by Ian Page
It is a beautiful sight: a dazzling display of glass and crystal, twinkling in the sun like a rainbow. Delicate spires and towers reaching for the sky in perfect symmetry. Then the music of the city reaches your ears: the faint ringing of a million tiny bells and a warm, resonant humming that changes pitch at various intervals to the accompaniment of pure harmonies as delicate as a spring breeze. You are awestruck by the magnificent splendour of the city. The Academicians told you that the Elessin are cruel creatures but this place suggests a civilization that appreciates beauty.
At length, you arrive at the gate to the city. An Elessi stands beneath a large curving arch of crystal, dressed in similar clothes to yourself. He is probably a guard, although he carries no weapons.
If you wish to enter the city through this gate, turn to 307.
If you wish to try to find another way into the city, turn to 331.
[30] Make a note on your Action Chart that you have left your Backpack and all Backpack Items in the Ethetron. You will not have access to them again until you return to the Ethetron.
345
You enter a trance state and try to discover a future vision of Tanith, but you can find no trace of her. Your vision urges you on another course: to seek the one called Oz-na-Mun, he of the mighty hand. Your destiny is somehow linked with that of this man and he will help you to find Tanith and leave this realm.
If you wish to exert one more WILLPOWER point you may use your vision to guide you to the place where Oz-na-Mun dwells.
If you wish to continue with your use of the Power of Prophecy, turn to 288.
If you do not, turn to 327.
346
Since you are unable to take the Threnogem from the statue's mouth, the only solution is to steal the whole statue. You approach the grotesque figure but, before you can attempt to lift it, you hear a voice echo urgently in your mind: Stop! it cries. Instinctively you spin round to see a tall figure draped in white. He holds a jewelled crozier high in his hands. He has the power of telepathy, and with it he is ordering you to remain where you are. A number of Elessin guards crowd close behind him.
If you wish to attack the man, turn to 334.
If you wish to do as the man says, turn to 316.
If you prefer to ignore him and pick up the statue, turn to 209.
347
Closing your eyes, you send the power of your thought into the future in search of a clue that will help you find the door. The image that forms in your mind is identical to that of the plate bearing the inscription:
‘From south of here, to west, and north,
Then east and south once more,
A circle's motion rings the charm
That finds the Vanishing Door.’
Your Power of Prophecy is usually of more use than this, your visions of the future far clearer. You conclude that the door is masked by magic and that the inscription is the only clue that can help you find it.
Frustrated, you read the inscription again. You have expended 1 WILLPOWER point; adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
If you wish to search for a door on the right side of the tower, turn to 206.
If you wish to search for a door on the left side of the tower, turn to 56.
If you wish to climb the tower, turn to 264.
If you wish to examine the wall immediately below the metal plate that bears the inscription, turn to 223.
If you have the Magical Power of Psychomancy and wish to use it, turn to 70.
348
You take out the Silver Coin and show it to the guard. He makes an angry-sounding remark and slaps your hand away before repeating his demand.
If you wish to show him the Glass Rod, turn to 267.
If you wish to show him the Parchment, turn to 289.
If you wish to show him the Gold Coin, turn to 333.
If you wish to show him the Copper Coin, turn to 90.
349
Gently, you move forward, but as your foot steps onto the flagstone, a great broadsword falls from the ceiling, killing you instantly.
Your life and your quest end here.
350
Triumphantly, the Jahksa deals a killing blow. You feel a searing pain tear through your body, but miraculously you are not slain. The Moonstone, instrument of judgement and truth, has made a reality of Shasarak's mockery of you. In killing you the Jahksa has killed itself. With a howl, the Jahksa dissolves into black shadows and returns to the spirit realm from whence it came.
With a thrill of anticipation, you take up the Moonstone. It flares, as if in recognition, at the touch of your hand. It glows with a warm, familiar feeling as it nestles in the palm of your hand. Tanith's eyes are wild and shining with triumph. You have fulfilled your pledge and completed the quest … almost. Armed with the might of the Moonstone, you now possess the only known power that could throw down the evil Wytch-king, Shasarak. But that is another story, and the day is yet to come.
