One Kai Left: The Lone Wolf Dynasty

[Abe Sargent]

Gradually, the clouds knit together and shut out the sun, and once again you are plunged into the teeth of the storm. You hear a low scream carried on the wind and turn to see Cadak, blazing with anger, come striding down from his crystal dais, wielding his staff like a fiery lance. He approaches to within twenty paces and bangs the butt down twice upon the rain-drenched earth. On the second strike, an umbrella of spectral light explodes overhead and falls to earth to encompass you both.

‘Nothing can stop the arrival of Shamath!’ screams Cadak, his eyes bright with madness. ‘You have delayed her, Lone Wolf, that is all. You have not stopped her. Soon she will set foot upon the soil of Magnamund and Lord Vashna will have his revenge!’

You scan the flickering walls of this rainbow-coloured prison of light, searching for a chink in its armour through which you can escape.

‘You will not escape this time!’ shouts Cadak, as if he has been reading your mind. ‘Not while I am alive!’

( I have a few options. Use the Deathstaff, a bow and arrow, the Sommerswerd are three of them. Sommerswerd it is!)

You draw the Sommerswerd from its scabbard and point it accusingly at the Arch Druid, expecting him to wither in the face of its goodly light. But the blade does not glow as radiantly as before: it is as if its powers are being subdued by Cadak’s spectral prison.

With loathing in your heart, you advance upon your despised enemy. He weaves his hands before his face and his image fades. He is using a spell of invisibility but it does not keep him entirely hidden: you can still see the outline of his staff and his body flickering as he moves against the background wall of light.

Arch Druid Cadak: COMBAT SKILL 50 ENDURANCE 35

Arch Druid Cadak is immune to Mindblast and Psi-surge, but he is vulnerable to Kai-surge.

(Really? Make him invulnerable to Kai-Surge too, please. Come on! Make this a challenge! I have 56 with the Sommerswerd and Kai-Surge. +6 CS and….4 is tossed. 10 vs 2. Then a 2 for 8 vs 3. Another 2 for 8 vs 3. Then a 7 for 11 vs 2 and he dies. I took a total of 10.

As you strike your killing blow, Cadak shudders and crashes to the ground, clutching his staff tightly to his chest. He finds just enough strength to utter a dying curse; then, before your disbelieving eyes, his body slowly disintegrates. The skin is quickly criss-crossed by thousands of wrinkles, and the drying flesh falls from his skull, leaving it bare boned with a tattered layer of leathery skin stretched over it. Then, in the next instant his body collapses into naked bone. His staff breaks into chalky chunks and, finally, bone and staff blacken and fall away to dust.

(Now folks, take notice. That’s how to write a death scene!)

[Abe Sargent]

The umbrella of light quickly fades to leave you standing in a torrential rain-storm, close to the base of the crystal dais. Through the downpour, you can see that the acolytes are slowly returning. They are anxious for the safety of their leader and hungry for the successful summoning of their banished lord.

Despite the chill, you tighten your grip on the icy cold Deathstaff and climb the tiers to the top of the dais. You sense that the crystal dais commands the opening and closing of the Shadow Gate, and you know you must try to close the gate before Shamath appears. In frustration, you raise the Deathstaff and bring it crashing down upon the floor of the upper tier, but it does little damage. It could take forever to destroy the dais this way.

Then a wave of electrical energy crackles around the rim of the great arch and your blood runs cold, for you know that in a dim and distant cavern upon the Plane of Darkness, the Demoness Shamath has just stepped into a Shadow Gate. Her journey to Magnamund has begun!

Galvanized into action by the fear of what will happen should the Demoness be allowed entry to this world, you cast your eyes and Kai senses across the symbols which are engraved upon the crystal surface of the uppermost tier. Then, in a sudden flash of inspiration, you realize that the symbols themselves are the key to the activation of the Shadow Gate.

You study the symbols and determine that a sequence must be completed in order for you to be able to close the Shadow Gate.
Here they are:



(I’m not sure. I think it’s 6, but I can’t be 100% sure. I can only figure out one direction, not the other.)

The instant you correctly complete the sequence, a deep hum resonates from inside the upper tier, and slowly it opens to reveal a hexagonal crystal plinth with a circular hole at its centre. Your Kai senses inform you that by inserting the tip of the Deathstaff into the hole, you will cause the Shadow Gate beneath the great arch to close


Trembling with fear and exhilaration, you raise the Deathstaff above your head and bring it down with one mighty thrust, driving it deep into the hole.

A shudder runs through the dais and fingers of green electrical fire shoot from the tip of the Deathstaff into the ground below. There is a moment of dreadful silence when even the storm and the rain abate; then the air shakes with a terrific implosion as the great shimmering arch collapses inwards and slowly disintegrates. Sparkling sheets of energy buckle and fuse as segments of the arch fall to the ground, crushing everything beneath, rock and man. For an instant you catch a glimpse of a huge booted foot stepping through a silvery sheet of energy and you tremble at the thought of what will happen next, for you recognize only too well to whom the foot belongs. But in the very next instant the keystone of the arch falls away and, with a grating cry of tortured rock, the whole edifice comes crashing to the ground.


Then, as if from nowhere, a raging whirlwind arises in mid-air, at the centre of where the arch stood. This whirling vortex quickly builds in power until it is sucking everything into its spinning black core. Screaming acolytes tumble past and disappear into its maw as you desperately hang on to the dais to stop yourself from being sucked to your doom.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If your current ENDURANCE points score is 14 or higher, add 2 to the number you picked.
If your current ENDURANCE points score is 13 or lower, deduct 1 from the number you picked.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Knight or higher, add 5 to the number you picked.

(So I get +2, +5, and I toss a 0, the lowest possible, but I get to 7 with it. I succeed. Yay!)

Suddenly, the raging winds cease and you fall unconscious to the floor of the dais. When you awaken you discover that you are entirely alone. The collapse of the Shadow Gate and the whirlwind which followed have consumed everything, save yourself and the crystal dais: no acolytes, no trace of the grand archway, no Deathstaff, not even the storms remain. Virtually all trace of Cadak’s evil plan has been wiped from the surface of your world.

Congratulations, Grand Master Lone Wolf. You have triumphed. You have defeated the plan to resurrect Vashna and saved Magnamund from his rule of terror. But the fight against Evil is not yet over.

The collapsing Shadow Gate destroyed everything it consumed … everything, that is, with one exception. That exception returns to haunt you in the next Grand Master adventure, entitled:

The Deathlord of Ixia

[Abe Sargent]

Review of The Legacy of Vashna –

Well I used Kai-Screen a ton. Also Animal Mastery a lot early (I wonder if I would have pulled it out a few more times If I hadn’t taken the boat). And Kai-Alchemy a lot too. In fact, I used my skills more often to avoid combat than any other thing. We skipped past a lot of combats. I only had the forced one against the Vortexi. And then no more until the very end when I’m sent to the Plane of Darkness and then to the final battles here. That’s it. Pretty simple.

I don’t think the combat was too balanced either. As I showed you, even someone without the Sommerswerd can take this stuff out.

Here, let me give you an example:

Suppose you started with Plague Lords and was just doing the Grand Master series. You rolled a 5. That’s 30 starting CS, +3 for the books you’ve done. That’s 33 CS. Now if you have Grand Weaponmastery, that’s a +5 bonus – 38 base. If you have Kai Surge, you get +8 and lose one EP each combat. That gives you a 45 CS base. You already have a +5 vs the Acolytes, the Vortexi, -3 vs the Zarthyn, and +1 vs the Lavas, just as a few examples, and -5 vs Cadak at the end. Use the upgraded Kai- Surge to do the 4 EP for you to swap 2-18 EP from Cadak each round, and he dies soon with his low EP. And you deal +1 EP each round of combat with the Grand Weaponmastery bonuses. You are winning this book with a 45 CS, having played the game, and all you need is Kai Surge and Grand Weaponmastery to do it. Add in Kai-Screen, Animal Mastery, Kai-Alchemy to skip past a bunch of fights, and then whatever else you want and you are not having a problem with this book. And even here we don’t have issues with the Sommerswerd’s balance, because you have this without it.

Now, having said that, I do like the central concept of the book, and when you are banished to the Plane of Darkness out of the blue, I thought that was a nice touch. Anyways, let’s head to the next book!

[Abe Sargent]

The Deathlord of Ixia:

The Story So Far … 

You are Grand Master Lone Wolf, last of the Kai Lords of Sommerlund and sole survivor of a massacre that wiped out the First Order of your élite warrior caste.

It is the year MS 5077, twenty-seven years since your brave kinsmen perished at the hands of the Darklords of Helgedad. These champions of evil, who were sent forth by Naar, the King of the Darkness, to destroy the fertile world of Magnamund, have themselves since been destroyed. You vowed to avenge the murder of the Kai and you kept your pledge, for it was you who brought about their downfall when alone you infiltrated their foul domain—the Darklands—and caused the destruction of their leader and the seat of his power that was the infernal city of Helgedad.

In the wake of their destruction, chaos befell the Darkland armies who, until then, had been poised to conquer all of Magnamund. Some factions which were part of this huge army, most notably the barbaric Drakkarim, began to fight with the others for control. This disorder quickly escalated into an all-out civil war which allowed the Freeland armies of Magnamund time in which to recover and launch a counter-offensive. Their commanders exploited the chaos skilfully and secured a swift and total victory over an enemy far superior in numbers.

For seven years now peace has reigned in Sommerlund. Under your direction the once-ruined Monastery of the Kai has been thoroughly rebuilt and restored to its former glory, and the task of teaching a Second Order of Kai warriors the skills and proud traditions of your ancestors is also well established. The new generation of Kai recruits, all of whom were born during the era of war against the Darklords, possess latent Kai skills and show exceptional promise. These skills will be nurtured and honed to perfection during their time at the monastery so that they may teach and inspire future generations, thereby ensuring the continued security of your homeland in future years.

Your attainment of the rank of Kai Grand Master brought with it great rewards. Some, such as the restoration of the Kai and the undying gratitude of your fellow Sommlending, could have been anticipated. Yet there have also been rewards which you could not possibly have foreseen. The discovery that within you lay the potential to develop Kai Disciplines beyond those of the Magnakai, which, until now, were thought to be the ultimate that a Kai Master could aspire to, was truly a revelation. Your discovery has inspired you to set out upon a new and previously unknown path in search of the wisdom and power that no Kai Lord before you has ever possessed. In the name of your creator, the God Kai, and for the greater glory of Sommerlund and the Goddess Ishir, you have vowed to reach the very pinnacle of Kai perfection—to attain all of the Grand Master Disciplines and become the first Kai Supreme Master.
With diligence and determination you set about the restoration of the Kai Monastery and the training of the Second Order recruits. Your efforts were soon rewarded for within the space of two short years, the first raw recruits had graduated to become a cadre of gifted Kai Masters who, in turn, were able to commence the teaching of their skills to subsequent intakes of Kai novices. The Kai Masters rose to their newfound responsibilities readily, leaving you free to devote more of your time to the pursuit and perfection of the Grand Master Disciplines. During this period you also received expert tutelage in the ways of magic from two of your most trusted friends and advisors: Guildmaster Banedon, leader of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, and Lord Rimoah, speaker for the High Council of the Elder Magi.


In the deepest subterranean level of the monastery, a hundred feet below the Tower of the Sun, you ordered the excavation and construction of a special vault. In this magnificent chamber wrought of granite and gold, you placed the seven Lorestones of Nyxator, the gems of Kai power which you had recovered during your quest for the Magnakai. It was here, bathed in the golden light of those radiant gems, that you spent countless hours in pursuit of perfection. Sometimes alone, sometimes in the company of your two able advisors—Banedon and Rimoah—you worked hard to develop your innate Grand Master Disciplines and grasp the fundamental secrets of Left-handed and Old Kingdom magic. During this time you noticed many remarkable changes taking place within your body: you became physically and mentally stronger, your five primary senses sharpened beyond all that you had experienced before, and, perhaps most remarkably, your body began to age at a much slower rate. Now, for every five years that elapse you age but one year.

At this time many changes were occurring beyond the borders of Sommerlund. In the regions to the northeast of Magador and the Maakengorge, the Elder Magi of Dessi and the Herbwardens of Bautar were working together in an effort to restore the dusty volcanic wasteland to its former fertile state. It was the first tentative step towards the reclamation of all the Darklands. However, their progress was painfully slow, and both parties were resigned to the fact that their efforts to undo the damage caused by the Darklords would take centuries to complete.

Elsewhere, throughout Northern Magnamund, peace reigns victorious and the peoples of the Free Kingdoms rejoice in the knowledge that the age of the Darklords has finally come to an end. Readily men have exchanged their swords for hoes and their shields for ploughs, and now the only marching they do is along the ruts of their freshly furrowed fields. Few are the watchful eyes that scan the distant horizon in fear of what may appear, although there are still those who maintain their vigilance, for the agents of Naar come in many guises and there are those upon Magnamund who wait quietly in the shadows for the chance to do his evil bidding.

Already your newfound skills have been tested against Naar’s agents and you have, on each occasion, acquitted yourself admirably. But your continuing victories against his minions have enraged the Dark God and inflamed his lust for vengeance. Earlier this year you thwarted Naar’s plans to revive Vashna, the greatest of all the Darklords, whose spirit is trapped deep within the fathomless reaches of the Maakengorge—the Chasm of Doom. Vashna’s spirit has remained there in uneasy entombment ever since the day, long ago, when he and his army were defeated in battle by King Ulnar I of Sommerlund. Your brave and courageous actions prevented Naar’s agents from summoning to Magnamund a Demoness named Shamath from the Plane of Darkness. This supernatural creature possessed the Deathstaff—an artefact of great evil forged by Naar himself—with which she could have resurrected Vashna and his army from the Maakengorge. Yet your timely intervention destroyed the Shadow Gate through which she was travelling, and by so doing, you imprisoned the Demoness Shamath in the limbo which exists between your world and the Plane of Darkness.

Confident in the belief that you had saved Magnamund from the Demoness and the Deathstaff, you returned triumphantly to Sommerlund. Several months later, however, as the year was drawing to a close, Lord Rimoah came unexpectedly to the Kai Monastery seeking an urgent audience. With growing dismay you listened as he relayed ill news—the Deathstaff had reappeared in Magnamund. The threat to the peace of your fragile world was greater now than ever before.


‘When you destroyed the Shadow Gate at Maakengorge, Grand Master,’ said Lord Rimoah, as the two of you discussed the matter in the secure privacy of your vault below the Kai Monastery, ‘you banished Shamath to the void, hopefully for all eternity. Yet, alas, the weapon she possessed did not go with her. Naar’s accursed Deathstaff has since returned to this world through another Shadow Gate, one that lies far away to the west, on a remote and icy peninsula that is called Ixia.’

‘My lord, do you wish me to go to Ixia—to find and destroy the Deathstaff before another of Naar’s agents can use it against us? Is this why you have come seeking my help?’ you replied, expecting Rimoah to affirm your assumption.

‘Partly so, my lord,’ he said, holding you with his steel-grey eyes, ‘but I fear that already it has fallen into the hands of an enemy—and one who is deadlier than even the Demoness Shamath. What do you know of the Deathlord of Ixia?
’
You faintly remembered having heard this name before but were unable to recall any detail. Lord Rimoah, seeing that you were unable to give an answer, obliged with an impromptu history lesson:

‘The Deathlord of Ixia was once lieutenant to Agarash the Damned—the most powerful of all Naar’s champions of evil,’ said Rimoah, his head bowed as he paced the granite floor of your vault. ‘During the Age of Eternal Night he conquered much of Northern Magnamund, including the realm of Ixia which was once a rich and very fertile land. He destroyed the native Ixians, transforming them into a legion of undead servants under his command. Many centuries later, when my ancestors defeated Agarash during the Age of War, they magically imprisoned the weakened Deathlord in a secret tomb within the dread city of Xaagon, near to the southern coast of Ixia. For thousands of years his tomb lay undisturbed until the first of the Drakkarim appeared on Magnamund. They entered Xaagon and found the Deathlord’s tomb—yet legend has it that none of them escaped Ixia alive. Perhaps they, too, serve him now. During the Age of the Black Moon, the Darklords conquered all of the territories surrounding Ixia yet they chose to avoid setting foot in the Deathlord’s realm. Mindful of his origins, they feared that if he were released from his sorcerous prison he would seek to dominate and destroy them.’

‘My lord, are you telling me that the Deathlord of Ixia is now free of this prison and in possession of the Deathstaff?’ you asked, fearing Lord Rimoah’s reply.

‘Yes, Grand Master. I’m afraid that is exactly the situation which confronts us. Since the passing of the last moon, I and others of the High Council of the Elder Magi have detected a great imbalance between the forces of Good and Evil in our world. By ill chance or by Naar’s design, the Deathstaff has fallen into the hands of Ixiataaga. Once again the Deathlord is free to indulge his unholy and insatiable appetite for living beings. Already we have heard reports from Lencian fishermen which tell of the destruction of remote Drakkarim settlements around the Gulf of Konkor, and there are even claims of a “death fleet” having been sighted in the waters of the Shakoz Bight. Yes, Grand Master, the Deathlord is free to roam the face of Magnamund once more, and I fear he will not stop until every living creature is enslaved to him in undeath.’
For hours, you and your trusted advisor deliberated over what could be done to prevent this unspeakable disaster from befalling Magnamund. You considered a muster of the Freeland armies and an immediate attack upon Ixia, but such a plan simply could not be executed. The peninsula of Ixia is far too remote and desolate a territory to be reached by any Freeland army on foot, and, with winter already so far advanced, any ship-borne invasion would be doomed to fail. Time was also against you. The Deathlord had to be stopped as quickly as possible before he could unleash an army of undead upon Magnamund, an unkillable army that would grow larger with every battle it fought against the living.

‘Only I can stop this,’ you said, voicing your thoughts.

‘Yes, Grand Master. Only you,’ replied Rimoah quietly.

After a few moments’ silence, Rimoah continued, ‘In expectation of your decision, preparations have already been made for your journey, Grand Master. I trust this doesn’t offend you?’

You smiled your consent.

‘Good. Then I shall call upon Guildmaster Banedon—he knows of the Deathlord’s rise and he has offered his ship Skyrider to hasten your journey westwards. He will tell you more about Ixia and how you will be conveyed there. Godspeed, Grand Master. I shall pray to Kai and Ishir to watch over you on this fateful mission.’

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s take a look at the upgraded skills:

I am now a Sun Thane:

Sun Thane
If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Thane (8 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
Animal Mastery
Sun Thanes with this Discipline are able to command an animal to fall asleep at will. Some hostile animals may be able to resist this command, but most will be affected by it in some way. The duration of effect and the number of animals which can be affected at one time will increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Deliverance
Sun Thanes who possess this skill are able to conduct a Kai Exorcism. This ritual will banish any evil supernatural force that has taken possession of any goodly creature or object.
Grand Huntmastery
Kai Sun Thanes with this skill are able to protect themselves from the effects of being struck by natural electrical discharges, i.e. lightning.
Grand Pathsmanship
Sun Thanes who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to alter the temperature of water by touch. By using this skill they are able to transform water into ice and vice versa. The volume of water affected, and the duration of effect, both increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Kai-screen
Sun Thanes who possess this Discipline are able to erect a special psychic defence called Mindfort. A Mindfort defence greatly reduces the effects of any psychic shock that would normally paralyse or weaken a lesser mortal.
Kai-alchemy
Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Thane are able to use the following Brotherhood Spells:
• Slow Fall—By casting this spell, Kai Sun Thanes are able to slow their rate of free-falling to three feet per second, thereby avoiding damage upon landing while the spell is in effect. The duration of the spell is limited at first, but it steadily increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
• Breathe Water—Using this spell, a Kai Sun Thane is able to breathe underwater for ten minutes. The duration of effect increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.

