Fox Fire the New Order Series - Page 5

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 02:42 PM

An elegant Palace courtier takes you gently by the arm and escorts you to your sleeping room on the ground floor. Upon arriving, she opens the mahogany door, bows politely, and motions you to enter. You cross the threshold and stare in amazement at this luxurious bedchamber. The courtier bids you good night and the door closes behind her without a sound.

Fine food and new clothing have thoughtfully been provided for you. You climb out of your damp and travel-stained clothes and ease yourself into the warm water of a sunken marble bath. The scented water soothes your aching limbs. After bathing, you eat before retiring to a majestic bed where you fall asleep as soon as your head touches the soft silk pillow.

You are awoken before dawn by the harmonic tinkling of a small hand bell. You open your eyes and the first thing you see is the smiling face of the courtier. With a soft and lilting voice, she tells you that Lieutenant Quang will be in the concourse in thirty minutes time. You watch as she seemingly glides out of the bed chamber and closes the door. You arise feeling better than you have felt in days. A good night’s rest and a generous helping of shameless luxuriance restore any ENDURANCE points you may have lost so far. You get dressed in your new clothes which comprise a crimson leather jacket, black breeches, sturdy black boots, and a dark green oilskin cape with a generous hood. After re-equipping yourself with your belt, Backpack, and Weapons, you leave the bedchamber and make your way to the concourse. The three Watchers are there and they bid you good morning. You have all arrived a little early and you have ten minutes to kill before Lieutenant Quang is expected. The palace courtiers bring you each a basket of freshly baked bread, cheese, and slices of veal with exotic fruits and together you eat a hurried breakfast beside the azure stream of the indoor garden before Quang arrives.

The lieutenant appears, clad in his battle dress with his badge of rank prominently displayed on his dark green cloak. He ushers you all to the Imperial stables where you collect your mounts for the journey. They are fine steeds and will serve you well. You pass through the city’s south gate just as dawn is breaking and begin the long ride to Vabou. The rain swept highway is still crowded with refugees but they quickly make way for you when they recognize Quang’s Imperial Guard insignia and you reach the village of Uzam in the early afternoon. You pass by the blacksmithy and general store and notice that both places are now closed and boarded up. You are riding past the tavern when you see Kenga, the tavern owner, appear at an open upper floor window. He looks very frightened and he is about to shout something to you when he is dragged away from the window by unseen hands.

(I investigate)

You signal to Lieutenant Quang to halt and he and the Watchers immediately obey your command. Quickly you inform them of what you have seen and they agree to investigate the tavern with you. After dismounting and securing your horses, Quang, Bai and Chao hurry around to the rear of the tavern while you and Deng force open the front door. As soon as you set foot inside the empty taproom you hear the sounds of a struggle taking place on the floor above.

Swiftly you ascend a narrow staircase that leads to the upper floor, drawing your Kai Weapon as you bound up the creaky wooden steps. Upon reaching the top of the stairs you see an open trapdoor in the ceiling directly above. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning of danger, but you have barely a second to react before a hulking grey shape drops down and slams you to the floor. The scabrous hairless grey skin of this cadaverous horror reeks of a charnel smell. Foul black fluid drips from its fanged mouth and a baleful green glow radiates from its ragged eye sockets. From the tip of the index fingers of its right hand extends a curved razor-sharp talon.

‘A Nagah Ghoul!’ screams Deng, ‘Ishir save us!’

Nagah Ghoul: COMBAT SKILL 38 ENDURANCE 38

Due to the crushing impact of the Ghoul dropping down on your shoulders and slamming you to the floor, you lose 2 ENDURANCE. It takes the first round of combat for you to get back on your feet, therefore any ENDURANCE points loss you inflict on the Nagah Ghoul in the initial round should not be deducted from its ENDURANCE total. Due to the success of its surprise attack, the Nagah Ghoul reduces your COMBAT SKILL by 5 in addition to any other damage it inflicts in the first round of combat.

The area at the top of the stairs is too narrow for Deng to be able to help you fight this ferocious enemy.

(My modified CS is still max with the adjustments. I toss a 7 and a 2. Then a 6 finishes him and I took 4 plus the earlier 2 for 6 total damage.)

Deng looks down at the decapitated head of the Nagah Ghoul in shocked disbelief. He has heard of these evil undead but he has never before seen one with his own eyes. As he struggles to retain his breakfast and regain his composure, cautiously you enter an open doorway to your left. This is the tavern owner’s living and sleeping quarters, a large room that extends the length of the building. On the floor near the open window overlooking the street is Kenga. The old man has had his throat slashed and he is lying dead in a pool of blood. On the middle finger of his right hand you see a gold signet ring and immediately your Sixth Sense detects that this is no ordinary ring.

Kenga’s Ring endows it wearer with a limited protection from evil. If you wish to take this ring and wear it, record it on your Action Chart. If you possess the maximum number of Special Items permissible (12) you must now discard one in its favour but you cannot discard the Eye of Agarash. Whenever the Eye causes you an energy drain, pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you choose is 0–5, the ring has no effect. If the number chosen is 6–9, you may reduce the effect of the energy drain by 1 ENDURANCE point.

Deng has now recovered from shock and he is standing by a window at the far end of the room. He shouts for you to come and join him. Down in the rear garden of the tavern you see Quang, Bai, and Chao locked in a desperate fight with five Nagah Ghouls. They are faring badly and are in desperate need of help.

(I take Kenga's ring)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 02:47 PM

You race down the stairs and race out into the rear garden with your Kai Weapon poised to strike. Deng follows close on your heels, notching an arrow to his bowstring and letting fly at the first target he sees. His hurried shot misses by a yard, but your sudden appearance and the whistling arrow cause the Nagah Ghouls to disengage from the fight and regroup.

Quang pulls the two Watchers back several paces. He is breathless but unharmed, but Bai and Chao have both sustained gouges to their upper arms and they are bleeding badly.

(I use KS)

You summon your mental power and launch a Mindblast into the grouped Nagah Ghouls. They shriek with pain and drop to their knees, clutching their grey misshapen heads in their oversized hands.

‘Charge!’ shouts Lieutenant Quang, and his stirring command galvanises the Watchers into action. Anxious to seize the advantage your psychic attack has provided, all five of you attack the kneeling Nagah Ghouls before they can get back on their feet.

You attack the five undead Nagah Ghouls before they can get back on their feet. Lieutenant Quang fights fiercely by your side, and the three Watchers engage those ghouls that attempt to outflank you. Your effective use of your Kai-surge Discipline has given you the combat advantage. You may ignore any ENDURANCE point losses you sustain in the first round of this fight:

5 Nagah Ghouls: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 57

You may add 6 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight, for Quang and the Watchers are supporting you throughout this battle against these deadly creatures.

If you win this combat, Quang decapitates the heads of the fallen enemy to prevent them from being reanimated by the evil energy that has kept them in an undead state for centuries. As he chops off the head of the last Nagah Ghoul with his kirusami, you feel a chilling aura radiating from the Eye of Agarash. A sudden wave of weakness drains you of 3 ENDURANCE points.

As the nausea subsides, you turn your attention to the Watchers who have all sustained wounds during the combat. By the use of your Magnakai Curing Discipline, you are able to stop their bleeding and help them quickly to recover. You sense that you must now leave this location for there are more Nagah Ghouls in the vicinity and they are heading for the tavern garden, drawn by the foul smell of the spilt blood of their slain brethren. Hurriedly, you all remount your horses and press on with your journey to Vabou without further delay.

(I take no damage from the Eye, and from combat, their +CS and the minus 3 cs from the Wardstone really push my ratio well. I toss a 8 and end combat auto.)

Soon the village of Uzam is little more than a dot on the rain swept horizon behind you. The highway ahead is filled with refugees and the column of people and wagons has slowed almost to a halt. With Lieutenant Quang in the lead, you push your way through this jam until you can go no further. When you reach the head of the stagnant column you quickly discover why the flow of traffic has ground to a halt.

You magnify your vision and, in the middle distance, you see several dozen Chagarashi have set up a road block where the highway crosses the open plain north of Vabou. They are accompanied by other creatures you have never encountered before. You inform the lieutenant of what you can see and his face drops; his worst fears have been confirmed.

‘They are sealing off the highway to prevent reinforcements from reaching Pensei from the south,’ he says, in a grave tone. ‘Some of Zashnor’s horde must have penetrated the Szuchow hills and come around our flank. We’ll not reach Vabou by the highway now. We’ll have to make a detour around this roadblock and try to get to the town before nightfall by some other way.’ Quang scours the surrounding countryside but he cannot decide which way is best to avoid the enemy.

(West. Always go left and up. West is leftish.)

Lieutenant Quang nods in agreement and you lead him and the Watchers away from the halted refugee column and ride west towards the southern end of the Szuchow hills. The grass and mixed foliage is taller and denser here than it is on the east side of the highway and you make slow progress. As your horses push on, it is as if they are wading through a thick green sea that swirls around your knees. You are little more than a mile from the hills when Quang signals everyone to halt. He has seen something suspicious and he points to it. You magnify your vision and scour the rain drenched grassland. Immediately, you spot three Chagarashi snaking their way through the foliage towards you. They are less than fifty yards away. Quang says it would be best to avoid them and you agree. He proposes that you circle around this area and attempt to enter the hills further south.

You move away from the approaching Chagarashi and steer your horses due south through the dense grassland. Once you are safely clear of the enemy, you make a gradual turn towards the west and approach the hills once more. As you walk your horses up the gentle rise that ascends towards the brow of a wide hill, your Sixth Sense alerts you to danger ahead. Immediately, you shout a warning to Quang and he signals to the Watchers to halt.

‘What is it, my Lord?’ he says, anxiously.

‘I can sense something hostile on the far side of this hill,’ you reply. ‘I fear it could be an ambush.’

Respectful of your Kai intuition, Quang tells everyone to dismount and draw weapons. He orders Chao to remain here and hold the horses while the rest of you go to the top of the hill under cover of the tall grass in order to determine what lies beyond. Crouching low, cautiously the four of you make your way to the crest of the hill. When you see the terrible scene that lies in the shallow valley beyond, it sends a cold shiver down the length of your spine.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 02:54 PM

Three refugee wagons lay overturned in the shallow basin of the valley, their contents spilled out and scattered among the tall foliage. Lying among them are the torn and bloodied remnants of many Chai civilians. It is impossible to estimate just how many refugees have been slaughtered here for none of their corpses are wholly intact. You are sickened to witness several hulking grey shapes moving about in this killing field, pausing only to snatch up and gnaw at the remains of the dead.

You magnify your vision and focus on the bloodthirsty beasts responsible that are for this slaughter. The creatures are muscular bipeds covered with coarse grey fur. A bony ridge runs from their foreheads to the base of their stunted tails and each has a mouth filled with tiger-like fangs. Some have crude axes fashioned from flint and bone with which they brutally decapitate and dismember the corpses.

‘Skarada!’ gasps Quang, in disbelief. ‘I encountered a Skarad years ago in the Voxai Swamp. I still carry the scars of that accursed creature.’

Bai and Deng are so shocked and outraged when they survey this terrible scene that they cannot suppress their anger. Vehemently, they curse the murdering bloodthirsty beasts. Lieutenant Quang hisses at them to be quiet but their curses have already reached the ears of the closest Skarada. One of them emits a piercing shriek and a dozen of its confederates respond instantly. They cease their gruesome feasting and come bounding up the slope of the hill towards your position.

(Fight!)

Quang hurriedly unshoulders his bow and commands Bai and Deng to do likewise.

‘Fire at will!’ he shouts, and the three of them unleash a flurry of arrows at the advancing Skarada. Six of the enemy fall dead or wounded before the remainder reaches the top of the hill. Two of the beasts rush at you in a frenzied attack, their bloodstained axes held poised to hack you down.

(I have a +11 exactly. I toss a 1 and then a 2 and then a 9 and they die auto. I took 5)

You step back from the bodies of your slain enemies and call to the others to retreat from the hilltop. Together you scramble down the grassy slope as fast as your legs will carry you and race back to Chao and the horses. You are the first to mount up and you must choose which direction you wish to go to get away from a second wave of Skarada that have reached the top of the hill. One of them comes racing down the slope in a desperate attempt to stop you getting away. You scan the surrounding countryside and realise that you cannot head east towards the highway; a war party of Chagarashi are now awaiting you on the grassy plain and they are determined to stop you from escaping this way.

(South to the hills)

Quang and the Watchers mount their horses and follow as you urge you horse southwards through the dense chest-high grass. A Skarad attempts to cut you off, but the smell of its foul fur spurs your horse to the gallop and it races headlong through the tangled grasses and foliage. In frustration, the Skarad hurls its axe at you and the sharp flint blade slices your upper right arm as it spins past: lose 2 ENDURANCE.

Your horse continues its flight across the rain-soaked grassland until the howls of the Skarada can no longer be heard. Quang and the Watchers catch up with you and you draw your horses in a circle to pause and assess your options. The lieutenant is anxious to press on, mindful of the need to reach Vabou before darkness. Wearily, the Watchers agree and you continue southwards across the increasingly gloomy plain. You have covered a few miles when you spot a farmstead in the distance. You magnify your vision and see that it has been abandoned; its door swings open and shut in the wind.

Quang says you should investigate it and readily you agree. The Watchers are physically and emotionally exhausted and you are all sorely in need of some rest. Upon reaching the deserted farmstead, you dismount and tie your tired horses to its fence post before entering.

You approach the open door of the farm house and enter. Having determined that this dwelling is empty, you beckon the others to join you and then you wedge the door open with a kitchen knife that is lying discarded on the floor. The interior of this dwelling shows signs of having been abandoned in a hurry. The embers of a log fire are still aglow in its stone fireplace, and the remnants of a hastily eaten meal remain on the table. You draw up a chair and seat yourself at the table, making sure you have a clear view through the open doorway to the hills beyond.

The Watchers seat themselves around the table and rest their weary heads in their hands. Quang remains standing nearby. Bai, Chao and Deng are close to tears. They have been badly affected by the massacre of the refugees. Quang tries to console them but they are consumed with grief. He reminds them that they must put duty first. Escorting you to your rendezvous place must be their first and foremost concern. By fulfilling this goal they will help bring about the swift avenging of the murdered refugees. The lieutenant’s words are inspiring and the Watchers draw strength from them. Soon they are able to compose themselves and refocus on doing their duty.

Quang is able to gather enough food from the kitchen shelves to provide everyone with a meal. As you eat in silence, you detect movement along the ridge of the distant hills. You leave the table and go to the open doorway to get a better look. It is as you suspect; a war party of Skarada are moving along the crest and they are heading in your direction.

‘They are coming!’

Your warning galvanises your companions into action. As one, they rise from the table and quickly gather their weapons and equipment. In less than a minute you are all back in the saddle and heading south, eager to avoid being caught by the murderous Skarada.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:06 PM

As you continue your ride south, the cloud and persistent rain becomes increasingly darker and heavier. The tall grassland gradually recedes and your horses are able to pick up their pace, but you are sorely aware that the easier going will also help the Skarada to track you. After an hour spent crossing the plain, you spot something in the distance that makes you call your companions to a halt. You magnify your vision and focus on the dark shape ahead.

‘What is it, my Lord?’ asks Quang, anxiously.

‘Skarada,’ you reply, uneasily. ‘Lots of Skarada.’

You can see a large formation of the creatures more than five hundred strong. They are moving towards the east and are crossing your route of escape. The lieutenant proposes that you change direction and head south-eastwards. This will put you on a course to Vabou and should enable you to reach the town ahead of the Skarada horde. You and the Watchers agree to the lieutenant’s proposal and together you set off at a brisk pace.

You reach the west gate of Vabou shortly after dark. The two sentries posted here come smartly to attention and salute the instant they recognize Quang’s Imperial Guard insignia. Hurriedly they push open the gate and you ride into the town, along the same road that you travelled two days ago when you arrived here by wagon with Anseng and Chengu. Quang takes the lead and the rest of you follow as he canters his horse along the lantern-lit road to a junction at the centre of the town. He is familiar with Vabou, having stopped here overnight on many occasions whilst travelling from Pensei to Valus to meet with the town’s military commander.

Quang crosses the junction and brings his horse to a halt before a large green-tiled two storey building with a tall bell tower. It is the house of the town elder and headquarters of the Vabou militia. You all dismount and follow the lieutenant through its ornate arched doorway. When you stride into the reception hall, you find Elder Qinlau and Militia Captain Xing seated at a large pine table heaped with parchments. They are locked in conversation. Both of them turn their heads, recognise the familiar face of Lieutenant Quang, and immediately stand up and salute him.

‘It’s an unexpected pleasure to see you again, Quang,’ says Captain Xing. ‘But what brings you here at this late hour?’

The lieutenant tells Captain Xing of your difficult journey from Pensei, your encounter with the Skarada and your discovery of the refugee massacre in the hills. Both Elder Qinlau and Xing are visibly shocked by his chilling report. Quang informs them that a large force of Skarada is heading for Vabou from the west, and he urges Xing to muster his militiamen and deploy them on the palisade wall at once. He is certain that the enemy will attack Vabou during the night.

The Captain tugs a large scroll from under the pile of documents and clears the table with one swift sweep of his arm. Quickly, he unfurls the parchment and lays it out on the bare table top. It is a detailed plan of Vabou. He motions Quang and yourself to come forward and examine it.

‘You’ll see that there are four watchtowers located in palisade wall, at the north, south, east and west corners. I have only 100 militiamen at my command, just 25 men to deploy at each of the towers and its adjoining section of wall.’

‘The Skarada will most likely attack either the west or north wall,’ says Quang, ‘I suggest you deploy 30 militiamen at each of these points, man the south and east watchtowers with 5 men apiece, and hold back a mobile reserve of 30 men ready to plug any gaps or counter any enemy that break through the walls.’ Captain Xing nods in agreement.

Lieutenant Quang asks the Captain if he may take a few minutes to speak to you and the Watchers. The Captain consents and Quang takes you and the Watchers to one side. He speaks with a hushed voice.

‘My Lord, our only hope of getting you to your rendezvous in two days’ time is if we help Captain Xing to defeat the Skarada. We all saw this afternoon that the enemy is moving in force towards this town from the west. It’s certain the first few miles of the highway to H’lau are now in their hands. If we can defeat them when they attack Vabou, we may get a chance to break out of the town and head for H’lau across the Huzang Plain. Clearly, it’s now too late to leave Vabou by the south road. If we were to try to reach Klatii in the rain and darkness, the Skarada would slay us before we’d got beyond a mile of the town’s south gate.’ You all know that Quang is correct and, as one, you consent to his proposal; you will stay and fight.

‘We will help with the defence,’ says Quang, much to Captain Xing’s relief. His militia are adequately armed, but they are not trained soldiers. They will fight hard to protect their town and their families, of this he is sure, but he is afraid they will be no match for the Skarada in close combat. It will greatly improve the odds to have a Kai Grand Master, an Imperial Bodyguard, and three able Watchers fighting alongside them. Both Xing and Elder Qinlau thank you for your help. The Captain says that your service would be best put to use where the threat of attack is greatest: at the West and North watchtowers.

(West)

Elder Qinlau sees to it that your horses are stabled here at Militia Headquarters. Meanwhile, Captain Xing writes two notes informing his militia sergeants that you and Lieutenant Quang are authorised to take command of their companies. Then he hurries away to the bell tower and rings the bell. It warns the townsfolk that Vabou is in imminent danger of attack and it calls the militia to their battle posts at the watchtowers and along the perimeter walls.

A small group of boys gather at the Militia headquarters. They are messengers who are charged with conveying written orders from Captain Xing to the militiamen. They will also carry reports back from the palisade wall to keep the Captain abreast of any changes in the situation. One of the boys is ordered to take you to the West Watchtower. Another is assigned to Lieutenant Quang and the Watchers who will go to the North Watchtower. As the boys are collecting the notes that Captain Xing has written, Quang and the Watchers bid you good luck and good hunting. You agree to meet back here after the battle, assuming the fight goes in your favour.

The messenger boy escorts through the teeming rain to the West Watchtower. When you arrive, he hands Captain Xing’s note to the sergeant in command of the men stationed here. The man’s eyes widen with surprise the moment he reads the note and realises who you are: the Slayer of Sejanoz! You instruct him to show you the watchtower and adjoining walls so that you can best deploy his company of militiamen. With pride, he takes you into the tower and up a wooden staircase that leads to the parapet walkway. You order five militiamen to man the tower and deploy the others along the palisade wall. As they hurry to get in position, you see some of the enemy horde approaching the north wall through the sheeting rain. As they come closer, your heart sinks. These Skarada are being led by six Chagarashi. In unison, the snarling horrors throw back their heads and let loose a chorus of bloodcurdling shrieks; it is the signal to attack!

Only a few of the militiamen are armed with bows and they are poor archers. They fire down on the Skarada below but with little effect. You order them to shoulder their bows, and command all of the men to keep their heads below the parapet.

‘Be ready to strike hard the moment the enemy show themselves. We must not let them take the parapet walkway!’ you shout.

The Chagarashi lead the attack on the West wall. They leap up and sink their talons deep into the logs and cling on tightly as the Skarada use them like scaling ladders. They clamber up their backs to reach the top of the parapet wall.

You unsheathe your Kai Weapon and join the militiamen crouching along the parapet walkway. The instant the clawed hands and head of the first Skarad appear above the parapet, you spring to your feet and strike.

Skarad: COMBAT SKILL 41 ENDURANCE 42

You may add +3 to your COMBAT SKILL in the first round of this combat. The Skarad is unable to retaliate in the first round as it has not cleared the wall, therefore you should ignore any ENDURANCE loss you sustain in the initial round.

(9)

Despite their lack of training, the militiamen fight with great tenacity. They slash and cleave the bone-ridged heads of the Skarada the instant they appear above the parapet and none of the enemy makes it onto the walkway alive. As the first wave of attackers retreat from the base of the wall to lick their wounds and regroup, a messenger boy appears in the watchtower’s upper doorway. His face is flushed after having run several hundred yards as fast as he can.

‘Come quickly, my Lord,’ he gasps, ‘the East wall is breached!’

You hand back command of the militia company to the sergeant and hurry after the boy, following him down the watchtower steps and out onto the paved street beyond. When you reach the junction in the middle of the town, you see another messenger boy running towards you. Close behind him are Lieutenant Quang and the three Watchers.

‘East Wall?’ shouts Quang.

‘Yes!’ you shout back.

The messengers both turn and run along Nuoshi Street which leads directly to the East Watchtower. You and Lieutenant Quang are fearful that the enemy may have circled around the town and found the weakest point in its defences. But when you reach the East watchtower, the breach in the adjoining wall and the enemy threat do not appear to be so great. A ragged smouldering hole has been blown through the lower part of the palisade, and four Skarada have gained entry to the town by this way. The bodies of the five militiamen who were posted at the tower now lie crumpled and lifeless around the feet of these snarling furry beasts. The Skarada raise their bloodstained axes and slowly stalk towards you and your companions. Quang orders the Watchers to choose their enemy and engage them in close combat. As they advance to meet the Skarada head on, you see something climbing through the charred breach in the wall. At first glance it looks like one of the townsfolk; a man clad in simple peasant’s clothes and wearing a conical straw hat. But the moment he steps away from hole and straightens up, your throat tightens and your pulse races with shock and revulsion.

It is Anseng, but he is no longer how you remember him. His face is grey and gaunt, and his eyes are now empty sockets that radiate a dull blue glow. Stiffly, he turns towards you with his cupped hands outstretched. There is a loud crack and his hands and forearms are wreathed in sparking balls of electric blue fire. Before your disbelieving eyes, these unholy spheres of flame coalesce into a glowing rod that rapidly transforms into the shape of a kirusami. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning that you are in the presence of a great evil that has taken possession of Anseng and turned him into an undead automaton. He opens his mouth as if to scream and the ghastly eyeless head of a black snake emerges from where his tongue should be. He raises his glowing kirusami and scythes the night air with several sweeping strokes. The weapon glows brighter with every stroke he makes.

(I called it. Anseng died. I do not have MM)

Anseng moves towards you, sweeping his glowing kirusami before him like a sorcerous scythe. Resolutely you unsheathe your Kai Weapon, yet as you raise it in readiness to counter his inexorable advance you are engulfed by a wave of nausea that makes you shiver and retch. Once again the Eye has activated, triggered now by the close proximity of the evil power that is driving Anseng to seek your doom: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

You retreat a few unsteady paces and struggle to suppress the tide of nausea that is sapping your strength. As if sensing your weakness, Anseng lunges forward and thrusts the glowing tip of his cursed weapon at your trembling face.

Anseng (undead): COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 50

(We have a max bonus with mindblast. I toss a 6, then a 4, then another4, then a 7. Total damage to it? 52 it died. I took 6 damage. And I was immune to the Eye)

The instant you slay Anseng, his cadaverous body is consumed by a ball of guttering blue flames. Hungrily they feed on his remains and the ball becomes larger, forcing you to retreat from its expanding power for fear of being drawn into the raging core. Abruptly, the ball transforms into a column of intense blue light that rapidly ascends into the storm clouds overhead. And then it is gone, leaving behind a heap of cold ashes on the muddy ground. Lying atop this mound is Anseng’s Kirusami. It is no longer wreathed with blue fire; it appears to have returned to its normal state.

Your Sixth Sense tells you that the aura of evil that surrounded Anseng and his weapon has now vanished. You kneel beside the ashes and place your hand upon the shaft of the Kirusami. It feels cool to the touch. Your Kai senses detect that some of its fell power still lingers in the blade, but it is insufficient to cause you harm.

Anseng’s Kirusami is a Special Item slung suspended by a thin leather strap across your back. If you already have the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must now discard one in its favour. In combat, the superior craftsmanship and balance of this Chai weapon will add 1 to your COMBAT SKILL. Moreover, the lingering power that remains in the blade of this weapon will double all ENDURANCE point damage you inflict upon undead enemies in combat. However, this power comes at a price. In the first round of combat in which you use this weapon, you will suffer an automatic loss of 3 ENDURANCE points.

(I record it. Since i have expertise in Spear, I only lose 4 CS when I use it. That means against Undead, I will always use it as I only lose one CS with the Wardstone)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:18 PM

The evil power that brought Anseng back from the dead is the same fell force that has compelled the Skarada and Chagarashi to attack Vabou this night. By slaying the undead Anseng, you have banished this force and broken the spell that has driven the creatures to assault the town walls. The Skarada that are fighting Quang and the Watchers are devastated by the sudden lifting of the spell and their nerve shatters. Desperately, they break off from the fight and scramble to escape through the hole in the palisade wall.

Quang and the Watchers let them go. They have put up a good fight against a strong enemy, but they have all sustained wounds in the combat. Using your Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you staunch their wounds and repair the gouges and punctures caused by Skarada fangs and talons. Your companions are thankful to have you on their side. As they carry out a makeshift repair on the hole in the East wall, you return to Anseng’s ashes and offer up a silent prayer to God Kai to save the soul of this brave man. You are finishing your prayer when you hear the sound of the bell tolling in the tower at militia headquarters. It is announcing victory; the battle has been won!

You return to the militia headquarters where you are greeted by a jubilant Elder Qinlau and Captain Xing. The enemy are fleeing from Vabou and the town has been spared the massacre that would surely have followed if they had broken through the palisade wall. Quang and the Watchers are exhausted and in desperate need of rest. You resolve to get some sleep here at the headquarters and leave at daybreak. Elder Qinlau provides you all with food (restore 3 ENDURANCE) before you take your leave and go to the stables. The bales of hay stored in the stables’ loft provide you with a soft bed for the night.

You wake shortly before dawn and stretch your weary limbs. Quang gets to his feet and awakens each of the snoring Watchers. A daunting ride awaits you all. You have two days in which to cover the 120 miles between Vabou and the location of the lost tracker gem. Mindful that every hour counts, you forego breakfast and mount your horses. In the grey light of dawn, the old highway that bisects the town is busy with townsfolk preparing to leave Vabou while they still can. They are afraid that the enemy will return and have decided to abandon their homes and journey to the distant town of Hi’joi. It is located south-east of Vabou, on the eastern side of the mighty River Tkukoma. They believe that they will find safe sanctuary there.

The rain has eased off overnight to be replaced by a light drizzle. It makes your journey less miserable than it has been since you first arrived in Chai four days ago. The first nineteen miles of your ride towards the village of Zang pass uneventfully. It is not until you approach your twentieth mile on the highway that your Sixth Sense warns you enemies are close. You signal to the others to stop. You stand in the stirrups and scan the surrounding countryside, but all you can see is rain-swept grassland swaying in the wind. There are no signs of the Skarada and Chagarashi that attacked Vabou last night. Satisfied that there appears to be no threat of ambush, you resume the ride towards your rendezvous point. It is not until you are twenty five miles from Vabou that the situation takes a turn for the worse.

A large group of creatures are spotted in the distance. You magnify your vision and see that they are the survivors of last night’s attack. They are blocking the highway and are spread out on either side for half a mile in both directions. You call your companions to a halt and consider the best way to avoid them. Quang suggests you try to circle around to the south, across the Huzang Plain. Bai suggests you may stand a better chance if you enter the foothills of the Szuchow Range to the north and use the cover they provide to get around them that way. Both routes will delay your journey to the rendezvous point significantly. Moreover, you’ll not be able to reach Zang before nightfall and will face having to spend a night in the open in enemy occupied territory.

