The Buccaneers of Shadaki (26 page)

You land on your back with a severe jolt that leaves you gasping for breath: lose 3
ENDURANCE
points. You have crashed down upon the floor of a cargo hold that is stacked with bales of silk. Above, framed in the open hatchway, you can see the creature getting ready to leap. Quickly you roll away as it drops into the hold, and your speedy action saves you from its deadly talons as maniacally the creature slashes at the floor where, only moments before, you were lying.

Hissing like an angry snake, it leaps after you and lashes out again. This time it rakes its talons along the wooden wall of the hull, barely inches above your head. The tips of these razor-sharp claws become embedded deeply in the timbers and for a few moments the creature is held fast.

If you wish to attack the creature while its talons are stuck firmly in the hull,
turn to 82
.

If you choose to use this opportunity to try to evade the creature,
turn to 143
.

The elder spreads the news to his people that you have agreed to help them and they cheer you loudly. The women of the village bring you food and wine (restore 3
ENDURANCE
points), and the children make it their duty to see that your mule is watered and fed.

At sunset, you follow the elder and a dozen of the village men to a rocky outcrop which overlooks the settlement. They have prepared several hiding places among the rocks where they can lie in wait for the dragon. They are armed with spears and bows, and you note that they have a plentiful supply of arrows. You take cover with the elder and wait patiently for the dragon to arrive. You do not have to wait very long. In the fading light of dusk you see the creature come gliding down from the mountains. The elder tells his men to ready their bows and, as they carry out his order, you see him smile. He seems to be relishing the thought of avenging the damage this creature has caused. The dragon circles above the village and then comes swooping over the outcrop. It is now within arrow range.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 306
.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 240
.

If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 62
.

If you have neither a Bow, nor any of these skills, or if you decide not to use them,
turn to 276
.

Once everyone is safely back aboard
The Azan
, you inform Captain Jenkshi of what happened at the Three Capstans Inn. With a resigned expression on his weather-beaten face, he listens to your report and then thanks you for the part you played in saving his crew from further injury or death. He tells you that similar incidents have happened many times before, in ports all over Magnamund, and he is resigned to the fact that they will happen again sometime in the future. Eldenorans are infamous for their bigotry and intolerance; Jenkshi is just glad that this time his crew had the good fortune to have you looking after their interests.

Before you and the crew retire to your cabins to sleep, the captain takes the precaution of posting extra watchmen on deck, just in case the Eldenorans should come looking for trouble during the night.

Turn to 35
.

You take up your instrument and begin a soothing ballad that you hope will calm these hungry creatures. Unfortunately, the sound of your playing has an adverse effect upon them; they react in anger and immediately attack. Hurriedly you drop your instrument and draw a weapon as two wolf-like animals come bounding towards you from the rear of the cave.

Kholo:
COMBAT SKILL
 40   
ENDURANCE
 28

These creatures are especially susceptible to all forms of psychic attack: double all bonuses if you possess Kai-surge and elect to use it.
¹⁴

If you win this combat,
turn to 101
.

The creature stalks towards you like a hungry cat with a cornered mouse. Slowly it flexes its talons and bares its ghastly teeth — playful preliminaries to be indulged in before it moves in for the kill. It emits a deafening hiss and comes lunging towards you with shocking swiftness.

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
.

You take the glass and sip the cherry-coloured liqueur. It has a delicious flavour and you commend the guildsman for his good taste. The man is greatly flattered, so much so that he offers you a bottle of this fine Scava liqueur. (If you wish to accept his offer, record this Bottle of Scava on your
Action Chart
as a Backpack Item.)

You then bid the guildsman good evening and promise that you will return tomorrow morning to conclude your business. On leaving the hall you rejoin the Suhnese 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
.

