by Ian Page
If you wish to try to make a dash for the forest, turn to 101.
If you wish to make a stand, turn to 261.
241
A flash of colour catches your eye: it is a collection of purple Phinomel. This flowering shrub, also known to some as Dragonkiss, grows round the base of rocks and stones, taking root in the damp soil beneath. The name Dragonkiss comes from the plant's curious, perilous flowers. Each flower is a semi-transparent pod and its colour comes from the potent, purple acid within each one. If the main plant is disturbed the pods may squirt a stinging jet of acid, capable of inflicting a painful burn. If the pods can be plucked carefully from the main plant, without disturbing the main plant, the acid can be preserved and used at a later date. The acid is of great use to Alchemists and Theurgists as a constituent part of a formula to transform base metals to metals of greater worth.
If you wish to pluck some Phinomel pods, turn to 4.
If you wish to continue on your way, turn to 43.
242
The moon bursts through a space in the clouds and you see Sado, a bloody sword in one hand, standing upon the brow of a low hill. He and a small number of his personal guard are beset on all sides by Shadakine warriors. You sprint over to him. Looking to the east, you see a sight that makes you gasp. Beyond the edge of the forest is the Shadakine Army. It is larger than you ever imagined, row upon row of bristling spears and swords wink beneath the night sky. Among the ranks you sight the glow of a Kazim Stone; a Shadakine Wytch must accompany the army.
Illustration XIII—Sado stands upon the brow of a low hill, a bloody sword in his hand.
You enter the battle that rages at Sado's feet in an effort to free him so that he can command the rest of the army. More and more men appear out of the darkness, summoned by his rallying call. A Shadakine spearman springs out of the shadows and runs towards you.
If you have 2 WILLPOWER points and wish to fire at the spearman at long range, turn to 324.
If you wish to stand and face the warrior's charge, turn to 330.
If you wish to flee, turn to 335.
243
A second blast of flame sends another demon to its doom; the hunched creature with a shiny purple back, shaped like a beetle lies in a heap on the ground. With a mad gibber of panic the others dematerialize. You are safe. This magical attack has cost you 2 WILLPOWER points.
Turn to 99.
244
A large Flying Snake hurtles towards you. You hold up your Staff and brace yourself to receive the attack. The beast's razor-sharp talons flex and stretch to scour your flesh. You cannot evade combat.
Flying Snake: COMBAT SKILL 20 ENDURANCE 20
Combat lasts for only one round as the demon flashes past. If your enemy loses more ENDURANCE points than you, ignore any ENDURANCE points you lose.
If you are still alive, turn to 287.
245
With an awful shriek, the last of the demons falls dead at your feet. There are more behind but they back away cautiously, spitting and growling. With horror, you notice that many of the demons are dragging the corpses of the Masbaté dead from their crypts.
If you wish to attack one of these demons at long range with your Staff, turn to 205.
If you wish to charge the demons, turn to 154.
246
You dig your heels in the stallion's flanks and it launches into a thunderous gallop. You come within ten paces of the demon line; the light from the Moonstone, which you hold aloft, shines brightly on their faces. With the first touch of its rays, the pack emits a chorus of wailing and anguished shrieks. They scatter in all directions, shielding their grotesque faces and squirming to avoid the Moonstone's light. However, before your charge can hit home, they disappear: they must have teleported to the portal in the Hills of Tilos. You slow the white stallion and proceed at a gentler pace.
Turn to 237.
247
Something appears in the clear, sunlit sky. At first you think that one of the little winged snakes has returned, but, as the creature draws closer, you realize that this beast is far larger, though identical to the earlier serpents in every other way.
If you wish to attack the Flying Snake at long range with your Wizard's Staff, turn to 66.
If not, turn to 59.
248
Still levitating, you drift towards the demon as it prepares to launch itself at Tanith. At a height of ten feet, you release the spell and fall onto the creature's back. It crashes to the ground with a piping scream and you roll away from its inert body and flip back onto your feet. Glowering, you face the remaining demons, who begin to edge back, gurgling with fear. Sensing your advantage, you loose a terrifying cry and launch yourself at them, Staff ablaze. The demons freeze, panic-stricken, but before you can strike they vanish. You are safe.
Turn to 99.
249
You gaze into the Moonstone and, using 2 WILLPOWER points, you fill the orb with visions of nearby events. The swirling haze of colours clears to reveal a deep valley. At the bottom of that valley you can see a multitude of demonic creatures. They stand before a shimmering arc of fire that hovers in the air. This is the demon portal; they lie, waiting for you to approach.
Turn to 274.
250
Somewhere in the forest your pursuers are stamping through the dense foliage, smashing their way towards you. You leap into the saddle of the Shadakine mount and speed away, heading south towards Lanzi, where Samu and his Masbaté warriors are waiting for you at the bridge. You pray that the Shadakine Army is already well on its way to Lanzi.
