Grey Star the Wizard

by Ian Page

  Turn to 227.

  284

  With panic growing like a twisted knot in your belly, you turn back the way you came. As you reach the end of this tunnel, you are confronted by two soldier Mantiz out to find the human invader in their midst. Just as you prepare to attack, two more come running from the other direction. You are heavily outnumbered, and there is no escape. You must fight all four insects as one enemy.

  If you are carrying a lit Torch, turn to 207.

  If you are not carrying a Torch, you must proceed with the battle now.

  4 Soldier Mantiz: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 25

  If you win the combat, turn to 310.

  285

  Another bolt pierces the heart of the Yaku plant, releasing Shan and costing you 2 more WILLPOWER points. Terrified, he leaps to his feet and runs towards you, stopping only when he is standing next to you.

  Turn to 128.

  286

  With sweating hands, you fumble with the large bunch of Keys, trying to find one that matches the shape of the lock.

  If you have the Power of Psychomancy, turn to 235.

  If you do not have this Magical Power, pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8, turn to 214.

  If it is 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9, turn to 205.

  287

  With reckless audacity spurred on by fear, you jump onto the chitinous abdomen of the Cave Mantiz. Before they can react, you have thrown yourself into the shaft, scratching and scrabbling for a handhold in the smooth sides.

  Slowly you pull yourself up. A worker Mantiz sends a jet of acid up the shaft, catching your leg. You almost fall as the shock of pain ravages your flesh, burning your calf. (You must lose 2 ENDURANCE points.)

  Turn to 263.

  288

  You fling the energy ball at the Kazim Stone. The cost of propelling this thought mass costs an extra 2 WILLPOWER points.

  There is a tremendous flash as the two forces clash and the energy envelopes the stone. White light fills the room, momentarily blinding you.

  Turn to 320.

  289

  ‘Sit, child,’ says the old woman, gesturing to the chair opposite. ‘I am Mother Magri, seer of the Kazim Stone, Law Giver to the city of Suhn, Truthsayer of Shadaki in the service of the Wytch-king, Shasarak.’ The old crone peers at you with hypnotic eyes. ‘Look into the Kazim Stone, boy,’ she commands, ‘that the truth may be revealed.’

  Unable to resist, your eyes are drawn by the power of the Stone as it shines brightly, filling the chamber with a lurid yellow glow. With a gasp of horror, you feel fiery fingers reach into your mind and clutch at your will. Your mind is being read by a potent magical force.

  If your current WILLPOWER score is less than 15, turn to 150.

  If it is 15 or more, turn to 175.

  290

  The soldier Mantiz lies dead at your feet. Stepping lightly over the insect's carcass, you enter the passage that it was guarding. After a few minutes the passage splits into two, one tunnel sloping up, the other sloping down.

  If you wish to enter the passage sloping up, turn to 267.

  If you wish to enter the passage sloping down, turn to 272.

  If you wish to go back the way you came, turn to 284.

  291

  The only other occupant of the cell is a sick old man who lies, barely moving, upon a wooden pallet. Your Wizard's Staff and Backpack have been taken from you, but you still possess any items not carried in the Backpack (for example, your Herb Pouch).

  Shan turns towards you. ‘Innocent. I am innocent of any crime, save the possession of a loud voice and the consumption of too much ale. It is said that those who enter the Hall of Correction are never seen again. Surely, they will not leave us to rot in this hell-hole. What ever am I to do?’

  You talk with the merchant for some time, discovering many stories about the Lost Tribe of Lara: of their flight into the Shuri Mountains, and the legend of their pilgrimage beyond the Kashima Mountains into the Unknown Valley and the Forest of Fernmost. You find yourself growing to like this little man with his dry humour and ironic quips.

  ‘I'll guide you anywhere you want to go, if you can get us out of here,’ he says, half joking; but he can see by the look in your eyes that you take his offer seriously, and that to you escape is not an impossible dream.

  Turn to 178.

  292

  The dark passage seems interminably long, and the three of you are panting for breath before you reach its end. The winding tunnel opens into a large, natural cavern. You rush through the cave mouth and down the steep slope of a hill, stopping only when you reach the bottom. You gasp for breath, your chest heaving and your limbs aching.

  Illustration XVI—The dark passage seems interminably long.

  If you have the Amulet of the Shianti priest, turn to 346.

  If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 199.

  293

  You turn your back on the impassable cliffs and make your way to the waterfall. Here, the strange vapours of the lake are most concentrated. You lose 1 ENDURANCE point.

  If you wish to try to swim across the lake towards the waterfall, to see what lies beyond, turn to 318.

  If you wish to make another circuit of the lake to investigate the cliffs on the other side of Lake Shenwu, turn to 343.

  294

  Burdened with grief, you stumble like a blind man, trailing Shan's backpack on the ground behind you like a dog on a leash. You stagger into the deepening shadows and welcome the inky darkness of nightfall. You are now friendless and alone in a barren wasteland.