Melchar leads you back through the streets of Caeno to The Song of the Silver Star tavern, and the young journeyman laughs with sheer relief at having escaped from Wrok's henchmen when finally you enter the sanctuary of its crowded taproom. The innkeeper asks Melchar if his happy mood is due to a win at the derby. He says that, thanks to your advice, he did not bet and therefore he did not lose. He also adds the real reason why he is feeling elated, and the innkeeper frowns.

‘Wrok's not a man to cross,’ he warns. ‘He's ruthless when it comes to getting even. I think you two had better stay in the attic tonight. Wrok's sure to send his lackeys out a-huntin' for you.’

You heed the innkeeper's warning and spend the night hidden in his attic room. Before dawn breaks you slip out of the tavern by a back door and say farewell to Melchar in the street outside.

‘Captain Leonghi's ship is moored down at the docks,’ he says. ‘It's called
Embassage
. I wish you a swift and safe journey to Nhang, Grand Master. I'll always remember our little adventure at the Caeno Derby and I hope we'll meet again one day when you return to Sommerlund.’

Turn to 244
.

You have cause to be thankful for your Grand Mastery when you detect the outline of a man's body high in the boughs of a nearby tree. His limbs and torso are painted with forest colours that help keep him hidden, and you hazard a guess that he is a lookout for a remote jungle tribe.

You sense that he has failed to detect your presence. Rather than run the risk of being seen, you make a wide detour around his tree before continuing deeper into the jungle.

Turn to 51
.

You draw an Arrow to your Bow and take aim at Sesketera's head. His dark eyes widen with shock when he sees you release the bowstring, but as the Arrow comes speeding towards his face, he recovers his composure and attempts to bat the missile aside with the blade of his spear.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, add 5 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 0–8,
turn to 106
.

If it is 9 or higher,
turn to 317
.

Next morning you bid farewell to Tzai and his family before accompanying Chinn to the docks. Moored at a jetty by the old harbour wall is a sleek-prowed merchant trader called the
Vargas
that flies a Suhnese flag. Chinn takes you aboard this vessel and you meet with Gemulkin in his cabin at the stern. He is a wiry man with a hooked nose and close-set eyes that gives him an expression of sly cunning. Yet his voice is deep and resonant and you can tell that he is someone who is used to commanding respect. By way of introduction you present him with the scroll that his cousin gave you, and he smiles as he reads it.

‘If I had a Noble for every favour I've done him over the years, I'd be a rich man,’ he says, jokingly. Then he furls the scroll and places it in the drawer of his chart table (erase this item from your
Action Chart
).

‘Welcome aboard, Journeyman. Pay no attention to my jest. I owe my cousin more favours than I care to remember. You're welcome to sail with us to Suhn on the noon tide. All I ask is that you work your passage.’

You agree to Gemulkin's terms and shake his hand to seal the deal. He calls for one of his crew to come and show you to your bunk, but before you go with him you bid farewell to Chinn. He thanks you again, not only for saving his life but also for curing him of his distrust of foreigners.

The
Vargas
sets sail on the noon tide. It is carrying a valuable cargo of silk, and Gemulkin is anxious that it should arrive safely in Suhn. He expects the voyage to last four days. During your first day aboard you help the crew with their duties and listen to their tales about the Sea of Winds. Gemulkin has ordered the crew to be especially vigilant on this voyage, for pirate raiders from northern waters have become more daring of late. The ships of the Freedom Guild patrol the Sea of Winds to deter buccaneers, yet they cannot guarantee safe passage to any ship once it passes beyond Shuri Point.

On the morning of the third day the lookout sights Shuri Point in the distance. As the
Vargas
swings around this rocky cape, you see a storm brewing on the horizon. A cluster of black clouds hovers menacingly over the sea, discharging bolts of lightning that arc back and forth between the shore and the surface of the ocean.

If you possess Elementalism and wish to use it,
turn to 329
.

If you possess Kai-alchemy and wish to use it,
turn to 191
.

If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them,
turn to 76
.

