by Ian Page
‘I thought there might be another way out of the palace,’ he says.
Turn to 38.
303
As the line of Shadakine warriors charge towards you, one of them, a burly spearman, charges straight at you with a blood-curdling scream. You raise your Staff and attack.
Turn to 159.
304
You turn to Samu. ‘Guard this entrance,’ you say to him, ‘I'm going down.’ Gingerly, you lower yourself into a hole and begin to clamber down. Halfway down the pot-hole, you slip and fall to the bottom, slightly injuring your leg, though you are still able to walk on it. You lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
Urik follows you down. After a life spent among the tree tops, he has no difficulty with the climb. You are both standing in the midst of a honeycombed labyrinth of stone. The light of the full moon streams through the holes in the surface of the plain and the maze is bright with translucent light.
Urik sniffs the air and points. ‘Follow me.’ With tension mounting in your heart, you prepare to meet your goal.
Turn to 272.
305
The Special Item that you hold in your hand is a Mind Gem. As the light of the jewel fades, Samu, the giant slave, shakes his head and then looks at you, a spark of intelligence in his eyes as he recovers the control of his mind.
‘My thanks,’ he says with a bow.
With one mighty blow, Samu shatters the master link that holds the Shadakine slaves in chains. They give a cheer and break away from the battle.
If you wish to keep the Mind Gem, you may wear it around your neck.
Now turn to 276.
306
You leave the banqueting room and walk down the passage to enter the throne room once more. Hugi is there, searching and scratching around the dark chamber. As you walk into the room he turns with a startled expression on his face. ‘Ah, there you are!’ he says guiltily, with a nervous laugh.
‘Still looking for treasure eh, thief?’ says Samu with a grim look.
Hugi shrugs sheepishly by way of apology.
‘I thought there might be another way out of here,’ he says.
Turn to 38.
307
You cause the tip of your Staff to emit a dim glow that illuminates the interior of your prison. You are in a large, low-ceilinged chamber, littered with shards of fallen masonry. Urik and Hugi lie in a far corner. They both remain silent. What use are words now? (The cost of creating a light from your Staff has been 1 WILLPOWER point.)
You curse your bad luck. You are sure that some wizardry is required to free you from this prison, but you are weak and still have to reach Desolation Valley. It is sure to hold other dangers for you. You are suddenly distracted from this moody introspection by the sound of shouting voices, and the noise of a struggle coming from above. Suddenly, the door of the chamber is thrown open. Looking down on you is the figure of Samu, smiling broadly, sword in hand. ‘How?’ you cry in disbelief.
‘The river carried me downstream before I was able to resist its current,’ says Samu. ‘I've been looking for you everywhere. Luckily for you, I was nearby when the wretches of this city caught you. I saw them bring you to this crypt. Wait a moment.’ Swiftly, he turns and slashes at a wretch who is trying to drag him away from the door. He swats his assailant like a fly then turns to face you once more. ‘Come, we must hurry.’
Illustration XIX—Samu turns and slashes at the wretches who try to drag him from the door.
He pulls each of you out in turn, and stops to deliver a kick at two wretches blocking a doorway that leads from the crypt. ‘This way,’ he says, indicating a narrow passage that leads upwards. ‘These creatures seem reluctant to travel this passage. They will not follow, I think.’
You run down the passage as fast as you can with Samu protecting the rear. At the end of the passage is a heavy door. Urik swings it open and you all dash through.
Turn to 26.
308
As the last of the Wretches falls to the ground, you hear the angry roar of a mob that has formed outside. Desperately, you look around the room and try to find another exit.
Turn to 246.
309
You call out to the Element of Earth in the strange language of the Elemental Plane. As the fire around you burns brighter, the exposed flesh on your face and hands suffers minor burns; lose 2 ENDURANCE points. Then, looming like a giant shadow in the fire, the huge form of an Earth Demon storms towards you. It is impervious to the flames and quickly it reaches towards you with huge, gnarled hands, sweeping you both up into a protective embrace. You can smell the damp scent of freshly turned soil as it holds you close. ‘Where?’ it asks impassively.
Earth Elementals are noted for their stupidity but when you point to the far edge of the bank, it begins to stride forward deliberately. Its vast bulk shields you from the burning lake and it sets you down safely among the chest-high marsh grass. Wordlessly, it turns away, slowly melting back into the ground until it is gone.
A shallow waterway leads out of the marsh grass, cutting through it like a path. Suddenly, a terrible sound rends the air, a howling that holds your spine in an icy grip. The Shadakine have hunting dogs — the ferocious Magdi Hounds.
