by Joe Dever
On the Action Chart, mark the changes in ENDURANCE points to the participants in the combat.
Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, the next round of combat now starts.
Repeat the sequence from Stage 3.
This process of combat continues until ENDURANCE points of either the enemy or Lone Wolf are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If Lone Wolf is dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, Lone Wolf proceeds but with his ENDURANCE points possibly reduced.
A summary of Combat Rules appears in the back of this book.
Evasion of Combat
During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade combat. If you have already engaged in a round of combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored, and you make your escape. Only Lone Wolf may lose ENDURANCE points during that round (but then that is the risk of running away!). You may evade only if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.
Levels of Kai Grand Mastership
The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles you can achieve at each stage of your journey along the road of Kai Grand Mastership. As you successfully complete each adventure in the Lone Wolf Grand Master series, you will gain an additional Grand Master Discipline and progress towards the pinnacle of Kai perfection — to become a Kai Supreme Master.
Kai Grand Master Senior
Kai Grand Master Superior
Kai Grand Sentinel
Kai Grand Defender — You begin the Lone Wolf Grand Master adventures at this level of Mastery
Kai Grand Guardian
Sun Knight
Sun Lord
Sun Thane
Grand Thane
Grand Crown
Sun Prince
Kai Supreme Master
Improved Grand Master Disciplines
As you rise through the higher levels of Kai Grand Mastery, you will find that your Disciplines will steadily improve. For example, if you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus when you reach the Grand Master rank of Grand Thane, you will be able to pass freely through Shadow Gates and explore the nether realms of Aon and the Daziarn Plane.
Kai Grand Guardian
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian (5 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
Animal Mastery
Kai Grand Guardians with this Discipline are able to summon a limited number of forest animals to their location. The creatures so summoned will become loyal and willing allies, willing to do the Kai Grand Guardian's bidding. This ability can only be used in an outdoor setting.
Assimilance
Kai Grand Guardians who possess this skill are able to create a cloud of fog-like vapour within 15 yards of their location. This fog will obscure both normal and infravision. The duration of the fog increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Grand Huntmastery
Kai Grand Guardians with this skill enjoy increased mobility when travelling across all types of terrain, whether on foot or on horseback. This improved ability is very useful when used to outdistance a pursuing enemy.
Kai-surge
Kai Grand Guardians who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to attack up to three enemies in psychic combat simultaneously.
Kai-screen
Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to exercise a defensive psychic skill known as Mindblend. This cloaking ability enables them to both protect and hide their minds from being detected by a hostile psychic probe.
Magi-magic
Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:
Splinter — This causes breakable items such as bottles, jugs, mirrors, windows, etc., to shatter to pieces. The range of this spell increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Flameshaft — This causes the tip of any Arrow or Arrow-like missile, to burn fiercely with a magical flame which cannot readily be extinguished by normal means.
Sun Knight
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Knight (6 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
Grand Weaponmastery
Sun Knights with this Discipline are able to wield two-handed weapons (i.e. Broadsword, Quarterstaff, and Spear) with full effect, using only one hand.
Deliverance
Sun Knights who possess this skill are able to repair serious wounds sustained by creatures other than themselves. By the laying of hands upon the affected creature's body, a Sun Knight can cause an open wound (or other serious injury) to mend itself. The speed at which this healing takes place increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Grand Pathsmanship
Kai Sun Knights with this skill are able to repel at will all normal-sized insects within a radius of three yards. The range and number of insects so affected increase considerably as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Grand Nexus
Sun Knights who possess Mastery of this Discipline are able to feign death. By placing themselves into a state of suspended animation, outwardly they are able to achieve all semblance of being truly dead. However, whilst in this state the only sense that a Sun Knight retains is the ability to hear.
Telegnosis
Sun Knights who possess this Discipline are able to communicate telepathically over great distances. Initially the range of this ability is approximately 100 miles, but this distance increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Kai-alchemy
Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Knight are able to use the following Brotherhood Spells:
Halt Missile — This causes any projected or hurled missile (e.g. arrows, axes, crossbow bolts) which may pose an immediate threat to the life of a Sun Knight, to cease its flight and remain stationary in mid-air. The effect of the spell lasts for 2–3 seconds, allowing the Sun Knight sufficient time to move away from its line of flight. Initially only one missile can be affected by this spell, but the number increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Strength — By casting this spell, a Sun Knight is able to greatly increase his or her physical strength for a short duration. It can be used to lift or move heavy objects, or to effect a temporary increase in COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE scores whilst fighting an enemy.
