boots — the few days that you have spent in this desolate land have taught you much about survival. As you take off your boots, you take care to leave them in the shape of your feet: in these temperatures, your soft boots soon freeze as hard as stone, making them agony to put on next morning if you don't. Unlacing the boots requires bare fingers, and you constantly have to pause and thrust your hands back into your mittens to avoid frostbite setting in. Curled up in your furs, your teeth chattering, and the wind howling outside, you eventually fall into a deep sleep.
Turn to 238 .
213
You point the Sommerswerd towards Vonotar's crystal rod. In an instant, the cone of frost arcs away from the bridge and shatters against the golden sword. You hear Vonotar curse you as, once again, the power of the Sommerswerd saves you from his destructive magic.
Turn to 252 .
216
You have covered less than a mile when the first of the Ice Barbarian scouts appear to the north on skis. At first, there are only two of the fearsome warriors, but they are soon joined by three others. They are large, muscular, and bedecked with furs. Some of them wear bone armour. Despite their size, they glide across the snow with an almost feline grace and speed. Each of them has a pole attached to his back from which a small flag flutters.
Suddenly, a bone-tipped arrow whistles past your knee and embeds itself in the sledge. An Ice Barbarian scout skis past to your right. He is less than ten yards away and you can clearly see his slanted eyes and sharp cheek-bones. You suddenly realize that what you had mistaken for muscle and fur is in fact an Ice Barbarian child. Each scout is carrying a large backpack containing a small child. These children are armed with small bone bows, and they fire a constant stream of arrows as their fathers ski nearer and nearer.
Illustration XII —Each Ice Barbarian scout is carrying a backpack containing a child armed with a bone bow.
Suddenly Irian falls, an arrow buried in his back. Dyce runs to his aid but is shot down before he has taken a dozen steps. Fenor is hit. An arrow passes straight through his throat. He bravely staggers on for nearly a minute before collapsing in the snow. You are on your own. An Ice Barbarian scout skis past to your left and returns towards you head on. He has a spear under one arm, which is levelled at your chest.
If you wish to fight the Ice Barbarian scout, turn to 158 .
If you wish to try to escape, turn to 149 .
217
The monolith suddenly explodes, sending hundreds of razor-sharp shards screaming through the air. You are pierced by the stone shrapnel and thrown to the far wall by the sheer force of the blast. You lose 10 ENDURANCE points.
If you are still alive, turn to 154 .
219
You sense that the low rumbling noise echoing throughout this part of Ikaya is much louder along the west corridor than the east. There is something unnatural about its tone that makes you feel uneasy. You decide to avoid the west corridor and set off towards the east.
Turn to 349 .
222
Using your Kai skill, you press yourself into the shadow cast by a pilaster. The Ice Barbarians pass within six inches of you, but do not detect that you are there. Once you are sure that they have disappeared, you emerge from the shadows and continue along the corridor.
Turn to 330 .
223
The sledge contains the following equipment. You may take any of the following items and store them in your Backpack, but remember that your Backpack can only hold a maximum of eight items:
Enough Food for 1–5 Meals (each Meal counts as 1 item)
Tent (counts as 3 items)
Sleeping Furs (counts as 2 items)
Long Rope (counts as 2 items)
Dyce volunteers to return to the
Cardonal
with the Kanu-dog teams and the sledge, while the rest of you push on towards Ikaya, the ice fortress.
Ikaya was carved out of the Hrod Range many ages ago, by a race of creatures that have long since disappeared. Thousands of years passed before the Ice
Turn to 238 .
213
You point the Sommerswerd towards Vonotar's crystal rod. In an instant, the cone of frost arcs away from the bridge and shatters against the golden sword. You hear Vonotar curse you as, once again, the power of the Sommerswerd saves you from his destructive magic.
Turn to 252 .
216
You have covered less than a mile when the first of the Ice Barbarian scouts appear to the north on skis. At first, there are only two of the fearsome warriors, but they are soon joined by three others. They are large, muscular, and bedecked with furs. Some of them wear bone armour. Despite their size, they glide across the snow with an almost feline grace and speed. Each of them has a pole attached to his back from which a small flag flutters.
Suddenly, a bone-tipped arrow whistles past your knee and embeds itself in the sledge. An Ice Barbarian scout skis past to your right. He is less than ten yards away and you can clearly see his slanted eyes and sharp cheek-bones. You suddenly realize that what you had mistaken for muscle and fur is in fact an Ice Barbarian child. Each scout is carrying a large backpack containing a small child. These children are armed with small bone bows, and they fire a constant stream of arrows as their fathers ski nearer and nearer.
Illustration XII —Each Ice Barbarian scout is carrying a backpack containing a child armed with a bone bow.
Suddenly Irian falls, an arrow buried in his back. Dyce runs to his aid but is shot down before he has taken a dozen steps. Fenor is hit. An arrow passes straight through his throat. He bravely staggers on for nearly a minute before collapsing in the snow. You are on your own. An Ice Barbarian scout skis past to your left and returns towards you head on. He has a spear under one arm, which is levelled at your chest.
If you wish to fight the Ice Barbarian scout, turn to 158 .
If you wish to try to escape, turn to 149 .
217
The monolith suddenly explodes, sending hundreds of razor-sharp shards screaming through the air. You are pierced by the stone shrapnel and thrown to the far wall by the sheer force of the blast. You lose 10 ENDURANCE points.
If you are still alive, turn to 154 .
219
You sense that the low rumbling noise echoing throughout this part of Ikaya is much louder along the west corridor than the east. There is something unnatural about its tone that makes you feel uneasy. You decide to avoid the west corridor and set off towards the east.
Turn to 349 .
222
Using your Kai skill, you press yourself into the shadow cast by a pilaster. The Ice Barbarians pass within six inches of you, but do not detect that you are there. Once you are sure that they have disappeared, you emerge from the shadows and continue along the corridor.
Turn to 330 .
223
The sledge contains the following equipment. You may take any of the following items and store them in your Backpack, but remember that your Backpack can only hold a maximum of eight items:
Enough Food for 1–5 Meals (each Meal counts as 1 item)
Tent (counts as 3 items)
Sleeping Furs (counts as 2 items)
Long Rope (counts as 2 items)
Dyce volunteers to return to the
Cardonal
with the Kanu-dog teams and the sledge, while the rest of you push on towards Ikaya, the ice fortress.
Ikaya was carved out of the Hrod Range many ages ago, by a race of creatures that have long since disappeared. Thousands of years passed before the Ice
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