Turn to 25.
310
Despite the soullessness of the being, the Kleasá emits a great howling yell of triumph and expands like a great black cloud of terror. With the Black Rod in its possession it is freed from the mastery of Shasarak — free to roam the universe at will.
Illustration XX—The Kleasá emits a great howling yell of triumph.
As the Kleasá soars up into the air, its shape extended like a great bat's wing, the Shadow Gate truly appears before you: a great, grey arch, a window to other worlds filled with formless mists and nightmare glimpses. Tanith stands before you on the other side of the threshold and, without hesitation, you step through.
Your further journeys in the Daziarn plane will be chronicled in book three of the Grey Star series, entitled:
Beyond the Nightmare Gate
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
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 character 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 ‘THE FORBIDDEN CITY’ with ‘The Forbidden City’. Replaced ‘Kleasa’ with ‘Kleasá’. Replaced ‘magical powers’ with ‘Magical Powers’. Replaced ‘THE WORLD OF LONE WOLF’ with ‘The World of Lone Wolf’. Replaced ‘magic and’ with ‘magic, and’.
(Of the Coming of Grey Star) Replaced ‘wizadry’ with ‘wizardry’. This was fixed in later editions of the book. Replaced ‘new found’ with ‘newfound’. Replaced ‘the Earth’ with ‘Magnamund’. Replaced ‘mists and’ with ‘mists, and’. Replaced ‘forests and’ with ‘forests, and’.
(The Story So Far … ) Added ‘,’ at the end of the first line of the riddle. Replaced ‘section 1’ with ‘Section 1’.
(The Game Rules) Removed ‘at the front of this book. 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 each occurrence of ‘eg’ with ‘e.g.’. Replaced ‘GREY STAR THE WIZARD’ with ‘Grey Star the Wizard’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘magical power’ with ‘Magical Power’. Replaced ‘fall to zero’ with ‘fall to zero or below’. Replaced ‘falls to zero’ with ‘falls to zero or below’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘Action Chart. (eg, if’ with ‘Action Chart. (e.g. if’. Replaced ‘of 14.) When’ with ‘of 14). When’.
(Magical Powers) Replaced each occurrence of ‘ie’ with ‘i.e.’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘eg’ with ‘e.g.’. Replaced ‘quarterstaff yet’ with ‘quarterstaff, yet’. Replaced ‘alchemy’ with ‘Alchemy’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘prophecy’ with ‘Prophecy’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘lesser magicks’ with ‘Lesser Magicks’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘five powers’ with ‘five Powers’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘power’ with ‘Power’, except in the description of the Wizard's Staff. Replaced ‘are, is’ with ‘are is’. Replaced ‘Earth and’ with ‘Earth, and’. Replaced ‘mind or’ with ‘mind, or’. Replaced ‘will be of use’ with ‘may be of use’.
(Equipment) Replaced ‘sulphur’ with ‘Sulphur’. Replaced ‘saltpetre’ with ‘Saltpetre’. Replaced ‘vial’ with ‘Vial’ within the Herb Pouch contents list. Replaced ‘notes but’ with ‘notes, but’. Replaced ‘Shakadine’ with ‘Shadakine’. 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 Random Number Table’ 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’.
(Sage Advice) Removed ‘ at the front of this book’. Replaced ‘score of zero WILLPOWER points’ with ‘WILLPOWER score of zero or below’. Replaced ‘all, so’ with ‘all; so’. Replaced ‘Grey Star adventures’ with ‘Grey Star adventures’ when referring to the series.
(1) Replaced ‘ ‘ Stand back!’ with ‘ ‘Stand back!’. Replaced ‘rain-water’ with ‘rainwater’. Replaced ‘ahead, You’ with ‘ahead. You’. Replaced ‘see themselves’ with ‘see himself’. Replaced ‘mountains and’ with ‘mountains, and’. Replaced ‘But how,’ with ‘But how?’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption. Replaced ‘dance and’ with ‘dance, and’.
(4) Replaced ‘quagmire, it’ with ‘quagmire; it’ in the caption of the illustration. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(6) Replaced ‘special Item’ with ‘Special Item’.
(7) Replaced ‘elementals’ with ‘Elementals’. Replaced ‘elemental’ with ‘Elemental’. Replaced ‘of the Earth’ with ‘of Earth’.
(11) Replaced ‘battle cry’ with ‘battle-cry’.
