The Hunger of Sejanoz

by Joe Dever

  Quickly you draw upon your Kai healing skills to deaden the pain and staunch the gushing flow of blood. You grit your teeth and reach down to snap the arrow in two. Then you tug the barbed head free from your aching leg and cast it to the ground.

  To continue, turn to 112.

  56

  By the use of the Brotherhood Spell Breathe Water you are able to stay alive until the ceiling begins to rise and you are released from this watery tomb.

  To continue, turn to 287.

  57

  You hear the whistle of a large projectile, and then a deafening explosion tears a hole in the battlements less than 10 yards away to your left. Splinters of stone pepper your legs, and a pear-sized chunk of shrapnel grazes your shoulder: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

  To continue, turn to 24.

  58

  The dusty streets of Pensei are filled with the din of coarse shouting, the smells of sweat and spices, and the anxious murmurings of a populace living in fear of the Bhanarian invaders. Your heart goes out to the citizens of this proud city and you pray to Ishir to help them keep the enemy at bay. Upon arriving at the great north gate of Pensei, the column passes beneath its crenellated arch and out onto the plains road beyond. As the gate crashes shut behind you, you notice a stone marker by the wayside. It indicates the distance to the next town: Javai — 100 miles.

  Captain Chan calculates that it may take nearly three days to reach Javai. Fearful that the vanguard of the Autarch's army may find the caravan on the open road and threaten its precious cargo, he orders his troopers to take up positions around the column in order to shield it. You are impressed by the speed and efficiency with which they carry out his orders, and you feel greatly reassured that you are in the company of highly-trained warriors. They will be useful allies if the need should ever arise to repel an enemy attack.

  Once you are beyond the outskirts of Pensei, the villages pass by with less frequency the further you travel north along this broad trade road. At dusk, you stop to set up a night camp on a hill which overlooks a small hamlet called Xiostai. Captain Chan posts pickets to patrol the camp perimeter, and details some of the remaining men to guard the Khea-khan's carriage. You are invited to share a meal of rice and fish with Chan and some of the carriage drivers, and you accept their hospitality gladly. While you are eating you listen to their jovial conversations and learn something about the Chai people that you never knew before. The majority of them have a keen interest in astrology.

  If you possess Astrology, turn to 289.

  If you do not possess mastery of this Discipline, turn to 166.

  59

  Chan joins you at the main gate. Missiles are hitting the battlements with increasing frequency and accuracy; it would be suicidal to stay there a moment longer.

  You are peering through an arrow slit in the main gate, when you suddenly see something that makes your blood run cold.

  Turn to 140.

  60

  Once inside the gate, you can see an open crypt door directly ahead. You are approaching it when suddenly you hear the sound of distant voices and instinctively you dive for cover among the gravestones. Peering out from behind one of these great grey headstones, you see six saddled horses standing at the rear of the crypt.

  If you wish to approach the open crypt door, turn to 274.

  If you choose to stay where you are and observe the crypt, turn to 183.

  61

  In mid-flight, the icy missile splits in two and each half strikes a horse squarely in the chest. Simultaneously they rear up in agony, and both you and Chan are sent tumbling backwards to crash down upon the frost-hardened earth.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 = 10). If your ENDURANCE score is 25 or higher, add 2 to the number you have picked. If your ENDURANCE score is 15 or lower, deduct 2.

  If your total score is now 3 or lower, turn to 271.

  If it is 4–8, turn to 131.

  If it is 9 or higher, turn to 291.

  62

  ‘Of course, your majesty,’ you reply, sympathetically. Then you ask if she would kindly show you the palm of her right hand. She complies with your request and places her hand palm up on the marbled tabletop.

  Using your skills of palmistry, you inspect the configuration of the creases of her delicate palm. Paying careful attention to those parts of her hand which refer to her offspring, you swallow hard when you see that the lines reveal a disturbing prediction for her young son.

  Turn to 101.

  63

  You draw upon your mastery of Elementalism to cause the flap of the tent to ignite. Soon an entire panel is ablaze, filling the tent with clouds of dense grey smoke. When the Bhanarian commander and his four bodyguards come staggering out of the tent, gasping for breath, you lead the attack with your stirring battle-cry: ‘For Sommerlund the Kai!’

  Bhanarian Cavalry Command: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 50

  You may add 3 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this combat, for you have three Chai troopers fighting by your side.

  If you win the combat, turn to 150.

  64

  During the afternoon of the first day out of Rakholi, a heat wave sweeps across the trade road from the north. For three hours the caravan is slowed to a walking pace as everyone, man and beast, is brought near to exhaustion by the heat (lose 3 ENDURANCE points).

  By dusk the stifling heat has eased and a night camp is pitched on the open plain. While you are rigging a simple shelter for yourself, with rope and a canvas sheet, you hear something that causes you concern. It is the distraught sound of a woman crying. You detect that it is coming from Princess Mitzu's carriage and you hurry there to investigate what is wrong.

  Turn to 78.

