~Demon's Winter
Adventure from SSI/US Gold.
There were five of us..... all brave adventurers. Well, to be
honest, all but one of us were brave, but more of our cowardly dwarf
companion later.
The strongest amongst us was a Ranger who went by the name of Lone.
Tall he was, and fast in battle. Our cleric was a fellow
called Clarence, He worshipped the god Illo. Illo is the god of
life so we knew Clarence's ability to return the dead to life
(when his god heard his prayers) would come in handy in our
quest. You'd think that Clarence would be a man of peace because of
his god's distaste for battle but, don't you believe it. I was
surprised to see how often he threw himself into the front ranks
of some our biggest battles. What can I say about the next member of
our band? Fidget is a dwarf. He's quite strong, moderately fast,
certainly not stupid - and the biggest coward in Ymros. But his
skill at disarming traps would be useful so we put up with his
whingeing. Apart from anything else, he made a good pack-horse!
Our wizard was a canny fellow called Izzy. Izzy is a dark elf,
skilled in item lore and learned in fire runes. And me? I'm Zeke,
the leader. I may not be the fastest or strongest but I'm the
smartest and when you're hunting big game, brains can be very
useful.
We met up by the ruined village of Ildryn. Clarence bowed his head
at the sight of the ruins but the rest of us (except Fidget) were
itching to get our hands on some weapons and bash some heads! So
our first stop was the nearby town of Seaside. I bought myself a
short sword and Lone grabbed a mace while the other three settled
for knives. A quick stop in camp outside town and we were equipped
and ready for a scrap.
While we were in Seaside, we heard a useful rumour in the
tavern. Evidently, an evil priest, name of Jesric, had gone off
on a quest for a powerful crystal. He was working for someone
called Eregore. Clarence said we should remember those names in case
we met up with them in the future.
Our next stop was the College of Hunting where Lone learnt to hunt.
We knew it would save a lot of gold if he could supply our
provisions rather than us stocking up at the tavern and paying
their exorbitant prices. For the same reason, we agreed to camp out
whenever possible rather than staying in inns. The sooner we got
a decent amount of gold behind us, the sooner we could hire a ship
and set sail for more adventures. Even Izzy seemed quite excited at
the prospect of a bit of sea-travel.
The town of Elborat was our next stopping place. And there, things
started to get interesting. In the tavern, an old woman told us
how her house had been burnt to the ground by kobolds. Their camp
was to the south and their leader was a brute called Uffspgot.
I saw a gleam in Lone's eye and we grinned at each other. "Come
on", I said, and, as one, we turned and left Elborat, heading south.
The kobold camp wasn't far and inside were several camp fires and
tents. We prowled round cautiously. Several tents were empty but
others contained living quarters for the kobolds. In another, a
woman was being harassed by some of the foul creatures. None of the
groups of kobolds lasted long! The woman thanked us and rushed out
of the tent - who could blame her?!
One tent contained maps which showed that towns other than Ildryn
had been attacked. In another, Clarence spotted something; a scroll
half-burnt in a fire. He read it out to us. "It's hard to make out
the words" he said "It's very badly charred. Ah, hang on, ....
cult worships Xeres .... catacombs under the Temple of Gamur" he
looked questioningly at us, but none of us had heard of it
either. "Here's another useful bit" he added, "ermm .... codeword
-x-". Izzy gave one of his rare smiles and said "better look for
this temple then". Continuing round the camp, we finally found
Uffspgot's tent. He had 2 kobolds and 2 orcs with him - no
problem. Before we attacked, we heard him say to one of the
kobolds, "we do not attack again till my master Xeres commands
it". By the time we had finished with him, his master would have to
shout very, very loud for Uffspgot to hear him. By now, we were
feeling pretty good. I celebrated by learning the mace at the
College in Akistu. Izzy suggested we head for the Guild in New Gleon
to see if we were ready for advancement. We were! On our way
back across the island, we stopped at the College of Potion
Lore for Izzy to do some studying. I won't bore you with our minor
battles, though some were quite spectacular - and lucrative. Just
let me say that we found plenty to occupy our sword-arms and we
NEVER ran away, not even Fidget, though he tried to keep out of the
action as much as he could.
Travelling north again, we found a tunnel leading under the
sea to an island. We walked warily through it. In one side room
full of mist, an old man met us. He warned that the one we were
seeking was just a puppet. He added that the puppeteer was eternal
and his talons far-reaching. Leaving him, we continued onwards.
At the end of the tunnel, we saw a message painted in blood.
Fidget read it out and blanched. "Beyond this point lies the temple
of the Death Lord, not a place for those who cherish their
lives". Lone just managed to grab the back of Fidget's trousers
before the cowardly dwarf headed back for the mainland!
Inside the temple, we gave the codeword and were shown to a stairway
at the back. Lone pushed Fidget to the front to check for traps. I
must admit that considering how much his hands were shaking, he
didn't miss one.
Down the south corridor, we found the words "gloriosus victime"
carved on a wall. In a room further down, Izzy found a scroll and
we moved a bookcase to find another exit. Through this doorway was a
morgue of sorts. A man lay in a glass case in suspended
animation. "Leave him till later" suggested Izzy so we went back
to the corridor and turned left. In a laboratory, a cage of rats
caught Fidget's eye (he must have been hungry) but Clarence picked
up two vials of serum, one red and one blue which he handed to
Izzy.
Back to the stairway and north. Past another trap and into a
guardroom. A quick scrap, then on to the next fight with a group of
Xeres' followers in another room. Then we retraced our steps
to the other branch of this northern corridor. In one room, I
noticed a trail of footprints leading to a wall and stopping dead.
Closer investigation showed us a secret tunnel.
It was hard to map and several times we got lost. But eventually we
came to the end of the tunnel and a Skull Room. Three passages led
off. Two of them split, each leading to an armoury. In each
one, a piece of weaponry or armour lay begging to be taken. But
hovering round them in each case were some glowing spheres. Should
we try to take them? While we hesitated in the first room which
contained a special mace, Izzy solved the problem and grabbed the
mace. At once, he was surrounded by will 'o wisps. But they were
easy to defeat and soon all four items were ours.
