Voyage of the Moonstone (30 page)

To your surprise you see that the attacking ship is armed with a large cannon, mounted on the prow. Moments after the pirates fire their gun, you hear the whistle of a heavy cannonball as it hurtles across the deck of
The Pride of Sommerlund
. Fortunately the pirates are poor gunners and it passes within inches of the mainmast before splashing harmlessly into the ocean. Sergeant Dryan commands his men to return fire and a volley of shots from the three swivel guns slams into the bow of the pirate ship with devastating effect. Two shots penetrate below the waterline and the third severs the bowsprit. As it falls into the ocean, it rips away sail and rigging which drag more than a dozen pirates overboard. In disarray, the enemy vessel veers from its collision course and founders in the wake of
The Pride of Sommerlund
as it enters the Bukimi Channel. Here your ship picks up a prevailing wind which propels it away from the second pirate raider. Soon both ships have disappeared and, when Raker is sure that the danger has passed, he warmly praises both the marines and his crew for the skill and courage they have displayed.

Later, as the ship navigates the narrow strait dividing the two Lakuri islands, you pass within a few hundred yards of the fire-blackened ruins of a beach settlement which nestles in a bay, overshadowed on three sides by cliffs. This is Kita Cove, formerly a secret base from where Captain Khadro launched his pirate fleet. As you stare at the charred remnants of the pirate settlement, you try to imagine what it must have looked like before the encampment was consumed by a tremendous fireball that sealed its doom. Suddenly your daydreaming is interrupted when, to your shocked surprise, you see something moving among the ruins.

If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 158
.

If you do not possess this Discipline,
turn to 247
.

You ride all night along the empty coast road and make good progress. Shortly after dawn you pass a stone signpost pointing to the south. Carved into its surface is the following message written in ancient Vassagonian script: ‘Bir Rabalou — 160 miles’.

Beyond this sign the coast road ascends into an expanse of arid hill country which is populated by herds of wild goats. To the east you occasionally glimpse the ocean beyond the barren hills, while to the west you can see a range of distant mountains, their snowy peaks glistening stark-white beneath the fierce desert sun. Shortly before noon you happen upon the town of Kilij which lies in a narrow pass between two steep hillsides. Oriah and the marines are tired and sore after the long night's ride and they urge you to stop here so that they may eat and rest awhile. Together you ride into the town's busy market square and dismount at a stone water trough where you allow your horses to drink their fill. Around you the mood of the townspeople is friendly as they barter and trade their wares. A young boy offers to look after your horses while you visit the market. Initially you are suspicious of his motives until your Sixth Sense confirms that he is an honest lad, and one worthy of your trust. Oriah gives him a Gold Crown and his face beams with joy — he'll be able to eat well this week!

The marines want to explore the market's bazaar in the hope of finding some blankets and rope with which they can improvise saddles and reins for the horses. Oriah is intrigued by the sheer number of people who fill Kilij's market square and she wants to find out what has drawn such a large crowd to this remote town. You too are curious and you agree to accompany her. After arranging to meet the marines at the horse trough in one hour's time, you follow Oriah as she pushes her way through the teeming crowd. When finally you reach the centre of the marketplace you are confronted by an unexpected and shocking sight.

Turn to 31
.

You run with the militia along the narrow twisting streets towards the south quarter of Hikas, where the town houses of wealthy merchants command expensive views of the River Carcos. Again a shriek pierces the darkness, but this time it is echoed by a terrible inhuman howl. ‘The beast!’ gasps the lieutenant, and he turns to rally his men onwards. Soon the street ahead meets a towpath which runs along the river bank, and you slow your pace so you can turn the corner. As you do so, you see a man dressed in his nightclothes leaning from the open window of a house close by. He appears to be in shock for he is sobbing and clutching fitfully at his dishevelled hair. You stop and call to him and slowly he responds. He sees you through his tears and points frantically to several small bundles lying on the towpath beside the gangplank to a barge. The lieutenant rushes past you and hurries to the first bundle. You see him drop to his knees and shake his head in disbelief, and then he turns away and retches. You magnify your vision and see, to your horror, what the bundles really are. They are the shredded remains of two men, two traders who have been dragged from their beds aboard their barge and torn limb from limb by some nameless creature of the night.

