The Buccaneers of Shadaki (17 page)

You attempt to rally the Suhnese to fight, but they are unarmed and have no battle training. Quickly it becomes clear to you that, if you force them to resist the city watch, you will be condemning them to needless injury or death. Wary of this, you attempt to lure the Shadakine soldiers away into one of the houses. Unfortunately, your brave effort is short-lived. The City Guard pursue you and quickly overpower you by their sheer weight of numbers: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

Once you have been effectively subdued, the city watch round up the Suhnese and guard you all at spear-point until two horse-drawn wagons arrive to take you away to the city gaol. As you are herded aboard these foul-smelling carriages, your Weapons, Kai Weapon, and Backpack Items are confiscated and dumped into a wooden crate beside the driver's seat. (On your
Action Chart
mark each of these items with an asterisk [*] to indicate that they are no longer in your possession, but do not erase them at this time. Any Special Items you possess are allowed to remain with you.)

At the officer's command the wagons move off at a speedy pace. After a few bruising minutes your wagon emerges from the gloomy streets and ascends a smooth ramp which passes through the daunting gate of Ghol-Tabras gaol. Above this gate flutters a flag which depicts a black serpent entwined around the blade of a silver scimitar. It is the personal emblem of Sesketera, the ruler of this city, a man not known for his kindness or for his mercy.

Turn to 265
.

As you deal the creature the killing blow, its body crackles and disintegrates into a million motes of light that dissolve into the darkness like a swarm of fleeing fireflies. You rush to aid your horse who is lying motionless among the boulders, but sadly you discover that it is already too late to save him.

Fear and uncertainty haunt you as patiently you await the dawn. The being that attacked and slew your mount was not of this world; it was a creature born wholly of evil magic. With a gnawing sense of dread, you leave at first light and follow the jungle trail to the west. The forest and vegetation are teeming with life, yet as you go deeper into the jungle so the sounds become fewer and more distant. By midday you have covered 20 miles and arrived at a place where there are no sounds at all. The eerie silence surrounds you for several miles further until your Kai hunting skills detect a faint noise. It drifts towards you from among the towering trees to the right of the jungle path. Cautiously you leave the trail and make your way towards the source of this solitary sound.

If you possess Assimilance,
turn to 335
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 296
.

Tzai's house is located in the centre of the city, opposite the main market square and its municipal buildings. It is a large dwelling and much of it is a warehouse given over to the storage of his goods. You are greeted by his family and he takes great delight in introducing them to you. You meet his brother Chinn, his wife Tuvei, his two teenage daughters Leadu and Leiga, and his young son Undai. His wife and children seem very pleased to have you staying as a guest, but his brother Chinn views you with suspicion. You can tell from his cold reaction that he does not think very highly of foreigners.

Later you share supper with the family and you tell Tzai that tomorrow you will look for Captain Leonghi's cousin, Gemulkin. You hand him the scroll that the captain gave you and he passes it to his brother. He says that Chinn has many friends at the dock and he asks his brother if he recognizes the name. Chinn shakes his head tersely and barely glances at the scroll before handing it back. He then leaves the table and goes to his room. As you watch him leave, your Sixth Sense tells you that he knows Gemulkin very well.

After supper, Tzai invites you on a tour of his warehouse. While you are looking at the hundreds of fascinating items that he sells, you suddenly hear shouting coming from outside in the main market square. A noisy mob has gathered to denounce Dhanchai, the city's mayor. They are demanding that Koogha, a former Shadakine warlord, be returned to power. The city militia arrive to disperse this unruly crowd, but a struggle breaks out and soon the two sides are fighting openly in the square. Suddenly the warehouse door bursts open and a dozen men armed with knives and clubs begin to loot the shelves. Then Chinn comes running through from the house, alerted by the noise. He is armed with a stave with which he attacks the looters. One of them knocks it from his hand and another grabs him from behind and pins his arms to his side. Tzai screams as a third looter advances towards his helpless brother with a knife in his hand.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 233
.

If you do not,
turn to 105
.

You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point at the wall of the hut, at a place directly opposite the guarded door. A tingle runs down your arm and a bolt of blue-white fire arcs from your outstretched hand to blow a ragged hole through the bamboo timbers. You run at this hole and charge the weakened wall with your shoulder. It splinters and splits open, enabling you to force yourself through the gap and escape.

Turn to 308
.

The walls of the armoury are lined with oaken racks containing many skilfully-crafted weapons. They are all of ancient design and many centuries old. Their gleaming blades have been kept in pristine condition, yet it strikes you that this chamber is more like a museum than an armoury. Clearly the Elder Magi have little need for conventional weapons.