The final conflict in your fight against the Shadakine Empire is concluded in Book 4 of the Grey Star saga, entitled:
War of the Wizards
Numbered Sections
1-10: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11-20: 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21-30: 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31-40: 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41-50: 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51-60: 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61-70: 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71-80: 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81-90: 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
91-100: 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
101-110: 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110
111-120: 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120
121-130: 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130
131-140: 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140
141-150: 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
151-160: 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160
161-170: 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170
171-180: 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180
181-190: 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190
191-200: 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200
201-210: 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210
211-220: 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220
221-230: 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230
231-240: 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240
241-250: 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250
251-260: 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260
261-270: 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270
271-280: 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280
281-290: 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290
291-300: 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300
301-310: 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310
311-320: 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320
321-330: 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330
331-340: 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340
341-350: 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350
The Shadakine Empire
Action Chart
Combat Rules Summary
Calculate your COMBAT SKILL based on the weapon that you are using.
Subtract the COMBAT SKILL of your enemy from this total. This number = Combat Ratio.
If using your Wizard's Staff, note the number of WILLPOWER points you wish to expend.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
Turn to the Combat Results Table.
Find your Combat Ratio on the top of the chart and cross-reference to the random number you have picked. (E indicates loss of ENDURANCE points to Enemy. GS indicates loss of ENDURANCE points to Grey Star.)
Multiply the enemy's lost ENDURANCE points by the number of WILLPOWER points used.
Continue the combat from Stage 3 until one character is dead. This is when ENDURANCE points of either chara
cter fall to 0 or below.
To Evade Combat
You may only evade combat when the text of the adventure offers you the opportunity.
You undertake one round of combat in the usual way. All points lost by the enemy are ignored, only Grey Star loses ENDURANCE points.
If the book offers the chance of taking evasive action in place of combat, it can be taken in the first round of combat or any subsequent round.
Combat Results Table
Random Number Table
Errata
Introduction
We have taken our unique opportunity to correct errors and to enforce a standard of English usage. We list our changes here. If you see anything that needs correction, please contact the Project Aon Staff.
Errata List
(Title Page) Replaced ‘BEYOND THE NIGHTMARE GATE’ with ‘Beyond the Nightmare Gate’. Replaced ‘THE WORLD OF LONE WOLF’ with ‘The World of Lone Wolf’.
(Of the Coming of Grey Star) Replaced ‘magicial’ with ‘magical’. Replaced ‘the Earth’ with ‘Magnamund’. Replaced ‘new found’ with ‘newfound’. Replaced ‘mists and’ with ‘mists, and’. Replaced ‘forests and’ with ‘forests, and’.
(The Story So Far … ) Removed ‘ To step through, turn to 1.’, as the reader is not meant to pass by the rules sections. Replaced ‘Daziarn plane’ with ‘Daziarn Plane’.
(The Game Rules) Replaced each occurrence of ‘eg’ with ‘e.g.’. Removed ‘ at the front of this book’. Removed ‘ If you run out of space, you can copy out the chart or have it photocopied.’. Removed ‘ on the last page of this book’. Replaced ‘adventure and’ with ‘adventure, and’. Replaced ‘falls to zero’ with ‘falls to zero or below’. Replaced ‘book two’ with ‘Book Two’. Replaced ‘falls to zero’ with ‘falls to zero or below’. Replaced ‘Grey Star’ with ‘Grey Star’ when referring to the series. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(Magical Powers) Replaced ‘ie’ with ‘i.e.’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘eg’ with ‘e.g.’ and ‘quarterstaff yet’ with ‘quarterstaff, yet’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘lesser magicks’ with ‘Lesser Magicks’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘magical powers’ with ‘Magical Powers’. Replaced ‘magical power’ with ‘Magical Power’. Replaced ‘five powers’ with ‘five Powers’. Replaced ‘five or six powers’ with ‘five or six Powers’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘power’ with ‘Power’. Replaced ‘alchemy’ with ‘Alchemy’. Replaced ‘prophecy’ with ‘Prophecy’. Replaced ‘divination’ with ‘Prophecy’ as in Grey Star the Wizard, to avoid confusion. Replaced ‘are, is’ with ‘are is’. Replaced ‘Earth and’ with ‘Earth, and’. Replaced ‘Grey Star’ with ‘Grey Star’ when referring to the series. Replaced ‘mind or’ with ‘mind, or’. Replaced ‘will be of use’ with ‘may be of use’. Replaced ‘Elemental plane’ with ‘Elemental Plane’.