  65

  You unshoulder your Bow and retrieve the Arrow of Atonement from your Backpack. With a prayer to Goddess Ishir on your lips, you take aim at the Autarch's retreating back and let fly your magical missile.

  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 total score is now 4 or lower, turn to 79.

  If it is 5–8, turn to 238.

  If it is 9 or higher, turn to 273.

  66

  Late in the afternoon, Sergeant Yeng and his scouts return to report that no bandits have been sighted on the highway ahead. The sergeant and his men also report that they have found a good campsite for the night, at a place where the highway fords a spring. You continue your ride and arrive at the ford shortly before dusk.

  Chan orders that the carriages of the caravan be positioned so that they form the points of a large triangle, with the horse teams parked at their centre. You approve of his order, for it will make a good defensive formation, one that will be easy to maintain if the encampment is attacked during the night.

  You tie your horse to the rear of Princess Mitzu's carriage, and then you walk over to the spring and bathe your face and drink your fill of its crystal-clear waters. You are about to return to the encampment when Captain Chan and Sergeant Yeng approach you on horseback. Chan tells you that his scouts have reported sighting movement in the nearby woodland. He wishes to investigate it, but night is closing in and soon it will be dark. Aware that you possess the ability to see in the dark, he requests that you lead Sergeant Yeng and his party on this scouting mission.

  If you wish to agree to Captain Chan's request, turn to 157.

  If you refuse to lead the scouts, turn to 264.

  67

  You inform Chan that you believe the man is telling the truth. The captain frowns. He is now faced with a difficult dilemma. He considers Yankin to be one of his most loyal troopers and would like to believe his account, yet the evidence against him is compelling. Then Shavane steps forward and demands loudly that justice be done.

  ‘This man tried to kill our Prince,’ she cries, ‘and he must be made to pay for his treachery.’

  Her emotional outburst elicits
some support from a small crowd of courtiers who have gathered to watch.

  If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 220.

  If you do not possess this skill, turn to 14.

  68

  Chan refuses to dismount and, no matter how hard you try, you cannot persuade him to abandon his favourite stallion. Reluctantly you agree to his plan to attempt a breakthrough and an escape westwards along the forest highway.

  Turn to 211.

  69

  As you strike your final crushing blow, the portal suddenly unleashes an explosion of hissing sparks. Quickly you turn your face away and save yourself from being caught by its searing flash.

  Your destruction of the trapdoor has triggered a booby trap that was placed here by a sorcerer, hundreds of years ago, to protect the portal. Although you are momentarily blinded by the explosion, your swift reflexes and your innate healing skills spare you any permanent damage.

  To continue, turn to 265.

  70

  A third bolt of energy rips into the nearby wall, showering you with shards of rock. One splinter penetrates your boot leather and lodges in your left foot: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.

  To continue, turn to 100.

  71

  You steel yourself for the attack, and then you kick open the door and launch yourself screaming into the chamber beyond. Your sudden appearance catches the robbers completely by surprise, but to your dismay, you soon discover that one of your adversaries is armed with your Kai Weapon which he delights in using against you.12

  Tomb Robbers (with Kai Weapon): COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 48

  If you win this combat, turn to 128.

  [12] If your Kai Weapon is ‘Illuminatus’, you may decide that you should add an extra 2 points to the Tomb Robbers' COMBAT SKILL as it is being used underground.

  72

  You recite the words of the Old Kingdom Spell Invisible Fist and point your hand at the attacking creature. A ball of concussive energy is released which glances the beast's skull and stuns it. The trooper is able to recover his senses and defend himself as the determined creature stumbles drunkenly towards him, slashing the air wildly with its sharp talons.

  Hurriedly you dismount and unsheathe your Kai Weapon. You turn only just in time to counter an attack from the other two creatures that come leaping towards you and Sergeant Yeng.

  Chagarashi: COMBAT SKILL 44 ENDURANCE 40

  You may add 1 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this combat as Sergeant Yeng is fighting the same enemy.

  If you win the combat, turn to 295.

  73

  Quickly you draw an Arrow to your Bow and let it fly towards the worm's purulent belly.

  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 total score is now 6 or lower, turn to 17.

  If it is 7 or higher, turn to 26.

  74

  ‘Arrest her!’ commands Captain Chan. Immediately, two of his troopers move forward and seize the woman by her arms. She curses them vilely, and then she vents her spleen on Chai and the imperial house of Xo-lin. Chan orders Trooper Yankin to be released at once, and he apologizes to the man for ever having doubted his loyalty.

  ‘What will become of her now?’ asks Princess Mitzu, as Shavane is led away, kicking and screaming. ‘She shall be banished to the plains,’ replies Chan. ‘We will leave her behind tomorrow, without food or water. She can go seek succour from the enemy.’

  To continue, turn to 199.

  75

  You dive and roll through the foliage to avoid the icy missile, but a segment of it breaks free in mid-flight and it skewers the calf of your left leg: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

  If you have survived this painful wounding, turn to 10.