(12) Replaced ‘more that’ with ‘more than’. Replaced ‘Power or do’ with ‘Power, or if you do’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(14) Replaced ‘presence. hovering’ with ‘presence, hovering’.
(17) Replaced ‘some Azawood leaves’ with ‘an Azawood Leaf or a portion from a Bundle of Azawood Leaves’ as there is confusion over the number of Azawood Leaves a player might be carrying. In Grey Star the Wizard Section 183 you may buy ‘1 Bundle of dried Azawood Leaves (a base constituent that will charm up to 4 magical potions)’ from Madame Tarlas; however, in Section 216 of this book, you may ‘break off three of these leaves and place them in your Herb Pouch’.
(20) Replaced ‘less than 4 rounds’ with ‘4 rounds or less’. Replaced ‘turn to 149’ with ‘do not continue with the combat but turn immediately to 149’.
(21) Replaced ‘Elemental plane’ with ‘Elemental Plane’.
(23) Replaced ‘says. ‘but’ with ‘says, ‘but’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(29) Replaced ‘staff's’ with ‘Staff's’.
(31) Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(34) Replaced ‘lake and immediately, the’ with ‘lake, and immediately the’.
(37) Added ‘ with an opening that overlooks a large gorge’ and added an extra paragraph break before the last sentence of the first paragraph, in order to make text make sense.
(39) Replaced ‘consumate’ with ‘consummate’. Replaced ‘appearance, Suddenly’ with ‘appearance. Suddenly’. Replaced ‘frantic cry and’ with ‘frantic cry, and’.
(41) Replaced ‘If, at the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point, you wish to make a light from your Staff’ with ‘If you wish to make a light from your Staff, at the cost of 1 WILLPOWER point’.
(42) Replaced ‘hole on’ with ‘hole in’. Replaced ‘aner and’ with ‘anger, and’.
(43) Replaced ‘this power’ with ‘this Power’.
(44) Replaced ‘Gurlu Swamp’ with ‘Gurlu Marshes’.
(45) Replaced each occurrence of ‘vial’ with ‘Vial’.
(48) Replaced ‘Guild it’ with ‘Guild, it’.
(49) Replaced ‘fortress but’ with ‘fortress, but’. Switched the section numbers given for the two choices, to avoid unreasonable consequences of high ENDURANCE and WILLPOWER scores.
(51) Replaced ‘fail, and have’ with ‘fail, have’. Replaced ‘Sorcery and’ with ‘Sorcery, and’.
(52) Replaced ‘companions;’ with ‘companions:’.
(55) Replaced ‘8 WILLPOWER’ with ‘8 ENDURANCE’. Since there is a
question of whether you have survived this section or not, and WILLPOWER loss cannot kill you, ENDURANCE was likely what was intended. Replaced ‘points but’ with ‘points, but’. Replaced ‘warriors the’ with ‘warriors, the’. Replaced ‘Astral plane’ with ‘Astral Plane’.
(58) Replaced ‘tremble.Great’ with ‘tremble. Great’.
(59) Added ‘, and wish to use it’ to the last choice, as there is no reason why it should be mandatory to use an Azawood leaf.
(60) Replaced ‘purpose?’ with ‘purpose!’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(61) Replaced ‘turn to 149’ with ‘do not continue with the combat but turn immediately to 149’.
(62) Replaced ‘cry ‘Samu!’ ’ with ‘cry: ‘Samu!’ ’.
(66) Replaced ‘vision. His’ with ‘vision, his’. Replaced ‘long bony claw-like’ with ‘long, bony, claw-like’. Added a period to the end of the illustration's caption.
(67) Replaced ‘continue you’ with ‘continue, you’.
(72) Replaced ‘Wizard's staff’ with ‘Wizard's Staff’. Replaced ‘Black Mountains of Morn’ with ‘black Mountains of Morn’. Replaced ‘some Azawood leaves’ with ‘an Azawood Leaf or a portion from a Bundle of Azawood Leaves’ as there is confusion over the number of Azawood Leaves a player might be carrying. In Grey Star the Wizard Section 183 you may buy ‘1 Bundle of dried Azawood Leaves (a base constituent that will charm up to 4 magical potions)’ from Madame Tarlas; however, in Section 216 of this book, you may ‘break off three of these leaves and place them in your Herb Pouch’.
(73) Replaced ‘Prophecy, and’ with ‘Prophecy and’. Replaced ‘Power or do’ with ‘Power, or if you do’.