So there you are. Now I don’t have these disciplines – Magi-Magic, Grand Nexus, Telegnosis, Deliverance, and Assimilance. It’s not like I need any of them that much. Hmmm… Telegnosis? Deliverance? Assimilance? Let’s do Telegnosis

[Abe Sargent]

Lone Wolf, Kai Sun Thane

Kor-Skarn, Fryearl, Warmartial of Sommerlund, Savior of Tahou, 'Golden Star of Palmyrion'


CS 57
EP 50


Grand Pathsmanship
Grand Huntmastery
Animal Mastery
Kai-Surge
Kai-Screen
Kai-Alchemy
Grand Weaponmastery
Telegnosis


Safekeeping:

Golden Key (Graveyard of the Ancients)
Prince Pelethar’s Sword
Kai Axe
Burrowcrawler Dagger
Warhammer from Farmhouse
Red Pass
Coach Ticket
Black Sword of Parsion
Map of Sommerlund, Kalte, Southlands, Vassagonia, Stornlands, Tekaro, The Danarg, Anari, Ghatan, Vhozada (Daziarn), Darklands, Ruel, Mogaruith, Updated Darklands, Western Tentarias
Fur Blanket
264 Gold Crowns
1 Meal
2 Potion of Laumspur - +5 EP
8 Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP
Fur Backpack
Bone Sword
Effigy
Concentrated Graveweed
Kalte Diamond
Ragadorn Dagger
Magic Spear
Holy Water
Brass Key (Ruanon Mines)
Iron Key (Ruanon Mines)
Whip
Sommlending Cavalry Spear (Normal)
Quarterstaff, Royal Guard (Normal)
Scroll of Prophecy
Shield
Jeweled Mace
Bottle of Kourshah - +4 EP
Copper Key (Barrakeesh)
Gold Key (Barrakeesh)
Black Sash
Prism
Barrakeesh Public Bath Towel
Jakan - Vassagonian Coastal Hunting Bow
Zakhan’s Quarterstaff (Normal)
3 Brass Whistle
Pink and Orange Waistcoast
2 Mirror
2 Bottle of Wine
Silver Key (Stornlands)
Ticket to Eula
Chainmail Waistcoat
2 Rope
2 Lantern
3 Quiver w/ 18 arrows
Power Key
Red Robe
Gold Key (Kazan-Oud)
Glowing Dagger
Doomstaff
Kazan-Oud Diamond
Labyrinth Sword (Normal)
Kazan-Oud Fine Spear (Normal)
4 Sack of Silver
Silver Box
Helghast’s Sword (Normal)
Giak Scroll
Lord Adamas’s Pass
Vial of Gnadurn Poison
2 Flasks of Boza
Invitation to Chiban’s
Receipt for Horse, Tahou
Crystal Decanter
Silk Jacket
Silver Goblet
Silver Candlestick
Scroll of Honour
Jadin Anklets
Magi Dagger (Normal)
Sen. Chil’s Mace (Normal)
Dagger of Vashna
Black Key (Anari)
Medal: Battle of Luoni
Drakkar Dagger (Normal)
Zagganozod Sword (Normal)
2 Silver Rod
Meledorian Dagger (Normal)
Scarlet Warrior’s Sword (Normal)
Power Ring (Vonotar)
Fireseeds: 9
Bronin Warhammer
Eruan Pathfinder Cloak
Kai Cloak
Cagath’s Liganim Robe
Takataal’s Mace
Toran Dagger (Normal)
Platinum Amulet (Kazan-Oud)
Blue Stone Triangle
Grey Crystal Ring
Psychic Ring
Wrist and Finger Guards
Firesphere
Green Mask
Golden Amulet
Iron Key (Aarnak)
Black Key (Helgedad)
Pouch of Tobacco
Pipe
Zejar-Deluga
Nadazgada
Pouch of Herbs - Adgana
Cener Mask
Cener Robe
Sabito - 2 doses
Oede Herb
Gallowbrush (2 doses)
Gold Key (Ruel)
Copper Key (Ruel)
Cener Dagger (Normal)
Kaag Broadsword (Normal)
Silver Bowl
Whistle
Brass Key (Kaag)
Black Key (Kaag)
Hammer
Alether +2 CS (4 doses)
Laumspur +4 EP (with 5 doses)
Kai Monastery Spear (Normal)
Drakkarim Commander’s Dagger (Normal)
Signet Ring
Empty Bottle
Hourglass
Ball of String
Brass Key (Nyras)
Tukodak Sword (Normal)
Spy Glass
Ruby Ring
Bottle of Wine
Black Amulet – Seal of Vashna
Letter from President
Black Metal Coin – Seal of Assassin Order
Map of Western Tentarias





Keeping:


34 Gold Crowns

Crystal Star Pendant
Jadin Amulet +1 vs. missiles
Silver Bow of Duadon +3 when using bow
Sommerswerd +8 CS
Korlinum Scabbard
Dagger of Vashna
Shield +2 CS
Silver Helmet +2 CS
Padded Leather Waistcoat +2 EP
Bronin Vest +3 CS, +1 EP (Cannot be worn with Normal Chainmail)
Silver Bracers +2 CS, +1 EP
Kagonite Chain mail +3 CS, +1 EP (Can be worn with other armors)
Platinum Amulet – From Sage Gwynen, keeps me alive in other planes

Backpack:

Rope
Laumspur
Laumwort +2 EP (3 doses)

Quiver w/ 6 arrows
Kai Monastery Dagger

[Abe Sargent]

Ixia and the Hardlands:



The frozen peninsula of Ixia juts westwards, barely linked to the mainland of Northern Magnamund. Its northern coastline is perpetually locked by pack ice, as is a small, unnamed island just off the north coast, approximately 100 miles northwest of the city of Xaagon. Only the westernmost tip of Ixia’s northern coastline is open to the freezing sea of Aztaregina. To the west of this point is the long, thin Gourstaz Island, almost 100 miles due west of Xaagon.

The city of Xaagon lies at the centre of the peninsula, close to the southern coastline and is surrounded by mountains. South of the Ixian peninsula is the Shakoz Bight, a tempestuous gulf of the Tozaz Sea devoid of islands, where the waves crash against the beaches of Tadatizaga—The Hardlands. The coastline sweeps in a jagged arc here before leading west for some leagues and eventually turning south and then southeast as the Gulf of Konkor eats away at the hilly wastelands. At the northern point between the gulf and the Tozaz Sea lies Azgad Island, about 250 miles southwest of Xaagon. Several lonely rivers flow into this gulf—the Ezog, the Zegar, and the Lenag—none of which flow past any Drakkarim settlements.

Several hundred miles inland to the east of the Gulf of Konkor, the hilly terrain gives way to the coniferous Konatadat Forest. Beyond this lies the deep, cold waters of Lake Ghargon, devoid of even the smallest islet. Hundreds of miles north of Lake Ghargon is the tundra of Gourizaga, the most northwesterly area of the Darklands, just to the east of the Ixian peninsula. The Shegtar Peaks lie here, alone in the freezing north, where no one dwells

[Abe Sargent]

Lord Rimoah removes a sphere of crystal from a pocket of his robe and holds it up to the lantern light. It is filled with a swirling grey mist. Softly he murmurs the words of an ancient spell and the mist clears to reveal the anxious face of your friend—Guildmaster Banedon. Rimoah speaks briefly to Banedon’s image, requesting that he come to the Monastery at once.

I will be with you within the hour, says the voice of Banedon, a whisper in your mind.

Your friend is in Toran, sixty miles to the north, yet he holds true to his word. In less than an hour he arrives at the Monastery aboard Skyrider—his sleek flying ship. Two excited young Kai Aspirants bring word of his arrival to the vault and you respond by making your way swiftly to the surface. Banedon’s Skyrider is hovering above the training park, the hum of its magical engine amplified by the surrounding walls and battlements. It is dusk on this wintry evening and a shower of feathery snow is illuminated by the craft’s lanterns. A rope ladder hangs from the bow rail to the frost-hardened earth.

‘Go aboard, Grand Master,’ urges Rimoah. ‘Banedon will advise you and provide you with what you’ll be needing. I shall stay here and pray for your safe return.’

You bid a hasty farewell to your mentor before climbing the dangling rope ladder with the legendary speed and grace that sets you apart from lesser warriors. Banedon is waiting as you haul yourself aboard. He greets you with a glad smile, yet his face cannot hide his deep concern for what may await you in Ixia. You wave a final farewell to Lord Rimoah; then you retreat to the warmth of Banedon’s cabin as the Skyrider glides over the Monastery’s southern wall and ascends into the leaden sky.

Your friend Banedon has already set a course for Vadera, the principal city of Lencia, a destination which is more than a full day’s flight west of Sommerlund. Were this not the first stage of a longer voyage to Ixia you would gladly welcome the chance to visit Vadera, for you have many friends there in the court of King Sarnac of Lencia.

During the flight, Banedon details the plans which have been made on your behalf. King Sarnac himself has promised his help; he will provide you with a boat and a pilot to sail you from Vadera to Azgad Island, a desolate Lencian outpost in the Tozaz Sea. On your arrival there you will be transferred to a Lencian ice-boat, a craft specially built to withstand the power of the treacherous pack-ice which clings to the Ixian shoreline at this time of the year.

‘The ice-boat will land you on the coast of Ixia, Lone Wolf,’ says Banedon, ‘and then it will wait at anchor for you to return upon the completion of your mission.’

‘How long will the ice-boat wait for me?’ you ask, apprehensively.

‘If you do not return within seven days, the pilot has orders to set sail for Vadera without you. The Tozaz in winter is a cruel and terrible sea—no ordinary man could hope to survive there for much longer than a week, no matter how strong his ship or plentiful his supplies. Which reminds me—if you are to survive your visit to Deathlord Ixiataaga’s frigid realm, you will be needing some special protection.’

(Yes, I have the Platinum Amulet)

Banedon reaches for a small wooden box which lies half-buried on a shelf, amongst a clutter of scrolls and charts. As he does so, he is momentarily distracted by the Platinum Amulet which you wear on a cord around your neck. You notice the suddenly inquisitive look in his eye.

‘How did you come by that?’ he asks, as he stares fixedly at the amulet.

‘It was given to me by Gwynian—the Sage of Varetta. I’m sure its powers kept me safe from the perils of the Maakengorge. Tell me, my friend, have you heard of this sage?’

‘Oh yes,’ replies Banedon, thoughtfully, ‘I know Gwynian. If the amulet you wear was given to you by him then, perhaps, you do not need the special protection I had in mind after all.’

Banedon takes the small wooden box and hands it to you. Upon opening it you discover it contains a platinum amulet, almost identical to the one you are already wearing.

‘I see what you mean,’ you say, as you close the lid and return the box to Banedon.

Banedon tosses the box back onto the cluttered shelf and continues with his briefing. Having satisfied himself that you have adequate protection, he turns his attention to your weapons.

‘It concerns me greatly that so little is known of Xaagon—the Deathlord’s city. There is no way of knowing what unholy breed of creature awaits you there. It seems that you can be confident of only one thing, Lone Wolf: whoever or whatever inhabits that dreadful place will surely be hostile to your presence. If you are to defeat the Deathlord of Ixia and his minions, you will need a weapon of exceptional power—a weapon capable of destroying that which is already dead.’

(Yes, I have the Sommerswerd)

‘You need have no fear, Banedon,’ you reply, unsheathing the sun-sword, ‘for you know that I possess such a weapon—the Sommerswerd.’

Banedon stares at the shimmering golden blade and calmly nods his head. ‘Yes, Grand Master. Your divine sword is ideally crafted for the task, but you must use it with discretion. Unsheathed, the Sommerswerd radiates a powerful aura of goodness—in the darkness of Ixia, such power would be like a blazing beacon. It could readily alert the Deathlord to your presence.’

(Yes, I have the Korlinium Scabbard)

You show Banedon your Korlinium Scabbard and tell him how you came by it. The seemingly plain belt and scabbard were given to you several years ago by Lord Rimoah, for a similar purpose—to conceal the power of the Sommerswerd from the Darklords of Helgedad.


‘I trust it will serve you just as well in Ixia,’ says Banedon, nodding his approval.

[Abe Sargent]

It is in the thirtieth hour of your air voyage that the Skyrider’s eagle-eyed lookout catches his first glimpse of Vadera. Word spreads quickly and a hubbub of excitement grips the dwarven crew as the flying ship draws ever closer to the fortified walls and turrets of the great northern Lencian port.




Skilfully Bo’sun Nolrim lands the Skyrider on the paved courtyard in front of the Vadera Citadel, which has been cleared of crowds in expectation of your arrival. Awaiting you is a party of stern-faced Vadera officials who, with a minimum of fuss, escort you and Banedon directly to the court of King Sarnac.

‘We are honoured to welcome you once again to our city, Grand Master,’ says the silver-haired King. ‘My only regret is the reason for your visit. I’d have hoped our meeting would have been in less ominous circumstances.’

Formally you acknowledge the King’s greeting; then you turn to face the elderly man who is standing beside the King’s throne. You recognized him as soon as you entered the King’s chamber—he is Lord Ardan, an Elder Magi from Dessi, one of Lord Rimoah’s countrymen.

‘Well met, my Lord,’ you say, and Ardan returns your greeting with a smile. Sadly, his smile soon fades when he says: ‘No doubt your able companion, Guildmaster Banedon, has told you of the rise of evil in Ixia.

Dire news indeed, Grand Master, for it threatens our very existence, most especially the existence of our Lencian friends. If the Deathlord’s power is allowed to grow unchecked, Lencia will be the first Freeland state to suffer his wrath.’

‘I pledge to do all in my power to prevent such an outcome, my lord,’ you reply earnestly.

‘We have every faith in you, Lone Wolf,’ says King Sarnac, ‘and we shall help you accomplish your mission in whatever way we can.’ He signals to one of his silver-armoured bodyguards and the soldier leaves the chamber. He returns shortly in the company of another man, clad in the court uniform of a Guard Captain.

(Yes I served at Cetza)

You recognize the officer at once—it is your friend and former guide, Captain Prarg.

‘We meet again, Captain,’ you say, as you shake his hand gladly in friendship.

‘Aye, Grand Master. It is an honour to serve you once more.’

(Ah no. Prarg is like the one guide who hasn’t died….)

King Sarnac dismisses his guardsmen before ushering you, Banedon, Lord Ardan, and Captain Prarg, into an adjoining antechamber. An oaken table commands the centre of this opulent room, upon which is spread a detailed map of northwestern Magnamund.

‘In response to Lord Ardan’s request, I have made provision for your journey to Ixia, Grand Master,’ says the King, as the five of you gather around the map table. ‘As we speak, a man-o’-war is standing by in Vadera harbour, awaiting my order to set sail. Captain Prarg will accompany you during the first part of your sea voyage to our outpost, which is here on Azgad Island.’ King Sarnac points to the map, indicating a remote island near to the Gulf of Konkor.

‘The garrison on Azgad Island is commanded by Captain Lanza. Word has been sent of your coming, and Lanza has a crew and an ice-boat ready to place at your disposal. They will transport you across the stormy Tozaz Sea and land you on the southern coast of Ixia. From there you must make your way on foot to the city of Xaagon, where you will find the Deathlord and his accursed weapon—the Deathstaff.’

You study the map and, with growing dismay, you appreciate the difficult voyage which lies ahead. ‘Very well, sire,’ you reply. ‘I understand how I am to reach Ixia in order to find and defeat the Deathlord, but can you tell me how I am to return once my mission has been accomplished?’

Having heard your question, King Sarnac turns to Ardan and says: ‘My lord, perhaps you could say something to allay Grand Master Lone Wolf’s fears?’

‘Certainly, sire,’ replies Lord Ardan, turning to address you.

‘My lord, as Guildmaster Banedon may already have told you, the coast of Ixia is a hellish place. The ice-boat will be able to anchor in this region for seven days at most. If you do not return within this time, it will be forced to go back to Azgad Island. But do not let this cause you undue concern, my lord. At present there is a great imbalance between the forces of Good and Evil in our world, yet upon the instant that you defeat the Deathlord and destroy his staff of power, this balance will surely be resumed. I, like my kinsman Lord Rimoah, will know the moment that the balance has been righted. If your quest takes longer than one week to accomplish, the ice-boat will be sent out once more to collect you from Xaagon.’

With your briefing now concluded, King Sarnac ushers you all into his court chamber. There you bid him, Lord Ardan, and Guildmaster Banedon farewell, and they in turn wish you good luck and godspeed before Captain Prarg escorts you to the harbour. It is snowing heavily, and few of Vadera’s inhabitants notice as the two of you are welcomed aboard the Maycastle, the square-rigged man-o’-war which will carry you to Azgad Island.

You leave Vadera within the hour and begin the long, cold voyage northwards. During the voyage, Captain Prarg tells you about the raids which have destroyed several small Drakkarim settlements along the Gulf of Konkor and the coast of the Shakoz Bight. On the twelfth day of your two-week sea journey, you catch a glimpse of one such settlement, near to the mouth of the River Lenag. All that remains is a wispy pall of smoke which hangs above the burnt-out hovels, darkening an already stormy sky.

[Abe Sargent]

For most of the voyage, a host of seabirds have accompanied the Maycastle, attracted by the scraps of food regularly thrown out by the ship’s galley. But at dawn on the thirteenth day, as the ship enters the Gulf of Konkor, the usual flocks of shrieking gulls are nowhere to be seen. It is as if they have suddenly become aware of impending danger and have turned back, eager to stay out of harm’s reach. Later in the day, a fierce squall arises from the east which whips the iron-grey waters of the gulf into a maelstrom. The crew fight desperately to control their ship as the storm rages all day and all night, not abating until dawn of the following day. As the wind gradually dies and the sea settles, the lookout is able to resume his post atop the mainmast.



‘Land ahoy!’ he cries, and all eyes scan the northern vista. There, perched on the wintry horizon, is a grey strip of barren, frost-covered rock. You magnify your vision and see, on the western side of this island, a few slate buildings clustered around a fortified stone tower.

‘That’s Fort Azgad,’ says Captain Prarg, with relief in his voice. ‘At last we’ve arrived.’

As the Maycastle cuts through the icy waves towards the fort, a beacon flares into life, its guttering yellow flame marking the entrance to the outpost’s slate-walled harbour. A Lencian flag is raised atop the watchtower and the crew give a cheer—for them it is a welcoming sight after two cold and difficult weeks at sea.

The Maycastle docks at the harbour wall, alongside the iron-bowed ice-boat which will take you to Ixia. The excited garrison have gathered to greet the crew; they have been looking forward to receiving fresh provisions and news from their homeland for several weeks. You disembark with Prarg and are met on the quay by a bearded sergeant clad in a fur-trimmed leather tunic. He escorts you to the watchtower, where you are welcomed in person by Captain Lanza, the garrison commander.

Lanza is a stocky, hard-nosed soldier whose leathery, frost-bitten face bears living testimony to the five years he has spent as commander of this bleak, godforsaken outpost. His posting here had been his punishment for a drunken brawl in a Vadera tavern in which he had killed, albeit in self-defence, the brutish elder son of Haglar, the mayor of the city. At his court-martial he had been allowed to choose his fate—command of the notorious Azgad Island garrison, or death by hanging. Lanza readily admits that there have been times when he has felt that he made the wrong choice.

Lanza’s private quarters comprise a sparsely-furnished chamber near the top of the watchtower. You warm yourself in front of an open grate and listen as he and Prarg discuss your onward passage to Ixia aboard the garrison’s ice-boat. At length, Lanza voices his fears about recent sightings at sea—strange craft which sail beneath the waves and ships crewed by the living dead. As you listen to his chilling account, you look out through the chamber’s slit window at an icy mist which is creeping in from the north. It swirls knee-deep around the watchtower and the harbour wall.

(I can use Kai-Alchemy or Grand Huntmastery with Sun Lord. I choose the latter.)

Drawing on your Kai Mastery, you focus on the encroaching mist and detect strange movements in the ultraviolet spectrum of light. You cannot discern exactly what is moving out there, but you are certain of one thing: it is evil and it is drawing ever closer to Fort Azgad.

You warn Captain Lanza and at first he does not believe you. He chuckles, saying that it is not uncommon for new arrivals to imagine they have seen all manner of spectres in the sea mists which swirl around the fort. But then a loud, discordant bell rings out from above, and Lanza’s face is transfixed with shock.