You consider both suggestions and realise it is time you must face the harsh reality of your situation; you have no chance of reaching the rendezvous point in time. It is difficult having to admit this to yourself, and even more difficult having to inform your brave companions that you cannot go any further westwards. The risks of being captured or killed are simply too great.

They accept your decision in silence, their faces taut with frustration and disappointment. Having endured so much hardship and danger since leaving Pensei, they are loath to give up now. Chao is the first to speak.

‘My Lord, though it saddens me to have failed to carry out my duty to escort you to your destination, there may be another way to see you safely home. I propose we turn to the south-east and enter the Tviloi Forest. It will provide us with good cover from the enemy. My home village is Jueng and I know the forest well. We could ride to Jueng and stay there overnight. I can assure you all of a warm welcome there.’

Lieutenant Quang turns his sullen head and stares at Chao.

‘And what then? Do you have a plan that will deliver the Grand Master home safely, or do you simply long to return to your own home and to Naar with the vow you made to our Khea-khan?’

Chao begs the Lieutenant’s forgiveness and asks to be allowed to continue.

‘Sir, with respect, I will never willingly break my vow. We will stay but one night in Jueng before continuing onward to Valus. The town has a ferry that crosses the Tkukoma Estuary twice daily. I propose we catch the ferry to Dwala. My comrade Watchers and I are based in Dwala. Our headquarters are in the Tower of Ishir. We are in regular contact with Lord Rimoah’s envoy. Through him we could get word to the Elder Magi that the Grand Master is with us and they could direct Lord Rimoah to collect him there.’

Lieutenant Quang considers Chao’s proposal and his stern expression softens.

‘My apologies, Chao. I should not have been so sharp with you. It is a good plan. I approve of it. What say you, Bai and Deng?’

The other Watchers are heartened by Chao’s proposal. It offers them the chance to keep the solemn vow they made to Lao Tin. Deng is especially pleased for his home and family are in Valus and it raises his hopes of seeing them again.

‘So be it,’ says Quang. ‘We shall turn towards the Tviloi Forest and make our way to Dwala from there.’

You are relieved that your mission may yet be completed and you agree to Chao’s plan of action. But your sense of relief rapidly evaporates when you look towards the distant enemy. While you have been listening intently to Chao, you have failed to notice that several dark shapes are loping across the open plain towards you. Swiftly you magnify your vision and your heart skips a beat. At once you recognise the approaching creatures and you can hardly believe what you see: doomwolves!

‘Hurry, hurry,’ you cry, ‘we must go now, and quickly!’

(I take the hills there to our new location)

Your mind is reeling as you spur your horse to the gallop. What are doomwolves doing here in Chai? These loathsome creatures rarely venture far from the Darklands of Northern Magnamund, the Nadulritzaga Mountains of Ghatan, and the Ogshezar Mountains of Northern Skaror. It is unheard of them ever being seen in Southern Magnamund. You come to the rapid and chilling conclusion that Zashnor must be responsible. Only the sorcery of the evil Nadziran could spawn these creatures so far from their native lands.

You glance over your shoulder and are shocked to see how rapidly the doomwolves are gaining ground. In less than a minute they are among the horses, racing alongside, snarling and snapping at their haunches. You see Lieutenant Quang unshoulder his kirusami and stab one in the throat as it attempts to leap up at his horse’s head. The sharp blade slices deep into its greasy black fur and the doomwolf tumbles head over tail, mortally wounded. Another doomwolf draws alongside your horse with its fearsome jaws agape. Your frightened mount veers away and cuts across the path of two more of these loathsome creatures that are racing along to your right.

(I use AM)

You draw upon your advanced Discipline of Animal Mastery and command the doomwolf alongside you on the left to fall asleep. The creature is in a highly excited state and it resists your psychic order, but the power of your command is strong enough to fill its mind with a fog of confusion. It stumbles and nosedives into the grassland, snapping its neck as its head sinks deeply into the soft ground. Startled by its sudden death, the two doomwolves on your right ease back and you are able to quickly outpace them.

Quang and the Watchers skilfully shake off and outdistance their pursuing doomwolves and together you plunge through the tree-line of the Tviloi Forest. At first the pines are widely spaced and you maintain your fast pace with relative ease. However, this sparse border also makes it easy for a determined handful of doomwolves to maintain their pursuit. The rumble of distant thunder and flashes of sheet lightning herald the return of heavy rain. This sudden change in the weather works to your advantage, dampening the scent of your horses and making it harder for the remaining doomwolves to track you. At length you come to a denser part of the forest that forces your mounts to slow their pace. It is criss-crossed with several narrow but deep gullies. You work your way around these fissures until you arrive at one that is much longer than the others. It stretches across your path and, at first glance, there appears to be no way to traverse it.

‘Over there!’ shouts Quang, pointing along the gully towards the east. He has spotted a dead pine that has fallen across this narrow ravine. Its trunk spans the yawning gap and provides a natural bridge to the far side.

Quang takes the lead and you follow him in single file as he steers his horse safely across the fallen pine. When you reach the far side, you hear the ominous growl of a doomwolf close behind. The pack leader and three of its foul brothers are in hot pursuit. They have already reached the middle of the tree bridge and will soon be upon you unless you can do something to halt their swift and determined advance.

( I use Elemenalism)

You draw upon the power of your Grand Master Discipline to loosen the earth beneath the fallen pine at the edge of the gully. It crumbles and the top of the tree trunk sinks with it, falling away into the deep ravine. With a chorus of terrified howls, the doomwolves tumble off the trunk and plummet to their doom at the base of the ravine, one hundred feet below.

Quang and the Watchers are greatly impressed by the way in which you have dealt with the doomwolves. They punch the air and shout in unison: ‘Paizar!’

You smile and nod your head in acknowledgement of their generous praise. As the echo of their cheer fades away among the surrounding trees, you feel a sudden wave of weakness coursing through your body. It makes your stomach churn and leaves you gasping for breath. Once again, the Eye of Agarash has activated and this time it drains you of 5 ENDURANCE.

Wiping a trickle of cold sweat from your brow with the back of your trembling hand, you swallow hard and quickly reassure your companions that you are fit to continue.

(Again, no damage!)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:21 PM

Quang takes the lead and you follow him in single file through the forest on a south-easterly course. You make steady progress until the stormy grey light of day surrenders to the approaching dark of night. You are all very hungry for you have not eaten a thing since you awoke early this morning. The storm has abated but the rain has become heavier during your long afternoon ride, and Quang is sorely aware of the need to find safe shelter, somewhere dry where you can eat, rest, and recover your flagging strength.

In the failing light, he spots a place that looks promising. It is a cave-like opening in the side of a wooded knoll. He calls you to come forward in the line and determine if it is safe to enter. You focus your Sixth Sense and at once you know that there is nothing hazardous lurking beyond the opening.

‘All clear,’ you tell him.

‘We’ll camp here for the night,’ says Quang, and he orders the Watchers to dismount and tether the horses to the trees close to the opening.

As they carry out his order, you and he inspect this natural shelter. Beyond the opening you discover a room-sized cavity that is suitable for your needs. Bai and Chao prepare a small fire and you help Quang and Deng to clear the ground and prepare a communal meal from the provisions you are carrying in your backpacks. If you have a Meal in your backpack you must now erase it and give it to Quang. If you do not have a Meal, you go and gather edible roots, fungi, and berries from the immediate vicinity.

Bai proves himself to be a good cook and the meal he prepares is very nutritious. When you finish your meal, you agree to remain on guard for one hour each while the others get some much needed sleep. You volunteer to take first watch.

You settle yourself down at the entrance to the shelter and draw your oilskin cape close around you. The warmth of the small campfire helps to dull the persistent chill of the satchel containing the Eye of Agarash. As you stare out into the darkness of the forest and listen to the sounds of its nocturnal animals, you reflect on the events of the day. Your unexpected encounter with the doomwolves plays on your mind. You have no doubts that Nadziran Zashnor is responsible for their presence here in Chai and it reveals to you that this evil sorcerer is a formidable adversary. If it can deploy doomwolves this far south in Chai, you wonder how many other Darklands beasts it has at its command to let loose on Pensei and secure its capture. You feel a pressing need to inform Lord Rimoah of this, but it is now impossible for you to return to the tracker-gem and be there in time for his return aboard the Comet.

( i try to use Telegnosis to reach out to Rimoah)

You close your eyes and draw deeply upon your Grand Master Discipline in an effort to establish a telepathic link with Lord Rimoah. You focus and strain your Discipline to the limit, but try as you may you are unable to make direct mind contact with him. After several fruitless and tiring attempts, you resign yourself to the fact that he is somewhere beyond the range of your telepathic ability. The mental energy you expend leaves you feeling emotionally and physically drained: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.

You finish your watch and enter the shelter to awaken Chao; he is the next in line for guard duty. He rubs his eyes and takes his place at the entrance. You settle down on the ground where he lay and drift off into a deep sleep.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:28 PM

It is still dark when Quang wakes you up. The glowing embers of the campfire illuminate the interior of the shelter with a dull amber light by which you and the Watchers are able to gather your equipment and make ready to leave.

Bai and Chao venture outside and go forage for some edible foliage with which to feed the horses. There are plentiful puddles of rainwater and Quang makes sure the horses drink their fill before Bai and Chao return. Dawn has broken by the time the horses have finished feeding and you mount up and begin your woodland journey to the village of Jueng.

It is mid-morning when you happen upon an old hunting track. It is mostly overgrown with foliage, but it provides you with a south-easterly route through the forest which is easy to follow. The rain stops and your woodland ride is blessedly uneventful. The forest is rich with berries, nuts, and edible flora that are sufficient to sustain you and your companions throughout the day. Shortly before dusk you come to a wide and muddy highway. Bai and Chao recognize this road at once for it connects the town of Klatii with the village of Jueng. They have travelled this highway many times in their youth. Bai, who was born and raised in Klatii, remembers that there was an old woodsman’s hut near here, just a mile or two to the south in the direction of Jueng. He leads you to it and you spend the night here before setting off to Jueng at first light.

The journey to Jueng village is completed without any delays or unforeseen complications. The muddy highway makes the going easy, despite the worsening weather. Heavy cloud and torrential rain accompany you throughout on your long ride. You reach the outskirts of Jueng shortly before nightfall. Chao can hardly contain his joy when he sees the lantern lights of his home village aglow in the distance. He has been away from his family for more than a month.

Upon entering this pretty Chai settlement, Chao invites you all to come and stay at his house overnight. Lieutenant Quang thanks him for his generosity, but he is hesitant to accept his kind offer. He knows that Chao’s house is small and his family is large. He does not want to cause any inconvenience to his wife and five children. He proposes you all vote for your preference: stay with Chao and his family, or seek accommodation for the night at the village inn. Chao, of course, wants to stay at his family home. Bai, too, is in favour of this. But Quang and Deng prefer to stay at the inn. This leaves you to cast the deciding vote.

(Stay!)

Quang and Deng accept your decision with good grace. Chao is delighted and eagerly he leads you along the main street to his modest home on the eastern edge of the village. You dismount and tether your horses beneath an open-sided shelter at the side of the two-storey house. Chao leads you around to the front door and knocks four times. You hear the sound of scurrying feet and the door swings open. Before you stands Shen-Yin, Chao’s wife. She beams with delight when she sees her husband and throws herself into his open arms. She is clearly overjoyed by his unexpected return. Chao motions you to enter and you go through into a parlour where five young children are sitting in a circle on the pine wood floor in front of a brick fireplace. They are happily playing with their toys. They look at you with quizzical expressions, but when they see their father in the doorway behind they leap to their feet and rush to embrace him.

Shen-Yin relinquishes her hold on Chao and welcomes you to their home. With some difficulty, Chao gently extricates himself from the grip of his excited children and introduces you to his wife. Bai needs no introduction for he has visited here many times in the past. Chao tells Shen-Yin that you are bound for Valus on imperial business and that you can only stay here overnight. She is understandably disappointed to hear that her husband will be home for such a short time, but she puts on a brave face and draws comfort from the fact that they are together again, albeit briefly. She gathers the children and shoos them upstairs so that you have the parlour to yourselves. Then she disappears into the kitchen to prepare some tea and food for you all.

After a simple but reviving meal and copious cups of tea, Chao and Shen-Yin retire upstairs leaving you and the others to sleep on the parlour floor. There is not much room but you are all thankful to be out of the rain and in warm home on this bleak and stormy night. You fall asleep with ease but you do not rest easily. You are haunted by dreams filled with sinister shadowy images and premonitions of impending loss. Thrice you awaken during the night, drenched in cold sweat, and each time you do you find it hard to go back to sleep. Due to your poor night’s sleep and the chilling nightmares you have suffered, you lose 2 ENDURANCE.

Chao wakes you all up at dawn. While you are checking your equipment and preparing for another long day in the saddle, Shen-Yin prepares breakfast and brings it to you in the parlour. While you are eating, Quang tells you that it is a thirty mile ride from here to Valus and he wants to reach the town by late afternoon. You finish your food while listening to the sounds of the children playing in their room above. When the time comes to leave, Quang, Bai, and Deng go and feed the horses while you and Chao help Shen-Yin to clear away the breakfast dishes. You bid her thanks and walk to the front door to go and assist the others. Chao holds his doting wife in a warm and loving embrace and assures her that he will return soon. You are touched by the deep affection they have for each other. Quietly, you exit the door and see Quang leading two horses, yours and Chao’s, out of the shelter by their reins. You climb into the saddle and hold Chao’s horse alongside. Soon you are joined by Quang, Bai, and Deng astride their mounts and patiently you wait for Chao to appear. After a few minutes, Quang calls out:

‘It’s time to go, Chao!’

The door opens and Chao and his wife share a final embrace in the doorway before Chao, sheepishly, bids a final farewell to his wife and climbs into the saddle. With a wave, Shen-Yin bids you goodbye and Godspeed as you set off along the highway heading east from Jueng.

It is shortly before midday when you come to a wooden bridge that carries the highway across a swollen stream. On the other side of the bridge is a farmstead surrounded by a split pine fence. Chao informs you that this farmstead belongs to his wife’s brother, Genzu. It comprises a farm house, a large barn, and several small outhouses and pig pens. It seems to be deserted and Chao says this is very odd. Genzu employs more than twenty farmhands and this place is usually very busy, even when the weather is bad.

Lieutenant Quang decides to take a closer look. He has a strong feeling that something is amiss. You ride through a gap in the fence and along a muddy track that leads directly to the farm house and barn. Chao calls out to Genzu but he gets no reply.

‘Maybe he’s in the barn,’ he says, and he trots his horse towards its open double doors. Quang tells Bai to go and see if anyone is inside the farm house. Bai dismounts and hands the reins of his horse to Deng before running across the muddy ground towards the farm house door.

‘No sense us standing out here in the rain,’ says Quang, and he motions you to follow him to the barn. Chao is searching the lower part of the barn when you ride in. You see that there is an expansive loft overhead that occupies the apex of the roof and is stacked with bales of straw. You dismount and join Chao to look for anything that could explain why the farm has been abandoned. Meanwhile, Quang and Deng climb the ladder that leads to the hay loft.

You are searching along the west side of the barn, close to the timber planked wall, when you catch something moving out of the corner of your eye. Through a gap in the planks, you see several figures approaching. At first you think it could be Genzu and his farm hands returning from the potato fields, but when you press your face to the gap and magnify your vision you are shocked by what you see.

‘Skarada!’ you cry. ‘To the west. And closing fast!’

Your warning chills the hearts of Quang and the others. As they hurry to peer through gaps in the plank wall, Bai comes running into the barn shouting.

‘Skarada! And Chagarashi too!’

(I have AM and a high level of skill)

You focus your improved Grand Master Discipline at the nearest Chagarashi and order it to halt. The creature shudders as the power of your command grips it like a steel vice. For a few moments, the accompanying Skarada stop dead in their tracks and regard the frozen creature with looks of bewilderment. Then they growl with disdain and continue their advance. They split into two groups and come rushing around the sides of the barn. The moment they disappear from your view, you shout to the others:

‘Let’s get out of here!’

Quang and the Watchers rush to their horses. Rapidly, you mount your horse and spur him towards the open doors. You are halfway across the barn when two Chagarashi appear in the open doorway and throw their arms wide. They spread their sinewy fingers and their razor-sharp talons glint in the dull light. They are attempting to block your escape.

You are almost upon them when your horse rears up in fright. The Chagarashi seize this opportunity and leap forward to attack.

2 Chagarashi Scouts: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 45

You struggle to control your terrified horse throughout this combat. Its wild and erratic movement makes it hard for you to strike these enemies with precision. Deduct 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight.

(I need to use MB to get my +11 back! I toss a 3, and then another 3, then a 4 and a 7. They die and I took 7 total damage)

The smell of spilt Chagarashi blood makes your horse whinny with fear. You draw on your Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control to calm him, and you rally Quang and the Watchers with a stirring battle cry you know they will respond to: ‘For Chai!’

The Skarada are now fast closing in around the open barn doors. They are armed with flint axes and long-bladed bone daggers. You dig your heels into your horse’s flanks and jolt him forward in a desperate effort to escape before the Skarada can block the exit. Your horse is back under your control and he responds at once to your actions. He bolts through their closing ranks and you gallop away along the muddy farm track. Quang and the Watchers follow in your wake. The snarling Skarada slash and stab at them as they race out of the barn, forcing to them run a deadly gauntlet before they can get away.

You come to the end of the farm track and turn your horse to the east. When you look back towards the barn, you are relieved to see that all of your companions have escaped and are galloping along the track towards the farm entrance. By the time the Skarada reach the farm’s split pine fence, you are all racing along the highway in the pelting rain with your heads down and your cheeks pressed close to your horses’ necks.

Only when you can no longer see the farmstead and the Skarada do you signal to Quang and the others to bring their horses to a halt. Your mounts are breathless and their sweaty flanks steam in the pouring rain. Your companions, too, are weary. They slump in their saddles and struggle to regain their composure. Quang comes forward and halts his horse alongside yours.

‘That … was a close thing,’ he says, gasping for breath. ‘We’ve you to thank for getting us out of that barn alive.’

Then you hear a loud splash behind you and immediately you sense that something awful has happened.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:35 PM

Chao has fallen from his saddle and he is lying face down in a large puddle. Quickly, you all dismount and hurry to drag him out of the water before he drowns. Deng rolls him over and slaps him twice but he does not respond.

‘He’s not breathing,’ he says, anxiously.

You place your hands on Chao’s throat and forehead and draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Curing to transmit healing warmth into his body.

‘My Lord, look!’ gasps Bai. He is pointing at the rain-drenched ground where Chao is lying. The surface water is turning red. You pull open Chao’s rain cape and you are shocked to see that the left side of his tunic is soaked with blood. You rip open the tunic and find a puncture wound in the side of his chest. It was made by the thrust of a stiletto bone dagger when he ran the Skarada gauntlet. Desperately, you try to seal the wound but it is too late to save Chao. He is dead.

The terrible realisation that Chao has passed away hits Bai and Deng like a sledgehammer. Their faces crumble and they begin to shiver and sob uncontrollably. Tears run freely down their cheeks as sorrow overwhelms them. Lieutenant Quang is also deeply affected by Chao’s death. He has fought many battles and lost more than his fair share of friends and comrades, but Chao was a brave and decent man, a loving husband and a good father whom he had come to respect and admire. He did not deserve to die like this.

You wrap Chao in his cape and raise the hood. Then you and Quang gently lift his body off the highway and lay it across the saddle of his horse. Quang secures him with rope while you try to console Bai and Deng. They are beside themselves with grief and cannot hear your comforting words. Nothing you can say will bring Chao back.

Quang pulls Deng to his feet and leads him by the hand to his horse. Then he does the same with Bai. You and Quang help the Watchers to mount up and all the while not a word is spoken. You gather up the reins of Chao’s horse and tie them to the back of your saddle and, in silence, you leave this miserable stretch of highway and push on towards Valus in the pouring rain.

You reach Valus late in the afternoon. There is a constant rumble of thunder and thick black clouds hang heavy above the Tkukoma Estuary. Frequent flashes of forked lightning are making the waters seethe and churn. Quang leads you through the arched west gate and along a wide paved avenue to a crenelated building located at the heart of this large and busy town. It is a Chai army headquarters and barracks. He shows his rank insignia to the sentries on guard at the gate to the cavalry stables and you are permitted to enter. It is good to be out of the rain at last. You dismount and the stable hands come forward to take your horses. One of them approaches Chao’s horse but Bai steps in his way and refuses to let him to touch his fallen comrade. He turns to Quang and begs him to be allowed to take Chao back to Jueng at first light. He feels it is his duty to be the one who delivers the sad news to Shen-Yin, and it is only right and proper that Chao should be buried in the village where he was born, raised and had lived for all his life. Quang takes Bai to one side and they talk for several minutes. When they return, Quang informs you and Deng that he has consented to Bai’s request. He will remain here in the stables with Chao’s body this night and ride back to Jueng tomorrow morning. Lieutenant Quang says that you must now leave and go in search of a way to reach Dwala, which is located on the east side of the Tkukoma Estuary. Before you go, you bid a sad farewell to Bai and say a silent prayer to God Kai to watch over Chao’s soul and keep it safe from the evil of Naar, King of the Darkness.

You leave the cavalry stables on foot and enter the grand central square of Valus. Several streets and avenues converge at this point. Quang says that you should head for the banks of the estuary but he is unfamiliar with the waterfront precinct of the town. He asks Deng, who is a native of Valus, to suggest the best route to take. The Watcher stares at the flagstones and does not respond. He is still deeply shocked by Chao’s death and is lost in grief. Quang turns to you and asks if your Kai skills can be used to determine the best way to go. A signpost in the middle of the square points to three streets that lead off in an easterly direction towards the Tkukoma Estuary.
Halfway along Xo-lin Avenue is a small apothecary shop. Its front window is crowded with glass flasks, stoppered jars and conical shaped bottles filled with colourful potions, herbs and all manner of medicaments. Quang is fascinated by the window display and insists that you enter.

Inside you are greeted by the apothecary and his brother, the co-owners of this shop. With welcoming smiles they invite you to browse their wares. Quang purchases a flask of Senara Tea and he makes Deng drink it. The soothing liquid will help him to recover from his state of shock. While he is administering the tea to Deng, you inspect the shelves and take note of the following potions with which you are familiar:

Potion of Laumspur: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns). Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat.
Potion of Alether: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns). Adds 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat.
Potion of Malavan: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Increases the effect of Mindblast, Psi-surge and Kai-surge, by adding 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat.
Tincture of Sabito Root: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns). Sabito Root is only to be found in the Boari Jungle of Valerion. It is rare in Chai. It enables the human body to extract oxygen from water through the skin, thus permitting anyone who swallows it to ‘breathe’ underwater.

You may buy any of the four potions shown above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will each take up one space. You are under no obligation to make a purchase.

When Deng has finished the flask of Senara Tea, you bid thanks to the shop owners and leave. Soon you reach the end of Xo-lin Avenue and enter the quayside area. The churning waters of the estuary stretch out before you. Because of the heavy rain and failing light, you cannot see across the estuary to the opposite bank and have no way of judging how wide it is at this point. There is a ferry post close by and the ferry boat to Dwala is moored at the quay. You approach it, hoping that you are in time to catch the dusk crossing, but you find that access to this part of the quay has been chained off. A sign hanging from the chain says: Ferry cancelled due to weather.

Directly opposite the quay is a large three-storey building. The ornate sign fixed above its front door says: Ferry House Inn.

(Let's head to Ferry House Inn. I am good on items)

You push open the front door and immediately you are struck by the sweet aroma of Lissanian tobacco smoke that clouds the air of the inn’s spacious, high-ceilinged taproom. There are more patrons here than you were expecting to find at this hour. Quang wends his way through them and you follow him in single file to the rear of the crowded taproom. Fortunately, you find a table where three men are preparing to leave. You take their seats, remove your backpacks, and stow them between your feet where you can keep a watchful eye on them. A serving girl emerges from the crowd and asks you what you would like to order. Quang requests three ales and food enough for all of you. She nods politely and disappears back into the throng of chattering customers. While you are waiting for her to return, you listen to snippets of conversations and learn that some of the patrons have been here for three days. They are waiting for the storms to abate and the ferry service to Dwala to resume its normal service.

At length, the girl returns with three pewter tankards of ale and a large plate heaped with cuts of cold meat and peeled vegetables. Quang pays her and she gives him three small parchment envelopes, six slips of yellow paper and a stick of sharpened charcoal. While you are enjoying your meal, a gong is stuck three times and a hush descends upon the taproom. The innkeeper climbs onto the counter and addresses his patrons in a loud voice:

‘My dear ladies and gentlemen. I am proud to introduce to you one of Chai’s most celebrated riddlers. Please welcome the wonderful, the amazing, the confusing and confounding Madam Dai-zia!’

The patrons applaud and an elderly woman, swathed in a flamboyant robe of turquoise and gold silk, is lifted onto the counter by the innkeeper’s twin sons. The innkeeper hands her a large hourglass which carefully she sets down on the counter beside her feet, then she smiles and bows graciously to the appreciative crowd. As the applause fades, she addresses them in a warm maternal tone.

‘Thank you, thank you, most kind. This evening I have prepared for you a special riddle. Please listen carefully and then wager generously.’ There is a soft ripple of laughter among the patrons before Madam Dai-zia clears her throat and begins.

Long, long ago, there lived a beautiful princess who yearned for a handsome and intelligent husband. She had many suitors. Some were handsome, some were intelligent, but woefully few were both these things. She was herself very intelligent indeed. And so she devised this riddle to test the mental mettle of the men who so desired to win her affections and take her for their bride.

She had three toa wood boxes which were identical in size. Each one was painted a different colour and each one had a different inscription on the lid. Into one of these boxes she placed a wedding ring. To every suitor who presented himself she posed the same question. Based solely on the inscriptions, she asked them to choose in which box the wedding ring was hidden.

She told them that at least one of the inscriptions was true and at least one of the inscriptions was false.

The inscription on the Gold Box read: ‘The ring is not in the Silver Box’.

The inscription on the Silver Box read: ‘The ring is not in this Box’.

The inscription on the Bronze Box read: ‘The ring is in this Box’.

Please consider your answer carefully. The innkeeper and his sons will come and collect your wagers in three minutes’ time.

The moment Madam Dai-zia finishes her last sentence, the innkeeper turns the hourglass and the sand begins to flow.

The innkeeper will double any money that is wagered by those who solve this riddle. Your answer must be written on one of the two yellow paper slips and placed in the parchment envelope along with your wager. On the face of the envelope you must inscribe a symbol. On the second slip of paper you must inscribe the same symbol that you made on the face of the envelope. This second slip must be kept safely. If your answer is correct you will have to show this slip. If the symbol does not match any of the winning envelopes then you cannot lay claim to your winnings.

Now you must decide how much you wish to wager on this riddle. If you do not have any Gold Crowns, Lieutenant Quang will lend you 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns) which you must use to make a wager. You cannot refuse to bet on the answer to this riddle. Everyone in the taproom is obliged to make a bet.

Deduct from your Belt Pouch the number of Gold Crowns you wish to wager. Make a note of this deduction in the margin of your Action Chart. If you deduce the answer correctly you may add double this number of Gold Crowns to the money in your Belt Pouch. If you do not answer correctly, you will lose the Gold Crowns you wager.

(10 gold on Gold Box)

Congratulations, your answer is correct. The Wedding Ring must be in the Gold Box otherwise all the inscriptions would either be true or false. You can now double the Gold Crowns you wagered and add them to your Belt Pouch.

(I have 26 crowns)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:43 PM

Once the puzzling is done and the successful wagers have all been paid out, the taproom settles down and the patrons resume their drinking and convivial conversations. Quang and Deng both won their wagers, but it does little to lift Deng’s sullen mood. The innkeeper leaves his counter in the capable hands of his two sons and comes out to mingle with his customers. The storms have been good for business and he is in high spirits. When he passes by your table, Quang stops him and asks if he has any room for the night.

‘I’m sorry, my Lord,’ he replies. ‘We’re completely full. Even my attic and stables are occupied tonight.’

‘Do you know if anyone is crossing the estuary before nightfall?’ asks Quang.

‘Not if they know what’s best for them. There’ve been no boats on the waters for the past three days. The ferry is closed and the fishermen are all safely tucked up at home. Well, those that aren’t in here that is!’

With each passing minute new customers enter the inn until the taproom is bursting at the seams.

‘It’s time to leave,’ says Quang. ‘There little chance we’ll find anyone who’ll take us to Dwala in here.’

You gather your backpacks and leave the overcrowded inn by way of its back door. An alleyway runs alongside the building and you use it to return to the quayside.

You walk along the quayside, scouring every vessel that is tied up here. Most are firmly tethered to cast iron moorings and shrouded with oilskin tarpaulins. You find only one that appears to be in a ready state to depart. Its owner is fixing its mooring rope when you approach.

‘Hail, sir,’ says Quang. ‘Would you be prepared to take us across the estuary to Dwala?’

The boatman regards the Lieutenant with a look of incredulity.

‘Some say I’m a little bit mad. But I’m not that mad. What you propose it nothing less than suicidal!’

(we'll pay!)