Sun Lord
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Lord (7 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
Grand Weaponmastery
Sun Lords with this Discipline are able to cause the metal edge of any non-magical weapon to ignite and burn fiercely. When a weapon thus affected is used in combat, it inflicts an additional 1 ENDURANCE point loss upon an enemy in every successful round of combat. This ability cannot be used with a wholly wooden weapon such as a quarterstaff.
Assimilance
Sun Lords who possess this skill are able to cause the outline of their bodies to become blurred and indistinct. By so doing, they can greatly increase their chances of avoiding magical and/or non-magical missiles directed at them.
Grand Huntmastery
Kai Sun Lords with this skill are able to see, with acute accuracy, light in the infrared spectrum, i.e. they can see complex patterns generated by heat in near or total darkness. They can also see light in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Kai-surge
Sun Lords who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to launch a Kai-blast — a pulse of intense psychic energy which is capable of affecting both psychically active and inactive enemies. This form of psychic attack is very effective, more so than a usual Kai-surge, Psi-surge, or Mindblast. It can cause an enemy to lose between 2 and 18 ENDURANCE points in one attack. A Kai Sun Lord using Kai-blast determines the damage inflic
ted on an enemy by picking two numbers from the Random Number Table. These numbers should be added together (a ‘0’ = 1) and the resultant total equals the damage inflicted. However, use of a Kai-blast will reduce a Sun Lord's ENDURANCE points total by 4. It cannot be used in conjunction with any other form of psychic attack.
Telegnosis
Sun Lords who possess this Discipline are able to alter their body weight in order to walk successfully upon different kinds of surfaces, e.g. water, mud, lava, and quicksand. Time duration and degree of surface difficulty increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Magi-magic
Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Lord are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:
Penetrate — This increases the penetrative energy of any Arrow or Arrow-like missile, launched by a Sun Lord.
Energy Grasp — This spell enables a Sun Lord to discharge a powerful electrical force into anything he or she touches. It is similar in effect to the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand, but differs in that it is easier to control and channel the resulting energy. It also requires the actual touching of an object or an enemy to effect the spell.
Grand Master's Wisdom
Northern Magador, which borders upon the Maakengorge, is a notoriously wild and treacherous region. Be wary and on your guard at all times, for you can expect little help from the outlaws and fell creatures who dwell in this area.
Some of the things that you will encounter during your mission will be of use to you in this and future Lone Wolf books, while others may be red herrings of no real value at all. If you discover any items, be selective in what you choose to keep.
Pick your Grand Master Disciplines with care, for a wise choice will enable any player to complete the mission, no matter how weak their initial COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE scores may be. Successful completion of previous Lone Wolf adventures, although an advantage, is not essential for the completion of this Grand Master adventure.
May the light of Kai and Ishir be your guide as you venture into the unknown.
For Sommerlund and the Kai!
1
The hours leading up to your departure from the Kai Monastery are spent in the company of your able advisor, Lord Rimoah. Having discussed the mission at great length, you busy yourself now with the practical preparations for your long journey to Magador. He gives you a Scroll which contains a written invitation from President Kadharian to attend his senate to ‘discuss trade between Sommerlund and Magador’. It will provide a cover for you should the need arise to justify your journey. (Record this Scroll as a Special Item that does not take up any space on your Action Chart.) Also, in the interests of secrecy, you decide it best to discard your formal Kai robes in favour of less conspicuous garments, and you choose instead to wear the simple clothes of a guildsman — woollen breeches, leather tunic, and a cloak. Dressed thus, and aided by your innate Kai skills of Invisibility, you feel confident you will be able to travel the road to Helgor, the Magadorian capital, without drawing undue attention to yourself or your purpose.
By horse, the journey to Helgor could be expected to take five weeks. Your initial thought had been to send word to your friend, Guildmaster Banedon, requesting that he allow you use of his magical skyship, Skyrider. However, on this occasion you will have to forego the speedy comfort of his wondrous craft, for Banedon is using it himself on a quest to the distant land of Bhanar in southern Magnamund, and he is not expected to return to Sommerlund before the year's end.
