Voyage of the Moonstone (15 page)

Oriah urges you not to enter this chamber. She too can sense the evil that lingers here and she fears that it will harm you if you should disturb it. You heed her warning and move away from the entrance to this sinister chamber.

Turn to 344
.

The innkeeper says nothing, he just narrows his eyes and his jaw sets rock-hard. Then the rogue and his shadowy companions sidle their way back to the counter and move to surround you.

‘You heard him,’ says one of the men. ‘There ain't no rooms.’

‘Yeah! That's right,’ sneers the rogue. ‘So why don't you be gettin' on your way, friend.’ And with this, he whips a dagger from his belt and stabs it into the counter. He glances at his companions and instantly they reach for the hilts of their swords.

If you decide to leave this tavern,
turn to 145
.

If you wish to protest,
turn to 209
.

You struggle across the heaving deck and grab hold of the ship's spinning helm. Upon gaining control of the wheel you are able to turn the heavy vessel away from the pounding waves. Cold sea and hot flames lash at your body as you fight bravely to steer the
Desert Jewel
towards a sliver of sunlight that glows like a beacon of hope beyond this supernatural storm.

After what seems like an eternity, the ship emerges from the grim darkness and sails into a calm sea that is bathed in warm sunlight. Behind you the storm abates as quickly as it arrived and, one by one, the crewmen begin to appear out of the hold. Their tanned faces are pale and they are speechless with shock, yet you can tell by the look in their eyes that they are deeply grateful to have you aboard. Kol appears, shaking and dishevelled, yet he finds the words to express how he and his men feel. He praises your skill and bravery and says that everyone aboard owes you their lives. As a small token of his gratitude he offers you his Sword, his Dagger, and a pouch containing 20 Gold Crowns. (If you wish to keep any of these items, be sure to amend your
Action Chart
accordingly.)

All night the
Desert Jewel
plies the warm southern sea, and at dawn you awake on the rear deck and witness a beautiful sight. A shoal of flying fish are running alongside the ship. As they leap and dive into the blue-green waves, their glistening bodies reflect a rainbow of colour when they are struck by the rays of the early morning sun. You breakfast with the crew who, out of respect, insist that you have only the best food that is on board (you may restore 3
ENDURANCE
points. There is also sufficient food left over for 2 Meals).

To continue,
turn to 100
.

As you lie on your mattress and stare at the night sky, you call upon your knowledge of Astrology to search for portents among the configuration of stars. You determine the outlines of a serpent and a wide-bladed sword, and you take these images to be a warning of possible treachery and conflict ahead. The images stay in your mind's eye until, gradually, you drift into a fitful sleep.

Turn to 327
.

Rhous picks up the crown and examines it carefully. You can tell by his frowning expression that he is a little disappointed: he had hoped for something more exceptional than this. After a few moments he offers you 15 Gold Crowns. You haggle with him and finally you settle on a sum of 20 Gold Crowns.

(If, in addition to the Siyen Crown, you also possess any of the other items, Rhous would be willing to pay you 10 Gold Crowns for the Iron Skull, and 30 Gold Crowns for the Kutyan Emerald. Be sure to amend the details on your
Action Chart
before continuing your adventure.)

Turn to 349
.

You are nearing the end of the quay when you are seen by a watchful guardsman who orders you to stop where you are. You ignore his order and continue running, making good your escape from the quayside by means of an alleyway. As you rush towards the end of this narrow passage, the pathway is suddenly blocked by three city guardsmen. Startled by the unexpected sight of a Northlander running straight at them, they draw their swords and get ready to cut you down.

City Guards:
COMBAT SKILL
 33   
ENDURANCE
 35

If you win this combat,
turn to 334
.

You unshoulder your Bow and pull an Arrow from your Quiver as fast as you are able. Hastily you take aim and fire at your would-be assassin as, simultaneously, he releases his arrow and sends it whistling towards your head.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, remember to add 3 to the number you have picked. If your
ENDURANCE
score is currently 15 or lower, deduct 1.

If your total score is now 4 or less,
turn to 320
.

If it is 5 or more,
turn to 296
.

The old man apologizes once more for disturbing you. As you close and lock your door, you hear his footfalls growing fainter as he walks away along the corridor.

Before you settle down to sleep, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 207
.

The hostel-keeper pockets your Crowns (erase these from your
Action Chart
) and leads you up a flight of rickety bamboo stairs to a corridor which is hung with gaudy tapestries. He points to the first door on the right and then he bids you goodnight.

‘What about my key?’ you say.

He looks at you and shrugs. ‘No key,’ he says, and then he turns away and shuffles back down the stairs. You push open the door to find a large room with a balcony that offers you a magnificent view of the beach festival.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–4,
turn to 330
.

If it is 5–9,
turn to 92
.

You unsheathe a hand weapon and struggle across the heaving deck to regain your position at the ship's rail. The enemy vessel has rammed
The Pride of Sommerlund
and now a host of screaming warriors is swarming aboard your stricken ship. You glance aloft and see the giant spider scurry through the rigging towards the crow's nest. The Sommlending lookout shrieks hysterically and, in blind panic, throws himself into the sea to avoid being eaten by the hideous monster. On the deck below you can see Sergeant Dryan and his men are fighting bravely to repel the raiders. Those of Raker's crew who have survived the collision hurriedly arm themselves and rush to support the outnumbered marines, but they are not trained fighters and they are no match for this ruthless enemy.

If you wish to descend to the deck below and fight alongside Sergeant Dryan's marines,
turn to 21
.