‘There’s not enough Ren in all of Chai that would make me go out into the estuary today,’ says the boatman, shaking his head. The waters can be treacherous even at the best of times, especially in the middle of the channel.

‘How much to buy your boat?’ asks Quang.

‘More than you can afford,’ he retorts. ‘This boat is my livelihood. But I tell you what, I’ll take 5,000 Ren for it.’

‘The price you are asking is preposterous,’ says Quang. ‘I could buy ten boats like this for that sum.’

‘Hah!’ snorts the boatman. ‘Then I suggest you go and do that!’

You continue along the quayside. Your hopes of finding a boat and a boatman willing to take you across the estuary are fading fast until Quang spots something in the distance that raises your flagging spirit. It is a small brick built cabin with a roof of thick red tiles.

‘That’s the Coast Guard station,’ he says, and he marches towards it at a brisk pace. Inside you find the Quay Master seated at his desk. He is hunched over a detailed map of the Tkukoma Estuary with a mug of steaming jala cupped in his hands. Quang asks him if he has any Coast Guard boats operational in the estuary and the thin-faced Quay Master snorts with derision.

‘In this weather? Not likely!’

‘Then by the power vested in me by Khea-khan Lao Tin, I am commandeering one of your boats,’ replies Quang, officiously, and he shows the Quay Master his insignia of rank. The man looks at his insignia, then he looks at you and Deng and he bursts out laughing.

‘I am not joking,’ retorts Quang. ‘I demand you let me inspect your fleet.’

‘My fleet?’ replies the Quay Master, chuckling under his breath. ‘Very well, I’ll show you my fleet. Follow me.’

You leave the Coast Guard station and follow the Quay Master along the quayside to a small rowing boat tethered by a rope to an iron ring in the wall.

‘There, that’s my fleet. All that’s left of it that is. You’re welcome to commandeer it if you wish.’

The Quay Master turns on his heel and marches back to his station, laughing and shaking his head all the way. You look down at the rowing boat and your heart sinks. It is a sturdily built craft but there is only enough room for two. If the three of you were to attempt to cross the stormy estuary in this tiny boat it would surely capsize. Quang places his hand on Deng’s shoulder and the Watcher raises his head and looks unblinkingly into the Lieutenant’s steely eyes.

‘I am discharging you of your duties, Deng,’ he says. ‘You have served loyally and bravely and I will commend you to the Khea-khan. Return to the cavalry barracks and join with Bai. Accompany him on his ride back to Jueng tomorrow.’

Deng nods his head and salutes the Lieutenant. He wishes you both good luck before he leaves the quayside and walks away into the teeming rain. You watch him go. He does not look back.

‘It is best he goes with Bai tomorrow,’ says Quang. ‘If they should run into the enemy during their journey, they’ll stand a better chance of surviving than if Bai were to go alone.’

‘It will be hard on them to tell Shen-Yin that she has lost her husband,’ you reply.

‘Yes … yes it will,’ says Quang, his voice tinged with bitter sadness. ‘Her husband … and her sister too. When I spoke with Bai at the stables, he told me that when he searched the farm house next to the barn, he found the bodies of Shen-Yin’s sister and her husband. Both had been murdered by the Skarada.’

‘This is so sad,’ you reply, ‘I pray that Ishir will give her strength to bear her grievous loss.’

Quang walks to the edge of the quay and loosens the rope securing the rowboat.

‘Perhaps we should wait until the storm abates,’ you say.

‘There’s no chance of any improvement in this foul weather,’ replies Quang. ‘We could be waiting here for days. It’s not uncommon for it to be stormy at this time of the year, but I’ve never known anything like this. I fear there are dark forces in play. We must reach Dwala and you must deliver the Eye to the Elder Magi as soon as possible. The crossing will be difficult but it will not be impossible. We must place our trust in God Kai to see us through to the other side, and we must be away at once. It’s now or never.’

You step into the boat and set the oars into the rowlocks. Quang casts off and you commence your voyage out into the treacherous waters of the Tkukoma Estuary.

(I use Elementalism)

You call upon your advanced Discipline to create a sphere of calm air around the boat. It helps you to leave the quayside, but its effect is all too short lived.

The waters seethe and roil around your boat. Huge waves crash together and drench you as valiantly you struggle to reach the far side. Blinding blue-white forks of lightning streak from the black clouds above and stab the tortured waters all around. It is impossible to steer; all you can do is row hard and pray you will survive this terrifying voyage.

You are nearing the middle of the channel when a bolt of lightning strikes the churning surface close by. The discharge of its electrical energy jolts and numbs your aching arms: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. Quang is worse affected and he loses a grip of his oar. It is torn from his grasp and whisked away on the howling wind. Shock has rendered him unconscious and turned his skin pale grey. He slumps forward, and as you reach to pull him back onto the seat, the boat is hoisted on the crest of a tremendous wave and catapulted skywards.

(I use KA and a high enough rank)

The boat tumbles stern over bow and you are hurled into the raging waters. You plunge deep into the watery abyss, dragged down by the strong currents and the weight of your weapons and equipment. You intone the words of the Brotherhood Spell Breathe Water and the crushing pain in your lungs recedes when you begin to absorb oxygen through your skin. With your strength fast returning, you fight your way up from the depths and back towards the surface.

You break the surface gasping for air. Mercilessly, the raging waves toss you around like a rag doll.

Your Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship tells you which direction is north, and from this intuitive knowledge you determine the direction of east and swim as best you can on this course.

Your fight to reach the eastern bank of the estuary whilst in the grip of the raging waters becomes a desperate combat against the elements. You must fight them as you would any enemy that is trying to kill you.

Tkukoma Estuary: COMBAT SKILL 34 ENDURANCE 50

Resolve the outcome of this combat using the Combat Rules. You may not add any bonuses you would normally benefit from by the use of your Kai Weapon, normal weapons, or any psychic attacks. You must also reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of this ordeal.

(I have a +11. I toss a 8 and win)

Once you are beyond the treacherous currents at the middle of the estuary, swimming through the heaving waves and lightning strikes seems easier by comparison. Several times you magnify your vision and scan the churning waters, looking for any sign of Lieutenant Quang, but it is a futile effort. The waters are too rough and dusk is fast turning to night.

You glimpse a shimmer of lights ahead and you strike out for them in the hope it is the city of Dwala. The flow of the estuary waters push you away from the lights and you are exhausted by the time you reach the muddy eastern shore. You crawl through the mud and collapse unconscious several yards from the tempestuous waters.

When you regain consciousness, every muscle in your body aches and your vision is blurry. Gradually, you recover enough strength and vision to struggle wearily to your feet and survey your surroundings. You have come ashore a mile south of Dwala. The city lights shimmer in the darkness, enticing you towards them. You stumble up the gradient of the shore and find firmer ground that is covered with grass, shrubs, and reeds. You stop to stare back at the raging waters of the estuary and you pray to Ishir to save the lost Lieutenant.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 03:54 PM

(I use Grand Hunt)

Amongst the foliage you recognise some Alether plants. Their usually shiny orange berries have become spoiled by excessive rainfall and most of the ones you find are dull brown and mildewed. You are able to gather a handful that has not been spoiled, enough for one dose. When swallowed before combat, Alether will increase your COMBAT SKILL by 2 for the duration of the combat.

You keep the Alether Berries in your jacket pocket. Make a note of them and their effect in the margin of your Action Chart as they do not take up any space in your backpack.

( I take them!)

You scan the darkened countryside and detect a highway less than a mile away to the east. The city of Dwala lies north-east of your present location.

(Highway)

ou trudge across waterlogged grassland to reach the muddy highway. This road connects Dwala with the coastal port of Czantai to the south. Its surface is deeply rutted, a consequence of the heavy wagons that travel this trade road every day. Approaching from the south you see a covered wagon drawn by four horses. Glowing latticed lanterns hang from its four corners and the blue and gold emblem of the port of Czantai is displayed on both sides of its canvas roof.

(Let the wagon pass)

Frequent bolts of lightning illuminate the muddy highway as you trudge the final mile to Dwala’s south gate. Upon arriving at the gate, a guard steps from his sentry post and demands you pay the night entry toll. Passage in and out of the city is free during the hours of daylight, but after dark a toll of 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) is imposed on all non-residents wishing to enter, and 10 Ren (1 Gold Crown) on all those wanting to leave.

(I have 24 crowns)

The guard pockets your crown, but he does not step aside to allow you to pass through the gate. He looks you up and down and then tells you to pull back the hood of your oilskin rain cape.

(I use Assimilance)

You use your Grand Master Discipline to alter your facial features so that you look like a Chai native. The guard is now satisfied that you are not a foreign agent, possibly on a mission of murder or sabotage, and he steps aside and allows you to pass through the south gate.

Beyond the South Gate is a large flagstoned plaza, bordered by several shops that sell clothing, groceries, fine art, curios and musical instruments. At the centre of the plaza stands a marble statue of Khea-khan Zha-zhing, Lao Tin’s father, surrounded by a pool of crystal clear water. Most of the shops are closing for the night and their owners are pulling down the shutters on their windows and front doors, but there is one that is still open for business. It is located close to the South Gate and the sign above the door says Pau Ping’s Potions and Lotions. There are three streets which converge at the plaza: Drauzhi Street, South Avenue and N’kow Lane.

(Potions and Lotions!)

This shop is run by Pau Ping, an old apothecary who has lived in Dwala all his life. He greets you with a broad smile when you walk through his door. Pau Ping buys, sells, and prepares all manner of potions and healing medicaments. He invites you to browse his shelves. Most of his wares are ointments for soothing aching muscles and treating minor skin complaints, but there are a few potions among them that are of interest:

Oxydine: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns). Restores 2 ENDURANCE when swallowed at any time. It also cures Korovax infections.
Laumspur: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns). Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat.
Alether: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Adds 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat.
Malavan: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Increases the effect of Mindblast, Psi-surge, and Kai-surge by adding 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat.

You may buy any of the potions listed above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will take up one space in your backpack.

Pau Ping buys potions, but he will only pay you 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) for each one, no matter how much it may have cost you to acquire them. However, he will make an exception for some Karmo. He has a customer who will pay a high price for this potion. If you have a potion of Karmo and are prepared to sell it to Pau Ping, he will pay you 200 Ren (20 Gold Crowns) for it.

If you buy or sell any potions while you are here, Pau Ping will gladly tell you where the Tower of Ishir is located (turn to 180). If you do not, Pau Ping shakes his head and politely asks you to leave as he is about to close his shop for the night.

You bid him good night and return to the plaza to consider which street you should take.

(I buy a 2nd Laumspur pot and have 19 cash left)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:01 PM

‘You’ll find the tower on the other side of the city, my friend. It stands beside the North Gate.’

Pau Ping bids you a kind farewell when you leave his shop. You return to the plaza and consider which street to take from here.

(I try South)

This broad avenue is well-lit by street lanterns that creak softly in the wind. A hundred yards along the thoroughfare you see two shops that stand directly opposite each other and are still open for business.

(Weapon shop)

Xiong is a weaponsmith who manufactures and sells a variety of hand weapons. He greets you warmly and invites you to browse his weapon racks at your leisure. Each of the weapons has a price tag. Those of most interest are:

Axe: 80 Ren (8 Gold Crowns)
Bow: 200 Ren (20 Gold Crowns)
Arrows: 10 Ren each (1 Gold Crown each)
Dagger: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns)
Sword: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns)
Mace: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns)

You may buy any of the items listed above for the price indicated. With the exception of the Bow (which you carry slung over your shoulder) and the Arrows (which are kept in your Quiver), they are all Weapons that you carry sheathed on your belt. You are under no obligation to make a purchase at this establishment.

Xiong gives a respectful bow and he bids you good night when you leave the shop.

(No thanks! Hardware shop?

This hardware shop is owned by Hopdai and his wife Meng-an. They greet you with a smile and invite you to peruse their wares. The black lacquered shelves are stacked high with myriad items and all of them have a price tag. Those that catch your eye are:

Mortar & Pestle: 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns)
Lantern: 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns)
Chisel: 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns)
Hammer: 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns)
Rope (50 ft. length): 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns)
Potion of Laumspur: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns) Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat.
Small Telescope: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns)

You may buy any of the items listed above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will take up one space in your backpack. You are under no obligation to make a purchase.

Hopdai will buy any items you have noted on your Backpack List (with the exception of Anseng’s Kirusami). He will pay 10 Ren for each item, regardless of how much it originally cost. If you wish to sell any of your items, erase them from your list and add 1 Gold Crown (10 Ren) per item to your Belt Pouch.

Hopdai and Meng-an bid you a pleasant good night when you leave the shop.

(I spend two crowns to finish my backpack with a Chai Morter and Pestle and Chai Chisel)

You walk along the paved street, passing closed cook shops and small emporiums that sell clothing, furniture, and fruit, until you arrive at Dwala’s main square. At its centre is a tiered pyramid of veined marble topped by a magnificent sculpture of a dragon roaring at the sky. This is the famous Dwala Dragon, erected at a time when the free citizens of Dwala willingly chose to join the Chai Empire many centuries ago. It is a homage to Nyxator, the wise and goodly dragon who, in 12209 MS, created the Lorestones to preserve the powers and knowledge bestowed upon him by God Kai. These ancient gems contained the secrets and the power of the Magnakai Disciplines that you have mastered. Encircling the base of the pyramid are dozens of market trader stalls wrapped in oilskin tarpaulins and wound round tightly with rope. In more clement times the square is a vibrant open market where thousands of goods are bought, bartered and sold every day. Now it is closed, and it looks like it will remain so for several days to come.

Through the teeming rain, you see two thoroughfares that lead away from the main square. One goes north and is called Izara Street. The other heads west and is named Xo Street. A signpost at the start of Xo Street points due west and reads: To the Quay.

(Izara)

You follow the street and soon arrive at the city’s North Gate. It is here you find what you have been seeking: the Tower of Ishir. This grand and beautifully fluted tower stands next to the barbican of the north gate. It is embellished with icons and engravings and topped by a parapet with a large half-moon fashioned from silver-plated bronze set above it. This is the symbol of Goddess Ishir. It lifts your spirits and resolutely you stride across the rain-swept flagstones towards the tower’s arched portal.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:09 PM

You twist the portal’s silver handle and, to your relief, you discover it is unlocked. You push it open and step across the threshold into a small chapel dedicated to Goddess Ishir. Standing before a wooden altar draped with a silver cloth stands a Priestess of the Moon, a devout acolyte of Ishir. She is clothed in a beautiful robe of shimmering white silk interwoven with threads of fine silver. She leaves the altar and walks towards you with her delicate hands crossed upon her chest.

‘I am Priestess Song Tao,’ she says, softly. ‘Welcome.’

You sense the aura of goodness that she exudes and it flows over you like a cool refreshing breeze (restore 1 ENDURANCE point). You introduce yourself and tell her that you are the Kai Grand Master whom Anseng had been sent to escort to Pensei. She asks after your guide and she is deeply saddened to hear what became of him. She closes her eyes and a single tear trickles down her pale cheek. Slowly, she opens her eyes and holds you with a mesmerizing stare. Your Sixth Sense tells you that she is looking into your mind. When she is sure that you are indeed a Kai Grand Master, she uncrosses her hands and beckons you to follow her.

‘There are some important people that are waiting for you. Come with me.’

Priestess Song Tao leads you to an alcove behind the altar and traces her fingertip around one of the engravings on the wall. It activates a secret panel which slides open to reveal a spiral stone staircase. You follow as she climbs to a landing near the top of the tower. A silver-plated door stands before you. Song Tao knocks on this shining door before opening it.

You follow her into a large and impressive circular chamber. Its smooth walls and ceiling are midnight blue in colour and studded with clusters of tiny Caronese crystals. The effect is stunning; it is as if you have just stepped into deep space and are surrounded by thousands of tiny twinkling stars. The chamber is dimly lit by an oil lamp resting on a circular table in the middle of the room. Song Tao raises its wick and the light becomes brighter. It illuminates three people who are seated in winged armchairs on the far side of the chamber. They stand up and Song Tao introduces them to you.

The first is Lord Honos, a journeymage from Dessi. The second is Zautro, a curate Herbwarden from Bautar, and the third is Captain Jian Tzu, the commander of Dwala’s City Guard. He is also the leader of the Watchers and a loyal friend and ally to the Elder Magi. It was Jian Tzu who sent Anseng to meet you on your arrival in Chai and to be your guide. When you tell them what has happened since your arrival in Chai, they are relieved to see you still have the Eye of Agarash safely in your possession. They are also shocked and saddened to learn of the regrettable loss of Anseng, Chao, and Lieutenant Quang. Lord Honos assures you that their sacrifice will not be in vain, and neither will it be forgotten. Zautro the Herbwarden steps forward and asks to see the Eye of Agarash. The others, too, are anxious to view this infamous artefact and they gather round.

When you open the leather satchel, you are assailed by a wave of evil energy that drains you of 6 ENDURANCE points.

The insidious effect of the Eye leaves you unsteady on your feet. The others support you until the weakness fades and you are able to stand unaided. They all sense that the Eye is responsible for your plight.

Captain Jian Tzu says that they will send word to Lord Rimoah that you are now in Dwala.

‘How is this so?’ you ask. ‘The storms are making it impossible to leave Dwala by boat, and it will take weeks to reach the Kai Monastery of Lorn overland. It would be difficult to keep the Eye of Agarash hidden from the enemy throughout such a long journey.’

Lord Honos politely interrupts and answers your question on behalf of the Captain.

‘Grand Master, I am a Journeymage and I have a Speaking Stone given to me by the High Council of the Elder Magi. I use it regularly to send my reports to the High Council Elders in Elzian. They will relay my message to Lord Rimoah that you are now here, in Dwala, with the Eye of Agarash. When Rimoah receives it he will surely come and collect you in his skyship.’

Lord Honos excuses himself and leaves the chamber to fetch his Speaking Stone. While you wait for him to return, Zautro and Song Tao offer to help you to recover from the rigours of your perilous journey to Dwala.

Priestess Song Tao places her hand gently on your chest and intones a prayer to Goddess Ishir. As she speaks the words of the prayer, you feel a healing warmth flow through your body that restores 5 ENDURANCE points. When she finishes her prayer, she offers you a potion of Laumspur (will restore 4 ENDURANCE when taken after combat) which you may keep in your backpack, space permitting.

(I let her keep it, I don't need it)

Lord Honos is holding something when he returns to the chamber. Inquisitively, you all gather around him. Cupped in his hands is an apple-sized crystal with a milky opalescence. You sense it has magical properties. He brings the stone to his chest and presses it close to his heart. With his eyes firmly closed, he makes silent mental contact with the High Council in Elzian. A minute passes before he opens his eyes and says:

‘It is done. Now we must await their answer.’

There is a knock on the chamber door, and Song Tao says ‘Enter.’ The door opens and into the chamber come two Moon Maidens, devoted assistants to the Priestess. Their names are Kwe and Jia Zhai. They are bearing two silver platters of food and Priestess Song Tao invites you all to partake of this delicious selection of grilled fish, boiled rice, and steamed vegetables. You are eating when Lord Honos suddenly jumps up from his chair as if he has been stung by a bee.

Honos is receiving a message from the High Council. He presses the Speaking Stone to his chest and closes his eyes. Another minute passes in silence as you wait for him to conclude his mental contact with his distant elders. He is smiling when he opens his eyes.

‘I am happy to report that my message has been relayed to Lord Rimoah and he’s replied most promptly. He will fly directly to Dwala aboard the Comet and attempt a landing in front of the North Gate at noon tomorrow, so long as the weather is not too severe. He has also sent a warning to you, Grand Master, that the Eye of Agarash is now known to have revealed your location to the enemy from the moment you departed Pensei.’

‘If this is so, then they will know that you are here in the Tower of Ishir,’ says Zautro, anxiously.

Song Tao uses her goodly powers to calm the Herbwarden’s fraying nerves and she recommends that you all should now retire and get some sleep.

‘I will pray to Ishir to grant us a break in the storm so that Lord Rimoah shall be able to land in safety tomorrow,’ she adds, and calls forward Jia Zhai to escort you to your room. You bid good night to the others and follow the Moon Maiden as she leads you out of the chamber and down the spiral staircase to the alcove behind the chapel’s altar. She beckons you to follow her to another alcove and she opens a secret door to a comfortably appointed room with a bed and a narrow stained glass window. She wishes you a peaceful night’s sleep before leaving.

You remove your oilskin cloak, your boots, and your backpack and place them beside the bed. You are feeling weary and it does not take long for you to drift off into a deep sleep.

Your dreams are haunted by a vision of Chao the Watcher lying dead on a muddy highway. Dark swirling shadows writhe all around his lifeless body. You walk towards him and look down at his face. It is relaxed and serene as if he is sleeping peacefully. You fall to your knees and slowly you move closer and closer until your face is almost touching his. Abruptly, his eyelids spring open and two jets of scarlet flame issue forth from the pupils of his glaring eyes, burning and melting and mutilating you. The dark shadows grip you tightly and you cannot move a muscle. There is no escaping from the horror that engulfs your body and soul. It consumes you utterly. Lose 4 ENDURANCE.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:17 PM

You wake with a start and sit bolt upright. Your heart is pounding and your face is bathed in cold sweat. An unnatural chill pervades the room and it is emanating from the Eye of Agarash. The evil artefact was the cause of your traumatic nightmare and the residue of its awakened power now lingers in the chamber. The noise of explosions rings in your ears. At first you think it is a hangover from your nightmare until you see flashes of light at the window. The explosions are real.

Hurriedly, you put on your boots, backpack and cape and rush to the door. It opens as you approach it and you see Captain Jian Tzu running across the chapel towards you.

‘We’re under attack!’ he shouts, ‘They’re bombing the roof. You must leave at once!’

Jian Tzu turns on his heel and motions you to follow him. Chunks of masonry and plaster are falling from the chapel’s ceiling to smash on the pews and floor all around you. The Captain hurries to the altar and parts its silver cloth to reveal a trapdoor. He tugs it open and you follow him down an iron ladder bolted to the tower’s cellar wall. A secret passage leads to the cellar of a convent located opposite the North Gate. You leave this cellar by way of a flight of stone steps that ascend to the convent’s kitchen above. Jian Tzu unlocks and opens a door and you see the alleyway that runs alongside the convent. Fiery explosions and flashes of lightning illuminate the darkness of this narrow passage. You take a step from the doorway and look up into the storm-torn skies above. Amidst the roiling clouds are several large winged reptilians that are circling and diving on the roof of the Tower of Ishir. Shadowy riders cling to their backs. They hurl missiles at the tower roof before soaring away into the black clouds where they circle around before diving again. The explosive missiles that they cast down have already destroyed the icon of Ishir and much of the upper part of the tower, including the star chamber where you met with Jian Tzu, Herbwarden Zautro, and Lord Honos just a few hours ago.

You step back into the convent kitchen to keep from being seen by the winged creatures overhead. As you do so, the evil power of the Eye flares up and drains you of 3 ENDURANCE.

(My ring keeps me from taking damage)

Lord Honos and Herbwarden Zautro come running up the stairs from the convent’s cellar. They are covered with plaster dust and look badly shaken. You ask if Priestess Song Tao is safe. They glance at each other and then look dejectedly at the floor and shake their heads.

‘Grand Master,’ says the Captain, urgently. ‘You must leave here. It is too dangerous for you to stay any longer.’

He stands in the open doorway and points along the alley to a passageway at the southern end.

‘Turn right at the end and the passage will take you to Izara Street. Go left when you reach Izara and you’ll soon arrive at the Main Square. Look for the sign to the Quay. Follow the sign and you’ll be sure to reach the quayside. Make your way to the stone pier in the middle of the quayside and look for the Silver Virixe. She is a Korlian cargo ship berthed at the end of the pier. She will be bound for the Port of Suhn as soon as the storms abate. Go aboard her and hide yourself below deck. If it is safe to do so, we will come for you an hour before noon and bring you back here to the North Gate in time for Lord Rimoah’s arrival.’

‘And what if you don’t come?’ you ask, pragmatically.

‘If we don’t come for you,’ replies Jian Tzu, ‘then the situation here will have escalated beyond our control. You should remain hidden aboard the ship. Once it sails and is safely beyond the estuary, you should make yourself known to the Captain. His name is Chengan. He is a Watcher and he is loyal to our cause. He will convey you to the Port of Suhn and from there you will be able to make contact with your Kai Monastery on the Isle of Lorn. We will send word of this to Lord Rimoah … if we are able.’

You acknowledge the Captain’s words and set off from the kitchen doorway. But you have barely taken a dozen steps along the alleyway when you see a group of leathery black creatures appear in the passageway beyond. They are armed with iron bows. One of them raises its bow and a black arrow comes speeding directly towards your head!

(I use KA)

Swiftly you invoke the Brotherhood Spell Halt Missile and the black arrow freezes in mid-air just a few feet in front of your face. You step aside and, moments later, the spell dissipates and the arrow whistles past you to ricochet harmlessly off the wall of the convent several yards along the alleyway behind.

Honos and Zautro dash from the kitchen door and rush ahead of you along the alleyway to provide you with some cover from the leathery black archers in the passage beyond. Lord Honos casts a brace of flaming bolts that incinerate the nearest two enemies and transforms them to glowing heaps of ash. Herbwarden Zautro hurls a green glass sphere that smashes in the midst of the remaining four and ensnares them in rapidly growing tangle of barbed briars. They accompany you to the end of the alley and scour the adjoining passageway to check if the coast is clear.

‘Go, Grand Master,’ says Zautro, ‘Go now, and may Kai and Ishir go with you!’

Mindful of Captain Jian Tzu’s directions, you reach the end of the passageway and go left into Izara Street. Soon you reach the city’s Main Square and follow the sign westwards to the Quay. Upon reaching the quayside, you shield your eyes from the lashing rain and scan the length of the central stone pier until you espy what you are looking for. The Silver Virixe is moored at the end of the pier, roped and chained securely in its berth. You run to the pier and race along its stone walkway, buffeted on all sides by the wind and sheeting rain. You are halfway along the pier when a leathery-winged creature swoops down from of the raging storm clouds and passes directly over your head. It screeches and your pounding heart misses a beat when you recognise what this creature is.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:23 PM

A Kraan! Never have Kraan ventured this far south from the Darklands of Northern Magnamund before. You recall the doomwolves you encountered during your journey from Vabou to Valus and realise the only possible reasons for why they are now present in Chai. Nadziran Zashnor has either brought them here, or the foul sorcerer has established spawning pits somewhere in Southern Magnamund and is creating them to bolster the size of his invading army.

The shrieking Kraan banks away from the quayside and circles around to make another pass over the pier. You see two smaller creatures riding pillion in a saddle strapped to its scaly back. You magnify your vision and recognise that they are the same kind of creatures that attempted to block your escape along the alleyway beside the convent. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination tells you that these hairless black leathery bipeds are Doomgah, a new breed of horrors created by Zashnor in its Spawning Pits located below the evil Bhanarian temple-city of Bakhasa. Your senses also reveal that Zashnor has been able to draw upon the souls of myriad victims sacrificed by Autarch Sejanoz during his long and bloody reign. They were imprisoned in the Bakhasian temples and used to supply raw power to its voracious spawning vats. The Doomgah are watching you intently through slitted eyes that emit a dull orange glow.

The Kraan flies away in the direction of the Main Square and then circles back, cawing loudly. It is directing a dozen Doomgah that are in Xo Street to race towards your location. They soon reach the end of the thoroughfare and come scurrying across the quay towards the entrance to the central pier. They are armed with black iron bows and serrated swords. When they reach the pier they draw their swords and give vent to a snickering battle cry.

(I use ka)

You raise your right hand and point towards the Doomgah clustered around the entrance to the pier. Carefully, you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand and you feel a tingle run the length of your arm. A bolt of lightning leaps from your fingertips and rips a hole through their ranks, sending several of them tumbling in all directions. To your disappointment, only three of them are slain by the crackling power of your spell. The others scramble to their feet and hurry back to join the others.

You unsheathe your Kai Weapon and prepare to take the fight to the snickering Doomgah. You resolve to cut your way through them to the quayside beyond and make a hasty escape into the city. If you allow them to force you along the pier to the cargo ship, they will have the combat advantage for there is nowhere you can escape to once you are on the deck of the ship.

Coolly, you advance along the pier. You show the vile creatures no fear, but you are stopped dead in your tracks when you hear the loud flapping of wings behind you. You glance over your left shoulder and see a Kraan landing at the end of the pier. Astride its back is a Doomgah, but one that is larger and more muscular than the others. A breast plate of black iron encases its chest and in its hand it carries a large kirusami, an exaggerated mockery of the Chai Imperial Guard weapon. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination informs you that this creature is Klüz, the Doomgah leader. It fixes you with a withering stare and its dull orange eyes flare brightly. It is preparing to dismount from the back of the cawing Kraan.

(KA again)

You recite the words of the spell and point your left hand at the creature. The tingling power of Brotherhood magic flows along your arm and erupts from your fingertips. In an instant, a blinding bolt of electrical energy arcs along the pier towards the creature’s armoured chest. It reacts with stunning speed, catching the crackling bolt on the blade of its polearm and grounding it to the wet stone-block surface of the pier. The bolt flares briefly and vanishes in the blink of an eye.