In another room, we found the words "forward 3 and right 1 will get
you out of a crush" carved into the floor. We had no idea what it
referred to but I felt we'd missed something so we returned to the
main passages. Back in the lab, Clarence (bless his bald pate) found
a secret passage. We found a food storage area and a workshop with,
among other things, a mallet. At the end of the corridor was a
temple. Moving the altar, we discovered yet another secret passage
and cautiously proceeded down it.
Part way along, I heard the whirring of massive machinery. "This
is it, guys", I said, "remember the carving .... forward 3 and right
1" and dashed forward following this pattern, the others hard on my
heels. A bit further and we came upon a black doorway carved
with gold runes. Listening, we could hear chanting coming from
behind it. A hobgoblin stood between us and the door, but not
for long, and with him dead on the ground, we hurtled through the
doorway, past the body of the dead hobgoblin, and found
ourselves in a black room. In front of us was a ghostly, white
figure, Remondadin. Lone led the attack, and the five of us,
working together as never before, finally defeated him. With
Remondadin dead, the black room was strangely silent.
On our explorations under the Temple of Gamur, we had already
noticed a group of wizards praying in the underground temple, but
not to Gamur - they were praying to the evil Xeres. Clearly, these
catacombs were only part of a small cult that worshipped Xeres, the
demon who had destroyed Ildryn. It was also clear to us that we must
find Xeres himself before he found us.
We left the black room through a doorway to the south and found
ourselves back in the main Temple. However, Clarence reminded us
about the man in the glass case and pointed at the mallet
that Fidget was carrying. So we returned to the morgue.
With one swing of the mallet, the case was shattered and we could
see the man more clearly but he still didn't respond. Izzy looked
closer. "He's in a deep trance ...... I wonder ...." and reaching
into his pocket he pulled out the two vials of serum that
Clarence had found in the laboratory and given to him. He
examined the man, who stared vacantly into space. "I'll have to risk
it" he said, and gave him a mouthful of the blue serum.
Suddenly, the man sat up., a wild expression on his face.
"Qoorik!, I've seen it!" he cried and grabbed at Izzy's shoulders in
a frenzy. "They tried to shut me up, but I've seen it! Its
entrance is hidden in the forest to the north-west of Idlewood."
As if his body had given up the last of its strength, he slumped
back onto the slab. Izzy shook his head and sighed. "He is still
alive but only barely; we will get no more help from him. Leave
him in peace" and, with sadness, we left the room, vowing to avenge
the poor wretch who lay within, bereft of his senses.
No-one tried to stop us as we left the Temple. We headed
towards the south-east of the island where, on our previous
explorations, we had noticed another tunnel heading out under the
southern sea.
Not far inside, we found ourselves in a large cavern, filled with
the sound of rushing water. A message carved in the floor read
'Pirates' Cove - enter at your own risk'. "Them's fighting
words" said Lone and Fidget went a sickly shade of green.
Passages led off north, south and west. Along both north
and south passages, Fidget found and disarmed traps and soon after,
in each case, we were attacked by thieves who we quickly slew. A
College was at the end of each tunnel, Disarm Traps in one and
Detect Traps in the other. Having no need for either, as long as
young Fidget was with us, we retraced our steps to the main cavern.
At the end of the western tunnel, over a stretch of water, we
found the town of Pirates' Cove. Surprisingly, despite the
warning at the entrance and our rough reception in the other
tunnels, we were completely ignored. But, in the pub, an old man was
telling the tale of Malifon, so we paused a moment to listen, though
we had heard the tale before, many times. "....and Malifon made the
Earth his home", said the old man, "but soon the Ancients became
angry at him and, in a great battle, banished him inside a volcano
to live till the end of time". He finished his tale and picked
up his tankard to take a draught. Lone tapped my arm. "Sometimes,
my friend, with all the things we see and hear, I get the feeling
the end of time isn't too far away". Somehow, I had to agree with
him. Malifon's volcano might be the last thing any of us saw.
We left the Cove and tried to decide where to go next. While
we were deciding, we visited two of the Colleges. Fidget had
died and been resurrected twice during recent battles, so the
small man decided to improve his skills and took a course in
fighting with the mace. Lone learnt beserking, which he felt
might give him the edge in a tight scrap. At a nearby town, Fidget
purchased a morningstar then we took another trip to the Guild at
New Gleon and found we had advanced enough to gain another few
levels. Hereafter, we visited Guilds whenever we came across them,
to check on our progress.
We bought a ship in the docks and set out to sea. I had also learnt
hunting skills, so between us, Lone and I kept the five of us
well supplied with fish on our long sea voyage. We travelled to
various islands along the coast, but never straying too far from the
main island where we had started our travels. We also investigated
the small islands in the inlets along the coast.
Lone enrolled at the College of Armoured Skin which Fidget said
sounded disgusting. However, this skill gave him even more
protection in battle. At Dragontooth, we heard a rumour in the pub
that someone had found the Shard of Spring a few months back. The
Shard had disappeared 200 years ago and no-one had seen it
since. It is said that if anything happens to it, we will all be
destroyed by the winter that will follow. While we were in
Dragontooth, Clarence enrolled at the College of Mace and later
at the College of Persuasiveness at Chandris. It would help us get
a better deal when we purchased new equipment. All this time,
Izzy had been using a +1 crystal dagger that we had collected
earlier. Our other fights had gained us some more useful equipment
and I had a mace, constant speed +2. We also had some other weapons
that we had collected and since our ship now needed considerable
repairs, pirates and sea monsters having taken their toll, we sold
our spare weapons at a local marketplace. We had also gained
two cursed axes which we got rid of as soon as possible!
To the south, we found two islands, and on the furthest south of
these, the town of Idlewood, mentioned by our friend in the glass
case. We bought a lantern in the marketplace and visited the inn
where we learned that deep within the ancient demon city of Qoorik,
there is a place called the Amber Vault where one can seek
guidance in the flaming runes. The dungeon entrance, invisible
till one stepped into it, lay a short distance away.
We descended into the depths, Fidget checking for traps once we
reached the bottom of the staircase. To the west, we found a
great, black archway covered in runes and south of that, more
passages and rooms led off.
In one room to the far east, we entered a room where three slaver
demons attacked us. The fight was long and hard but when it
was over, Fidget spotted something in a far corner. It was a
black metal wand. "I'll take that" said Clarence as he reached
past the thief and tucked the wand into his robes.