Desperately you scan the towpath and the buildings which stand all along the river bank. Then you see something and your heart skips a beat. In the darkness of a narrow alleyway two amber eyes glint in the moonlight. You sharpen your focus and catch the faintest glimpse of a dark shape loping away.

‘There!’ you shout, and you give chase, with the city militiamen and the lieutenant following after. The passageway twists and turns like an angry snake before it ends abruptly at a junction where a wider alley crosses it from left to right. Quickly you drop to your knees and summon your tracking skills in an effort to determine which way the creature went.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Pathsmanship, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess Telegnosis, add 1.

If your total score is now 2 or lower,
turn to 32
.

If it is 3 or 4,
turn to 196
.

If it is 5–7,
turn to 256
.

If it is 8 or higher,
turn to 111
.

Your refusal to pay infuriates the toll collector. He brandishes his sword at you and threatens to cut off your ears. The marines laugh at his bravado; they are in no doubt who would end up the loser if he was foolish enough to pick a fight with you. Their disparaging laughter wounds his pride and you sense that he is about to fly into a blind rage. Using your psychic Kai powers, you cool his anger and persuade him to put away his sword. He does so, and politely now he asks that you pay a toll of 4 Gold Crowns to cross the bridge. With a nod of your head you indicate to your companions that this is a fair price and you each hand him 1 Gold Crown apiece (deduct this 1 Gold Crown from your
Action Chart
; if you have no money you must erase one Backpack Item instead).

Illustration XX
—Infuriated, the toll collector brandishes his sword and threatens to cut off your ears.

The reduced toll charge does not include a night's lodging at the inn and so you ride through the village and set up camp on a wooded slope a mile beyond. The night is bitterly cold and the close proximity of scavenging timber wolves frighten your horses and prevent you from getting much sleep (lose 3
ENDURANCE
points). At first light you strike camp and continue your ride through the Koneshi Pass.

Turn to 156
.

Your Kai Mastery reveals to you that there is only one person standing outside your room. You sense that this person is neither evil nor hostile, yet the fact that someone is there at all makes you feel a little uneasy. You reach for your weapon belt and put it on before you move cautiously to open the door.

Turn to 116
.

The pirate leader gasps his last breath and then crashes lifelessly to the deck. For a few moments his men stand transfixed with shock, as if they are unable to comprehend that he is truly dead. Then the reality of their loss crashes in upon them and they become overwhelmed by the worst of their fears. Leaderless and alone, they scream like frightened children and discard their weapons and armour in their haste to escape from your ship.

Captain Raker orders his surviving crew members to cut the grappling lines which hold the two vessels together. When the last rope is severed there is a great rending of iron and timber as the ram of the pirate ship wrenches itself free from
The Pride of Sommerlund
's port side. Then a cheer resounds from the mouths of those Sommlending who have survived this desperate battle when they see the enemy ship turn about and flee for the safety of the isles off Cape Kabar. (You may now retrieve any Weapon lost during the course of the battle.)

To continue,
turn to 281
.

Consciousness returns through a kaleidoscopic swirl of colour and pain (lose 4
ENDURANCE
points). Bruised and aching, you pull yourself into a sitting position and see the wreckage of the balloon hanging among the trees and scattered across the rocks nearby. A few feet away lies Yranai; he is still unconscious and you see at once that his left leg is badly broken. Gingerly you pull yourself over to his side and you are about to examine his injured leg when you hear voices calling you from among the trees. Three Vakeros natives appear from out of the pines and come hurrying over the rocks towards you. You examine the old magician and discover that he has stopped breathing: he is near to death. It is only through the use of your Kai curing skills that you are able to make him breathe again and bring him back from the edge of the abyss. You set his fractured leg but, despite your best efforts, you cannot return him to consciousness.