The villagers fire their bows and every arrow strikes the dragon, yet none of them penetrate the creature's scaly hide nor deflect it from its chosen course. The dragon circles the village once more and then hovers above the burnt-out remains of the central hut. You observe the creature and your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that it has not come here bent on destruction. It is seeking something in the charred ruins.

Turn to 85
.

Jenkshi tells you that it will take three days to cross the Gulf of Tentarium to the Shadakine city of Zharloum. There
The Azan
will dock overnight and collect its cargo of metal ingots, which are to be traded when the ship reaches its home port of Suhn.

Your first day in the Gulf passes pleasantly, yet on the second day the weather closes in and a squall keeps you confined to your cabin for most of the morning. By mid-afternoon the rain abates and you go up on deck to take some exercise. You are looking out across the ocean towards the east when suddenly you notice something bobbing in the water. You magnify your vision and see that it is a man clinging to a piece of wreckage. Quickly you inform Captain Jenkshi, yet, to your surprise, he is very reluctant to change course in order to rescue this man.

If you wish to use your psychic Kai skills to persuade Jenkshi to pick up this man,
turn to 84
.

If you choose not to influence the captain's decision in this way,
turn to 184
.

‘Sir, before you go, maybe you have something you'd like to sell?’ pipes the youth. ‘We're always interested in exotic items of special value.’

The young trader will pay the prices that are indicated for the following items:

If you possess and wish to sell any of the above items, make the appropriate adjustments to your
Action Chart
and then
turn to 232
.

If you do not possess any of the above items, or if you wish to keep them,
turn to 320
.

Using the Brotherhood Spell
Mind Charm
you convince the sceptical officer that you really are telling the truth. Fearing a diplomatic row with the Dessian ambassador, he apologizes repeatedly for your arrest and he orders that your Weapons be restored to you at once. He then escorts you personally in a horse-drawn carriage to Lord Zinair's residence — the Dessian Consulate — in the city's North Quarter.

As the toadying officer and his carriage depart, you turn to face the entrance to the consulate building. With mounting anticipation, you climb the front steps and knock on its stout oak door.

Turn to 250
.

You hit the moving deck and your legs crumple beneath you. Badly winded by the fall, you have difficulty in standing and are barely able to rise to your knees. Instinctively, you reach for your weapon. You are feeling vulnerable and are fearful that the crew of this trader may attempt to throw you overboard before you fully recover your senses. Yet to your surprise you hear that they are cheering. Your daring escape from Sesketera's guards has impressed them immensely.

A tall man with wavy grey hair takes you by the arm and helps you to your feet. He hands you some coins that fell from your Belt Pouch when you hit the deck, and you thank him for his kind assistance. You notice that he is wearing the five stripes of a merchant captain of Siyen on the sleeve of his blue jacket.

‘You must o' ruffled Sesketera's feathers good and proper for him to 'ave turned 'is guards on you like that,’ he says, with a wry grin. Then he faces his crew and says: ‘Anyone who can achieve that can't be all bad, eh, lads!’

The crew cheer again. It is plain by their reactions that they are glad to be leaving Ghol-Tabras and its tyrannical ruler. The captain hands over the running of his ship to his bo'sun and then he helps you to his cabin where he pours you a reviving draught of Siyenese ale. This brew has a peculiar grey-green colour but it tastes delicious. You soon learn that you have jumped aboard the
Seasprite
, a Siyenese merchantman under the able command of Captain Radyard. It is carrying a cargo of fine wool and linen and is bound for the port of Masama on a voyage that should take eight days. Radyard had expected to sell half of his cargo in the Ghol-Tabras market, but the heavy mooring charges and the unfriendly mood of the natives there had prompted him to make an early departure. His native homeland — Siyen — has traded with Sommerlund for centuries. Radyard much admires your land and its people and he is happy to allow you to stay on board his ship. You are thankful for his hospitality, but you feel you should offer him some form of payment for your passage to Masama.

If you possess the Siyen Crown,
turn to 333
.

If you do not possess this Special Item,
turn to 123
.