We returned to the corridor and travelled south, then west. A
doorway beckoned; Lone moved to the front and shouldered the door
open. It was a blacksmith's shop. Inside, the blacksmith - an
old troll, his face disfigured so that one eye was permanently
closed - gasped as we entered. Then he seemed to compose himself,
smiled and spoke. He said he had been working on a new weapon,
designed for the ones who wish to kill Xeres. Lone stepped forward,
thanked the troll and took it. It was a jewel-encrusted broadsword.
However, I cautioned him not to use it until we had identified it
properly. My caution was well justified; it turned out to be cursed!
Heading back towards the stairs we had entered by, we went
through a doorway and found ourselves in a stately mansion with
three doors leading off the main hall. In a bedroom, which looked as
though it hadn't been used for a long time, Fidget investigated
a bed with a straw mattress and emerged grasping a pair of
spectacles. He perched them on his nose and said "these make me
feel smart". Lone laughed. "They must be magic if they make YOU
intelligent" he said. The dwarf made a face, pulled off the specs
and passed them to the wizard, who patted Fidget's shoulder to try
to cheer up the small man.
We also collected a blank piece of papyrus and in a library, we came
across a tome, the only book that was left. Izzy tried to read it
but failed till he wore the spectacles. Then he told us that it was
about some gods called the Ancients who created everything but died
out many eons before man ever walked the Earth.
In the corner of the library was a bookcase. Lone and I moved it and
behind was another room. Black runes were carved on the walls
and at a desk, a skeleton, its skull shattered but its hand
still clutching a quill pen, caught our attention. I saw a piece of
paper on the desk which read - Ymros is mine! - and pointed out to
the others that the arrangement of the runes matched the number of
letters on the paper; five runes, a space, two runes, space, then
four more. "I'll memorize the runes" said Clarence, with a glazed
look in his eyes.
Two doorways back on the main floor had so far been barred to us.
One, a tunnel from which the stench of death blew out,
turned out to be, apparently, a dead end. The other, the
entrance to a dark temple of red stone, was also impossible to
enter; the sense of evil permeating from it and an unseen force
both combined to push us back. "There must be another way in"
murmured Izzy. "Clarence? Do you think the wand might help?" The
cleric shook his head. "There's nothing here to operate it on" he
said "but perhaps, the arch we saw when we entered? That was
black and covered in runes...."
We retraced our steps to the arch. Clarence took a deep breath (I
think we all did) and used the wand. The next thing, we were
transported to a small room. A door lead south. Quietly,
Fidget pushed it open and we crept through. A corridor on the
other side was the entrance to the Demon's temple. The entrance
was not unguarded though - in front of us stood a level 6 mage, a
level 8 fighter and an evil spirit.
Manoeuvering into position, we quickly dealt with our assailants
and then investigated the surrounding rooms. In one, a staircase led
downwards so we took it.
At the bottom of the stairs, we entered the third level of the
dungeon. A room to the right contained an empty bag which
Clarence took. A corridor lead north and a small, elegant room to
the left housed a level 14 mage, a priest of Xeres. "A human!"
cried Lone "How can he ally himself with that fiend?" and the
lanky ranger raced forwards, oblivious to the imps who obviously
acted as servants to the priest. A short but vicious fight ended in
our victory and a prize - a skeleton key - which Izzy took.
In another room to the top left, an apprentice's room (the only
inhabitant a level 10 mage who quickly gave up the ghost),
Clarence spied a pile of red dust which he collected in the
bag. To the right was an altar room complete with skulls on the
blood-splattered walls and drawing of demons. "Love the decor"
muttered Fidget as he examine the altar which had demonic references
to the demon Xeres. Lone and I pushed the altar aside to reveal a
short passage into another small room.
Clarence took a pile of small black coins from one corner
and then investigated a censer in the room. Noticing a residue of
red stuff inside it, he quickly poured the red dust into it. A
demon appeared and said "the father of demons sees all. Only
those who possess the Demon Crystal can escape his sight" and
then vanished. "I wonder where that can be?" said Izzy. "Oh well,
no doubt we'll find out - sooner..." "...or later" added Fidget.
As we walked towards the northern doorway from the altar room,
Clarence had a closer look at the coins and passed some across to
me. They were ominous black objects with a picture of a scythe on
them.
Through the north door, we found a large area with several rooms
around it. There were some corridors that transported us to other
parts of the dungeon too which made life very confusing. In one
room at the south end, Clarence collected two more items, two
phials of liquid, one a greenish ooze of goblin blood and one a
transparent silver fluid which he told us was unicorn blood. In
the same room was a microscope but we were unable to move it.
At the north of this level, we entered a room with a stairway
guarded by two gargoyles. After we slew the creatures, we
stepped warily downwards into the darkness of the fourth level.
This level was somewhat smaller but interesting to explore. In one
room was a magic circle though it seemed to serve no purpose.
Another area was a small graveyard which had a large tomb with a
magical stone door at its west end.
Walking cautiously south, we came upon a wall of silver
bricks. Izzy pointed into the distance to draw our attention to a
fabulous silver palace visible above it. However, there was no
doorway in the wall. Around the corner at the end of this
passage, we surprised two slavers who were attacking an old man.
After we had dispatched his assailants, the old man thanked us and
explained that he was the groundskeeper of the palace. He went on to
tell us that there was a secret entrance into the palace through the
silver wall we had just passed. As he slowly trudged off down
the alley, we retraced our steps and Fidget walked along the
wall, suddenly turning and disappearing from our sight as he walked
straight through it!
We followed the dwarf and found ourselves in a beautiful garden
with trees and grassy walkways. In the centre was a healing pool
but fortunately we were in no need of it - yet! A door led out
of the western end of the garden and we passed through it into a
hallway guarded by a large silver snake. I thought we were in for
trouble but luckily the bigger they are, the harder they fall
and with all of us working together to defeat him, even a huge
serpent didn't survive. Two rooms led off; one was empty, the other
provided us with a jade torch which burnt with a magical blue flame.
I took it and led the others back to the main room where I had
previously noticed a pillar shaped like a serpent with an open
mouth full of oil. Using the torch on the pillar opened a secret
passage leading west. Luckily Fidget was checking for traps as
we walked down it as he discovered and disarmed a trap which could
have caused us some injury.
