The Buccaneers of Shadaki (13 page)

You dismount from your mule and hurry into the village. The fiercest fire is raging through the roof of the largest hut which dominates the centre of the settlement, and it is here that you concentrate your efforts. Using your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you are able to limit the spread of the flames and allow the villagers time to collect water with which they put out the blaze. Your Kai skill protects you from the scorching heat of the fire, but your Backpack is damaged and you lose two pieces of equipment. (Erase any two Backpack Items from your
Action Chart
.)

When all of the smaller fires in the surrounding huts have also been extinguished, the elder of the village thanks you for your timely help. He tells you that the fire was started deliberately by a dragon that dwells in the Hulhuk Mountains.

‘It is the bane of our humble village,’ he says, shaking his head sadly, ‘and we fear that it will return this night to finish us.’ Seeing the Kai Weapon sheathed at your side, the elder looks at you with renewed hope in his eyes. He begs you to stay here tonight and help rid the village of its bane.

If you wish to stay and help the villagers,
turn to 267
.

If you decide not to help them,
turn to 213
.

The guildsman takes great offence when you decline to drink with him. He slams the decanter and glasses onto his desk, and then he orders you to leave his chambers and never set foot in Coppersmiths' Hall ever again.

Outside the Hall you rejoin the Suhnese crewmen and hurry with them through the flagstoned streets of the city, retracing your route back to the harbour in the hope of reaching
The Azan
before night closes in completely. You are within a few hundred yards of the harbour entrance when suddenly a patrol of the city watch come marching around a corner with their spears couched on their chainmailed shoulders. Their officer commands you all to halt and demands that you raise your hands above your heads.

If you wish to do as the officer has ordered,
turn to 228
.

If you decide to make a dash for the harbour,
turn to 330
.

You know that it is only a matter of time before the creature finds your hiding place. Rather than wait to be found, you decide to launch a surprise attack. Using your advanced mastery, you create a noise in the opposite corner of the hold, behind a pair of water barrels. The creature immediately pounces on top of the barrels and slashes at the void behind them. You seize this moment to leave your hiding place and attack the creature from behind.

Zhürc:
COMBAT SKILL
 52   
ENDURANCE
 40

Ignore any
ENDURANCE
point losses sustained in the first two rounds of this fight, due to the effectiveness of your surprise attack. If the Kai Weapon you wield is ‘Valiance’, you may apply the bonus gained due to its unique properties.

If you win the fight,
turn to 50
.

Inside you discover that the building is filled with vast quantities of raw and basic commodities such as metals, grain, cloth, timber, and leather. As you inspect these basic materials you come across several crates of linen that are branded with a crown and star, the mark of Siyen. Your Kai senses tell you that it could be part of Radyard's cargo.

The owner of the warehouse approaches and asks the nature of your business. He has an oily smile that you could find easy to dislike. You ask if he knows Captain Radyard and his slippery smile turns into a scowl:

‘I charge for information,’ he snaps. ‘Hand over 3 Nobles or be on your way.’

If you wish to pay the man 3 Nobles (1 Noble = 1 Gold Crown),
turn to 315
.

If you refuse to pay him,
turn to 217
.

At length the avenue arrives at a busy market square. On entering, you are assailed from all sides by merchants eager to sell their wares. All manner of goods are offered but most are of little or no use to you. As you push your way through the merchants, you notice a market stall that sells healing concoctions. One of these is Laumspur for which the vendor is asking 2 Nobles per potion. (Each Potion of Laumspur restores 4
ENDURANCE
points when consumed after combat.)

If you wish to ask the vendor if he knows the whereabouts of Lord Zinair,
turn to 238
.

If you choose to leave the stall and cross over to the far side of the square,
turn to 53
.

At first the old man is reluctant to lower his price, but when you shake your head and step towards the door as if to leave, he changes his mind and agrees to sell the doll for 7 Gold Crowns. You nod in agreement and carefully the old man wraps the doll in a square of linen while you count out 7 Gold Crowns from your Belt Pouch. With trembling hands he takes the coins and gives you the package which you place into your Backpack.

Record the Nhang Doll on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item, and remember to subtract 7 Gold Crowns from your current total.

To leave the curio shop and continue,
turn to 204
.

Sailing towards you across the Sea of Winds come three pirate ships. They are long and low and rakish, with sleek black hulls and armoured decking. Their scarlet sails are filled by a gusting wind and they move through the water with a silent, ominous speed.

Trapped between storm and buccaneers, Gemulkin faces a difficult decision. He can either confront the approaching raiders or brave the dangers of the storm. He chooses the latter, and as the
Vargas
swings back once more towards Shuri Point, the buccaneers hold off and wait expectantly for the storm to lay claim to your vulnerable ship.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 25
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 147
.

You wipe your weapon on the scraggy bodies of the slain kholo and then you drag them out of the cave by their tails. Your encounter with these wild animals leaves you feeling anxious for your safety, and you spend a restless night in the cave listening to the rain and the sounds of the surrounding jungle.