‘By the gods!’ he splutters. ‘It’s the alarm bell—we’re under attack!’
From out of the eerie mist there looms a high-prowed ship, wrought of age-blackened timbers which glisten with ice and frost. It speeds into the harbour and a morbid terror grips the hearts of the Lencian garrison when they see that it is crewed by a cadaverous host of skeletal warriors. A ghastly wail arises from the invading ship, an unholy shriek that shatters the garrison’s will to resist. As one, the shocked Lencians turn and flee from the quayside, dropping and discarding their supplies and weapons in their hurry to get away.



‘Ishir preserve us!’ cries Lanza, as he takes up his sword belt and hurries towards the door. ‘My men are routing. I must rally them to the defence before all is lost!’



Prarg unsheathes his sword and rushes after Lanza. Outside the door you see a circular stone staircase which leads up to the roof, or down to the base of the watchtower. Lanza descends the stairs but Prarg does not follow. Instead, he begins to climb the steps to the roof.

(Follow Lanza or Prarg? I choose Lanza, maybe I can help rally the troops)

[Abe Sargent]

You follow Captain Lanza as he races down to the base of the watchtower and hurries off along the slate-cobbled avenue which leads directly to the harbour. As he runs he curses and barks orders at the garrison soldiers who are fleeing from the quay, but they are wide-eyed with terror and all appear deaf to his commands. As you reach a bend in the road, you see the great black ship shuddering to a halt alongside the harbour wall. Instantly, a horde of undead warriors leap onto the quay and come rushing in pursuit of the routing Lencians. Their eyes burn with an unnatural fire and they howl like unchained demons as they mercilessly hunt their human prey.

Lanza manages to rally a dozen of his best men to form a defensive line across the narrow avenue. With their shields overlapping and their swords poised ready to thrust, they brace themselves to receive the first wave of undead. The pugnacious captain shouts words of encouragement to stave off their fear but it is clear to you that every single one of them is terrified. Their faces are drenched with sweat despite the biting cold.

With a hideous howl, the advancing mass of undead fall upon their line, hacking and stabbing at their shield-wall with their rust-dulled blades. The Lencians fight back furiously, shattering bones and cleaving skulls, but they are forced to give ground before the pressing onslaught.



Then, from the midst of the enemy ranks, a grisly creature clad in mouldering black robes comes bursting through the shield-wall. A Lencian turns to thrust his sword into the creature’s wormy flesh. His attack releases a gout of venom and instantly his sword crumples—corroded by the foul blood. The venom splashes him and he falls screaming to the ground, clutching at the smouldering stump that was once his hand. The creature howls with malicious glee as it leaps over his writhing body. It rushes towards you, its eye sockets blazing and its black claws extended to rake your flesh.

Cabalah: COMBAT SKILL 47 ENDURANCE 45

This undead creature is immune to Mindblast, Psi-surge, and Kai-surge.
(So, better CS than many is a good start, but again, it’s just a dopey creature – feels like creature creep strikes again! Without Kai-Surge, my CS is lowered, so that’s nice. I toss a 2, 5, 9 for 6/4, 9/2, and 15/0. Then a 3 and 6 follow and slay it. I took 10 total damage)

You strike your killing blow and the creature’s tongue flickers in and out as it hisses like a sleeting gale. It drops to its knees, its talons scrabbling for your legs, and its eyes flaring brightly with evil fire. Quickly you step back and watch the flames that are its eyes flicker and go out. Then it crumples to the icy ground, its body transforming swiftly into an evil-smelling pool of bubbling black venom.

The destruction of the Cabalah seems to weaken the attacking horde. They falter, and Lanza’s men seize the opportunity to counterattack. You rush forward and join them as they fight their way valiantly back towards the quay.

‘Look there, Grand Master!’ shouts Lanza, pointing to the ice-boat. A score of undead have clambered aboard the vessel and it is clear by their actions that they intend to destroy and sink it.

‘They must be stopped!’ you cry. You break free from the battle and run headlong towards the stricken ship. You are halfway along its gangplank when you find yourself confronted by a wedge of skeletal warriors, armed with crude axes and swords.

You leap into their midst, striking them down with blurring speed and deadly accuracy. As the last one falls, its corpse-like body almost severed at the waist, you hear a noise behind you which makes you spin around in fearful expectation.

Standing on the quayside, close to the gangplank, is a ghastly creature which exudes the cloying stench of death and decay. It towers over you by more than an arm’s length, and its long spindly limbs are covered with grey-white fur. From its skull-face bulge three milky-white eyes, set above a lipless maw edged with dozens of barbed fangs. In its claw-like hand it clutches what appears to be a stalactite. It raises this icy rod and a bolt of cold, orange fire leaps from its tip and comes crackling towards your chest.

(Yup, Sommerswerd is here)

You grasp the hilt of the sun-sword with both hands and turn the flat of its golden blade towards the onrushing bolt of energy. There is a loud crack! and you feel a numbing jolt run the length of your arms as the crackling bolt is deflected away. It hits the surface of the sea, close to the harbour wall, and instantly the patch of briny water freezes over.

The ghastly creature shrieks with fury and frustration. It comes lumbering down the gangplank, wielding its icy rod like a sword. Calmly you raise the Sommerswerd and steel yourself to receive its unnerving attack.

The creature leaps from the gangplank onto the deck and thrusts the tip of its icy rod at your face. You parry its attack with the Sommerswerd and a flash of hissing sparks explode when the two formidable weapons collide.

Ziog: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 42

This undead creature is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

(I’m down 7 EP still from the first attack. But Kai-Surge is taking him down. Remember undead, double damage. I toss a 9 and get an autokill – I took one EP from KS.)

The moment you deal the Ziog the coup de grâce it collapses to the deck and crumbles like ancient parchment. An inhuman cry arises from the skeleton horde that is grouped on the quay. They come charging down the gangplank towards you, as if hungry for vengeance. You strike the plank a mighty blow, splitting the timber cleanly in two. Both sections collapse, dumping the onrushing skeletons unceremoniously into the harbour’s freezing water.

(Of course I check it’s remains!)

Among the dusty, foul-smelling remains of the Ziog you find a small green gemstone on a platinum chain. If you wish to keep this Green Gem, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you keep in your pocket.

Lanza and his men reach the quayside, having fought their way stoically through the ranks of the Ixian undead. The Captain, his face streaked with sweat, shouts excitedly and waves his sword. The tide of the battle appears to have turned and he seems elated by his hard-won victory. But then you realize that he is not cheering—he is shouting a warning.
From the prow of the enemy ship comes a hissing cloud of fire-tipped arrows. You dive for cover and escape being hit, but many of the burning shafts pierce the ice-boat’s decking and start fires in the sails. The flames spread with unnatural speed and you are quickly engulfed by flames.

(I choose to jump into the harbor)

You leap over the gunwale, through a blinding wall of flame, and hit the sea feet-first. The frigid water is shockingly cold, but your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus protects you from its numbing chill and you are able to surface quickly. Burning chunks of timber and sailcloth rain down all around as you strike out towards a flight of stone steps that rise out of the sea to the top of the quay.

Unfortunately, your escape from the blazing ice-boat does not go unnoticed. Upon reaching the steps you are met by a dozen skeletal warriors who are determined to slay you before you can haul yourself out of the icy water.

Ixian Undead: COMBAT SKILL 41 ENDURANCE 46

These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast. Also, because you are still in the icy water, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 5 for the duration of this combat.

(So I have 52 CS for this battle with KS. I toss a 1, and then a 6, and then another 6 and they die. I took 4 damage from battle and 3 from KS I’m at 36/50 right now)

As the last skeleton warrior falls to your lightning-swift blows, you drag yourself out of the freezing water, across the bony bodies of those you have valiantly defeated, and stumble up the steps to the top of quay. You are met by Captain Lanza and his men, all of whom are clearly amazed that you are still alive.

‘We have this enemy beaten,’ yells Lanza. ‘We’ve slain more than half their number and the rest have their backs to the sea. Will you help us finish the job, Grand Master?’

‘Gladly,’ you reply. ‘For Kai and Ishir, we’ll send them all to meet their unholy maker!’

Lanza orders his men to arm themselves with warhammers from a nearby hut.

‘Normally my men use these to break up harbour ice in the dead of winter,’ he says, as together you help to distribute the heavy two-handed hammers among the garrison, ‘but now they can be put to good use smashing up the bones of our foes!’

Freshly equipped and fired by the taste of victory, Lanza and his men set about hammering the remnants of the attacking enemy. They drive them all the way back to their ship, literally shattering all who dare stand in their way. Within the hour the outpost is secured—the enemy have been destroyed.

[Abe Sargent]

You survey the aftermath of the battle with mixed emotions. You feel elated at having helped Lanza to win, but the ice-boat, which was to have conveyed you to Ixia, is now a burned wreck lying at the bottom of the harbour. All that can be seen of it is a few feet of its mainmast protruding at an angle above the surface of the sea. As you stare at this blackened masthead, you are joined by Captain Prarg.



What in Ishir’s name can we do, Grand Master?’ he says, staring dejectedly at the icy water which is swirling in eddies around the submerged wreck. ‘That ice-boat was the only vessel capable of transporting you to Ixia.’

‘Never fear, Prarg,’ you reply, confidently. ‘I’ve just had an idea that could be the answer to our problem.’

‘There’s the answer,’ you say, pointing to the Ixian ship.

‘B … b … but … ’ stammers Prarg, clearly taken aback by the suggestion.
‘I grant you, it is a strange craft,’ you say, ‘but it looks well-suited for passage through icy waters. It served the enemy’s purpose well enough—I say it’s time we put it to better use.’

Prarg gives a weak smile and follows hesitantly in your wake as you leap aboard the deck of the Ixian ship.

‘First we’d best make sure it is empty,’ you say, as you unsheathe your weapon.

‘Very well,’ replies Prarg, ‘which end do you wish to search, Grand Master, the bow or the stern?’

(The bow)

You advance cautiously along the ice-slick decking towards the high curving prow of this alien vessel. Strange and intricate carvings decorate every inch of its coal-black timbers, and runic symbols embellish the metal plates which sheathe the hull forward of the mainmast. Calling upon your Kai senses, you determine that this vessel was not constructed by the unhuman creatures who crewed it, but that it is an ancient ship, built and crafted by a race of mariners who have long since disappeared into the mists of time. Closer examination of the timbers reveals it to be more than eleven thousand years old.

An open hatch at the bow leads down into a gloomy hold where you discover a tangle of rotten rags and rusty weapons. Among this debris you find a Stone Bowl, a Crystal Tiara, and a Coil of Oiled Rope. (If you wish to keep any of these Backpack Items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.)

You are about to venture deeper into the hold when suddenly you hear Prarg’s voice—he is calling for you to come to the stern.

(I take all three items)

You climb out of the forward hold and hurry along the deck to a flight of steps which ascend to the raised stern. A wheelhouse stands in the centre of the stern deck, inside of which you find Prarg examining a large glassy sphere mounted upon an ornate base of glittering black stone. A low hum and a faint greenish glow radiate from this sphere, which in turn is connected by silver tubes and strands of braided metal to the wheel which steers the craft.

‘What do you make of this, Grand Master?’ says Prarg, inviting you to take a closer look. You inspect the devices and determine them to be the propulsion and steering mechanisms. After careful appraisal of the controls you determine that you could easily sail the vessel.

‘Well, Grand Master,’ he says, staring bemusedly at the strange workings of this ship, ‘this is a rum craft and no mistake. Are you sure it can carry you to Ixia?’

‘Yes, I’m sure,’ you reply. ‘In fact I’m certain that it will be safer to sail the Tozaz in this ship than to attempt a crossing in any ice-boat bearing the Lencian flag.’

Prarg looks out of the wheelhouse window at the sunken remains of the ice-boat and says: ‘I hope you’re right, Grand Master. I sincerely hope you’re right.’

You leave the Ixian ship and go in search of Captain Lanza. You find him with his men by the watchtower—they are building a bonfire out of rags and broken bones. A toothless sergeant empties a gallon of skark oil onto the heap and a burning torch sets the whole thing ablaze.

You stride over to Lanza and slap him heartily on the back. ‘Well fought, captain. You and your men have brought honour to Lencia this day.’
Captain Lanza greets your compliment with a sombre face. ‘Nay, sire,’ he says, sadly. ‘ ’Tis the enemy who’ve won. The ice-boat is sunk and we cannot sail you to Ixia.’

‘We can use the enemy ship, Captain,’ you reply. ‘It is perfect for the task. All I need of you are some provisions and a crew.’

Lanza’s face brightens. He orders his men to prepare the Ixian ship and within the hour you are ready to set sail.

‘May the gods watch over you, Grand Master,’ says Prarg, as you bid him and Lanza farewell.

‘Do not fear,’ you reply. ‘I shall soon return.’

[Abe Sargent]

(I toss a random number and I get a 7)

You take the ship’s wheel and turn this alien vessel out of the narrow harbour, into the roiling waters of the Tozaz Sea. It is less than an hour past noon and yet the winter night has already closed in. You share the icy darkness with a crew of six Lencian outposters, all of whom have volunteered for this perilous mission. Lanza has ordered them to land you on the coast of Ixia and wait at anchor for seven days for you to return; they must wait no longer.

With ten miles of sea behind you, you hand over the wheel to one of the crew and settle down on the wheelhouse floor to sleep. But you have barely closed your eyes when the deck begins to buck like a stallion. The ship has sailed directly into a saesha—a sudden and violent sea-storm for which the Tozaz is infamous. Thunder roars and sleet blows with blinding ferocity as the ship dips and rolls in the waves.

After what seems like an eternity, the ship emerges from the storm—a storm against which few craft other than this could have sailed. The darkness gives way to an eerie dawn which casts its watery light upon a new danger. In the grey half-light you see thousands of icebergs ahead, stretching across the horizon as far as the eye can see. Your heart sinks—navigating a course through this icy maze could well prove impossible.

(Do I take the wheel or act as pilot? I think with my skills of long range sight, I’m better as a pilot)

Quickly you instruct the helmsman to listen out for your directions; then you leave the wheelhouse and make your way forward to the bow. The vast bulk of any iceberg lies hidden beneath the surface and, with this chilling thought in mind, you lean over the prow and keep a careful watch on the waterline. This ship is strongly built but a collision with a submerged ridge could easily rip its hull wide open.

Guided by your telepathic directions, the helmsman steers the vessel towards a passage that is over-shadowed on either side by two monstrous mountains of ice.

(Pick a number and add 3 for Grand Huntmastery – I toss a 3 and get 6 and make it)

You pilot the ship cautiously along a string of narrow fjords which cut an uncertain route through this treacherous field of icebergs. Using a mix of hand signals and telepathy, you send directions to the helmsman at the rear of the ship. It is a gruelling procedure which soon takes its toll on the nerves of all aboard.

Every few minutes your vision is obscured by gusts of powdery snow which swirl across the deck, blown down from the tops of the surrounding ice cliffs. During one of these fierce blasts you are momentarily blinded. You clasp your hands to your stinging eyes and suddenly the incessant howl of the wind is accompanied by the tortured screech of the hull as it shudders along a bank of submerged ice. The impact sends the ship careering violently to port and almost hurls you overboard. You crash heavily against the rail and rebound to the deck where you lie for a few moments, stunned and gasping for breath: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

Mindful of the deadly danger, you scramble to your feet and rush to the prow. The crew have been clearly terrified by the collision; most of them are cowering along the ship’s rail, staring up at the encroaching walls of ice, their eyes haunted with fear as earnestly they offer prayers to the Goddess Ishir. Then, almost without any warning, the snow-laden wind abates and the ship emerges from the iceberg field into the open waters of the Tozaz Sea. The crew give a hearty cheer, relieved that their icy ordeal has at last come to an end. One man pulls the cork from a bottle of black rum which he has been keeping for a special occasion. He takes a mighty swig, and then passes it to you. Just as you are about to take a swallow, unexpectedly you hear the helmsman’s voice echoing along the deck: ‘Ship ahoy!’

Fear returns to tie a knot in your stomach as you turn and focus your eagle eyes upon the distant vessel.

Less than a mile to the north, like some nightmare apparition surfacing from the deep, you see a broad-prowed vessel of prodigious size breaking low in the stormy water. You magnify your vision and see that its main deck is completely enclosed by a canopy of overlapping green-grey timbers, affording it the appearance of some gigantic fish. Two glassy portholes and a jagged line which stretches around its prow complete this chilling illusion.

For its shape and size it moves towards your ship at an unnatural speed. You call the crew to arms, fearing it to be an enemy vessel closing to attack, and you sense a shudder run through them when, for the first time, they clearly discern its alien design. You focus your Kai senses upon the oncoming craft and suddenly you realize its purpose. It is an Ixian vessel, come to rendezvous with your ship, believing it still to be manned by the undead horde which attacked Fort Azgad.



‘Stand firm!’ you shout, attempting to rally the nervous Lencians as the craft speeds ever nearer. When less than a hundred yards distant, its great prow begins to creak open. It is as if you are looking into the ghastly maw of a hungry sea predator. The fearful sight alarms the Lencian crew and they flee towards the bow of the ship in panic: ‘Save us!’ they cry. ‘Ishir save us! It’s going to eat us alive!’

The great alien vessel looms towards your ship, its jaw-like prow hinged open as if in readiness to bite you in half. Then, with stunning swiftness, your entire craft is consumed by this onrushing vessel, swallowed up in its great jaws. There is a moment of deadly silence. Then, in the morbid, greenish gloom, you hear a bubbling rush of icy water echoing through the vast depths of this gullet. With fearful anticipation you unsheathe your weapon, move towards the ship’s rail, and then look down. The surrounding seawater is fast draining away, leaving your ship dry-docked upon a long, V-shaped plinth which glistens like polished bone. The bubbling subsides, to be replaced by another noise—the sound of a great portal grinding open. Bright light streams across the deck, blazing down from an archway which is opening close to the starboard bow. Silhouetted in this light are a hundred moving forms, each man-sized and armed with a sword or a spear. A ghastly howl of anger arises from their ranks when they see unexpectedly that the ship is crewed by living men. As the first of their number leap from the arch and crash upon the deck, you recognize their form. Once these creatures were Drakkarim warriors; now they are undead slaves in the service of the Ixian Deathlord. You shout to the Lencians to prepare for battle as the first wave of undead Drakkarim comes surging forwards.

(I choose to stand and fight)

[Abe Sargent]

As the first line of screeching Drakkarim hurl themselves forwards, you advance to meet their attack, your weapon dealing them destruction in a wide arc. Resistance meets your weapon’s keen edge, though it is not the touch of armour or flesh. Your powerful blows shear through Drakkarim bodies with the sickening feel of clinging jelly. It is as if you are fighting against a horde of bloodless phantoms possessed of a rubbery strength in their rotting, wasted limbs. The first line falls, but a second is poised ready to throw itself upon you with a mindless fury.

Drakkarim Marines (undead): COMBAT SKILL 42 ENDURANCE 42

These undead beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

(I use KS and…3 and 8 kill them, and I took 4 damage total from everything)

(I win quickly)

The moment you slay the second wave of undead, a third wave presses forward. They clamber awkwardly over the heaped bodies of those you have destroyed, their bony hands brandishing rusty blades and their eyes burning with a cold, devilish fire.

Seizing your only chance, you retreat from this onrushing horde and evade them by descending a stair which leads down into the ship’s hold. Above, you can hear the frenzied shouts of the Lencian crewmen as they are engaged by the undead Drakkarim in fierce hand-to-hand combat. Then the clatter of steel-shod boots on the steps alerts you to the fact that the Drakkarim have not given up the chase. As they begin to descend, you quickly scan the gloomy hold for a place to hide.

(I do not have Assimilance)


You crouch down amongst the foul-smelling debris which litters the floor of the hold, watching with bated breath as a dozen undead warriors enter by the stairs and begin a systematic search. Your Kai camouflage skills make you virtually invisible to the eye, but these undead Drakkarim no longer have eyes—they are using powerful psychic probes in an effort to locate you.

