The Legacy of Vashna (12 page)

You draw on your psychic defences to keep you hidden from this creature. You cannot see it in the dense fog but you can hear it swooping down, and you are nearly flattened by the draught of its mighty wings as it roars past close overhead.

As first it seems to be going away into the distance, but then you sense it turn about and come gliding back for a second pass. Suddenly you realize that your psychic defences are not hiding you from this creature at all; it is locking on to your life-force, not your mind.

If you have a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 254
.

If you do not possess this Weapon or do not wish to use it,
turn to 152
.

You recite the words of the battle-spell
Invisible Fist
and suddenly you feel a powerful gust of wind sweep past your face. It punches the Elder squarely in the stomach, lifts him off his feet, and sends him tumbling over the side of the boat.

A cry goes up along the deck, a shout of alarm that one of the Elders has fallen overboard. Scores of acolytes rush to the rail in response but there is nothing they can do. The longboat is travelling so fast that the Elder is already hundreds of yards behind the stern and cannot be seen amidst the churning water.

Those who were seated near you have now become uncomfortably curious about who you are. To avoid their attentions, you move to the stern where a score of acolytes are kneeling in prayer.

Turn to 124
.

‘Calm yourself, Smudd,’ you say, purposefully letting your hands drift away from your weapons, ‘I mean you no harm. I just want to talk with you awhile, that's all.’

The scrawny-faced knave stares at you with deep suspicion. Cold sweat beads upon his brow and his hand tightens on the hilt of his rapier.

‘Look,’ you say, reaching to your Backpack, ‘I'm even prepared to compensate you for the privilege.’

Slowly you unshoulder your Backpack, unbuckle the flap, and offer him any item of his choosing. After some hesitation, he picks the item which is listed at the top of your Backpack List. (Erase this item from your
Action Chart
.)

To continue,
turn to 323
.

You raise your Bow and draw an Arrow, but the instant the feathers touch your lips, both the Bow and the Arrow burst into flames: lose 2
ENDURANCE
points.

Cadak cackles with glee at the success of his spell. ‘You are doomed, Lone Wolf. Why don't you admit it,’ he says, sneering. ‘You were doomed the moment you returned from the great arch.’

Turn to 252
.

The instant you correctly complete the second sequence, a deep hum resonates from inside the upper tier and slowly it opens to reveal a hexagonal crystal plinth with a circular hole at its centre.
¹¹
Your Kai senses inform you that by inserting the tip of the Deathstaff into the hole, you will cause the Shadow Gate beneath the great arch to close.

Trembling with fear and exhilaration, you raise the Deathstaff above your head and bring it down with one mighty thrust, driving it deep into the hole.

Turn to 246
.

You sense a hostile psychic presence about them, an evil mind-energy which is becoming stronger as they draw nearer. You draw on your own formidable psychic skills and erect a defensive wall around your mind which keeps you safe from their first bombardment. They veer upwards and vanish into the clouds for a few moments, but then they reappear and come swooping down for another attack.

If you possess Kai-surge and have reached the rank of Sun Lord,
turn to 229
.

If you do not possess this Discipline, of if you have yet to attain this level of Kai rank,
turn to 142
.

Using your Kai Mastery, you steer your exhausted horse across this difficult terrain with incredible skill. You manage to keep him ahead of the Jackals just long enough to reach firmer ground, where he is then able to increase his pace and escape from the howling pack.

The Jackals command the shore, and you are forced to retrace your steps all the way back to the fork in the trail and take the other path that leads into the foothills. By the time you arrive here, you are tired and very hungry. Unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat 2 meals or lose 6
ENDURANCE
points. If you are able to only eat 1 Meal, you lose only 3
ENDURANCE
points.

To continue,
turn to 61
.

You stretch out with your right foot and kick open the satchel, but in doing so you place yourself off balance. The brigand captain senses this and uses the opportunity to break free. He scurries away for the safety of the trees, screaming all the while for his men to come and save him. Then you see the first of them emerging from the surrounding pines. Rather than fight them, you decide it better to escape whilst you still can, and so you take to your heels pausing only to snatch up the captain's satchel as you leave. The brigands give chase, but they soon lose you among the dense pines and call off their pursuit.

Turn to 247
.

You recover quickly from the unexpected shock and manage to keep your place in the line as it moves up the hillside, away from the poisoned trough, without displaying any discomfort.

Turn to 250
.

You command her to raise her right hand and she does so without hesitation. On her index finger you notice a platinum ring which you sense at once is magical; it is the source of her psychic power. The ring is fused to her hand and cannot be removed. Having no wish to sever her finger, you command her to lower her hand and tell you where you may find the Crooked Sage Inn. Obediently, she gives you clear directions to Tavern Lane, the street where the inn is situated, and less than ten minutes later you find yourself at a signpost which marks the entrance to this narrow thoroughfare.

Turn to 332
.

