warehouses and emporia of the quayside, the people who attend this market all appear to be natives of the city. As you pass by one stall you overhear two women talking about a place called Kitaezi. One of them insists that the whole city has been placed under a curse. You are about to turn back and ask them more about this city when suddenly you are approached by a tall woman who is swathed from head to foot in a fine blue robe. Anxiously she asks if you are a healer, and her piercing grey eyes continually dart to the satchel slung over your shoulder. It is as if she knows that you are carrying the Moonstone.
Your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that she means you no harm. You sense that she is greatly troubled and, when you ask what is wrong, she says that her daughter, Harni, is gravely ill. She pleads with you to come and help her and, although you deny that you are a healer, you feel compelled to answer her desperate plea for help.
Turn to 119 .
9
You land a metre short of the grassy edge and fall headlong into the deep dark pit. The base of this trap does not contain sharpened stakes or any other such deadly contrivances, yet it proves to be just as fatal when you are knocked unconscious upon hitting its rocky base. Tragically, you never regain consciousness; the villagers close in and finish you off with their bows.
Your life and your quest end here.
10
You hear the spear come whistling towards you and instinctively you dive headlong through the doorway to avoid it hitting you in the back. Your lightning-fast reflexes save your life, but they do not save you from injury. As you dive, you lose your footing and fall heavily at the base of a spiral staircase: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
Turn to 59 .
11
As you leap, you draw your legs up high enough to avoid being slashed by the creature's talons. On landing you quickly retrieve your Kai Weapon and turn to attack the beast before it can fully recover its senses.
Zhürc: COMBAT SKILL 51 ENDURANCE 39
Due to the advantage of your initial attack, ignore any ENDURANCE point losses that you sustain in the first round of this fight. If the Kai Weapon you wield is ‘Valiance’, you may apply the bonus gained due to its unique properties.
If you win the fight, turn to 50 .
12
As you tumble over the side of the boat, the tip of the officer's half-pike misses you by inches. Upon hitting the water you sink like a stone, but your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus soon frees you from the cord that binds your wrists and you are able to strike out for the distant shore. Only once you have passed beyond the shadow of Sesketera's flagship do you dare come up for air. As you break the surface, you notice that the crew of
The Triasus
are scouring the sea, straining themselves to catch a glimpse of where you are. A marine on the prow deck spots you and, to your surprise, Sesketera's crew begin to laugh and jeer.
You are trying to fathom the reason for their laughter when suddenly you are struck in the back by a heavy, powerful blow.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table . If the number you have picked is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) reduce your ENDURANCE score by 3. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0) reduce your ENDURANCE score by 5.
To continue, turn to 243 .
14
Quickly you take your musical instrument from your backpack and play the first few verses of the Eldenoran national anthem, entitled ‘Mighty Duadon’. The loutish Eldenorans begin to cheer and stamp on the taproom floor in time to the music when they recognize their banal battle song. Soon they are all singing along, including the captain who releases his grip and lets the gasping crewman drop in a heap to the taproom floor as he joins in with the chorus.
You motion to the others that now would be a good time to leave. Without a word they move towards the door, pausing only to pick up their injured comrade as they go. The Eldenorans are soon singing so loudly that they do not notice