by Ian Page
Special Items
Special Items are not carried in the Backpack. When you discover a Special Item, you will be told how to carry it.
Nobles (Shadakine currency)
These are carried in the pocket of your robe.
Food
Food is carried in your Backpack. Each Meal counts as one item.
Any item that may be of use and can be picked up on your adventure and entered on your Action Chart is given capital letters in the text. Unless you are told it is a Special Item, carry it in your Backpack.9
How to Use Your Equipment
Weapons
Your COMBAT SKILL depends on your Wizard's Staff. If you do not possess your Staff when you enter combat you must deduct 6 points from your COMBAT SKILL. If you enter a combat without a weapon, deduct 8 points from your COMBAT SKILL and fight with your bare hands. If you find a weapon during the adventure, you may pick it up and use it. (Remember that you can only carry two Weapons at once.)10
Backpack Items
During your travels you will discover various useful items which you may wish to keep. (Remember that you can only carry a maximum of eight items in your Backpack at any one time.) You may exchange or discard them at any point when you are not involved in combat.
Special Items
Each Special Item has a particular purpose or effect. You may be told this when the item is discovered, or it may be revealed to you as the adventure progresses.
Currency
The currency of the Shadakine Empire is the Noble, which is a small jade stone. The system of money is alien to the Shianti, and for this reason you begin your adventure with no money. Whenever you kill an enemy, you may take any Nobles belonging to him and keep them in the pocket of your robe.
Food
You will need to eat regularly during your adventure. If you do not have any food when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
[8] If you have completed a previous adventure, you keep all equipment you had at the end of that adventure. You do not receive any new equipment, unless you have just selected Alchemy as your sixth Lesser Magick, or if you have not mastered the Lesser Magick of Alchemy but you have selected the Higher Magick of Theurgy, in which case you receive a Herb Pouch with contents as indicated in this section.
[9] If you have mastered the Lesser Magick of Alchemy or the Higher Magick of Theurgy and therefore have a Herb Pouch, you may choose to keep potions, vials, or ingredients in either the Herb Pouch or your Backpack. All other Backpack Items must be kept in your Backpack.
[10] The new Mongoose Publishing editions of the gamebooks clarify that ‘You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.’
Rules for Combat
There will be occasions during your adventure when you have to fight an enemy. The enemy's COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points are given in the text. Grey Star's aim during the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his ENDURANCE points to zero while at the same time losing as few ENDURANCE points as possible himself.
At the start of a combat, enter Grey Star's ENDURANCE and WILLPOWER points and the enemy's ENDURANCE points in the appropriate boxes on the Combat Record section of your Action Chart.
The sequence for combat is as follows:
Calculate your current COMBAT SKILL total, based on the weapon you are using. (Remember, if you enter combat without your Staff, you must deduct 6 points from your COMBAT SKILL. If you have no weapon at all, you must deduct 8 points.)
Subtract the COMBAT SKILL of your enemy from this total. The result is your Combat Ratio. Enter it on the Action Chart.
If you are using your Wizard's Staff, decide how many WILLPOWER points you wish to use. (Remember, you must expend at least 1 point.) Enter this number on your Combat Record in the box marked WILLPOWER.
Example
Grey Star (COMBAT SKILL 15, WILLPOWER 23) is ambushed by a Deathgaunt (COMBAT SKILL 20). He is not given the opportunity to evade combat, but he can use his Wizard's Staff against the creature as it swoops down on him. He subtracts the Deathgaunt's COMBAT SKILL from his own, giving a Combat Ratio of −5. (15 − 20 = −5). −5 is noted on the Action Chart as the Combat Ratio. Grey Star decides to use 2 WILLPOWER points, which is noted on the WILLPOWER box of the Combat Record.
When you have decided upon the number of WILLPOWER points you wish to use and have determined your Combat Ratio, pick a number from the Random Number Table.
Turn to the Combat Results Table. Along the top of the chart are shown the Combat Ratio numbers. Find the number that is the same as your Combat Ratio and cross-reference it with the random number that you have picked. (The random numbers appear on the side of the chart.) You now have the number of ENDURANCE points lost by Grey Star. To calculate the number lost by the enemy, multiply the number listed for the enemy by the number of WILLPOWER points that Grey Star elected to use. Now you have the final number of ENDURANCE points lost by both Grey Star and his enemy in this round of combat. (E represents points lost by the enemy; GS represents points lost by Grey Star.)
Example
The Combat Ratio between Grey Star and the Deathgaunt has been established as −5, and Grey Star's WILLPOWER points used as 2. If the number taken from the Random Number Table is a 6, then the result of the first round of combat is:
Grey Star loses 4 ENDURANCE points.
Deathgaunt loses 5 ENDURANCE points, multiplied by 2 WILLPOWER points, giving a total of 10 ENDURANCE points lost in all.
