315

The entire corridor shakes with the violence of a series of eruptions that tears rock and iron with ease. All around you Zahda’s loathsome minions run in utter panic, their voices rising to a cacophony of terror as frantically they seek to escape from Kazan-Oud.

Jets of flaming gas erupt from splits in the floor as you sprint, crawl, climb, and jump over the obstacles hurled in your path by the dying fortress. Creatures from the maze now stalk these levels, adding to the carnage and panic as they consume the unfortunates who cross their path.

You cover a mile of broken passage before you find an undamaged staircase. It winds upwards into the dust-choked darkness, and, as you pound its rubble-strewn steps, your feet are licked by flames. Below, the screams are drowned by the deafening roar of fire and explosion; above, there is nothing but darkness.

You are nearing the point of collapse when suddenly you emerge from the blackness into the glare of daylight. You stagger and fall, momentarily blinded. As your eyes gradually become accustomed to the light, you cast your gaze over the broken battlements of the castle keep and see the glimmering waters of Lake Khor far below.

The walls of the fortress are crumbling rapidly, and the ground is alive with constant vibration. You run headlong through the ruined main gate as bolts of lightning are drawn from the sky by the dying power of Kazan-Oud. At the top of a ruined staircase, you stare down at the shore far below.

If you wish to descend the steps to the old jetty, turn to 122.

If you choose to make your way to the beach, turn to 309.

If you decide to dive from the cliff into the water far below, turn to 254.