(Equipment) Replaced ‘sulphur’ with ‘Sulphur’. Replaced ‘saltpetre’ with ‘Saltpetre’. Replaced ‘vial’ with ‘Vial’ within the Herb Pouch contents list, ‘notes but’ with ‘notes, but’. Replaced ‘Shianti and’ with ‘Shianti, and’. Replaced ‘two weapons’ with ‘two Weapons’.
(Rules for Combat) Removed ‘ on the inside back cover of the book’. Replaced ‘on the page after the ’ with ‘in the back of this book’. Replaced ‘the one with the zero score’ with ‘that combatant’. Replaced ‘reduced to zero’ with ‘reduced to zero or below’. Replaced ‘points reduced’ with ‘points possibly reduced’. Replaced ‘multiply this by’ with ‘multiply the number listed for the enemy by’. Replaced ‘use, and have’ with ‘use and have’.
(Sage Advice) Replaced ‘score of zero WILLPOWER points’ with ‘WILLPOWER score of zero or below’.
(1) Replaced ‘moaning and’ with ‘moaning, and’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(10) Replaced ‘Spider key’ with ‘Spider Key’. Replaced ‘feared by name;’ with ‘feared by name:’.
(11) Replaced each occurrence of ‘step on to’ with ‘step onto’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(12) Replaced ‘that desired’ with ‘that I desired’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Chaos-Master’ with ‘Chaos-master’. Replaced ‘cruel gifts; gifts such’ with ‘cruel gifts: gifts such’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(15) Replaced ‘Astral plane’ with ‘Astral Plane’.
(16) Replaced ‘man, and’ with ‘man and’.
(18) Replaced ‘Pipe’ with ‘pipe’. Replaced ‘Pipes’ with ‘pipes’.
(20) Replaced ‘Chaos-Master’ with ‘Chaos-master’.
(21) Replaced ‘despatch’ with ‘dispatch’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Pipe’ with ‘pipe’.
(24) Replaced ‘Power or do’ with ‘Power, or if you do’.
(26) Replaced ‘ears and’ with ‘ears, and’.
(31) Replaced ‘airborn’ with ‘airborne’. Replaced ‘combat’ with ‘combat.’. Replaced ‘forceful; ‘I’ with ‘forceful. ‘I’.
(32) Replaced ‘strike, then’ with ‘strike, and then’.
(33) Replaced ‘recognise’ with ‘recognize’.
(36) Replaced ‘himself and’ with ‘himself, and’.
(37) Replaced ‘Elessi but’ with ‘Elessi, but’.
(41) Replaced ‘Ethetron but’ with ‘Ethetron, but’. Replaced ‘point If’ with ‘point. If’. Changed the last choice to lead to Section 165 instead of Section 33, as Section 33 does not fit into the context of the story here. Replaced ‘Ethetron but, as’ with ‘Ethetron, but as’.
(45) Replaced ‘bells the music’ with ‘bells, the music’. Replaced ‘breeze and’ with ‘breeze, and’. Replaced ‘creatures but’ with ‘creatures, but’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(47) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(50) Replaced ‘crystal and’ with ‘crystal, and’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘plane of clouds’ with ‘plain of clouds’.
