Voyage of the Moonstone

by Joe Dever

  Turn to 110.

  12

  When you refuse to give them any money they begin shouting at you and throwing stones. One jagged stone hits your forehead and draws blood, and another bruises your jaw: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

  The screaming of the children attracts the attention of their indolent parents who emerge from their huts brandishing clubs and knives. They rush at you and you are forced to turn your horse about and gallop away. Upon reaching the road, you use your Kai curing skills to ease the stinging pain of your head wound before continuing your ride east towards Hikas.

  Turn to 89.

  13

  You evade your enemies by scaling the mainmast as swiftly as you can. As you climb higher, you notice chunks of wood are raining down from above. You glance up and see that the giant spider is now perched in the crow's nest, where it is busily tearing at the mast and topsail with its fanged maw. Fearful of what may happen if it should be allowed to direct its power upon your countrymen below, you decide that you must confront and slay this creature.

  You approach the giant spider from below and, at first, it fails to notice your presence. But when you pause for a few moments to unsheathe your weapon, it dips its head and you find yourself staring into a pair of ghastly green eyes. It rubs its forelegs together and sparks appear, warning you that it is preparing to launch a bolt of energy. Quickly you cut free a trailing rope and swing away from the mainmast just in time to avoid being burnt to a cinder when it launches its burst of crackling blue fire. Your swift action saves you, but as the momentum of your swing carries you back towards the mast, so you see that the creature is preparing a new form of attack.

  It waits until you come to rest in the rigging, and then it ejects a stream of grey fluid from a sac located below its gaping maw. This fluid hardens as it passes through the air, transforming into several long and sticky strands which threaten to engulf and imprison you in a soft, gluey web.

  If you possess Magi-magic and wish to use this Discipline, turn to 303.

  If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it, turn to 210.

  If you possess neither of these Disciplines, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn instead to 162.

  14

  You rush back to the junction and continue along the right alley until you reach a tree-lined plaza which is bordered by expensive art emporia. The militia are examining their doors and windows for signs of a forced entry but all of them look secure. Then your eye is drawn to a grand temple on the far side of the plaza. Its great stone door is closed, but a smaller wooden door at the side has been torn off its hinges. You magnify your vision and see that beyond the door is a flight of stone steps which ascend to a bell-tower.

  Cautiously you approach the shattered door. You unsheathe your weapon and scan the darkened stairs before silently you move up the steps. You have climbed twenty steps when suddenly you hear a hideous snickering growl and an icy chill runs the length of your spine. There is an ominous creak of stone on stone and a movement in the darkness above, and then a crashing fills your ears. Out of the darkness you see a great marble statue come smashing down the narrow stairway. It rapidly gathers speed as it tumbles end-over-end towards you.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 85.

  If you do not possess this Discipline, turn to 98.

  15

  You dive to avoid the meteor and the speed of your reactions enables you to escape from being hit directly, yet you do not get away completely unscathed. The fireball glances your left leg and foot before it strikes the deck and bounces back into the sky: lose 6 ENDURANCE points.

  To continue, turn to 132.

  16

  The marines fire three volleys at the cliff-top but their shots neither frighten nor deter the creature. In fact they serve to antagonize this hidden entity and immediately it increases the intensity of its evil spell.

  Panic grips the crew and many abandon their posts and leap overboard. In desperation, you seize the helm and draw upon your Kai Mastery in an attempt to avert a total catastrophe, but it is too late. Despite your best efforts, the ship is caught in the grip of the whirlpool. With chilling speed it is sucked down to its final resting place upon the rocky bed of the Bukimi Channel, a thousand fathoms below the swirling surface.

  Sadly, your life and your quest end here.

  17

  At the end of the street you discover a tavern which adjoins the town's east gatehouse. It has a stables and a small blacksmithy, and the first floor has been given over to a rooming hostel. It is a popular place and you see several people entering and leaving by its main door.

  Beyond this door you discover a warm taproom with great padded chairs and tables of yellow Siyenese elm. You approach the tavern-keeper's wife who is serving ale to customers in tankards made of hardened leather. You enquire if she has a room for the night and she nods and smiles. ‘Three Gold Crowns,’ she says, ‘and for that you can have as much ale as you can stomach!’

  You pay her 3 Gold Crowns (erase these from your Action Chart)8 but you decline a tankard of her ale. It has a peculiar smell that makes you think of greasy animal hides.

  Turn to 38.

  [8] It is possible that you have fewer than 3 Gold Crowns. If so, you give all of your remaining Crowns to the tavern-keeper's wife.

  18

  Suddenly a starburst of pain erupts in your head and the salty taste of blood fills your mouth. The archer's arrow has penetrated the front of your skull and death is instantaneous.

  Tragically, your life and your quest end here in Kilij.

  19

  The landlady's frowning face softens as she slips the money into the pocket of her apron. From this same pocket she removes a key which is stamped with the number 4, and she hands it to you. Then she points to a corridor on the ground floor which leads to your room at the rear of the building.

  As you are about to insert the key into the lock, you hear a suspicious noise coming from inside. Silently you unsheathe your weapon, unlock the door, and then fling it wide open.

