by Joe Dever
In times of peace, you would expect the 850-mile ride to Casiorn to take little more than two weeks to complete. But peace, always a fragile state in the Stornlands, has been shattered by Prince Lutha's unprovoked attack on Holona, a town through which you had hoped to travel. Anxiously, you ask the Elector how the war against Eldenora will affect your chances of reaching Casiorn swiftly.
‘Sadly, I cannot predict the future, Grand Master,’ he replies. ‘The war bodes ill for both our causes. However, I shall do what I am able to speed your journey onwards.’
The Elector motions to one of his guardsmen who turns and leaves the War Room. He soon returns with another soldier who wears the uniform of a captain.
If you have ever visited the Palmyrion military post at Stonewatch in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, turn to 204.
If you have not, turn to 84.
122
From the depths of its cavernous gullet, the dragon coughs forth a concentrated jet of white-hot flame that comes speeding towards your chest. Wide-eyed with fear, you leap aside desperately to avoid being incinerated by this lance of dragon-fire.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 46.
If you do not possess this Discipline, turn to 153.
123
‘Please sir,’ she says once more. ‘Are you not the Northland warrior, the one they call Lone Wolf? I was in attendance at the Elector's court when he awarded you the Star of Palmyrion for your victory over the Cener Druids of Ruel. I would be honoured if you would grace me with your company.’
Intrigued by the young woman's account, and her high-bred charms, you step away from the bushes and approach her carriage door.
Turn to 135.
124
You dare not allow yourself to believe that Guildmaster Banedon and the others are dead. You ask the King to be allowed to travel immediately to the Kai Monastery aboard your flying ship Cloud-dancer so that you may be sure of their fate. King Ulnar considers your request, but he refuses his permission for you to fly to the monastery. He fears that Cloud-dancer could be destroyed in the same manner that Skyrider was felled from the skies. He reasons that if Naar's minions were capable of wrecking a skyship that was protected by twelve powerful magicians, they would have little difficulty in destroying a skyship with no magical defences whatsoever. And, furthermore, he can ill afford to risk losing you in this fashion. You embody Sommerlund's only hope of victory against the forces of Naar in this dark hour.
Turn to 8.
125
On reaching the far bank, you use the corpses that litter the shoreline for cover. You wait here, absolutely motionless, for nearly fifteen minutes before crawling from the water and slithering on your stomach into the wood which commands this stretch of the river bank. Your stealth and your Kai camouflage skills keep you hidden from the watchful eyes of the Eldenoran archers who infest these trees, but they do not fool their keen-nosed war-dogs. You have barely reached the tree-line when they begin to bark and howl.
If you possess Animal Mastery, turn to 47.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, turn to 156.
126
You help Nathor and the villagers to fight the fires which threaten to consume their humble homes, using your Magnakai skill of Nexus to good effect, and when you have saved all you can, you summon the troop together to assess the situation.
Six brigands and two Court Cavalry troopers were killed during the brief fight to secure the village. The villagers themselves have lost eight of their menfolk, with several others wounded and some missing; these are presumed to be hiding in the woods. They have retained most of their possessions but their abbey has been gutted by the fire which Holkar and his thugs started. Nathor conducts a burial for the slain villagers and his two men, during which he pledges that Queen Evaine will be informed of what happened here this day.
‘Her Majesty will see that justice is done,’ he assures the tearful gathering of peasants. ‘The bandit-realm of Eldenora will be made to pay for this crime.’
After the burial, Lord Nathor gives to the village elders a weighty purse of silver Lune and a horse which belonged to one of his slain men. It is a small token for the loss they have suffered, but one that is appreciated by the villagers. The other horse is given to you, to replace the steed that was killed beneath you during the ambush on the road.
Turn to 190.
127
You get to your feet and resume your steady climb towards the gate, now less than a hundred yards distant, but you have taken only a few dozen steps when suddenly another flight of Lavas emerges from the Shadow Gate. You flatten yourself against the damp granite in a desperate attempt to avoid being seen, but in your hurry you lose your footing on the slippery rocks.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 5 or less, turn to 272.
If it is 6–8, turn to 29.
If it is 9 or higher, turn to 141.
128
You try to drag yourself up from the roadway, but your strength rapidly deserts you and you tumble, unconscious, back into the mud.
Several hours later you regain consciousness and are able to muster sufficient strength to stand. Your innate Kai healing skills have saved you from the deadly plague virus which infects this town, but you have paid a grievous price.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4. 6, 8), deduct 10 ENDURANCE points from your current total. If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 6 ENDURANCE points.
If you are still alive, turn to 193.
129
You utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand and raise your right arm, pointing it towards the belly of the swooping beast. A flash of blue-white light erupts at your fingertips, and an arc of crackling energy speeds from your hand towards the creature. It veers in mid-air to avoid the bolt but its reactions are too slow to escape being hit. The bolt rips a jagged hole in its left wing and, suddenly off-balanced by the wound, the beast loses control and slams into the ground with a sickening crunch.
