quickly stand aside. A Bhanarian guard strides into the antechamber, and when he looks at your face, his eyes go wide with shock. You lash out and fetch him an uppercut to the jaw, knocking him unconscious. Before he hits the floor, you move forward and grab him to prevent his body from making a sound. You are placing him down gently when the squad leader shouts out: ‘Who's there?’
You push the door shut and bolt it. Then you unsheathe your Kai Weapon and enter the main chamber to confront the squad leader in his bath.
Turn to 260 .
76
The old man thanks you for having lifted the curse that was placed upon him by the shape-changer. Your courageous act has not saved his life, but it has saved his soul from the clutches of Naar's fell servant.
‘I am … Juanphor,’ he says, struggling to speak his name. ‘I am a Chai herbalist … from Zuda. I came to the Vanchou a year ago in search of rare herbs and I fell under the curse of the shape-changer.’
The old man draws from the pocket of his robe a small pouch containing some powdered yellow petals, and a rusty red key. He insists that you keep them, as a gift for your kindness. ‘The powder is Poghlam — it shall protect you from evil,’ he says in a whisper, ‘… and the key will open the door to my home in Zuda. It is called the Crimson Tower. Whatever you wish to take … it is yours.’
You offer to carry the old man away from the forest but he refuses to leave. ‘My days are numbered. I shall only be a burden to you. You must leave me and go. Do not delay … the shape-changer is approaching. I … can feel … her anger.’
Your Kai Sixth Sense confirms that the old man is correct. The shape-changer is approaching the clearing, and you must leave immediately if you are to avoid another deadly confrontation with her.
Reluctantly you bid farewell to this brave old man, and then you cross the clearing hurriedly and remount your horse. Gildas beckons you to follow as he and his rangers make good a hasty escape into the trees.
(If you choose to keep the Poghlam and the Red Key, record them on your Action Chart as Backpack Items.)
To continue, turn to 346 .
77
You dive to the ground as the rangers' feathered shafts come streaking along the corridor. The swiftness of your reflexes saves you from being hit, and the arrows flash past to skitter harmlessly along the floor of the mess hall beyond.
To continue, turn to 269 .
78
You cross the valley and, as you crest a distant ridge, you see the first rays of dawn sunlight brightening the eastern horizon. You continue to ride at a swift pace for you are anxious to put distance between your company and the Imperial Guards. But as the sun rises into a cloudless sky, you note a dense forest stretching like a dark wall along the southern horizon.
‘That's the Vanchou,’ calls out Gildas. ‘They say it's haunted.’
The trail continues due south towards the centre of the forbidding timberland. As you draw steadily closer, you feel an unnatural chill radiating from its tangle of sickly-coloured pines. You are inclined to disbelieve that it is haunted, yet you do not relish the thought of riding through it. Then a sudden sense of unease makes you glance over your shoulder, and your heart skips a beat when you see a column of dust on the track less than 3 miles distant. You magnify your vision and your worst fears are confirmed; the Imperial Guards have caught up and are fast gaining ground.
If you wish to leave the trail and ride east across grasslands, turn to 250 .
If you choose to stay on the trail and enter the Vanchou Forest, turn to 143 .
79
You are trying to think of a way to draw the soldiers away from the water's edge, when Captain Gildas comes up with a crude yet effective solution to the problem. He draws an arrow to his bow and picks off a lone Bhanarian soldier who is washing his tunic upstream. The luckless soldier topples into the river and is carried towards the bridge by the strong
You push the door shut and bolt it. Then you unsheathe your Kai Weapon and enter the main chamber to confront the squad leader in his bath.
Turn to 260 .
76
The old man thanks you for having lifted the curse that was placed upon him by the shape-changer. Your courageous act has not saved his life, but it has saved his soul from the clutches of Naar's fell servant.
‘I am … Juanphor,’ he says, struggling to speak his name. ‘I am a Chai herbalist … from Zuda. I came to the Vanchou a year ago in search of rare herbs and I fell under the curse of the shape-changer.’
The old man draws from the pocket of his robe a small pouch containing some powdered yellow petals, and a rusty red key. He insists that you keep them, as a gift for your kindness. ‘The powder is Poghlam — it shall protect you from evil,’ he says in a whisper, ‘… and the key will open the door to my home in Zuda. It is called the Crimson Tower. Whatever you wish to take … it is yours.’
You offer to carry the old man away from the forest but he refuses to leave. ‘My days are numbered. I shall only be a burden to you. You must leave me and go. Do not delay … the shape-changer is approaching. I … can feel … her anger.’
Your Kai Sixth Sense confirms that the old man is correct. The shape-changer is approaching the clearing, and you must leave immediately if you are to avoid another deadly confrontation with her.
Reluctantly you bid farewell to this brave old man, and then you cross the clearing hurriedly and remount your horse. Gildas beckons you to follow as he and his rangers make good a hasty escape into the trees.
(If you choose to keep the Poghlam and the Red Key, record them on your Action Chart as Backpack Items.)
To continue, turn to 346 .
77
You dive to the ground as the rangers' feathered shafts come streaking along the corridor. The swiftness of your reflexes saves you from being hit, and the arrows flash past to skitter harmlessly along the floor of the mess hall beyond.
To continue, turn to 269 .
78
You cross the valley and, as you crest a distant ridge, you see the first rays of dawn sunlight brightening the eastern horizon. You continue to ride at a swift pace for you are anxious to put distance between your company and the Imperial Guards. But as the sun rises into a cloudless sky, you note a dense forest stretching like a dark wall along the southern horizon.
‘That's the Vanchou,’ calls out Gildas. ‘They say it's haunted.’
The trail continues due south towards the centre of the forbidding timberland. As you draw steadily closer, you feel an unnatural chill radiating from its tangle of sickly-coloured pines. You are inclined to disbelieve that it is haunted, yet you do not relish the thought of riding through it. Then a sudden sense of unease makes you glance over your shoulder, and your heart skips a beat when you see a column of dust on the track less than 3 miles distant. You magnify your vision and your worst fears are confirmed; the Imperial Guards have caught up and are fast gaining ground.
If you wish to leave the trail and ride east across grasslands, turn to 250 .
If you choose to stay on the trail and enter the Vanchou Forest, turn to 143 .
79
You are trying to think of a way to draw the soldiers away from the water's edge, when Captain Gildas comes up with a crude yet effective solution to the problem. He draws an arrow to his bow and picks off a lone Bhanarian soldier who is washing his tunic upstream. The luckless soldier topples into the river and is carried towards the bridge by the strong
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