On the Action Chart, mark the changes in ENDURANCE points to the participants in the combat, and Grey Star's amended WILLPOWER points total.
Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, the next round of combat now starts.
Repeat the sequence from Stage 3.
This process of combat continues until the ENDURANCE points of either the enemy or Grey Star are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If Grey Star is dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, Grey Star proceeds but with his ENDURANCE and WILLPOWER points possibly reduced.
A summary of Combat Rules appears in the back of this book.
Evasion of Combat
During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade combat. If you have already engaged in a round of combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored, and you make your escape. Only Grey Star may lose ENDURANCE points during that round, but then that is the risk of running away! You may only evade if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.
Sage Advice
Now begins the last and most dangerous stage of your quest to vanquish the Wytch-king, Shasarak. Beware, for you must face many dangers before you are able to confront him at last.
You will find items that might be of assistance on your quest. Some Special Items will help you, others may be of no use at all. You must decide what to keep.
Special care must be taken when selecting your Magical Powers. Make sure that your combination of Higher and Lesser Magicks covers every eventuality. Also, it is worth remembering that some of these Magical Powers will be of little use to you during this part of your quest: choose the Powers you think you are most likely to require at this stage.
Be cautious in your use of WILLPOWER points, as your WILLPOWER is the energy source for both your Magical Powers and your Wizard's Staff. If you have a low WILLPOWER score when you confront Shasarak, you may be easily defeated.
Follow the path of wisdom, Wizard Grey Star. The way of fools is the road to destruction!
1
At last you hold the fabled Moonstone in your hand. It pulses and glows with a strange milky light. Tanith's eyes shine wildly, and your heart pounds with excitement. The Moonstone; ancient vessel of all Shianti wisdom. What secrets, what powers, does this magical artefact hold in its glowing heart? The stone exudes a comforting warmth as it nestles in the palm of your hand and y
ou feel a presence in your mind. You hear a familiar voice and your heart lifts to ever greater heights, for it is Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, speaking to you.
Illustration I—At last you hold the fabled Moonstone in your hand.
‘Hail Wizard, son of man. You have succeeded. We, the Shianti, rejoice and praise you. That which you hold in your hand contains the power that will enable you to defeat the evil Wytch-king, Shasarak.’
A crowd of excited voices fills your mind as each of the Shianti sends words of congratulations and admiration. The last of these voices is Maiteya, your old friend, the Shianti master who taught you all you know. ‘And so, “little one”,’ he says, affectionately ‘now you possess the Moonstone, Shasarak's bane. While you hold it, we, the Shianti, are able to speak with you but this communication cannot be maintained much longer. Because you have the Moonstone, we have sufficient power to return you to the world, but there is much you should know before we do so. Listen well, Grey Star, for I know not when we will speak again.
‘Though it seems to you but a short time since you arrived at the Daziarn, seven years have passed here in the material world. During your search for the Shadow Gate, you visited the city of Karnali. Your arrival there inspired a revolution, led by Sado of the Long Knife and his Army of the Freedom Guild. After your departure, the Freedom Guild withstood a great siege by Shadakine warriors, who eventually withdrew defeated, much to Shasarak's displeasure. Word spread of this victory and the strength of the Army of the Freedom Guild grew. Strategically, Karnali was too isolated to make a great impact against the Shadakine Empire, but, due to the surrounding Gurlu Marshes, it remained self sufficient. Soon, many were travelling to Karnali to escape the tyranny of Shasarak's rule. Pockets of resistance broke out in the townships of Wenat, Zhanis, Sena, and the city of Forlu, and the Freedom Guild soon dominated the hills and the plains of the south. They raided Shadakine supply trains and succeeded in depriving the empire of much of its wealth, cutting off all land routes to the Port of Suhn, the wealthiest and most important trade centre of the empire. An army is now formed in Karnali and, in three days, it will march against the Shadakine Empire, hoping to take Port Suhn in the first of many conquests. But, unknown to Sado and the Army of the Freedom Guild, a vast Shadakine force has been mustered in the Sadi desert. Soon, it will march against them. The Army of the Freedom Guild number ten thousand to the Shadakine's thirty thousand. The Freedom Guild cannot hope to succeed against such overwhelming odds. You must save them. Take them to the Forest of Fernmost. It is most important that you go there. There is little time and much to do Grey Star … ’
The voice grows faint and you realize that the Shianti will be unable to maintain contact for much longer. ‘And now, Grey Star, the contact breaks and we must return you to the world to begin the last of your great labours. Are there any last words of advice we can offer you?’
Your mind races as you think of all that you might need to know.
If you wish to know where the Shianti intend sending you and where in the Shadakine Empire your quest will begin, turn to 348.
If you wish to hear the Shianti's own advice, turn to 6.