During your lonely vigil, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery you must eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 146
.

The dragon lands at his lair in the mountains and folds his wings to allow you to climb down easily from his scaly back. Carefully you place the bronze statuette into his clawed hand and witness a wondrous transformation take place. Slowly the dragon shrinks and its body changes into that of a tall man with a proud and noble countenance. He introduces himself to you as Cresosa, the leader of the Rivorzha tribe who dwell on the eastern slopes of the Hulhuk Mountains. Unlike the villagers, Cresosa's people have resisted Ulonga's evil rule, even though their resistance has forced them out of their coastal villages to seek refuge in the mountains. The statuette has broken a curse placed upon Cresosa by Ulonga the Shaman, and now he is able to return to his people and lead them back to their abandoned homes.

Before you say farewell, Cresosa offers you two Potions of Laumspur (each of these Backpack Items will restore 4
ENDURANCE
points when swallowed after combat). He then gives you directions which take you back to the trail, to a place where a bridge crosses a steep-banked river. Your
map
tells you that this is a tributary of the River Ito, and you decide to stop here to rest until dawn before continuing your trek to Caeno on foot.

Illustration VI
—The dragon becomes Cresosa, leader of the Rivorzha tribe from the Hulhuk Mountains.

Unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 300
.

Your polite request is met by a torrent of shouts and coarse laughter from the drunken Eldenorans. Yet the captain does as you ask; he releases his grip and lets the gasping crewman drop in a heap to the taproom floor. You motion to the others that it is time to leave. Without a word they leave their tables and move towards the door, pausing only to pick up their injured comrade as they go. With the threats and crude curses of the Eldenorans ringing in your ears, you walk away from the Three Capstans Inn and return to the harbour. The crew feel angry and frustrated by what has happened, yet they know that your cool-headed intervention has saved them from far worse treatment at the hands of the brutish Eldenorans, and for that they are grateful.

Turn to 268
.

Your Grand Mastery skill warns you that these seemingly innocuous plants are Liera. Their petals contain a powerful narcotic which can be ground down to a fine powder and used in potions to make a person susceptible to mental suggestion (mind control).

There are sufficient plants here to produce two Potions of Liera. If you wish to keep one or both of these potions, record each one on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.

To continue,
turn to 205
.

You unsheathe your Kai Weapon and take hold of its blade. As the looter raises his knife, you hurl it at him and it sinks deeply into his chest, spinning him backwards to the ground with the force of its impact. The other men roughly push Chinn aside and come rushing at you with weapons drawn. You can see by the look in their eyes that they are determined to avenge their fallen comrade.

Looters:
COMBAT SKILL
 34   
ENDURANCE
 29

You must fight the first round of this combat unarmed (you receive no weapon bonuses). If you possess a normal weapon, you may use it at the start of the second round.

If you win this combat, you may retrieve your Kai Weapon. You may then continue by
turning to 257
.

Sesketera succeeds in fending off your Arrow and, with breathtaking speed, he lunges forwards and cleaves your Bow in two with the blade of his spear (delete this weapon from your
Action Chart
).

You drop the sundered halves of your shattered Bow and leap back to avoid a sudden whirlwind flurry of thrusts and sweeps that threaten to decapitate you. Hurriedly you unsheathe your Kai Weapon and the
clang
of striking metal echoes throughout the hall as you parry Sesketera's relentless rain of blows. Then the sharp report of your colliding weapons is answered by the dull ringing of a bell in a distant part of the citadel. It is an alarm bell, and it is announcing your escape from the dungeons of the gaol.

Sesketera (with Medallion of Weaponskill):
COMBAT SKILL
 53   
ENDURANCE
 42

Conduct this combat in the normal way for 2 rounds only. If you are still alive after two rounds, do not continue the fight.
Turn instead to Section 215
.

When first you enter the mists, it seems as if you are no longer sailing upon a sea of water. It becomes a blended sea and sky of deep blue light, without horizon or boundary — a limitless space. Gradually you detect vague shadows passing quickly by, and then distant sounds, like muffled whispers, surging then pulsing away before you can catch the words. Then you see globes of darkness hovering to and fro, and your Kai senses scream a warning that these are invaders, evil intruders in this realm of ghostly mist. They grow in numbers and begin to spiral around your boat, whispering and laughing and babbling all the while. You feel your boat gradually slowing until it ceases to move at all. Fear grips you when you realise that these mischievous black spheres have the power to hold you prisoner, to keep you from ever reaching the shores of Lorn. Suddenly the vague sounds and voices in your mind begin to crystallize into words that you can understand.

You have proved your physical courage, foolish follower of Kai. But now you must put your mental strength to the test if you wish to find the Isle of Lorn.

The eerie voice laughs and you steel yourself to meet its mental challenge.

How many heads are fixed upon the harbour gate of Suhn?

If you think you know the answer to this challenge,
turn now to the section
which is the same as your answer.
¹²

If you do not know the answer to this challenge,
turn to 158
.