(I do have Kai-Screen + Grand Guardian)

The undead warriors carry out a thorough search of the hold, passing several times within inches of where you are hiding, yet they fail to find you; your Kai Mastery keeps you safe from detection. As you wait patiently for them to leave the hold, your thoughts are with the Lencian crewmen. The sound of fighting on the deck above has ceased and you are fearful that all the crew may have been slain by these merciless enemies.

(I follow the undead as they leave)

You climb the stairs cautiously and peer over the lip of the hatch in time to witness a scene that shocks you to the core. You see that the undead Drakkarim warriors have slain all of the Lencian crew and have heaped their bodies around the base of the mainmast. One of the undead, clad in a filthy grey cloak embroidered with alien symbols, utters a chilling liturgy over the corpses of the slain. The chill air crackles with power and sparks of evil energy whirl around their bodies. When at last the liturgy ends, you see the dead Lencians rise up and take their places alongside the Drakkarim undead.

Numb with shock, you slowly retreat down the stairs and hide yourself in a corner of the ship’s hold while you consider a new plan of action.

[Abe Sargent]

For five hours you remain in hiding, listening to the noises which echo through distant parts of the vessel which has swallowed your ship. During this period, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.


Gradually you become aware that this mysterious craft is slowing down as if in preparation to dock. Anxious to escape, you leave your hiding place and climb the stairs to the deck above. Over the past few hours your shock at having witnessed the unholy resurrection of the Lencian crew has gradually turned to anger. You vow to avenge the souls of the crewmen and draw your weapon in readiness to attack the host of Drakkarim undead who are standing in rows upon the deck. But before you can act, you feel a shudder run through the steps as the host vessel comes lurching to a halt. There is a dull boom and then several portals open in the surrounding wall, spilling beams of white light across the deck of your captive ship. Scores of Drakkarim undead emerge from these portals and descend upon the ship like a host of hungry ghouls. You are forced to abandon your plan for vengeance for there are now far too many of the enemy. Yet all is not lost. In the milling confusion, you seize an opportunity to get away from the ship and escape into one of the many light-filled portals.


The portal opens out into a domed chamber where several great orbs of fire-filled crystal, mounted on mechanical plinths, generate the intense light which is flooding the deck of the captive ship. You cross to a tunnel which leads out of the chamber and follow along a series of dingy, ice-caked corridors that wend their way deeper into the bowels of this vast alien vessel. You explore a maze of empty holds where the walls are braced with gleaming crystal girders, and pass through countless low-ceilinged chambers that, despite the biting chill, reek of death and decay. At length you come to a junction where the corridor splits in two directions.

(Left or right?)

(Left. Always left)

The corridor gradually ascends to a high gallery which overlooks a chamber two storeys deep. A dozen undead slaves clad in silvery robes are busy attending to a vast machine constructed of quartz-like crystal and black metal. Through holes in its side they probe and manipulate long glassy rods which reach into the machine’s core. From these holes there radiates a brilliant, ghostly light.

(I do have Grand Huntmastery and Sun Lord)

Using your Kai Mastery, you are able to see patterns in the ultraviolet spectrum of light. You recognize that the light which is pouring from the holes in the side of this diabolical machine is very similar to that which normally radiates from the sun, but it is abnormally intense. A tingle of fear runs along your spine the moment you realize that the ghostly rays are a deadly threat to any living creature.

Fearing detection by the undead attendants, you hurry from this high gallery by means of a sloping tunnel which descends to an empty hallway. All along the left wall of this narrow passage are glassy portholes that are caked with ice and grime. Vigorously you scrape the encrusted filth from one of these circular windows and peer through it. Your curiosity is rewarded by a stunning sight.

Outside of this vessel is a vast subterranean lake enclosed within a titanic cavern of ice. Several ice-boats, similar to the one on which you set sail from Fort Azgad, are moored in a long line at the lake’s edge. Scores of undead warriors attend to these ships, and many more can be seen marching along the frosty walkways which go all around the lake’s shoreline.


Quickly you realize that these ships are part of a great invasion fleet. Constructed by the slaves of Deathlord Ixiataaga, they can only have been built for one purpose—to carry his armies of undead warriors to the lands of the living. Rimoah and Ardan were correct—the Deathlord does intend to wage a bloody war upon Magnamund—yet even their gloomiest predictions failed to estimate just how advanced his plans are.
Shocked by the revelation of your discovery, you reaffirm your vow to thwart the Deathlord’s monstrous scheme. You move away from the porthole and hurry along the hallway in search of a way out of this alien submarine.

[Abe Sargent]

At the end of the hallway you arrive at a flight of metal stairs which ascend to a heavy, bronze-banded door. This sealed door appears to be a recent addition to the vessel; it is secured by a curious combination lock which you recognize to be Drakkarim in design.


The lock comprises three raised blocks, each of which is divided into four equal squares. In each square, except one, there is a number. You have encountered this type of lock before and are aware that by tapping the empty square a correct number of times, you will cause the lock to disengage and the door to open



(Huh, I’m not sure. The pattern in the first two blocks and four rows is the top number +2 is the bottom number. That’s make our missing number 13. But that’s not a 9 after than 7, that’s a 6. So that doesn’t work. Maybe it’s just within a block? So 7 -1 is 6 and 11 -1 is 10? Is the answer 10?) Or it could be 7+4 is 11 across and 6+4 across is 10. So I’m going with 10)


With a dull clunk, the lock disengages and the heavy portal creaks ajar. Immediately you are greeted by a blast of frozen air as you push open the door and step out onto a viewing platform which is fixed to the outer metallic skin of this huge alien submarine. Away to your right you can see a line of ice-boats at anchor at the lake’s edge, and to your left you notice a column of skeletal warriors. These are being led by a black-robed Cabalah, marching in mechanical fashion along a jetty towards the mouth of a tunnel which leads out of the vast ice cavern. Your keen Kai senses tell you that you have arrived in Ixia, and that the distant tunnel leads to the surface.


You commit the position of the ice-boats to memory; if your mission is successful, you will be needing some means by which you can escape from Ixia. Then you carefully observe the area immediately surrounding the submarine, and notice that there are only two ways by which you can reach the distant tunnel—by the adjacent jetty, or by entering the icy waters of the lake and swimming to the shore.

(The jetty might be be guarded, and with my Kai skills, the water should be deal-with-able, so I choose water)

You descend from the submarine’s viewing platform and slip unseen into the frigid lake, thankful that the Platinum Amulet you are wearing is powerful enough to protect your body from the ill-effects of such devastatingly cold water. Rather than risk being seen by a patrolling group of undead warriors, you gulp a lungful of air, dive below the surface, and strike out for the distant shoreline.

(Yes, I have Kai-Alchemy and Sun Thane rank)

During your underwater swim, your higher Kai rank and mastery enables you to use the Brotherhood Spell Breathe Water. This magical spell allows you to absorb oxygen from the icy seawater directly into your bloodstream through the pores of your skin, negating the need to surface repeatedly for air.


In just a few minutes you reach the distant shoreline and break through the surface alongside a shallow stone causeway. Atop this causeway is a track, a spur of which branches off towards the tunnel entrance. With only your head visible above the lake, you cling to the causeway stones and wait patiently for a nearby patrol to march past.


From your hiding place among the boulders you watch the activities of the loathsome undead. The causeway and jetty are teeming with cadaverous soldiers who, under the direction of several spindly, black-clad creatures, are busily transferring materials to and from the ice-boats and the open mouth of the submarine. The tunnel entrance lies only two hundred yards away, yet reaching it without being detected by the enemy looks to be a near-impossible task. You are trying to formulate a plan of action when suddenly you notice a means by which you can achieve your goal.


The track, which branches away from the causeway and leads to the tunnel entrance, passes close beside your hiding place. Every so often a wagon loaded with equipment trundles along this track towards the jetty, and an empty one trundles back. When the next empty wagon appears, you get ready to abandon your hiding place and leap aboard its open tailgate.


Patiently you observe your chosen wagon. It is being hauled by a shaggy, grey-furred beast of burden which is harnessed by heavy leather straps. As it trundles past the boulders you break cover, leap aboard the tail, and hide yourself from sight beneath a greasy, foul-smelling tarpaulin. Through a crack in its ancient wooden planks you watch with trepidation as the wagon moves slowly towards the tunnel entrance. It enters the tunnel, unchallenged by the skeletal warriors who stand guard here, and ascends a gentle gradient to another ice-walled cavern. Several passages connect at this point from all directions, like the spokes of a giant wheel converging at the hub.


An undead Drakkarim soldier steps forward, takes hold of the shaggy beast’s harness, and leads the wagon towards a stockpile of metallic containers. Clearly he intends to load these onto the wagon for transportation back to the submarine. Fearing discovery, you leap from the rear of the moving wagon and hide yourself among a stack of empty wooden crates. From here you observe two possible ways by which you could leave this busy cavern: by an unguarded staircase in the north wall, or through an open archway in the east wall.

(Stairs or archways)

[Abe Sargent]

(Stairs, going up seems important)

At the first opportunity you sprint away from the wooden crates and descend the staircase to a closed door. It is a sturdy portal, carved from solid rock and banded with strips of bronze. You test it with the toe of your boot and, to your surprise, it swings open with barely a sound.


Beyond the door lies a rough-hewn chamber lined with racks of ancient crystal spears and swords. Despite the millennia which have passed since they were crafted by armourers during the Age of Eternal Night, these weapons still hold a keen edge and gleam like new.
Casting your eye around this weapon store there appears to be no other exit save the one by which you entered.

(Yes I now have Telegnosis!)

Your advanced Kai skill detects a secret door concealed in the far wall of this chamber. It is finely constructed, virtually undetectable to the human eye, but a closer examination reveals a raised pimple of rock positioned at its centre. As you reach out to touch it, the heat from your hand activates a concealed catch and the secret door slides silently open, revealing a dark passageway beyond.

(Duh I’m heading through!)

The narrow passageway leads you to a chamber carved from glittering blue ice. Steps have been chiselled into its translucent north wall, a slippery staircase which ascends to a landing positioned high above the ice-cavern. As you climb the steps, the sub-zero temperature plummets even further, making you shiver involuntarily despite the combined protection of your Platinum Amulet and your Magnakai skills.


After a tiring climb you reach the landing to be greeted by the sight of an unguarded cave mouth. Through this opening you see a bleak and desolate wasteland of rock and ice. A blizzard is raging, whipped up by a fierce electrical storm that blazes above a distant mountain range. The jagged grey peaks are illuminated by the flashes of the storm’s ghostly, blue-white fire.



After checking your equipment, you reluctantly leave the cave mouth and set off into the raging blizzard in search of the city of Xaagon


For an hour you trek through a swirling white oblivion of a blizzard, trusting solely to your keen survival instincts to keep you safe from rock falls and hidden crevasses. Yet, despite your skills, it proves to be a difficult and treacherous journey: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.


Gradually, the storm lifts its heavy yoke. Although snow continues to fall, the wind loses its angry intensity, and for the first time since you left the cave mouth, you are able to see more than a mile distant. As you crest an icy ridge, you stop to get your bearings. You look to the south and see the brooding, grey-black waters of the Tozaz Sea lapping at the ice-locked Ixian coastline. To the north and west you are surrounded by unfriendly mountains, and to the east, directly ahead, lies a pass which cuts between two viciously sharp peaks. Beyond the pass you catch your first tantalising glimpse of Xaagon—the city of the Deathlord.


You establish that you are less than three miles from the crystal walls and monstrous towers of Xaagon. You resolve to try to reach the city before the storm resumes but, as you enter the pass, the blizzard returns with malicious vigour. Finding it impossible to continue, you stop and use your Kai skills in order to seek sanctuary from the raging storm.
In this narrow pass you detect only two possibilities for shelter: a cave on the north side, and a circle of fallen rocks a few hundred yards away to the south.

(The Cave or the Circle? The cave sounds more secure)

You lower your head and tug your cloak closer about your shoulders as you climb stoically towards the distant cave. You are within a few dozen yards of its inviting entrance when suddenly a crackling arc of lightning streaks down and hits you between the shoulder blades. The impact burns a hole clean through your Backpack and hurls you face-first into the snow and ice.

(Yes, I have Grand Huntmastery and Sun Thane)

The lightning strike leaves you dazed and shaken yet you have survived it without lasting injury. Your improved Kai Mastery enabled your body to withstand the massive jolt of electricity and discharge it away harmlessly into the ground.

You stagger to your feet and unsling your smouldering Backpack. After smothering with snow the parts which have been scorched by lightning, you unbuckle the flap to discover that two items have been completely destroyed. (Erase two items of your own choosing from your Backpack list.)

Thankful to have survived the strike unharmed, you shoulder your Backpack and hurry the remaining few yards towards the welcoming shelter of the cave.

(I get rid of one set of rope and the stone bowl)

[Abe Sargent]

The instant you set foot inside the cave entrance, you hear a noise which makes you freeze in your tracks. A ghastly half-gibbering, half-growling sound issues from the dark recesses of the cave—a warning from the creature which dwells here that you are not a welcome visitor. You scan the inky darkness and see the glint of two yellow eyes as they emerge from a fold in the rock wall. Slowly the eyes advance. You use your ability to see in the infrared spectrum of light, in order to discern the outline of this shadowy creature, but it is to no avail. You can detect no heat patterns. The reason for this is simple—the creature now advancing towards you gives off no heat because, like everything else in this wretched land, it is already dead.

(leave or stay? Duh, stay!)

As the evil yellow eyes of the creature slowly draw closer, you are suddenly engulfed by a fetid corpse-like stench which makes you retch and recoil.

(Yes I have the Golden Sun of the Dawn, but no, now that I’m in Ixia, I shouldn’t be using it.)

You unsheathe your weapon just in time to fend off the creature’s initial attack. A flash of lightning briefly illuminates the cave and, for the first time, you see the face of this mysterious beast: the sight is truly chilling to behold. Its mouth is a mass of twisted fangs and from its huge, bear-like body there writhes a score of slimy tentacles, each tipped with a venomous claw. Its reptilian head is domed and from its centre there protrudes a twisted horn, longer than a broadsword.



The creature retreats a few paces and howls with anger as it prepares to make its second attack.


Ixian Mhagani: COMBAT SKILL 40 ENDURANCE 60


(Alright Dagger of Vashna, what do you have? My CS is reduced by 8 for this combat, which still gives me a +7 ratio with KS. I toss a 5 and 4. It takes 24, and I took 6 total (no doubling of damage here). A 2 and 0 follow and it takes 7 and then dies. I took 11 damage total)

Upon the instant you strike your fatal blow the creature emits a piercing shriek and crumples to the floor of the cave. The stench of its rotting body makes you feel nauseous, but at least it is blocking the icy wind which whips through the open cave mouth. After satisfying yourself that it was the only one of its kind in this cave, you settle down in a corner and take a well-deserved rest: restore 3 ENDURANCE points.

Several hours pass before the blizzard dies down sufficiently for you to be able to leave the cave and continue your lonely trek towards Xaagon. You reach the end of the pass where, for the first time, you get a clear view of the Deathlord’s dread city. Once, millennia ago, this city had been the home of a brilliant civilization; today the stately crystal palaces and temples of Xaagon are occupied by the lord and host of the evil dead.



Onward you trek, through knee-deep snow and jagged ice, towards the towering walls of Xaagon. The city is dominated by a spire of crystal which stabs the stormy sky, drawing lightning from the black clouds which swirl around its tip. From this needle-sharp point there radiates a crimson glow which sweeps the surrounding landscape. It is like a hellish lighthouse casting baleful crimson beams across a dead sea of ice.


Gradually, as you come within the shadows of Xaagon’s outer wall, you see two places where you could gain entry to the city beyond. The first is near to the coast, through a breach in the south wall; the second is through the city’s shattered west gate. Neither entrance appears to be guarded


(With undead, it likely doesn’t matter (with living I’d choose the wall breach), so let’s approach from the west – on my map that’s closer to the ships and a path of retreat)

[Abe Sargent]

Determinedly you battle your way through deepening snow and sleeting crosswinds to reach the remnants of Xaagon’s west gate. This once-magnificent portal lies scattered in pieces around the open archway of a twin-towered barbican. As you approach the arch, you catch brief glimpses of the city’s ruined buildings through the driving sleet. You also become aware of a noise—a low hum—reverberating beneath the howl of the wind. You pause briefly to listen and determine at once that this strange noise comes from the direction of the Crystal Spire.

Warily you press on towards the barbican, your eyes peeled all the while for guards. You are within a few yards of the archway when suddenly your Kai Sixth Sense alerts you to danger. Moments later, a dozen undead Drakkarim warriors come looming out of the storm, marching two abreast towards the west gate arch. To avoid detection you quickly sidestep into a shadowy portal at the base of the barbican wall. Here you discover a flight of stone steps which ascend to a derelict chamber that once served as a guardroom.

(Yes I have Grand Pathsmanship)

Your Kai Mastery warns you that you have inadvertently triggered a silent alarm. You unsheathe your weapon and turn to leave this rubble-strewn chamber, but as you move towards the stairs you hear a sound that makes you spin on your heel: it is the grating rumble of stone on stone.



From out of a secret panel in the wall to your left come six skeletal warriors, each one brandishing a rust-pitted sword. They make no sound, yet their eye sockets are aglow with sorcerous fire as they rush across the chamber towards you.

(I stand and fight.)

You say a brief prayer to the Goddess Ishir, beseeching her to watch over your soul as you get ready to engage the attacking skeletal warriors.

Ixian Undead: COMBAT SKILL 46 ENDURANCE 55

You cannot evade this combat and must fight these enemies to the finish.

(With no Swerd, but with the Dagger, I only have a +2 ratio but I’m still winning this. Watch!

Round 1 – I use KS to get the free attack -4 EP for me, and they lose 14 EP, then the swing and I toss a 6 – they lose 10 and me 3 from KS and damage. I took 7 to their 24. That’s good math. I do it again. I take 4 for their 12, and then I toss a 7 and hit them for 11 more. Late round, no KS, I toss a 1 and slay them. I took 16 total EP damage)

As the last skeletal warrior crumbles beneath your repeated blows, you step back and wipe the sweat of battle from your brow. A glance into the secret panel through which they emerged reveals a narrow chamber beyond. Lying on the crystal slab floor you see several items of equipment:

• Small Sack
• Stone Bowl
• Spyglass
• Iron Key
• Coil of Oiled Rope


If you decide to keep any of the above, record them on your Action Chart as Backpack Items.

You leave the chamber and hurry down the stone staircase to the archway below. The Drakkarim patrol you sighted earlier is now nowhere to be seen, enabling you to leave the barbican and enter Xaagon without further confrontation.

Warily you trek through the awesome ruins of this age-old city, where once, at the beginning of the Age of Eternal Night, a proud and mighty race reigned supreme.

You have just passed a derelict mausoleum when you are forced to halt and hide from a passing troop of Ixian warriors. You watch as they march stiffly along an ice-choked avenue towards a plaza that is dominated by a huge frozen fountain. Beyond the fountain’s solid plume of water you see a broad ramp which ascends to a grand archway at the base of the Crystal Spire.


(I take the rope, bowl, Iron Key, and Spyglass)

[Abe Sargent]

(Yes I have Grand Hunt and the right rank)

As you stare upwards at the monstrous spire, you detect waves of pure evil radiating from its ice-sheathed surfaces. They seem to wax and wane in time with the crimson light pulsing from its tip. Your improved mastery also detects dangerously high concentrations of light in the ultraviolet spectrum. So strong is this light that it physically sickens you, yet you find it hard to look away; you are both fascinated and repulsed by it.


Suddenly you realize what it is that you are seeing and feeling: it is the evil power of Deathlord Ixiataaga himself. He is present here, somewhere inside this dread spire.


(Yes I have Kai-Screen)


You raise your psychic defences to protect yourself from the debilitating effect of the evil which is radiating from the Crystal Spire. Yet, even so, you do not escape some discomfort and pain: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.


Your fascination with the power of the Crystal Spire has distracted you from a more imminent danger. From a narrow passageway to your left appear three creatures draped in mouldering black robes. They see you and give vent to a chorus of high-pitched shrieks of alarm. You spin on your heel to face them, fearful that their hideous cries will bring all of Xaagon down upon your head.