  Turn to 66.

  20

  As you leave the tavern and march with the lieutenant at the head of his column of guardsmen, you ask him if you are being arrested. After all, you have not broken the curfew. He smiles and confides in you that he was hoping you would agree to help him to track down the creature.

  ‘The skills and special powers of the Kai are legendary,’ he says. ‘You may succeed where we have failed. Will you help us find this beast before it kills again?’

  Before you can give your answer, a terrible shriek echoes through the empty streets. A woman standing on the balcony of a tall building nearby leans over the parapet and calls out to the lieutenant and his men. ‘Down by the river,’ she shouts, and she points over the rooftops to where the shriek was heard. ‘The fiend … it's struck!’

  ‘Quick, men!’ yells the lieutenant. ‘Follow me! If we are swift we may catch the beast tonight.’

  Turn to 337.

  21

  You give voice to your battle-cry — ‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’ — as you leap fearlessly from the rear deck into the midst of the enemy horde. You slay three of the armoured warriors with the first sweep of your weapon, and cleave the sword arm from the body of another with your backstroke. Noise, death, and confusion press in on all sides, yet you remain ice cool in the heat of this fierce deck battle. A turbaned warrior with mad, glinting eyes hurls himself at you. He whirls his axe above his head to split your skull, but before he can land his blow, you leap into the air and send him cartwheeling backwards with a mighty kick to his chest. The moment your feet return to the blood-slick deck, you spring forward once more like a charging lion and whirl your weapon like a scythe before you. Its blade becomes a deadly blur as you cut a devastating path through the raiders' serried ranks. You have fought your way to within a dozen paces of Sergeant Dryan when suddenly the enemy launch a desperate counterattack in an effort to halt your inexorable advance.


  Shadakine Raiders: COMBAT SKILL 36 ENDURANCE 40

  You may evade this combat after three rounds by turning to 13.

  If you win the combat, turn to 97.

  22

  You use your Discipline to will the spider to return to its nest. The arachnid obeys your mental command and scurries away to disappear through a crack in the uneven bamboo floor. Your close encounter with this potentially deadly spider plays on your mind and you find it impossible to go back to sleep (lose 2 ENDURANCE points due to fatigue).

  At first light you gather together your equipment and go down to the paddock to collect your horse. The hostel-keeper waves farewell from the kitchen window as you mount your horse and ride away across the courtyard.

  Turn to 314.

  23

  The leader of the troupe says nothing, yet the crestfallen look on his face is enough to tell you that you have answered his riddle correctly.9 Your fellow passengers cheer and applaud your display of mental dexterity as you walk to the barrel to collect your prize of 10 Gold Crowns. (If you already possess the maximum number of Gold Crowns permissible, you share the coins out generously among those passengers who are travelling in your carriage.)

  The show continues, but you are feeling tired and so you return to the empty passenger wagon. Before you pull your cloak around yourself and settle down to sleep, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery).

  To continue, turn to 290.

  [9] This is the correct answer to the troupe leader's puzzle in Section 40.

  24

  As you ride across the firm sandy beach towards the excited crowd you see that they are gathered around the carcass of a whale. These poor villagers are celebrating their unexpected good fortune for this whale will provide them with food for a month, and enough oil to fuel their lamps until winter. A cheerful-looking old man hails you with his walking stick and you slow your horse to a halt.

  ‘You be bound for Bir Rabalou, good sirs?’ he asks. ‘ 'Cause if you is, then you'd do well to heed my advice.’

  ‘And what advice would that be?’ replies Ernan. The old man gives him a thin smile and then hobbles nearer to your horse. He does not say anything; he simply holds out his hand in the hope that you will pay him something for his advice.

  If you wish to give this old man 1 Gold Crown, turn to 219.

  If you choose not to give him anything, turn to 313.

  25

  Your basic Kai senses reveal to you that there is nothing evil nor hostile outside in the corridor, yet the fact that someone is knocking on your door at this late hour makes you feel a little anxious. You reach for your weapon belt and buckle it on before you move cautiously to open the door.

  Turn to 116.

  26

  Your Kai healing skills slowly neutralize the snake's deadly venom, yet as they do battle with the toxins in your blood, so your body is racked by agonizing convulsions: lose 8 ENDURANCE points.

  Fearing the worst, Oriah and the others gather around your trembling body and do what they can to make your last few moments of life as comfortable as possible. When suddenly you begin to recover they can hardly believe their eyes, for it is well known that the bite of a Jubai will kill its victim within one minute. Your companions are open-mouthed with shock when you stop trembling and sit up as if you are waking from nothing more than a troubled dream.

  Turn to 90.

  27

  You are shocked to see the attacking ship has a large cannon mounted on its prow. Moments after the pirates fire their gun, you hear the whistle of a heavy cannonball as it hurtles towards the deck of The Pride of Sommerlund. It rips through the gunwale a few feet from where you are standing and, as you dive to avoid it, you are hit in the legs by splinters of wood (lose 1 ENDURANCE point).