The study at the end was small but lit by an unknown source. It
looked empty too but Izzy's eagle eyes spotted a silver pen in one
corner and he passed it to our cleric who filled it with the silver
unicorn's blood.
The pen began to glow and Lone gave the piece of papyrus he had
collected earlier to Clarence. The pen seemed to move with a life
of its own and we watched spellbound as it wrote a message on the
papyrus that Asaht is the Holy City of the Ancients.
In the same room, tucked away and so we almost missed it (it's lucky
Fidget has good eyesight) was a tiny scroll. The dwarf picked
it up but the writing on it was far too small for even him to read.
We walked back up to the room where we had found the microscope.
Fidget put the scroll under it and said "this could be useful. It
gives the location of the Ice Temple of the Ancients - it says it's
in the tundra far to the north." "Perhaps we'd better head that way
once we've dealt with Xeres" said Lone.
At Clarence's suggestion, we returned to level four and
entered the graveyard. The cleric tried the skeleton key on the
tomb door and the door shimmered and changed from solid stone to
a curtain of blue light. I led the way as we stepped through and
found ourselves in a larger graveyard with tombstones stretching far
into the distance.
The graveyard was full of mist and our footsteps were strangely
dulled as we slowly traced a path between the stones. The stones
got closer together and gradually we found our path being blocked
by them. But at one point, Izzy stepped forward and the
tombstones shifted in front of us. We found several other places
in the maze that did the same thing and by manoeuvering
carefully, we found we could clear a path through the whitened
blocks.
On the other side were more stones, though dotted sparsely about
on the damp earth. Ahead of us, way to the north, Lone pointed out
a large mound so we headed that way. But soon, a river crossed
our path and we were forced to travel along the bank, hoping for a
place to cross. Instead, we were startled when a shadowy figure
appeared out of the mist - a ferryman. He said nothing, just
held out a skeletal hand and waited silently but expectantly. Izzy
hissed at Clarence, "pay him", and the cleric cautiously held out
the black coins. The bony fingers closed over the coins and the
deal was made; we had our transportation over the river, though it
wasn't what we had expected.
"Not more graves" muttered Fidget as we disembarked from the ferry
and we saw yet more gravestones stretching into the far
distance. There was a passage between some stones to the far west
temptingly labelled "exit" and the dwarf would have taken it if
we'd let him but Lone led us through the stones to the mound we had
noticed from the other side of the river.
The path we took led to an entrance, but it was guarded ....
by the Gravekeeper and his entourage; an evil spirit, a ghoul, a
skeleton mage, a ghost, a zombie and a skeleton. The Gravekeeper
advanced towards us through the fire and mist, his skeletal form
striking terror into all our hearts, but I knew we were equal to the
challenge.
Lone, Fidget and I laid about us with our weapons while Izzy
blasted away with spells gleaned from his knowledge of fire
runes and Clarence tried turning the undead creatures. The
fight was hard but we succeeded in destroying our enemies. The
Gravekeeper, the last to be overcome, dissolved into grey ooze
which turned into smoke and floated away with the mist. Before
us, a dark, ominous tunnel lead into the mound and we knew an
important confrontation awaited us down in those sulphurous depths.
The lowest level was strange in shape, a central maze of tunnels
and my heart started to race as we went to enter it. A stone
archway framed the entrance and a huge fire blazed in front of
us. A ruby eyed snake - a salamander - barred the way. As it
died, a voice rang out, echoing round the whole area. It was
Xeres! "Woe the mortal who stands in my way" he cried "for Death
shall follow swift my hand." But there was no choice, we could only
go forward.
So, we walked deeper into the tunnel, Fidget checking for traps but
finding none. The path wove round and round with several dead ends
but finally, we came to the centre of the maze and Xeres himself
stood before us. He looked down at us and said "so you have
found me. Killing me will not end the destruction." His eyes
passed over all of us in turn and he continued "There is
something bigger here than your mortal minds can understand. If you
kill me, all of Ymros will go down with me."
Xeres was flanked by two salamanders, a gargoyle and a
slaver. Izzy discharged the biggest column-of-fire spell I had
ever seen him use straight at Xeres (like the rest of us, I think
he panicked a bit) but it did the trick and the demon was
obliterated. His minions fell swiftly though not without cost to
ourselves. With them all dead, we looked through the archway ahead
of us and saw the town of Idlewood, looking far more peaceful
now, but as we passed through the arch, we all felt we had missed
something.
Izzy slapped his hand to his brow in exasperation. "The Amber
Vault, remember? We heard about it in Idlewood but I didn't see
it. Come on, we have to go back and find it. It must hold some
useful information for us." A quick trip back through the dungeon
and we were back at the lowest level. To the south of the area, the
normal fabric of the dungeon was replaced by a length of
brickwork. This difference gave us hope that we had found the
location of the Vault and we walked along the wall till we found a
secret passage.
Inside was the Vault. Flaming runes covered the floor and
skeletons of demons hung on the walls. The heat almost drove
us back but Clarence examined the runes closely. "I can translate
some of it" he said "using the runes we found earlier that said
'Ymros is mine'." He frowned. "That gives 'se-re- en-r-n-e ...'."
Izzy interrupted him "that's got to be 'secret entrance' surely?"
"You're right" said Clarence, "and that gives us a few more letters
and means it's easy to translate the rest of the message.
'Secret entrance to Ice Cathedral leads to Demon Crystal'." Lone
grinned and reminded us of the message we had got earlier (it
seemed a lifetime ago) when Clarence had burnt the red dust in
the censer. At least now we had a new location to aim for - if only
we could find it.
We started our search for the Ice Cathedral, travelling by boat from
island to island, looking and searching, avoiding ghost ships,
fighting pirates and sea monsters until we began to doubt that we
would ever find it. On our way north, we found the College of Fire
Runes on one southerly island. But we pressed on, going ever north.
Landing on one northern island, we spotted a dungeon entrance. Lone
led the way as we entered a twisting passage. In a large room,
we came upon the biggest ice dragon we had ever seen - alright,
I'll be honest, none of us had seen one before .... but he WAS big!
Izzy prepared to cast a column of fire at the creature but
before he could do anything, the dragon moved forward, his blue
scales glinting in the dim light, and breathed a spell at the wizard
who was immediately frozen in ice.
