Grey Star the Wizard
Page 11
If you wish to attack the crossbowmen at long range with your Wizard's Staff, turn to 81.
If you would prefer to charge the crossbowmen, using the element of surprise to full advantage, turn to 99.
209
You speak to the man shrouded in shadow, noting the wooden, fish-shaped amulet hung around his neck. This is the symbol of the silent order of ‘Redeemers’, a religious sect persecuted throughout the Shadakine Empire, though their purposes remain a mystery.
Instead of replying, the black-robed pilgrim puts a finger to his lips and hands you two items: a vial, containing a Pink Liquid, and a Medallion, inscribed with a rune. If you wish to keep these items, mark the Vial of Pink Liquid as a Backpack Item and the Medallion as a Special Item (worn around your neck) on your Action Chart.
Before you can examine these items more closely, four Shadakine warriors burst into the inn. They seem to be looking for someone. Without a word, the ‘Redeemer’ leaves.
Suddenly, a mug of ale is placed in front of you. The affable merchant sitting opposite has bought you a drink; he is shouting a happy greeting to you and asking your name.
If you wish to accept the drink, turn to 131.
If you would rather leave the inn, turn to 157.
210
You reach the other side but stagger and fall, rolling over and over upon the dusty plain. You are shaken and bruised by the fall: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
Turn to 74.
211
Focusing your mind, you reach out into the future, expending 1 WILLPOWER point. The way is not clear, but repeatedly you are shown a vision of the dead Shianti priest. You are being urged to raise the old priest's spirit.
If you wish to do this,24 turn to 250.
If you have already attempted the spell of Evocation, or if you wish to ignore the vision, turn to 172 and select another Magical Power.
[24] You must have the Power of Evocation in order to attempt to raise the dead priest.
212
You have entered a small room. A Shadakine guard is sleeping in a chair, his back turned towards you.
If you wish to attack the Shadakine guard, turn to 309.
If you prefer to leave the room as quietly as possible and take the other stairway, turn to 137.
213
You must move quickly now. You enter an unguarded tunnel that lies to the left and break into a run. At length, you come to the two exits: one slopes upwards, the other, downwards.
If you wish to enter the passage sloping upwards, turn to 267.
If you wish to enter the passage sloping downwards, turn to 272.
If you would prefer to return the way you came, turn to 284.
214
The lock clicks open. ‘Thank the gods,’ you breathe.
‘Thank the gaoler,’ quips Shan, wiping the sweat from his brow. You throw open the door and discover another landing. There are two stairways, one leading to the left and the other to the right.
If you have the Power of Prophecy and wish to use it, turn to 92. (Note down this section number first as you will need to return to it.)
If you wish to take the left stairway, turn to 176.
If you would prefer to take the right stairway, turn to 45.
215
As the Shadakine officer dies,25 the Knights of the White Mountain give a victorious cheer and charge forwards. The Shadakine that remain continue to fight, but eventually falter and retreat into small groups. With their numbers divided into small pockets of resistance, the knights are quickly able to overcome them, demonstrating their superior fighting skills in one to one combat. The Shadakine warriors fight to the last man and you expend another WILLPOWER point before the battle is over.26
As soon as the fighting is over, the unarmed man jumps down from the wagon onto the bridge. ‘My thanks, stranger. A timely arrival indeed,’ he says, smiling broadly.
His name is Madin Rendalim, a Durenese herbwarden, famous throughout the Lastlands of the far north for his knowledge and skill in the healing arts. He is journeying through the provinces of the Shadakine Empire seeking the Druse tree, and the clear, sticky resin beneath its bark — the only known cure for the terrible Red Death plague.
‘I had found the Druse tree growing some distance from here, in the Forest of Fernmost at the foot of the Kashima Mountains. I was returning to Port Suhn to journey back to my home in Hammerdal when these ill-mannered Shadakine brutes refused to let us pass. They have closed the roads around Suhn it seems, searching for some fugitives or outlaws.’
As a sign of his gratitude he offers you the following items:
Potion of Rendalim's Elixir (restores 6 ENDURANCE points)
Enough food for 5 Meals
Pestle and Mortar (Backpack Item)
3 Tarama Seeds (1 seed permits the use of a Magical Power or Wizard's Staff without the loss of any WILLPOWER points)27
Sealed pouch of Calacena Mushrooms (the spores of these mushrooms may enhance the illusions of those using the Power of Enchantment).
You may take any of these items. Carry them in your Herb Pouch unless otherwise indicated, or unless you have no Herb Pouch, in which case carry them in your Backpack. Remember to mark the items on your Action Chart.
When you have made your choice, he offers Shan and Tanith a selection of gifts. At last, you bid the herbwarden and his brave bodyguard farewell, requesting that they mention your encounter to no one.
Turn to 2.
[25] If you have arrived here from Section 156, there is no description of how the Shadakine officer is killed. This appears to be an oversight by the author.
