Beyond the Nightmare Gate (2 page)

You are Grey Star, trained in the ancient lore of a Shianti Wizard. For sixteen years you have dwelt in safety on the Isle of Lorn, the hidden realm of the magical Shianti race, until Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, decides to send you upon a dangerous quest: to save your own people, the race of man, from the tyrannical Wytch-king of Shadaki, Shasarak. Held by their ancient vow to the goddess Ishir, the Shianti are unable to leave their island either to come to the direct aid of man or to retrieve the Moonstone, which possesses the combined forces of all Shianti powers and lies hidden on another plane. As a human, no vow prohibits you from leaving the island and you have been sent to recover the Moonstone and commanded to use its power to defeat the Wytch-king. The Moonstone is hidden on the Daziarn Plane, which can be entered only by finding one of its portals.

Your quest begins with the search for the Shadow Gate, a doorway to the Daziarn that never remains in one place for longer than a day and is invisible to the human eye. To help you find the Shadow Gate you first seek the Lost Tribe of Lara, a race of magical but primitive creatures called the Kundi, who possess the gift of astral vision, enabling them to see the gateways to other worlds and dimensions.

On first arriving at the Port of Suhn, the major trading port of the Shadakine Empire, you are befriended by Shan Li, a merchant who serves as your guide through these strange and foreign lands. A short while after, you are captured and imprisoned in the House of Correction, the prison of Suhn and citadel of Mother Magri, a Wytch in the service of Shasarak. Tanith, a young girl learning the ways of wytchcraft comes to your rescue. She helps you escape from the dungeons of Mother Magri and later sacrifices herself, calling the shadow demon, the Kleasá, against her to save you from its attack.

After many more adventures you come, at last, to the Azanam, the treetop home of the Kundi. They give you Urik the Wise, an old Kundi Shaman, to guide you to the Shadow Gate. The two of you cross the dangerous lands of the Shadakine Empire, pursuing Urik's vision which leads you, finally, to the Forbidden City of Gyanima in the Mountains of Morn. Beyond is Desolation Valley and there you find the Shadow Gate. However, it is guarded by one of Shasarak's many slaves, a demon Kleasá; in fact the very Kleasá that captured Tanith, who stands in the Gateway, eternal prisoner of Shasarak unless you can free her. Finally you discover a way of releasing the Kleasá and opening the Gate.

Bidding farewell to Urik, you prepare to enter the Gate.

To keep a record of your adventure, use the
Action Chart
.

Before you set off on your adventure, you must discover how well your Shianti masters have prepared you for your quest by determining your fighting prowess —
COMBAT SKILL
 — your state of mind —
WILLPOWER
 — and your physical stamina —
ENDURANCE
.
¹
To do this take a pencil and, with eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it onto the
Random Number Table
. If you pick 0 it counts as zero.

The first number that you pick from the
Random Number Table
in this way represents your
COMBAT SKILL
. Add 10 to the number you picked and write the total in the
COMBAT SKILL
section of your
Action Chart
(e.g. if your pencil fell on the number 4 in the
Random Number Table
you would write in a
COMBAT SKILL
of 14). When you fight, your
COMBAT SKILL
will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.

The second number that you pick from the
Random Number Table
represents your
WILLPOWER
. Add 20 to this number if this is your first
Grey Star
adventure, 25 if you have completed book one successfully, 30 if you have also completed
Book Two
.
²
Write the total in the
WILLPOWER
section of your
Action Chart
(e.g. if your pencil fell on the number 6 in the
Random Number Table
and this is your first adventure, you would have a
WILLPOWER
of 26). If you decide to use a spell or utilize the power of your Wizard's Staff, then you will lose
WILLPOWER
points. If at any time your
WILLPOWER
falls to zero or below, you may not use any of your spells
³
or your Wizard's Staff.
⁴
Lost
WILLPOWER
points can be regained during the course of the adventure, and it is possible for your
WILLPOWER
points to rise above the total with which you start your adventure.

The third number that you pick from the
Random Number Table
represents your powers of
ENDURANCE
. Add 20 to this number and write the total in the
ENDURANCE
section of your
Action Chart
(e.g. if your pencil fell on the number 6 on the
Random Number Table
you would have 26
ENDURANCE
points). If you are wounded in combat, you will lose
ENDURANCE
points. If at any time your
ENDURANCE
points fall to zero or below, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost
ENDURANCE
points can be regained during the course of the adventure but can never rise above the number with which you start your adventure.

