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<p>You come to the top of a small rise. Peering over the edge, you see that the ground slopes away in a long, shallow curve, which rises on every side to form a broad basin. At the centre lies a large lake many miles wide. Feverishly you lick your lips in anticipation of a long, languorous drink of cool water. You start to move down the slope when Tanith catches your arm.</p>
<p><quote>Wait!</quote> she says. <quote>I can see something down there.</quote></p>
- <p>You follow the line of her finger. Among the verdant grassland of the depression that surrounds what must be Lake Dolani you can just make out a human form. You edge a few more feet down the slope. With horror you see a large man lying with his arms and legs tied to four wooden stakes driven into the ground. A faint moan drifts on the breeze: he is calling for water. You edge a little closer. The man is almost a giant, measuring at least seven feet tall. His skin is black as ebony and his hair is long and flowing. Suddenly you realize that this is one of the Masbat<ch.eacute/>, the original inhabitants of the Lissan Plain and a mighty warrior people<ch.emdash/>till Shasarak defeated them in the Plains War of MS 5008.</p>
+ <p>You follow the line of her finger. Among the verdant grassland of the depression that surrounds what must be Lake Dolani you can just make out a human form. You edge a few more feet down the slope. With horror you see a large man lying with his arms and legs tied to four wooden stakes driven into the ground. A faint moan drifts on the breeze: he is calling for water. You edge a little closer. The man is almost a giant, measuring at least seven feet tall. His skin is black as ebony and his hair is long and flowing. Suddenly you realize that this is one of the Masbat<ch.eacute/>, the original inhabitants of the Lissan Plain and a mighty warrior people<ch.emdash/>till Shasarak defeated them in the Plains War of MS<ch.nbsp/>5008.</p>
<p>You have only known one Masbat<ch.eacute/>: Samu, a noble and fearless warrior, who accompanied you in your search for the Moonstone. Once, he was king of the Masbat<ch.eacute/> nomads. He thought himself the only survivor of his people<ch.emdash/>it was common belief that the Wytch-king had hounded the tribe into extinction, sealing their doom by unleashing a plague of demons. Some say that these demons roam the plains still.</p>
<p>You wonder who has left the poor, tortured man to die in the sun. You step further down the slope intending to free him, but Tanith holds you back, fearing a trap. You cannot see how anyone, even Shasarak himself, could know that you have returned to the lands of the Shadakine Empire after an absence of seven years.</p>
<choice idref="sect58">If you have the Magical Power of Prophecy and wish to use it, <link-text>turn to 58</link-text>.</choice>
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