## The Story So Far . . .

You are Grey Star, trained in the ancient lore of a Shianti Wizard. For sixteen years you dwelt in safety on the Isle of Loin, the hidden realm of the magical Shianti race, until Acarya, High Wizard of the Shianti sent you upon a dangerous quest to save your own people, the race of man, from Shasarak, the tyrannical Wytch-king of Shadaki. 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. As a human, no such promise prohibits you from leaving the island and you have been sent to recover the Moonstone and use its power to throw down the Wytch-king.

The Moonstone, an artefact possessing the combined force of all Shianti power, is hidden on the Daziarn plane, which can only be entered by finding one of its portals. You seek the Shadow Gate, but it never remains in one place for longer than a day and is invisible to human sight. For this reason you began to search for the 'Lost Tribe of Lara,' a race of magical, but primitive creatures called the Kundi. They possess the gift of Astral Vision, enabling them to see magic portals and gateways to other planes and dimensions. Once, the Kundi inhabited the forests of the Mountains of Lara. When Shasarak's Shadakine army first invaded the free provinces of the south, they came by way of the Mountains of Lara, through the Morn Pass. The Shadakine armies were constantly ambushed and delayed by the Kundi as they made their way south, and the Kundi always eluded them, disappearing into the dense forest before the Shadakine could retaliate. Finally, in desperation, the Wytch-king burnt down the mountain's forests and the Kundi were forced to flee from his wrath and disappeared. Only the vision and the guidance of a Kundi man will enable you to enter the Daziarn plane and find the Moonstone, and less than a month ago you began your search.

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

It was with the help of Tanith, a young, beautiful girl, learning the ways of wytchcraft in the service of Mother Magri, that you made your escape from the House of Correction. Her courage and intelligence were invaluable as you escaped the pursuit of the Shadakine. With Shan as your guide you eventually turned south and headed toward the region known as the Azanam, for it seemed likely that the Lost Tribe might be found there. But the vengeance of Mother Magri was not so easily avoided. Using the power of the Kazim Stone, she summoned a Kleasá, a demon shadow that feeds upon the soul and will of others, since it has no soul of its own. Neither your Magical Powers, nor the might of your Wizard's Staff seemed able to defeat the Kleasá and it had almost destroyed you when Tanith cast a spell and called the demon against her. She was totally consumed by the Kleasá and both disappeared in flame. Her brave sacrifice saved your life.

With a heavy heart, you and Shan continued south, entering the arid desert of the Azagad Gorge. Here, Shan fell, poisoned and consumed by a Quoku, the flying amphibian indigenous to those parts. After a desperate chase through the tunnels of a Cave Mantiz nest (giant insects that lair within the cliff) you eventually reached the jungles of the Azanam, and there, high in their towering treetop home, you found the Lost Tribe of Lara. But your arrival was met with great suspicion: the Kundi did not believe that you had been sent by the Shianti. In the house of Okosa, the Kundi King, Urik the wise, their strange, eccentric shaman and elder of their tribe, challenged you to prove you were truly sent by the Shianti by answering a strange riddle:

> 'Wise Shianti and Kundi man,
> Look eye to eye in tree,
> Shianti man see Kundi man,
> But what does Kundi see?'

To discover the answer to the riddle and to continue your search for the Moonstone and the Shadow Gate that leads there, turn to Section 1.

Concept copyright © 1985 Joe Dever and Gary Chalk.
Text copyright © 1985 Ian Page.