Your second choice was also to prove unsuitable. Having resigned yourself to a long journey on horseback, you immediately sent an order to the monastery stables for your horse, Storm, to be saddled and made ready. This fine Slovarian stallion had been a gift to you from Elector Manatine of Palmyrion, in gratitude for the crucial part you played in the victory over the evil Cener Druids of Ruel. His strength, intelligence, and indomitable spirit had reminded you so much of your old Kai tutor — Storm Hawk — that you chose to name the horse Storm in his memory. But, as Rimoah quickly pointed out, such a magnificent horse would be sure to attract suspicion, especially if it was ridden by what appeared to be a humble guildsman. And so, albeit reluctantly, you had the stables prepare you another horse, a strong but less exceptional mount called Bracer.
Turn to 105.
2
An ugly, one-eyed mongrel is standing in front of the inn, barking defiantly at the first-floor window through which you are observing the Vakovarians. You curse it under your breath and mentally you command it to go away, using your innate Kai skill of Animal Kinship. The hound ceases its infernal yapping and runs off, whimpering pathetically, but its noise has already attracted the unwanted attention of some brigands who are looting the ruins nearby. They surround and enter the ground floor of the inn, eager to discover what it was that made the dog run away so abruptly.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If have the Grand Master Discipline of Assimilance, add 3 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 9 or less, turn to 329.
If it is 10 or more, turn to 211.
3
The moment you slay the first two of these strange creatures, their bodies dissolve into a swirling cloud of steamy vapour. Now, upon the death of the third beast, the vapours unite and expand with breathtaking speed until the basalt island and the entire fiery plain beyond are engulfed by a thickening grey fog.
You walk through this sea of mist for what seems like an eternity until your senses detect that something is circling high above you. At first you suspect that more of the golden-winged creatures have come hunting for you, but then you detect that it is something completely different. There is only one creature, and you sense that it is using a highly-developed psychic probe in order to seek you out.
If you possess Grand Nexus and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Knight or higher, turn to 31.
If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, turn to 106.
4
One of the bolts hits your Backpack. The force of the impact lifts you off your feet and sends you tumbling backwards across the floor. (Erase three items from your Backpack List and reduce your ENDURANCE by 2 points.)
Turn to 157.
5
You reach the cover of a dense pine copse and quickly dismount. Having secured Bracer's reins to a tree, you move to the edge of the copse to try to catch a glimpse of your attackers. You have no difficulty seeing them: a dozen brigands, armed with crossbows and swords, are rushing through the undergrowth towards your hiding place.
If you possess a Bow and wish to use it, turn to 330.
If you do not, turn to 136.
6
The instant you correctly complete the sequence, a deep hum resonates from inside the upper tier, and slowly it opens to reveal a hexagonal crystal plinth with a circular hole at its centre.4 Your Kai senses inform you that by inserting the tip of the Deathstaff into the hole, you will cause the Shadow Gate beneath the great arch to close.
Trembling with fear and exhilaration, you raise the Deathstaff above your head and bring it down with one mighty thrust, driving it deep into the hole.
Turn to 246.
[4] This is the correct answer to the crystal dais grid in Section 164.
7
You dive over the mounds of charred timbers, aiming to land in the cobblestoned street outside the hut, but the bolt hits the building whilst you are in mid-air and the force of the concussion sends you twisting away in another direction.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Huntmastery and Assimilance, add another 2.
If your total score is now 6 or less, turn to 299.
If it is 7 or more, turn to 266.
8
You have ridden to within five miles of the hamlet when you are forced to leave the trail and take cover. Ahead, you see a group of Vakov
arian bandits encamped on a bridge which carries the trail across a fast-flowing stream. Rather than risk a confrontation, you follow this tributary of the River Storn a mile downstream until you happen upon a shallow bend where the water is fordable on horseback. You cross here, make a wide detour, and then return to the trail a mile beyond the Vakovarian's encampment.
The trail gradually descends towards the burnt and derelict hovels of Vorn, clustered in squalid disarray around a greystone quay. Vakovarian bandits occupy the ruined hamlet and you decide it wise to leave the trail in case they have posted a lookout. A copse of stunted firs offers you a good hiding place for your horse. You tether him here, and then gather some grasses and roots for him to eat while you are away scouting the hamlet.
You have no difficulty entering Vorn unseen. From the first-floor ruins of a burnt-out inn on the outskirts of the hamlet you make a careful observation of the Vakovarians. They seem to be systematically looting the ruins and transporting their ill-gotten booty to a fishing boat which is moored at the quay. You are watching this boat closely when suddenly your concentration is broken by the sound of a yapping dog.