If you wish to see Shasarak himself and perhaps discover something of his plans, turn to 340.
2
Alas, you have been too much weakened by earlier struggles. His strength has mastered yours as the last of your own life-force is drained from your body. You have lost the duel and doomed all humanity to endure the reign of Shasarak's evil cruelty.
You have failed; your adventure is over.
3
You and Tanith each grab a handle and begin to turn it. The wheels creak as the rope coils slowly around one end of the mounting. Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 5–9, turn to 63.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 79.
4
You walk over to the Phinomel plant and examine it closely. It is flowering well and should provide a large supply. Gingerly you reach forward. The secret is to reach behind the pods and twist their stalks with a swift, nimble movement: it will require a cool, steady hand.
Add together your current WILLPOWER and ENDURANCE totals. Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add it to the result.
If your total is 50 or more, turn to 11.
If your total is 30–49 turn to 16.
If your total is less than 30, turn to 40.
5
You triumph and, with a last surge of energy, throw Shasarak tumbling to the end of the hall. Unfortunately the force of the attack shatters your Staff. On hands and knees, Shasarak crawls towards the wall of fire, muttering in choked breaths, ‘You shall not have me. You shall not have me.’
Suddenly he reaches out with his hands. ‘Agarash, our bargain!’ he screams. Agarash laughs once more. A plume of flame snakes out from the wall and wreathes itself around the Wytch-king.
If you wish to allow Shasarak to step through the flaming wall, turn to 350.
If you possess 3 WILLPOWER points, and wish to fill the Moonstone with your power and hurl its power against the wall, turn to 316.
6
‘We will advise you as best we can,’ he replies. ‘Although it is your own wisdom that has brought you, this far, you should not be afraid to trust your own judgement. In the matter of the inevitable challenge of Shasarak, we advise you not to stand against him immediately. He embarks now on a war that will be costly to his strength and demanding of his powers. Wait for him to weaken himself with some great deed of sorcery before journeying into his dark halls for the final duel. First ensure the safety of the Army of the Freedom Guild. Without your help, they will perish. Be on the constant lookout for allies, for the Wytch-king has many enemies, and look to the Forest of Fernmost — a mighty power dwells there and it will do well in your service.’
His voice grows faint.
Turn to 326.
7
At the expense of 2 WILLPOWER points, you summon the mighty powers of the waters of the River Dosar, bending the river to your need. Suddenly a tall tower of water explodes all around the bridge, breaking its stones and instantly destroying the once sturdy structure.
Turn to 75.
8
It looks likely that you will have to do battle with the demon horde. You decide to take advantage of the protection the Theurgic Potion offers and quickly swallow the dark, bitter liquid. Gradually your body begins to glow with a strange, blue light. Remember that the effects of the Potion will begin to fade in only a few hours.
Delete the Potion of Invulnerability from your Action Chart. You may keep the empty Vial and include it as an item on your Action Chart: keep it in your Herb Pouch or in your Backpack.
Turn to 121.
9
‘Wait here,’ you instruct Tanith.
‘Wait?’ she retorts, defiantly. ‘Have I not stood by you in the face of terror, fought at your side, matched you, courage for courage, deed for deed?’ She sniffs derisively. ‘I'll not stand back now like some feeble girl afraid of her own shadow!’
You know there is no point in arguing with her, especially when so much of what she says is true. The two of you stride forward, prepared to meet whatever danger awaits you together.
You have travelled for two miles when Tanith stops, peering into the shimmering heat haze and shielding her eyes against the sun with her hand. ‘They come,’ she says, dispassionately.
Following the direction of her gaze, you see something stirring in the distance. You notice a low dust haze hanging in the air, a running cloud drifting against the flat expanse of the plain. There are four runners and they are heading straight towards you. As they come closer, you are able to see that they are ghastly, malformed creatures, each deformed in a different way. These are demons, summoned long ago by the Wytch-king, Shasarak, to plague the tribe of the Masbaté, the warrior people that ruled here before Shasarak unleashed the demonic horde that destroyed them. When
the demons had fulfilled their purpose, Shasarak left them to roam these plains at will, instead of returning them to the deep hell from which he summoned them. The leading creature has green, shining skin and a tail. Its neckless head bears the features of a toad. With a feral scream it charges towards you. The others follow.
If you have the Magical Power of Sorcery and wish to use it to aid you in the battle, turn to 196.
If you have the Magical Power of Thaumaturgy and wish to use this Higher Magick to aid you, turn to 203.
If you have the Magical Power of Enchantment and wish to use it, turn to 211.
If you are versed in the Higher Magick of Telergy and wish to use it, turn to 217.
If you wish to attempt a long-range attack with your Wizard's Staff, turn to 69.
If you wish to wait for them to approach, so that you can engage them in close combat, turn to 187.
10