Through the peephole you can see the central section of a large, torchlit chamber. Seated here around a refectory table are three swarthy bandits attired in mercenary garb. The eldest of the group gulps wine from a battered pewter goblet as he talks loudly with another who is polishing a rust-pitted sword.
You magnify your vision and see a short tunnel receding from an archway on the far side of this chamber. At its end you notice the gloomy grey light of the city pouring through a semicircular portal. You focus on this distant light and your pulse quickens when you are able to make out a section of a bridge that connects this blockhouse complex to the central citadel. You appear to have found a route to the citadel, but in order to reach it you must find a way past the bandits occupying the hall beyond. Carefully you push against the cold iron door and feel it move on its hinges; it is unlocked.
(I have Assimilance and a high enough rank)
You draw upon your improved Kai Mastery in order to conjure a mist in the hall beyond. Moments later, you hear the bandits cry out in shocked surprise as inexplicably their chamber begins to fill with a dense white fog. Then the iron door opens and the bandits stagger out of the billowing mist, coughing and gasping for air. Stealthily you slip past them and enter the hall. Guided by your infravision, you hurry across this chamber and enter the clearer air of the tunnel which leads to the citadel bridge.
You enter the tunnel and follow it to an open portal where an iron platform juts from the wall of the blockhouse complex. Fifty feet below the platform is a broad thoroughfare that is busy with the traffic of bandit columns and Hammerland wagons newly-arrived from Cragmantle. A narrow bridge spans the gap between the platform and another which juts from the side of the central citadel. There you can see a dark, semicircular portal in the citadel wall that is open and unguarded.
The narrow bridge arcs towards the citadel platform, but its smooth span is broken in the middle by a hinged drawbridge. It is open and it hangs down, creating a gap at the apex that is 15 feet wide. You observe that this banded iron flap is operated by two heavy chains that run beneath the span. You magnify your vision and trace their route back to the base of a plinth which stands on the blockhouse platform, close by the entrance to the bridge. A winch handle protrudes from this plinth, but when you attempt to crank the chains taut, you find that it will not budge: it is locked in position. A closer inspection of the winch spindle reveals a keyhole at its centre.
(I use the Copper Key)
You retrieve the Copper Key from your Backpack and insert it into the keyhole. It fits, and when you twist it anticlockwise, the winch handle unlocks. You take hold of the handle and hurriedly you wind it until the drawbridge is fully raised. Then you relock the winch and pocket the key as you hurry across the bridge. On reaching the opposite platform, you stop to check that the coast is clear before entering the citadel of Gazad Helkona.
You follow a short semicircular tunnel that leads to a wide gallery encircling the upper section of a colossal hall. Peering over the parapet of the gallery, you look down on the red granite floor of the hall 50 feet below. Here you see Drakkarim and Giaks standing in idle groups around the lip of a deep lava-filled pit that looks as if it could descend all the way to the molten core of Magnamund. Motes of rust-coloured dust cling to every surface and the scorching air reeks of molten metal and sulphur.
An unbroken line of fiery bronze statues encircle the gallery, depicting former loyal servants of Darklord Chlanzor. You are casting your eye along their line when suddenly you see two of Xaol’s henchmen. They emerge from a passageway located next to a spiral staircase on the far side of the gallery. Quickly you take cover behind the nearest statue and watch as those two men, accompanied by a wolfhound, come walking around the gallery towards your hiding place.
(I do not have any Dargose Buds)
As the bandits and the wolfhound approach, you use your Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility to mask your body scent. This precaution prevents the wolfhound from detecting your presence, and the group pass by your hiding place unawares. You watch them enter the tunnel that leads to the exterior platform, and as soon as they disappear from view, you leave the statue and hurry around the gallery to the staircase opposite.
A short flight of iron steps ascends to a long, low-ceilinged hall. Its plastered walls are decorated with frescoes that depict enslaved humans, bedecked with chains and heads bowed in defeat, parading in a line before a triumphant group of Drakkarim warlords. At the far end of this hall you discover three doors recessed into the wall.