(I can use a bow, or use KS instead – my EP is a bit low, so I’m using the bow)


You unshoulder your Bow and let fly an Arrow at the nearest robed creature. The shaft arcs through the snowy sky and hits the target but, to your dismay, it passes clean through and splinters harmlessly against a distant wall.


The target creature utters a sound that resembles a mocking laugh. From a pocket of its tattered robe it draws a silvery rod and levels it at your head while its ghoulish companions circle around in an attempt to get behind you. Reflexively you dive for cover, avoiding certain decapitation as a searing bolt of energy surges from the tip of the rod. It passes within inches of your back before impacting against a pillar of crystal, the resultant explosion peppering you with splinters: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.


You scramble to your feet and run but your escape is thwarted by the creature’s two companions. They block your path and you are forced to take on all three of them in a desperate hand-to-hand fight.


3 Cabalah: COMBAT SKILL 53 ENDURANCE 54


These undead creatures are immune to Mindblast, Psi-surge, and Kai-surge.

(Now this is a fight. And if I win with the Sommerswerd, well, bad things’ll happen. I should have brought Helshezag with me. Ah well


Without KS and the Sommerswerd, well, I’m at….-6 CS. However, if I want, I can evade after four rounds. I took 4 damage in those passages, and there were 7 sections, so I gained 3. I am at 37/50. So here we go.

Round #1 – I toss a 6. They lose 6, I lose 4
Round #2 – 5 – They lose 5, I lose 4
Round #3 – 8 – They lose 7, I lose 3
Round #4 – 3 – They lose 3, I lose 5

I am at 21/50 they are 33
Now I can flee any time
I evade

I toss a 5 and take another 4

17/50)


You dive over a low wall and roll across a mound of ancient rubble in order to break free from the fight. As you spring to your feet and sprint away, you draw on your Magnakai skills of camouflage and psychic defence to increase your chances of a successful escape. It is a wise move; the Cabalah give chase but they soon lose your trail as you make your way deeper into the ruins of Xaagon.


Soon you stumble upon a ruined watchtower where you stop to rest awhile and get your bearings. Through a hole in the tower’s dull, glassy wall, you can see the wide stone ramp which services the archway entrance of the great Crystal Spire. Hidden from sight, you observe the traffic of undead warriors passing through this grand archway. The low hum that you detected earlier is much louder here, almost painfully so. Its concussive vibration is so strong that it leaves ripples in the snow.


You crane your neck to look at the uppermost tip of the spire, and you shiver with dread when you detect the unmistakable presence of the Deathlord. His cloying aura of evil makes you break out in a cold sweat, but you fight back this fear and resolve to gain entry to the Crystal Spire; you are determined to defeat him. Patiently you wait, crouched in the rubble of the ruined watchtower, observing his undead slaves come and go. During this time, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points


An hour passes before the arched entrance becomes devoid of undead slaves. Steeling yourself for the awesome task ahead, you slip away from the ruins of the watchtower and hurry up the ramp towards the open, empty archway.

[Abe Sargent]

Beyond the grand archway you discover a massive high-ceilinged antechamber. The walls of this vast circular hall are lined with human-like figures who, were it not for the frigid whiteness of their skin, would appear to be sleeping while on guard. Opposite the entrance you see another open archway, this one filled by a shimmering curtain of light. You sense that beyond it lies the way to the upper storeys of the spire, to the place where the Deathlord resides.

(yes I have telegnosis)

Your mastery warns you that the shimmering curtain of light which fills the archway ahead will cause harm to any living thing that passes through its beams. However, your senses also detect that beyond the archway lies the only sure route by which you can gain access to the higher levels of this dread citadel.

(I can press through it anyway, or look for another opening. That I choose -0- the more sections I can go through without combat, the higher my EP will regain)

You circle around the hall, keeping a wary eye on the frozen humanoids that line the walls in case your presence here should cause them to animate. Fortunately your caution proves unnecessary—they remain completely immobile.

As you pass by the shimmering archway, you feel nausea rising from the pit of your stomach and a wave of dizziness makes you falter for a few moments: lose 2 ENDURANCE points. However, your dogged persistence pays off when you discover a partially-concealed panel in the wall. As you step nearer, it slides open to reveal a flight of steps which ascend to an empty chamber. Here you discover a door of opaque green crystal set flush into the north wall. Closer investigation reveals a curious lockplate positioned at its centre.

(Yes I examine the lock)

You examine the intricate lockplate and determine that it operates by psychic energy. You study the intricate patterns which embellish it and gradually you realize that they give clues to a three-digit number. By projecting the image of this number at the lock, using your psychic powers, you will release the locking mechanism and cause the door to open.

The first of the three numbers is equal to the number of islands which can be found between the Tozaz Sea and the Gulf of Konkor.
The second of the three numbers is equal to the total of islands which can be found in Lake Ghargon.
The third and final number is equal to the number of cities that can be found on the banks of the River Zegar.

(1 Island, 0, 0 – 100)

The instant you project the correct number at the lockplate, the entire door begins to shimmer and lose its solidity. It becomes transparent and then it fades completely, as if it has evaporated into thin air. With a smile of satisfaction on your lips at having solved the riddle of the door, you step through the now-open portal and climb a set of stairs which await you beyond.

At the top of the stairs you find a chamber where the walls and floor are thick with frost. Standing beside a locked door is a crystal plinth on which lies an Onyx Key covered by a clear glass dome. Your Kai Sixth Sense tingles as you approach it—you sense that the glass dome is protected by sorcery



(I don’t already have this key. But I do have Kai Alchemy)


Using your Kai Mastery, you cause the glass dome to rise a few inches from the plinth. Quickly you snatch up the key, taking care not to touch either the plinth or the cover hovering above it; then you will the glass dome to descend slowly to its original position. (Record the Onyx Key on your Action Chart as a Special Item, which you carry in the pocket of your tunic.)

Having obtained the key, you now try it in the door and find that it fits perfectly. You give it a gentle twist, confident that it will unlock this door and allow you entry to whatever lies beyond.

(I roll a 3)

There is a faint click and the door opens without a sound. You walk through and emerge into a chamber composed entirely of polished black crystal, where you see myriad images of yourself trailing away into infinity within the mirror-smooth walls. At first you see only your own reflections, but when you cast your gaze around this eerie chamber you realize that you are not alone. Standing guard at an open archway are a trio of undead creatures, the like of which you have never encountered before. They are armed with barbed tridents which they hold loosely in their corpse-green hands.

Suddenly they become aware of your presence and come scurrying forwards, their tridents raised in readiness to pin you to the wall.

(I use my bow)

You draw and fire an Arrow at the leading creature. To your horrified disbelief, the shaft passes cleanly through its chest, meeting no resistance whatsoever, and then shatters uselessly against the far wall.
You drop your Bow and unsheathe a hand weapon only just in time to defend yourself from these deathly creatures as they launch a lightning-swift attack.

3 Kajarda: COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 42

Kajarda are undead. These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

(So I have 28 EP now. That’s enough to get my KS back in order. I use KS first round and….I deal 9 to them. Then I toss 5. I take 6, they took 18. Then I smash them for 15 and then I toss a 8 and hit them for another 9. They die. I took 12 damage and finish at 16 EP)

The bodies of the ghastly creatures undergo a swift and gruesome transformation upon the instant you deal them the coup de grâce. Their torsos implode with dramatic effect, and they barely have time to cry out in agony as their twisted remains hit the floor and crumble to dust.

[Abe Sargent]

You sheathe your weapon and step away from the foul-smelling mounds of dust. Then you hurry out of this black-floored chamber by a short passage which leads into an adjoining hall. This vaulted, oblong shaped hall is illuminated by flickerings of electrical fire which arc between two freestanding pillars at the far end of the chamber. Beyond the pillars you can make out the shadowy entrance to another chamber; it is the only other exit from this hall.

You realize at once that to pass between the pillars could prove to be fatal: the power arcing between them is as great as the lightning storm which is raging in the skies above Xaagon. Yet there may be a way of avoiding contact with this raw power. You notice that the two freestanding pillars do not go all the way to the ceiling—there is a gap, a little over two feet wide above them.

( I choose to use Kai Alchemy)

You stand at the base of the left-hand pillar and utter the words of the Brotherhood Spell Levitation. Immediately, you feel yourself rise from the floor and, using your hands to guide you and maintain a grip on the pillar, you inch your way effortlessly towards the narrow gap between it and the ceiling above.

The ascent is effortless but it is not entirely painless. The energy radiating from the electrical arcing blisters the exposed flesh on the right side of your face: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

(I am Sun Thane)

Having used Brotherhood magic to assist your climb you now call on it again to aid your descent. The spell Slow Fall enables you to glide smoothly to the coal-black floor. A few whispered words cancel its effect and you hurry away towards the shadowy exit.

A sense of unease makes you slow your hurried pace as you approach the shadowy opening. The low humming noise, which has been a constant presence ever since you first entered the Crystal Spire, is almost unbearable now. Were it not for your natural Kai defences, your hearing would have suffered permanent damage the moment you passed beyond the two pillars.

Beyond the opening lies a grand yet sinister chamber. Peering into its gloomy recesses, you observe that this chamber was constructed with great skill and care in some distant age. But it is not the rich decorations which hold your attention; it is the whirling circular vortex which hangs on the far wall like some nightmarish, living mural. Your pulse quickens when you look into its spinning core for you recognize immediately that it is a Shadow Gate—an astral doorway to another plane of existence.



Your Kai senses quickly become attuned to the powerful psychic residues which linger in this chamber. You notice that several empty coffins lie scattered about the floor and, when you focus upon them, chilling dream-like images form in your mind’s eye. You see the accursed Deathstaff emerging from the Shadow Gate. It spins end-over-end and impacts against the heavy stone lid of a coffin, breaking it in two. Its evil power feeds un-life into the mouldering remains of the Ixian Elder lying within and, driven by this ungodly energy, the remains rise up from their stony tomb. The resurrected Ixian bears the Deathstaff to the highest chamber of the Crystal Spire where, imprisoned in a cage of light fashioned by the Elder Magi, stands Deathlord Ixiataaga. The Ixian pushes the Deathstaff through the wall of this shimmering prison and, with a crackling flash, the cage of light vanishes. Freed from the magical prison which has kept him secure for thousands of years, Deathlord Ixiataaga takes the Deathstaff and howls with manic glee as he rejoices in his fateful escape.

The disturbing images fade from your mind, driven away by your Kai Sixth Sense which is warning you of imminent danger. A wispy black vapour is leaking from the circular stone edging which abuts the whirling Shadow Gate. You focus upon these smoky black trails and sense at once that they are alive and that they radiate an aura of evil.

(I have both Kai-Screen and a high level of use)

You sense that the wisps of black smoke are a manifestation of several evil beings, each possessed of a strong psychic presence. Fearing attack, you quickly draw upon your Kai Mastery to construct a Mindfort to protect yourself from psychic assault. It is a wise precaution. Moments after the Mindfort is in place, the wisps streak across the chamber and encircle your body. They accelerate to a dizzying speed before launching a massive wave of psychic energy at your mind. Fortunately for you, this tidal wave crashes against the walls of your Mindfort and dissipates harmlessly into a thousand motes of light.

Frustrated by their inability to destroy you psychically, the wispy beings retreat to the far side of the chamber where they solidify into six bodily forms. They have taken on the appearance of large, spindly-limbed, black insectoids, each with a ghoulish head from which composite eyes stare at you with evil intent. Chittering excitedly, the six creatures come stalking forwards, hungry for the kill.

(My options are evade, bow, or fight. I have low EP right now. Bow. Maybe it’ll work this time? Nah, there’’s 6 of them, what I take out one pre-melee? Let’s run)

You spin on your heel and sprint towards the arched opening by which you entered this chamber, but the insectoids anticipate your action and they move with frightening speed to block your escape. Snickering evilly, they fall upon you from the sides and rear, using their barbed limbs to drag you to the floor.

(I do have the Green Gem)

Kai instinct and intuition prompt you to take out the Green Gem. In the presence of the insectoids, it pulses with an eerie light that causes them to shy away fearfully. You sense that they are repelled by its power which is leeching their strength.

Gradually, their insect-like forms dissolve back into wispy trails of black smoke which swirl once around the chamber before evaporating into the porous stone which frames the Shadow Gate. You are relieved to see the back of these hideous creatures, but your comfort is all too short-lived; no sooner have they vanished than a new horror appears in the chamber, rising up out of the stone floor.

[Abe Sargent]

(The book asks me if I have been to the Isle of Ghosts before. Actually, I have in earlier runs through Book 10, but not the most recent iteration in this dynasty and run through, so no, I’ve not been there)

Squatting upon a plinth of stone arising from out of the floor is a huge, sabre-toothed, jackal-like creature with cream-coloured skin. Ice sheens on its muscular body and wisps of black smoke curl from its snuffling snout.

‘Prepare for death, lowly mortal,’ growls this creature, as it steps from the risen plinth. ‘I, Tagazin, am the deliverer of your destruction!’

The unexpected sound of its voice sends a shiver of dread coursing down your spine. Your Kai instincts tell you that this supernatural creature is slave to Ixiataaga—he is the Deathlord’s loyal companion.

Venom drips from his bared fangs and murder glows darkly from the depths of his nightmarish eyes as slowly he stalks towards you.

(Holy crap. I quaff all of my EP stuff in case it’s about to get serious with a demon lord)

“Hold, fell demon!’ you shout, hoping to arrest his determined advance, but Tagazin merely sneers with disdain at your command. He stalks closer and you see knife-sharp talons extending from his hairless paws. From the gruesome expression on his face, clearly he is relishing the thought of rending you limb from limb. As you reach for your weapon, you consider using your psychic skills to preempt his imminent attack.

(I have both KS and Sun Lord)

You look into the eyes of the approaching Demonlord and muster all your strength to summon a pulse of psychic energy. The pulse forms a radiant ball of power which speeds across the chamber and slams into Tagazin’s mind, making him flinch and falter.

(I toss a 5)

Tagazin quickly recovers from your psychic attack and launches himself through the air at you, his clawed paws outstretched in readiness to tear your flesh.



Demonlord Tagazin: COMBAT SKILL 55 ENDURANCE 60

Before commencing the combat procedure, reduce your enemy’s ENDURANCE points score by the number you have noted in the margin of your Action Chart. You may use Kai-surge again to aid you during this combat. This being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast

So it looks like this may be a Sommerswerd fight. But he has 50 EP now, and I only need to bring him down to 25 or less. So let’s not risk it. I can do this. I use KS and hit him for 10 damage and (I take 4) and then I toss a 8 against our -6 CS and we lose 2 to his 8. Then I use it again for 11 damage and I toss a 5 and We each lose 4. I took 15 total, and I gained 10 from my items, and many passages, so I am at 24/50 right now and knocked him to 24.

Your desperate combat is interrupted by a whirling gale-force wind. It arises in the centre of the chamber and accelerates like a cyclone around the walls, separating you from your enemy and hurling you both to the floor.

Suddenly, the air crackles and seethes with static power. A dark shape is taking form at the centre of the raging cyclone, a shape which radiates an intense aura of evil. It solidifies into a tall, black-robed torso surmounted by a goat-like skull. Where there should be eye sockets you see fiery cores of scarlet energy. Fear grips you with its icy hand when you smell the stench of death and corruption that hangs heavy around this dread being. You are in no doubt that you are now in the presence of the Deathlord of Ixia.

Tagazin whimpers like a frightened pup and slinks towards his master, his head bowed in fearful subservience. The Deathlord removes the Deathstaff from inside his funereal robe and holds it on high. Tagazin freezes in his tracks and his whole body trembles violently—he is clearly petrified of his master’s wrath. Ixiataaga sweeps the air with the evil staff, and in a terrifying instant, both you and Tagazin are lifted by the raging wind and hurled into the dark abyss that is the Shadow Gate.

(Back to the Plane of Darkness. Might as well use my good sword again, and remember, it has a +4 CS here)

[Abe Sargent]

The freezing winds of the abyss tear mercilessly at your body as you tumble headlong through this cold and lightless void. You scream with anguish but hear nothing, not even the sound of your own voice, for sound does not exist in the airless limbo of a Shadow Gate. You are in no-space, falling helplessly between two planes of existence.


You are on the brink of unconsciousness when, with shocking abruptness, you splash face-first into a warm and stinking mire.

Coughing and retching, you stagger to your feet and claw the oily muck from your stinging eyes. When you prise open your gluey eyelids, the sight which greets your disbelieving gaze is wholly unlike that of frigid Ixia. You find yourself knee-deep in steaming mud, surrounded by a hot and humid jungle of dense vegetation. Your Kai senses detect an all-consuming aura of evil which saturates this swampy land, warning you that this foul, stinking mire is part of the Plane of Darkness—the domain of the Dark God Naar. You scan the fetid landscape and sense that you are not alone—Tagazin is here, beyond the range of your vision but, nevertheless, not too far distant.


A sense of helplessness assails your spirit, feeding a growing fear that you have failed your mission. Your only hope is to find another Shadow Gate through which you can escape from this nightmare plane and return to your home world. Weary and despondent, you trudge through the slime towards a ridge of firm ground which is carpeted with lime-green moss. You sense Tagazin’s presence somewhere in this direction and you cling to the faint hope that he may be able to lead you to the Shadow Gate you seek.


The firmness of the mossy ridge makes the going easier as, reluctantly, you trek deeper into the mire. Infrequently you are assailed by small, slimy-skinned horrors which live beneath the mud of this rotting land. They rise up from their evil-smelling lairs and attempt to bite your legs and feet as you pass. All their attempts prove costly and futile; your speedy reactions and your Kai weapon skill makes sure of this.


After an hour or so, you glimpse something through the tangle of trees ahead which makes you stop and stare. At first sight it looks like a huge slab of stone lying on the surface of the swamp, but when you magnify your vision, you see that it is the flat roof of a stone building which is being swallowed very slowly by the mire. You sense that you are gaining on Tagazin and, with weapon drawn, you approach the sinking stone roof.


(I have Grand Path)


When you reach the stone roof, you notice an opening at its centre, partially overgrown with barbed creepers. A closer look reveals a flight of steps, thick with slime, which descend into the darkness of the building which now lies trapped below the surface of the swamp. You are peering into this hellish gloom when suddenly your Kai senses alert you to an approaching threat.





You spin around to see a horde of monstrous shapes come streaming along the mossy ridge which you have just travelled. Bloated corpse-things jostle with humanoid horrors and skeletal warriors whose bones are gnawed with decay. It is a ghastly sight—a regiment of Chaos-creatures, drawn here by the scent of human prey. You shiver with dread, for clearly you are the prey they seek.


(Stand and fight, head into building. Down we go)

With the hideous gibbering shrieks of the Chaos-creatures echoing in your ears, you hurry down the slime-smeared steps into the claustrophobic depths of this sunken building. At first the alien cries of your pursuers sound hungry and frantic, like those of a ravenous pack of starving wolves, but suddenly you realize that they are not cries of hunger at all—they are howls of glee. The Chaos-creatures are enjoying the sight of you rushing headlong to your doom!


You skid to a halt but it is already too late. With chilling abruptness, the slimy stairs open up and you fall feet-first into a deep, dark pit.
With a jolt that leaves you gasping for breath, you hit the gluey surface of a stinking subterranean bog and sink in up to your neck. In the eerie half-light you can see the chaos horde above you, clustered around the edge of the square opening through which you fell. They are like excited spectators at a pit fight waiting for combat to begin.


Suddenly you sense movement in the slime—something is brushing past your left thigh. You struggle to move but, in doing so, you cause your body to sink deeper into the mire.


(I have both Telegnosis and Sun Lord)

Using your advanced mastery, you lighten your body weight to prevent yourself from sinking any deeper into the mire. Moments later, you feel something brush past your leg for a second time and the chilling sensation galvanizes you into action.
The walls of the shaft are mirror smooth for the first ten feet above the surface of the mire. But beyond this point you notice that they are rough-hewn and studded with sharp spurs of rock. One such spur offers a tempting handhold … if only you could get to it. If you could reach it, it would be an easy task for a warrior of your agility to climb to the opening above.


