Grey Star the Wizard (17 page)

The lock clicks open. ‘Thank the gods,’ you breathe.

‘Thank the gaoler,’ quips Shan, wiping the sweat from his brow. You throw open the door and discover another landing. There are two stairways, one leading to the left and the other to the right.

If you have the Power of Prophecy and wish to use it,
turn to 92
. (Note down this section number first as you will need to return to it.)

If you wish to take the left stairway,
turn to 176
.

If you would prefer to take the right stairway,
turn to 45
.

As the Shadakine officer dies,
²⁵
the Knights of the White Mountain give a victorious cheer and charge forwards. The Shadakine that remain continue to fight, but eventually falter and retreat into small groups. With their numbers divided into small pockets of resistance, the knights are quickly able to overcome them, demonstrating their superior fighting skills in one to one combat. The Shadakine warriors fight to the last man and you expend another
WILLPOWER
point before the battle is over.
²⁶

As soon as the fighting is over, the unarmed man jumps down from the wagon onto the bridge. ‘My thanks, stranger. A timely arrival indeed,’ he says, smiling broadly.

His name is Madin Rendalim, a Durenese herbwarden, famous throughout the Lastlands of the far north for his knowledge and skill in the healing arts. He is journeying through the provinces of the Shadakine Empire seeking the Druse tree, and the clear, sticky resin beneath its bark — the only known cure for the terrible Red Death plague.

‘I had found the Druse tree growing some distance from here, in the Forest of Fernmost at the foot of the Kashima Mountains. I was returning to Port Suhn to journey back to my home in Hammerdal when these ill-mannered Shadakine brutes refused to let us pass. They have closed the roads around Suhn it seems, searching for some fugitives or outlaws.’

As a sign of his gratitude he offers you the following items:

• Potion of Rendalim's Elixir (restores 6
  ENDURANCE
  points)
  
• Enough food for 5 Meals
  
• Pestle and Mortar (Backpack Item)
  
• 3 Tarama Seeds (1 seed permits the use of a Magical Power or Wizard's Staff without the loss of any
  WILLPOWER
  points)
  ²⁷
  
• Sealed pouch of Calacena Mushrooms (the spores of these mushrooms may enhance the illusions of those using the Power of Enchantment).
  

You may take any of these items. Carry them in your Herb Pouch unless otherwise indicated, or unless you have no Herb Pouch, in which case carry them in your Backpack. Remember to mark the items on your
Action Chart
.

When you have made your choice, he offers Shan and Tanith a selection of gifts. At last, you bid the herbwarden and his brave bodyguard farewell, requesting that they mention your encounter to no one.

Turn to 2
.

Desperately, you twist towards the plant. The Dagger misses the centre of the Yaku plant by an inch but there is no time for a second blow. You are wrenched into the crimson heart of the Yaku.

The pain of a hundred barbs plunging into your face soon fades as you fall into the oblivion of death.

You have failed in your quest.

Cautiously, you begin to fish for information. The shrewd eyes of the innkeeper narrow, and he leans towards you, speaking in a low voice. ‘If it's information you're after, you'd best remember that these are dangerous times,’ he says, ‘and dangerous talk costs lives they say, if you take my meaning sir,’ he adds, stretching his upturned palm towards you.

You drop one Noble into his hand, but he only shakes his head saying, ‘And life doesn't come cheap, now, does it sir?’

The innkeeper only closes his hand when you have given him another four Nobles. (Remember to cross these off your
Action Chart
.) ‘Now then young master, what was it exactly that you wanted to know?’ Anxiously, you enquire after the legend of the Lost Tribe of Lara.

‘The Lost Tribe!’ he exclaims, incredulously. With a frightened expression, the innkeeper stands back. ‘Never been outside Suhn in all my life,’ he splutters, ‘and that's forbidden talk, against Shadakine law. You'd best try them over there,’ he says, pointing to a nearby table. ‘They're travellers throughout these lands.’ The innkeeper pockets your money and dashes away to another part of the bar before you can protest.

Turn to 105
.

On the afternoon of the third day you have reached the point where the Azan River joins the Suhni. Shan is a good guide; he has read the trail well, and you have made good progress.

‘A few miles south of here lies the village of Iwo,’ says Shan. ‘There the great Suhn Road crosses the Azan River, but we must be on our guard as we approach the bridge.’

Turn to 39
.