  Fortunately, the rest of the crew escape injury and damage to the ship is minimal. Sergeant Dryan commands his men to return fire and a volley of shots from the three swivel guns slams into the bow of the pirate ship with devastating effect. Two shots penetrate below the waterline and the third severs the bowsprit. As it falls into the ocean, it rips away sail and rigging which drag more than a dozen pirates overboard. In disarray, the enemy vessel veers from its collision course and founders in the wake of The Pride of Sommerlund as it enters the Bukimi Channel. Here your ship picks up a prevailing wind which propels it away from the second pirate raider. Soon both ships have disappeared and, when Raker is sure that the danger has passed, he warmly praises both the marines and his crew for the skill and courage they have displayed.

  Later, as the ship navigates the narrow strait dividing the two Lakuri islands, you pass within a few hundred yards of the fire-blackened ruins of a beach settlement which nestles in a bay, overshadowed on three sides by cliffs. This is Kita Cove, formerly a secret base from where Captain Khadro launched his pirate fleet. As you stare at the charred remnants of the pirate settlement, you try to imagine what it must have looked like before the encampment was consumed by a tremendous fireball that sealed its doom. Suddenly, your daydreaming is interrupted when you see something moving among the ruins.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 158.

  If you do not possess this Discipline, turn to 247.

  28

  Upon hearing the news that you have slain the Deathstalker, the mayor of Hikas summons you to his Grand Hall in the city's north quarter. Proudly the Vakeros lieutenant and his militia escort you across the city and during your march you receive the adulation of the grateful populace. The mayor hails you as the saviour of Hikas and he bestows upon you the freedom of the city. He decrees that the plaza, where the remains of the Deathstalker were destroyed, shall from this day forward be named after you in perpetual honour of your brave and gallant deed.

  You are invited to stay at the Grand Hall and feast with the mayor and the other dignitaries of the city. You accept the invitation and enjoy a sumptuous meal (restore 3 ENDURANCE points). Early the next morning, the Mayor presents you with a fine white stallion to help speed your journey to Elzian. You thank him for his generosity and, shortly before noon, you ride out through the gates of the Grand Hall, go south along the Avenue of the Sun, and cross the Bridge of Lanterns which spans the city's river. Citizens cheer as you pass through the southern quarter and they alert the guards at the busy south gatehouse so that by the time you arrive there you are able to ride through without delay.

  A mile beyond the south gate, the road ascends to a ridge where you stop to look back at Hikas for the last time. It is a warm and windy morning and, as you cast your gaze across the rooftops and towers of the ancient city, the sultry breeze howls like a wild animal. For a few moments you feel a chill in your blood, for the sound reminds you of the Deathstalker's ghastly cry. But then you shake your head and dismiss it. The creature is dead and there are still many miles left for you to travel before your quest is done. You salute the city farewell and set off at a brisk pace along the weatherbeaten road that leads to Gologo.

  Turn to 188.

  29

  Despite his best efforts, you manage to stay on your horse and steer him towards the crest of the rockfall. The first boulders are beginning to smash down around you as he carries you valiantly to the top of the mound and gallops over the far side. You are half-blinded by dust, and you fail to see a boulder which hits you in the middle of the back and flattens you against the neck of your horse: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  When you are out of harm's way, you rein in your horse and turn him about so that you can take stock of the damage caused by the second rockfall.

  Turn to 11.

  30

  You whisper the words of the Brotherhood Spell Silence and instantly the thief's wailing cries cease to echo through the market. The shocked young man clutches at his throat and mouths vile curses at you but no sound emerges from his mouth.

  ‘Behold!’ you cry, in a loud and imperious tone. ‘The gods have struck this thief dumb for uttering su
ch falsehood 'gainst me!’

  Immediately the encircling crowd burst into laughter; they think that the two of you are street actors. One old woman is so amused that she congratulates the dumbstruck thief and then presses 1 Gold Crown into your hand in appreciation of your performance (you may keep this if you wish). The thief seizes this opportunity to escape and turns tail and flees across the square with the laughter of the crowd still echoing in his ears.10

  Turn to 96.

  [10] It appears that the thief gets away with your item, though that is not entirely clear from this passage.

  31

  A large wooden platform has been erected at the centre of the marketplace upon which twenty men and women are standing side by side with their heads bowed. These poor wretches wear heavy iron manacles which encase their wrists and ankles. Standing behind them are eight hard-faced guards, each with a loop of knotted rope that dangles menacingly from their wrists. The scorching desert sun beats down without mercy upon those in the line, yet if any of them should dare to move but an inch they immediately feel the stinging lash of a rope across their backs.

  Over the years you have heard many tales about the slave auctions of Vassagonia, but you had never anticipated that one day you would witness one. This cruel auction fills you with feelings of anger and revulsion as, one by one, the slaves are dragged from the line and sold to the highest bidder. The owner of the slaves is a stout Vassagonian with small piggy eyes and a wart which sits like a ripe brown cherry on the end of his nose. Every time a slave is sold he cackles like a witch when the new owner steps forward to pay the auction price.