War of the Wizards (2 page)

You are Grey Star, trained in the ancient lore of a Shianti wizard. For sixteen years you have dwelt in safety on the Isle of Lorn, the hidden realm of the magical Shianti race, until Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti, sent you upon a dangerous quest to save your people, the race of man, from the evil rule of Shasarak, the tyrannical Wytch-king of the Shadakine Empire. Held by their ancient vow to the Goddess Ishir, the Shianti are unable to leave their island and come to the aid of man themselves but no such promise prohibited you from leaving the island and you were sent to recover the Moonstone and use its power to defeat the Wytch-king.

The Moonstone, an artefact that possesses the combined force of all Shianti wisdom and power, was hidden on the Daziarn plane and you first had to find the invisible gateway to the Daziarn, the Shadow Gate. To help you find the Shadow Gate, you sought the Lost Tribe of Lara, a race of magical but primitive creatures called the Kundi, who possess the gift of astral vision, enabling them to see magic portals and gateways to other planes and dimensions. When Shasarak's Shadakine army first invaded the free provinces of the south, they came through the forests of the Mountains of Lara where the Kundi lived, and were constantly ambushed and delayed by the Kundi. The Kundi always eluded them, disappearing into the dense forest before the Shadakine could retaliate and, finally, in wrath, the Wytch-king burnt down the forests and forced the Kundi to flee south. No one knew where they came to rest.

Voyaging across the Sea of Dreams, you came first to the city of Suhn, the largest port in the Shadakine Empire. There you were befriended by a cheerful merchant named Shan Li, a widely travelled man. Your questions about the Lost Tribe aroused suspicion in Suhn and you were captured and taken to the House of Correction, the prison of Suhn, and subjected to the truthsay of Mother Magri, Shadakine Wytch and Law-giver. With the aid of the power of the Kazim Stone, she attempted to read your mind, but you were able to preserve the secret of your quest.

With the help of Tanith, a young and beautiful girl learning the ways of wytchcraft in the service of Mother Magri, you were able to escape from the House of Correction. With Shan as your guide, you eventually turned south and headed towards the region known as the Azanam, for it seemed likely that the Lost Tribe had settled there. However, again using the power of the Kazim Stone, Mother Magri summoned a Kleasá against you — a demon shadow that feeds upon the soul. Neither your Magical Powers, nor the might of your Wizard's Staff were able to defeat the Kleasá, and it had almost destroyed you when Tanith cast a spell and called the demon against herself. She was totally consumed by the Kleasá and both disappeared in flames. Her brave sacrifice saved your life.

At the Azanam you found the Kundi and they gave you their Shaman, Urik the Wise, to guide you to the Shadow Gate. You travelled across the hostile lands of the Shadakine Empire and, close to the gates of the city of Karnali, you freed a man named Samu, a former king of the extinct tribe of the Masbaté, from a Shadakine slave train. Then the leader of the rebel Freedom Guild, Sado of the Long Knife, enlisted your aid in freeing the city of Karnali from the rule of its Shadakine Wytch and her warriors, but you did not stay, for still you had to find the Shadow Gate. You journeyed on, accompanied by Samu, Urik, and a thief by the name of Hugi. On this later stage of your journey, you discovered that Shasarak was once a Shianti Master. So now you know your eventual confrontation will be with one versed in the same magical arts as yourself. You finally found the Shadow Gate beneath the wasteland of Desolation Valley, only to discover that the magic portal was guarded by a demon Kleasá, holding in its grasp Tanith, who had not after all been slain in her attempt to save you. Instead, the Kleasá had offered her to its master, Shasarak, as a prisoner. Using Tanith as a shield, the Kleasá withstood your attempts to gain entry to the Daziarn portal but at last you managed to force the Kleasá away from the Shadow Gate and stepped through to be reunited with Tanith.

Together you entered the Daziarn plane which held many mysteries and perils, the worst of which was the Jahksa, a creature created in your likeness by Shasarak. You travelled through this strange, abstract world until, at last, you came to the Trianon, a chamber floating in the void. Within the Trianon was the Moonstone and, after a last paradoxical confrontation with the Jahksa in which the lawful and magical effects of the Moonstone were used, the Jahksa was defeated and the Moonstone made yours.

With the Moonstone now resting in your hand, you begin the final part of your quest to defeat the Wytch-king. Armed with the might of the Moonstone, you now possess the only known power that can destroy Shasarak the renegade Shianti Wizard.

To keep a record of your adventure, use the
Action Chart
.

Before you set off on your adventure, you must discover how well your Shianti masters have prepared you for your quest by determining your fighting prowess —
COMBAT SKILL
 — your state of mind —
WILLPOWER
 — and your physical stamina —
ENDURANCE
. To do this take a pencil and, with eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it onto the
Random Number Table
. If you pick 0 it counts as zero.