Lone and I rushed at the dragon, weapons at the ready, trapped the
beast in a corner and slew him before he could do more damage to our
party. Clarence and Fidget didn't get a chance to strike a blow.
We collected our poor, frozen wizard and explored the lair and
surrounding tunnels. Despite the attentions of mountain giants
and an ogre, we completed our explorations quickly, finding the
College of Ice Runes in a northern passage and, in a small room to
the south, an icicle which Lone took.
A quick trip to the healers restored our friend to full health,
though it cost us quite a bit of gold, and we continued our
search for the Ice Cathedral.
"Land ho!" shouted Fidget, rousing us all from our slumbers and
we leant over the rail to see an island to the west. Was
this the one we had searched for all these weeks? Yes! On the
island, we found a temple made from blocks of ice. "This must be the
Temple of the Ancients" said Izzy. We could tell that once it
had been beautiful but the blocks of ice were tumbled and cracked
so that the once-proud edifice now lay in ruins. Inside, we
found the entrance to the Ice Cathedral but the scattered blocks
that had formed the entrance many centuries ago had fallen to block
the way in. We knew from our discoveries in the Amber Vault that
there was a secret way in - but where? Lone led the way again as we
started to search for it.
We found it at last, a secret passage through a wall. The Ice
Cathedral was still beautiful, despite the great damage that had
occurred. At one end was an octagonal pedestal of blue ice on which
was a dark violet crystal. "The Demon Crystal" whispered
Clarence. Dark mist swirled between us and the crystal and I
could see strange shapes forming in it and then dissolving again.
For a moment, I felt it seemed to examine us, then it cleared to
reveal the crystal in all its horrifying glory. Clarence stepped
slowly forward and took it. Then we left the Cathedral as quickly as
we could.
Back outside, in the main body of the Temple, a library in the
north-west corner had been ransacked, just a few scrolls littering
the floor. Clarence pushed the scraps of parchment aside to
uncover a prayer scroll which he took. A passage east looked a
likely route to take but a noise alerted us. Rounding a corner, who
should we come across but Jesric of the High Temple of Malifon!
He turned to us and said "Until I find the Demon Crystal, I
claim these ancient ruins to be mine!" His tone told us he would
take no argument on the subject but, unfortunately for Jesric, we
had other ideas.
Despite his sword and armour, we defeated him fairly easily. Fidget
noticed a medallion around the dead priest's neck. "It shows he's
Malifon's High Priest" said the dwarf, taking the heavy amulet and
passing it to Lone. "It might come in useful then" said the
lanky ranger, tucking it into his pocket.
A doorway nearby led into a corridor. The air was chilly and
instinctively, I drew my cloak tighter round me but it made
little difference. A squeak from behind me made me turn, to see
Fidget, mouth open, pointing a little distance down the corridor.
What the small man had noticed but the rest of us had missed was
- a pair of ghosts! One was an evil-looking man, the other a
kind-looking priest. They seemed to be arguing and, to our
amazement, we could hear what they were saying.
One voice said "You are a fool! Your god is dying and still you
pray." The other responded "He is still strong. Find me a god
who can break these walls and I shall worship him instead."
As we walked into the next corridor, the voices followed us.
"Long have I quested, and at a volcano a spirit conquered my
mind. It is a spirit as old as time. It once was strong, but
was defeated and rests now, regaining power ....... behold its power
....." We all gasped as images of fire and pain engulfed our senses.
Faint heartbeats echoed in our minds as the ghost said "Oh Dark
One, whose power is so great - I cannot worship thee. Instead
I offer to you as sacrifice an old fool who cannot see a candle in
the shadows." We all got the impression of a blade and pain, then
the heartbeats ceased. I realised we had witnessed a murder from
long ago.
Returning to the main body of the Temple, we found a door made of
ice, and, noticing a hole in the door, Lone inserted the icicle.
Suddenly we found ourselves transported to the other side of the
door in an Altar Room with an altar of blue ice against the south
wall. Clarence put the prayer scroll on the altar and as the last
of the foreign words from it left his lips, the Temple was flooded
with light. A powerful voice spoke to us.
The voice spoke to us, not aloud but through our minds. It told us
how the White Knights had created an Orb of great power, capable
of acting as a catalyst between the Ancients and Mortals. The
voice continued to explain that it was the last of the Ancients
who Malifon believed were dead and that, with help, Malifon had
broken through the Imprison spell that had trapped him. Ymros was
doomed unless he could be bound again. Finally, the voice said
"Through the Orb, I can give you the power to renew his binding. It
lies in the Vault of the White Knights, northeast of the desert,
guarded by Kalek-Zin, the greatest of the Knights. He can surely
be persuaded to give the Orb to you. When you have it, return to me
and I will give you the powers of the Gods. The Ancient has
spoken." The light faded and the voice was gone.
Reverently, we left the Temple of the Ancients and sailed east,
passing a few islands, until we came to a small one that was
mountainous in the centre but had an inlet that could be
entered from the south coast. We landed on a beach and to the
north, found the entrance to the Vault of the White Knights.
Appropriately, the walls inside were painted white and Izzy pointed
out the Knights' names carved on them. "This whole Vault is a
memorial to the Warriors of old" he explained. An octagonal pool
sparkled in the centre and Clarence identified it as a healing pool.
I realised this pool might come in useful as I expected some
challenge awaited us inside; there seemed little chance we could
just go in and take the Orb. A secret passage in the north wall led
into the Fire Chamber of Kalek-Zin.
Though a wall of fire ahead of us filled the room with light,
no heat emanated from it. "Karek-Zin's burial chamber," whispered
Clarence. "The greatest of all the Knights." An alcove in the
flames became apparent and we edged towards it. Inside we could
see a glowing Orb and I sensed great power coming from it. We moved
into the alcove. A pure white spirit weaved in and out of the
flames, guarding the Orb whose colours changed as we watched it.
Clarence reached towards the Orb to take it from its pedestal but
the spirit intervened. "The Orb of Evertime is the greatest artifact
of the White Knights" it said. "If used unwisely, it could
endanger all of Ymros but since I sense Ymros is already in great
peril, I will release it to you if you can show you are worthy
of it. Pass the tests within the Vault and the Orb is yours.
