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Old 04-14-2020, 08:57 PM   #569
Abe Sargent
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Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Catonsville, MD
As you strike the fatal blow, Kekataag gives vent to a scream which rocks the foundations of Dazganon. His body falls to the floor and disintegrates into a mound of dust and rusty metal. From the core of this debris there arises a shadowy vapour which is sucked away through the porous chamber walls. You sense that it is the spirit of the defeated warrior and that as punishment for his failure, he has been consigned by Naar to eke out the rest of eternity with the other lost souls upon the Plain of Despair.

You are elated and exhausted after your hard-won victory, but this is not the time for you to rest nor celebrate your triumph. You sense that Naar is enraged that you have destroyed his latest champion, and you can feel his wrath building to a fever pitch.

(Yes I have Skarn-Ska and/or the Sommerswerd)

You run to where Alyss sits imprisoned within her sparkling force-field and, with one precise and powerful blow from your magical blade, you shatter her sorcerous prison. The anguished scream of Naar echoes through the corridors and dungeons of Dazganon. As its terrible timbre begins to rumble and fade, you are horrified to see a host of monstrous creatures burst forth from the smoky walls of the inner sanctum and close in upon you from all sides.

Freed from the constraints of her prison, Alyss is able to use the power of the Moonstone to bring into being a Shadow Gate which materializes in the floor of the chamber.

‘Come, Grand Master,’ she implores as she gets ready to step into the whirling black abyss. ‘Follow me!’

And with these words she is swallowed up by the inky abyss. Seconds later, you take a running leap and dive head-first into the Shadow Gate, escaping in her wake barely moments before a pack of screeching, gnawing, parasitic horrors engulf the place where you last were standing.


As you tumble into the dark vortex of this newly-created Shadow Gate, you see the glow of the Moonstone illuminating the silhouette of Alyss in the middle distance. Behind and above, the mouth of the gate by which you entered the abyss is rapidly shrinking. Alyss is using the power of the Moonstone once more, this time to seal the gate in Naar’s inner sanctum to prevent his fell minions from following you home to Toran.

The deeper you fall into the spiralling darkness so it seems the stronger Alyss becomes. Gripping the precious Moonstone with both hands, she extends her arms and glides easily through the whirling funnel towards you. As she draws level, you hear her speaking softly in your mind:

Thank you, Grand Master. I shall never forget what you have done for me. Had you not returned when you did I would have forfeited my freedom to the Dark God. And freedom, to me, is the most precious of things. For without freedom I would cease to be.

For a moment, the whirling frigid darkness of the Shadow Gate is illuminated brightly by the flaring rays of the Moonstone. Alyss passes the sacred artefact into your safekeeping, kisses you fondly on the cheek, and with the parting words—Farewell, Lone Wolf. Kai and Ishir should be proud. You are indeed their most worthy champion—she flashes you an impudent smile and in the blink of an eye she is gone.

Congratulations, Grand Master, for you have braved the many terrors of the Plane of Darkness and emerged triumphant, your quest fulfilled. By denying the Dark God the power of the Moonstone you have won a great and lasting victory which will help keep your world secure. Your achievement will live forever in the legends of Sommerlund, and the tales that will be told of your valiant deeds will inspire future generations of Sommlending to follow the ways of the Kai.

Your triumph over Naar paves the way for your accedence to the rank of Kai Supreme Master. It also heralds the dawning of a new age, when new challenges will arise to test the courage and bravery of your New Order Kai. Under your paternal stewardship, the first of the New Order adventures is about to begin with the return of the fabled Moonstone to the remote and mysterious Isle of Lorn. If you wish to accept the challenge of the new era, the first exciting quest awaits you in the next Lone Wolf adventure which is entitled:

Voyage of the Moonstone
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