relief to the aged Khea-khan and his family. Kau-Doshin oversees the transfer of Xo-lin and his entourage from the caravan to their underground abode, and Kasarian helps make his imperial guests as comfortable as possible. When all of the family and the entourage are safely underground, Chan posts guards at the great stone portal.
Turn to 154 .
5
‘I shall endeavour to, your majesty,’ you reply, uneasily. You ask Mitzu for some details about the Prince, such as the place, the date, and the time of his birth. Then you look out across the balcony to the night sky and see that the stars are partially obscured by low clouds, driven on by a stiff easterly breeze. Conditions are far from ideal, but there are sufficient breaks in these scudding clouds for you to be able to discern the position of the constellations. Using your astrological knowledge of the heavens, and the information supplied by Mitzu, you discover to your dismay that the stars hold a disturbing prediction for her young son's future.
Turn to 101 .
6
You catch up with the Autarch in a chamber heaped with rubble and earth. He is ascending the mound towards a hole in the ceiling that was made by the shells from his steam-cannon. You quickly draw the Arrow of Atonement to your Bow 11 and command the tyrant to free the young Prince. The sound of your voice makes him spin around and curse you vilely through the visor of his tiger helm. Prince Kamada wriggles like a snake and suddenly he escapes from the Autarch's grasp. Before the evil Sejanoz can snatch him back, you release your Arrow of Atonement and send it whistling towards his foul heart.
Turn to 113 .
[11] If you do not possess a Bow, it seems unlikely that you will be able to make effective use of the Arrow of Atonement against the Autarch. You may decide that you have had a chance after acquiring the Arrow of Atonement to also find a Bow (mark the Bow on your Action Chart, discarding another Weapon if necessary), that you are still able to use the Arrow of Atonement without a Bow, or that not having a Bow leads to a failure to accomplish your mission. Use your best judgement.
7
You thank Vannar and promise that you will use the weapon wisely. He smiles benignly, and then he offers to show you a swift way to reach the surface of Zanaza. You accept his offer and follow him into the adjoining chamber where he opens a concealed panel in the wall. Beyond, you see a narrow flight of steps which ascend to an oval door.
‘That door leads to the streets,’ he says. You ask him if he wishes to leave with you, but he shakes his head firmly in reply.
‘Now that you have put paid to the robbers, my home is my own once more. I shall stay here.’ You bid farewell to Vannar, and then you climb the steps and leave through the oval door.
On your return to the caravan encampment, you discover that everyone is asleep except the sentries. Before you settle down to rest, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 247 .
9
The fight comes to an abrupt end when you deal the last living creature a mighty blow to the base of its deformed head. As it falls lifelessly to the ground, Sergeant Yeng rushes to check that his men have also survived intact. Cautiously you inspect the bodies of the slain beasts and quickly determine that all three are of Agarashi descent. They have probably come down from the Hyunsei foothills in a desperate search for prey, for the corpses are emaciated by hunger. Sergeant Yeng confirms your suspicions. He tells you that long ago, during the Age of Eternal Night, this land was stalked by Agarashi — the hellish creations of Agarash the Damned. When Agarash was destroyed by the Elder Magi, his creations were scattered across the wilderness and plains of Chai. The descendants of these beasts are still alive today, hiding in hills, burrows, and caves. They do not usually attack travellers unless driven by
Turn to 154 .
5
‘I shall endeavour to, your majesty,’ you reply, uneasily. You ask Mitzu for some details about the Prince, such as the place, the date, and the time of his birth. Then you look out across the balcony to the night sky and see that the stars are partially obscured by low clouds, driven on by a stiff easterly breeze. Conditions are far from ideal, but there are sufficient breaks in these scudding clouds for you to be able to discern the position of the constellations. Using your astrological knowledge of the heavens, and the information supplied by Mitzu, you discover to your dismay that the stars hold a disturbing prediction for her young son's future.
Turn to 101 .
6
You catch up with the Autarch in a chamber heaped with rubble and earth. He is ascending the mound towards a hole in the ceiling that was made by the shells from his steam-cannon. You quickly draw the Arrow of Atonement to your Bow 11 and command the tyrant to free the young Prince. The sound of your voice makes him spin around and curse you vilely through the visor of his tiger helm. Prince Kamada wriggles like a snake and suddenly he escapes from the Autarch's grasp. Before the evil Sejanoz can snatch him back, you release your Arrow of Atonement and send it whistling towards his foul heart.
Turn to 113 .
[11] If you do not possess a Bow, it seems unlikely that you will be able to make effective use of the Arrow of Atonement against the Autarch. You may decide that you have had a chance after acquiring the Arrow of Atonement to also find a Bow (mark the Bow on your Action Chart, discarding another Weapon if necessary), that you are still able to use the Arrow of Atonement without a Bow, or that not having a Bow leads to a failure to accomplish your mission. Use your best judgement.
7
You thank Vannar and promise that you will use the weapon wisely. He smiles benignly, and then he offers to show you a swift way to reach the surface of Zanaza. You accept his offer and follow him into the adjoining chamber where he opens a concealed panel in the wall. Beyond, you see a narrow flight of steps which ascend to an oval door.
‘That door leads to the streets,’ he says. You ask him if he wishes to leave with you, but he shakes his head firmly in reply.
‘Now that you have put paid to the robbers, my home is my own once more. I shall stay here.’ You bid farewell to Vannar, and then you climb the steps and leave through the oval door.
On your return to the caravan encampment, you discover that everyone is asleep except the sentries. Before you settle down to rest, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 247 .
9
The fight comes to an abrupt end when you deal the last living creature a mighty blow to the base of its deformed head. As it falls lifelessly to the ground, Sergeant Yeng rushes to check that his men have also survived intact. Cautiously you inspect the bodies of the slain beasts and quickly determine that all three are of Agarashi descent. They have probably come down from the Hyunsei foothills in a desperate search for prey, for the corpses are emaciated by hunger. Sergeant Yeng confirms your suspicions. He tells you that long ago, during the Age of Eternal Night, this land was stalked by Agarashi — the hellish creations of Agarash the Damned. When Agarash was destroyed by the Elder Magi, his creations were scattered across the wilderness and plains of Chai. The descendants of these beasts are still alive today, hiding in hills, burrows, and caves. They do not usually attack travellers unless driven by
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