If you choose instead to climb the rigging and attack the giant spider that is now perched upon the crow's nest,
turn to 121
.

An hour passes before your turn comes to enter Temujun's tent. Awaiting you inside is an old man swathed in a silk robe. He wears a jewel-encrusted collar and a large blue turban that is wrapped impeccably around his frail head. He is seated cross-legged on a mound of pillows and he cradles a sphere of rose-coloured crystal in his lap.

Without once looking up from his crystal sphere he tells you to sit opposite him and place any weapons you may be carrying on the floor beside you. When you comply with his wishes he closes his eyes and begins to concentrate. A few moments later he opens them and stares at your satchel with a look of shocked surprise; you sense at once that he has detected the presence of the Moonstone. The frail old man begins to shake and beads of sweat trickle down his wrinkled face. For a moment his eyes widen and then he faints and falls backwards among his pillows.

If you wish to attempt to revive the old man,
turn to 102
.

If you choose instead to pick up your Weapons and leave the tent,
turn to 149
.

You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and cast a bolt of energy at the leader. It strikes the bird's wing and breaks the bone, causing the creature to spiral out of control. Yranai cheers but his triumphant cry is premature. You watch aghast as the Itikar collides with the balloon and stabs its talons into the canopy. In its desperation to survive, it shreds the cloth to ribbons before it falls away and plummets to its doom in the timberlands below.

The impact of the bird hitting the canopy knocks you off your feet. Yranai falls on top of you and, for a few nerve-racking seconds, you lie entangled at the bottom of the basket. You can feel the balloon is rapidly losing altitude. When you pull yourself up and peer over the rim of the basket you see the trees of the lower mountain slopes rising towards you at a dizzying speed. Yranai looks up to see shreds of cloth trailing from the punctured canopy above and the sight is too much for him: he faints. Hurriedly you haul his frail body over your shoulder. Then you place one foot on the rim of the basket and get ready to make a desperate leap away from this doomed balloon as the tops of the mountain pines come into view.

With the old magician draped over your shoulder, you leap from the basket and plummet towards the ground. As you fall, you utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Levitation
and instantly the spell enables you to control the speed of your descent towards the trees below. You see the balloon smash into the timberland and you brace yourself in readiness for the moment when your feet touch the ground.

Unfortunately, when you cast
Levitation
in mid-air, you did not anticipate that the increased weight of Yranai would have any effect on your control of the spell. It is not until you are within twenty feet of the ground that you realize you are coming down too fast. You attempt to compensate but it is too late and you strike the rocky soil with a tremendous jolt that knocks you unconscious.

Turn to 341
.

You awake with the dawn feeling refreshed and eager to begin the day's ride south towards the city of Bir Rabalou. During the morning, you and your travelling companions pass several traders and caravans that are heading north to sell their wares in Cape Kabar. Your fair complexions and Sommlending clothes draw many suspicious glances from the caravan drivers, prompting you to stop when you come to a village shortly after midday. Here the marines go looking for some
mhaktis
 — the flowing grey and white robes traditionally worn by the desert dwellers of Vassagonia. While they busy themselves in the hunt for new clothes, you water and feed the horses at the village stables. You are tending to the horses when you are approached by an elderly street vendor. He is pushing a handcart on which he has displayed the following items for sale:

• Dagger
  
• Scented Oil
  
• 3 Candles
  
• Slippers
  
• Copper Cup
  
• Rope
  
• Lantern
  
• Lyre
  (musical instrument)
  
• Ball of Chalk
  
• 3 Arrows
  

The vendor's items cost 1 Gold Crown each.
¹⁶
If you wish to purchase one or more of them, remember to adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly.

After a while the three marines return to the stables. They are now dressed in
mhaktis
and, when they pull up their hoods, you feel sure that they could pass for native Vassagonians. They bundle and tie their marine uniforms to the saddle blankets of their horses, and then the four of you mount up and leave this village. The sun is sinking below the desert horizon when you come to the next village on the road to Bir Rabalou. It is located on the fringe of a wide beach and it can only be reached by a sandy track which branches away from the main coast road. As you reach this junction you notice a group of local people have gathered around something that has washed up on the beach.

If you wish to leave the main road and go down to the beach,
turn to 24
.

If you choose to ignore this coastal village and continue your ride south,
turn to 232
.

‘Your weapon … is made by magic,’ he says, with a creaking and gravelly tone. ‘It is not evil. But it is not magic of the Old Kingdom. You may keep it … but you must pay the village a tithe.’

You reach to your money pouch but the elder waves the flat of his palm to indicate that he does not want your gold. In return for being permitted to carry your Kai Weapon into his village, he will accept either 2 Backpack Items or 1 (normal) Weapon of your choosing.
¹⁷

Adjust your
Action Chart
accordingly, and then
turn to 347
.

Hurriedly you descend from the rear deck and rush forward to where Sergeant Dryan is directing his men. The leading pirate ship has now closed to within fifty yards and you can see the grim faces of its murderous crew. Dryan's marines are busily loading the three swivel cannon which are fixed to the port gunwale. Once loaded, each marine gunner raises his hand to signal that his piece is primed to fire. Dryan is waiting for the third gunner to signal that he is ready, when suddenly there is a thunderous roar and a puff of grey smoke erupts unexpectedly from the prow of the attacking ship.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
.

If the number you have picked is 0–3,
turn to 335
.

If it is 4–6,
turn to 27
.

If it is 7–9,
turn to 190
.