(I use Telegnosis)
Your Kai Mastery informs you that Lone Wolf is somewhere nearby. Encouraged by this feeling of certainty, you close your eyes and take hold of the Platinum Amulet that Lord Rimoah gave you before you left the monastery. Its powers help to focus your concentration as you try to determine which of the three doors will lead you to your imprisoned leader. You feel the faint warmth of Lone Wolf’s aura, but it is too weak for you to be sure of the direction you should follow. All that you can determine is that your leader cannot be found behind the left door.
(I choose right)
This strong oak door is inlaid with fancy steel marquetry that surrounds a shiny silver lockplate. You are kneeling to examine the handle and keyhole when you notice something protruding from the gap beneath the door. Your pulse races when suddenly you recognize this object.
At first you think you have found a large coin wedged under the door, but when you hook it with your fingernails and drag it out, you discover that this gold-plated disc is a cloak brooch. It is embellished with the insignia of a wolf’s head on a radiant sun, and instantly you recognize this emblem. It is the personal mark of Lone Wolf. Elated by your discovery, you take the brooch and press it to your forehead. Your Kai senses confirm your suspicion that this item was not lodged beneath the door by accident. Lone Wolf purposefully hid the brooch here in the hope that it would assist those who might attempt to rescue him.
Confident now that you have found his trail, you pocket Lone Wolf’s brooch (record this Wolf Brooch on your Action Chart as a Special Item) and attempt to pick the lock that secures this door.
(I do not have G. Nexus)
By the use of your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you are able eventually to unlock this door. However, it is a tedious and difficult task that saps your mental strength: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
When at last you hear the mortise click open, you twist the steel handle and silently the door swings open to reveal a hall beyond. You enter, and the door closes behind you with a dull boom.
You find yourself standing in a hall that is flanked on either side by a row of human skeletons. They stand at attention with their spines pressed against the stone wall, and clasped in their bony hands are rusty polearms of differing type and origin.
At the far end of this torchlit chamber, you can see a pair of stout wooden doors reinforced with strips of polished steel. Cautiously you advance along the hall under the sightless gaze of the flanking skeletons, and upon reaching the doors you discover that they are secured by a combination lock. A single dial with a brass pointer is mounted upon a circular plate that is numbered 0 to 200 around its bevelled edge. You place the palm of your hand against the door, and a tingle of excitement runs down your spine when you sense that Lone Wolf is being held captive on the other side of these doors.
With the help of your Kai Sixth Sense, you determine that the number which will open the combination lock is the same as the solution to the following puzzle.
If A=1, B=2, C=3 (and so on through the alphabet until you reach Z=26), what is the total numerical value of the fortress of ‘Gazad Helkona’?
When you think that you have calculated the total, turn to the section of this book that is the same as your answer.17
If you calculate incorrectly, or if you are unable to answer this puzzle, turn instead to 183.
(Let me grab my calculator.....105)
When the dial clicks into position,10 the heavy wooden doors swing open and a gust of putrid air makes you swallow hard before you take your first cautious step into the hall beyond. You cast a suspicious eye around this circular chamber for it is illuminated by tall candles that radiate a cold, cyanic light. The floor is strewn with bones and human cadavers in varying states of decomposition, and the walls are hung with great silken tapestries depicting horrific scenes that glorify the power of death and decay.
As your eagle eyes penetrate the gloom, your pulse races when they fall upon Lone Wolf. He sits cross-legged within a sphere of translucent grey light that hovers three feet above the floor. His divine blade, Sommerswerd, is cradled in his lap, and his head hangs limply against his chest. At first you believe he is unconscious; then your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen detects that he is engaged in a desperate mental battle against a host of invisible enemies who are seeking to enslave his soul.
The shadowy prison-sphere that entraps Lone Wolf hovers before a vile throne constructed entirely of human skulls and bones. Seated here is a thin man attired in black robes edged with gold and scarlet braid. His pale skin and feverish dark eyes are touched by the bluish glow of the surrounding candles, accentuating his sinister mien. With an extended right hand he grasps the surface of a large crystal sphere that is fixed to a pedestal beside his throne. This crystal is hollow, but its core is filled with swirling black vapours that radiate a deathly chill. The robed man stares fixedly at the sphere and appears to be mesmerized by it. You magnify your vision, and when you focus your gaze upon the sphere, suddenly you fathom the secret of the terrible power contained within.