Klüz leaps from the saddle and lands on the stone pier with a splash, its kirusami gripped firmly in its leathery black hands. The gathered Doomgah hiss their approval as their leader stomps towards you along the walkway. You steel yourself and prepare to fight this formidable creature to the death.

The Doomgah leader raises its mighty kirusami and spouts of cracking blue flame erupt along the length of its razor sharp blade. It opens its maw to reveal a score of dagger-like fangs and a thin black tongue that writhes between them.

Klüz (armed with Zukgudrak): COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 42

The weapon that this enemy wields can leach power from the Eye of Agarash. This inflicts 1 ENDURANCE point of damage to you in every round of this combat.

(I have a +11 base. I toss a 2 and 5 and 0 it dies. I took 3 from the effect, I had 6 left over from others, and 4 in battle for 13 damage total right now)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:26 PM

Klüz shrieks with agony when you land your killing blow. Clutching at its sundered breast plate, it tumbles off the stone pier and plummets head first into the heaving waters of the Tkukoma Estuary. For a few moments its fell weapon, Zukgudrak, balances precariously on the edge of the walkway. Then the howling winds catch its heavy blade and send it spiralling down into the dark waters to join its owner.

The Doomgah at the far end of the pier are devastated by the defeat of their leader. They break and run in all directions to escape a similar fate by your hand. Only one remains behind. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination informs you that this creature is Mooldor, Klüz’s sycophantic and vengeful lieutenant. The creature raises its iron bow and lets loose a black arrow aimed at your heart.

The arrow whistles towards you with an exceptional speed and accuracy that reveals its magical enhancement. It is a Zejar-dulaga, a sorcerous missile imbued with magical accuracy that is only crafted in the Darklands. It hits you in the left shoulder and knocks you down: lose 4 ENDURANCE. You are precariously close to the edge of the walkway and you struggle to prevent yourself from falling into the heaving waters below. Instinctively, you draw upon your Magnakai Discipline to numb the pain of your wound but you sense that something is very wrong. Your vision is beginning to blur and your legs refuse to move. The tip of the magically-enhanced arrow has been smeared with Black Yua venom, a fast-acting and deadly toxin.

(I use my Tazheng potion)

You struggle to retrieve the potion from your backpack before the paralysis in your legs starts to spread to your torso and arms. With trembling fingers, you pull out the cork and swallow the bitter liquid in one gulp. There is a sensation of glowing warmth in your throat and stomach that moves rapidly to your chest and shoulders. The powerful anti-venom you have ingested swiftly counters the deadly Black Yua venom, neutralising it before your whole body becomes paralysed.

With gritted teeth, you wrench the arrow from your shoulder and cast it away. The Doomgah Mooldor is reloading its bow and preparing to fire again. With a strength born of desperation, you scramble to your feet and race towards the gangplank of the Silver Virixe. Mooldor tracks you as you run and unleashes a second arrow. It speeds towards you, forcing you to somersault along the gangplank to avoid being hit. The deadly black arrow strikes the wooden edge of the plank barely inches from your right foot. Gasping for breath, you leap from the plank onto the stern deck of the cargo ship and hurriedly take cover behind the wheelhouse.

(I use my bow)

You pull an Arrow from your Quiver and fix it in place. You know where your target is but you dare not show yourself. The arrows your opponent is firing are much swifter than yours. You take a deep breath, step away from the wheelhouse, glimpse your target and release your straining bowstring all in one smooth and fluid movement.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Grand Master Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, add 5 to the number you have chosen.

(I toss a 2 and get 8 with the enhanced bow)

Your Arrow strikes Mooldor between its glowing orange eye slits. For a few moments it stands transfixed, then it drops to its knees and falls limply on its side in a puddle at the entrance to the pier’s walkway. You exhale with relief; the Doomgah archer is dead.

You step away from Mooldor’s body and brace yourself against the side of the wheelhouse as the deck of the ship sways from side to side. The mooring ropes and chains creak and groan as the hull of the Silver Virixe is battered by the raging waves. Bolts of lightning strike the pier and a deafening thunderclap explodes directly overhead. A feeling of cold dread grips your stomach; your Sixth Sense is screaming a warning that a great evil is fast approaching the vessel.

A loathsome Kraan emerges from the churning black clouds and swoops down to hover a few feet above the ship’s foredeck. Astride its back is a thin figure swathed in black robes edged with gold and scarlet braid. In his cadaverous hand he clutches a black orb that trails wisps of thin black smoke.

( I have been to Gazad.)

The robed figure jumps from the saddle to the deck of the ship. As soon as he is clear, the Kraan beats its leathery wings and ascends into the storm clouds overhead. With difficulty, the bald gaunt-faced man hobbles across the foredeck and descends the steps to the main deck. The smoking orb in his hand transforms into a long black staff as he fixes you with his cold dead eyes.

‘I have returned, Kai wretch! I come to fulfil my vow. Vengeance shall be mine!’

A spike of freezing fear stabs at your heart like an icy dagger. In a moment of pure horror, you recognize this man. It is Xaol the Necromancer. He has kept his dying vow to return from beyond the grave and enact his revenge on you. You sense that he has been reconstructed by evil sorcery since you sliced him in two in Gazad Helkona. His crippled yet functioning body is chilling testimony to the power of Nadziran Zashnor.

He opens wide his rotting mouth to reveal an array of putrid needle-sharp teeth. A deafening sound emerges from this ghastly maw, a cry far louder than the noise of the thundering storm. The force of this unholy roar drags you to your knees and fills your head with blinding pain.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:35 PM

(I use KS)

A deafening sound emerges from his ghastly maw, a cry far louder than the noise of the thundering storm. The force of this unholy roar drags you to your knees and fills your head with blinding pain.

Suddenly you realise that you are not being subjected to an audio attack. The noise that fills your head is the effect of a powerful psychic assault on your senses. You call upon your advanced Discipline to erect a Mindfort to shut out the unbearable noise, and your swift response saves you from sustaining any permanent impairment to your mental faculties.

Howling with frustration that its psychic attack has helped and not harmed you, the ghoulish figure leaps towards you brandishing his black staff. In the blink of an eye, the staff transforms into a hissing serpent. It is disturbingly similar to the snake that emerged from the mouth of undead Anseng. You reach for your weapon and pull back as the serpent’s venomous fangs strike out for your throat.

Xaol the Necromancer (reconstructed undead, with Serpent Rod): COMBAT SKILL 50 ENDURANCE 50

Xaol is a powerful undead adversary. If your chosen weapon provides you with a bonus when used in a fight against an undead foe, be sure to calculate and add the bonus to your COMBAT SKILL before this battle begins.

If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Spawnsmite’ or ‘Valiance’ you may add the bonus that you gain from its unique properties during this combat

(I lose one CS and swap over my new weapon. I get a 59 with MB, so a +9 swap. I toss a 4 and he takes double damage - 22. Then I crack a 7 and he dies from the damage. I took 2 and have 11 damage taken thus far)

Your final blow decapitates Xaol and sends his decayed head arcing away into the tempestuous waters of the Tkukoma Estuary. His crippled body drops to the deck and rapidly decays before your eyes. The necromantic spell that raised Xaol from the dead and restored his sundered body has been broken, and now the years of rot and decay that were held at bay rapidly consume his diseased corpse. His serpent rod reverts to its spherical form and lies beside the putrid remains, smoking and hissing intensely.

You have consigned the necromancer’s head forever to a watery grave, but you need to dispense with the accursed weapon he wielded. Drawing upon your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you focus on the smoking sphere and will it to rise up from the deck. Slowly it ascends. When it reaches chest height, you halt it in mid-air and concentrate a burst of mental energy that sends it flying over the gunwale of the ship. It hits the raging waters and explodes, showering you with foaming spray.

You are wiping the foam from your face with the back of your hand when your eye catches some movement on the quayside. The Doomgah are slowly and nervously returning to the stone pier. They are very wary but they are also very curious to discover if Xaol has been triumphant. You crouch low to avoid being spotted and shuffle your way towards the door of the wheelhouse. You resolve to get below deck and find a place to hide before the Doomgah muster enough courage to come along the pier and board the Silver Virixe. When they find the ruined remains of Xaol’s corpse, they will likely come searching for you.

Your basic Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter deals quickly and easily with the padlock on the wheelhouse door. It snaps open and you slide back the door and enter. Swiftly, you tug the door closed behind you and use the padlock to secure it from the inside. A set of wooden steps lead down to the lower deck where you discover the crews’ quarters. There are two cabins notably larger than the others: the Captain’s cabin and the Purser’s Cabin.

(Purser)

The door to the purser’s cabin is locked, but it presents no challenge to your basic Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter. It takes merely moments for you to unlock the door and slide it open. The purser’s wood panelled cabin is comfortably furnished with a bunk, an oak table, an ornately carved high-backed Mythenian chair, and a toa wood chest of drawers. There is a large iron safe positioned next to the oak table. Its lockplate has a keyhole but there is no sign of the key that opens the safe.

(I leave it)

A loud shriek rips through the constant rumbling of thunder and your senses tingle with apprehension. This chilling sound is neither the cry of a Kraan or a Doomgah; it is something much larger and far more sinister. You peer out through the cabin’s porthole but all you see is the stone wall of the pier rising and falling with the sway of the rough waters. As you step back from the porthole, you are hit by a sudden wave of weakness that makes you shudder and drop to your knees, gasping for breath. Again, the Eye has activated and it drains you of 4 ENDURANCE points.

(What made that cry?)

With trepidation, you climb the wooden steps that ascend to the wheelhouse. Through the rear window you see a huge winged creature perched on the end of the stone pier. It is an Imperial Zlanbeast. Astride a grand saddle embellished with Darklord icons, you see a slender man-like figure swathed in a hooded grey robe. The raised hood of the robe hides the figure’s face but at once you know who this is: Nadziran Zashor! Klüz and Xaol have both been slain by your hand, and so Zashnor has now been forced to show itself and finish the task they failed to accomplish on its behalf.

In the Nadziran’s right hand is a short staff that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Claw of Naar. The head of the staff looks like a petrified vulture’s foot. It is cast in pure Kagonite embedded with specks of a shimmering scarlet mineral. Its shaft is twisted like a length of gnarled tree root and perforated with myriad pea-sized hollows. In a moment of sudden and terrible realisation, you know that this staff is not a replica of the Claw; it is the Claw!

Zashnor detects your presence in the wheelhouse and swiftly it points the Claw of Naar at the window. The Eye starts to vibrate and move in its satchel. It becomes rapidly colder and frost forms on the satchel’s leather surface. The movements become stronger and now you are being tugged steadily closer to the window. Zashnor has unleashed a spell that is drawing the Eye inexorably towards the Claw. If you allow the two evil artefacts to be reunited, the consequences will be disastrous. The only way you can prevent this calamity is to slay the vile Nadziran.

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:47 PM

(Let's fight!)

With immense courage and determination, you resolve to confront Zashnor and slay the evil Nadziran in personal combat. You unsheathe your Kai Weapon, unlock the wheelhouse door, and step out onto the rain-swept stern deck. Zashnor has dismounted from the Zlanbeast and it is about to step onto the gangplank. It sees you and immediately it unleashes a powerful wave of psychic energy with the intention of disabling you before you can launch your attack.

(I use Kai Screen)

Zashnor’s psychic assault hits you with the force of a charging bull and knocks you flat on your back.

(I have grand Thane rank)

Reeling from the impact of this powerful psychic assault, you draw upon your advanced Discipline to absorb and transform the hostile psychic energy into a remarkably positive physical effect: restore 10 ENDURANCE points.

Zashnor senses that something is wrong and immediately it ceases its psychic assault.

(Fully healed)

You scramble to your feet and face your enemy. Zashnor has reached the bottom of the gangplank and it levels the Claw of Naar at your chest. Its initial psychic attack has failed to stop you and now it launches a magical attack that it hopes will put paid to you once and for all. The tip of the Claw erupts into a terrifying ball of lighting that arcs across the deck at blinding speed.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, deduct 2 from the number you have chosen.

If your total is now 3 or lower, you lose 3 ENDURANCE from damage caused by the lightning bolt.

If your total is now 4–6, you lose 5 ENDURANCE from damage caused by the lightning bolt.

If your total is now 7 or 8, you lose 7 ENDURANCE from damage caused by the lightning bolt.

If your total is 9, you are engulfed and consumed by the ferocious ball of lightning. Zashnor will recover the Eye of Agarash from your smouldering remains and marry it with the Claw of Naar. The weapon thus created will give the Nadziran the ability to unleash a fireball so powerful that it will incinerate Dwala and all of its inhabitants at one fell stroke. Tragically, you will no longer be able to prevent this catastrophe, for your life and your mission ends here.

( I toss a 7 and get a 5. I take 5)

A stunning transformation is taking place before your disbelieving eyes. The grey cloaked Nadziran dissolves into a swirling cloud of milky mist that expands and solidifies into a scaly dragon, with frosty-white hide and black fathomless eyes. It opens its jaws to reveal an array of razor-sharp fangs. It roars loudly and a freezing gust of super-cold breath engulfs you, leaving you shivering and chilled to the bone. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus saves you from a swift and icy death, but Zashnor seizes the advantage its transformation and breath attack has gained and it comes bounding towards you with murderous intent.

(I use KA)

You raise and extend your right arm and point your fingers at the Claw of Naar. You intone the words of the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand and feel a tingle of power run the length of your arm and explode with a blinding flash from your fingertips. A bolt of pure energy streaks toward the Claw and strikes the twisted shaft, sending it skittering away across the deck beyond Zashnor’s reach. The fell dragon shrieks angrily and slashes at the deck with its powerful talons, gouging and scarring its timbers. You rush forwards with your Kai Weapon unsheathed and poised to strike. You are determined to exploit Zashnor’s unfocused fit of wild rage and slay this evil adversary where it stands.

Zashnor rises to its full height and roars at the sky. As if in answer to its rage, there is a sudden thunderclap and several bolts of lightning streak down from the roiling black clouds to strike all along the stone pier. The storm reaches its cacophonous peak when you launch your attack on the evil sorcerer.

Zashnor (in Ice Dragon form): COMBAT SKILL 54 ENDURANCE 52

Zashnor is immune to Mindblast, and has partial resistance to Kai-surge and Kai-blast. If you possess Kai-surge and use it during this combat, you may add 4 points to your COMBAT SKILL at a cost of 1 ENDURANCE point per round. If you possess the advanced Grand Master Discipline of Kai-blast and use it during this combat, you may pick only 1 number from the Random Number Table to determine the damage inflicted upon the Nadziran, at the cost of 4 ENDURANCE points. If you use the Kai Weapon ‘Valiance’ or ‘Spawnsmite’ you may add the bonus that you gain from its unique properties during this combat.

The Eye of Agarash becomes active throughout this combat. It drains you of 1 ENDURANCE point per round until the combat ends.

(I use Alether Berries prior to combat and I get a +1 as I brought Spawnsmite with me. That gives me a base CS of 59, which is +5. I do use KS to give me a +9 and I'll lose two a turn (he;ll lose one a turn with my enhanced Grand Weaponmastery Ready?

Let's do it!

First die is a 2. He takes 9 to my 5.

Next is a 5. He takes 12 to my 4.

Next is a 4. He takes 11 to my 4. Total damage - him 32 me 13 plus 5 so 18 damage total.

Next? I toss a 8. He loses 16 to my 2.then a 1. He loses 8 to my 5. He dies and i lost 25 damage total)

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 04:52 PM

Your final fatal blow shatters the chest of the Ice Dragon Zashnor. It implodes with a deafening noise, like the simultaneous smashing of a thousand crystal chandeliers. The frosty wings and limbs become detached as the torso disintegrates upon the deck, and rapidly they melt into a milky cloud that engulfs the broken remains. For a few moments this opaque ball of mist churns and seethes until it loses the last of its energy and is whipped away on the winds of the storm.

Lying at your feet is the grey robed form of Zashnor, torn and lifeless. You draw back the hood of its robe and reveal its true form. Its distorted goat-like skull is semi-transparent allowing you to see its brain which is as dark as night. Two small straight horns protrude from its forehead and its eye sockets appear unnaturally black, as if they are two holes through which you can see into another plain of existence. It is exceedingly rare to look upon a Nadziran in its true form. You recall something that Supreme Master Lone Wolf told you about the Nadziranim, that when they are destroyed they are destroyed utterly; nothing at all remains of their bodies or spirit. Zashnor was clearly an exceptional Nadziran. There are rumours that a select few Nadziranim have returned to Magnamund by the grace of Naar and life-draining necromantic rituals after having seemingly been destroyed. Mindful of this, you resolve that Zashnor shall never join their ranks.

Driven by an overwhelming instinct, you raise your Kai Weapon above your head and bring it crashing down upon the Nadziran’s loathsome skull. Your mighty blow sunders the translucent bone case, destroying it completely. Within moments of its destruction, the crushed remains of the skull and the entire skeletal carcass become a pungent black slime that bubbles and boils until all that is left are a ragged grey robe and a man-sized patch of scorched decking.

The thunder and lightning cease abruptly and the violent storm begins to abate. The winds die down and the torrential rain recedes until it becomes little more than light drizzle. Calm is slowly returning to storm ravaged Chai as the power of Zashnor relinquishes its foul grip on nature. After so many days of raging turmoil, the natural balance of the elements is finally being restored.

You close your eyes and offer up a prayer to God Kai for giving you the strength and courage to overcome this formidable foe. You are concluding your prayer when a riotous noise makes you open your eyes and focus your gaze on the quayside.

ou hear shrieks of pain and triumphant Chai battle cries. Captain Jian Tzu has rallied the City Guard and he is leading them personally in a merciless pursuit of the Doomgah. The last of these loathsome creatures have been flushed out of the streets and passageways of Dwala and hounded mercilessly towards the quay. Now the few remaining Doomgah are being pushed off the quay into the turbulent waters of the estuary. None of them can swim and they all perish swiftly in the deep dark waters.

‘For Chai!’ shout the victorious guardsmen, ‘For Khea-khan and Chai!’

Journeymage Honos and Herbwarden Zautro are with Captain Jian Tzu and they spot you standing on the deck of the Silver Virixe. They hurry along the walkway of the stone pier and come running down the gangplank, their faces beaming with joy that you are still alive. They embrace you warmly and commend your skill and bravery. The dramatic turn in the weather tells them that you have overcome a great evil this night and saved the city, and all of Chai, from a terrible fate at the hands of the merciless Zashnor. You inform them about the Claw of Naar and they can hardly believe their ears. But when you point to it lying on the deck a few yards away, all doubt is swiftly dispelled. Journeymage Honos removes his cape and carefully he wraps the accursed artefact, making sure that he does not touch the twisted shaft with his bare hands.

‘I will carry this back to City Guard headquarters,’ he says, solemnly. ‘I fear that if you were to convey it along with the Eye of Agarash, the consequences would prove fatal, my Lord.’

Your Sixth Sense tells you that Honos’s fears are well founded. The close proximity of the Eye and the Claw would create a surge of evil energy that would kill you in an instant. You follow a safe distance behind Honos and Zautro as you return along the pier to the quayside. Captain Jian Tzu is overjoyed to see that you are alive. He salutes you and shakes you warmly by the hand.

‘My eternal thanks, Grand Master,’ he says. ‘Once again you have saved Chai from a great and terrible evil. You will forever be revered as a hero in our land!’

You are escorted by the Captain and his men along Xo Street to the Main Square where the headquarters of the City Guard is located. Awoken by the fighting and the ferocious lightning storm, many of the citizens are now gathered in groups in the square, chattering excitedly. They cheer and wave as you pass and the Captain and his men acknowledge their applause with proud smiles and salutes. When you reach the headquarters building you ask what has become of the Tower of Ishir.

‘It has gone,’ replies Jian Tzu, sadly. ‘It fell in flames an hour ago. I regret to inform you that there are no survivors.’

The Captain makes his personal quarters available to you. Before he leaves he tells you to get some rest and he confirms that Lord Rimoah will be arriving aboard Comet as planned, at noon.

‘I will escort you to the North Gate shortly before midday and see you safely aboard,’ he says, and then he bids you good night and closes the door to his chambers. The physical and mental strain of your battle with Zashnor and its foul cohorts wells up and overwhelms you with fatigue. You climb onto the Captain’s bed and fall immediately into a deep and dreamless sleep.

You are awoken mid-morning by Journeymage Honos and Herbwarden Zautro. They bring you a hearty breakfast and together you eat and talk before Captain Jian Tzu enters to inform you that it is time to leave. You ride from the headquarters building to the North Gate in the company of the Captain, Lord Honos, and Herbwarden Zautro. The young journeymage carries the Claw of Naar still wrapped securely in his cape. Upon arriving at the gate, you see that it is open. Nearby, the smouldering remains of the Tower of Ishir remind you of the selfless sacrifices that were made during your long and difficult mission. You offer up a silent prayer to Goddess Ishir to cherish and preserve the souls of those who willingly gave their lives so that you might succeed. They have gone, but they will never be forgotten.

While you slept, the dawn of the day brought with it a dramatic change in the weather. The skies have cleared and warm sunshine is drying the saturated streets of Dwala. Lord Rimoah arrives precisely at noon. Comet appears in a cloudless sky and gradually it descends until it comes to hover just a few feet above an area of cleared ground outside the North Gate. You hear its engine powering down to a soft hum and see Lord Rimoah and Blazer awaiting you at the rail of the stern deck. They both salute you with pride. The boarding ladder is lowered and you say farewell to Captain Jian Tzu and Herbwarden Zautro before you climb aboard. Journeymage Honos has been instructed to return to Dessi by Lord Rimoah. He has been charged with the safekeeping of the Claw of Naar until Comet arrives at the High Council in Elzian, the Dessian capital. Rimoah and Blazer greet and commend you on completing your mission successfully. Bo’sun Durin takes Honos to his quarters in the bow while you retire to Lord Rimoah’s comfortable cabin at the stern. On approaching the cabin door, you turn and take one last look at the city of Dwala and wave a final farewell to Jian Tzu and Zautro as Comet ascends smoothly into the clear blue sky.

Your return sky voyage to the Kai Monastery of Lorn takes a little over six hours. During your aerial flight, Lord Rimoah asks many questions about your mission and he prepares a detailed account which he will give to Kai Supreme Master Lone Wolf. Blazer has already given a similar report about his mission to the Kraknalorg chasm. He is proud to tell you that he, too, was successful.

You arrive at the Monastery in the early evening and watch the descent to the parade ground from the stern deck of the Comet. The blessed tranquillity of the Monastery is a welcome relief after the days and nights you have spent in the heavy rains and thunderous storms of Chai. You see Skyfort moored on the parade ground below and you hope that Black Hawk, Star Lynx, Steel Hand, and Swift Sword have enjoyed the same success that you and Blazer have achieved.

A Kai honour guard awaits you when you descend the boarding ladder to the gravelled parade ground. With pride, you acknowledge their salutes and accompany Lord Rimoah and Blazer to the Grand Hall at the top of the Tower of the Moon. Upon entering the hall, you see Lone Wolf seated upon his alabaster throne with Star Lynx and Sage Chastan standing quietly on either side.

‘Welcome Grand Masters,’ says Lone Wolf, proudly, ‘I commend you both on achieving your missions with honour. You have each defeated a powerful champion of evil and removed the threat they posed to the peace and stability of the lands around their mustering points. You have done well and you should feel rightly proud to have upheld the highest traditions of the Order.’

Sage Chastan approaches you and requests that you give him the Eye of Agarash. Lone Wolf nods his approval and willingly you hand over the satchel containing the bane that has burdened you all the way from Pensei. Chastan thanks you and bows respectfully to Lone Wolf and the others before leaving the Grand Hall. Lone Wolf gets up and steps away from his throne. He beckons you all to join him at his map table where he picks up the steel pointer and taps it on the Kraknalorg Chasm and the Doomlands of Naaros. He looks at you and Blazer and says:

‘The success of your missions have neutralised these threats.’ He then moves the pointer to Dessi and continues. ‘Grand Master Star Lynx achieved his mission here. He, too, is commended for his bravery and his success.’ Star Lynx bows in acknowledgement of Lone Wolf’s generous praise and tries hard to suppress a smile and maintain his composure.

‘And with the valuable assistance of our ally, Wizard Regent Grey Star, the city of Shadaki has been cleansed of the dark scourge that took control of it 16 years ago and lately threatened to resurrect the former Shadakine Empire in all its evil glory. At last, the death of Bright Star has been avenged. Ulonga and his Kitaezi Shamans are no more.’

Lone Wolf taps the location of Shadaki and then he pauses. For several seconds he says nothing and your Sixth Sense tells you that all is not well. Slowly, he moves the pointer and taps the map in three other places: Cragmantle, Ljuk, and the Maakengorge.

‘Alas, I must inform you that not all of the missions have been a success. Black Hawk has not returned from the ruins of Cragmantle. Neither has Swift Sword from Ljuk. I sense that they did not survive the tasks I set them and my heart is heavy with their loss. They were both gifted Grand Masters and our Order is poorer for having lost them.’

A shadow of sadness darkens the Grand Hall and you feel the grief that you all now share upon hearing this regrettable news. Lone Wolf moves the pointer one last time and taps the Maakengorge.

‘This is where I dispatched Steel Hand to carry out his mission. He has not returned but I sense he is still alive. Guildmaster Banedon has gone back to Sommerlund to muster the help of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. They will assist a rescue mission to find and return Grand Master Steel Hand to us.’

Lone Wolf puts down the pointer and moves his head in a slow arc around the table, pausing to look each of you in the eyes for a few moments before moving on.

‘Grand Masters, we must discover the fates that befell Black Hawk and Swift Sword. We must rescue Steel Hand, and we must complete the missions that I set them. Your accomplishments have delayed the resurgence of evil from overwhelming the Freelands of Magnamund, but this evil is growing stronger every day, every week, every month that we fail to defeat it. We must strive again to stem this rising flood before it becomes too strong for us to counter.’

Lone Wolf returns to his throne and motions to Lord Rimoah to come forward. They exchange a few quiet words and then Lone Wolf addresses you for the last time this day.

‘Retire to your quarters and rest well, my Lords. I shall summon each of you tomorrow morning. Lord Rimoah and I shall decide the locations you shall be sent to complete the missions that remain unaccomplished.’

You leave the Grand Hall with Blazer and Star Lynx and retire to your private chamber. The loss of your brother Grand Masters is a bitter blow, but you try to put your grief to the back of your mind and concentrate on the mission that awaits you tomorrow.

Congratulations, Grand Master. You have achieved a great victory over the forces of darkness and saved Chai from certain destruction at the hands of Nadziran Zashnor and his fell minions. Soon your new mission will be revealed. You will discover the nature of the task that awaits you in the next exciting New Order adventure entitled:

Dead in the Deep

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 07:27 PM

The End of Storms of Chai.

This book didn't feel like Joe Dever wrote it. While he has learned as a writer over his career, there are more similarities from Book 1 and Book 28 than there are from Book 28 and Book 29. Made senses as he wasn't actively writing for 18 years. Book 1, Flight from the Dark was published in 1984. The Hunger of Sejanoz was written in 97, 13 years later. Storms was written in 2015, 18 years later. You can see the gap, with many word choices, issues of grammar, and more making it in. The story wasn't as tight as Dever usually paced his stories, and there were many more logical inconsistencies in the story. On one day my character can influence a horse, nut on the next it runs away. You feel okay stealing from the Captain of the ship but not the crew's payroll. You could see the hiatus.

Anyways, I enjoyed a lot about the book, and i own a hard copy so that's good. But the next book, Dead in the Deep I own and haven't read, but was written by his son. My hope is that Dead in the Deep and the last two novels in the mega-series that are being written by Ben Dever are going to feel more Joe Dever than this one did.

Take a good example, the Autumn Snow series that began with The Pit of Darkness. It captured that early Kai feel better than this did.

Autumn Snow: The Pit of Darkness – Gamebook News

I hope that others can pick up his legacy, and more over I hope they are encouraged to do so. We've had Lone Wolf video games, Lone Wolf RPG, but those were back when the series was hot. What I'd love to see is a group of people that could make this IP work for a modern audience, like a modern video game a la Mechwarrior 5 and Battletech that put that IP back there for a new generation. I'd love a new movie, or Netflix series,or something that showed a clear caring for the psychic rangers that keep things safe.

Enjoy!

Abe Sargent · 04-20-2020, 07:34 PM

I've never read this series before, but I liked it better than the Lone Wolf version of this series.

Ready for my list of Worst to First?

Worst to First

Worst - Voyage of the Moonstone - Dever was still getting the hang of things
The Storms of Chai - Dever's 18 year hiatus did not serve him well
The Buccaneers of Shadaki - Not bad for a reader, but not great either
Vampirium - I really enjoyed this throwback feel good book
Trail of the Wolf - Moderate throwback ideas. Rescue Lone Wolf!
Mydnight;s Hero - The best Place 1 to Place 2 adventure in the series. This is where Dever figured out the series.
The Hunger of Sejanoz - Epic story, running along and guarding the Caravan, helping Chai in a major war.
Rune War - The best throwback story in the series. Back to basics in a great way
First - The Fall of Blood Mountain - Do something new! Go underground, help out dwarves, find epic treasure. What's not to love? It was my favorite in the series.