  If your current ENDURANCE total is less than 10, turn to 319.

  If it is 10 or more, turn to 344.

  295

  No matter how hard you resist, the Stone continues to force its way into your mind. Every muscle in your body is tensed, and your nerves are shredded.

  ‘Resistance is futile,’ says Mother Magri. Her words spur you on, and you redouble your efforts. You lose 2 ENDURANCE points as you struggle, and still the Stone drains your will.

  Fortunately, it is your body that fails you first, and you slump forwards onto the floor, a beaten shell. But the purpose of your mission is safe, for the moment.

  ‘Such is the fate of all who refuse the truthsay of Mother Magri,’ she sneers. ‘Guards! Throw this one into the dungeon. It seems the stranger desires to hide something of importance.’ She then turns towards you, her sinister voice just penetrating your ravaged mind. ‘There are other ways of extracting the truth.’

  Turn to 187.

  296

  Suddenly, the raging assault of the Darkling Room is silent. You grab Shan, who is kneeling in the mud beside you, and drag him towards the far passage, anxious to leave before the Darkling Room can muster another attack.

  You stumble into a long, winding passage and run for all you are worth.

  Turn to 41.

  297

  Using the straw of the dungeon floor to make a small fire which Shan lights by striking two stones together, you heat the mixture until the crystals have completely dissolved. You plug the stopper into the vial and shake it vigorously. When you are satisfied that the yellow potion is well mixed, you walk over to the door and sprinkle a little of the contents on the lock. A small cloud of yellow gas forms.

  Shan looks on, impressed, as the metal of the lock begins to bubble and melt. You have used only half of the potion, and the lock is already eaten away. You may keep the remainder of the potion in your Herb Pouch for future use. (Mark this on your Action Chart as Ezeran Acid in the appropriate section.) However, you have used all your Sulphur and Saltpetre to make the potion. (Remember to erase these from your Action Chart, although you may keep the two empty Vials, which still count as items, in your Herb Pouch.35)

  The remnants of the lock fall away, and you push the door open. You and Shan step quietly into a corridor leading to the left and the right.

  If you wish
to go right, turn to 23.

  If you wish to go left, turn to 333.

  [35] These empty Vials may be used later to contain potions. Some Vials are useless once contaminated.

  298

  At the cost of 2 WILLPOWER points, you fire into the group of workers, throwing them into confusion. The power of the Staff kills one and injures another, causing it to send a spray of its acid all around, injuring another. Seizing your chance, you burst into the centre of the confusion and make a running jump for the shaft above.

  As you run, you step into a pool of acid that burns through your boot, splashing deadly droplets that sear your flesh (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Too breathless to cry in pain, you reach out and cling to a shallow handhold in the smooth shaft.

  The confusion beneath has bought you the time you need to haul yourself up the shaft, and you climb, with agonizing slowness, to the surface.

  Turn to 263.

  299

  ‘So be it, wizard,’ says the old hag. Once more, she draws the power of your assault, bending it to her will and hurling it back. ‘Farewell.’

  The force of her attack ignites a wall of pain and white flame in your mind. The very fabric of your soul is torn apart, and you collapse to the ground, an empty shell.

  Your life and your quest end here.

  300

  You raise your arms in a gesture of surrender and are immediately seized and led away. Your Wizard's Staff and Backpack are taken from you, and your hands are tied behind your back.36

  You are frog-marched through the city and taken to a large, black stone citadel, called the Hall of Correction where, despite your pleas of innocence, you are unceremoniously dumped. ‘You can tell your story to Mother Magri now, stranger,’ growls one of the Shadakine. ‘The Test of Truth will sort you out soon enough.’

  Roughly, you are pushed up a long flight of stone stairs and into a small, bare antechamber. An old woman sits at a wooden table. In front of her is a crystal ball, glowing with a dim, yellow light.

  Turn to 289.

  [36] Keep note of your Backpack Items in case you should find your Backpack again later.

  301

  Your sleep proves both rewarding and refreshing. You have a strange dream in which Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, appears before you. He raises his hands in blessing and chants gently in the tongue of his people. Briefly, you catch a glimpse of the Temple of Amida and a circle of Shianti wizards standing with their hands raised to the sky.

  They have sent the power of their thoughts to aid you. Their blessing strengthens your WILLPOWER, increasing it by 10 points.

  Turn to 247.

  302

  Shan casts a sheepish glance at you and nervously enters the shack. After a brief pause, he returns with a relieved look on his face. ‘It's all right,’ he says, ‘the place is deserted.’

  Turn to 252.

  303

  You return to the ‘Dragon's Teeth’. Trudging through the hot sun, you lose 2 ENDURANCE points due to dehydration and heat exhaustion.

  More by luck than judgement, you come, eventually, to the Great Wall of Azakawa. Evening has begun to fall, and in the dwindling light you survey the great cliffs, stretching from east to west as far as the eye can see.