Turn to 215.
130
Elector Manatine permits you the use of his private chambers, which adjoin the War Room, where you are able to get a few hours' sleep before dawn. Then, shortly after sunrise, you bid the Elector and his generals farewell and leave the city, with Captain Cearmaine, in a military coach bound for Holona. An escort of cavalry outriders accompany this armoured carriage in case you should meet unexpectedly with a unit of roving Eldenorans during your journey east. Thankfully, the journey proves swift and uneventful and, as the day is turning to dusk, you find yourself approaching the military outpost of Stonewatch.
You stay at this fort overnight and then continue on to Holona in the morning. For most of the journey you experience a sense of unease, a premonition that something is wrong, but it is not until you catch sight of the city, shortly before noon, that your fears are realized.
Turn to 157.
131
The severe heat and poisonous atmosphere is beginning to take its toll: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
You sense that your Magnakai skill of Nexus is shielding your body from the worst effects of this hellish environment, but you cannot rely on it to protect you indefinitely. Already your tunic is smouldering and the soles of your boots are giving off wisps of blue smoke. You must escape from here soon, before you succumb to the heat and the toxic atmosphere.
However, for the moment there is a more pressing danger to be faced. The dragon-creatures that you saw earlier are now advancing rapidly towards the Shadow Gate.
Turn to 80.
132
Queen Evaine commands the Lord Constable to take you to the citadel dungeons which are located several levels below the State Hall. Here, shackled to the dank stone wall of a rat-infested cell, is the man who was c
aught in a Garthen tavern plotting your murder. Limp and unconscious, he hangs by his wrists in chains, his emaciated body showing all too clearly the signs of recent tortures. A pot-bellied gaoler scoops a bucket of foul water from a trough by the cell door and revives the prisoner by pouring it unceremoniously over his head. Coughing and spluttering, the wretch stirs to consciousness. He raises his face and you sense that he recognizes immediately who you are; his eyes blaze with an undisguised hatred.
‘He's a tough un,’ growls the gaoler. ‘I've used all o' me skills on 'im but 'e won't say who 'is paymaster be.’
The fat gaoler reaches for a pair of long-handled pincers which are protruding from a brazier of hot coals.
‘Perhaps you'll be wanting to interrogate 'im yourself, sire?’ he says, offering you the pincers. Wisps of smoke curl from their sharpened tips which are red and glowing.
‘Aye, gaoler, there are questions I'd like this man to answer. But I'll not be needing those,’ you reply, declining the use of the cruel pincers. ‘I prefer to rely on my own methods of interrogation.’
If you possess Kai-alchemy, turn to 79.
If you possess Kai-surge, turn to 254.
If you possess neither of these Grand Master Disciplines or choose not to use them, turn instead to 95.
133
You wait until the line of Eldenoran soldiers has filed past the entrance to the dugout; then you slip outside and make your way swiftly along the trench. Suddenly there is a terrific boom, and a brilliant splash of blue-white fire illuminates the distant bridge. It is the opening bombardment in yet another futile assault across the river.
The trench ahead is empty; its owners have already gone forward to support the new attack. When you reach the end, you scramble over the muddy parapet and race head-down across a stretch of open ground towards a small wood.
Turn to 220.
134
You do not slip very far before you are able to arrest your fall and descend at a slower pace. You find the Sun-crystal lying wedged among the rocks and, with a growing sense of awe, you take hold of it and weigh it in your hand. Then you turn to look back at the Shadow Gate in order to gauge your throw.
The halo of energy which surrounds the Shadow Gate begins to crackle fiercely, and your Kai instincts tingle with a strange and sinister premonition. You can sense that, on the Plane of Darkness, Naar has just consigned his newest champions to the Shadow Gate through which you escaped. His mighty dragon herd is on its way to Magnamund.
As the first rays of the dawn sun spread across the surrounding rocks, you draw back your arm and hurl the Sun-crystal into the gaping maw of the Shadow Gate.
Turn to 350.
135
The carriage door swings open and the beautiful young woman steps gracefully out onto the stony trail.
‘May I be so bold as to introduce myself,’ she says, pausing to adjust a broad-brimmed hat which is trimmed with black corvayl fur, as silky smooth as her flowing hair. ‘I am the Baroness Coryene of the Lucia Province.’
She offers her delicate hand and you kiss it in deference to her noble rank. Out of the corner of your eye you notice the leading horseman dismount and come to stand protectively by her side.
Illustration VII—The beautiful young woman steps gracefully out and offers you her delicate hand.
‘Oh, and this is my personal guard — Dorst.’
You give the gruff-looking fellow a slight bow and he nods his head in response, albeit begrudgingly.
‘We are returning from a visit to my cousin's estate. We were hoping to reach Kalma by sunset, but we were delayed by bandits,’ she says, almost apologetically.