04-20-2020, 02:42 PM	#201
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	An elegant Palace courtier takes you gently by the arm and escorts you to your sleeping room on the ground floor. Upon arriving, she opens the mahogany door, bows politely, and motions you to enter. You cross the threshold and stare in amazement at this luxurious bedchamber. The courtier bids you good night and the door closes behind her without a sound. Fine food and new clothing have thoughtfully been provided for you. You climb out of your damp and travel-stained clothes and ease yourself into the warm water of a sunken marble bath. The scented water soothes your aching limbs. After bathing, you eat before retiring to a majestic bed where you fall asleep as soon as your head touches the soft silk pillow. You are awoken before dawn by the harmonic tinkling of a small hand bell. You open your eyes and the first thing you see is the smiling face of the courtier. With a soft and lilting voice, she tells you that Lieutenant Quang will be in the concourse in thirty minutes time. You watch as she seemingly glides out of the bed chamber and closes the door. You arise feeling better than you have felt in days. A good night’s rest and a generous helping of shameless luxuriance restore any ENDURANCE points you may have lost so far. You get dressed in your new clothes which comprise a crimson leather jacket, black breeches, sturdy black boots, and a dark green oilskin cape with a generous hood. After re-equipping yourself with your belt, Backpack, and Weapons, you leave the bedchamber and make your way to the concourse. The three Watchers are there and they bid you good morning. You have all arrived a little early and you have ten minutes to kill before Lieutenant Quang is expected. The palace courtiers bring you each a basket of freshly baked bread, cheese, and slices of veal with exotic fruits and together you eat a hurried breakfast beside the azure stream of the indoor garden before Quang arrives. The lieutenant appears, clad in his battle dress with his badge of rank prominently displayed on his dark green cloak. He ushers you all to the Imperial stables where you collect your mounts for the journey. They are fine steeds and will serve you well. You pass through the city’s south gate just as dawn is breaking and begin the long ride to Vabou. The rain swept highway is still crowded with refugees but they quickly make way for you when they recognize Quang’s Imperial Guard insignia and you reach the village of Uzam in the early afternoon. You pass by the blacksmithy and general store and notice that both places are now closed and boarded up. You are riding past the tavern when you see Kenga, the tavern owner, appear at an open upper floor window. He looks very frightened and he is about to shout something to you when he is dragged away from the window by unseen hands. (I investigate) You signal to Lieutenant Quang to halt and he and the Watchers immediately obey your command. Quickly you inform them of what you have seen and they agree to investigate the tavern with you. After dismounting and securing your horses, Quang, Bai and Chao hurry around to the rear of the tavern while you and Deng force open the front door. As soon as you set foot inside the empty taproom you hear the sounds of a struggle taking place on the floor above. Swiftly you ascend a narrow staircase that leads to the upper floor, drawing your Kai Weapon as you bound up the creaky wooden steps. Upon reaching the top of the stairs you see an open trapdoor in the ceiling directly above. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning of danger, but you have barely a second to react before a hulking grey shape drops down and slams you to the floor. The scabrous hairless grey skin of this cadaverous horror reeks of a charnel smell. Foul black fluid drips from its fanged mouth and a baleful green glow radiates from its ragged eye sockets. From the tip of the index fingers of its right hand extends a curved razor-sharp talon. ‘A Nagah Ghoul!’ screams Deng, ‘Ishir save us!’ Nagah Ghoul: COMBAT SKILL 38 ENDURANCE 38 Due to the crushing impact of the Ghoul dropping down on your shoulders and slamming you to the floor, you lose 2 ENDURANCE. It takes the first round of combat for you to get back on your feet, therefore any ENDURANCE points loss you inflict on the Nagah Ghoul in the initial round should not be deducted from its ENDURANCE total. Due to the success of its surprise attack, the Nagah Ghoul reduces your COMBAT SKILL by 5 in addition to any other damage it inflicts in the first round of combat. The area at the top of the stairs is too narrow for Deng to be able to help you fight this ferocious enemy. (My modified CS is still max with the adjustments. I toss a 7 and a 2. Then a 6 finishes him and I took 4 plus the earlier 2 for 6 total damage.) Deng looks down at the decapitated head of the Nagah Ghoul in shocked disbelief. He has heard of these evil undead but he has never before seen one with his own eyes. As he struggles to retain his breakfast and regain his composure, cautiously you enter an open doorway to your left. This is the tavern owner’s living and sleeping quarters, a large room that extends the length of the building. On the floor near the open window overlooking the street is Kenga. The old man has had his throat slashed and he is lying dead in a pool of blood. On the middle finger of his right hand you see a gold signet ring and immediately your Sixth Sense detects that this is no ordinary ring. Kenga’s Ring endows it wearer with a limited protection from evil. If you wish to take this ring and wear it, record it on your Action Chart. If you possess the maximum number of Special Items permissible (12) you must now discard one in its favour but you cannot discard the Eye of Agarash. Whenever the Eye causes you an energy drain, pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you choose is 0–5, the ring has no effect. If the number chosen is 6–9, you may reduce the effect of the energy drain by 1 ENDURANCE point. Deng has now recovered from shock and he is standing by a window at the far end of the room. He shouts for you to come and join him. Down in the rear garden of the tavern you see Quang, Bai, and Chao locked in a desperate fight with five Nagah Ghouls. They are faring badly and are in desperate need of help. (I take Kenga's ring) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 02:47 PM	#202
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You race down the stairs and race out into the rear garden with your Kai Weapon poised to strike. Deng follows close on your heels, notching an arrow to his bowstring and letting fly at the first target he sees. His hurried shot misses by a yard, but your sudden appearance and the whistling arrow cause the Nagah Ghouls to disengage from the fight and regroup. Quang pulls the two Watchers back several paces. He is breathless but unharmed, but Bai and Chao have both sustained gouges to their upper arms and they are bleeding badly. (I use KS) You summon your mental power and launch a Mindblast into the grouped Nagah Ghouls. They shriek with pain and drop to their knees, clutching their grey misshapen heads in their oversized hands. ‘Charge!’ shouts Lieutenant Quang, and his stirring command galvanises the Watchers into action. Anxious to seize the advantage your psychic attack has provided, all five of you attack the kneeling Nagah Ghouls before they can get back on their feet. You attack the five undead Nagah Ghouls before they can get back on their feet. Lieutenant Quang fights fiercely by your side, and the three Watchers engage those ghouls that attempt to outflank you. Your effective use of your Kai-surge Discipline has given you the combat advantage. You may ignore any ENDURANCE point losses you sustain in the first round of this fight: 5 Nagah Ghouls: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 57 You may add 6 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight, for Quang and the Watchers are supporting you throughout this battle against these deadly creatures. If you win this combat, Quang decapitates the heads of the fallen enemy to prevent them from being reanimated by the evil energy that has kept them in an undead state for centuries. As he chops off the head of the last Nagah Ghoul with his kirusami, you feel a chilling aura radiating from the Eye of Agarash. A sudden wave of weakness drains you of 3 ENDURANCE points. As the nausea subsides, you turn your attention to the Watchers who have all sustained wounds during the combat. By the use of your Magnakai Curing Discipline, you are able to stop their bleeding and help them quickly to recover. You sense that you must now leave this location for there are more Nagah Ghouls in the vicinity and they are heading for the tavern garden, drawn by the foul smell of the spilt blood of their slain brethren. Hurriedly, you all remount your horses and press on with your journey to Vabou without further delay. (I take no damage from the Eye, and from combat, their +CS and the minus 3 cs from the Wardstone really push my ratio well. I toss a 8 and end combat auto.) Soon the village of Uzam is little more than a dot on the rain swept horizon behind you. The highway ahead is filled with refugees and the column of people and wagons has slowed almost to a halt. With Lieutenant Quang in the lead, you push your way through this jam until you can go no further. When you reach the head of the stagnant column you quickly discover why the flow of traffic has ground to a halt. You magnify your vision and, in the middle distance, you see several dozen Chagarashi have set up a road block where the highway crosses the open plain north of Vabou. They are accompanied by other creatures you have never encountered before. You inform the lieutenant of what you can see and his face drops; his worst fears have been confirmed. ‘They are sealing off the highway to prevent reinforcements from reaching Pensei from the south,’ he says, in a grave tone. ‘Some of Zashnor’s horde must have penetrated the Szuchow hills and come around our flank. We’ll not reach Vabou by the highway now. We’ll have to make a detour around this roadblock and try to get to the town before nightfall by some other way.’ Quang scours the surrounding countryside but he cannot decide which way is best to avoid the enemy. (West. Always go left and up. West is leftish.) Lieutenant Quang nods in agreement and you lead him and the Watchers away from the halted refugee column and ride west towards the southern end of the Szuchow hills. The grass and mixed foliage is taller and denser here than it is on the east side of the highway and you make slow progress. As your horses push on, it is as if they are wading through a thick green sea that swirls around your knees. You are little more than a mile from the hills when Quang signals everyone to halt. He has seen something suspicious and he points to it. You magnify your vision and scour the rain drenched grassland. Immediately, you spot three Chagarashi snaking their way through the foliage towards you. They are less than fifty yards away. Quang says it would be best to avoid them and you agree. He proposes that you circle around this area and attempt to enter the hills further south. You move away from the approaching Chagarashi and steer your horses due south through the dense grassland. Once you are safely clear of the enemy, you make a gradual turn towards the west and approach the hills once more. As you walk your horses up the gentle rise that ascends towards the brow of a wide hill, your Sixth Sense alerts you to danger ahead. Immediately, you shout a warning to Quang and he signals to the Watchers to halt. ‘What is it, my Lord?’ he says, anxiously. ‘I can sense something hostile on the far side of this hill,’ you reply. ‘I fear it could be an ambush.’ Respectful of your Kai intuition, Quang tells everyone to dismount and draw weapons. He orders Chao to remain here and hold the horses while the rest of you go to the top of the hill under cover of the tall grass in order to determine what lies beyond. Crouching low, cautiously the four of you make your way to the crest of the hill. When you see the terrible scene that lies in the shallow valley beyond, it sends a cold shiver down the length of your spine. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 02:54 PM	#203
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Three refugee wagons lay overturned in the shallow basin of the valley, their contents spilled out and scattered among the tall foliage. Lying among them are the torn and bloodied remnants of many Chai civilians. It is impossible to estimate just how many refugees have been slaughtered here for none of their corpses are wholly intact. You are sickened to witness several hulking grey shapes moving about in this killing field, pausing only to snatch up and gnaw at the remains of the dead. You magnify your vision and focus on the bloodthirsty beasts responsible that are for this slaughter. The creatures are muscular bipeds covered with coarse grey fur. A bony ridge runs from their foreheads to the base of their stunted tails and each has a mouth filled with tiger-like fangs. Some have crude axes fashioned from flint and bone with which they brutally decapitate and dismember the corpses. ‘Skarada!’ gasps Quang, in disbelief. ‘I encountered a Skarad years ago in the Voxai Swamp. I still carry the scars of that accursed creature.’ Bai and Deng are so shocked and outraged when they survey this terrible scene that they cannot suppress their anger. Vehemently, they curse the murdering bloodthirsty beasts. Lieutenant Quang hisses at them to be quiet but their curses have already reached the ears of the closest Skarada. One of them emits a piercing shriek and a dozen of its confederates respond instantly. They cease their gruesome feasting and come bounding up the slope of the hill towards your position. (Fight!) Quang hurriedly unshoulders his bow and commands Bai and Deng to do likewise. ‘Fire at will!’ he shouts, and the three of them unleash a flurry of arrows at the advancing Skarada. Six of the enemy fall dead or wounded before the remainder reaches the top of the hill. Two of the beasts rush at you in a frenzied attack, their bloodstained axes held poised to hack you down. (I have a +11 exactly. I toss a 1 and then a 2 and then a 9 and they die auto. I took 5) You step back from the bodies of your slain enemies and call to the others to retreat from the hilltop. Together you scramble down the grassy slope as fast as your legs will carry you and race back to Chao and the horses. You are the first to mount up and you must choose which direction you wish to go to get away from a second wave of Skarada that have reached the top of the hill. One of them comes racing down the slope in a desperate attempt to stop you getting away. You scan the surrounding countryside and realise that you cannot head east towards the highway; a war party of Chagarashi are now awaiting you on the grassy plain and they are determined to stop you from escaping this way. (South to the hills) Quang and the Watchers mount their horses and follow as you urge you horse southwards through the dense chest-high grass. A Skarad attempts to cut you off, but the smell of its foul fur spurs your horse to the gallop and it races headlong through the tangled grasses and foliage. In frustration, the Skarad hurls its axe at you and the sharp flint blade slices your upper right arm as it spins past: lose 2 ENDURANCE. Your horse continues its flight across the rain-soaked grassland until the howls of the Skarada can no longer be heard. Quang and the Watchers catch up with you and you draw your horses in a circle to pause and assess your options. The lieutenant is anxious to press on, mindful of the need to reach Vabou before darkness. Wearily, the Watchers agree and you continue southwards across the increasingly gloomy plain. You have covered a few miles when you spot a farmstead in the distance. You magnify your vision and see that it has been abandoned; its door swings open and shut in the wind. Quang says you should investigate it and readily you agree. The Watchers are physically and emotionally exhausted and you are all sorely in need of some rest. Upon reaching the deserted farmstead, you dismount and tie your tired horses to its fence post before entering. You approach the open door of the farm house and enter. Having determined that this dwelling is empty, you beckon the others to join you and then you wedge the door open with a kitchen knife that is lying discarded on the floor. The interior of this dwelling shows signs of having been abandoned in a hurry. The embers of a log fire are still aglow in its stone fireplace, and the remnants of a hastily eaten meal remain on the table. You draw up a chair and seat yourself at the table, making sure you have a clear view through the open doorway to the hills beyond. The Watchers seat themselves around the table and rest their weary heads in their hands. Quang remains standing nearby. Bai, Chao and Deng are close to tears. They have been badly affected by the massacre of the refugees. Quang tries to console them but they are consumed with grief. He reminds them that they must put duty first. Escorting you to your rendezvous place must be their first and foremost concern. By fulfilling this goal they will help bring about the swift avenging of the murdered refugees. The lieutenant’s words are inspiring and the Watchers draw strength from them. Soon they are able to compose themselves and refocus on doing their duty. Quang is able to gather enough food from the kitchen shelves to provide everyone with a meal. As you eat in silence, you detect movement along the ridge of the distant hills. You leave the table and go to the open doorway to get a better look. It is as you suspect; a war party of Skarada are moving along the crest and they are heading in your direction. ‘They are coming!’ Your warning galvanises your companions into action. As one, they rise from the table and quickly gather their weapons and equipment. In less than a minute you are all back in the saddle and heading south, eager to avoid being caught by the murderous Skarada. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 03:06 PM	#204
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	As you continue your ride south, the cloud and persistent rain becomes increasingly darker and heavier. The tall grassland gradually recedes and your horses are able to pick up their pace, but you are sorely aware that the easier going will also help the Skarada to track you. After an hour spent crossing the plain, you spot something in the distance that makes you call your companions to a halt. You magnify your vision and focus on the dark shape ahead. ‘What is it, my Lord?’ asks Quang, anxiously. ‘Skarada,’ you reply, uneasily. ‘Lots of Skarada.’ You can see a large formation of the creatures more than five hundred strong. They are moving towards the east and are crossing your route of escape. The lieutenant proposes that you change direction and head south-eastwards. This will put you on a course to Vabou and should enable you to reach the town ahead of the Skarada horde. You and the Watchers agree to the lieutenant’s proposal and together you set off at a brisk pace. You reach the west gate of Vabou shortly after dark. The two sentries posted here come smartly to attention and salute the instant they recognize Quang’s Imperial Guard insignia. Hurriedly they push open the gate and you ride into the town, along the same road that you travelled two days ago when you arrived here by wagon with Anseng and Chengu. Quang takes the lead and the rest of you follow as he canters his horse along the lantern-lit road to a junction at the centre of the town. He is familiar with Vabou, having stopped here overnight on many occasions whilst travelling from Pensei to Valus to meet with the town’s military commander. Quang crosses the junction and brings his horse to a halt before a large green-tiled two storey building with a tall bell tower. It is the house of the town elder and headquarters of the Vabou militia. You all dismount and follow the lieutenant through its ornate arched doorway. When you stride into the reception hall, you find Elder Qinlau and Militia Captain Xing seated at a large pine table heaped with parchments. They are locked in conversation. Both of them turn their heads, recognise the familiar face of Lieutenant Quang, and immediately stand up and salute him. ‘It’s an unexpected pleasure to see you again, Quang,’ says Captain Xing. ‘But what brings you here at this late hour?’ The lieutenant tells Captain Xing of your difficult journey from Pensei, your encounter with the Skarada and your discovery of the refugee massacre in the hills. Both Elder Qinlau and Xing are visibly shocked by his chilling report. Quang informs them that a large force of Skarada is heading for Vabou from the west, and he urges Xing to muster his militiamen and deploy them on the palisade wall at once. He is certain that the enemy will attack Vabou during the night. The Captain tugs a large scroll from under the pile of documents and clears the table with one swift sweep of his arm. Quickly, he unfurls the parchment and lays it out on the bare table top. It is a detailed plan of Vabou. He motions Quang and yourself to come forward and examine it. ‘You’ll see that there are four watchtowers located in palisade wall, at the north, south, east and west corners. I have only 100 militiamen at my command, just 25 men to deploy at each of the towers and its adjoining section of wall.’ ‘The Skarada will most likely attack either the west or north wall,’ says Quang, ‘I suggest you deploy 30 militiamen at each of these points, man the south and east watchtowers with 5 men apiece, and hold back a mobile reserve of 30 men ready to plug any gaps or counter any enemy that break through the walls.’ Captain Xing nods in agreement. Lieutenant Quang asks the Captain if he may take a few minutes to speak to you and the Watchers. The Captain consents and Quang takes you and the Watchers to one side. He speaks with a hushed voice. ‘My Lord, our only hope of getting you to your rendezvous in two days’ time is if we help Captain Xing to defeat the Skarada. We all saw this afternoon that the enemy is moving in force towards this town from the west. It’s certain the first few miles of the highway to H’lau are now in their hands. If we can defeat them when they attack Vabou, we may get a chance to break out of the town and head for H’lau across the Huzang Plain. Clearly, it’s now too late to leave Vabou by the south road. If we were to try to reach Klatii in the rain and darkness, the Skarada would slay us before we’d got beyond a mile of the town’s south gate.’ You all know that Quang is correct and, as one, you consent to his proposal; you will stay and fight. ‘We will help with the defence,’ says Quang, much to Captain Xing’s relief. His militia are adequately armed, but they are not trained soldiers. They will fight hard to protect their town and their families, of this he is sure, but he is afraid they will be no match for the Skarada in close combat. It will greatly improve the odds to have a Kai Grand Master, an Imperial Bodyguard, and three able Watchers fighting alongside them. Both Xing and Elder Qinlau thank you for your help. The Captain says that your service would be best put to use where the threat of attack is greatest: at the West and North watchtowers. (West) Elder Qinlau sees to it that your horses are stabled here at Militia Headquarters. Meanwhile, Captain Xing writes two notes informing his militia sergeants that you and Lieutenant Quang are authorised to take command of their companies. Then he hurries away to the bell tower and rings the bell. It warns the townsfolk that Vabou is in imminent danger of attack and it calls the militia to their battle posts at the watchtowers and along the perimeter walls. A small group of boys gather at the Militia headquarters. They are messengers who are charged with conveying written orders from Captain Xing to the militiamen. They will also carry reports back from the palisade wall to keep the Captain abreast of any changes in the situation. One of the boys is ordered to take you to the West Watchtower. Another is assigned to Lieutenant Quang and the Watchers who will go to the North Watchtower. As the boys are collecting the notes that Captain Xing has written, Quang and the Watchers bid you good luck and good hunting. You agree to meet back here after the battle, assuming the fight goes in your favour. The messenger boy escorts through the teeming rain to the West Watchtower. When you arrive, he hands Captain Xing’s note to the sergeant in command of the men stationed here. The man’s eyes widen with surprise the moment he reads the note and realises who you are: the Slayer of Sejanoz! You instruct him to show you the watchtower and adjoining walls so that you can best deploy his company of militiamen. With pride, he takes you into the tower and up a wooden staircase that leads to the parapet walkway. You order five militiamen to man the tower and deploy the others along the palisade wall. As they hurry to get in position, you see some of the enemy horde approaching the north wall through the sheeting rain. As they come closer, your heart sinks. These Skarada are being led by six Chagarashi. In unison, the snarling horrors throw back their heads and let loose a chorus of bloodcurdling shrieks; it is the signal to attack! Only a few of the militiamen are armed with bows and they are poor archers. They fire down on the Skarada below but with little effect. You order them to shoulder their bows, and command all of the men to keep their heads below the parapet. ‘Be ready to strike hard the moment the enemy show themselves. We must not let them take the parapet walkway!’ you shout. The Chagarashi lead the attack on the West wall. They leap up and sink their talons deep into the logs and cling on tightly as the Skarada use them like scaling ladders. They clamber up their backs to reach the top of the parapet wall. You unsheathe your Kai Weapon and join the militiamen crouching along the parapet walkway. The instant the clawed hands and head of the first Skarad appear above the parapet, you spring to your feet and strike. Skarad: COMBAT SKILL 41 ENDURANCE 42 You may add +3 to your COMBAT SKILL in the first round of this combat. The Skarad is unable to retaliate in the first round as it has not cleared the wall, therefore you should ignore any ENDURANCE loss you sustain in the initial round. (9) Despite their lack of training, the militiamen fight with great tenacity. They slash and cleave the bone-ridged heads of the Skarada the instant they appear above the parapet and none of the enemy makes it onto the walkway alive. As the first wave of attackers retreat from the base of the wall to lick their wounds and regroup, a messenger boy appears in the watchtower’s upper doorway. His face is flushed after having run several hundred yards as fast as he can. ‘Come quickly, my Lord,’ he gasps, ‘the East wall is breached!’ You hand back command of the militia company to the sergeant and hurry after the boy, following him down the watchtower steps and out onto the paved street beyond. When you reach the junction in the middle of the town, you see another messenger boy running towards you. Close behind him are Lieutenant Quang and the three Watchers. ‘East Wall?’ shouts Quang. ‘Yes!’ you shout back. The messengers both turn and run along Nuoshi Street which leads directly to the East Watchtower. You and Lieutenant Quang are fearful that the enemy may have circled around the town and found the weakest point in its defences. But when you reach the East watchtower, the breach in the adjoining wall and the enemy threat do not appear to be so great. A ragged smouldering hole has been blown through the lower part of the palisade, and four Skarada have gained entry to the town by this way. The bodies of the five militiamen who were posted at the tower now lie crumpled and lifeless around the feet of these snarling furry beasts. The Skarada raise their bloodstained axes and slowly stalk towards you and your companions. Quang orders the Watchers to choose their enemy and engage them in close combat. As they advance to meet the Skarada head on, you see something climbing through the charred breach in the wall. At first glance it looks like one of the townsfolk; a man clad in simple peasant’s clothes and wearing a conical straw hat. But the moment he steps away from hole and straightens up, your throat tightens and your pulse races with shock and revulsion. It is Anseng, but he is no longer how you remember him. His face is grey and gaunt, and his eyes are now empty sockets that radiate a dull blue glow. Stiffly, he turns towards you with his cupped hands outstretched. There is a loud crack and his hands and forearms are wreathed in sparking balls of electric blue fire. Before your disbelieving eyes, these unholy spheres of flame coalesce into a glowing rod that rapidly transforms into the shape of a kirusami. Your Sixth Sense screams a warning that you are in the presence of a great evil that has taken possession of Anseng and turned him into an undead automaton. He opens his mouth as if to scream and the ghastly eyeless head of a black snake emerges from where his tongue should be. He raises his glowing kirusami and scythes the night air with several sweeping strokes. The weapon glows brighter with every stroke he makes. (I called it. Anseng died. I do not have MM) Anseng moves towards you, sweeping his glowing kirusami before him like a sorcerous scythe. Resolutely you unsheathe your Kai Weapon, yet as you raise it in readiness to counter his inexorable advance you are engulfed by a wave of nausea that makes you shiver and retch. Once again the Eye has activated, triggered now by the close proximity of the evil power that is driving Anseng to seek your doom: lose 4 ENDURANCE points. You retreat a few unsteady paces and struggle to suppress the tide of nausea that is sapping your strength. As if sensing your weakness, Anseng lunges forward and thrusts the glowing tip of his cursed weapon at your trembling face. Anseng (undead): COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 50 (We have a max bonus with mindblast. I toss a 6, then a 4, then another4, then a 7. Total damage to it? 52 it died. I took 6 damage. And I was immune to the Eye) The instant you slay Anseng, his cadaverous body is consumed by a ball of guttering blue flames. Hungrily they feed on his remains and the ball becomes larger, forcing you to retreat from its expanding power for fear of being drawn into the raging core. Abruptly, the ball transforms into a column of intense blue light that rapidly ascends into the storm clouds overhead. And then it is gone, leaving behind a heap of cold ashes on the muddy ground. Lying atop this mound is Anseng’s Kirusami. It is no longer wreathed with blue fire; it appears to have returned to its normal state. Your Sixth Sense tells you that the aura of evil that surrounded Anseng and his weapon has now vanished. You kneel beside the ashes and place your hand upon the shaft of the Kirusami. It feels cool to the touch. Your Kai senses detect that some of its fell power still lingers in the blade, but it is insufficient to cause you harm. Anseng’s Kirusami is a Special Item slung suspended by a thin leather strap across your back. If you already have the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must now discard one in its favour. In combat, the superior craftsmanship and balance of this Chai weapon will add 1 to your COMBAT SKILL. Moreover, the lingering power that remains in the blade of this weapon will double all ENDURANCE point damage you inflict upon undead enemies in combat. However, this power comes at a price. In the first round of combat in which you use this weapon, you will suffer an automatic loss of 3 ENDURANCE points. (I record it. Since i have expertise in Spear, I only lose 4 CS when I use it. That means against Undead, I will always use it as I only lose one CS with the Wardstone) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 04-20-2020 at 03:08 PM.

