you thought it unlikely that you would ever see her again. Yet here she sits, alone and dejected in a hall that is overflowing with an abundance of riches.
‘Oriah?’ you whisper hesitantly, hardly daring to believe that it is really her. She raises her head and her eyes widen with shocked surprise when she sees you. Then a smile, filled with hope and joy, lights up her tear-streaked face. She leaps from her chair and comes running to you to throw herself into your arms.
‘Oh, Grand Master,’ she sobs, ‘I never thought that I'd see you again. How did you know that I was here?’
You tell Oriah of what has happened since you arrived in Ghol-Tabras, and that you had no idea that she was here at all. She explains that after she was abducted by slavers in Kilij, she was sold to Sesketera who brought her here to his citadel. She is to be kept imprisoned in this hall until their wedding day, one month from now.
‘Let us escape from this place together,’ you say, but she shakes her head.
‘No, it cannot be. Sesketera is holding my friends. They are his hostages. If I leave the citadel before our wedding day he will put them to the sword. I cannot leave. But I know how I may help you to escape. Come, Grand Master, follow me.’
Turn to 78 .
42
The barman is reluctant to talk. You suspect the reason for this is because you have not had the courtesy to purchase some of his food and ale. When you repeat your question he replies curtly:
‘Lord Zinair of Dessi, you say. Yeah, I think I've heard of him. Lives in the North Quarter some place. Don't know exactly. You'd be best asking the City Guards. They'll be sure to sort you right.’
You thank the man for his advice and then you leave the tavern and continue along the avenue. At length you arrive at a busy market square. On the far side of this square you see a City Guard patrol who are policing the market.
Remembering the barman's advice, you decide to approach them and ask for their assistance. You are confident that they will know where Lord Zinair can be found.
Turn to 172 .
43
As he stalks closer, Sesketera suddenly realises that you are not a native Shadakine. Your fair skin and your Kai tunic reveal to him that you are from the Northern continent of Magnamund.
‘By the ghost of Agarash,’ he hisses, through his gritted teeth, ‘you're an infidel. You defile the House of Sesketera with your presence here. By the gods, I'll make you pay for this insult with your life!’
Sesketera lifts the spear in his right hand and spins it by the haft. It is an impressive display of control which leaves you in no doubt that he is a formidable fighter.
‘Vengeance will be mine!’ he screams.
Illustration III —‘Vengeance will be mine!’ screams Sesketera.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 274 .
If you do not possess a Bow, or if you choose not to use it, turn to 245 .
44
Before you reach the top of the pit wall, the villagers close in and finish you off with arrows.
Sadly, your life and your quest end here.
48
You direct your Kai powers at the river in an attempt to divert its current and send the drowning man towards the safety of the bank. However, the current proves too strong to be altered using your Discipline of Elementalism alone, and you are physically and mentally weakened by the exertion of your attempt: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Having discovered that you cannot help the drowning man using your Grand Mastery alone, you are forced to resort to more direct and conventional methods. As he goes under for the last time, you dive into the muddy water and swim across the surging current. Guided by your Sixth Sense, you locate his body and then pull him to the surface. You fight to maintain your grip as the powerful current sweeps you downstream, and you are propelled along for more than a mile before it finally deposits you on the opposite bank. As you drag the man from the water, you notice a group of huts in the distance. You are
‘Oriah?’ you whisper hesitantly, hardly daring to believe that it is really her. She raises her head and her eyes widen with shocked surprise when she sees you. Then a smile, filled with hope and joy, lights up her tear-streaked face. She leaps from her chair and comes running to you to throw herself into your arms.
‘Oh, Grand Master,’ she sobs, ‘I never thought that I'd see you again. How did you know that I was here?’
You tell Oriah of what has happened since you arrived in Ghol-Tabras, and that you had no idea that she was here at all. She explains that after she was abducted by slavers in Kilij, she was sold to Sesketera who brought her here to his citadel. She is to be kept imprisoned in this hall until their wedding day, one month from now.
‘Let us escape from this place together,’ you say, but she shakes her head.
‘No, it cannot be. Sesketera is holding my friends. They are his hostages. If I leave the citadel before our wedding day he will put them to the sword. I cannot leave. But I know how I may help you to escape. Come, Grand Master, follow me.’
Turn to 78 .
42
The barman is reluctant to talk. You suspect the reason for this is because you have not had the courtesy to purchase some of his food and ale. When you repeat your question he replies curtly:
‘Lord Zinair of Dessi, you say. Yeah, I think I've heard of him. Lives in the North Quarter some place. Don't know exactly. You'd be best asking the City Guards. They'll be sure to sort you right.’
You thank the man for his advice and then you leave the tavern and continue along the avenue. At length you arrive at a busy market square. On the far side of this square you see a City Guard patrol who are policing the market.
Remembering the barman's advice, you decide to approach them and ask for their assistance. You are confident that they will know where Lord Zinair can be found.
Turn to 172 .
43
As he stalks closer, Sesketera suddenly realises that you are not a native Shadakine. Your fair skin and your Kai tunic reveal to him that you are from the Northern continent of Magnamund.
‘By the ghost of Agarash,’ he hisses, through his gritted teeth, ‘you're an infidel. You defile the House of Sesketera with your presence here. By the gods, I'll make you pay for this insult with your life!’
Sesketera lifts the spear in his right hand and spins it by the haft. It is an impressive display of control which leaves you in no doubt that he is a formidable fighter.
‘Vengeance will be mine!’ he screams.
Illustration III —‘Vengeance will be mine!’ screams Sesketera.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 274 .
If you do not possess a Bow, or if you choose not to use it, turn to 245 .
44
Before you reach the top of the pit wall, the villagers close in and finish you off with arrows.
Sadly, your life and your quest end here.
48
You direct your Kai powers at the river in an attempt to divert its current and send the drowning man towards the safety of the bank. However, the current proves too strong to be altered using your Discipline of Elementalism alone, and you are physically and mentally weakened by the exertion of your attempt: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Having discovered that you cannot help the drowning man using your Grand Mastery alone, you are forced to resort to more direct and conventional methods. As he goes under for the last time, you dive into the muddy water and swim across the surging current. Guided by your Sixth Sense, you locate his body and then pull him to the surface. You fight to maintain your grip as the powerful current sweeps you downstream, and you are propelled along for more than a mile before it finally deposits you on the opposite bank. As you drag the man from the water, you notice a group of huts in the distance. You are
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