(Yes I have a rope)

With difficulty you retrieve your Rope from your Backpack and hurriedly make a lasso. Then, uttering a short prayer to Kai and Ishir, you cast it upwards in an attempt to catch it upon the rocky spur.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 1 to the number you have picked

( I toss 3 and get 4)

You lasso the spur of rock on your first attempt and pull yourself out of the cloying mire barely seconds before the unseen creature, which is circling below the surface, moves in to attack your legs. On reaching the spur, you retrieve your rope and set out to climb the wall of this shaft.
Above, the snickering horde of Chaos-creatures watch your ascent with eager anticipation. When you are within a few feet of the top, you unsheathe your weapon and get ready to fight your way out of the shaft one-handedly.

Chaos-horde: COMBAT SKILL 46 ENDURANCE 46

Unless you have attained the Kai rank of Sun Lord, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 4 for the duration of this combat, due to your disadvantageous position. Unless you have Grand Weaponmastery and are a Sun Knight or higher, you may not use a two-handed weapon (i.e. Broadsword, Quarterstaff, and Spear) for this combat.


(We are good, and with the Sommerswerd and it’s bonus, we’re in a strong place. I toss a 5, and then 7and then 2. They are dead, I took 6 damage and am at 26/50)


Before the sundered remains of your enemies can merge and reform, you kick them into the pit where they are consumed by the creature which lurks at the bottom of its slime-filled base. Then, without looking back, you make a swift escape up to the roof and hurry away along the mossy ridge.

[Abe Sargent]

Minutes later, you come to a thicket of mist-enshrouded trees. As you pass through this eerie wood, you detect the presence of Tagazin once more. Fresh tracks indicate his direction and determinedly you set off, finding it an easy task to follow his clawed footprints in the loamy soil. They lead you through a tangle of saw-toothed briar and up a gently sloping rise. As you crest the top of the rise, you look upon an awe-inspiring sight.

A few hundred yards beyond the rise, you see Tagazin moving along a track which leads to the top of a small hillock. Here, contained within an arch of ancient stone, you see a whirling vortex: it is unmistakably an open Shadow Gate.



Surrounding Tagazin are a host of winged, dragon-like creatures, with horny skins that glimmer like gold in the wan light. By the slow, laborious way in which the jackal-like Demonlord is moving his limbs, you sense that he has been injured and greatly weakened by his passage through the void.

(Yes I have been to this plane before)

At once you recognize the winged creatures. You encountered them the last time you were here upon the Plane of Darkness. They are Lavas—fell servants of the Dark God Naar.

The dozen or so Lavas surrounding the ailing Tagazin appear to be urging him on towards the Shadow Gate. Your hopes of returning to your home world rose when first you saw the Shadow Gate, but now the familiar sensation of fear returns to chill your blood. The thought occurs to you that if Tagazin should enter the Shadow Gate before you, the Lavas may be able to close it behind him and deny you the chance of escaping from this evil domain. It is a risk you cannot afford to take.
Drawing your weapon, you race along the track in pursuit of the Demonlord, grimly determined to prevent him from reaching the Shadow Gate alive.

(I do not have Assimilance)

You have taken only a few dozen steps in pursuit of the sickly Demonlord and his golden-winged escorts, when your presence is betrayed by the aura of goodly light your body is radiating whilst on this plane of existence. A wave of alarm spreads through the escorts when they detect your aura, and many of them take to the sky. Directed by a vengeful Tagazin, they circle around you and come diving down to attack you with beak and claw.

Lavas: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 52

(I gained 4 EP from the 4 sections. Alright, let’s do this thing. I have only +8 vs them. I toss 1 and 7. They have taken 25 total to my 6. Then we toss a 7 and they have another 15 coming their way. Then a 1 follows again, for 9 and 4. A 9 finishes them off for 19. We took 13 total and ended at 17/50)

As you slay the last of these golden-winged horrors, their torn bodies dissolve into a hot, steamy vapour which is carried away on a foul breeze. The few Lavas that remained with Tagazin, having seen what has befallen their comrades, now abandon the Demonlord to his fate. Tagazin curses their apparent cowardice as they take to the air and speed away.

For a moment you stare at the Demonlord and he returns your gaze; his bitter hatred of you burns brightly in his supernatural eyes. Then he turns and drives himself on towards the Shadow Gate. You give chase, determined to stop him, but you slow your pace when suddenly you see a wide rent appearing in the sky high above. Through a tear in the clouds you see a new host of Lavas come swooping down.

(Yes I have Grand Hunt)

Using your advanced mastery, you magnify your vision in order to see better the new enemy that is descending towards you from out of the sky. As the images grow larger, you see that the leading Lavas is holding an item which radiates an intense aura of evil power. At a distance it appears to be a large metal bowl with a sharp spear of crystal fixed to its underside. Unsure of its purpose, you hazard a guess that it is some kind of weapon that the Lavas leader intends to use against you.

Driven by fear, you increase your own pace, determined more than ever now to reach the Shadow Gate before either Tagazin, or his new wave of helpers, can stop you

(Yes I have both K-A and Sun Knight rank)

You recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Strength, and within seconds, your body surges with newfound energy. You increase your pace until you are running at three times your previous speed. Within a matter of seconds you close upon Tagazin, your weapon drawn in preparation to strike at him as you pass by, but the Demonlord sees that he can no longer outdistance you and he stops to block your path. He is weaker than before, but he has lost none of his devilish cunning.
As you come to within striking distance, suddenly he leaps at your chest and brings you crashing to the loamy ground.

Demonlord Tagazin (injured): COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 45

This being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

I get one attack. Just one. Now, it’s possible I can finish this. With ks I have a 60 CS right now with the Sommerswerd. That’s +15, or a +11. On that, any roll of a 8, 9 or 0 is an auto kill. That’s a 30% of taking him out. I haven’t rolled that well this game. Take the battle vs above where I had a high ratio and rolled some 1s a few times. So maybe the dice will reward me? We’ll see.

I toss……

6. He takes 17 and I take 2.

Ah well

[Abe Sargent]

The second wave of Lavas come swooping down en masse, the terrific beat of their wings forcing you and the Demonlord apart. Shielding your eyes from the stinging dust-choked wind, you look up and see that the Lavas leader is cradling the curious spiked metal bowl in its horny hands. He descends towards Tagazin and inverts it, and suddenly you realize its true purpose and design. It is a helm of power, affixed on top with a crystal spike. The Lavas places the helm upon the Demonlord’s head and the spike begins to glow menacingly.

Now all of the Lavas ascend into the sky where they wait to view a confrontation which is about to commence. Suddenly Tagazin, revitalized by the power of the spiked helm, comes charging at you with his head lowered, snorting gruffly like a maddened bull.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery or Grand Pathsmanship, add 3 to the number you have picked.

(I toss a 9 and make it easily)

Your swift reflexes save you from being impaled upon the tip of the spiked helm. Tagazin goes charging past in a cloud of dust but, as you roll over and spring to your feet, you see that he has already made his turn and is bearing down for a second time.

Demonlord Tagazin (with Power Helm): COMBAT SKILL 55 ENDURANCE 48

This being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

(Wow. I needed to make that toss! Ah well. Here we go. I am throwing the psionic blast at him for…13 for him, 4 for me. And then….I toss a 5 for 11 more for him and 3 for me 7 total for me and 24 for him. Wow that’s half of his life. I decide to hold off on the Blast this turn and just do normal combat. I toss a 6 again and he takes 12 for my 2. A 5 follows for 11 and 3. Finally I finish him with a 7 and 1. I took 10 that battle, gained two from the passages, and now I am at 9/50)

At the instant you strike Tagazin the killing blow, his body shatters into a million frozen pieces which cascade to the ground. The spiked helm drops on top of his pile of smashed remains, crowning them, as if it were a marker fashioned for the Demonlord’s grave.

You look skywards to see the second wave of Lavas wheeling away in shocked disarray. They are visibly stunned by your unexpected victory and they flee to the safety of the clouds, fearful of tempting the fate that has befallen Tagazin

You stare at the spiked helm and a strange sense of purpose forms in your mind. You know that this artefact is wholly Evil, yet you have the curious notion that it could also be put to use in the cause of Good. Your Kai instincts tell you that this helm was forged and fashioned by Naar, the Dark God, and that its power is such that it can destroy most beings, living or dead. It may even be powerful enough to destroy Deathlord Ixiataaga.

You pick up the helm and, with a swift and violent action, you smash it onto the ground. The crystal spike snaps cleanly from the top of the helm and you stow it in your belt. (Record this Special Item on your Action Chart as a Power Spike, which you carry in your belt. If you already carry the maximum number of Special Items permissible, you must discard another in favour of this one.)

Resolutely, you turn and walk towards the Shadow Gate. As you leap into its spinning core, you pray that you will arrive back on Magnamund with time enough to thwart the Deathlord’s evil plan.

(Yes I take the Power Spike)

The howling winds of the void rip at your face and clothing as you plummet into the core of the lightless abyss. You lose all sense of time until, in the remote distance, you see tiny motes of light come streaking towards your face. Then, as suddenly as it began, the sensation of falling through deep space is replaced by an abrupt cessation of movement.


Stunned and disorientated, you shake your head and rise uneasily to your feet. As your blurred vision clears, you see that you have returned to the chamber of the Crystal Spire from where you were first sent tumbling into the Shadow Gate. It is empty now. Fearing the worst, you use your Kai skills to determine the time and the date. To your immediate relief you discover that only a few hours have elapsed during your absence from Magnamund; it is still possible for you to achieve your quest.

[Abe Sargent]

You resolve to find the Deathlord, even if it means searching every chamber of the Crystal Spire. You turn to leave this hall, but a noise behind you makes you freeze in your tracks. The sudden stench of decay and corruption tells you that you may not have to look too far to find your adversary after all.

You spin around to see a circular section of the floor disappearing. At the centre of this gaping hole there arises a plinth on which stands the awesome figure of Deathlord Ixiataaga. Jets of flame encircle his robed form, shooting up from the moat which now separates the plinth from the floor of the chamber.

The cloying stench of decay is overwhelming. As you reel backwards, you see the Deathlord raising the Deathstaff that hums with the terrible power held precariously within its haft. A ghastly laugh issues from his goat-skull face as he levels the evil weapon and directs its tip towards your heart.

(I can use the Power Spike or the Sommerswerd) I use the Sommerswerd

Abruptly the ghastly laughter ceases, as if the Deathlord has seen something which has shaken his arrogant confidence in his own invincibility. Your senses tell you that it is the Sommerswerd—he has recognized that you possess one of the few weapons capable of destroying him. It is a realization that shocks him to the core.


You move forwards, eager to exploit your advantage, but the Deathlord reacts swiftly. He utters a guttural sound and, in the next instant, a massive bolt of energy shoots from the tip of the Deathstaff and comes speeding towards your chest.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. For every level of Kai rank you have attained above that of Kai Grand Guardian, add 1 to the number you have picked.


I toss a 6 and get a 9.


You dive and roll across the floor to avoid the onrushing bolt of energy. The massive flame-ball passes over your back and explodes at the far end wall of the chamber with devastating effect. It tears open a hole in the steel-hard crystal wall more than ten feet in diameter, and it fills the air with razor-sharp shards. Yet, due to your swift reflexes, you suffer only minor injuries: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.


As you spring to your feet, you suddenly see an opportunity to seize the initiative and carry the attack to the Deathlord.

You see that the Deathstaff is no longer vibrating with power. You sense that Ixiataaga has expended all of its unholy energy in one massive burst, in the hope of destroying you quickly and utterly. It will be several minutes before the Deathstaff recoups its dark powers—you must act swiftly if you are to turn this to your advantage.

You raise the Sommerswerd and an umbrella of golden light bursts from its hilt to illuminate the debris-strewn chamber.

‘For Sommerlund and the Kai!’ you shout, and with a single mighty leap, you traverse the fiery moat and land on the plinth within an arm’s length of the Deathlord’s foul form. Your brave and bold action takes Ixiataaga aback, but he quickly recovers, and with unnerving speed, he spins around to counter your attack.

You raise the Sommerswerd and a gout of golden flame engulfs the blade, flaring with such brilliance that Deathlord Ixiataaga is momentarily blinded by its goodly light. He shrieks, and raises the Deathstaff defensively to ward off your first blow. As the blade of the sun-sword bites the haft of Ixiataaga’s fell weapon, a hissing mass of crimson and gold sparks explode into the air. These fiery motes are sucked into the vortex of the Shadow Gate, which has now begun to whirl with alarming intensity.




The Deathlord reels from the force of the impact, but he recovers swiftly and thrusts the sharp tip of the Deathstaff at your face. You duck the thrust, but you sense that this is just the beginning of what will be a titanic fight to the finish.

Deathlord Ixiataaga (with Deathstaff—uncharged): COMBAT SKILL 60 ENDURANCE 39

This supernatural being is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.

Wow. Now he is undead, so I get double damage from my weapon. And I got 4 more EP from the passages -1 for that damage I took. So here it:
12 EP to his 39
56 CS to his 60

But, I have the following benefits:
1). Everytime I hit, I do an extra damage from my fire
2). Every time I hit I double the damage.
But
3). With Kai-Surge, every combat I take an extra damage from using it and…I can’t use it when my EP is lower than 8.

And I have a -4 Combat Ratio. This is not a gimme battle with my EP so low. But it’s still winnable.
So here’s another question? Should I Kai Blast him on the first turn, and trade 4 EP for him as well?

It all comes down to the dice

Round #1 – I toss a 7. Good start. I take 3, he takes 16.
9 vs 23
Round #2 – That’s a 6. I take 4, he takes 12
5 vs 11
Now I can’t use KS. However, no auto one damage. Our CS drops dangerously, and I can’t use Mindblast or something against him
So I have to do 5 damage to kill his this turn (double, and +2 would do it). Only and 8, 9 or 0 will kill him this turn. All of those keep me alive. I also stay alive in a 7. I die from anything else.
Here we go….

If I die here, I’m not restarting the whole freakin’ book so I can take Helshezag or some more Laumspur spots. That’s annoying. I got the 9. I take 3, he takes 5 (cough 12) and dies.

Whew!

The dice can seriously suck at times!

[Abe Sargent]

Your final blow draws a hellish shriek from the skull of Deathlord Ixiataaga, so loud that it batters the walls and shakes the plinth on which you stand. The Deathstaff disintegrates in his skeletal hand and he topples backwards towards the fiery moat. Yet as he does so, his body crumbles into a plume of grey-green dust which is sucked away into the whirling maw of the Shadow Gate, together with the shattering remnants of the Deathstaff.

Your victory over the Deathlord has freed Ixia from an evil which has enslaved its dead for millennia. Now, at last, their tormented souls can find a lasting peace. You have destroyed a great and evil entity, yet by doing so you have also unwittingly removed the power which has kept the ravages of time at bay for thousands of years. Now, time returns to Xaagon.

Eager to leave this place, you leap across the fiery moat and run towards the archway. But as you are passing through it, there is a terrific explosion which shakes the very foundations of the Crystal Spire. Fear grips your heart when suddenly you realize that all of Xaagon is collapsing.

You flee the chamber, escaping past many Ixian and Drakkarim guards who stand rigidly immobile, fixed in the poses and attitudes they were in the very moment you vanquished the Deathlord. It was his power which gave them un-life; now that power is no more.

Fearing for your survival, you sprint across heaving, buckling slabs of broken stone that were once smooth tiled floors, and rush down staircases that crack and twist beneath your feet. You are racing down one such stairwell when suddenly an entire section collapses, leaving a gaping hole more than fifty feet deep. Above you, a row of pillars topple like storm-shaken trees, blocking the stairs completely, and making it impossible for you to retrace your steps.

(I have Kai Alchemy and Sun Thane)

Using your advanced knowledge of Brotherhood magic, you recite the words of the spell Slow Fall and step into the gaping hole. Easily you glide down through the dust-choked air to land on the floor of the hall, fifty feet below.

You hurry across the chamber, zigzagging to dodge pillars, chunks of stone, and the many bodies of Ixiataaga’s former undead slave-warriors which are raining down from the upper levels of the Crystal Spire. Aided by your Kai Mastery, eventually you reach the lowest level of the spire where the entrance hall and grand arch open out into the city. You are racing through a torrent of crystal dust towards the grand arch, the main exit, when a massive shock wave runs through the entire building. You are within seconds of escaping when, to your horror, you see the walls buckle and the grand arch begin to collapse.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your current ENDURANCE points score is 10 or less, deduct 1 from the number you have picked. If your ENDURANCE score is 20 or higher, add 1.

(My Ep is 6. So I subtract 1. Now it’s not uncommon for Dever to toss in an auto die random at the end of the story, just to screw with you// I’m sure this counts. I toss a 4, which becomes a 3, which is just enough….)
You sprint across the rubble and rush through the collapsing archway. But in your desperate hurry to escape you slip on a chunk of crystal and fall heavily against a pilaster, gashing your head. Dazed with concussion, you fail to move out of the way in time to avoid being crushed to death by a falling keystone.

Your incredible courage has brought about the defeat of the evil Deathlord, saving untold millions from an eternity of slavery in his service. So long as there is Good upon Magnamund you will never be forgotten. Sadly, though, death is the price you have paid for this victory.


Your life and your quest end here in Xaagon.

[Abe Sargent]

Sigh

[Abe Sargent]

(Yes thanks Joe. You make that death so anticimatic. Anyways we’ll assume that I had normal EP and didn’t have to -1 and my 4 stands and…)

You emerge from the Crystal Spire with barely seconds to spare. As you descend the main ramp which leads away into the streets of Xaagon, the great archway disintegrates completely, bringing with it a vast section of the foundation wall. This collapse begins a chain reaction of destruction that culminates in the spectacular fall of the upper spire, which crashes down upon the city like some massive crystal tree felled at the roots.

You run without stopping, through the quaking streets to the shattered west gate, and then onwards through the deepening snow towards the narrow mountain pass. You are more than a mile from the walls of Xaagon when eventually you stop to rest and survey the destruction you have left behind.

From a vantage point on a rocky, snow-swept ridge, you watch the stupendous spectacle that is the fall of Xaagon. One by one, its walls, buildings, and crystal towers implode and collapse until less than a handful remain. When the destruction is over, the black skies brighten and the fierce electrical storms abate. For the first time in ten thousand years, sunlight pierces the perpetual cloud cover of Ixia and brings warmth to this frozen land.

Greatly heartened by the success of your mission, you set off westwards and retrace your original route through the mountains to the ice-caverns on the southern coast. When you arrive there, you are greeted by an unmoving tableaux of skeletal warriors, each one frozen in the action it was performing at the time of the Deathlord’s destruction. You are eager to return to Fort Azgad as soon as possible, and to this end, you descend to the underground lake where the Ixian ice-boats are moored.
You reach the subterranean lake and go aboard an ice-boat moored alongside the stone jetty. With the demise of the Deathlord and his necromantic power, you are fearful that these vessels may no longer be serviceable; their sorcerous engines could prove to be as immobile as the warriors who stand like frozen statues all around the shore of the lake. But, fortunately, your fears turn out to be groundless.

You quickly discover that these ice-boats are propelled by Ixian witchcraft, an arcane art far older and more benign than the Deathlord’s vile necromancy. Having satisfied yourself that your chosen vessel is seaworthy, you cast off its hawser and steer it away from the jetty towards the wide cave mouth which opens out into the stormy Tozaz Sea. The elation of victory is still buoying your spirits, yet there is a nagging unease in the back of your mind that not everything is as it should be.

Guided by your Kai instincts and the night stars, you set a southerly course for Azgad Island. The Tozaz Sea is unusually calm for most of this lonely voyage, and hazards are few … until the dawn of your second day at sea.

Through the grey winter’s gloom you see the unwelcome sight of the Tozaz iceberg field stretching across the southern horizon. At first it looks impenetrable, but as you sail closer you identify two breaks in the ice-field that could be the beginnings of passages through to the far side.

(south west or south east? SW is the right direction)

Your chosen passage is wide and deep the whole way, enabling you to navigate a course through the ice-field with ease. Within three hours of entering, you emerge on the far side without a scratch and are able to continue your voyage to Fort Azgad without further delays.

