COMBAT SKILL 35 ENDURANCE 38
This supernatural being is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Owing to the power of Helshezag — the weapon you now wield — add 7 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 240 .
134
Once more the pit is cleared and the spectators settle down to enjoy another round of vicious hand-to-hand fighting. The next two combatants are poised to enter the ring and, in the light of what happened previously, they have both decided to ignore the gong and tear into each other as soon as their holding cage door slides open.
Bets are about to be placed when the sound of a loud, intermittent whistle interrupts the proceedings: it is the signal that Helgedad has been sighted by the lookout. Some of the crowd leave their seats in order to view the Black City through the tiny portholes that line the walls of the gallery. With your heart pounding at the thought of seeing the Darklands' most infamous stronghold for the first time, you leave the pit and join them.
Turn to 326 .
136
You draw on your Kai skill to neutralize the deadly venom that is coursing through your veins. Swiftly your powers of healing overcome the poison, but at a cost of 4 ENDURANCE points. You prise the hideous creature off your head and hurl it to the floor, but no sooner has it hit the steel deck than it springs back at your face, forcing you to defend yourself.
Plaak: COMBAT SKILL 30 ENDURANCE 10
This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge. Owing to the speed and shock of its attack, unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, you are unable to draw a weapon and must fight the first round of combat unarmed.
If you win the combat, turn to 218 .
137
Guided by starlight, you trek westwards through the pass until the need for food and rest forces you to stop. A brief search uncovers a shallow fissure in the mountain wall which offers a safe refuge for the night, and there you decide to grab a few hours' sleep before continuing to Argazad. You must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Turn to 165 .
138
The crystal shard emits a tinkling, bell-like sound, and the guard moves aside to allow you to enter the Tower of the Damned. He points to a column of bright blue light, descending from the darkness above, and tells you to step into its shimmering rays. You hesitate, and he laughs mockingly at your indecision.
‘Go on, step in. It's quicker than climbing the stairs.’ Your Kai senses tell you that the column is a beam of partial gravity, a transportation device that will draw you slowly towards the top of the tower.
You step into the light and feel yourself rising. Minutes later, the sensation stops and you step from the beam into a huge, domed chamber. The polished walls and floor glisten like the mirrored surfaces of a black lake. The aura of evil hangs everywhere like a thick mist. It closes your throat and threatens to suffocate you. Your heart pounds loudly as you move towards a dais at the centre of the chamber, where a machine rests that matches the description of the Transfusor that Lord Rimoah gave you before leaving Toran. You reach for your Backpack, but before you can lift your robe and unshoulder it, the chamber is filled with a roaring growl.
‘What brings you here, vermin of Ghanesh?’
It is the voice of Darklord Taktaal. From the shadows of an archway, he slithers towards the dais, his smooth, ice-white head swaying upon a fur-covered snake body, riddled with disease. Your stomach turns as you watch a muzzle distend from his face, and then split open to reveal a row of razor-sharp fangs. Seemingly you are a lowly follower of his hated rival, Darklord Ghanesh, and you know that if you are to survive you must answer his command convincingly.
If you wish to tell him that you want to defect from Ghanesh's service and serve him instead, turn to 261 .
If you wish to tell him that you have secret information that could
This supernatural being is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Owing to the power of Helshezag — the weapon you now wield — add 7 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 240 .
134
Once more the pit is cleared and the spectators settle down to enjoy another round of vicious hand-to-hand fighting. The next two combatants are poised to enter the ring and, in the light of what happened previously, they have both decided to ignore the gong and tear into each other as soon as their holding cage door slides open.
Bets are about to be placed when the sound of a loud, intermittent whistle interrupts the proceedings: it is the signal that Helgedad has been sighted by the lookout. Some of the crowd leave their seats in order to view the Black City through the tiny portholes that line the walls of the gallery. With your heart pounding at the thought of seeing the Darklands' most infamous stronghold for the first time, you leave the pit and join them.
Turn to 326 .
136
You draw on your Kai skill to neutralize the deadly venom that is coursing through your veins. Swiftly your powers of healing overcome the poison, but at a cost of 4 ENDURANCE points. You prise the hideous creature off your head and hurl it to the floor, but no sooner has it hit the steel deck than it springs back at your face, forcing you to defend yourself.
Plaak: COMBAT SKILL 30 ENDURANCE 10
This creature is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge. Owing to the speed and shock of its attack, unless you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, you are unable to draw a weapon and must fight the first round of combat unarmed.
If you win the combat, turn to 218 .
137
Guided by starlight, you trek westwards through the pass until the need for food and rest forces you to stop. A brief search uncovers a shallow fissure in the mountain wall which offers a safe refuge for the night, and there you decide to grab a few hours' sleep before continuing to Argazad. You must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Turn to 165 .
138
The crystal shard emits a tinkling, bell-like sound, and the guard moves aside to allow you to enter the Tower of the Damned. He points to a column of bright blue light, descending from the darkness above, and tells you to step into its shimmering rays. You hesitate, and he laughs mockingly at your indecision.
‘Go on, step in. It's quicker than climbing the stairs.’ Your Kai senses tell you that the column is a beam of partial gravity, a transportation device that will draw you slowly towards the top of the tower.
You step into the light and feel yourself rising. Minutes later, the sensation stops and you step from the beam into a huge, domed chamber. The polished walls and floor glisten like the mirrored surfaces of a black lake. The aura of evil hangs everywhere like a thick mist. It closes your throat and threatens to suffocate you. Your heart pounds loudly as you move towards a dais at the centre of the chamber, where a machine rests that matches the description of the Transfusor that Lord Rimoah gave you before leaving Toran. You reach for your Backpack, but before you can lift your robe and unshoulder it, the chamber is filled with a roaring growl.
‘What brings you here, vermin of Ghanesh?’
It is the voice of Darklord Taktaal. From the shadows of an archway, he slithers towards the dais, his smooth, ice-white head swaying upon a fur-covered snake body, riddled with disease. Your stomach turns as you watch a muzzle distend from his face, and then split open to reveal a row of razor-sharp fangs. Seemingly you are a lowly follower of his hated rival, Darklord Ghanesh, and you know that if you are to survive you must answer his command convincingly.
If you wish to tell him that you want to defect from Ghanesh's service and serve him instead, turn to 261 .
If you wish to tell him that you have secret information that could
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