240

You flick the lever and turn to approach the throne room door. There is a faint rumble and the great metallic portal slowly glides open to reveal Arch Druid Cadak’s private domain.

The room is little larger than the antechamber; however its furnishings and appointments are lavish in the extreme. Ornately carved furniture, inlaid with gold and precious gems, lines walls hung with priceless tapestries and paintings. At the centre of the chamber stands a great black chair, sculpted to display demonic creatures paying homage to the Cenerese. Glowing orbs hang suspended from the ceiling, bathing the chamber in a multi-hued light which is continually changing in colour and intensity.

Although your eyes and your Kai senses tell you that the chamber is empty, you are reluctant to pass through the door. A stench of pure evil is flooding out from this room, wafting over you like an invisible sea that seeks to soil and corrupt all it touches. Fighting back your nausea, you force yourself to cross the threshold and search the chamber before its owner returns.

Of all the precious items which crowd this room, your eye is attracted to three that seem to stand out from the rest. The first is a large crystal sphere which rests on a table beside the great chair. The second is a tapestry, the largest of them all, which hangs directly opposite the door. And the third is a gold statuette which rests on a shelf to your left.

If you possess Grand Mastery of Telegnosis, turn to 173.

If you do not, turn to 338.