"If we want to survive this drought, you will have to make it rain."
In this short-and-sweet Choose Your Own Adventure book, you will be taken on a quest to discover why the rains haven't fallen on your tiny little chinese village - and to remedy...
The road that reaches the mountain from the South is more protected from the harsh sun and the wind, and it seems like a good idea - especially since you're not much of an outside survivor. Therefore, as your family and friends wave you goodbye from the gates of the village, you let your feet carry you right at the fork in the road. You have begun your journey.
The more you walk, the more glad you are to have chosen this route. Barely a few miles from your community, the road descends into a gulley, then a full-blown canyon whose walls shield you from the sun. You stick to the shade against the walls, and the stone down here radiates, if not cold, at least cool. There's even traces of moisture if you really look into the tiny cracks at the very bottom. Not enough for your waterskin, but enough to give you hope.
The one disadvantage of this road is that it really takes the long way around, and before you know it your feet are sore and blistered, your legs are heavy, and you're struggling under the weight of your pack.
Do a Constitution test, rolling one dice for a result of 2 or more, or get a random number of 2 or more from a 1-6 draw.
If you make it, you stumble upon a bush hidden from the harshest rays of the sun. It bears berries! You gather them up and eat a few, and it gives you the courage to keep going.
If you fail, you stumble over a rock and smash your face into the canyon wall. You have -1 to all dice throws for your next physical test.
A couple days of quiet walking later, you see something in the road ahead of you. It appears to be a man; he stands with his back to you at the top of a rise in the road. You stop - his hands are up, as if pleading, and his posture is one of fear. As the wind changes, it brings you the sound of his voice.
"Please! I'm just a traveler, I went to find out why the rain won't fall and I've found -"
He is interrupted, but the other, invisible person's words don't reach your ears.
"No, please, leave me be!" the man begs once more. "I have nothing of value, but listen, I'm on my way to the city of Hangzhou to see the wise woman Mei Mei. She'll know what the things I found mean! And she has money!"
You perk up at the name - you've heard of this woman, the wisest of Sichuan. You assume the man is on his way there for answers about the rain - he must have found something interesting when he went to see the dragon. Perhaps it'd be worth talking to him.
Just as you think this, a whistling sound pierces the air and you see an arrow fly dangerously close to the poor man, who shrieks, turns heels, and sprints toward you. As he passes you in a blind panic, his followers crest the hill: three brigands armed with bows.
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Do a Speed test, rolling one dice for a result of 3 or more, or getting a random number of 3 or more from a 1-6 draw.
If you manage, you spot a crack in the rock wall to your left and manage to squeeze into it as quickly as you can. The three brigands pass you by without even a look. You wait a few minutes to be sure they've left, then get out of the wall and run toward your destination. Go to Chapter Seven.
If you fail, you try to squeeze into a crack in the rock wall on your left. Two of the brigands pass you by, intent on chasing the poor man, but a third stops - he knows he's seen something. As he passes by you, he turns and spots you. He's too close to use his bow, so he drops it to the ground and whips out a dagger.
Combat
Life points: 3 Weapon: Dagger. Counts as a short/light weapon.
Dice rolls: throw two dice - get a random number from a 1-12 draw. 1 to 4 : you fail your attack and the man strikes back. Lose 1 life point. 5 to 7 : the man blocks your attack. 8 to 12 : your attack carries. The man loses 1 life point. Repeat until one of you is dead.
If you survive this fight, you can take the man's dagger. You don't know how to use a bow and arrow, so you leave that behind. He is wearing a leather jerkin over his shirt, which you can take and add +1 to your life points. Now that that's over, you run off, away from the others and toward your destination. Go to Chapter Seven.