The first number that you pick from the
Random Number Table
in this way represents your
COMBAT SKILL
. Add 10 to the number you picked and write the total in the
COMBAT SKILL
section of your
Action Chart
(e.g. if your pencil fell on the number 4 in the
Random Number Table
you would write in a
COMBAT SKILL
of 14). When you fight, your
COMBAT SKILL
will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.
¹

The second number that you need is one to represent your
WILLPOWER
. Do not use the
Random Number Table
. You begin this adventure with a
WILLPOWER
total of 50, as your first touch of the Moonstone of the Shianti regenerates your Magical Powers immediately. If you possess unused
WILLPOWER
points from earlier
Grey Star
adventures, add them to the 50
WILLPOWER
points which possession of the Moonstone grants you.
²
Write the total in the
WILLPOWER
section of your
Action Chart
. If you decide to use a spell or the power of your Wizard's Staff, then you will lose
WILLPOWER
points. If at any time your
WILLPOWER
falls to zero, or below, you may not use any spells
³
or any additional
WILLPOWER
points in combat to increase the
ENDURANCE
loss of an opponent.
⁴
Lost
WILLPOWER
points can be regained during the course of the adventure and it is possible for your
WILLPOWER
score to rise above the total with which you start your adventure.

The third attribute is your power of
ENDURANCE
. You start with a total of 30
ENDURANCE
points when your first touch of the Moonstone fills your body with energy and power. Add any
ENDURANCE
points gained from playing previous
Grey Star
adventures to your initial score of 30 and write the total in the
ENDURANCE
section of your
Action Chart
.
⁵
If you are wounded in combat, you will lose
ENDURANCE
points. If at any time your
ENDURANCE
score falls to zero or below, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost
ENDURANCE
points can be regained during the course of the adventure but can never rise above the number with which you began the adventure.

There are thirteen Magical Powers, the first seven of which are called the Lesser Magicks. Possession of the Moonstone reveals to you the secret of the Magical Powers known as the Higher Magicks, of which there are six. If this is your first
Grey Star
adventure, you may choose five Lesser Magicks and four Higher Magicks. If you have successfully completed any of the previous
Grey Star
adventures, you may choose six Lesser Magicks and five Higher Magicks.
⁶

The Magical Powers available to you are listed below. When you have chosen your powers enter them in the Magical Powers section of your
Action Chart
.

This Power allows a wizard to transform his thoughts or desires into magical energy. By concentration of the will it is possible to create magical shields of force to bar doors or move objects. Sorcery drains more
WILLPOWER
points than any other Magical Power, and is most effective when your
WILLPOWER
points are high.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Sorcery’ on your
Action Chart
.

The Power of Enchantment enables a wizard to charm or beguile other creatures, and create illusions in the minds of others. He will be able to extract information from others, place thoughts and compulsions into another's mind, or cause them to believe that imaginary events are actually taking place. Some magical or highly intelligent beings may be immune to the powers of Enchantment.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Enchantment’ on your
Action Chart
.

The Power of elemental magic allows a wizard some control over the natural elements of Air, Fire, Earth, and Water. By entering a trance and chanting incantations, you may summon aid from the spirits of the Elemental Plane. Elementals have very little understanding of man, and for this reason a wizard can never be sure of the nature of the aid the Elementals may send.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Elementalism’ on your
Action Chart
.

A wizard who possesses the Power of Alchemy is able, through the mixing of various substances, to create magical potions. Given the correct ingredients, a potion may restore lost energy (i.e.
ENDURANCE
points,
WILLPOWER
), or temporarily improve various abilities (e.g.
COMBAT SKILL
). The use of Alchemy may also allow a wizard to alter the nature of substances (e.g. change lead into gold), but the necessary ingredients and the correct equipment (e.g. a pestle and mortar) must be at hand. The use of the Power of Alchemy drains no
WILLPOWER
.

If you choose this Power write ‘Alchemy’ on your
Action Chart
.

The Power of Prophecy allows a wizard to foretell the future through meditation. A meditative state will allow a wizard to make the correct decision when facing conflicting choices or difficult actions; to discover the whereabouts of a person he has once met, or an object he has once seen. It may also allow him to determine the true nature of a stranger or a strange object. Magical beings or objects are sometimes hidden from the Power of Prophecy.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Prophecy’ on your
Action Chart
.

This Power bestows upon a wizard the ability to deduce facts about events by touching objects connected to them. Through deep concentration, a wizard may lay his hands upon any inanimate object and visualize scenes that have affected it. Visions brought about through the use of Psychomancy are often cryptic, taking the form of a riddle or puzzle. Some magic items are resistant to the use of Psychomancy and may, sometimes, impart misleading information.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Psychomancy’ on your
Action Chart
.

Mastery of this Power permits contact with the spirit realm. A wizard wishing to speak with the dead, or to call up a form from the spirit world, must draw a magic pentacle and enter a trance, when the use of the correct spell-chant will reach out to the Spiritual Plane. Standing within the protection of a magic pentacle, a wizard may consider himself to be relatively safe from harm. If he wishes to speak with a corpse, especially one whose former life was good and righteous, then a wizard can expect help and advice. However, contact with those whose former lives were evil or selfish can be a perilous, and often fatal, experience. Evil spirits are reluctant to return to the realm of the dead and may try to trick a wizard into freeing them into the world of the living. All spirits, good and evil, will require some service of the wizard in return for their aid. Any failure to perform this task, however difficult, may result in the wizard losing his life.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Evocation’ on your
Action Chart
.

This Higher Magick is an advanced form of Sorcery, the craft of magical energy. Where Sorcery allows a wizard to affect external things, Thaumaturgy affects the wizard himself. The Power of Thaumaturgy can bestow upon a wizard the power of levitation, a limited form of flying; invulnerability and increased strength; the ability to bend metal or warp wood by disturbing their molecules; and, perhaps the most useful of all, teleportation, that is, the ability to travel great distances in seconds by simply visualizing the destination.

If you choose this Power, write ‘Thaumaturgy’ on your
Action Chart
.