Exploring the Vault, we found two secret passages, one on either
side of the Vault. We found that these linked with each
other, also passing through a room adorned with paintings of the
ancient Warriors. Leading off this maze of passages we found a
series of rooms, one for every class of adventurer, not only our
own but also visionary, scholar and others. We entered each room in
turn. Each was a proving room where we would be called upon to
show our worth, each according to his own class specialities. In
rooms that did not apply to one of us a voice told us we were
free to leave. Lone had to fight a cave bear, Fidget to disarm a
trap; gradually we all completed our own tasks.
Leaving the final room we returned to the alcove. This time the
spirit allowed us to take the Orb and Clarence reverently
picked it up. Even Fidget seemed somewhat subdued as we turned and
retraced our steps to our ship and from there, sailed west to
return to the Altar Room in the Temple of the Ancients as we had
been instructed. On the way, night fell and as we slept on the ship
we all heard the same voice speak to us. It said, "The Orb of
Evertime now is yours, but your quest remains in vain. I was alive
before mortals touched the Earth and no mortal there can touch
me. It is true that with the Demon Crystal I can lay neither
tooth or claw on you. But I can make you wish you were never born."
"Let these words of Malifon be heard - The sky shall flare the
Earth shall bleed. All that is dark shall rise up in Glory, and
all that is Light shall be trampled underfoot."
It was very hard to go to sleep the next night in case the voice
returned. It didn't .... but instead we experienced visions. Dark
and gloomy forests and rivers of blood ... great battles and a
black force with power beyond our comprehension. One by one, we
saw the gods killed - the Eagle, the Swan, the Raven, the Woman
of Colours, the Tiger. One by one they were defeated and fell
into the flaming waters below. We saw clerics all over Ymros wake
up to a new day with the feeling that something had been torn from
their souls. Great thunderbolts fell from the skies and each
temple was turned to ruin. We woke, stunned. Clarence put into
words what we all suspected. "They're dead," he said, his voice
quavering. "The gods are dead. What can we do? Who will help us
now?" "I have a feeling that will be answered when we get back to
the altar room," said Izzy, laying his hand on the cleric's
shoulder - though he was no longer a cleric in truth, his god having
been destroyed with the rest.
"Come," continued the wizard. "Let us see what the Ancient One has
to say." We returned to the altar room, using the icicle to enter,
and once again Clarence used the prayer scroll on the altar and
the Ancient One spoke. "You have done well. With the Orb, I may
now transfer some of my power to one of you. I offer to make one of
you a God. The Power of the Ancient Ones lies in the God Runes. Two
spells it allows you to cast in camp are Uncurse and Imprison."
The voice went on to explain. "To keep Malifon from
communicating mentally with the natives near the volcano, we put a
curse on the land round it. This is done through the three
crimson glyphs. Each glyph sustains the curse on the land round
it and any mortal who walks there will rot with every step.
You must destroy each glyph using the Uncurse spell while camping on
the same space as the glyph. Until all three glyphs are destroyed,
you will not be able to use the Dark Chapel to go back in time to
the Dawn of Man."
The voice paused, then continued. "Only in the Chapel of the Past
will you find the entrance to Malifon's volcano. Imprison is
used to seal off a passageway and the room it leads to so no
creature can pass. This is what you must do to defeat Malifon
as it would be impossible to kill him in combat. Even all the
Ancients could not kill him. His power is so great that even the
Demon Crystal will shatter if you come too close to him. Cast the
Imprison spell when the Demon Crystal glows white, it costs 100
spell points." There was another pause and then the voice said,
"One will be given enough experience to gain the wisdom you need
and 200 spell points with which to cast the God Runes. Go to my
holy city and convert to my faith for, in the time to come, the
new gods shall falter and die. Good luck."
We sensed we were being scrutinised and then the voice asked us who
wished to become a God? I looked at Lone, he looked at
Clarence, Clarence at Fidget and Fidget at Izzy. Izzy didn't
look at anyone. He just stepped slowly forward and said "I do." We
expected some sign that our friend had been elevated to such a
rank but, no. He turned back to us, looking no different, but
calmly reminded us that we must travel to Ancient's holy city.
We had previously learned at Qoorik that Asaht was the holy city of
the Ancients, so it was to there that we set sail.
Entering the oddly-shaped temple at Asaht, Izzy converted to
the faith of Ancient. A trip to the Guild confirmed that he had
indeed gained several levels of experience, and we were once again
ready to continue on our quest. "Where to?" asked Fidget as we
returned to the ship. "East", replied our divine companion, his
eyes fixed on the distant horizon.
Directly east of Jacanth we found a small, mountainous island with
an inlet containing a healing pool. We sailed back out of the
inlet and continued east where we found another larger island.
Anchoring the boat on the shoreline, we started to explore. We
walked into the mountains and through onto a sandy beach with
buildings around it. To the northwest was one containing a small
room full of maps showing a volcano south of the island and the
Dark Chapel that the Ancient One had mentioned to us on an island to
the south of that. Back outside and along the beach to the
south, a ship lay at anchor on the inland sea. Guarding it were two
mountain giants and a Titan - a huge figure wielding a huge,
shining sword. Lone gave a battle cry, at least that's what I think
it was, and we attacked. Within a short space of time, the ship was
ours.
We sailed back towards the entrance and, leaving the ship, walked
along the beach to the east. A short bridge led over the water to a
small island and a bell tower. Just inside the entrance was a short
corridor. Two rooms led off, one north, one south. In the north room
was a skeleton mage called the Bellkeeper; a powerful assassin, he
had been hired by Eregore to keep watch over the bell tower. He
screamed threats at us and attacked. Lone and I killed him and as
he breathed his last, we felt a cold force fly past us, followed by
the ringing of a massive bell to the west. In the south room was a
dog, obviously the Bellkeeper's pet, but at the end of the corridor
was something far more important - a huge bell. On the wall above
the bell were some runes and, squinting at them slightly, Clarence
translated them. "'Ring bell at midnight'" he said. "But how?"
asked Fidget. "We're always asleep at that time - it seems
impossible to stay awake that long." Confused, we returned to the
outside of the dungeon.
To the east of the island a small path led into the mountains, and
at the end of it we found a small hut. Inside, an old peasant
woman greeted us. Smiling, she waved her hand to encompass the
interior of the hut with its sweet-smelling herbs. "Please stay.