If this is your first
Grey Star
adventure, your education in the ways of wizardry is incomplete: you have mastered only five of the seven Magical Powers that the Shianti call the Lesser Magicks. The choice of which five Powers these are is up to you. If you have completed either books one or two or both of the
Grey Star
adventures, you may choose six of the seven Magical Powers.
⁵
All of the Lesser Magicks may be of use to you at some point on your quest, so choose them with care. Your survival may depend on the correct use of a Magical Power at the right time.

The seven Magical Powers available to you are listed below. When you have chosen your five or six Powers, enter them in the Magical Powers section of your
Action Chart
.

This Power allows a wizard to transform his thoughts or desires into magical energy. By concentration of the will it is possible to create magical shields of force to bar doors or move objects. Sorcery drains more
WILLPOWER
points than any other Magical Power, and is most effective when your
WILLPOWER
points are high.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Sorcery’ on your
Action Chart
.

The Power of Enchantment enables a wizard to charm or beguile other creatures, and create illusions in the minds of others. He will be able to extract information from others, place thoughts and compulsions into another's mind, or cause them to believe that imaginary events are actually taking place. Some magical or highly intelligent beings may be immune to the powers of Enchantment.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Enchantment’ on your
Action Chart
.

The Power of elemental magic allows a wizard some control over the natural elements of Air, Fire, Earth, and Water. By entering a trance and chanting incantations, you may summon aid from the spirits of the Elemental Plane. Elementals have very little understanding of man, and for this reason a wizard can never be sure of the nature of the aid the Elementals may send.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Elementalism’ on your
Action Chart
.

A wizard who possesses the Power of Alchemy is able, through the mixing of various substances, to create magical potions. Given the correct ingredients, a potion may restore lost energy (i.e.
ENDURANCE
points,
WILLPOWER
), or temporarily improve various abilities (e.g.
COMBAT SKILL
). The use of Alchemy may also allow a wizard to alter the nature of substances (e.g. change lead into gold), but the necessary ingredients and the correct equipment (e.g. a pestle and mortar) must be at hand. The use of the Power of Alchemy drains no
WILLPOWER
.

If you choose this Power write ‘Alchemy’ on your
Action Chart
.

The Power of Prophecy allows a wizard to foretell the future through meditation. A meditative state will allow a wizard to make the correct decision when facing conflicting choices or difficult actions; to discover the whereabouts of a person he has once met, or an object he has once seen. It may also allow him to determine the true nature of a stranger or a strange object. Magical beings or objects are sometimes hidden from the Power of Prophecy.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Prophecy’ on your
Action Chart
.

This Power bestows upon a wizard the ability to deduce facts about events by touching objects connected to them. Through deep concentration, a wizard may lay his hands upon any inanimate object and visualize scenes that have affected it. Visions brought about through the use of Psychomancy are often cryptic, taking the form of a riddle or puzzle. Some magic items are resistant to the use of Psychomancy and may, sometimes, impart misleading information.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Psychomancy’ on your
Action Chart
.

Mastery of this Power permits contact with the spirit realm. A wizard wishing to speak with the dead, or to call up a form from the spirit world, must draw a magic pentacle and enter a trance, when the use of the correct spell-chant will reach out to the Spiritual Plane. Standing within the protection of a magic pentacle, a wizard may consider himself to be relatively safe from harm. If he wishes to speak with a corpse, especially one whose former life was good and righteous, then a wizard can expect help and advice. However, contact with those whose former lives were evil or selfish can be a perilous, and often fatal, experience. Evil spirits are reluctant to return to the realm of the dead and may try to trick a wizard into freeing them into the world of the living. All spirits, good and evil, will require some service of the wizard in return for their aid. Any failure to perform this task, however difficult may result in the wizard losing his life.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Evocation’ on your
Action Chart
.

Your Staff is your most valuable possession. It looks and feels like an ordinary quarterstaff, yet it is stronger than any known metal. This is your main combat weapon, for you are untrained in the use of any other form of armed combat. It contains a potent force that is unleashed at will by the power of your mind, and causes a beam of destructive power to hurtle from its tip. Every time you unleash this power you must deduct 1
WILLPOWER
point.
⁶

In the event that your enemy survives such an attack or should you fall victim to a surprise attack, you will be forced to engage in close combat and must attempt to strike your enemy with the Staff. If your attack is successful, a bolt of energy will be released from the Staff that is capable of inflicting great physical harm. If you wish to increase the amount of damage that you inflict in this way, you must use more
WILLPOWER
points and multiply the number of
ENDURANCE
points lost by the enemy, accordingly. For example, if you chose to expend 3
WILLPOWER
points on your attack, all enemy
ENDURANCE
point losses would be multiplied by three.