[26] If you do not have sufficient WILLPOWER points, you may choose to simply subtract the specified number of WILLPOWER points. This may leave you with a negative WILLPOWER score, or if it was already negative, it will make your score become even more negative. Alternatively, you may choose the method used in Section 175 of War of the Wizards for resolving this problem: For the WILLPOWER points you lack, you use ENDURANCE points at a rate of 2 ENDURANCE points for every 1 WILLPOWER point (i.e. 2 ENDURANCE points = 1 WILLPOWER point).
[27] Tarama Seeds may be recorded as Special Items since they don't take up space in your Herb Pouch or Backpack. Each Tarama Seed can be used to cast exactly one spell or to use your Wizard's Staff outside of close combat (e.g. to fire a bolt of energy at a distant enemy) without using the normally required WILLPOWER points. Tarama Seeds cannot be used to maintain the effect of a spell or in place of other drains on your WILLPOWER, like mental attacks. It also seems inappropriate to use a Tarama Seed in close combat where you could then decide to expend an infinite amount of WILLPOWER to automatically win a fight.
216
Desperately, you twist towards the plant. The Dagger misses the centre of the Yaku plant by an inch but there is no time for a second blow. You are wrenched into the crimson heart of the Yaku.
The pain of a hundred barbs plunging into your face soon fades as you fall into the oblivion of death.
You have failed in your quest.
217
Cautiously, you begin to fish for information. The shrewd eyes of the innkeeper narrow, and he leans towards you, speaking in a low voice. ‘If it's information you're after, you'd best remember that these are dangerous times,’ he says, ‘and dangerous talk costs lives they say, if you take my meaning sir,’ he adds, stretching his upturned palm towards you.
You drop one Noble into his hand, but he only shakes his head saying, ‘And life doesn't come cheap, now, does it sir?’
The innkeeper only closes his hand when you have given him another four Nobles. (Remember to cross these off your Action Chart.) ‘Now then young master, what was it exactly that you wanted to know?’ Anxiously, you enquire after the legend of the Lost Tribe of Lara.
‘The Lost Tribe!’ he exclaims, incredulously. With a frightened expression, the innkeeper stands back. ‘Never been outside Suhn in all my life,’ he splutters, ‘and that's forbidden talk, against Shadaki
ne law. You'd best try them over there,’ he says, pointing to a nearby table. ‘They're travellers throughout these lands.’ The innkeeper pockets your money and dashes away to another part of the bar before you can protest.
Turn to 105.
218
On the afternoon of the third day you have reached the point where the Azan River joins the Suhni. Shan is a good guide; he has read the trail well, and you have made good progress.
‘A few miles south of here lies the village of Iwo,’ says Shan. ‘There the great Suhn Road crosses the Azan River, but we must be on our guard as we approach the bridge.’
Turn to 39.
219
Before you can react, Shan is being enclosed in the deathly embrace of the venomous Quoku, its wings obscuring him from sight and sealing his inevitable doom. You shudder with revulsion and look away as a wave of nausea rises in your throat.
Hurriedly you take up Shan's backpack and move on to Lake Shenwu. You dare not look back.
Turn to 294.
220
In denying the dead, your soul is forfeit. Your spirit is wrenched from your body and hurled into the abyss to suffer eternal torment at the hands of the masters of darkness.
Your quest is over, but your torment continues — forever!
221
‘Very well,’ you say, ‘lead on.’
Tanith gives a sigh of relief and points towards the antechamber of Mother Magri. ‘This way,’ she says, running into the room. With Shan muttering about death and destruction, betrayal and butchery, you follow her.
‘Casas Indu,’ she calls, and a hidden door slides open, revealing a dark space behind. ‘It's a secret passage,’ she explains. ‘Here is your Staff and Backpack.’ She takes a torch from the wall, and its light reveals a small compartment roughly hewn from stone and a sloping passage heading downwards. You take the Backpack and Staff from their hiding place and turn to Tanith. ‘What now?’ you ask.
‘Down the passage — hurry!’ she replies. You and Shan run down the passage. Tanith follows swiftly. ‘Casas Sendra,’ she intones, and the secret door slides shut.
If you have the Kazim Stone and there is room in your Backpack, you may place it there for safekeeping. Remember to mark this Backpack Item on your Action Chart.
Turn to 292.
222
You turn left, following the broad curve of the tunnel as it veers right. As you turn the bend you see a large soldier Mantiz up ahead. It is larger than the worker Mantiz that you saw earlier. Its forelegs are oversized claws and the upper segment of its body and its head rises vertically above its abdomen.
The soldier Mantiz is guarding an exit off to the right of the curving tunnel in which you stand. Attracted by your light, the Mantiz turns its bulbous eyes towards you and begins to snap its pincers in agitation.
If you wish to attack the soldier Mantiz at long range with your Wizard's Staff, turn to 239.
If you wish to charge the soldier Mantiz, turn to 246.
If you would prefer to head back the way you came, turn to 260.
223
As you turn into the alleyway, the pungent smell of rotting garbage fills your nostrils. Rats feed in the gutters, and the stink from the open sewer is overpowering. However, for the moment, you seem relatively safe. Now you must seek out some information on the possible whereabouts of the Lost Tribe of Lara. You must also try to keep your motives secret from the local Suhnese.