(54) Changed the last choice to lead to Section 165 instead of Section 33, as Section 33 does not fit into the context of the story here.
(55) Replaced ‘point you’ with ‘point, you’.
(56) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(57) Added ‘ and wish to cease fighting,’. Replaced ‘If you have already killed the Elessi after three rounds, or choose to fight to the death’ with ‘Otherwise, if you have already killed the Elessi after three rounds, or if you continue on and win the combat’.
(60) Replaced ‘brighter but’ with ‘brighter, but’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(62) Replaced ‘you but’ with ‘you, but’. Replaced ‘Gate, out’ with ‘Gate out’.
(67) Replaced ‘ ‘payment’ you’ with ‘ ‘payment’, you’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Chaos-Master’ with ‘Chaos-master’.
(68) Replaced ‘attack but’ with ‘attack, but’.
(73) Changed the last choice to lead to Section 165 instead of Section 33, as Section 33 does not fit into the context of the story here.
(74) Replaced ‘blinding: your’ with ‘blinding; your’.
(75) Replaced ‘sluggisly’ with ‘sluggishly’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(78) Replaced ‘Elemental plane’ with ‘Elemental Plane’.
(80) Replaced each occurrence of ‘Pipes’ with ‘pipes’.
(81) Replaced ‘for ever’ with ‘forever’.
(86) Replaced ‘this power’ with ‘this Power’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(87) Replaced ‘wings and’ with ‘wings, and’.
(89) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(90) Replaced ‘sucessfully’ with ‘successfully’.
(93) Replaced ‘Pipes’ with ‘pipes’.
(94) Replaced each occurrence of ‘Chaos-Master’ with ‘Chaos-master’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replace
d ‘beasts and’ with ‘beasts, and’.
(99) Replaced ‘elessin’ with ‘Elessin’. Replaced ‘guards but’ with ‘guards, but’.
(100) Replaced ‘west and’ with ‘west, and’.
(105) Replaced ‘Crabkey, is’ with ‘Crabkey is’. Replaced ‘embarassed’ with ‘embarrassed’. Replaced ‘aren't you Crabkey’ with ‘aren't you, Crabkey’. Replaced ‘well … .’ with ‘well … ’.
(109) Replaced ‘cloud plane’ with ‘cloud plain’.
(112) Replaced ‘strength and’ with ‘strength, and’. Replaced ‘cloud plane’ with ‘cloud plain’.
(115) Replaced ‘statue’ with ‘Guardian’.
(116) Replaced ‘A Short Sword’ with ‘Short Sword’. Replaced ‘A length of strong Rope’ with ‘Length of strong Rope’. Replaced ‘A potion of Healing’ with ‘Potion of Healing’. Replaced ‘A Backpack’ with ‘Backpack’. Replaced ‘A Spear’ with ‘Spear’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Items’ with ‘items’. Replaced ‘two weapons’ with ‘two Weapons’. Replaced ‘bat's wing’ with ‘bat's wings’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘first, then’ with ‘first; then’. Replaced ‘west or’ with ‘west, or’. Replaced ‘plane of unending cloud’ with ‘plain of unending cloud’.
(118) Replaced ‘Staff turn’ with ‘Staff, turn’. Replaced ‘vial of Ezeran acid’ with ‘Vial of Ezeran Acid’. Replaced ‘Ezeran salts’ with ‘Ezeran Salts’. Replaced ‘sulphur’ with ‘Sulphur’. Replaced ‘saltpetre’ with ‘Saltpetre’. Replaced ‘pestle and mortar’ with ‘Pestle and Mortar’.
(119) Changed the second choice to lead to Section 100 instead of Section 302, as Section 100 was previously not reachable and it fits well into the context of the story here. Replaced ‘cloud plane’ with ‘cloud plain’. Replaced ‘in the plane’ with ‘in the plain’.
