Read The Buccaneers of Shadaki Online

Authors: Joe Dever

Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund

The Buccaneers of Shadaki (31 page)

BOOK: The Buccaneers of Shadaki
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342

You hurry out of the park and descend the steep path which leads down to the harbour below. Dusk is approaching by the time you return to
The Azan
, and when you go aboard you discover that the cargo has been fully loaded.

Captain Jenkshi is pleased with his crew and feels they deserve a reward for all their hard work. Half of his men would like to spend the night ashore at the Three Capstans Inn, one of their favourite taverns. The tavern-keeper delivered some fresh food to the ship during the afternoon, and he promised a free flagon of ale to any crew member who paid him a visit this evening. The captain gives his permission, but on one condition — all those who wish to go ashore this evening must be back on board before dawn breaks tomorrow.

‘We sail on the dawn tide,’ he bellows, ‘so don't expect to find us still here if y'roll up late.’

If you wish to go ashore and visit the Three Capstans Inn,
turn to 144
.

If you decide to stay aboard with the captain and the remaining crew members,
turn to 288
.

343

Speedily you draw and fire your Arrow, sending it thudding into the chest of the sniper before he can reload his deadly blowpipe. The man tumbles out of the branches to land heavily upon the exposed roots of the tree. You hurry to his lifeless body and discover, to your disappointment, that his blowpipe is broken and his poisoned darts are somewhere in among the boughs above. After you have hidden his body in the undergrowth, you move deeper into the jungle, guided and drawn by the strange noise.

Turn to 51
.

344

You run through an open bulkhead door into an adjacent cargo area that is stacked with crates of food and barrels of water. On the far side of this hold you see a wooden ladder that ascends to a hatch in the foredeck. Your Kai senses detect that there is also a concealed trapdoor in the floor of the hold, close to the base of the ladder.

Suddenly you hear the cracking of timbers and you sense that the creature has freed its claws from the wall of the cargo hold behind you. You hear the snake-like hiss of its breath and you know that you have but a few seconds before it will come rushing through open bulkhead door.

If you wish to hide among the crates and barrels,
turn to 254
.

If you wish to climb the ladder to the foredeck hatch,
turn to 31
.

If you wish to open the concealed trapdoor in the floor,
turn to 112
.

345

The city watch surround you and guard you at spear-point until two horse-drawn wagons come to take you away to the city gaol. As you are herded aboard these foul-smelling carriages, your Weapons, Kai Weapon, and Backpack Items are confiscated and dumped into a wooden crate beside the driver's seat. (On your
Action Chart
mark each of these items with an asterisk [*] to indicate that they are no longer in your possession, but do not erase them at this time. Any Special Items you possess are allowed to remain with you.)

At the officer's command the wagons move off at a speedy pace. After a few bruising minutes, your wagon emerges from the gloomy streets and ascends a smooth ramp which passes through the daunting gate of Ghol-Tabras gaol. Above this gate flutters a flag which depicts a black serpent entwined around the blade of a silver scimitar. It is the personal emblem of Sesketera, the ruler of this city, a man not known either for his kindness or for his mercy.

Turn to 265
.

346

You draw upon your Animal Mastery in an attempt to calm these frightened and hungry creatures. They are susceptible to your powerful psychic commands, yet they produce an unexpected and adverse reaction. The sudden conflict of their instincts and feelings makes them howl with frustration. In a state of blind panic, the two wolf-like animals rush past you to disappear into the rain-swept jungle. Confident that they will not return, you settle yourself down upon a bed of soft mosses and drift off to sleep.

Turn to 220
.

347

You force your way through the teeming crowd and reach the side gate, but only to discover that it is chained shut. Looking around you see Wrok's conspirators are beginning to close in from all sides.

If you possess Kai-alchemy,
turn to 263
.

If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline,
turn to 73
.

348

You leap away from the parapet in a desperate attempt to avoid being crushed by the falling section of mast. Your swift reactions save your life as the shattered timber slams through the prow deck, but unfortunately you do not move quickly enough to avoid being struck on the back by a tangle of trailing ropes and debris that falls in its wake: lose 4
ENDURANCE
points.

Turn to 160
.

349

Spurred on by the pitiful sounds of your stricken horse, you fumble for a weapon with which to attack this creature.

If you possess a Bow and wish to use it,
turn to 74
.

If you do not,
turn to 224
.

350

The Shianti escort you from the beach to a wondrous edifice — the sacred Temple of Amida — which stands upon a high spur of rock commanding a spectacular view of the four corners of their magical isle. Here in a formal ceremony you receive the thanks and praise of Acarya — the leader of the Shianti exiles. Solemnly he vows to deliver the Moonstone into the hands of Goddess Ishir herself, thereby ensuring that never again will its powers disrupt Magnamund's delicate balance of nature, nor be misused by the forces of Evil.

After the ceremony, the Shianti show you some of the magical wonders of their island that have never before been seen by Man. You marvel at flowing rivers of jewels, fabulous flora, and species of exotic fauna that defy description. After your tour of this paradise isle you are allowed to rest awhile before you are escorted to your boat to begin your journey back to the Port of Suhn.

Your return voyage across the Sea of Dreams is swift and eerily smooth. You sense that your direction and speed are being controlled by the Shianti, for within minutes of casting off from the shores of Lorn, the bustling harbour entrance to the Port of Suhn suddenly appears from out of the swirling sea mist. A stiff breeze catches your sail and propels you towards the quayside where, to your astonishment, Lord Zinair is waiting to greet your valiant return.

Congratulations, Grand Master. Once more you have proved your courage and resourcefulness. You have completed the quest entrusted to you by Lone Wolf and you have triumphed magnificently. The safe return of the Moonstone to the Shianti is a major victory in the war against Evil, but it is a war that is still yet to be won. Upon your return to the Port of Suhn you learn from Lord Zinair of a new and sinister threat to the fragile peace of your world. If you wish to confront this deadly threat and prove that you are truly a champion of the New Order Kai, then the nature of the challenge can be found in the next exciting
Lone Wolf New Order
adventure, entitled:

Mydnight's Hero

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

Shadaki & The Lands of the Free Alliance of Southern Magnamund
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BOOK: The Buccaneers of Shadaki
6.28Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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