Before you can react, Shan is being enclosed in the deathly embrace of the venomous Quoku, its wings obscuring him from sight and sealing his inevitable doom. You shudder with revulsion and look away as a wave of nausea rises in your throat.

Hurriedly you take up Shan's backpack and move on to Lake Shenwu. You dare not look back.

Turn to 294
.

In denying the dead, your soul is forfeit. Your spirit is wrenched from your body and hurled into the abyss to suffer eternal torment at the hands of the masters of darkness.

Your quest is over, but your torment continues — forever!

‘Very well,’ you say, ‘lead on.’

Tanith gives a sigh of relief and points towards the antechamber of Mother Magri. ‘This way,’ she says, running into the room. With Shan muttering about death and destruction, betrayal and butchery, you follow her.

‘
Casas Indu
,’ she calls, and a hidden door slides open, revealing a dark space behind. ‘It's a secret passage,’ she explains. ‘Here is your Staff and Backpack.’ She takes a torch from the wall, and its light reveals a small compartment roughly hewn from stone and a sloping passage heading downwards. You take the Backpack and Staff from their hiding place and turn to Tanith. ‘What now?’ you ask.

‘Down the passage — hurry!’ she replies. You and Shan run down the passage. Tanith follows swiftly. ‘
Casas Sendra
,’ she intones, and the secret door slides shut.

If you have the Kazim Stone and there is room in your Backpack, you may place it there for safekeeping. Remember to mark this Backpack Item on your
Action Chart
.

Turn to 292
.

You turn left, following the broad curve of the tunnel as it veers right. As you turn the bend you see a large soldier Mantiz up ahead. It is larger than the worker Mantiz that you saw earlier. Its forelegs are oversized claws and the upper segment of its body and its head rises vertically above its abdomen.

The soldier Mantiz is guarding an exit off to the right of the curving tunnel in which you stand. Attracted by your light, the Mantiz turns its bulbous eyes towards you and begins to snap its pincers in agitation.

If you wish to attack the soldier Mantiz at long range with your Wizard's Staff,
turn to 239
.

If you wish to charge the soldier Mantiz,
turn to 246
.

If you would prefer to head back the way you came,
turn to 260
.

As you turn into the alleyway, the pungent smell of rotting garbage fills your nostrils. Rats feed in the gutters, and the stink from the open sewer is overpowering. However, for the moment, you seem relatively safe. Now you must seek out some information on the possible whereabouts of the Lost Tribe of Lara. You must also try to keep your motives secret from the local Suhnese.

If you wish to seek this information in the alley,
turn to 34
.

If you would prefer to head back to the narrow street,
turn to 195
.

‘Death to the Shadakine!’ you scream, caught up in the berserk fury of the mob. With a triumphant cry, the crowd deposits you on the ground and then withdraws to form a circle around you and the warrior. The Shadakine stands sweating and panting before you; his eyes dart wildly in every direction but he sees no escape. As the jeering crowd hurls insults and taunts at the trapped soldier, you notice that the shaven-headed warrior's eyes are totally white, completely lacking pupils. Resolutely, he steps forward, sword and teeth bared, snarling his defiance. ‘To the death then, boy,’ he spits.

Illustration XII
—The Shadakine steps forward snarling his defiance.

You cannot avoid the combat owing to the circle of people around you and must fight the Shadakine to the death.

Shadakine Warrior:
COMBAT SKILL
 13   
ENDURANCE
 20

If you win,
turn to 127
.

You have run halfway up the flight of stairs when the door at the top is thrown open by a Shadakine guard. The Shadakine behind draw closer, and the guard at the top calls to the warriors from the guard room you were running towards. You are trapped.

Your last memory is of Shan's resigned stare as he succumbs to death at the hands of the Shadakine.

Your life and your quest end here.

You enter into a duel of wills with the power of the Stone. The yellow glow of the Kazim Stone flares brighter and brighter, its burning fingers tearing at your mind. Beads of perspiration appear on your forehead as you exert your powers of concentration.

The combined
WILLPOWER
scores of Mother Magri and the Kazim Stone are 50. Add together your current
WILLPOWER
and
COMBAT SKILL
scores and subtract this total from 50.

If your final score is 15 or more,
turn to 295
.

If your score is 14 or less,
turn to 320
.

You press on, keeping close to the line of the river, and very soon you enter the Azagad Gorge. The hot sun burns down fiercely on the arid surface of the canyon floor, and the distant horizon is distorted by the haze of shimmering heat.

Turn to 29
.