The Elder scolds you for more than a minute before he loses his patience and stalks off, dismissing you as unworthy of his time. Those seated around you have now become uncomfortably curious about who you are. To avoid their attentions, you get up and move to the stern where a score of acolytes are kneeling in prayer.

Turn to 124
.

You find shelter in a wooded grove, close to the trail, where you are able to make camp for the night. Darkness descends, but the surrounding trees are kept illuminated by a spectacular host of twinkling lights which swoop and soar above the hills. It is a wondrous display but you are not deceived into thinking that all is well. There is a great and evil magic at work here; you can sense it.

The storms stay away this night and you are able to get several hours' uninterrupted sleep — restore 3
ENDURANCE
points. You rise with the dawn and breakfast on roots and berries which are in plentiful supply (there is sufficient surplus for 2 Meals). Then you break camp and continue your ride towards Vorn.

Turn to 8
.

You raise the sun-sword and strike out with unerring accuracy as the first of the Vortexi engulf you.

Vortexi:
COMBAT SKILL
 49   
ENDURANCE
 48

For possessing the Sommerswerd, restore 5 points to your
ENDURANCE
score. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, you may add a further 2 to your
COMBAT SKILL
for the duration of this fight.

If you win the combat,
turn to 46
.

Like a fleeting shadow, you move through the undergrowth towards the brigand leader. As you draw closer, you hear him cursing the incompetence of his men and you see him beating his clenched fist on the trunk of the fallen bough in frustration. Then you leap upon him, covering his mouth with one hand and locking his arm behind his back with the other. He growls and struggles like an angry bear to break free from your grip, but when you whisper a threat in his ear he quickly ceases to resist. Suddenly his nerve seems to break and he begins to whimper like a frightened puppy. You ease your hand away from his mouth just enough so that he can speak and at once he pleads with you not to kill him. He offers you the contents of his satchel and free passage away from here if you will promise not to harm him.

If you wish to see what he has in his satchel,
turn to 113
.

If you wish to question him about why he has laid an ambush for you,
turn to 75
.

Swiftly you unshoulder your Bow, draw an Arrow to your lips, and take hurried aim as the man in black makes his daring leap across the street.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, add 3 to the number you have picked.

If your total score is now 6 or less,
turn to 139
.

If it is 7 or more,
turn to 328
.

Soon it is your turn to dip your hand into the trough. As you come to within a few yards of the foul water, you sense that it has been cursed by powerful necromantic spells. The evil surrounding it is strong, and nausea rises up from the pit of your stomach as you dip your fingers into this cursed brine.

Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
(0=10). The number you have picked is equal to the number of
ENDURANCE
points you lose as a result of touching this cursed water.

If your
ENDURANCE
points total is now 20 or less,
turn to 265
.

If your
ENDURANCE
points total is now 21 or more,
turn to 114
.

You place the food before their feet and step away, but they do not touch it until you sheathe your weapon and taste it yourself to prove that it has not been poisoned (erase this Meal from your
Action Chart
). Ravenously they consume the humble meal in seconds and, when they have finished, they allow you to approach and examine their sickly child. You tell them that you can help their son. Using your innate healing skills, you place your hands upon the boy's chest and let your Kai power flow through into his fever-wracked body. Within a few moments he stirs to consciousness and gives a healthy cry; you have saved his life.

Turn to 277
.

You whisper the words of the Brotherhood Spell
Lightning Hand
and point your finger at the Arch Druid. A tingling sensation runs down the length of your arm which culminates with a bolt of blue-white energy that arcs from your index finger and explodes against the haft of Cadak's staff.

Your sudden and unexpected use of magic caught the Arch Druid off-guard. He defended himself, but you sense that the bolt has weakened him. Seizing this opportunity, you draw your weapon and rush forwards to attack him before he fully recovers.

Arch Druid Cadak:
COMBAT SKILL
 48   
ENDURANCE
 32

Arch Druid Cadak is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge, but he is vulnerable to Kai-surge.

If you win this combat,
turn to 298
.

You kneel between two praying acolytes and begin to mumble along with their sonorous prayer-dirge. A shiver runs along your spine and you begin to feel queasy; a strong aura of evil surrounds the group and your psychic senses are struggling to shield your mind from its insidious influence.

You notice that some of the acolytes are shaking uncontrollably, and sweat drips from their faces despite the icy wind which howls across the deck. You recognize that they are suffering the after-effects of using Adgana, a potent and highly addictive potion which increases skill and ferocity in combat. You hazard a guess that many of the acolytes were made to take this narcotic before the assault on the quay, to stir them into battle-frenzy.

You have been kneeling among the praying acolytes for barely a minute when suddenly the war-horn blares a long, discordant tone. All eyes turn to the east where the shoreline can now be seen on the horizon. The longboat is speeding towards the wooden jetty where a large group of red-robed figures are awaiting its return. The prayer-dirge ceases and everyone gets to their feet in readiness to disembark as soon as the boat docks at the jetty.

Turn to 150
.