  76

  You carefully insert the blade of your Kai Weapon beneath the lip of the trapdoor and push down on it with all your might. You sense that the portal has been sealed with magic and that it will take great effort for you to negate this protection.

  Yansi Trapdoor (magically sealed): COMBAT SKILL 50 ENDURANCE 25

  Conduct the following combat in the usual way. Any ENDURANCE losses you sustain represent the fatigue you suffer while trying to open this magically sealed portal.

  You may cease your attempt to open the trapdoor at any time by turning to 118.

  If you win the combat, i.e. if you reduce the trapdoor's ENDURANCE points to zero, turn to 69.

  77

  You use the Old Kingdom Spell Flameshaft to ignite the tip of an Arrow which you send arcing into the enemy command post. As the fire spreads, it fills the tent with clouds of dense grey smoke. Before very long the Bhanarian commander and his four bodyguards come staggering out into the open, gasping for breath, and at this moment you draw your Kai Weapon and lead the attack with your stirring battle-cry: ‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’

  Bhanarian Cavalry Command: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 50

  You may add 3 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this combat, for you have three Chai troopers fighting by your side.

  If you win the combat, turn to 266.

  78

  You tug open the door of the Princess's carriage and see a tearful Mitzu cradling the young Prince Kamada in her arms. The boy is pale and limp, and beads of cold sweat glisten on his forehead.

  ‘Oh! Ishir! What has happened to my poor, poor boy!’ wails his distraught mother.

  Illustration V—In the Princess's carriage you see a tearful Mitzu cradling the sickly Prince Kamada in her arms.

  You place a hand upon his forehead and open one of his eyes, revealing a dilated pupil. You suspect that he has swallowed poison and quickly you look around the interior of the carriage. On the boy's cot, tucked beside his pillow, you notice a wooden toy soldier. You retrieve this toy and examine it closely.

  If you possess Herbmastery, turn to 32.

  If you do not, turn to 176.

  79

  The Arrow of Atonement narrowly misses the Autarch by no more than a hand's breadth. It lodges in the wall of the tunnel, and the fleeing tyrant is unaware of how close he came to death.

  You rush forward and wrench the Arrow of Atonement from the mouldering stone, and then you pursue the Autarch and his innocent young hostage.

  Turn to 6.

  80

  You intone the words of the Brotherhood Spell Mind Charm and command the prisoner to answer Sergeant Yeng's questions. His eyelids flutter and half-close as your psychic suggestion begins to take effect, and then falteringly he begins to talk.

  Turn to 51.

  81

  Chan calls for volunteers to join you on the raid, and Sergeant Yeng and three others, including Trooper Yankin, step forward. Chan commends them for their courage and he wishes the five of you good luck.

  You decide to approach the Bhanarian command post on foot, under cover of the grassland. You reach the base of the hill undetected, and wait here several minutes to observe the post and its tower at the nest of the hill. To your relief, you discover that there are only six enemy soldiers occupying the hill — an officer, four bodyguards, and one signalman. You consider your plan of action carefully, and decide that you must attack the command tent and flag-tower at the same time if your plan is to have any chance of success.

  If you wish to lead the attack on the enemy command tent, turn to 103.

  If you decide to lead the attack on the flag-tower, turn to 160.

  82

  Suddenly you glimpse Chan's troopers rushing towards the creatures from behind. Bravely they strike out at them with their heavy cavalry sabres, and the surprise of their attack buys you and the captain a few precious seconds in which to free your weapons and defend yourselves.

  Illustration VI—Chan's troopers make a brave assault on the attacking Krakalla.

  Krakalla: COMBAT SKILL 50 ENDURANCE 48

  You may add 1 to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this combat, for you are be
ing supported by one of Chan's troopers who is attacking this creature from behind.

  If you win the fight, turn to 241.

  83

  The vile gas makes you cough and retch (lose 1 ENDURANCE point). As your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus begins to neutralize the toxins that have entered your lungs, you order Princess Mitzu to help her father to safety. You fear that the gas will swiftly be fatal to the aged Khea-khan if he should inhale its poisonous vapours. The brave Princess obeys your command. As she helps her father to reach the far end of the burial crypt, you run through the poison cloud and set off in determined pursuit of the tyrant and his young hostage.

  Turn to 6.

  84

  The day gets off to a fine start with not a cloud to sully the cobalt-blue sky. The journey passes peaceably and you are able to make up the time lost due to yesterday's bad weather. The following day is cooler and Chan is confident that the caravan can reach the ruins of Zanaza before nightfall. Shortly before noon, you espy the site of an ancient graveyard located just a few hundred yards north of the highway. A wagon is parked outside its dilapidated gate, and when you magnify your vision, you are shocked to see the faded tiger's-head emblem of Bhanar emblazoned upon its sun-bleached timbers. You tell Chan of this and he supposes that it belongs either to a Bhanarian trader, or to the Autarch Sejanoz's army. You volunteer to investigate this mysterious wagon, and Chan agrees to halt the caravan and wait on the highway for you to return.