Two days out from the Tozaz ice-field, you catch sight of Fort Azgad. After the ordeal of Ixia, the sight of this spartan little outpost is one of the most welcoming you have ever seen. The garrison salutes you as you bring your ship to the quayside where Lord Ardan, Captain Lanza, and Prarg are all waiting to welcome you back.

Warmly they congratulate you, praising your inspired act of courage and bravery but you sense that all is not well. The feeling of unease which haunted you upon leaving the ice-caverns of Ixia has returned.

‘Where’s Banedon?’ you ask of Lord Ardan. ‘Is something wrong?’

Ardan’s face grows as sombre as his reply. ‘King Ulnar sent word to Sarnac’s court, summoning the Guildmaster to return urgently to Sommerlund. It is grave news, I’m afraid, Grand Master. In your absence, your country has been attacked. The Dark God, Naar, has sent forth a host of dragon-creatures to destroy the Second Order of the Kai and lay waste to your homeland. It is said his new minions are confident of swift victory for they are sure you will never defeat the Deathlord of Ixia.’

‘I must leave for Sommerlund at once,’ you say, looking to the eastern horizon. ‘My brethren and my country need me.’

The others nod in silent agreement. ‘We will do all we can,’ replies Lord Ardan, ‘to speed your passage home.’

The news of your country’s plight comes as a terrible shock. In Ixia, you have won a great and lasting victory against the forces of Evil, but could the cost be too great? You fear, also, for the lives of your young Kai acolytes. The Second Order are worthy Kai warriors but they are young, their mettle yet to be tested in the furnace-heat of battle. You pray to Kai himself that they be strong enough to resist Naar’s newest champions, at least until you return.

The challenge of the long journey home and the quest to save the Second Order of the Kai from the deadly wrath of Naar’s newest champions awaits you in the next Grand Master adventure, entitled:


Dawn of the Dragons

[Abe Sargent]

Review of Ixia Fun Times

Well that was harder! That was the first time I’ve been pushed around by a book in a while. I definitely appreciate it. It was tough, but to be fair, it made sense. Everything felt like it fit together. Now sure, we still had that dopey late game roll with a chance for a random death you cannot avoid, but still, all in all, it wasn’t bad.

I liked the ending, and there are other things here as well. Unlike many other books in this cycle which gave me nothing to keep, this one at least has the Power Spike moving to the next book and onward, which is nice. I’m not sure if I want to use a precious slot on it from my Special Items list, but I get it.

Anyways, here we go!

[Abe Sargent]

Who’s ready for Book 18?

You are Grand Master Lone Wolf of Sommerlund, sole survivor of a massacre that wiped out the First Order of the Kai—an élite warrior caste.

It is the year MS 5077, twenty-seven years since your brave kinsmen perished at the hands of the Darklords of Helgedad. These champions of evil, who were sent forth by Naar, the King of the Darkness, to destroy the fertile world of Magnamund, have themselves since been destroyed. You vowed to avenge the murder of the Kai and you kept your pledge, for it was you who brought about their downfall when alone you infiltrated their foul domain—the Darklands—and caused the destruction of their leader and the base of his power that was the infernal city of Helgedad.

In the wake of their destruction, chaos befell the Darkland armies who, until then, had been poised to conquer all of Magnamund. Some factions which were part of this huge army, most notably the barbaric Drakkarim, began to fight with the others for control. This disorder quickly escalated into an all-out civil war which allowed the Freeland armies of Magnamund time in which to recover and launch a counter-offensive. Skilfully their commanders exploited the chaos and secured a swift and total victory over an enemy far superior in numbers.


For seven years now peace has reigned in Sommerlund. Under your direction the once-ruined Monastery of the Kai has been thoroughly rebuilt and restored to its former glory, and the task of teaching a New Order of Kai warriors the skills and proud traditions of your ancestors is also well established. The new generation of Kai recruits, all of whom were born during the era of war against the Darklords, possess latent Kai skills and show exceptional promise. These skills will be nurtured and honed to perfection during their time here at the monastery so that they may teach and inspire future generations, thereby ensuring the continued security of your homeland in future years.


Your attainment of the rank of Kai Grand Master brought with it great rewards. Some, such as the restoration of the Kai and the undying gratitude of your fellow Sommlending, could have been anticipated. Yet there have been rewards which you could not possibly have foreseen. The discovery that within you lay the potential to develop Kai Disciplines beyond those of the Magnakai, which, until now, were thought to be the ultimate that a Kai Master could aspire to, was truly a revelation. Your discovery has inspired you to set out upon a new and previously unknown path in search of the wisdom and power that no Kai Lord before you has ever possessed. In the name of your creator, the God Kai, and for the greater glory of Sommerlund and the Goddess Ishir, you have vowed to reach the very pinnacle of Kai perfection—to attain all of the Grand Master Disciplines and become the first Kai Supreme Master.


With diligence and determination you set about the restoration of the Kai Monastery and the training of the New Order recruits. Your efforts were soon rewarded for, within the space of two short years, the first raw recruits had graduated to become a cadre of gifted Kai Masters who, in turn, were able to commence the teaching of their skills to subsequent intakes of Kai novices. Readily the Kai Masters rose to their newfound responsibilities, leaving you free to devote more of your time to the pursuit and perfection of the Grand Master Disciplines. During this period you also received expert tutelage in the ways of magic from two of your most trusted friends and advisors: Guildmaster Banedon, leader of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, and Lord Rimoah, speaker for the High Council of the Elder Magi.


In the deepest subterranean level of the monastery, one hundred feet below the Tower of the Sun, you ordered the excavation and construction of a special vault. In this magnificent chamber wrought of granite and gold, you placed the seven Lorestones of Nyxator, the gems of Kai power which you had recovered during an earlier quest for Kai knowledge. In this vault, bathed in the golden light of those radiant gems, you spent countless hours in pursuit of perfection. Sometimes alone, sometimes in the company of your two able advisors—Banedon and Rimoah—you worked hard to develop your innate Grand Master Disciplines, and grasp the fundamental secrets of Brotherhood and Old Kingdom magic. During this time you noticed many remarkable changes taking place within your body: you became physically and mentally stronger, your five primary senses sharpened beyond all that you had experienced before, and, perhaps most remarkably, your body began to age at a much slower rate. Now, for every five years that elapse you age but one year.


In the years following your victory over the Darklords, peace has reigned victorious and the peoples of the Free Kingdoms rejoice in the knowledge that the evil which once threatened to destroy them has been banished from the face of Magnamund. Readily men have exchanged their swords for hoes and their shields for ploughs, and now the only marching they do is along the ruts of their freshly furrowed fields. Few are the watchful eyes that scan the distant horizon in fear of what may appear, although there are still those who maintain their vigilance, for the agents of the Dark God Naar come in many guises and there are those upon Magnamund who wait quietly in the shadows for the chance to do his evil bidding.


Already your newfound skills have been tested against Naar’s agents and you have, on each occasion, acquitted yourself admirably. But your continuing victories against his minions have enraged the Dark God and inflamed his lust for vengeance. One such minion, the powerful Deathlord of Ixia, threatened to enslave the free nations of Magnamund with a weapon forged by Naar himself. Bravely you ventured alone into the Deathlord’s icy domain and confronted him in a life-or-death battle in which you were triumphant. However, as you were returning from the Deathlord’s frigid realm you learned that Sommerlund had been attacked. In your absence, Naar had sent forth a host of dragon-creatures to destroy the New Order of the Kai and lay waste to your homeland.


The news came as a terrible shock. In Ixia you had won a great victory over Evil, yet at what cost? You had no doubts that the New Order were worthy Kai warriors, but they were all so young, their mettle as yet untested in the furnace-heat of battle. Secretly you feared that they would be unable to resist Naar’s newest champions, and so you resolved to return as quickly as possible to Sommerlund to take command of the Kai Monastery and orchestrate your country’s defences.


In the court of King Sarnac of Lencia, in the city of Vadera, you received a pledge from the King himself that he would do all in his power to help speed your long journey home to Sommerlund. Accompanied by Lord Ardan, a friend and magician from the land of Dessi, you were put aboard a Lencian clipper, one of the fastest of all sea-going vessels. This ship was bound for Garthen—the principal city of Talestria—which lies more than a thousand miles to the east of Vadera. This was to be the first stage of your journey back to Sommerlund, a destination more than two thousand miles from Lencia. As you set sail from Vadera harbour you knew that you were embarking upon a race against time, a desperate race in which the future of your country and the New Order of the Kai were at stake.

[Abe Sargent]

I am now a Grand Thane. What improvements are there for the various disciplines?

Grand Thane

If you are a Kai Grand Master who has reached the rank of Grand Thane (9 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:

Deliverance
Grand Thanes with this Discipline are able to call upon the God Kai for divine assistance should a situation warrant it. Kai cannot intervene to save a Grand Thane from physical danger, but he can give signs which may help a Grand Thane choose the best course of action. A Grand Thane can call upon the God Kai for assistance no more than once every month. The frequency of divine audiences will increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.

Assimilance
Grand Thanes who possess this skill are able to protect themselves from detection by creatures using infravision (the ability to see the heat radiating from a person or thing), or ultravision (the ability to detect objects or movement in the ultraviolet spectrum of light).

Kai-surge
Grand Thanes with this skill are able to focus their mind-power upon inanimate breakable objects, e.g. bottles, windows, all ceramics, urns, jugs, etc., and cause them to explode violently. Any person or creature in close proximity to such an explosion risks injury from flying shrapnel.

Grand Nexus
Grand Thanes who possess mastery of this Discipline can pass freely through Shadow Gates. These phenomena are special portals which enable one to access other dimensions and planes of existence outside of Magnamund. Kai Grand Thanes are able to detect the location of Shadow Gates and pass through them without suffering any physical ill effects. The range of detection increases as a Kai Grand Master rises in rank.

Telegnosis
Grand Thanes who possess this Discipline are able to detect the exact location of precious gems, and valuable metals such as gold, platinum, and silver. These minerals and metals may occur naturally in the ground or they could be part of a hidden treasure hoard. The range of this ability is limited at first, but increases steadily as a Kai Grand Master rises in rank.

Magi-magic
Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Grand Thane are able to use the following Old Kingdom Battle-spells:
• Power Glyph—By inscribing this ancient glyph (a secret magical symbol) upon a door, an archway, or even upon the lid of a closed box, a Kai Grand Thane is able to protect items or portals from being opened. Any creature attempting to open a portal protected in such a way will release the power of the glyph and suffer its deadly effects.
• Hold Enemy—Using this spell, Kai Grand Thanes are able to immobilize a single hostile creature anywhere within twenty feet of themselves. The duration of the spell is dependent upon the size and strength of the targeted creature. The range and duration of effect of this spell increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.

Considering just how often I seem to be flitting about from plane to plan these days, I think Grand Nexus should prove useful. I’m taking it as the next Discipline for my character.

[Abe Sargent]

Lone Wolf, Kai Grand Thane

Kor-Skarn, Fryearl, Warmartial of Sommerlund, Savior of Tahou, 'Golden Star of Palmyrion'


CS 58
EP 52


Grand Pathsmanship
Grand Huntmastery
Animal Mastery
Kai-Surge
Kai-Screen
Kai-Alchemy
Grand Weaponmastery
Telegnosis
Grand Nexus



Safekeeping:

Golden Key (Graveyard of the Ancients)
Prince Pelethar’s Sword
Kai Axe
Burrowcrawler Dagger
Warhammer from Farmhouse
Red Pass
Coach Ticket
Black Sword of Parsion
Map of Sommerlund, Kalte, Southlands, Vassagonia, Stornlands, Tekaro, The Danarg, Anari, Ghatan, Vhozada (Daziarn), Darklands, Ruel, Mogaruith, Updated Darklands, Western Tentarias
Fur Blanket
289 Gold Crowns
1 Meal
2 Potion of Laumspur - +5 EP
7 Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP
Fur Backpack
Bone Sword
Effigy
Concentrated Graveweed
Kalte Diamond
Ragadorn Dagger
Magic Spear
Holy Water
Brass Key (Ruanon Mines)
Iron Key (Ruanon Mines)
Whip
Sommlending Cavalry Spear (Normal)
Quarterstaff, Royal Guard (Normal)
Scroll of Prophecy
Shield
Jeweled Mace
Bottle of Kourshah - +4 EP
Copper Key (Barrakeesh)
Gold Key (Barrakeesh)
Black Sash
Prism
Barrakeesh Public Bath Towel
Jakan - Vassagonian Coastal Hunting Bow
Zakhan’s Quarterstaff (Normal)
3 Brass Whistle
Pink and Orange Waistcoast
2 Mirror
2 Bottle of Wine
Silver Key (Stornlands)
Ticket to Eula
Chainmail Waistcoat
2 Rope
2 Lantern
3 Quiver w/ 18 arrows
Power Key
Red Robe
Gold Key (Kazan-Oud)
Glowing Dagger
Doomstaff
Kazan-Oud Diamond
Labyrinth Sword (Normal)
Kazan-Oud Fine Spear (Normal)
4 Sack of Silver
Silver Box
Helghast’s Sword (Normal)
Giak Scroll
Lord Adamas’s Pass
Vial of Gnadurn Poison
2 Flasks of Boza
Invitation to Chiban’s
Receipt for Horse, Tahou
Crystal Decanter
Silk Jacket
Silver Goblet
Silver Candlestick
Scroll of Honour
Jadin Anklets
Magi Dagger (Normal)
Sen. Chil’s Mace (Normal)
Dagger of Vashna
Black Key (Anari)
Medal: Battle of Luoni
Drakkar Dagger (Normal)
Zagganozod Sword (Normal)
2 Silver Rod
Meledorian Dagger (Normal)
Scarlet Warrior’s Sword (Normal)
Power Ring (Vonotar)
Fireseeds: 9
Bronin Warhammer
Eruan Pathfinder Cloak
Kai Cloak
Cagath’s Liganim Robe
Takataal’s Mace
Toran Dagger (Normal)
Platinum Amulet (Kazan-Oud)
Blue Stone Triangle
Grey Crystal Ring
Psychic Ring
Wrist and Finger Guards
Firesphere
Green Mask
Golden Amulet
Iron Key (Aarnak)
Black Key (Helgedad)
Pouch of Tobacco
Pipe
Zejar-Deluga
Nadazgada
Pouch of Herbs - Adgana
Cener Mask
Cener Robe
Sabito - 2 doses
Oede Herb
Gallowbrush (2 doses)
Gold Key (Ruel)
Copper Key (Ruel)
Cener Dagger (Normal)
Kaag Broadsword (Normal)
Silver Bowl
Whistle
Brass Key (Kaag)
Black Key (Kaag)
Hammer
Alether +2 CS (4 doses)
Laumspur +4 EP (with 5 doses)
Kai Monastery Spear (Normal)
Drakkarim Commander’s Dagger (Normal)
Signet Ring
Empty Bottle
Hourglass
Ball of String
Brass Key (Nyras)
Tukodak Sword (Normal)
2 Spy Glass
Ruby Ring
Bottle of Wine
Black Amulet – Seal of Vashna
Letter from President
Black Metal Coin – Seal of Assassin Order
Map of Western Tentarias, Ixia
Green Gem on Platinum Chain
Onyx Key, Iron Key (Xaanon)
Crystal Tiara
Stone Bowl




Keeping:


30Gold Crowns

Crystal Star Pendant
Jadin Amulet +1 vs. missiles
Silver Bow of Duadon +3 when using bow
Sommerswerd +8 CS
Korlinum Scabbard
Dagger of Vashna
Shield +2 CS
Silver Helmet +2 CS
Padded Leather Waistcoat +2 EP
Bronin Vest +3 CS, +1 EP (Cannot be worn with Normal Chainmail)
Silver Bracers +2 CS, +1 EP
Kagonite Chain mail +3 CS, +1 EP (Can be worn with other armors)
Platinum Amulet – From Sage Gwynen, keeps me alive in other planes
Power Spike

Backpack:

Oiled Rope
3 Laumspur


Quiver w/ 6 arrows
Kai Monastery Dagger

And there you are.

[Abe Sargent]

Local Area:

[Abe Sargent]

You set sail from Vadera harbour on a bitterly cold, grey, late winter’s day. The masts of your host ship, the Lencian clipper Saxin, have been rigged with every available square inch of canvas to catch the prevailing winds that will, with luck, propel you quickly to Talestria—the first stage of your long journey home. The clipper is a sleek and impressive craft and its departure does not go unnoticed, yet of all the many Lencians who have turned out to watch and wave it farewell, only King Sarnac and his closest advisors know the true purpose of its voyage.

Once the Saxin is beyond the sheltering walls of Vadera harbour, its captain charts an easterly course along the Tentarias—the chain of seas and landlocked lakes which separate the two continents of Magnamund. You and your companion, Lord Ardan, settle into the ship’s easy routine and, with few on-board duties to perform, you endeavour to pass the long hours constructively. With the aid of a map which he gives to you, Ardan briefs you on the route you should travel if you are to reach Sommerlund as swiftly as possible. You spend your time discussing the details of the route and pondering the new Evil which now threatens your homeland and the Kai.



Every night, as you lie awake on your bunk staring at the tarred beams of your cabin, you wish away the miles that separate you from your beloved homeland. You want, most of all, to be with your young Kai acolytes in this dark hour, but fate has seen fit to place a great distance between you. Fearful of what you may find if you arrive home too late, every night you offer up prayers to the Gods Ishir and Kai to help speed your return to Sommerlund.

Ten days after leaving Vadera, the Saxin drops anchor in Varnos Harbour in Garthen—the crown capital of Talestria. The sleek and elegant lines of the Lencian craft contrast starkly with the drab, functional hulls of the merchant ships and dhows which crowd this city-port’s jetties and wharves. Lencian craft are a rare sight in Garthen, and the Saxin is the rarest of Lencian craft; it is no wonder that its arrival stirs a frenzy of interest and speculation among the citizens of this capital.


Word of your arrival travels quickly to the Royal Citadel and a troop of Queen Evaine’s Court Cavalry are dispatched to the harbour. They are led by a stern-faced man who wears the uniform and gold insignia of the Lord Constable, the highest military rank in the Talestrian army. He brings his column of regal horsemen to a halt at the quayside; then he dismounts and strides forward to welcome you in person as you disembark from the ship.

(Yes I’ve been in Torgar before)

The smooth dark hair and noble countenance of the Lord Constable are oddly familiar, reminding you of someone whose name momentarily you cannot recall.

‘Welcome, my Lord,’ he says, with a respectful salute. ‘I am Nathor, Lord Constable of the Royal Citadel. My troop would be honoured to escort you to an audience with Queen Evaine.’

‘Pray tell me, Lord Constable,’ you reply, ‘have we not met before?’
‘No, sire. I venture you must be thinking of my late brother—Adamas. He held the office of Lord Constable afore me. I understand that you and he once fought together in the war ’gainst the Darklords. He spoke most highly of your courage. Sadly, though, he is no longer with us. He died valiantly during the great siege of Torgar.’

you accept Lord Constable Nathor’s offer of an escort to Queen Evaine’s citadel and call to Lord Ardan, who has been watching from the deck of the Saxin, to come and join you. As Ardan disembarks, Nathor gives a signal to his men who are busy keeping an inquisitive crowd of citizens at bay. Hurriedly they clear a gap in the pressing wall of curious, wide-eyed Garthenians, and moments later the horse-drawn coach comes trundling through towards the quay.

Once you and Ardan are safely aboard, Lord Constable Nathor shouts a terse command to the driver and the coach speeds away from the harbour, escorted by the troop of Court Cavalry. A swervingly swift journey through Garthen’s steeply narrow streets ends when the coachman reins in his horses in the courtyard of the Royal Citadel.

Everywhere you look you see soldiers of the Royal Household in uniforms bedecked with glittering braid. A fanfare of trumpets announces your arrival and, with minimal delay, Nathor escorts you personally to the State Hall where Queen Evaine of Talestria, seated upon a throne and surrounded by a dozen of her court advisors, is waiting patiently for you to appear.