  You increase your pace, wishing to reach the Azanam before nightfall.

  Turn to 325.

  304

  At the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point37, you burn through the vine that clasps your ankle. The force of the tendril pulling at your leg causes you to spin to the right, whipping you towards the ugly spines of the Yaku.

  Shan leaps to your rescue, slashing at the tendril that threatens to drag you to your doom.

  Turn to 128.

  [37] 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).

  305

  You refuse the Shade's price, for you have heard that the dead are seldom fair.

  ‘Very well,’ says the old priest's spirit, ‘I cannot free you. I will, however, freely give advice, since I now perceive that you are a servant of the Shianti race, as I was. If you can find a way past the door of your cell, turn right into the corridor beyond. When you reach the end of the corridor, take the left stairway, and thereafter always turn left and always ascend until you reach the surface. In this way you will reach the gate to freedom. Take no other route, for there only death awaits. Goodbye, Grey Star, and accept my blessing.’

  The old priest's Shade disappears. The cost of this Magical Power is 2 WILLPOWER points.

  Now return to 172 and select another Power to aid your escape (you may not choose Evocation a second time).

  306

  Suddenly the jutting rock falls away, and you plunge into the gaping chasm to your death.

  Your life and your quest end here.

  307

  You charge at the wounded Quoku, raising your Staff and readying yourself to deliver a great scything blow.

  The enraged Quoku leaps at you, and hurriedly you jump to one side, smashing your Staff down on the creature's back. It drops to the ground, knocked senseless by your mighty blow.

  Seizing your chance, you sprint away with Shan in tow.

  Turn to 249.

  308

  Taking a deep breath, you plunge into the seething mass and attempt to confront the Shadakine before more people are hurt. Buffeted and crushed by the confused and frightened Suhnese, rushing in all directions, you fight your way to the heart of the chaos.

  Through a gap in the crowd you sight the two soldiers, blindly slashing at the terrified crowd. You are standing directly behind them, but the Shadakine are too close to other members of the crowd for you to risk launching an energy bolt from your Staff. Without hesitation, you charge into the fray, Staff whirling above your head. You catch the two warriors completely unawares as you attack them from behind, spurred on by a rousing cheer from the crowd. Owing to the surprise of your attack, add 4 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this combat, remembering to deduct them again as soon as the fight is over.

  The Shadakine swing at you with their deadly, gleaming scimitars. You must fight them as one enemy.

  Shadakine Warriors: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 19

  If you win, turn to 127.

  309

  The unsuspecting guard looks on in amazement as you charge to attack. Owing to the surprise of your challenge, you may add 4 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the first two rounds of combat.

  Shadakine Guard: COMBAT SKILL 12 ENDURANCE 16

  You may evade this combat at any time and head for the other flight of stairs by turning to 137.

  If you win the combat, turn to 171.

  310

  The dead bodies of the soldier Mantiz lie all around you. There is no time to relish the glory of your victory, for the far end of the tunnel is already filling with many more Mantiz, certainly too many for you to challenge single-handed.

  You dash in the opposite direction and soon arrive at the point where the tunnel divides in two. There can be no going back this time, and you have but seconds to choose which passage to take.

  If you wish to take the passage sloping upwards, turn to 267.

  If you wish to take the passage sloping downwards, turn to 272.

  311

  You are seized roughly by the triumphant Shadakine who lead you away, grinning maliciously. Your Backpack and Staff are taken from you, and your hands are tied.38 For more than an hour you are marched through the streets of Suhn, coming at last to a large, black stone citadel built on a broad hill overlooking Suhn. This is the Hall of Correction, an in
strument of Shadakine law more concerned with punishment than order.

  A burly Shadakine guard grabs you by the shoulders, pressing on your wound where the crossbow bolt's shaft still protrudes; pain shoots through your body. He drags you through the heavy iron doors and throws you to the floor of a sparse, stony entrance hall. The wound has opened again, and warm blood runs down your arm. ‘I'm bleeding,’ you say to the brutish Shadakine guard. ‘I need a Healer. This quarrel must be removed and the wound dressed.’

  The Shadakine guard looks at you contemptuously. ‘Wound? … Dressed? … ’ He snorts with disgust. ‘That's just a scratch. I've had far worse fighting in the Old Wars of the Empire. No “Healers” on the field then. Where's your grit, boy?’ He steps towards you and grabs at the bolt shaft.

  ‘NO!’ you shout, horrified. But before you can stop him, he has torn the bolt from your shoulder, complete with barbed head. You feel that you must faint with pain.

  ‘Healers … dress the wound … hmph!’ the Shadakine mutters to himself. He produces a flask and pulls out the stopper. ‘This'll stop the greenrot,’ he says, pouring a clear liquid over the wound in liberal quantities, washing away the blood. The liquid burns like acid, but it quickly staunches the bleeding. The Shadakine laughs and thumps you on the back, making you flinch.