Glancing over your shoulder you see the first of the horde burst from the undergrowth of the forest. You concentrate on the last frantic dash that lies ahead of you.
Turn to 352.
251
The shadows have deepened into night as the last demon falls dead at your feet. Despite the unfavourable odds, you have triumphed. Tanith is unharmed but you are exhausted after your efforts. Panting, you fall to your knees, head slumped and shoulders heaving as you regain your breath.
Turn to 201.
252
You remain conscious long enough to see the bridge erupt into flames and collapse into the waters of the River Dosar. Then you faint with exhaustion into Samu's arms. When at last you come round it is night and the Masbaté have made camp along the route towards the Army of the Freedom Guild in the south.
Turn to 321.
253
Hurriedly you run along the gallery in search of a place to hide. A babble breaks out from the creatures below: you have been spotted. The scuffle of webbed and clawed feet tells you that the demon horde is rushing up the stairs towards you. There is nowhere to hide. The only way down to the hall is by those stairs and you may only leave the tomb by the entrance to the hall.
‘We'll have to fight our way out,’ you say to Tanith. She nods, a grim expression on her face.
Turn to 236.
254
With quaking heart, you ascend the hill. You stand at the top in a circle of stone forms with the indistinct features of men. Their voices murmur in a haunting, faraway whisper.
‘He comes … the Grey One comes … ’
‘Does he bear the key … the Masterstone … our salvation?’
‘Who are you?’ you shout into the darkness. The whispering subsides and one voice speaks to you.
‘We are the Kazim, the Stone peoples. Old as the earth. We have waited.’
‘For what?’
‘For the bearer of the Masterstone to set us free from this hill that we might claim back what was once ours. We seek our hearts that the Dark One stole from us long ago.’
Illustration XIV—‘We are the Kazim. The Stone peoples. Old as the earth. We have waited.’
A glimmer of realization dawns in your mind. ‘Who?’ you ask, urgently. ‘Who stole your hearts?’
‘He who calls himself Shasarak, sundered and shameful brother of the Shianti.’
The Kazim Stones of t
he Shadakine Wytches must be the hearts of these poor, forlorn creatures. Trapped and heartless upon this hill they have waited for you to free them. ‘But how?’ you ask the Kazim.
‘You must have the key or we would not have awakened from our sleep of centuries and felt your presence here in the forest. You are the bearer of the Masterstone. Take it out and free us as the Shianti promised.’
They must mean the Moonstone. Long ago the Shianti must have promised to free the Kazim out of shame for the actions of their renegade Shianti brother. Now you have come to fulfil that promise for them. The Kazim mentioned regaining their hearts. If they are successful, they rob Shasarak's most powerful servants of their power. The separate threads of the story fall into place as the ancient plans of the Shianti finally come to fruition. You draw out the Moonstone. Though you have not exerted any power upon it, it is shining with a blinding white light of its own. The seven Kazim roar with pleasure as the rays of the Moonstone touch their rocky bodies, and then they begin to move, stretching their craggy limbs after centuries of sleep.
One of the Kazim speaks to you. ‘We thank you,’ it says. ‘But you must go now, back to your people. Their enemy approaches, bringing with them an enemy of ours. We will come soon, when we are fully ready and restored to life. Hurry. Battle begins.’
In the distance you can hear the sound of many voices shouting. The Shadakine must have attacked by night. You whirl around and dash down the hill, heading towards the sound of battle.
Turn to 358.
255
Taking a deep breath, you plunge a point of concentrated Sorcery into the doors. As the beam of energy hits the fabric of the stone, you realize that you will need to use a great deal of WILLPOWER before the doors will break. With a huge surge of energy you throw 5 WILLPOWER points at the door.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Magic Talisman of the Shianti, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If the total is 4 or more, turn to 283.
If the total is less than 4, turn to 208.
256
You charge towards the Shadakine ranks facing the bridge. They are surprised by the unexpected attack from behind, especially as it seems that they are attacked by one of their own kind. In a kind of mad desperation, you attempt to force a passage through the swirling mass, pulling off your helmet to show the Masbaté on the bridge that you have returned. There are a great number of Shadakine standing between you and the bridge. You must fight them as one enemy and to the death. Owing to the initial surprise of your charge, you may add 3 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight.
Shadakine Warriors: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 40
If you win the combat, turn to 353.
257
You continue east. When you next look over your shoulder, the figure has vanished. An uneasy feeling stirs inside you. You quicken your pace. As the sun slowly crosses the sky, the heat becomes less intense and walking becomes easier. Nevertheless, you grow more anxious as the evening approaches for you have seen no trace of a stream or water hole and you will never find one at night. You can survive without food for some time but you must find water soon.
If you are carrying the Moonstone in your hand, turn to 81.
If you are carrying it in your Backpack, turn to 213.