If you wish, you may sleep here in comfort" she offered. Izzy
smiled at her. "I accept, on behalf of myself and my companions"
he said. We settled down and were soon sound asleep. But suddenly,
we woke to the screeching of an owl outside. Everything was still
and quiet, the moon seeming suspended in the heavens with a magical
feeling to the air. But there was no sign of the old woman.
Collecting our weapons, we walked outside into the darkness.
Fidget looked up at the sky and gasped. "It's the middle of the
night. Quick, let's go to the bell and ring it!" We hurried down to
the bell tower and rang the bell. The sound of angels crying opened
up from the heavens, then everything went quiet again. Lone
frowned. "Now what?" he said. "Nothing's happened!" Despondently,
we walked back outside, having no idea what to do next.
Boarding the ship, Clarence suggested we set sail to the
south as we hadn't yet explored in that direction. Leaving the
ship on yet another small, sandy beach, we had walked just a few
steps when we noticed a gate, standing open, inviting us to enter.
With a chuckle, Izzy said, "I bet this was shut before we rang
that bell!" and, with Lone leading the way, we entered. A short
way down the corridor, a voice from nowhere spoke. "Only those who
worship Malifon may enter this temple. What is thy name?". Quick as
can be, Izzy replied "Jesric". "You may enter," said the
disembodied voice. The corridor led deep into the mountains into
a small room which was completely bare. "This is strange," said
Izzy. "Where's the temple?" We explored every inch of the room,
then returned to the corridor. To our surprise, where there had
previously been a bend in the passageway there was now a
crossroads. To the east was a healing pool but south another
passage beckoned us deeper into the mountain.
Soon we came to a small, square, sand-filled room with its walls
painted to depict a desert landscape. Two huge salamanders
leapt out of the sand! Defeating them, we walked to the south
end of the room and a passage suddenly opened in the east wall as
the doorway, through which we had just entered, vanished. Through
the new exit a bridge led over a small stretch of water and split,
one piece going north, one south. As we explored the area, we
discovered that the whole place was a series of transporter rooms,
each with its own climatic characteristics. After the desert room,
we found one with walls of fire, twenty feet high, guarded by a
fire elemental; another was bitterly cold as magical snow fell
onto us and an ice demon surveyed us with its cold, blue eyes
before attacking. Soon we had mapped the area, apart from one
section. In one seemingly normal room, a purple haze filled the
north wall. I tried to walk through it but failed and none of the
others had any better luck. But on the side wall was a crystal eye.
Lone pointed out the carving above it. "'Only high priests
allowed past this point, show identification'", he read. "I
wonder...." and reaching into his tunic, he drew out the heavy
amulet we had taken from Jesric after he died and held it in front
of the eye. Then he smiled at us as the mist slowly dispersed and we
saw a corridor leading north.
Thus we entered the main part of the High Temple, with its high,
engraved ceiling and wide hallways. The size of the building
dwarfed us (with apologies to Fidget) and made me feel very
vulnerable and helpless. To the left, a doorway led into a room
of dreams and to the far southeast was a beautiful cathedral,
guarded by three orange spellbinders - giant snakes which moved
hypnotically before us. But the octagonal room to the north, with
its crystal floor decorated with geometric designs and inscribed
'Only the right path will bring rewards' seemed more promising.
We discovered that the north, west and east walls were not solid,
though they appeared to be at a cursory glance and, remembering
the inscription on the floor, we went east ... right. Once
through the "wall", we found a corridor going north with two
doorways. The first one led into a room inhabited by a demon lord,
selected by Malifon to watch over Eregore and make sure he did his
job. Killing the demon lord and his two attendant hounds, we
entered a second room whose cracked walls still bore evidence
of a complex spell which had once been carved there. It
appeared to be the God Rune for breaking a binding and Izzy
pointed out the places where the apprentices would have stood to
cast the spell.
The second doorway from the main corridor led into a room
containing a large crystal ball. To my amazement, the voice of
the Ancient One issued from the crystal, assuring us that we were
doing well but that we must go on, for Malifon had gained control
of the Shard of Spring and was planning to destroy it. All of
us knew that if that happened the world would be plunged into
deepest winter! Hurrying, we had just rounded the corner of the
next corridor when a voice rang out - it was Eregore! "So, you
have found me," he cried from the northern end of the room we
were about to enter as his followers, a collection of highwaymen,
thieves, fighters and mages, watched with evil eyes glinting.
He pointed at us. "Destroy the infidels!" he shrieked, and the
motley crew advanced towards us.
Eregore's followers attacked us and the fight was long and
hard but eventually we were victorious though none of us escaped
unscathed. Eregore stood at the north end of the room in front of
a large black mirror and a look of horror came over his face as
he realised we had triumphed. I led the way as we walked
towards him. As we got closer we could feel evil emanating from
the black mirror but to the other side of Eregore I noticed a
beautiful, round, multi-faceted mirror which hung by a thread from
the ceiling. Eregore spoke. "You fools - you believe you are so
powerful. You have no idea what true power is. Malifon, my master,
is the supreme power ... you're lucky he let you live so long." "He
cannot harm us as long as we hold the Demon Crystal of
Kalek-Zin," replied Izzy, in his usual calm voice.
Eregore looked questioningly at the mirror, then said, "Who
is this Kalek-Zin?" "He was the greatest of the White Knights, but,
alas, has been dead for centuries," responded Izzy. Eregore looked
even more worried and we realised he was but the tool of a greater
power. He looked to the mirror for more guidance and said, "All
the White Knights are dead. There is no-one to stop me taking
over Ymros. Malifon will help me take power and make me ruler of
these lands." I was amazed when Fidget stepped forward and said,
hesitantly, "If he plans to help you, then why has he stolen the
Shard of Spring?" "That's not true!" screamed Eregore, turning
to the mirror. He stared at it and asked "Do you have the Shard
of Spring?" A powerful voice spoke from the mirror and replied
"Yes." Eregore shook with fear like a child. "If you destroy the
Shard, a bitter winter will strike the land." Then he thought and
added "Of course, you will spare your loyal followers....." The
voice spoke firmly "Your purpose was to free me. Now you have
done that, I have no need of you." "Why?" asked Eregore. Malifon
replied, "My winter shall cleanse the land of mortal souls and
once again silence shall embrace the Wind and Gods shall walk the
Earth."
