Castle Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

portcullis.
    If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship, turn to 306 .
    If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Divination, turn to 167 .
    If you have neither of these skills, turn to 329 .
    [2] For those who cannot use the illustration of the plaque or those who don't have access to it, we offer the following description.
    The plaque can be formed in the following way. A regular hexagon (i.e. a six-sided shape with all sides of equal length and all angles equal) is divided into six equal triangles by three lines which extend from each corner to its opposite (i.e. one line for each of three pairs of opposite corners). A larger triangle is formed from the hexagon by placing three triangles (of the same size and shape as the triangles in the hexagon) next to three alternating sides of the hexagon (i.e. if the sides of the hexagon are numbered 1–6, then the sides of the triangles should be attached to sides 2, 4, and 6).
    Alternately, the plaque could be formed from equilateral triangles (i.e. triangles with three equal sides) in the following way. A single triangle is placed on the plaque with one of its corners pointing down. Three new triangles are attached to the sides of the first triangle. The result so far should resemble a large triangle with one corner pointing up. Two more small triangles (pointing down) are attached to the bottom of this large triangle. Finally, three new triangles (pointing up) are attached to the latest two so that, all together, the plaque forms one large triangle.
    The final, triangular plaque has five interlocking rows of small triangles. Starting from the top, it has a row of one triangle pointing up, a row of one triangle pointing down, a row of two triangles pointing up, a row of two triangles pointing down, and a row of three triangles pointing up.

12
    ‘We're as good as dead if we stay here,’ says the warrior in a broad Stornlands accent. ‘Come, we best find ourselves a safe tunnel before they release a Trakka. We'll have a horde of Zahda's pets snappin' at our heels if it picks up our scent.’
    You follow the man through a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers; descending by slope and staircase to deeper levels of this subterranean world. Not a word is spoken until, finally, you stop to rest in a small, musty chamber, its entrance partially hidden behind a rockfall of scarlet stone. ‘How long have you been tunnel-running?’ your companion asks. When you reply that you've been in Kazan-Oud no more than a few hours, his face registers a look of surprise followed by disappointment. ‘I'd have stood and fought the Dhax had I known I was so near to the surface,’ he says, shaking his head and staring dejectedly at the floor.
    He tells you that his name is Tavig and that he comes from Suentina, a city in the western land of Slovia. Over a year ago his sister was captured by Sadzar, the slaver of Gzor, when a ship on which she was a passenger was attacked by his pirate fleet off the island of Lio. One thousand Crowns was the ransom Sadzar placed on her head, and Tavig vowed he would raise the gold and save his sister or die in the attempt. Undaunted by the rumours he had heard, he travelled to Herdos to offer his services to the Elder Magi, to attempt the destruction of the evil that haunts Kazan-Oud, in return for his sister's ransom. They agreed to his price, as they had agreed to scores of others' before him, and sent him through the power-shield with their hopes and prayers for success. That was one year ago.
    ‘One man alone could never hope to destroy Zahda, he who commands this fortress, for his power has grown greater than the Elders imagine. I tried and I failed. Twice I've been captured and twice I've escaped from his maze, and now my only wish is to escape from this fortress of nightmares. I'm a tunnel-runner, a survivor, a fugitive from Zahda's law, but I fear my time has nearly run out.’
    Drawing his sword, Tavig walks to the entrance and peers into the corridor