258
A plume of fiery light shoots from your Staff and hits a two-headed man shape with a black horn in the centre of each brow. It falls dead, wreathed in magical fire. The nine that remain continue to shamble towards you but, when they have come within ten spaces, they suddenly scatter in all directions, shielding their grotesque faces and twisting to avoid the light of the Moonstone. The next moment they have vanished, teleporting to the portal that lies somewhere in the Hills of Tilos. Your magical attack has cost you 2 WILLPOWER points.
Turn to 237.
259
The chariot careers along a wild and unpredictable course. Desperately you try to judge its next turn as it bears down upon you.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. Add this number to your current ENDURANCE total.
If the total is 12 or more, turn to 199.
If the total is less than 12, turn to 263.
260
The night has grown old before you arrive at the torchlit entrance to a cave in the Kashima Mountains. Dioka leads you through a maze of winding passageways in the rock and eventually you come to a wide cavern. At the far end of the cavern, mounted on a rough-hewn dais of stone is a large throne. Sat upon the throne is the Masbaté king deep in thought, his hand cupping his broad jaw. Suddenly your heart lifts. You recognize this man!
‘My lord,’ Dioka begins. The king lifts his great head. ‘May I present!’
But the sentence is never finished, for the king is none other than Samu himself. ‘Grey Star!’ he cries, rising to his feet. ‘You live!’
Before you can speak a word, King Samu leaps from the stone dais and bounds towards you, sweeping you up in a bone-crunching embrace. ‘Seven years, Grey Star,’ he booms. ‘Seven years since last we stood together. We thought that you perished long ago, deep in the caverns of Desolation Valley. What became of your search for the Shadow Gate of the Daziarn — did you succeed after all? Did you find the Moonstone of the Shianti? What has happened since you stepped upon the wasted lands beyond the Lissan Mountains?’
He hugs you once again, squeezing the air from your lungs. When you have regained sufficient breath to speak, you explain what has happened to you since you were separated, and of how the passage of time runs differently on the Daziarn Plane. ‘I have but recently returned,’ you say. ‘And behold!’ You draw out the Moonstone. ‘I succeeded. Look you upon Shasarak's bane — the Moonstone of the Shianti.’
A great noise fills the hall as the Masbaté warriors clash their weapons and call out their battle cries. The Moonstone blazes with a vivid white light that illuminates the whole hall and the faces of the fierce Masbaté. Samu draws his own sword with a great cry. ‘The final battle begins,’ he bellows. ‘Revenge will be ours. Death to the Shadakine! Death to the Shadakine Wytches … and death to the Wytch-king, Shasarak, foe of the Masbaté and the Shianti, enemy of all life itself!’
The great chamber echoes with the ferocious cries of the Masbaté warriors. When the clamour has died down, you and Tanith are led to chambers within the mountainside, there to eat and rest. The following morning you will meet King Samu to discuss ways in which the Masbaté can aid you in your struggle against Shasarak. You drift off to sleep that night with your spirits lifted. Tomorrow you must ensure the safety of the Army of the Freedom Guild before the Shadakine force, due to move in two days, is able to march against it. You know now that you will not have to face that peril alone.
Turn to 298.
261
You brace yourself to receive the first of the fearsome beasts, a large Flying Snake. You watch as it gains sufficient height for its dive. The stallion prances nervously, shifting this way and that; it is difficult to control.
If you have 2 WILLPOWER points and wish to release a long-range attack at the Flying Snake, turn to 111.
If not, turn to 152.
262
Suddenly the wounded creature gives vent to a maniacal screech and all four throw themselves at you. Staff swinging, you rise to meet their challenge, a lone figure besieged by hell-borne minions of insane ferocity.
Turn to 264.
263
The chariot is veering crazily. It is impossible to judge which way it will swerve next. It turns abruptly and heads towards you. Your senses are slow to react and you are unable to move quickly enough to avoid the oncoming rush of the chariot. You are trampled to death by the horses.
Your adventure ends here.
264
With an energy borne of sheer desperation, you send a volley of blows at the beasts with your Wizard's Staff. You cannot evade combat.
Four Demons of the Plains: COMBAT SKILL 21 ENDURANCE 34
If
you win the combat, turn to 281.
265
Two more attacks follow on the stallion rather than yourself. Its pure white coat is stained with blood and you can feel its pace begin to falter.
You see a small, winged ape circle above you and shoot downwards. At the last moment it slows its descent, grabbing hold of the horse's harness and tugging it violently. You struggle and twist in the saddle and try to aim a blow at the gibbering creature without falling from the horse. The stallion stumbles but does not fall.
Winged Ape: COMBAT SKILL 22 ENDURANCE 16
If the combat lasts for three rounds, do not continue the combat but turn immediately to 206.
If you win the combat in one or two rounds, turn to 68.
266
At the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point you close your eyes and concentrate. Your senses reach out and search. In the hills beyond, a terrible evil waits, a malevolent, unthinking, yet strangely natural evil. A dark force lies in wait for you! You are expected.
Turn to 274.