04-20-2020, 03:18 PM	#205
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	The evil power that brought Anseng back from the dead is the same fell force that has compelled the Skarada and Chagarashi to attack Vabou this night. By slaying the undead Anseng, you have banished this force and broken the spell that has driven the creatures to assault the town walls. The Skarada that are fighting Quang and the Watchers are devastated by the sudden lifting of the spell and their nerve shatters. Desperately, they break off from the fight and scramble to escape through the hole in the palisade wall. Quang and the Watchers let them go. They have put up a good fight against a strong enemy, but they have all sustained wounds in the combat. Using your Magnakai Discipline of Curing, you staunch their wounds and repair the gouges and punctures caused by Skarada fangs and talons. Your companions are thankful to have you on their side. As they carry out a makeshift repair on the hole in the East wall, you return to Anseng’s ashes and offer up a silent prayer to God Kai to save the soul of this brave man. You are finishing your prayer when you hear the sound of the bell tolling in the tower at militia headquarters. It is announcing victory; the battle has been won! You return to the militia headquarters where you are greeted by a jubilant Elder Qinlau and Captain Xing. The enemy are fleeing from Vabou and the town has been spared the massacre that would surely have followed if they had broken through the palisade wall. Quang and the Watchers are exhausted and in desperate need of rest. You resolve to get some sleep here at the headquarters and leave at daybreak. Elder Qinlau provides you all with food (restore 3 ENDURANCE) before you take your leave and go to the stables. The bales of hay stored in the stables’ loft provide you with a soft bed for the night. You wake shortly before dawn and stretch your weary limbs. Quang gets to his feet and awakens each of the snoring Watchers. A daunting ride awaits you all. You have two days in which to cover the 120 miles between Vabou and the location of the lost tracker gem. Mindful that every hour counts, you forego breakfast and mount your horses. In the grey light of dawn, the old highway that bisects the town is busy with townsfolk preparing to leave Vabou while they still can. They are afraid that the enemy will return and have decided to abandon their homes and journey to the distant town of Hi’joi. It is located south-east of Vabou, on the eastern side of the mighty River Tkukoma. They believe that they will find safe sanctuary there. The rain has eased off overnight to be replaced by a light drizzle. It makes your journey less miserable than it has been since you first arrived in Chai four days ago. The first nineteen miles of your ride towards the village of Zang pass uneventfully. It is not until you approach your twentieth mile on the highway that your Sixth Sense warns you enemies are close. You signal to the others to stop. You stand in the stirrups and scan the surrounding countryside, but all you can see is rain-swept grassland swaying in the wind. There are no signs of the Skarada and Chagarashi that attacked Vabou last night. Satisfied that there appears to be no threat of ambush, you resume the ride towards your rendezvous point. It is not until you are twenty five miles from Vabou that the situation takes a turn for the worse. A large group of creatures are spotted in the distance. You magnify your vision and see that they are the survivors of last night’s attack. They are blocking the highway and are spread out on either side for half a mile in both directions. You call your companions to a halt and consider the best way to avoid them. Quang suggests you try to circle around to the south, across the Huzang Plain. Bai suggests you may stand a better chance if you enter the foothills of the Szuchow Range to the north and use the cover they provide to get around them that way. Both routes will delay your journey to the rendezvous point significantly. Moreover, you’ll not be able to reach Zang before nightfall and will face having to spend a night in the open in enemy occupied territory. You consider both suggestions and realise it is time you must face the harsh reality of your situation; you have no chance of reaching the rendezvous point in time. It is difficult having to admit this to yourself, and even more difficult having to inform your brave companions that you cannot go any further westwards. The risks of being captured or killed are simply too great. They accept your decision in silence, their faces taut with frustration and disappointment. Having endured so much hardship and danger since leaving Pensei, they are loath to give up now. Chao is the first to speak. ‘My Lord, though it saddens me to have failed to carry out my duty to escort you to your destination, there may be another way to see you safely home. I propose we turn to the south-east and enter the Tviloi Forest. It will provide us with good cover from the enemy. My home village is Jueng and I know the forest well. We could ride to Jueng and stay there overnight. I can assure you all of a warm welcome there.’ Lieutenant Quang turns his sullen head and stares at Chao. ‘And what then? Do you have a plan that will deliver the Grand Master home safely, or do you simply long to return to your own home and to Naar with the vow you made to our Khea-khan?’ Chao begs the Lieutenant’s forgiveness and asks to be allowed to continue. ‘Sir, with respect, I will never willingly break my vow. We will stay but one night in Jueng before continuing onward to Valus. The town has a ferry that crosses the Tkukoma Estuary twice daily. I propose we catch the ferry to Dwala. My comrade Watchers and I are based in Dwala. Our headquarters are in the Tower of Ishir. We are in regular contact with Lord Rimoah’s envoy. Through him we could get word to the Elder Magi that the Grand Master is with us and they could direct Lord Rimoah to collect him there.’ Lieutenant Quang considers Chao’s proposal and his stern expression softens. ‘My apologies, Chao. I should not have been so sharp with you. It is a good plan. I approve of it. What say you, Bai and Deng?’ The other Watchers are heartened by Chao’s proposal. It offers them the chance to keep the solemn vow they made to Lao Tin. Deng is especially pleased for his home and family are in Valus and it raises his hopes of seeing them again. ‘So be it,’ says Quang. ‘We shall turn towards the Tviloi Forest and make our way to Dwala from there.’ You are relieved that your mission may yet be completed and you agree to Chao’s plan of action. But your sense of relief rapidly evaporates when you look towards the distant enemy. While you have been listening intently to Chao, you have failed to notice that several dark shapes are loping across the open plain towards you. Swiftly you magnify your vision and your heart skips a beat. At once you recognise the approaching creatures and you can hardly believe what you see: doomwolves! ‘Hurry, hurry,’ you cry, ‘we must go now, and quickly!’ (I take the hills there to our new location) Your mind is reeling as you spur your horse to the gallop. What are doomwolves doing here in Chai? These loathsome creatures rarely venture far from the Darklands of Northern Magnamund, the Nadulritzaga Mountains of Ghatan, and the Ogshezar Mountains of Northern Skaror. It is unheard of them ever being seen in Southern Magnamund. You come to the rapid and chilling conclusion that Zashnor must be responsible. Only the sorcery of the evil Nadziran could spawn these creatures so far from their native lands. You glance over your shoulder and are shocked to see how rapidly the doomwolves are gaining ground. In less than a minute they are among the horses, racing alongside, snarling and snapping at their haunches. You see Lieutenant Quang unshoulder his kirusami and stab one in the throat as it attempts to leap up at his horse’s head. The sharp blade slices deep into its greasy black fur and the doomwolf tumbles head over tail, mortally wounded. Another doomwolf draws alongside your horse with its fearsome jaws agape. Your frightened mount veers away and cuts across the path of two more of these loathsome creatures that are racing along to your right. (I use AM) You draw upon your advanced Discipline of Animal Mastery and command the doomwolf alongside you on the left to fall asleep. The creature is in a highly excited state and it resists your psychic order, but the power of your command is strong enough to fill its mind with a fog of confusion. It stumbles and nosedives into the grassland, snapping its neck as its head sinks deeply into the soft ground. Startled by its sudden death, the two doomwolves on your right ease back and you are able to quickly outpace them. Quang and the Watchers skilfully shake off and outdistance their pursuing doomwolves and together you plunge through the tree-line of the Tviloi Forest. At first the pines are widely spaced and you maintain your fast pace with relative ease. However, this sparse border also makes it easy for a determined handful of doomwolves to maintain their pursuit. The rumble of distant thunder and flashes of sheet lightning herald the return of heavy rain. This sudden change in the weather works to your advantage, dampening the scent of your horses and making it harder for the remaining doomwolves to track you. At length you come to a denser part of the forest that forces your mounts to slow their pace. It is criss-crossed with several narrow but deep gullies. You work your way around these fissures until you arrive at one that is much longer than the others. It stretches across your path and, at first glance, there appears to be no way to traverse it. ‘Over there!’ shouts Quang, pointing along the gully towards the east. He has spotted a dead pine that has fallen across this narrow ravine. Its trunk spans the yawning gap and provides a natural bridge to the far side. Quang takes the lead and you follow him in single file as he steers his horse safely across the fallen pine. When you reach the far side, you hear the ominous growl of a doomwolf close behind. The pack leader and three of its foul brothers are in hot pursuit. They have already reached the middle of the tree bridge and will soon be upon you unless you can do something to halt their swift and determined advance. ( I use Elemenalism) You draw upon the power of your Grand Master Discipline to loosen the earth beneath the fallen pine at the edge of the gully. It crumbles and the top of the tree trunk sinks with it, falling away into the deep ravine. With a chorus of terrified howls, the doomwolves tumble off the trunk and plummet to their doom at the base of the ravine, one hundred feet below. Quang and the Watchers are greatly impressed by the way in which you have dealt with the doomwolves. They punch the air and shout in unison: ‘Paizar!’ You smile and nod your head in acknowledgement of their generous praise. As the echo of their cheer fades away among the surrounding trees, you feel a sudden wave of weakness coursing through your body. It makes your stomach churn and leaves you gasping for breath. Once again, the Eye of Agarash has activated and this time it drains you of 5 ENDURANCE. Wiping a trickle of cold sweat from your brow with the back of your trembling hand, you swallow hard and quickly reassure your companions that you are fit to continue. (Again, no damage!) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 03:21 PM	#206
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quang takes the lead and you follow him in single file through the forest on a south-easterly course. You make steady progress until the stormy grey light of day surrenders to the approaching dark of night. You are all very hungry for you have not eaten a thing since you awoke early this morning. The storm has abated but the rain has become heavier during your long afternoon ride, and Quang is sorely aware of the need to find safe shelter, somewhere dry where you can eat, rest, and recover your flagging strength. In the failing light, he spots a place that looks promising. It is a cave-like opening in the side of a wooded knoll. He calls you to come forward in the line and determine if it is safe to enter. You focus your Sixth Sense and at once you know that there is nothing hazardous lurking beyond the opening. ‘All clear,’ you tell him. ‘We’ll camp here for the night,’ says Quang, and he orders the Watchers to dismount and tether the horses to the trees close to the opening. As they carry out his order, you and he inspect this natural shelter. Beyond the opening you discover a room-sized cavity that is suitable for your needs. Bai and Chao prepare a small fire and you help Quang and Deng to clear the ground and prepare a communal meal from the provisions you are carrying in your backpacks. If you have a Meal in your backpack you must now erase it and give it to Quang. If you do not have a Meal, you go and gather edible roots, fungi, and berries from the immediate vicinity. Bai proves himself to be a good cook and the meal he prepares is very nutritious. When you finish your meal, you agree to remain on guard for one hour each while the others get some much needed sleep. You volunteer to take first watch. You settle yourself down at the entrance to the shelter and draw your oilskin cape close around you. The warmth of the small campfire helps to dull the persistent chill of the satchel containing the Eye of Agarash. As you stare out into the darkness of the forest and listen to the sounds of its nocturnal animals, you reflect on the events of the day. Your unexpected encounter with the doomwolves plays on your mind. You have no doubts that Nadziran Zashnor is responsible for their presence here in Chai and it reveals to you that this evil sorcerer is a formidable adversary. If it can deploy doomwolves this far south in Chai, you wonder how many other Darklands beasts it has at its command to let loose on Pensei and secure its capture. You feel a pressing need to inform Lord Rimoah of this, but it is now impossible for you to return to the tracker-gem and be there in time for his return aboard the Comet. ( i try to use Telegnosis to reach out to Rimoah) You close your eyes and draw deeply upon your Grand Master Discipline in an effort to establish a telepathic link with Lord Rimoah. You focus and strain your Discipline to the limit, but try as you may you are unable to make direct mind contact with him. After several fruitless and tiring attempts, you resign yourself to the fact that he is somewhere beyond the range of your telepathic ability. The mental energy you expend leaves you feeling emotionally and physically drained: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. You finish your watch and enter the shelter to awaken Chao; he is the next in line for guard duty. He rubs his eyes and takes his place at the entrance. You settle down on the ground where he lay and drift off into a deep sleep. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 03:28 PM	#207
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	It is still dark when Quang wakes you up. The glowing embers of the campfire illuminate the interior of the shelter with a dull amber light by which you and the Watchers are able to gather your equipment and make ready to leave. Bai and Chao venture outside and go forage for some edible foliage with which to feed the horses. There are plentiful puddles of rainwater and Quang makes sure the horses drink their fill before Bai and Chao return. Dawn has broken by the time the horses have finished feeding and you mount up and begin your woodland journey to the village of Jueng. It is mid-morning when you happen upon an old hunting track. It is mostly overgrown with foliage, but it provides you with a south-easterly route through the forest which is easy to follow. The rain stops and your woodland ride is blessedly uneventful. The forest is rich with berries, nuts, and edible flora that are sufficient to sustain you and your companions throughout the day. Shortly before dusk you come to a wide and muddy highway. Bai and Chao recognize this road at once for it connects the town of Klatii with the village of Jueng. They have travelled this highway many times in their youth. Bai, who was born and raised in Klatii, remembers that there was an old woodsman’s hut near here, just a mile or two to the south in the direction of Jueng. He leads you to it and you spend the night here before setting off to Jueng at first light. The journey to Jueng village is completed without any delays or unforeseen complications. The muddy highway makes the going easy, despite the worsening weather. Heavy cloud and torrential rain accompany you throughout on your long ride. You reach the outskirts of Jueng shortly before nightfall. Chao can hardly contain his joy when he sees the lantern lights of his home village aglow in the distance. He has been away from his family for more than a month. Upon entering this pretty Chai settlement, Chao invites you all to come and stay at his house overnight. Lieutenant Quang thanks him for his generosity, but he is hesitant to accept his kind offer. He knows that Chao’s house is small and his family is large. He does not want to cause any inconvenience to his wife and five children. He proposes you all vote for your preference: stay with Chao and his family, or seek accommodation for the night at the village inn. Chao, of course, wants to stay at his family home. Bai, too, is in favour of this. But Quang and Deng prefer to stay at the inn. This leaves you to cast the deciding vote. (Stay!) Quang and Deng accept your decision with good grace. Chao is delighted and eagerly he leads you along the main street to his modest home on the eastern edge of the village. You dismount and tether your horses beneath an open-sided shelter at the side of the two-storey house. Chao leads you around to the front door and knocks four times. You hear the sound of scurrying feet and the door swings open. Before you stands Shen-Yin, Chao’s wife. She beams with delight when she sees her husband and throws herself into his open arms. She is clearly overjoyed by his unexpected return. Chao motions you to enter and you go through into a parlour where five young children are sitting in a circle on the pine wood floor in front of a brick fireplace. They are happily playing with their toys. They look at you with quizzical expressions, but when they see their father in the doorway behind they leap to their feet and rush to embrace him. Shen-Yin relinquishes her hold on Chao and welcomes you to their home. With some difficulty, Chao gently extricates himself from the grip of his excited children and introduces you to his wife. Bai needs no introduction for he has visited here many times in the past. Chao tells Shen-Yin that you are bound for Valus on imperial business and that you can only stay here overnight. She is understandably disappointed to hear that her husband will be home for such a short time, but she puts on a brave face and draws comfort from the fact that they are together again, albeit briefly. She gathers the children and shoos them upstairs so that you have the parlour to yourselves. Then she disappears into the kitchen to prepare some tea and food for you all. After a simple but reviving meal and copious cups of tea, Chao and Shen-Yin retire upstairs leaving you and the others to sleep on the parlour floor. There is not much room but you are all thankful to be out of the rain and in warm home on this bleak and stormy night. You fall asleep with ease but you do not rest easily. You are haunted by dreams filled with sinister shadowy images and premonitions of impending loss. Thrice you awaken during the night, drenched in cold sweat, and each time you do you find it hard to go back to sleep. Due to your poor night’s sleep and the chilling nightmares you have suffered, you lose 2 ENDURANCE. Chao wakes you all up at dawn. While you are checking your equipment and preparing for another long day in the saddle, Shen-Yin prepares breakfast and brings it to you in the parlour. While you are eating, Quang tells you that it is a thirty mile ride from here to Valus and he wants to reach the town by late afternoon. You finish your food while listening to the sounds of the children playing in their room above. When the time comes to leave, Quang, Bai, and Deng go and feed the horses while you and Chao help Shen-Yin to clear away the breakfast dishes. You bid her thanks and walk to the front door to go and assist the others. Chao holds his doting wife in a warm and loving embrace and assures her that he will return soon. You are touched by the deep affection they have for each other. Quietly, you exit the door and see Quang leading two horses, yours and Chao’s, out of the shelter by their reins. You climb into the saddle and hold Chao’s horse alongside. Soon you are joined by Quang, Bai, and Deng astride their mounts and patiently you wait for Chao to appear. After a few minutes, Quang calls out: ‘It’s time to go, Chao!’ The door opens and Chao and his wife share a final embrace in the doorway before Chao, sheepishly, bids a final farewell to his wife and climbs into the saddle. With a wave, Shen-Yin bids you goodbye and Godspeed as you set off along the highway heading east from Jueng. It is shortly before midday when you come to a wooden bridge that carries the highway across a swollen stream. On the other side of the bridge is a farmstead surrounded by a split pine fence. Chao informs you that this farmstead belongs to his wife’s brother, Genzu. It comprises a farm house, a large barn, and several small outhouses and pig pens. It seems to be deserted and Chao says this is very odd. Genzu employs more than twenty farmhands and this place is usually very busy, even when the weather is bad. Lieutenant Quang decides to take a closer look. He has a strong feeling that something is amiss. You ride through a gap in the fence and along a muddy track that leads directly to the farm house and barn. Chao calls out to Genzu but he gets no reply. ‘Maybe he’s in the barn,’ he says, and he trots his horse towards its open double doors. Quang tells Bai to go and see if anyone is inside the farm house. Bai dismounts and hands the reins of his horse to Deng before running across the muddy ground towards the farm house door. ‘No sense us standing out here in the rain,’ says Quang, and he motions you to follow him to the barn. Chao is searching the lower part of the barn when you ride in. You see that there is an expansive loft overhead that occupies the apex of the roof and is stacked with bales of straw. You dismount and join Chao to look for anything that could explain why the farm has been abandoned. Meanwhile, Quang and Deng climb the ladder that leads to the hay loft. You are searching along the west side of the barn, close to the timber planked wall, when you catch something moving out of the corner of your eye. Through a gap in the planks, you see several figures approaching. At first you think it could be Genzu and his farm hands returning from the potato fields, but when you press your face to the gap and magnify your vision you are shocked by what you see. ‘Skarada!’ you cry. ‘To the west. And closing fast!’ Your warning chills the hearts of Quang and the others. As they hurry to peer through gaps in the plank wall, Bai comes running into the barn shouting. ‘Skarada! And Chagarashi too!’ (I have AM and a high level of skill) You focus your improved Grand Master Discipline at the nearest Chagarashi and order it to halt. The creature shudders as the power of your command grips it like a steel vice. For a few moments, the accompanying Skarada stop dead in their tracks and regard the frozen creature with looks of bewilderment. Then they growl with disdain and continue their advance. They split into two groups and come rushing around the sides of the barn. The moment they disappear from your view, you shout to the others: ‘Let’s get out of here!’ Quang and the Watchers rush to their horses. Rapidly, you mount your horse and spur him towards the open doors. You are halfway across the barn when two Chagarashi appear in the open doorway and throw their arms wide. They spread their sinewy fingers and their razor-sharp talons glint in the dull light. They are attempting to block your escape. You are almost upon them when your horse rears up in fright. The Chagarashi seize this opportunity and leap forward to attack. 2 Chagarashi Scouts: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 45 You struggle to control your terrified horse throughout this combat. Its wild and erratic movement makes it hard for you to strike these enemies with precision. Deduct 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight. (I need to use MB to get my +11 back! I toss a 3, and then another 3, then a 4 and a 7. They die and I took 7 total damage) The smell of spilt Chagarashi blood makes your horse whinny with fear. You draw on your Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control to calm him, and you rally Quang and the Watchers with a stirring battle cry you know they will respond to: ‘For Chai!’ The Skarada are now fast closing in around the open barn doors. They are armed with flint axes and long-bladed bone daggers. You dig your heels into your horse’s flanks and jolt him forward in a desperate effort to escape before the Skarada can block the exit. Your horse is back under your control and he responds at once to your actions. He bolts through their closing ranks and you gallop away along the muddy farm track. Quang and the Watchers follow in your wake. The snarling Skarada slash and stab at them as they race out of the barn, forcing to them run a deadly gauntlet before they can get away. You come to the end of the farm track and turn your horse to the east. When you look back towards the barn, you are relieved to see that all of your companions have escaped and are galloping along the track towards the farm entrance. By the time the Skarada reach the farm’s split pine fence, you are all racing along the highway in the pelting rain with your heads down and your cheeks pressed close to your horses’ necks. Only when you can no longer see the farmstead and the Skarada do you signal to Quang and the others to bring their horses to a halt. Your mounts are breathless and their sweaty flanks steam in the pouring rain. Your companions, too, are weary. They slump in their saddles and struggle to regain their composure. Quang comes forward and halts his horse alongside yours. ‘That … was a close thing,’ he says, gasping for breath. ‘We’ve you to thank for getting us out of that barn alive.’ Then you hear a loud splash behind you and immediately you sense that something awful has happened. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 03:35 PM	#208
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Chao has fallen from his saddle and he is lying face down in a large puddle. Quickly, you all dismount and hurry to drag him out of the water before he drowns. Deng rolls him over and slaps him twice but he does not respond. ‘He’s not breathing,’ he says, anxiously. You place your hands on Chao’s throat and forehead and draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Curing to transmit healing warmth into his body. ‘My Lord, look!’ gasps Bai. He is pointing at the rain-drenched ground where Chao is lying. The surface water is turning red. You pull open Chao’s rain cape and you are shocked to see that the left side of his tunic is soaked with blood. You rip open the tunic and find a puncture wound in the side of his chest. It was made by the thrust of a stiletto bone dagger when he ran the Skarada gauntlet. Desperately, you try to seal the wound but it is too late to save Chao. He is dead. The terrible realisation that Chao has passed away hits Bai and Deng like a sledgehammer. Their faces crumble and they begin to shiver and sob uncontrollably. Tears run freely down their cheeks as sorrow overwhelms them. Lieutenant Quang is also deeply affected by Chao’s death. He has fought many battles and lost more than his fair share of friends and comrades, but Chao was a brave and decent man, a loving husband and a good father whom he had come to respect and admire. He did not deserve to die like this. You wrap Chao in his cape and raise the hood. Then you and Quang gently lift his body off the highway and lay it across the saddle of his horse. Quang secures him with rope while you try to console Bai and Deng. They are beside themselves with grief and cannot hear your comforting words. Nothing you can say will bring Chao back. Quang pulls Deng to his feet and leads him by the hand to his horse. Then he does the same with Bai. You and Quang help the Watchers to mount up and all the while not a word is spoken. You gather up the reins of Chao’s horse and tie them to the back of your saddle and, in silence, you leave this miserable stretch of highway and push on towards Valus in the pouring rain. You reach Valus late in the afternoon. There is a constant rumble of thunder and thick black clouds hang heavy above the Tkukoma Estuary. Frequent flashes of forked lightning are making the waters seethe and churn. Quang leads you through the arched west gate and along a wide paved avenue to a crenelated building located at the heart of this large and busy town. It is a Chai army headquarters and barracks. He shows his rank insignia to the sentries on guard at the gate to the cavalry stables and you are permitted to enter. It is good to be out of the rain at last. You dismount and the stable hands come forward to take your horses. One of them approaches Chao’s horse but Bai steps in his way and refuses to let him to touch his fallen comrade. He turns to Quang and begs him to be allowed to take Chao back to Jueng at first light. He feels it is his duty to be the one who delivers the sad news to Shen-Yin, and it is only right and proper that Chao should be buried in the village where he was born, raised and had lived for all his life. Quang takes Bai to one side and they talk for several minutes. When they return, Quang informs you and Deng that he has consented to Bai’s request. He will remain here in the stables with Chao’s body this night and ride back to Jueng tomorrow morning. Lieutenant Quang says that you must now leave and go in search of a way to reach Dwala, which is located on the east side of the Tkukoma Estuary. Before you go, you bid a sad farewell to Bai and say a silent prayer to God Kai to watch over Chao’s soul and keep it safe from the evil of Naar, King of the Darkness. You leave the cavalry stables on foot and enter the grand central square of Valus. Several streets and avenues converge at this point. Quang says that you should head for the banks of the estuary but he is unfamiliar with the waterfront precinct of the town. He asks Deng, who is a native of Valus, to suggest the best route to take. The Watcher stares at the flagstones and does not respond. He is still deeply shocked by Chao’s death and is lost in grief. Quang turns to you and asks if your Kai skills can be used to determine the best way to go. A signpost in the middle of the square points to three streets that lead off in an easterly direction towards the Tkukoma Estuary. Halfway along Xo-lin Avenue is a small apothecary shop. Its front window is crowded with glass flasks, stoppered jars and conical shaped bottles filled with colourful potions, herbs and all manner of medicaments. Quang is fascinated by the window display and insists that you enter. Inside you are greeted by the apothecary and his brother, the co-owners of this shop. With welcoming smiles they invite you to browse their wares. Quang purchases a flask of Senara Tea and he makes Deng drink it. The soothing liquid will help him to recover from his state of shock. While he is administering the tea to Deng, you inspect the shelves and take note of the following potions with which you are familiar: Potion of Laumspur: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns). Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat. Potion of Alether: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns). Adds 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat. Potion of Malavan: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Increases the effect of Mindblast, Psi-surge and Kai-surge, by adding 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat. Tincture of Sabito Root: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns). Sabito Root is only to be found in the Boari Jungle of Valerion. It is rare in Chai. It enables the human body to extract oxygen from water through the skin, thus permitting anyone who swallows it to ‘breathe’ underwater. You may buy any of the four potions shown above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will each take up one space. You are under no obligation to make a purchase. When Deng has finished the flask of Senara Tea, you bid thanks to the shop owners and leave. Soon you reach the end of Xo-lin Avenue and enter the quayside area. The churning waters of the estuary stretch out before you. Because of the heavy rain and failing light, you cannot see across the estuary to the opposite bank and have no way of judging how wide it is at this point. There is a ferry post close by and the ferry boat to Dwala is moored at the quay. You approach it, hoping that you are in time to catch the dusk crossing, but you find that access to this part of the quay has been chained off. A sign hanging from the chain says: Ferry cancelled due to weather. Directly opposite the quay is a large three-storey building. The ornate sign fixed above its front door says: Ferry House Inn. (Let's head to Ferry House Inn. I am good on items) You push open the front door and immediately you are struck by the sweet aroma of Lissanian tobacco smoke that clouds the air of the inn’s spacious, high-ceilinged taproom. There are more patrons here than you were expecting to find at this hour. Quang wends his way through them and you follow him in single file to the rear of the crowded taproom. Fortunately, you find a table where three men are preparing to leave. You take their seats, remove your backpacks, and stow them between your feet where you can keep a watchful eye on them. A serving girl emerges from the crowd and asks you what you would like to order. Quang requests three ales and food enough for all of you. She nods politely and disappears back into the throng of chattering customers. While you are waiting for her to return, you listen to snippets of conversations and learn that some of the patrons have been here for three days. They are waiting for the storms to abate and the ferry service to Dwala to resume its normal service. At length, the girl returns with three pewter tankards of ale and a large plate heaped with cuts of cold meat and peeled vegetables. Quang pays her and she gives him three small parchment envelopes, six slips of yellow paper and a stick of sharpened charcoal. While you are enjoying your meal, a gong is stuck three times and a hush descends upon the taproom. The innkeeper climbs onto the counter and addresses his patrons in a loud voice: ‘My dear ladies and gentlemen. I am proud to introduce to you one of Chai’s most celebrated riddlers. Please welcome the wonderful, the amazing, the confusing and confounding Madam Dai-zia!’ The patrons applaud and an elderly woman, swathed in a flamboyant robe of turquoise and gold silk, is lifted onto the counter by the innkeeper’s twin sons. The innkeeper hands her a large hourglass which carefully she sets down on the counter beside her feet, then she smiles and bows graciously to the appreciative crowd. As the applause fades, she addresses them in a warm maternal tone. ‘Thank you, thank you, most kind. This evening I have prepared for you a special riddle. Please listen carefully and then wager generously.’ There is a soft ripple of laughter among the patrons before Madam Dai-zia clears her throat and begins. Long, long ago, there lived a beautiful princess who yearned for a handsome and intelligent husband. She had many suitors. Some were handsome, some were intelligent, but woefully few were both these things. She was herself very intelligent indeed. And so she devised this riddle to test the mental mettle of the men who so desired to win her affections and take her for their bride. She had three toa wood boxes which were identical in size. Each one was painted a different colour and each one had a different inscription on the lid. Into one of these boxes she placed a wedding ring. To every suitor who presented himself she posed the same question. Based solely on the inscriptions, she asked them to choose in which box the wedding ring was hidden. She told them that at least one of the inscriptions was true and at least one of the inscriptions was false. The inscription on the Gold Box read: ‘The ring is not in the Silver Box’. The inscription on the Silver Box read: ‘The ring is not in this Box’. The inscription on the Bronze Box read: ‘The ring is in this Box’. Please consider your answer carefully. The innkeeper and his sons will come and collect your wagers in three minutes’ time. The moment Madam Dai-zia finishes her last sentence, the innkeeper turns the hourglass and the sand begins to flow. The innkeeper will double any money that is wagered by those who solve this riddle. Your answer must be written on one of the two yellow paper slips and placed in the parchment envelope along with your wager. On the face of the envelope you must inscribe a symbol. On the second slip of paper you must inscribe the same symbol that you made on the face of the envelope. This second slip must be kept safely. If your answer is correct you will have to show this slip. If the symbol does not match any of the winning envelopes then you cannot lay claim to your winnings. Now you must decide how much you wish to wager on this riddle. If you do not have any Gold Crowns, Lieutenant Quang will lend you 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns) which you must use to make a wager. You cannot refuse to bet on the answer to this riddle. Everyone in the taproom is obliged to make a bet. Deduct from your Belt Pouch the number of Gold Crowns you wish to wager. Make a note of this deduction in the margin of your Action Chart. If you deduce the answer correctly you may add double this number of Gold Crowns to the money in your Belt Pouch. If you do not answer correctly, you will lose the Gold Crowns you wager. (10 gold on Gold Box) Congratulations, your answer is correct. The Wedding Ring must be in the Gold Box otherwise all the inscriptions would either be true or false. You can now double the Gold Crowns you wagered and add them to your Belt Pouch. (I have 26 crowns) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 03:43 PM	#209
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Once the puzzling is done and the successful wagers have all been paid out, the taproom settles down and the patrons resume their drinking and convivial conversations. Quang and Deng both won their wagers, but it does little to lift Deng’s sullen mood. The innkeeper leaves his counter in the capable hands of his two sons and comes out to mingle with his customers. The storms have been good for business and he is in high spirits. When he passes by your table, Quang stops him and asks if he has any room for the night. ‘I’m sorry, my Lord,’ he replies. ‘We’re completely full. Even my attic and stables are occupied tonight.’ ‘Do you know if anyone is crossing the estuary before nightfall?’ asks Quang. ‘Not if they know what’s best for them. There’ve been no boats on the waters for the past three days. The ferry is closed and the fishermen are all safely tucked up at home. Well, those that aren’t in here that is!’ With each passing minute new customers enter the inn until the taproom is bursting at the seams. ‘It’s time to leave,’ says Quang. ‘There little chance we’ll find anyone who’ll take us to Dwala in here.’ You gather your backpacks and leave the overcrowded inn by way of its back door. An alleyway runs alongside the building and you use it to return to the quayside. You walk along the quayside, scouring every vessel that is tied up here. Most are firmly tethered to cast iron moorings and shrouded with oilskin tarpaulins. You find only one that appears to be in a ready state to depart. Its owner is fixing its mooring rope when you approach. ‘Hail, sir,’ says Quang. ‘Would you be prepared to take us across the estuary to Dwala?’ The boatman regards the Lieutenant with a look of incredulity. ‘Some say I’m a little bit mad. But I’m not that mad. What you propose it nothing less than suicidal!’ (we'll pay!) ‘There’s not enough Ren in all of Chai that would make me go out into the estuary today,’ says the boatman, shaking his head. The waters can be treacherous even at the best of times, especially in the middle of the channel. ‘How much to buy your boat?’ asks Quang. ‘More than you can afford,’ he retorts. ‘This boat is my livelihood. But I tell you what, I’ll take 5,000 Ren for it.’ ‘The price you are asking is preposterous,’ says Quang. ‘I could buy ten boats like this for that sum.’ ‘Hah!’ snorts the boatman. ‘Then I suggest you go and do that!’ You continue along the quayside. Your hopes of finding a boat and a boatman willing to take you across the estuary are fading fast until Quang spots something in the distance that raises your flagging spirit. It is a small brick built cabin with a roof of thick red tiles. ‘That’s the Coast Guard station,’ he says, and he marches towards it at a brisk pace. Inside you find the Quay Master seated at his desk. He is hunched over a detailed map of the Tkukoma Estuary with a mug of steaming jala cupped in his hands. Quang asks him if he has any Coast Guard boats operational in the estuary and the thin-faced Quay Master snorts with derision. ‘In this weather? Not likely!’ ‘Then by the power vested in me by Khea-khan Lao Tin, I am commandeering one of your boats,’ replies Quang, officiously, and he shows the Quay Master his insignia of rank. The man looks at his insignia, then he looks at you and Deng and he bursts out laughing. ‘I am not joking,’ retorts Quang. ‘I demand you let me inspect your fleet.’ ‘My fleet?’ replies the Quay Master, chuckling under his breath. ‘Very well, I’ll show you my fleet. Follow me.’ You leave the Coast Guard station and follow the Quay Master along the quayside to a small rowing boat tethered by a rope to an iron ring in the wall. ‘There, that’s my fleet. All that’s left of it that is. You’re welcome to commandeer it if you wish.’ The Quay Master turns on his heel and marches back to his station, laughing and shaking his head all the way. You look down at the rowing boat and your heart sinks. It is a sturdily built craft but there is only enough room for two. If the three of you were to attempt to cross the stormy estuary in this tiny boat it would surely capsize. Quang places his hand on Deng’s shoulder and the Watcher raises his head and looks unblinkingly into the Lieutenant’s steely eyes. ‘I am discharging you of your duties, Deng,’ he says. ‘You have served loyally and bravely and I will commend you to the Khea-khan. Return to the cavalry barracks and join with Bai. Accompany him on his ride back to Jueng tomorrow.’ Deng nods his head and salutes the Lieutenant. He wishes you both good luck before he leaves the quayside and walks away into the teeming rain. You watch him go. He does not look back. ‘It is best he goes with Bai tomorrow,’ says Quang. ‘If they should run into the enemy during their journey, they’ll stand a better chance of surviving than if Bai were to go alone.’ ‘It will be hard on them to tell Shen-Yin that she has lost her husband,’ you reply. ‘Yes … yes it will,’ says Quang, his voice tinged with bitter sadness. ‘Her husband … and her sister too. When I spoke with Bai at the stables, he told me that when he searched the farm house next to the barn, he found the bodies of Shen-Yin’s sister and her husband. Both had been murdered by the Skarada.’ ‘This is so sad,’ you reply, ‘I pray that Ishir will give her strength to bear her grievous loss.’ Quang walks to the edge of the quay and loosens the rope securing the rowboat. ‘Perhaps we should wait until the storm abates,’ you say. ‘There’s no chance of any improvement in this foul weather,’ replies Quang. ‘We could be waiting here for days. It’s not uncommon for it to be stormy at this time of the year, but I’ve never known anything like this. I fear there are dark forces in play. We must reach Dwala and you must deliver the Eye to the Elder Magi as soon as possible. The crossing will be difficult but it will not be impossible. We must place our trust in God Kai to see us through to the other side, and we must be away at once. It’s now or never.’ You step into the boat and set the oars into the rowlocks. Quang casts off and you commence your voyage out into the treacherous waters of the Tkukoma Estuary. (I use Elementalism) You call upon your advanced Discipline to create a sphere of calm air around the boat. It helps you to leave the quayside, but its effect is all too short lived. The waters seethe and roil around your boat. Huge waves crash together and drench you as valiantly you struggle to reach the far side. Blinding blue-white forks of lightning streak from the black clouds above and stab the tortured waters all around. It is impossible to steer; all you can do is row hard and pray you will survive this terrifying voyage. You are nearing the middle of the channel when a bolt of lightning strikes the churning surface close by. The discharge of its electrical energy jolts and numbs your aching arms: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. Quang is worse affected and he loses a grip of his oar. It is torn from his grasp and whisked away on the howling wind. Shock has rendered him unconscious and turned his skin pale grey. He slumps forward, and as you reach to pull him back onto the seat, the boat is hoisted on the crest of a tremendous wave and catapulted skywards. (I use KA and a high enough rank) The boat tumbles stern over bow and you are hurled into the raging waters. You plunge deep into the watery abyss, dragged down by the strong currents and the weight of your weapons and equipment. You intone the words of the Brotherhood Spell Breathe Water and the crushing pain in your lungs recedes when you begin to absorb oxygen through your skin. With your strength fast returning, you fight your way up from the depths and back towards the surface. You break the surface gasping for air. Mercilessly, the raging waves toss you around like a rag doll. Your Magnakai Discipline of Pathsmanship tells you which direction is north, and from this intuitive knowledge you determine the direction of east and swim as best you can on this course. Your fight to reach the eastern bank of the estuary whilst in the grip of the raging waters becomes a desperate combat against the elements. You must fight them as you would any enemy that is trying to kill you. Tkukoma Estuary: COMBAT SKILL 34 ENDURANCE 50 Resolve the outcome of this combat using the Combat Rules. You may not add any bonuses you would normally benefit from by the use of your Kai Weapon, normal weapons, or any psychic attacks. You must also reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of this ordeal. (I have a +11. I toss a 8 and win) Once you are beyond the treacherous currents at the middle of the estuary, swimming through the heaving waves and lightning strikes seems easier by comparison. Several times you magnify your vision and scan the churning waters, looking for any sign of Lieutenant Quang, but it is a futile effort. The waters are too rough and dusk is fast turning to night. You glimpse a shimmer of lights ahead and you strike out for them in the hope it is the city of Dwala. The flow of the estuary waters push you away from the lights and you are exhausted by the time you reach the muddy eastern shore. You crawl through the mud and collapse unconscious several yards from the tempestuous waters. When you regain consciousness, every muscle in your body aches and your vision is blurry. Gradually, you recover enough strength and vision to struggle wearily to your feet and survey your surroundings. You have come ashore a mile south of Dwala. The city lights shimmer in the darkness, enticing you towards them. You stumble up the gradient of the shore and find firmer ground that is covered with grass, shrubs, and reeds. You stop to stare back at the raging waters of the estuary and you pray to Ishir to save the lost Lieutenant. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 03:54 PM	#210
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	(I use Grand Hunt) Amongst the foliage you recognise some Alether plants. Their usually shiny orange berries have become spoiled by excessive rainfall and most of the ones you find are dull brown and mildewed. You are able to gather a handful that has not been spoiled, enough for one dose. When swallowed before combat, Alether will increase your COMBAT SKILL by 2 for the duration of the combat. You keep the Alether Berries in your jacket pocket. Make a note of them and their effect in the margin of your Action Chart as they do not take up any space in your backpack. ( I take them!) You scan the darkened countryside and detect a highway less than a mile away to the east. The city of Dwala lies north-east of your present location. (Highway) ou trudge across waterlogged grassland to reach the muddy highway. This road connects Dwala with the coastal port of Czantai to the south. Its surface is deeply rutted, a consequence of the heavy wagons that travel this trade road every day. Approaching from the south you see a covered wagon drawn by four horses. Glowing latticed lanterns hang from its four corners and the blue and gold emblem of the port of Czantai is displayed on both sides of its canvas roof. (Let the wagon pass) Frequent bolts of lightning illuminate the muddy highway as you trudge the final mile to Dwala’s south gate. Upon arriving at the gate, a guard steps from his sentry post and demands you pay the night entry toll. Passage in and out of the city is free during the hours of daylight, but after dark a toll of 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) is imposed on all non-residents wishing to enter, and 10 Ren (1 Gold Crown) on all those wanting to leave. (I have 24 crowns) The guard pockets your crown, but he does not step aside to allow you to pass through the gate. He looks you up and down and then tells you to pull back the hood of your oilskin rain cape. (I use Assimilance) You use your Grand Master Discipline to alter your facial features so that you look like a Chai native. The guard is now satisfied that you are not a foreign agent, possibly on a mission of murder or sabotage, and he steps aside and allows you to pass through the south gate. Beyond the South Gate is a large flagstoned plaza, bordered by several shops that sell clothing, groceries, fine art, curios and musical instruments. At the centre of the plaza stands a marble statue of Khea-khan Zha-zhing, Lao Tin’s father, surrounded by a pool of crystal clear water. Most of the shops are closing for the night and their owners are pulling down the shutters on their windows and front doors, but there is one that is still open for business. It is located close to the South Gate and the sign above the door says Pau Ping’s Potions and Lotions. There are three streets which converge at the plaza: Drauzhi Street, South Avenue and N’kow Lane. (Potions and Lotions!) This shop is run by Pau Ping, an old apothecary who has lived in Dwala all his life. He greets you with a broad smile when you walk through his door. Pau Ping buys, sells, and prepares all manner of potions and healing medicaments. He invites you to browse his shelves. Most of his wares are ointments for soothing aching muscles and treating minor skin complaints, but there are a few potions among them that are of interest: Oxydine: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns). Restores 2 ENDURANCE when swallowed at any time. It also cures Korovax infections. Laumspur: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns). Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat. Alether: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Adds 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat. Malavan: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns). Increases the effect of Mindblast, Psi-surge, and Kai-surge by adding 2 COMBAT SKILL for the duration of one combat. You may buy any of the potions listed above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will take up one space in your backpack. Pau Ping buys potions, but he will only pay you 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) for each one, no matter how much it may have cost you to acquire them. However, he will make an exception for some Karmo. He has a customer who will pay a high price for this potion. If you have a potion of Karmo and are prepared to sell it to Pau Ping, he will pay you 200 Ren (20 Gold Crowns) for it. If you buy or sell any potions while you are here, Pau Ping will gladly tell you where the Tower of Ishir is located (turn to 180). If you do not, Pau Ping shakes his head and politely asks you to leave as he is about to close his shop for the night. You bid him good night and return to the plaza to consider which street you should take. (I buy a 2nd Laumspur pot and have 19 cash left) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 04-20-2020 at 03:57 PM.