The three Vakeros tell you that they know Yranai and they offer to take care of him. They construct a makeshift stretcher from their coats and carry him to their settlement which is less than a mile distant. You stay here this night and use your healing skills to save the old man's leg before you eventually settle down to a few hours' sleep. At dawn you awake to find him still unconscious. You are anxious to continue your journey, and yet you feel compelled to help Yranai regain his health. You talk with the Vakeros and tell them that you must leave and they assure you that Yranai is safe with them. They promise to take good care of him. They also offer to give you one of their sturdy mountain horses, an old mare called Jhani, to help speed your journey southwards. Gratefully you accept their generous offer and then you bid them farewell before you leave their settlement by way of a mountain track.

It is around noon of the following day when the track finally emerges from the foothills of the Great Masourn Mountains and joins the coast road some thirty miles from Hikas. In the distance you see a village and you ride towards it. At first the villagers seem as friendly and as peaceable as the mountain dwellers who gave you your horse, but the moment they see you approaching they immediately freeze in their tracks. Some drop the items they are carrying and others begin to tremble with fear.

If you wish to stop and talk to these anxious natives,
turn to 171
.

If you decide to ignore them, you can continue riding the road to Hikas by
turning to 273
.

You dive to avoid the meteor but your reactions are too slow to prevent it from hitting your legs. A searing wave of agony engulfs your senses as the fireball slams into your lower body: lose 15
ENDURANCE
points.

If you have survived this terrible injury, you may continue by
turning to 132
.

After having stripped to your undergarments and locked your tunic and equipment safely away in your cabin, you join Oriah at the bow of the ship where you prepare to enter the sea together. Fernant and Raker watch from the forward deck as the two of you leap into the warm waters of the cove and make your first dive upon the wreck. Oriah is a strong swimmer, and you can tell by the effortless way she descends through the water that she is a skilled diver.

The galleon is broken at its centre and lies with its fore and aft sections separated by an expanse of debris-strewn sand. As you view the halves of the wreck, two areas of particular interest catch your eye: a gaping hole in the hull of the forward section, and a cabin located on the rear poop deck.

If you wish to investigate the hole in the hull,
turn to 117
.

If you wish to investigate the cabin on the rear deck,
turn to 184
.

You and Oriah climb the stone steps and return to the marines who are now hiding among the boulders at the edge of the plateau. Ernan tells you that during your absence he watched the riders pass by the entrance to the hill track and continue along the coast road for several miles. Just a few minutes before you arrived, these same riders came galloping back along the road towards Cape Kabar. He is convinced that they have called off the chase and have decided to return to their town.

Now that the threat has passed, you and your companions remount your horses and leave the plateau. You ride all night along the empty coast road and cover many miles. Shortly after dawn you pass a stone signpost pointing to the south. Carved into its surface is the following message written in ancient Vassagonian script: ‘Bir Rabalou — 160 miles’.

Beyond this sign the coast road ascends into an expanse of arid hill country which is populated by herds of wild goats. To the east you occasionally glimpse the ocean beyond the barren hills, while to the west you can see a range of distant mountains, their snowy peaks glistening stark-white beneath the fierce desert sun. Shortly before noon you happen upon the town of Kilij which lies in a narrow pass between two steep hillsides. Oriah and the marines are tired and sore after the long night's ride and they urge you to stop here so that they might eat and rest awhile. Together you ride into the town's busy market square and dismount at a stone water trough where you allow your horses to drink their fill. Around you the mood of the townspeople is friendly as they barter and trade their wares. A young boy offers to look after your horses while you visit the market. Initially you are suspicious of his motives until your Sixth Sense confirms that he is an honest lad, and one worthy of your trust. Oriah gives him a Gold Crown and his face beams with joy — he'll be able to eat well this week!

The marines want to explore the market's bazaar in the hope of finding some blankets and rope with which they can improvise saddles and reins for the horses. Oriah is intrigued by the sheer number of people who fill Kilij's market square and she wants to find out what has drawn such a large crowd to this remote town. You too are curious and you agree to accompany her. After arranging to meet the marines at the horse trough in one hour's time, you follow Oriah as she pushes her way through the teeming crowd. When finally you reach the centre of the marketplace you are confronted by an unexpected and shocking sight.

Turn to 31
.