If you wish to seek this information in the alley, turn to 34.
If you would prefer to head back to the narrow street, turn to 195.
224
‘Death to the Shadakine!’ you scream, caught up in the berserk fury of the mob. With a triumphant cry, the crowd deposits you on the ground and then withdraws to form a circle around you and the warrior. The Shadakine stands sweating and panting before you; his eyes dart wildly in every direction but he sees no escape. As the jeering crowd hurls insults and taunts at the trapped soldier, you notice that the shaven-headed warrior's eyes are totally white, completely lacking pupils. Resolutely, he steps forward, sword and teeth bared, snarling his defiance. ‘To the death then, boy,’ he spits.
Illustration XII—The Shadakine steps forward snarling his defiance.
You cannot avoid the combat owing to the circle of people around you and must fight the Shadakine to the death.
Shadakine Warrior: COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 20
If you win, turn to 127.
225
You have run halfway up the flight of stairs when the door at the top is thrown open by a Shadakine guard. The Shadakine behind draw closer, and the guard at the top calls to the warriors from the guard room you were running towards. You are trapped.
Your last memory is of Shan's resigned stare as he succumbs to death at the hands of the Shadakine.
Your life and your quest end here.
226
You enter into a duel of wills with the power of the Stone. The yellow glow of the Kazim Stone flares brighter and brighter, its burning fingers tearing at your mind. Beads of perspiration appear on your forehead as you exert your powers of concentration.
The combined WILLPOWER scores of Mother Magri and the Kazim Stone are 50. Add together your current WILLPOWER and COMBAT SKILL scores and subtract this total from 50.
If your final score is 15 or more, turn to 295.
If your score is 14 or less, turn to 320.
227
You press on, keeping close to the line of the river, and very soon you enter the Azagad Gorge. The hot sun burns down fiercely on the arid surface of the canyon floor, and the distant horizon is distorted by the haze of shimmering heat.
Turn to 29.
228
You choose to go right and find it easier to maintain a constant direction. Gradually the towers of the ‘Dragon's Teeth’ become less dense. Soon the ‘Dragon's Teeth’ have disappeared altogether and you realize that the Wall of Azakawa does not lie ahead as it should. Shan stops and looks around the dusty plain. He groans as he sights the Azan River lying way off to the west.
‘We've been heading north … We're back in the Wilderwastes!’ he moans, slapping his forehead with his hand.
If you wish to head west, pick up the Azan River and head back into the Azagad Gorge, by your original route, turn to 328.
If you wish to retrace your steps, turn to 6.
229
A bolt of energy slices into the Yaku plant. Its tendrils tense, leaping into the air before falling lifelessly to the ground. Your attack has cost you 2 WILLPOWER points.28
To your relief, you see that Shan has managed to free himself from the grip of the other Yaku plant.
If you wish to launch a long-range attack on another Yaku plant threatening Shan, turn to 5.
If you would prefer to attack the cluster of tendrils slithering towards you, turn to 30.
[28] If you do not have sufficient WILLPOWER points, you may choose to simply subtract the specified number of WILLPOWER points. This may leave you with a negative WILLPOWER score, or if it was already negative, it will make your score become even more negative. Alternatively, you may choose the method used in Section 175 of War of the Wizards for resolving this problem: For the WILLPOWER points you lack, you use ENDURANCE points at a rate of 2 ENDURANCE points for every 1 WILLPOWER point (i.e. 2 ENDURANCE points = 1 WILLPOWER point).
230
When you waken, your head aches and your vision is blurred. Realization of your terrible plight comes flooding back, and you lift your head to look around. In the far corner sits the now sober and miserable figure of Shan Li, the merchant from the Inn of the Laughing Moon.
‘So they got you too, friend,’ says Shan Li, wryly.
Turn to 291.
231
Owing to the speed of its approach and the steep angle of its attack, you are unable to let off a long range blast at the Quoku. Bringing its back legs forward and using its body and outstretched wings as a wind-break the creature comes to an
abrupt halt and lands smoothly. It has barely touched the ground, a few feet away, when it leaps towards you, limbs spread-eagled.
There are strange suckers on the tips of its fingers and toes, and its warty skin oozes with a glistening poison. The creature is trying to engulf you in the folds of its wings in a poisonous and fatal embrace.
You must avoid contact with the creature's poisonous skin at all costs. Subtract 2 points from your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the combat, because of the defensive nature of your tactics.
Quoku: COMBAT SKILL 12 ENDURANCE 30
If you win the combat, turn to 256.
232
You are forced to a sudden halt, for the way ahead is blocked by a fallen tree. You turn and see a large soldier Mantiz rushing towards you, and you gasp in frenzied desperation. You are trapped! Wounded and bloody, you prepare to deter yet another attack, fear gripping your heart with an icy chill.
Turn to 154.
233
Standing your ground, you wait as the Quoku draws near, bracing yourself against attack. It stops a few yards away, regarding you with a baleful expression.