Among the racks you note the following weapons that are of exceptional quality:

• Spear
  
• Short Sword
  
• Mace
  
• Warhammer
  
• Bow
  
• Broadsword
  

If you wish to take any of these Weapons, make the appropriate adjustment to your
Action Chart
. (The maximum number of normal Weapons that you can carry is two.)

To leave the armoury,
turn to 49
.

The celebrations go on throughout the night, but you are able to find a quiet place to sleep for a few hours before dawn breaks over this happy city. When you tell the people that you must leave and continue your journey south, they are saddened by the news. They want you to stay as their new chieftain, but you persuade them that they must choose a new leader from among their own tribe. Before you leave they provide you with a mule and some food (enough for up to 3 Meals).

By mule you expect the overland journey from Kitaezi to Caeno to take no more than three days. It is a rough, potholed trail and yet your mule never once misses his footing or causes you to fall. During the afternoon of the second day you enter the foothills of the Hulhuk Mountains and see a plume of black smoke rising into the sky. It comes from behind a treeless ridge, less than half a mile from the trail. The sound of anguished voices can be heard on the wind and these cries prompt you to leave the trail and investigate. As you crest the ridge you see a small native village. Several of the huts are on fire and its people are trying desperately to save their livestock and quell the raging flames.

If you possess Elementalism,
turn to 117
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 94
.

The creature tears aside barrels and up-ends crates until it discovers the place where you are hiding. You draw your weapon and retreat until your back is pressed against the wall of the hold. With chilling slowness it flexes its talons and bares its ghastly teeth. Then, in a blur of movement, it comes lunging towards you with claws outstretched.

Illustration IX
—In a blur of movement, the Zhürc comes lunging towards you.

Zhürc:
COMBAT SKILL
 52   
ENDURANCE
 40

If the Kai Weapon you wield is ‘Valiance’, you may apply the bonus gained due to its unique properties.

If you win the combat,
turn to 50
.

Once outside the main doors, you hurry across a wide stone bridge that spans the dry moat encircling Sesketera's citadel. Ahead you can see a cobblestoned plaza which is flanked on three sides by municipal buildings and shops, and on its fourth side by barracks and stables. The sound of the alarm bell is beginning to awaken interest in the plaza. Faces peer from windows and you can see men running to and fro inside the barracks compound. Then the gate to the stables swings open and suddenly there appears a man on horseback. He is one of Sesketera's guards and he comes galloping towards you with a lance levelled at your chest.

You skid to a halt and quickly focus on the rider's horse. Using your Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control, you command the horse to jump in the air. This has the effect of startling the horse and, in its confusion, it begins to buck and twist. The rider is thrown from his saddle and left sprawled unconscious on the ground. Now you use your Kai skills to calm the startled horse. As he settles down, you leap into his saddle and escape from the plaza at a gallop.

The incessant sound of the alarm bell follows you through the early-morning streets of Ghol-Tabras. Even as you reach the entrance to the harbour, more than a mile from the citadel, you can still hear it echoing over the rooftops. You look back over your shoulder and see that you are being followed by a dozen riders. They are citadel guards and they have been ordered to stop you at all costs. As you gallop along the harbour wall, your heart sinks when you see that
The Azan
is surrounded by soldiers. You race past them before they have a chance to load and fire their bows, but you soon come to the end of the harbour wall where you are forced to a halt. The bridge which spans the harbour entrance is too narrow to cross on horseback and so you abandon your mount and hurry across it on foot. You are nearing its centre when you see a trading ship passing directly below. It is leaving the harbour. Suddenly an arrow pierces your cloak and makes you freeze in your tracks. The soldiers are firing at you and, to your dismay, you see that they have sealed off both exits from the bridge. As they begin to move towards you from each side, firing as they advance, you climb onto the parapet of the bridge and attempt to leap onto the deck of the passing trader.

If you possess the Discipline of Magi-magic and wish to use it,
turn to 193
.

If you possess the Discipline of Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 26
.

If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 63
.

As you enter you are greeted by the shop's owner. He is a bony man, with a streaked grey beard and moustache which he habitually tugs as he speaks. His skin is pale and wrinkled, and he appears to be older than his years.

Among the items that he has on display are the following which catch your eye:

• Sword — 2 Nobles
  
• Whip — 2 Nobles
  
• Axe — 2 Nobles
  
• Bow — 3 Nobles
  
• 6 Arrows — 2 Nobles
  
• Spyglass — 3 Nobles
  
• Quill Pen — 1 Noble
  
• Pot of Ink — 2 Nobles
  

The owner asks if you have anything you wish to sell. He says that he is particularly interested in Kitaezi artefacts and he will pay the following prices for these items:

(If you wish to purchase or sell any of the above items, make the appropriate adjustments to your
Action Chart
.)

If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Deliverance,
turn to 141
.

If you do not possess this skill,
turn to 58
.