04-20-2020, 04:01 PM	#211
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	‘You’ll find the tower on the other side of the city, my friend. It stands beside the North Gate.’ Pau Ping bids you a kind farewell when you leave his shop. You return to the plaza and consider which street to take from here. (I try South) This broad avenue is well-lit by street lanterns that creak softly in the wind. A hundred yards along the thoroughfare you see two shops that stand directly opposite each other and are still open for business. (Weapon shop) Xiong is a weaponsmith who manufactures and sells a variety of hand weapons. He greets you warmly and invites you to browse his weapon racks at your leisure. Each of the weapons has a price tag. Those of most interest are: Axe: 80 Ren (8 Gold Crowns) Bow: 200 Ren (20 Gold Crowns) Arrows: 10 Ren each (1 Gold Crown each) Dagger: 50 Ren (5 Gold Crowns) Sword: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns) Mace: 100 Ren (10 Gold Crowns) You may buy any of the items listed above for the price indicated. With the exception of the Bow (which you carry slung over your shoulder) and the Arrows (which are kept in your Quiver), they are all Weapons that you carry sheathed on your belt. You are under no obligation to make a purchase at this establishment. Xiong gives a respectful bow and he bids you good night when you leave the shop. (No thanks! Hardware shop? This hardware shop is owned by Hopdai and his wife Meng-an. They greet you with a smile and invite you to peruse their wares. The black lacquered shelves are stacked high with myriad items and all of them have a price tag. Those that catch your eye are: Mortar & Pestle: 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) Lantern: 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) Chisel: 20 Ren (2 Gold Crowns) Hammer: 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns) Rope (50 ft. length): 30 Ren (3 Gold Crowns) Potion of Laumspur: 40 Ren (4 Gold Crowns) Restores 4 ENDURANCE when swallowed after combat. Small Telescope: 60 Ren (6 Gold Crowns) You may buy any of the items listed above for the price indicated. They are all Backpack Items that will take up one space in your backpack. You are under no obligation to make a purchase. Hopdai will buy any items you have noted on your Backpack List (with the exception of Anseng’s Kirusami). He will pay 10 Ren for each item, regardless of how much it originally cost. If you wish to sell any of your items, erase them from your list and add 1 Gold Crown (10 Ren) per item to your Belt Pouch. Hopdai and Meng-an bid you a pleasant good night when you leave the shop. (I spend two crowns to finish my backpack with a Chai Morter and Pestle and Chai Chisel) You walk along the paved street, passing closed cook shops and small emporiums that sell clothing, furniture, and fruit, until you arrive at Dwala’s main square. At its centre is a tiered pyramid of veined marble topped by a magnificent sculpture of a dragon roaring at the sky. This is the famous Dwala Dragon, erected at a time when the free citizens of Dwala willingly chose to join the Chai Empire many centuries ago. It is a homage to Nyxator, the wise and goodly dragon who, in 12209 MS, created the Lorestones to preserve the powers and knowledge bestowed upon him by God Kai. These ancient gems contained the secrets and the power of the Magnakai Disciplines that you have mastered. Encircling the base of the pyramid are dozens of market trader stalls wrapped in oilskin tarpaulins and wound round tightly with rope. In more clement times the square is a vibrant open market where thousands of goods are bought, bartered and sold every day. Now it is closed, and it looks like it will remain so for several days to come. Through the teeming rain, you see two thoroughfares that lead away from the main square. One goes north and is called Izara Street. The other heads west and is named Xo Street. A signpost at the start of Xo Street points due west and reads: To the Quay. (Izara) You follow the street and soon arrive at the city’s North Gate. It is here you find what you have been seeking: the Tower of Ishir. This grand and beautifully fluted tower stands next to the barbican of the north gate. It is embellished with icons and engravings and topped by a parapet with a large half-moon fashioned from silver-plated bronze set above it. This is the symbol of Goddess Ishir. It lifts your spirits and resolutely you stride across the rain-swept flagstones towards the tower’s arched portal. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 04-20-2020 at 04:02 PM.

04-20-2020, 04:09 PM	#212
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You twist the portal’s silver handle and, to your relief, you discover it is unlocked. You push it open and step across the threshold into a small chapel dedicated to Goddess Ishir. Standing before a wooden altar draped with a silver cloth stands a Priestess of the Moon, a devout acolyte of Ishir. She is clothed in a beautiful robe of shimmering white silk interwoven with threads of fine silver. She leaves the altar and walks towards you with her delicate hands crossed upon her chest. ‘I am Priestess Song Tao,’ she says, softly. ‘Welcome.’ You sense the aura of goodness that she exudes and it flows over you like a cool refreshing breeze (restore 1 ENDURANCE point). You introduce yourself and tell her that you are the Kai Grand Master whom Anseng had been sent to escort to Pensei. She asks after your guide and she is deeply saddened to hear what became of him. She closes her eyes and a single tear trickles down her pale cheek. Slowly, she opens her eyes and holds you with a mesmerizing stare. Your Sixth Sense tells you that she is looking into your mind. When she is sure that you are indeed a Kai Grand Master, she uncrosses her hands and beckons you to follow her. ‘There are some important people that are waiting for you. Come with me.’ Priestess Song Tao leads you to an alcove behind the altar and traces her fingertip around one of the engravings on the wall. It activates a secret panel which slides open to reveal a spiral stone staircase. You follow as she climbs to a landing near the top of the tower. A silver-plated door stands before you. Song Tao knocks on this shining door before opening it. You follow her into a large and impressive circular chamber. Its smooth walls and ceiling are midnight blue in colour and studded with clusters of tiny Caronese crystals. The effect is stunning; it is as if you have just stepped into deep space and are surrounded by thousands of tiny twinkling stars. The chamber is dimly lit by an oil lamp resting on a circular table in the middle of the room. Song Tao raises its wick and the light becomes brighter. It illuminates three people who are seated in winged armchairs on the far side of the chamber. They stand up and Song Tao introduces them to you. The first is Lord Honos, a journeymage from Dessi. The second is Zautro, a curate Herbwarden from Bautar, and the third is Captain Jian Tzu, the commander of Dwala’s City Guard. He is also the leader of the Watchers and a loyal friend and ally to the Elder Magi. It was Jian Tzu who sent Anseng to meet you on your arrival in Chai and to be your guide. When you tell them what has happened since your arrival in Chai, they are relieved to see you still have the Eye of Agarash safely in your possession. They are also shocked and saddened to learn of the regrettable loss of Anseng, Chao, and Lieutenant Quang. Lord Honos assures you that their sacrifice will not be in vain, and neither will it be forgotten. Zautro the Herbwarden steps forward and asks to see the Eye of Agarash. The others, too, are anxious to view this infamous artefact and they gather round. When you open the leather satchel, you are assailed by a wave of evil energy that drains you of 6 ENDURANCE points. The insidious effect of the Eye leaves you unsteady on your feet. The others support you until the weakness fades and you are able to stand unaided. They all sense that the Eye is responsible for your plight. Captain Jian Tzu says that they will send word to Lord Rimoah that you are now in Dwala. ‘How is this so?’ you ask. ‘The storms are making it impossible to leave Dwala by boat, and it will take weeks to reach the Kai Monastery of Lorn overland. It would be difficult to keep the Eye of Agarash hidden from the enemy throughout such a long journey.’ Lord Honos politely interrupts and answers your question on behalf of the Captain. ‘Grand Master, I am a Journeymage and I have a Speaking Stone given to me by the High Council of the Elder Magi. I use it regularly to send my reports to the High Council Elders in Elzian. They will relay my message to Lord Rimoah that you are now here, in Dwala, with the Eye of Agarash. When Rimoah receives it he will surely come and collect you in his skyship.’ Lord Honos excuses himself and leaves the chamber to fetch his Speaking Stone. While you wait for him to return, Zautro and Song Tao offer to help you to recover from the rigours of your perilous journey to Dwala. Priestess Song Tao places her hand gently on your chest and intones a prayer to Goddess Ishir. As she speaks the words of the prayer, you feel a healing warmth flow through your body that restores 5 ENDURANCE points. When she finishes her prayer, she offers you a potion of Laumspur (will restore 4 ENDURANCE when taken after combat) which you may keep in your backpack, space permitting. (I let her keep it, I don't need it) Lord Honos is holding something when he returns to the chamber. Inquisitively, you all gather around him. Cupped in his hands is an apple-sized crystal with a milky opalescence. You sense it has magical properties. He brings the stone to his chest and presses it close to his heart. With his eyes firmly closed, he makes silent mental contact with the High Council in Elzian. A minute passes before he opens his eyes and says: ‘It is done. Now we must await their answer.’ There is a knock on the chamber door, and Song Tao says ‘Enter.’ The door opens and into the chamber come two Moon Maidens, devoted assistants to the Priestess. Their names are Kwe and Jia Zhai. They are bearing two silver platters of food and Priestess Song Tao invites you all to partake of this delicious selection of grilled fish, boiled rice, and steamed vegetables. You are eating when Lord Honos suddenly jumps up from his chair as if he has been stung by a bee. Honos is receiving a message from the High Council. He presses the Speaking Stone to his chest and closes his eyes. Another minute passes in silence as you wait for him to conclude his mental contact with his distant elders. He is smiling when he opens his eyes. ‘I am happy to report that my message has been relayed to Lord Rimoah and he’s replied most promptly. He will fly directly to Dwala aboard the Comet and attempt a landing in front of the North Gate at noon tomorrow, so long as the weather is not too severe. He has also sent a warning to you, Grand Master, that the Eye of Agarash is now known to have revealed your location to the enemy from the moment you departed Pensei.’ ‘If this is so, then they will know that you are here in the Tower of Ishir,’ says Zautro, anxiously. Song Tao uses her goodly powers to calm the Herbwarden’s fraying nerves and she recommends that you all should now retire and get some sleep. ‘I will pray to Ishir to grant us a break in the storm so that Lord Rimoah shall be able to land in safety tomorrow,’ she adds, and calls forward Jia Zhai to escort you to your room. You bid good night to the others and follow the Moon Maiden as she leads you out of the chamber and down the spiral staircase to the alcove behind the chapel’s altar. She beckons you to follow her to another alcove and she opens a secret door to a comfortably appointed room with a bed and a narrow stained glass window. She wishes you a peaceful night’s sleep before leaving. You remove your oilskin cloak, your boots, and your backpack and place them beside the bed. You are feeling weary and it does not take long for you to drift off into a deep sleep. Your dreams are haunted by a vision of Chao the Watcher lying dead on a muddy highway. Dark swirling shadows writhe all around his lifeless body. You walk towards him and look down at his face. It is relaxed and serene as if he is sleeping peacefully. You fall to your knees and slowly you move closer and closer until your face is almost touching his. Abruptly, his eyelids spring open and two jets of scarlet flame issue forth from the pupils of his glaring eyes, burning and melting and mutilating you. The dark shadows grip you tightly and you cannot move a muscle. There is no escaping from the horror that engulfs your body and soul. It consumes you utterly. Lose 4 ENDURANCE. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 04-20-2020 at 04:10 PM.

04-20-2020, 04:17 PM	#213
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You wake with a start and sit bolt upright. Your heart is pounding and your face is bathed in cold sweat. An unnatural chill pervades the room and it is emanating from the Eye of Agarash. The evil artefact was the cause of your traumatic nightmare and the residue of its awakened power now lingers in the chamber. The noise of explosions rings in your ears. At first you think it is a hangover from your nightmare until you see flashes of light at the window. The explosions are real. Hurriedly, you put on your boots, backpack and cape and rush to the door. It opens as you approach it and you see Captain Jian Tzu running across the chapel towards you. ‘We’re under attack!’ he shouts, ‘They’re bombing the roof. You must leave at once!’ Jian Tzu turns on his heel and motions you to follow him. Chunks of masonry and plaster are falling from the chapel’s ceiling to smash on the pews and floor all around you. The Captain hurries to the altar and parts its silver cloth to reveal a trapdoor. He tugs it open and you follow him down an iron ladder bolted to the tower’s cellar wall. A secret passage leads to the cellar of a convent located opposite the North Gate. You leave this cellar by way of a flight of stone steps that ascend to the convent’s kitchen above. Jian Tzu unlocks and opens a door and you see the alleyway that runs alongside the convent. Fiery explosions and flashes of lightning illuminate the darkness of this narrow passage. You take a step from the doorway and look up into the storm-torn skies above. Amidst the roiling clouds are several large winged reptilians that are circling and diving on the roof of the Tower of Ishir. Shadowy riders cling to their backs. They hurl missiles at the tower roof before soaring away into the black clouds where they circle around before diving again. The explosive missiles that they cast down have already destroyed the icon of Ishir and much of the upper part of the tower, including the star chamber where you met with Jian Tzu, Herbwarden Zautro, and Lord Honos just a few hours ago. You step back into the convent kitchen to keep from being seen by the winged creatures overhead. As you do so, the evil power of the Eye flares up and drains you of 3 ENDURANCE. (My ring keeps me from taking damage) Lord Honos and Herbwarden Zautro come running up the stairs from the convent’s cellar. They are covered with plaster dust and look badly shaken. You ask if Priestess Song Tao is safe. They glance at each other and then look dejectedly at the floor and shake their heads. ‘Grand Master,’ says the Captain, urgently. ‘You must leave here. It is too dangerous for you to stay any longer.’ He stands in the open doorway and points along the alley to a passageway at the southern end. ‘Turn right at the end and the passage will take you to Izara Street. Go left when you reach Izara and you’ll soon arrive at the Main Square. Look for the sign to the Quay. Follow the sign and you’ll be sure to reach the quayside. Make your way to the stone pier in the middle of the quayside and look for the Silver Virixe. She is a Korlian cargo ship berthed at the end of the pier. She will be bound for the Port of Suhn as soon as the storms abate. Go aboard her and hide yourself below deck. If it is safe to do so, we will come for you an hour before noon and bring you back here to the North Gate in time for Lord Rimoah’s arrival.’ ‘And what if you don’t come?’ you ask, pragmatically. ‘If we don’t come for you,’ replies Jian Tzu, ‘then the situation here will have escalated beyond our control. You should remain hidden aboard the ship. Once it sails and is safely beyond the estuary, you should make yourself known to the Captain. His name is Chengan. He is a Watcher and he is loyal to our cause. He will convey you to the Port of Suhn and from there you will be able to make contact with your Kai Monastery on the Isle of Lorn. We will send word of this to Lord Rimoah … if we are able.’ You acknowledge the Captain’s words and set off from the kitchen doorway. But you have barely taken a dozen steps along the alleyway when you see a group of leathery black creatures appear in the passageway beyond. They are armed with iron bows. One of them raises its bow and a black arrow comes speeding directly towards your head! (I use KA) Swiftly you invoke the Brotherhood Spell Halt Missile and the black arrow freezes in mid-air just a few feet in front of your face. You step aside and, moments later, the spell dissipates and the arrow whistles past you to ricochet harmlessly off the wall of the convent several yards along the alleyway behind. Honos and Zautro dash from the kitchen door and rush ahead of you along the alleyway to provide you with some cover from the leathery black archers in the passage beyond. Lord Honos casts a brace of flaming bolts that incinerate the nearest two enemies and transforms them to glowing heaps of ash. Herbwarden Zautro hurls a green glass sphere that smashes in the midst of the remaining four and ensnares them in rapidly growing tangle of barbed briars. They accompany you to the end of the alley and scour the adjoining passageway to check if the coast is clear. ‘Go, Grand Master,’ says Zautro, ‘Go now, and may Kai and Ishir go with you!’ Mindful of Captain Jian Tzu’s directions, you reach the end of the passageway and go left into Izara Street. Soon you reach the city’s Main Square and follow the sign westwards to the Quay. Upon reaching the quayside, you shield your eyes from the lashing rain and scan the length of the central stone pier until you espy what you are looking for. The Silver Virixe is moored at the end of the pier, roped and chained securely in its berth. You run to the pier and race along its stone walkway, buffeted on all sides by the wind and sheeting rain. You are halfway along the pier when a leathery-winged creature swoops down from of the raging storm clouds and passes directly over your head. It screeches and your pounding heart misses a beat when you recognise what this creature is. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 04:23 PM	#214
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	A Kraan! Never have Kraan ventured this far south from the Darklands of Northern Magnamund before. You recall the doomwolves you encountered during your journey from Vabou to Valus and realise the only possible reasons for why they are now present in Chai. Nadziran Zashnor has either brought them here, or the foul sorcerer has established spawning pits somewhere in Southern Magnamund and is creating them to bolster the size of his invading army. The shrieking Kraan banks away from the quayside and circles around to make another pass over the pier. You see two smaller creatures riding pillion in a saddle strapped to its scaly back. You magnify your vision and recognise that they are the same kind of creatures that attempted to block your escape along the alleyway beside the convent. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination tells you that these hairless black leathery bipeds are Doomgah, a new breed of horrors created by Zashnor in its Spawning Pits located below the evil Bhanarian temple-city of Bakhasa. Your senses also reveal that Zashnor has been able to draw upon the souls of myriad victims sacrificed by Autarch Sejanoz during his long and bloody reign. They were imprisoned in the Bakhasian temples and used to supply raw power to its voracious spawning vats. The Doomgah are watching you intently through slitted eyes that emit a dull orange glow. The Kraan flies away in the direction of the Main Square and then circles back, cawing loudly. It is directing a dozen Doomgah that are in Xo Street to race towards your location. They soon reach the end of the thoroughfare and come scurrying across the quay towards the entrance to the central pier. They are armed with black iron bows and serrated swords. When they reach the pier they draw their swords and give vent to a snickering battle cry. (I use ka) You raise your right hand and point towards the Doomgah clustered around the entrance to the pier. Carefully, you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand and you feel a tingle run the length of your arm. A bolt of lightning leaps from your fingertips and rips a hole through their ranks, sending several of them tumbling in all directions. To your disappointment, only three of them are slain by the crackling power of your spell. The others scramble to their feet and hurry back to join the others. You unsheathe your Kai Weapon and prepare to take the fight to the snickering Doomgah. You resolve to cut your way through them to the quayside beyond and make a hasty escape into the city. If you allow them to force you along the pier to the cargo ship, they will have the combat advantage for there is nowhere you can escape to once you are on the deck of the ship. Coolly, you advance along the pier. You show the vile creatures no fear, but you are stopped dead in your tracks when you hear the loud flapping of wings behind you. You glance over your left shoulder and see a Kraan landing at the end of the pier. Astride its back is a Doomgah, but one that is larger and more muscular than the others. A breast plate of black iron encases its chest and in its hand it carries a large kirusami, an exaggerated mockery of the Chai Imperial Guard weapon. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination informs you that this creature is Klüz, the Doomgah leader. It fixes you with a withering stare and its dull orange eyes flare brightly. It is preparing to dismount from the back of the cawing Kraan. (KA again) You recite the words of the spell and point your left hand at the creature. The tingling power of Brotherhood magic flows along your arm and erupts from your fingertips. In an instant, a blinding bolt of electrical energy arcs along the pier towards the creature’s armoured chest. It reacts with stunning speed, catching the crackling bolt on the blade of its polearm and grounding it to the wet stone-block surface of the pier. The bolt flares briefly and vanishes in the blink of an eye. Klüz leaps from the saddle and lands on the stone pier with a splash, its kirusami gripped firmly in its leathery black hands. The gathered Doomgah hiss their approval as their leader stomps towards you along the walkway. You steel yourself and prepare to fight this formidable creature to the death. The Doomgah leader raises its mighty kirusami and spouts of cracking blue flame erupt along the length of its razor sharp blade. It opens its maw to reveal a score of dagger-like fangs and a thin black tongue that writhes between them. Klüz (armed with Zukgudrak): COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 42 The weapon that this enemy wields can leach power from the Eye of Agarash. This inflicts 1 ENDURANCE point of damage to you in every round of this combat. (I have a +11 base. I toss a 2 and 5 and 0 it dies. I took 3 from the effect, I had 6 left over from others, and 4 in battle for 13 damage total right now) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 04:26 PM	#215
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Klüz shrieks with agony when you land your killing blow. Clutching at its sundered breast plate, it tumbles off the stone pier and plummets head first into the heaving waters of the Tkukoma Estuary. For a few moments its fell weapon, Zukgudrak, balances precariously on the edge of the walkway. Then the howling winds catch its heavy blade and send it spiralling down into the dark waters to join its owner. The Doomgah at the far end of the pier are devastated by the defeat of their leader. They break and run in all directions to escape a similar fate by your hand. Only one remains behind. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination informs you that this creature is Mooldor, Klüz’s sycophantic and vengeful lieutenant. The creature raises its iron bow and lets loose a black arrow aimed at your heart. The arrow whistles towards you with an exceptional speed and accuracy that reveals its magical enhancement. It is a Zejar-dulaga, a sorcerous missile imbued with magical accuracy that is only crafted in the Darklands. It hits you in the left shoulder and knocks you down: lose 4 ENDURANCE. You are precariously close to the edge of the walkway and you struggle to prevent yourself from falling into the heaving waters below. Instinctively, you draw upon your Magnakai Discipline to numb the pain of your wound but you sense that something is very wrong. Your vision is beginning to blur and your legs refuse to move. The tip of the magically-enhanced arrow has been smeared with Black Yua venom, a fast-acting and deadly toxin. (I use my Tazheng potion) You struggle to retrieve the potion from your backpack before the paralysis in your legs starts to spread to your torso and arms. With trembling fingers, you pull out the cork and swallow the bitter liquid in one gulp. There is a sensation of glowing warmth in your throat and stomach that moves rapidly to your chest and shoulders. The powerful anti-venom you have ingested swiftly counters the deadly Black Yua venom, neutralising it before your whole body becomes paralysed. With gritted teeth, you wrench the arrow from your shoulder and cast it away. The Doomgah Mooldor is reloading its bow and preparing to fire again. With a strength born of desperation, you scramble to your feet and race towards the gangplank of the Silver Virixe. Mooldor tracks you as you run and unleashes a second arrow. It speeds towards you, forcing you to somersault along the gangplank to avoid being hit. The deadly black arrow strikes the wooden edge of the plank barely inches from your right foot. Gasping for breath, you leap from the plank onto the stern deck of the cargo ship and hurriedly take cover behind the wheelhouse. (I use my bow) You pull an Arrow from your Quiver and fix it in place. You know where your target is but you dare not show yourself. The arrows your opponent is firing are much swifter than yours. You take a deep breath, step away from the wheelhouse, glimpse your target and release your straining bowstring all in one smooth and fluid movement. Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you have the Grand Master Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, add 5 to the number you have chosen. (I toss a 2 and get 8 with the enhanced bow) Your Arrow strikes Mooldor between its glowing orange eye slits. For a few moments it stands transfixed, then it drops to its knees and falls limply on its side in a puddle at the entrance to the pier’s walkway. You exhale with relief; the Doomgah archer is dead. You step away from Mooldor’s body and brace yourself against the side of the wheelhouse as the deck of the ship sways from side to side. The mooring ropes and chains creak and groan as the hull of the Silver Virixe is battered by the raging waves. Bolts of lightning strike the pier and a deafening thunderclap explodes directly overhead. A feeling of cold dread grips your stomach; your Sixth Sense is screaming a warning that a great evil is fast approaching the vessel. A loathsome Kraan emerges from the churning black clouds and swoops down to hover a few feet above the ship’s foredeck. Astride its back is a thin figure swathed in black robes edged with gold and scarlet braid. In his cadaverous hand he clutches a black orb that trails wisps of thin black smoke. ( I have been to Gazad.) The robed figure jumps from the saddle to the deck of the ship. As soon as he is clear, the Kraan beats its leathery wings and ascends into the storm clouds overhead. With difficulty, the bald gaunt-faced man hobbles across the foredeck and descends the steps to the main deck. The smoking orb in his hand transforms into a long black staff as he fixes you with his cold dead eyes. ‘I have returned, Kai wretch! I come to fulfil my vow. Vengeance shall be mine!’ A spike of freezing fear stabs at your heart like an icy dagger. In a moment of pure horror, you recognize this man. It is Xaol the Necromancer. He has kept his dying vow to return from beyond the grave and enact his revenge on you. You sense that he has been reconstructed by evil sorcery since you sliced him in two in Gazad Helkona. His crippled yet functioning body is chilling testimony to the power of Nadziran Zashnor. He opens wide his rotting mouth to reveal an array of putrid needle-sharp teeth. A deafening sound emerges from this ghastly maw, a cry far louder than the noise of the thundering storm. The force of this unholy roar drags you to your knees and fills your head with blinding pain. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 04-20-2020 at 04:28 PM.