‘We made 'em pay dearly for wastin' our time, though,’ adds Dorst, with quiet menace.
‘It appears that we shall now have to encamp here in the hills this night,’ says the Baroness. ‘Perhaps you would care to join us, my lord? I would feel so much safer if you did.’
Despite Dorst's cutting glances, you agree to the Baroness's proposal. Then you produce the six trout that you caught earlier and offer them to her as a gift.
‘Why, thank you,’ she says, with a wide smile. ‘They look … delicious.’
Turn to 59.
136
Despite not having made a telepathic contact with Guildmaster Banedon, you refuse to believe that he and Lord Rimoah are dead. You resolve instead to reach the Kai Monastery and destroy the Shadow Gate as soon as you are able and, strengthened by this resolution, you return to the council of war and announce your decision to the King. You show the council the Sun-crystal that Gwynian gave you, and you tell them how you intend to use it.
Ulnar and the barons applaud your plan and your steadfast courage. The King places under your command his élite Guard Cavalry regiment, so that you may be able to use them to break through the enemy's line at its weakest point and reach the Kai Monastery. Captain D'Val, commander of the Guard Cavalry, knows where this weak point is and he will guide you to it.
The King dissolves the council and, as the barons return to their armies in the field, he orders you to rest in his chambers for a few hours.
‘Get some sleep, Grand Master,’ he says, patting you paternally on the shoulder. ‘You will need it. You ride with the Guard at dawn.’
Turn to 94.
137
You steel yourself for the impact, but you hit the flagstones with such numbing force that your preparation does little to lessen the injuries you receive to your legs and body (lose 12 ENDURANCE points). Moments later, you are hit by Nathor who comes crashing down upon your prone form. Your body softens his fall, but even so, the impact leaves him with a broken left ankle and severe cuts to his face and hands. Despite his obvious pain he manages to smile when he realizes that you are both still alive, revealing gaps where he is now missing two of his front teeth.
Using your natural Kai curing skills, you repair your internal injuries sufficiently for you to be able to stand and assist your companion. Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your hands to his injured foot (reduce your ENDURANCE score by a further 4 points). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen comes rushing from out of the gatehouse with their swords drawn. Cursing your luck, you unsheathe your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.
Castle Guardsmen (impostors): COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 48
If you win this fight, turn to 93.
138
The first spatterings of rain are dampening your shoulders as you approach the forest town's solitary inn. The smell and soft noises of horses waft from an adjoining stable, and the flickering orange light of an open fire can be seen shimmering through the bull's-eye glass of the inn's leaded windows. You halt outside the main door and stoop to read a weather-faded board that is fixed to the wall:
The Towering Pine Inn
Room & Stabling — 2 Gold Crowns per night
If you possess sufficient Gold Crowns to stay here for the night, turn to 103.
If you do not, turn to 302.
139
The Lavas veers away from you and uses its wings to deflect the Sun-crystal. With dismay you watch as the glowing crystal drops harmlessly among the rocks, below the entrance to the Shadow Gate.
Hurriedly you scramble over the jagged granite in a desperate attempt to retrieve the Sun-crystal and try again, but as you are about to stretch out and close your hand upon it, the Lavas swoops down and fixes its claws into your backpack.
Turn to 108.
140
The river track runs parallel to the Kinam for nearly a mile before bearing east and entering a coppice of tall conifers. On the far side of this cultivated wood you come to a bridge across a wide, fast-flowing tributary of the Kinam. The parapet of the bridge is lined with imposing stone statues, each depicting a p
ast lord of Scade Manor.
In the distance you can now see Castle Tranius. Its curtain wall and fortified barbican are illuminated by torches which were lit, as is the custom here, an hour before sunset. On arriving at the gatehouse, Lord Nathor and the rest of you are welcomed into the castle keep where your horses are attended to. A trio of Knight Tranius' guards come to escort you to his hall and, as you follow them to the castle's upper chambers, Nathor asks after Guetor the Boarmaster, the leader of Knight Tranius' hunt.
‘He's no longer with us,’ answers one of the guards, tersely. ‘He's gone away.’
Before Nathor can enquire further as to the whereabouts of his old hunting instructor, you are ushered into the castle's main hall and asked to wait a few minutes for Knight Tranius to arrive.
Turn to 120.
141
Swiftly you regain your footing and flatten yourself against the rocks. The granite is cold and damp against your cheek as you watch the second flight soar into the sky and fly away, heading due east.
You resume your climb quickly. When you are within thirty yards of the Shadow Gate, you draw back your arm and get ready to hurl the Sun-crystal into its inky black core. At this moment, a piercing shriek rises above the Shadow Gate's throbbing hum and, to your horror, you look up to see a Lavas diving towards your chest. Hurriedly you throw the Sun-crystal before the creature can press home its attack.