I almost (but not quite) felt sorry for Eregore as I saw his face
change as realisation dawned. Suddenly he saw what he had done
and how he had been used by Malifon. Taking a curved dagger, he
calmly killed himself before any of us could stop him. Malifon's
voice spoke once more: "Your meddling has become a thorn in my
side. Eregore died a fool's death, your deaths shall be worse. For
now I shall shatter your precious Shard and my Winter shall begin.
Do not believe you have felt the last of my wrath, Your pain is my
sustenance, your blood my drink. I do not intend to starve." We
heard a shattering sound that shook the bowels of the earth. The
black mirror shattered but the faceted mirror remained whole.
Swiftly, Lone rushed forward and took it, then we left the Temple.
Outside, a grim sight met our eyes. As predicted, the land was in
the grip of a bitter winter and all the towns were in ruins. We were
on our own. "We have to continue," said Izzy. "We've gone too far
to turn back now." So we returned to our ship and sailed
south, avoiding battles with pirates, monsters and ghost ships
now there was no way we could get our ship repaired. Fairly
quickly we came to the island with Malifon's volcano and found the
glyphs the Ancient One had mentioned. Anchoring the ship
off-shore, we walked to the first glyph, each of us losing one
hit point with each step. Arriving at the glyph, we set up camp
and Izzy cast the Uncurse Spell. Lightning flashed and the glyph
was gone. The land was now safe to walk on in this section of the
island so, once we had rested and regained our strength, we
carried out the same procedure at the other two glyphs.
Each spell cost Izzy 50 spell points. In a bay to the south of
the large island, we found a smaller one on which was the Dark
Chapel. On the floor in the centre of the building was a large,
round circle of glass from which a never-ending stream of
blinding, yellow light poured out. Lone held out the facet mirror
over the circle of light. Powerful beams of light burst off its
facets, blinding us, while I felt my head reel. We felt ourselves
being sent back in time and when everything eventually slowed
down, we found ourselves in the Dark Chapel as it had been ten
thousand years ago. The shifting walls had solidified into
white stone and the Chapel was filled with the spectral forms of
grossly-disfigured men - haunting images from the dawn of Man, their
heads bowed in prayer.
At four alcoves round the edge of the Chapel were circular
carvings with runic inscriptions. One showed a lightning bolt, one
wind being sucked up into blackness, another the creation of the
universe and the fourth some kind of ghostly apparition. Clarence
translated the runes: "Power, Void, Divinity and Spirit." Soon,
we found their significance as a spectral priest at the north
end of the room chanted "Power, Divinity, Spirit...." and paused.
"Void" replied Izzy. Without warning, a huge, blue fireball burst
into the mountain, melting the rock and opening a passage from which
stale air flowed. The passage led deep into the mountain, to a room
with an ancient stone staircase which was covered with runes and
cracked by time. A huge stone statue dominated the room but, as we
entered, it came to life -a guardian was attempting to stop us
continuing.
It had reckoned without Izzy's column of fire spell. Luckily he had
enough spell points spare to blast the statue and, defeated, it
turned back to stone. Sulphurous mist flowed round our ankles as we
ascended the staircase to emerge in an icy waste at the top of
Malifon's volcano. Another pit led down to our left and we
descended yet again, this time into the heart of the volcano. The
Demon Crystal glowed violet as we explored the caverns. At the far
east end we fell down a shaft, even deeper into the volcano and in
this section we found a golden bridge spanning a lake of fire. It
was not unguarded but once the two dragons and the demon
commanding them had been destroyed (our hardest fight yet) we
crossed. The crystal was glowing red as we entered a hall full of
purple mist.
The mist swayed as though it was alive and as I looked into the
mist, I saw faces of people we had known and places we had seen on
our travels. As we stepped into the mist, we travelled through our
memories - the tent at the Kobold Camp - the octagon room - the
old woman's hut - and the icy tundra of the northlands by the
ice dragon's cave. During all this time, the crystal had glowed
violet, red and orange but as Lone stepped forward to enter the cave
Fidget shouted "Stop! Look at the Crystal!" and I saw it was glowing
pure white. Quickly, we set up camp just outside the cave and Izzy
cast the Imprison Spell. Light flashed and a resounding primaeval
scream was heard from the depths of the volcano. The walls
shook and began to crumble around us. As the Imprison Spell
took effect, the sounds of Malifon's agony were quickly stifled
but the walls of the mountain continued to shake.
Just as I felt the walls were about to collapse about us, a
strange combination of darkness and light surrounded us and the
Ancient One spoke: "You have done well. As long as the spell
holds, Malifon's evil is contained in the volcano. Many
adventurers set out to destroy the root of this evil. Many died
along the way and many gave up the quest when they could not find
the courage to continue. You alone have succeeded, time and again
... to destroy Xeres, acquire the Orb of Evertime, destroy Malifon's
High Temple and eventually imprison Malifon himself." "Although
Malifon's evil has been contained, the effects of his evil are
still being felt on Ymros. With the Shard gone, the land
still lies in Winter and though Malifon's Corruption is now
ended, many towns have been turned to ruins. Perhaps worst of
all, the Gods that the people of Ymros relied on for centuries
are dead and the people have lost hope." "I do not say the work is
yours for you have done more good that the land can ever repay.
For this reason, I can offer to reward you by making you immortal
and you shall rule by my side for the rest of eternity." I
couldn't see my companions but I felt their agreement when I said
"We must decline. There is too much work to be done here on
Ymros". "You are indeed noble," said the Ancient One. "If
mortality is your wish then it shall be granted. I will make sure
the rest of your lives are visited by good fortune and
prosperity." And so it was. Lone went back to the town of Woodhaven
and was instrumental in its reconstruction.
After rebuilding the city, he settled down there and lived to a
ripe old age. Clarence became the first in two millennia to take
up the title of High Priest of the Ancient One. With his
accumulated wealth, he built an enormous temple to The Ancients
and spread word of the new God. Fidget heard in the tavern of
untold wealth in lands to the north and went in search of the
fortune. He gathered a party and explored many dungeons,
eventually retiring in luxury. Izzy went on a great quest for the
Lifestone in order to build a new Shard of Spring. While he did
not live to see its completion, the new Shard was named in
honour of him and still protects Ymros. What happened to me? Well,
that's another story!
~ ***** THE END ****