04-20-2020, 04:35 PM	#216
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	(I use KS) A deafening sound emerges from his ghastly maw, a cry far louder than the noise of the thundering storm. The force of this unholy roar drags you to your knees and fills your head with blinding pain. Suddenly you realise that you are not being subjected to an audio attack. The noise that fills your head is the effect of a powerful psychic assault on your senses. You call upon your advanced Discipline to erect a Mindfort to shut out the unbearable noise, and your swift response saves you from sustaining any permanent impairment to your mental faculties. Howling with frustration that its psychic attack has helped and not harmed you, the ghoulish figure leaps towards you brandishing his black staff. In the blink of an eye, the staff transforms into a hissing serpent. It is disturbingly similar to the snake that emerged from the mouth of undead Anseng. You reach for your weapon and pull back as the serpent’s venomous fangs strike out for your throat. Xaol the Necromancer (reconstructed undead, with Serpent Rod): COMBAT SKILL 50 ENDURANCE 50 Xaol is a powerful undead adversary. If your chosen weapon provides you with a bonus when used in a fight against an undead foe, be sure to calculate and add the bonus to your COMBAT SKILL before this battle begins. If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Spawnsmite’ or ‘Valiance’ you may add the bonus that you gain from its unique properties during this combat (I lose one CS and swap over my new weapon. I get a 59 with MB, so a +9 swap. I toss a 4 and he takes double damage - 22. Then I crack a 7 and he dies from the damage. I took 2 and have 11 damage taken thus far) Your final blow decapitates Xaol and sends his decayed head arcing away into the tempestuous waters of the Tkukoma Estuary. His crippled body drops to the deck and rapidly decays before your eyes. The necromantic spell that raised Xaol from the dead and restored his sundered body has been broken, and now the years of rot and decay that were held at bay rapidly consume his diseased corpse. His serpent rod reverts to its spherical form and lies beside the putrid remains, smoking and hissing intensely. You have consigned the necromancer’s head forever to a watery grave, but you need to dispense with the accursed weapon he wielded. Drawing upon your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus, you focus on the smoking sphere and will it to rise up from the deck. Slowly it ascends. When it reaches chest height, you halt it in mid-air and concentrate a burst of mental energy that sends it flying over the gunwale of the ship. It hits the raging waters and explodes, showering you with foaming spray. You are wiping the foam from your face with the back of your hand when your eye catches some movement on the quayside. The Doomgah are slowly and nervously returning to the stone pier. They are very wary but they are also very curious to discover if Xaol has been triumphant. You crouch low to avoid being spotted and shuffle your way towards the door of the wheelhouse. You resolve to get below deck and find a place to hide before the Doomgah muster enough courage to come along the pier and board the Silver Virixe. When they find the ruined remains of Xaol’s corpse, they will likely come searching for you. Your basic Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter deals quickly and easily with the padlock on the wheelhouse door. It snaps open and you slide back the door and enter. Swiftly, you tug the door closed behind you and use the padlock to secure it from the inside. A set of wooden steps lead down to the lower deck where you discover the crews’ quarters. There are two cabins notably larger than the others: the Captain’s cabin and the Purser’s Cabin. (Purser) The door to the purser’s cabin is locked, but it presents no challenge to your basic Kai Discipline of Mind Over Matter. It takes merely moments for you to unlock the door and slide it open. The purser’s wood panelled cabin is comfortably furnished with a bunk, an oak table, an ornately carved high-backed Mythenian chair, and a toa wood chest of drawers. There is a large iron safe positioned next to the oak table. Its lockplate has a keyhole but there is no sign of the key that opens the safe. (I leave it) A loud shriek rips through the constant rumbling of thunder and your senses tingle with apprehension. This chilling sound is neither the cry of a Kraan or a Doomgah; it is something much larger and far more sinister. You peer out through the cabin’s porthole but all you see is the stone wall of the pier rising and falling with the sway of the rough waters. As you step back from the porthole, you are hit by a sudden wave of weakness that makes you shudder and drop to your knees, gasping for breath. Again, the Eye has activated and it drains you of 4 ENDURANCE points. (What made that cry?) With trepidation, you climb the wooden steps that ascend to the wheelhouse. Through the rear window you see a huge winged creature perched on the end of the stone pier. It is an Imperial Zlanbeast. Astride a grand saddle embellished with Darklord icons, you see a slender man-like figure swathed in a hooded grey robe. The raised hood of the robe hides the figure’s face but at once you know who this is: Nadziran Zashor! Klüz and Xaol have both been slain by your hand, and so Zashnor has now been forced to show itself and finish the task they failed to accomplish on its behalf. In the Nadziran’s right hand is a short staff that bears an uncanny resemblance to the Claw of Naar. The head of the staff looks like a petrified vulture’s foot. It is cast in pure Kagonite embedded with specks of a shimmering scarlet mineral. Its shaft is twisted like a length of gnarled tree root and perforated with myriad pea-sized hollows. In a moment of sudden and terrible realisation, you know that this staff is not a replica of the Claw; it is the Claw! Zashnor detects your presence in the wheelhouse and swiftly it points the Claw of Naar at the window. The Eye starts to vibrate and move in its satchel. It becomes rapidly colder and frost forms on the satchel’s leather surface. The movements become stronger and now you are being tugged steadily closer to the window. Zashnor has unleashed a spell that is drawing the Eye inexorably towards the Claw. If you allow the two evil artefacts to be reunited, the consequences will be disastrous. The only way you can prevent this calamity is to slay the vile Nadziran. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 04:47 PM	#217
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	(Let's fight!) With immense courage and determination, you resolve to confront Zashnor and slay the evil Nadziran in personal combat. You unsheathe your Kai Weapon, unlock the wheelhouse door, and step out onto the rain-swept stern deck. Zashnor has dismounted from the Zlanbeast and it is about to step onto the gangplank. It sees you and immediately it unleashes a powerful wave of psychic energy with the intention of disabling you before you can launch your attack. (I use Kai Screen) Zashnor’s psychic assault hits you with the force of a charging bull and knocks you flat on your back. (I have grand Thane rank) Reeling from the impact of this powerful psychic assault, you draw upon your advanced Discipline to absorb and transform the hostile psychic energy into a remarkably positive physical effect: restore 10 ENDURANCE points. Zashnor senses that something is wrong and immediately it ceases its psychic assault. (Fully healed) You scramble to your feet and face your enemy. Zashnor has reached the bottom of the gangplank and it levels the Claw of Naar at your chest. Its initial psychic attack has failed to stop you and now it launches a magical attack that it hopes will put paid to you once and for all. The tip of the Claw erupts into a terrifying ball of lighting that arcs across the deck at blinding speed. Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, deduct 2 from the number you have chosen. If your total is now 3 or lower, you lose 3 ENDURANCE from damage caused by the lightning bolt. If your total is now 4–6, you lose 5 ENDURANCE from damage caused by the lightning bolt. If your total is now 7 or 8, you lose 7 ENDURANCE from damage caused by the lightning bolt. If your total is 9, you are engulfed and consumed by the ferocious ball of lightning. Zashnor will recover the Eye of Agarash from your smouldering remains and marry it with the Claw of Naar. The weapon thus created will give the Nadziran the ability to unleash a fireball so powerful that it will incinerate Dwala and all of its inhabitants at one fell stroke. Tragically, you will no longer be able to prevent this catastrophe, for your life and your mission ends here. ( I toss a 7 and get a 5. I take 5) A stunning transformation is taking place before your disbelieving eyes. The grey cloaked Nadziran dissolves into a swirling cloud of milky mist that expands and solidifies into a scaly dragon, with frosty-white hide and black fathomless eyes. It opens its jaws to reveal an array of razor-sharp fangs. It roars loudly and a freezing gust of super-cold breath engulfs you, leaving you shivering and chilled to the bone. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus saves you from a swift and icy death, but Zashnor seizes the advantage its transformation and breath attack has gained and it comes bounding towards you with murderous intent. (I use KA) You raise and extend your right arm and point your fingers at the Claw of Naar. You intone the words of the Brotherhood Spell Lightning Hand and feel a tingle of power run the length of your arm and explode with a blinding flash from your fingertips. A bolt of pure energy streaks toward the Claw and strikes the twisted shaft, sending it skittering away across the deck beyond Zashnor’s reach. The fell dragon shrieks angrily and slashes at the deck with its powerful talons, gouging and scarring its timbers. You rush forwards with your Kai Weapon unsheathed and poised to strike. You are determined to exploit Zashnor’s unfocused fit of wild rage and slay this evil adversary where it stands. Zashnor rises to its full height and roars at the sky. As if in answer to its rage, there is a sudden thunderclap and several bolts of lightning streak down from the roiling black clouds to strike all along the stone pier. The storm reaches its cacophonous peak when you launch your attack on the evil sorcerer. Zashnor (in Ice Dragon form): COMBAT SKILL 54 ENDURANCE 52 Zashnor is immune to Mindblast, and has partial resistance to Kai-surge and Kai-blast. If you possess Kai-surge and use it during this combat, you may add 4 points to your COMBAT SKILL at a cost of 1 ENDURANCE point per round. If you possess the advanced Grand Master Discipline of Kai-blast and use it during this combat, you may pick only 1 number from the Random Number Table to determine the damage inflicted upon the Nadziran, at the cost of 4 ENDURANCE points. If you use the Kai Weapon ‘Valiance’ or ‘Spawnsmite’ you may add the bonus that you gain from its unique properties during this combat. The Eye of Agarash becomes active throughout this combat. It drains you of 1 ENDURANCE point per round until the combat ends. (I use Alether Berries prior to combat and I get a +1 as I brought Spawnsmite with me. That gives me a base CS of 59, which is +5. I do use KS to give me a +9 and I'll lose two a turn (he;ll lose one a turn with my enhanced Grand Weaponmastery Ready? Let's do it! First die is a 2. He takes 9 to my 5. Next is a 5. He takes 12 to my 4. Next is a 4. He takes 11 to my 4. Total damage - him 32 me 13 plus 5 so 18 damage total. Next? I toss a 8. He loses 16 to my 2.then a 1. He loses 8 to my 5. He dies and i lost 25 damage total) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 04:52 PM	#218
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Your final fatal blow shatters the chest of the Ice Dragon Zashnor. It implodes with a deafening noise, like the simultaneous smashing of a thousand crystal chandeliers. The frosty wings and limbs become detached as the torso disintegrates upon the deck, and rapidly they melt into a milky cloud that engulfs the broken remains. For a few moments this opaque ball of mist churns and seethes until it loses the last of its energy and is whipped away on the winds of the storm. Lying at your feet is the grey robed form of Zashnor, torn and lifeless. You draw back the hood of its robe and reveal its true form. Its distorted goat-like skull is semi-transparent allowing you to see its brain which is as dark as night. Two small straight horns protrude from its forehead and its eye sockets appear unnaturally black, as if they are two holes through which you can see into another plain of existence. It is exceedingly rare to look upon a Nadziran in its true form. You recall something that Supreme Master Lone Wolf told you about the Nadziranim, that when they are destroyed they are destroyed utterly; nothing at all remains of their bodies or spirit. Zashnor was clearly an exceptional Nadziran. There are rumours that a select few Nadziranim have returned to Magnamund by the grace of Naar and life-draining necromantic rituals after having seemingly been destroyed. Mindful of this, you resolve that Zashnor shall never join their ranks. Driven by an overwhelming instinct, you raise your Kai Weapon above your head and bring it crashing down upon the Nadziran’s loathsome skull. Your mighty blow sunders the translucent bone case, destroying it completely. Within moments of its destruction, the crushed remains of the skull and the entire skeletal carcass become a pungent black slime that bubbles and boils until all that is left are a ragged grey robe and a man-sized patch of scorched decking. The thunder and lightning cease abruptly and the violent storm begins to abate. The winds die down and the torrential rain recedes until it becomes little more than light drizzle. Calm is slowly returning to storm ravaged Chai as the power of Zashnor relinquishes its foul grip on nature. After so many days of raging turmoil, the natural balance of the elements is finally being restored. You close your eyes and offer up a prayer to God Kai for giving you the strength and courage to overcome this formidable foe. You are concluding your prayer when a riotous noise makes you open your eyes and focus your gaze on the quayside. ou hear shrieks of pain and triumphant Chai battle cries. Captain Jian Tzu has rallied the City Guard and he is leading them personally in a merciless pursuit of the Doomgah. The last of these loathsome creatures have been flushed out of the streets and passageways of Dwala and hounded mercilessly towards the quay. Now the few remaining Doomgah are being pushed off the quay into the turbulent waters of the estuary. None of them can swim and they all perish swiftly in the deep dark waters. ‘For Chai!’ shout the victorious guardsmen, ‘For Khea-khan and Chai!’ Journeymage Honos and Herbwarden Zautro are with Captain Jian Tzu and they spot you standing on the deck of the Silver Virixe. They hurry along the walkway of the stone pier and come running down the gangplank, their faces beaming with joy that you are still alive. They embrace you warmly and commend your skill and bravery. The dramatic turn in the weather tells them that you have overcome a great evil this night and saved the city, and all of Chai, from a terrible fate at the hands of the merciless Zashnor. You inform them about the Claw of Naar and they can hardly believe their ears. But when you point to it lying on the deck a few yards away, all doubt is swiftly dispelled. Journeymage Honos removes his cape and carefully he wraps the accursed artefact, making sure that he does not touch the twisted shaft with his bare hands. ‘I will carry this back to City Guard headquarters,’ he says, solemnly. ‘I fear that if you were to convey it along with the Eye of Agarash, the consequences would prove fatal, my Lord.’ Your Sixth Sense tells you that Honos’s fears are well founded. The close proximity of the Eye and the Claw would create a surge of evil energy that would kill you in an instant. You follow a safe distance behind Honos and Zautro as you return along the pier to the quayside. Captain Jian Tzu is overjoyed to see that you are alive. He salutes you and shakes you warmly by the hand. ‘My eternal thanks, Grand Master,’ he says. ‘Once again you have saved Chai from a great and terrible evil. You will forever be revered as a hero in our land!’ You are escorted by the Captain and his men along Xo Street to the Main Square where the headquarters of the City Guard is located. Awoken by the fighting and the ferocious lightning storm, many of the citizens are now gathered in groups in the square, chattering excitedly. They cheer and wave as you pass and the Captain and his men acknowledge their applause with proud smiles and salutes. When you reach the headquarters building you ask what has become of the Tower of Ishir. ‘It has gone,’ replies Jian Tzu, sadly. ‘It fell in flames an hour ago. I regret to inform you that there are no survivors.’ The Captain makes his personal quarters available to you. Before he leaves he tells you to get some rest and he confirms that Lord Rimoah will be arriving aboard Comet as planned, at noon. ‘I will escort you to the North Gate shortly before midday and see you safely aboard,’ he says, and then he bids you good night and closes the door to his chambers. The physical and mental strain of your battle with Zashnor and its foul cohorts wells up and overwhelms you with fatigue. You climb onto the Captain’s bed and fall immediately into a deep and dreamless sleep. You are awoken mid-morning by Journeymage Honos and Herbwarden Zautro. They bring you a hearty breakfast and together you eat and talk before Captain Jian Tzu enters to inform you that it is time to leave. You ride from the headquarters building to the North Gate in the company of the Captain, Lord Honos, and Herbwarden Zautro. The young journeymage carries the Claw of Naar still wrapped securely in his cape. Upon arriving at the gate, you see that it is open. Nearby, the smouldering remains of the Tower of Ishir remind you of the selfless sacrifices that were made during your long and difficult mission. You offer up a silent prayer to Goddess Ishir to cherish and preserve the souls of those who willingly gave their lives so that you might succeed. They have gone, but they will never be forgotten. While you slept, the dawn of the day brought with it a dramatic change in the weather. The skies have cleared and warm sunshine is drying the saturated streets of Dwala. Lord Rimoah arrives precisely at noon. Comet appears in a cloudless sky and gradually it descends until it comes to hover just a few feet above an area of cleared ground outside the North Gate. You hear its engine powering down to a soft hum and see Lord Rimoah and Blazer awaiting you at the rail of the stern deck. They both salute you with pride. The boarding ladder is lowered and you say farewell to Captain Jian Tzu and Herbwarden Zautro before you climb aboard. Journeymage Honos has been instructed to return to Dessi by Lord Rimoah. He has been charged with the safekeeping of the Claw of Naar until Comet arrives at the High Council in Elzian, the Dessian capital. Rimoah and Blazer greet and commend you on completing your mission successfully. Bo’sun Durin takes Honos to his quarters in the bow while you retire to Lord Rimoah’s comfortable cabin at the stern. On approaching the cabin door, you turn and take one last look at the city of Dwala and wave a final farewell to Jian Tzu and Zautro as Comet ascends smoothly into the clear blue sky. Your return sky voyage to the Kai Monastery of Lorn takes a little over six hours. During your aerial flight, Lord Rimoah asks many questions about your mission and he prepares a detailed account which he will give to Kai Supreme Master Lone Wolf. Blazer has already given a similar report about his mission to the Kraknalorg chasm. He is proud to tell you that he, too, was successful. You arrive at the Monastery in the early evening and watch the descent to the parade ground from the stern deck of the Comet. The blessed tranquillity of the Monastery is a welcome relief after the days and nights you have spent in the heavy rains and thunderous storms of Chai. You see Skyfort moored on the parade ground below and you hope that Black Hawk, Star Lynx, Steel Hand, and Swift Sword have enjoyed the same success that you and Blazer have achieved. A Kai honour guard awaits you when you descend the boarding ladder to the gravelled parade ground. With pride, you acknowledge their salutes and accompany Lord Rimoah and Blazer to the Grand Hall at the top of the Tower of the Moon. Upon entering the hall, you see Lone Wolf seated upon his alabaster throne with Star Lynx and Sage Chastan standing quietly on either side. ‘Welcome Grand Masters,’ says Lone Wolf, proudly, ‘I commend you both on achieving your missions with honour. You have each defeated a powerful champion of evil and removed the threat they posed to the peace and stability of the lands around their mustering points. You have done well and you should feel rightly proud to have upheld the highest traditions of the Order.’ Sage Chastan approaches you and requests that you give him the Eye of Agarash. Lone Wolf nods his approval and willingly you hand over the satchel containing the bane that has burdened you all the way from Pensei. Chastan thanks you and bows respectfully to Lone Wolf and the others before leaving the Grand Hall. Lone Wolf gets up and steps away from his throne. He beckons you all to join him at his map table where he picks up the steel pointer and taps it on the Kraknalorg Chasm and the Doomlands of Naaros. He looks at you and Blazer and says: ‘The success of your missions have neutralised these threats.’ He then moves the pointer to Dessi and continues. ‘Grand Master Star Lynx achieved his mission here. He, too, is commended for his bravery and his success.’ Star Lynx bows in acknowledgement of Lone Wolf’s generous praise and tries hard to suppress a smile and maintain his composure. ‘And with the valuable assistance of our ally, Wizard Regent Grey Star, the city of Shadaki has been cleansed of the dark scourge that took control of it 16 years ago and lately threatened to resurrect the former Shadakine Empire in all its evil glory. At last, the death of Bright Star has been avenged. Ulonga and his Kitaezi Shamans are no more.’ Lone Wolf taps the location of Shadaki and then he pauses. For several seconds he says nothing and your Sixth Sense tells you that all is not well. Slowly, he moves the pointer and taps the map in three other places: Cragmantle, Ljuk, and the Maakengorge. ‘Alas, I must inform you that not all of the missions have been a success. Black Hawk has not returned from the ruins of Cragmantle. Neither has Swift Sword from Ljuk. I sense that they did not survive the tasks I set them and my heart is heavy with their loss. They were both gifted Grand Masters and our Order is poorer for having lost them.’ A shadow of sadness darkens the Grand Hall and you feel the grief that you all now share upon hearing this regrettable news. Lone Wolf moves the pointer one last time and taps the Maakengorge. ‘This is where I dispatched Steel Hand to carry out his mission. He has not returned but I sense he is still alive. Guildmaster Banedon has gone back to Sommerlund to muster the help of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. They will assist a rescue mission to find and return Grand Master Steel Hand to us.’ Lone Wolf puts down the pointer and moves his head in a slow arc around the table, pausing to look each of you in the eyes for a few moments before moving on. ‘Grand Masters, we must discover the fates that befell Black Hawk and Swift Sword. We must rescue Steel Hand, and we must complete the missions that I set them. Your accomplishments have delayed the resurgence of evil from overwhelming the Freelands of Magnamund, but this evil is growing stronger every day, every week, every month that we fail to defeat it. We must strive again to stem this rising flood before it becomes too strong for us to counter.’ Lone Wolf returns to his throne and motions to Lord Rimoah to come forward. They exchange a few quiet words and then Lone Wolf addresses you for the last time this day. ‘Retire to your quarters and rest well, my Lords. I shall summon each of you tomorrow morning. Lord Rimoah and I shall decide the locations you shall be sent to complete the missions that remain unaccomplished.’ You leave the Grand Hall with Blazer and Star Lynx and retire to your private chamber. The loss of your brother Grand Masters is a bitter blow, but you try to put your grief to the back of your mind and concentrate on the mission that awaits you tomorrow. Congratulations, Grand Master. You have achieved a great victory over the forces of darkness and saved Chai from certain destruction at the hands of Nadziran Zashnor and his fell minions. Soon your new mission will be revealed. You will discover the nature of the task that awaits you in the next exciting New Order adventure entitled: Dead in the Deep __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 07:27 PM	#219
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	The End of Storms of Chai. This book didn't feel like Joe Dever wrote it. While he has learned as a writer over his career, there are more similarities from Book 1 and Book 28 than there are from Book 28 and Book 29. Made senses as he wasn't actively writing for 18 years. Book 1, Flight from the Dark was published in 1984. The Hunger of Sejanoz was written in 97, 13 years later. Storms was written in 2015, 18 years later. You can see the gap, with many word choices, issues of grammar, and more making it in. The story wasn't as tight as Dever usually paced his stories, and there were many more logical inconsistencies in the story. On one day my character can influence a horse, nut on the next it runs away. You feel okay stealing from the Captain of the ship but not the crew's payroll. You could see the hiatus. Anyways, I enjoyed a lot about the book, and i own a hard copy so that's good. But the next book, Dead in the Deep I own and haven't read, but was written by his son. My hope is that Dead in the Deep and the last two novels in the mega-series that are being written by Ben Dever are going to feel more Joe Dever than this one did. Take a good example, the Autumn Snow series that began with The Pit of Darkness. It captured that early Kai feel better than this did. Autumn Snow: The Pit of Darkness – Gamebook News I hope that others can pick up his legacy, and more over I hope they are encouraged to do so. We've had Lone Wolf video games, Lone Wolf RPG, but those were back when the series was hot. What I'd love to see is a group of people that could make this IP work for a modern audience, like a modern video game a la Mechwarrior 5 and Battletech that put that IP back there for a new generation. I'd love a new movie, or Netflix series,or something that showed a clear caring for the psychic rangers that keep things safe. Enjoy! __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

04-20-2020, 07:34 PM	#220
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	I've never read this series before, but I liked it better than the Lone Wolf version of this series. Ready for my list of Worst to First? Worst to First Worst - Voyage of the Moonstone - Dever was still getting the hang of things The Storms of Chai - Dever's 18 year hiatus did not serve him well The Buccaneers of Shadaki - Not bad for a reader, but not great either Vampirium - I really enjoyed this throwback feel good book Trail of the Wolf - Moderate throwback ideas. Rescue Lone Wolf! Mydnight;s Hero - The best Place 1 to Place 2 adventure in the series. This is where Dever figured out the series. The Hunger of Sejanoz - Epic story, running along and guarding the Caravan, helping Chai in a major war. Rune War - The best throwback story in the series. Back to basics in a great way First - The Fall of Blood Mountain - Do something new! Go underground, help out dwarves, find epic treasure. What's not to love? It was my favorite in the series. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

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