking gaze he stares fixedly towards the southern horizon, his eagle eyes searching out Banedon's skycraft.
Little more than twenty minutes have elapsed when Lone Wolf turns and looks down at your crouching form. Banedon approaches, he says, his silent words forming in your mind. You magnify your vision and scan the southern vista, but you are unable to discern a skyship among the roiling black clouds. Then you spot a sliver of light in the stormy sky, and your spirits rise. The
Cloud-dancer
is fast approaching.
Guided by the pulsating glow of the observatory's crimson beacon, and Lone Wolf's telepathic messages, Banedon is able to bring the
Cloud-dancer
to within 50 feet of the dome. But the fierce winds prevent him from making a landing, and so he has his crew lower the boarding cage. The moment it sets down upon the platform, you follow Lone Wolf inside and slam shut the gate. There is a jolt as the hawser tenses, and then you feel the cage swaying the moment it is hoisted off the platform. Despite the violent swaying of the cage, you feel elated when you look through the bars of the cage door and see the shattered dome of the observatory receding beneath you. Then the exhilaration of your escape from Gazad Helkona is shattered when you hear a hideous shriek rise above the roar of the wind.
Turn to 150 .
112
Reflexively you duck your head out of the path of the speeding arrow, but as you pull away, it clips your
It is dark and cloudy, yet even in the dead of night the skies above this region are dully illuminated by the reflection of volcanic fires that rage amidst the surrounding mountains. When you glance to the east you can see the lava streams of the Kagazitzaga Range; to the west, you see the fiery spouts of the Kokozritzaga. As you approach the twisted tree-line of Helkona, you can feel the constant tremor of their eruptions vibrating beneath your feet.
To continue, turn to 232 .
109
A search of their packs and pockets reveals the following items which may be of some use during your mission:
3 Arrows
2 Swords
1 Axe
1 Dagger
Rope
Tinderbox
Copper Key
Torch
If you wish to keep any of the above items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
Having hidden the bodies beneath the rubble, you turn your attention once again to the secret panel in the alcove. Your attempt to prise it open triggered the release of the explosive spell that blinded you, but now you detect that the magic has dissipated and the alcove is safe.
You examine the rune-carved wall and discover a hollow which contains a shiny black amulet engraved with the spider-and-blazing-sun emblem of Darklord Chlanzor. It feels unusually cold to the touch, as if this item has been kept packed in ice. (If you wish to keep this Black Amulet, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.)
There are no other items secreted in the hollow and so you leave the alcove and approach the open iron door.
Turn to 290 .
110
Lone Wolf bids you follow as he steps through a shattered pane of the dome and climbs out onto the platform that encircles the observatory tower. The wild, sulphurous winds rip at your cloak and tunic, forcing you to crouch down and grasp the iron platform with both hands for fear of being blown over the edge. Yet these powerful winds do not seem to affect your leader. He stands erect and immobile, as if cast in solid stone. With an unblinking gaze he stares fixedly towards the southern horizon, his eagle eyes searching out Banedon's skycraft.
Little more than twenty minutes have elapsed when Lone Wolf turns and looks down at your crouching form. Banedon approaches, he says, his silent words forming in your mind. You magnify your vision and scan the southern vista, but you are unable to discern a skyship among the roiling black clouds. Then you spot a sliver of light in the stormy sky, and your spirits rise. The
Cloud-dancer
is fast approaching.
Guided by the pulsating glow of the observatory's crimson beacon, and Lone Wolf's telepathic messages, Banedon is able to bring the
Cloud-dancer
to within 50 feet of the dome. But the fierce winds prevent him from making a landing, and so he has his crew lower the boarding cage. The moment it sets down upon the platform, you follow Lone Wolf inside and slam shut the gate. There is a jolt as the hawser tenses, and then you feel the cage swaying the moment it is hoisted off the platform. Despite the violent swaying of the cage, you feel elated when you look through the bars of the cage door and see the shattered dome of the observatory receding beneath you. Then the exhilaration of your escape from Gazad Helkona is shattered when you hear a hideous shriek rise above the roar of the wind.
Turn to 150 .
112
Reflexively you duck your head out of the path of the speeding arrow, but as you pull away, it clips your
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