‘Welcome, Grand Master,’ she says, graciously. ‘We have been expecting you. King Sarnac sent word of your arrival by message-hawk and we have made arrangements to help speed your passage homewards.’

Respectfully you bow to the queen and voice your thanks for the cooperation she has seen fit to offer you.

‘Not at all, Grand Master, for Talestria is in your debt. Were it not for you, our land would be in the thrall of the Darklords.’

With this, Queen Evaine dismisses her advisors and motions for you, Ardan, and Lord Constable Nathor to approach to the foot of her throne.

‘I understand the urgency of your journey, Grand Master,’ she says, her voice hushed as if she fears being overheard, ‘but I must caution you to be on guard. The Dark God Naar’s agents are abroad with plans to thwart your homecoming. I have received word from my garrisons in the north that Zlanbeast and Kraan riders have been sighted in the night skies. They venture forth from the ruins of the Darklord cities of Nadgazad and Cragmantle, sent by the express command of Naar himself. They know now that you triumphed in Ixia and they are watching expectantly for your coming.’

‘I thank you for this information, your Majesty, but I am sure that I can avoid these night-riders,’ you reply confidently.

‘I have no doubt of this, Grand Master,’ she says, ‘but they are not the only agents in Naar’s employ. Word of your coming has spread like wildfire throughout the shadowy underworld of thieves and assassins. Great rewards of gold and dark magic have been offered for your death.’
‘With respect, your majesty,’ you reply, tactfully masking your scepticism, ‘how do you know this to be true?’

‘Grand Master, it is true. I have heard it from the very lips of an assassin who was plotting your murder, here, in the heart of my capital. He was captured while attempting to recruit others and he is being held prisoner in the dungeons of this citadel. Perhaps you would welcome the chance to question this man yourself?’

(Yes I would)

Queen Evaine commands the Lord Constable to take you to the citadel dungeons which are located several levels below the State Hall. Here, shackled to the dank stone wall of a rat-infested cell, is the man who was caught in a Garthen tavern plotting your murder. Limp and unconscious, he hangs by his wrists in chains, his emaciated body showing all too clearly the signs of recent tortures. A pot-bellied gaoler scoops a bucket of foul water from a trough by the cell door and revives the prisoner by pouring it unceremoniously over his head. Coughing and spluttering, the wretch stirs to consciousness. He raises his face and you sense that he recognizes immediately who you are; his eyes blaze with an undisguised hatred.

‘He’s a tough un,’ growls the gaoler. ‘I’ve used all o’ me skills on ’im but ’e won’t say who ’is paymaster be.’

The fat gaoler reaches for a pair of long-handled pincers which are protruding from a brazier of hot coals.

‘Perhaps you’ll be wanting to interrogate ’im yourself, sire?’ he says, offering you the pincers. Wisps of smoke curl from their sharpened tips which are red and glowing.

‘Aye, gaoler, there are questions I’d like this man to answer. But I’ll not be needing those,’ you reply, declining the use of the cruel pincers. ‘I prefer to rely on my own methods of interrogation.’

(I use Kai Alchemy)

[Izulde]

You're making me want to go back to my Grey Star dynasty.

[Abe Sargent]

Using the Brotherhood Spell Mind Charm, you command the prisoner to reveal the identity of the person who sent him here to Garthen to murder you. At first you are unable to penetrate the man’s mind—his memory is protected by a magical shield. Then you draw on your psychic Kai skills to boost the Mind Charm spell and suddenly you feel the man’s magical shield begin to crack and disintegrate.

The man shrieks with fear as his body is racked by convulsions. A mass of images swirls and solidify in your mind’s eye—they are images of a past meeting in a far-off place which you recognize to be Duadon, the capital city of Eldenora. You see a shadowy figure, sheathed in ornate chainmail, handing a bulging pouch of gold to the prisoner in a dimly lit alleyway. The figure speaks your name before melting away into the shadows.

‘Who is this person?’ you say, commanding the trembling prisoner to answer. He parts his bruised lips and tries to utter a name but no sound emerges. You sense that he is fighting to overcome the remnants of the shielding spell placed upon his mind. Moving closer, you try to make out the name he is struggling hard to whisper.

Cautiously you place your ear close to the trembling man’s mouth and try to identify the name he is struggling hard to utter.

‘L … L … Lutha,’ he breathes. Then he gives a chilling snigger and you feel the hairs on the nape of your neck begin to rise. Your Sixth Sense is screaming a warning: you are in danger. With his tongue, the prisoner dislodges a hollow tooth and bites down hard upon it. It releases a vile greenish gas which he exhales directly into your face.

(Why yes, I do have Grand Nexus. Look at that!)

You recoil from the insidious green cloud and fall back towards the cell door. Your mastery of Nexus protects you from this highly poisonous gas, but the gaoler and Lord Nathor are not so fortunate: both are vulnerable to its deadly effect. Choking and retching, they collapse to the floor, their fingers scrabbling at their swelling throats as they fight desperately for breath. You grab hold of their tunics, one in each hand, and drag their bodies out of the cell into the cleaner air of the corridor beyond. Here you use your Magnakai Discipline of Curing to ease the effects of the poison gas; your skill and the swiftness of your actions save them from a painful, suffocating death.

‘Wh … what happened?’ wheezes Nathor, as he slowly recovers from the deadly gas.

You peer into the cell at the man now hanging limply in chains, and then you turn to Nathor and say: ‘Suicide. A suicide and an attempted murder. The prisoner has just killed himself with a poison pellet and it seems his last wish was to take all three of us with him.’

When you sense that the poison gas has dissipated and the air is no longer perilous to breathe, you enter the cell and take one last look at the prisoner’s body. The man’s face and upper body have been horribly disfigured by the effects of the gas, yet the extensive blistering has only partially destroyed a small tattoo on the side of his neck. It is a six-pointed star which you recognize to be the national symbol of Eldenora.

‘He must have died within seconds of biting into the poisoned pellet,’ says Nathor. ‘It chills me to think that whoever sent him here commanded such respect from this man that he chose to die in this way rather than face the consequences of failing his mission.’

‘Aye, and if there are others like him who are out to stop me,’ you reply, uneasily, ‘then my journey home to Sommerlund may prove more difficult than I expected.

You leave the cell and return to the State Hall where Lord Constable Nathor reports what has happened to the Queen. Concerned for your safety, she suggests that you spend the night at the Royal Citadel as her guest. You accept her gracious invitation and enjoy a fine feast and the hospitality of her court. Then, shortly after dawn of the following day, you bid her Majesty and your companion—Lord Ardan—a fond farewell before beginning the next stage of your long journey home.

Mindful of the dangers, the Queen gives her Lord Constable a Royal Seal and places him, along with a troop of ten Court Cavalrymen, at your disposal. Lord Nathor and his men are to act as your guides and bodyguards on the road to Vanamor, the capital city of neighbouring Palmyrion. This republic is closely allied to Talestria and lies along its eastern border. Palmyrion also has close ties with your homeland and you look forward to the chance of renewing your friendship with its leader, Elector Manatine.

Mounted on fine Talestrian steeds, your party leaves the walled city of Garthen by its East Gate. Here you cross a great stone bridge on the far side of which is a signpost pointing to the east. It reads ‘Vanamor 280 miles’.

The road which crosses the plains to the east of the river is deeply rutted. Fortunately, though, it is dry, there having been little rain in these parts for weeks. Progress is good and by midday you and your troop have covered more than thirty miles. You pass many wagons on this road, mostly driven by farmers who are taking their crops to the markets and wharves of Garthen. These wagon drivers seem an unusually loyal and friendly breed; invariably they wave and cheer the moment they recognize the uniforms of Queen Evaine’s Court Cavalry.
After a brief rest at a village on the road, you continue your ride across the open plains and descend into a wide valley where a shallow stream winds its way through a mass of reed-beds and willow copses. Beyond this valley, the land becomes increasingly hilly. The sun is almost touching the horizon when you come to a small wayside shrine dedicated to the Goddess Ishir. Here a track leads off to the north and, a mile distant, you can make out the walls and tall bell-tower of a chateau high in the hills.

‘That’s the monastery of the Vaderish Brethren,’ says Nathor. ‘They’re a holy order devoted to the worship of the Goddess Ishir. We will find safe shelter with them this night.’

The sun has set and dusk is quickly turning to darkness by the time the troop reaches the gates of the Vaderish Monastery. The brothers of this holy order are led by an elderly monk called Rasbarin whom Nathor has met once before. The old cleric welcomes him warmly, as if he was his son, and then he invites you to stay here overnight.

The monks’ evening meal is simple fare but well-prepared and wholesome nonetheless (restore any ENDURANCE points you may have lost during your adventure so far). Afterwards, Rasbarin invites you and Nathor to his chambers to sample some of the monks’ speciality—a fine liqueur called Aquas. You are raising a glass of this golden liquid to your lips when suddenly the peace is shattered by a loud, cawing shriek which echoes through the surrounding hills.

(Yes, I have Telegnosis)

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Izulde

You're making me want to go back to my Grey Star dynasty.

Go GO Grey Star!

[Abe Sargent]

‘In the name of the gods!’ splutters Nathor, spilling liqueur down the front of his tunic. ‘What was that?’

A knot of fear tightens in the pit of your stomach. ‘A Kraan,’ you reply, recognizing at once the fell cry of this unwelcome creature.

You hurry to a window and see the large, bat-like Kraan silhouetted against the moon. A man-sized rider clings precariously to the creature’s reptilian back as it swoops and soars among the hills and gullies.

‘You had best come away from the window, my Lord,’ replies an anxious Nathor, ‘lest it detect your presence here.’

You take heed of the Lord Constable’s advice and retreat from the window. Furthermore, you use your Magnakai skill of Psi-screen to shield your mind in case the Kraan rider is able to employ psychic abilities to locate your presence.

‘It is not the first time it has come,’ says Rasbarin. ‘Every night for the past ten days we’ve heard it circling the hills. Sometimes there is more than one of its kind.’ He suggests that you bunk in the cellar of the monastery where you may be safer from detection, and you accept his offer gladly.

For hours the sound of the Kraan’s incessant cry echoes among the surrounding hills, making it difficult for you to sleep at all this night. As you lie awake listening to its ghastly caw, a sense of foreboding invades your mind and, despite your strong will, you feel powerless to overcome it. Restless and agitated, you get up and pace around the cellar until, at last, the cawing ceases and a chorus of bird song ushers in the dawn (lose 3 ENDURANCE points because of lack of rest).



You join the troop for breakfast with Rasbarin and his brothers. During this meal, the elderly monk offers you a Flask of Aquas to fortify you on the road ahead, and a Talisman of Ishir to ward off hostile creatures (these are both Backpack Items). After breakfast, Nathor thanks Rasbarin for his hospitality and makes a donation of 50 Lune to his monastery. (If, before leaving, you too would like to make a donation, erase from your Action Chart the number of Gold Crowns you decide to give to the holy Vaderish Brethren.)

(I take both and donate 5 crowns)

Overhead the sun gleams like a jewel in the clear blue sky, and the early morning air bites with a refreshing sharpness which helps to revive your spirits. A layer of thick frost covers the stony trail from the monastery, and it scrunches loudly under the horses’ hooves as you make your careful descent. Soon you rejoin the east road and follow it, through a series of shallow gorges, to a thick pine forest where the ground is covered with mossy rocks. Here the road ascends to a crest where a pall of black smoke stains the cloudless sky. As you approach the crest, you suddenly sense danger ahead and shout a warning to Nathor. He commands the troop to halt while you go ahead to assess the situation.
Beyond the crest you see a broad valley with steeply wooded sides. At its centre there is a village and a large stone building which, when you magnify your vision, you determine to be a church. The roof of this building is ablaze and several bodies lie dotted around its cultivated grounds and gardens. You signal to Nathor to join you and, when he arrives upon the crest, he is able to identify the burning church.


‘That’s Pinepeaks Abbey,’ he says, his voice stilted with anxiety. ‘They are in trouble—we must help them.’

He calls his men to come forward and, before you can caution him, he leads them at the gallop down the steep trail which descends towards the valley floor. Cursing his impetuosity, you spur your steed onward and follow in his wake. You have covered less than half a mile when suddenly your Magnakai sense of Divination screams a warning—the troop is riding directly into an ambush.

Desperately you shout for Nathor to halt but your command goes unheeded. Then, from out of the surrounding pines, there comes a volley of arrows and spears. One spear penetrates deep into your horse’s flank, killing him instantly.

(I roll a 6)

Your slain horse crashes to the ground and you are thrown through the air. You land among the boulders and bracken which border the hill road, but your swift Kai reflexes prevent you from sustaining serious injury: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

Bruised but unshaken, you spring to your feet in time to see a yelling horde of leather-clad men, each brandishing a sword or a spear, come rushing from hiding places among the surrounding trees. As they close in upon you, you draw your weapon and prepare to fight for your life.

Eldenoran Ambushers: COMBAT SKILL 38 ENDURANCE 42

(An 8 finishes them off in one round – I’m not even using the bonus to CS from Kai-Surge to force me to lose a EP. )

[Abe Sargent]

As the last of your attackers collapses at your feet, you turn and run headlong down the steep hill track. Arrows and spears whistle past on all sides as you endeavour to outrun the remaining ambushers. By dint of luck and speed, Nathor and his troop of Court Cavalry have survived the Eldenoran ambush with little injury and no loss of life. You see them in the distance, gathered in a group on the valley floor, and you wave to them to show that you are still alive. Immediately Nathor gallops away from the troop and comes speeding up the track to your rescue. As he gets nearer he slows his horse to allow you to leap astride its rump. Once aboard, he pulls his steed about and descends once more towards the valley floor, cheered on by his anxious men.

‘Follow me!’ commands the Lord Constable as he gallops past his troop without slowing. You glance over your shoulder and see them spur their steeds forward, their faces set in expressions of grim determination. Upon entering the village, you note a number of frightened women and children who are huddled beside stone walls or lying beneath hay carts. Some are cradling the bodies of their dead menfolk who lie scattered in the fields nearby. Then you catch sight of a group of Eldenorans in the grounds of the abbey. All are laden with loot, yet even so there are some who are squabbling amongst themselves in an effort to grab an even bigger share of the booty.

Nathor brings his steed to a halt and you both quickly dismount. As your feet touch the ground, you notice a drunken Eldenoran come lurching out of the doorway of a nearby cottage. He has a flagon of ale in one hand and a young woman, with a crying baby in the other. He sees you and, in a moment of drunken panic, he drops the flagon and unsheathes a dagger from his belt. It is clear from his actions that he intends to stab the screaming child.

(I can use Magi-Magic, a bow ,or Kai-Surge if I want. I choose KS)

Using your Discipline, you launch a concentrated burst of psychic energy at the drunken thug. The bolt penetrates his mind and stuns him, causing him to freeze like a stone statue (reduce your ENDURANCE points score by 1).

Unfortunately, this temporary paralysis also prevents the young woman and her child from breaking free from his grasp. After a few moments the thug emerges from his state of psychic shock in a murderous mood, and you are forced to draw your weapon and rush towards him in an effort to stop him before he can enact his revenge on his innocent captive’s child.

Moments before you reach him, he throws the young woman and her child to the ground and spins around to face you, his dagger held poised to slash at your throat. He strikes and you dodge his first clumsy blow with ease. As he is about to strike out for a second time, you raise your weapon and aim a scything blow at his head.

Eldenoran Thug (drunk): COMBAT SKILL 30 ENDURANCE 30

(+27 CS. Is this a joke? I roll a 3 and then a 7 - dead in two turns, I lost 2 EP. This stuff is clear CS and EP creep for the game. A drunken thug would be like 10 CS in the first five books. Maybe 12 or something)

Thank you, thank you … ’ cries the young woman, whose child you have just saved from certain death at the hands of the drunken thug. Sobbing with gratitude, she collapses at your feet. Gently you lift her by the arm and assure her with kind words that her ordeal is over. She smiles, reassured, but her expression quickly changes when she spots something moving behind you.

‘There he is, that cur Holkar!’ she spits. ‘He’s the murdering leader of these bandits. This chaos is his doing.



You turn to look at the object of her hatred, and see a swarthy brigand dodging between the gravestones that line the abbey grounds. He has a sack full of loot slung over his shoulder and he is hurrying towards his horse which stands close by the abbey’s perimeter wall. Determined not to let him escape, you rush across the road and into the grounds of the abbey to give chase.

The brigand leader mounts his horse, but before he can make good his escape, you take a running leap over the abbey wall and drag him out of the saddle. Together you crash to the frost-hardened ground and desperately he kicks and struggles to break free from your steely grip.

Out of his boot he snatches a stiletto blade and thrusts it viciously at your throat. You dodge your head aside, avoiding its razor-sharp tip, but in doing so you let the brigand slip out of your hands. He rolls away and begins to rise to his feet, but then he freezes, his eyes wide with fearful recognition, as he stares at your face.

‘L … Lone Wolf!’ he gasps, mortified, as if he is confronting a ghost.
‘Drop the dagger and surrender!’ you order, levelling your weapon at his head to reinforce your command. Swiftly the brigand’s expression changes from one of shock to one of sneering defiance.

‘You’ll never take me alive!’ he spits, and to your shocked surprise he thrusts his dagger deep into his chest.

(I do not have Deliverance)

[Abe Sargent]

You rush to the brigand’s side and wrench the dagger from his chest, but it is already too late to save his life. You step away from his lifeless body and look around at the devastation he and his men have brought to the sleepy village of Pinepeaks. Leaderless, the remaining brigands now abandon their loot and flee to the wooded hills to rejoin their confederates, those who attempted to ambush the troop when first you entered this valley. Nathor’s men have secured the village and they are busy helping the villagers to fight small fires which are burning in several of the cottages.

You help Nathor and the villagers to fight the fires which threaten to consume their humble homes, using your Magnakai skill of Nexus to good effect, and when you have saved all you can, you summon the troop together to assess the situation.

Six brigands and two Court Cavalry troopers were killed during the brief fight to secure the village. The villagers themselves have lost eight of their menfolk, with several others wounded and some missing; these are presumed to be hiding in the woods. They have retained most of their possessions but their abbey has been gutted by the fire which Holkar and his thugs started. Nathor conducts a burial for the slain villagers and his two men, during which he pledges that Queen Evaine will be informed of what happened here this day.

‘Her Majesty will see that justice is done,’ he assures the tearful gathering of peasants. ‘The bandit-realm of Eldenora will be made to pay for this crime.’

After the burial, Lord Nathor gives to the village elders a weighty purse of silver Lune and a horse which belonged to one of his slain men. It is a small token for the loss they have suffered, but one that is appreciated by the villagers. The other horse is given to you, to replace the steed that was killed beneath you during the ambush on the road.

(I do like this little glance into what else is happening in the world. Obviously you aren’t going to delay and tarry here for a few days while the Sommlending folk may be on fire. But I do like that we just aren’t having a side encounter to beef up the threat level of the book with some random on-the-way wandering monster)

It is the mid-afternoon when the troop resumes the long journey east to Vanamor. During the ride, Lord Nathor voices his grave concern that Eldenoran bandits should be operating in the heart of his country: they have rarely dared to venture this far from home before. Although he does not say so, you sense that he knows the reason why they have become so bold of late. They have been sent here to find and kill you.


The road climbs out of the valley and zigzags its way through the forested hills to a high pass. Beyond this pass there stretches a wide expanse of lush grassland where herds of wild deer roam and graze freely. It is late in the afternoon when you catch sight of a procession approaching on the road ahead. Mostly they are men dressed in ragged brown robes, and one is carrying aloft a grimy banner which bears the image of a lightning bolt set upon a full moon.

‘Shoni pilgrims,’ says Nathor, dismissively. ‘They’re wandering beggar-monks who have taken a vow of poverty. Many in Garthen regard them as just a gang of scroungers who pretend to be a holy order so they can fleece the foolish. I suggest we ignore them and press on.’



I ignore his advice. Your decision to stop and speak with the pilgrims clearly irritates the Lord Constable, but he bows to your authority and waits patiently for you to finish talking with them.

You learn that this ragged group are on their way to Garthen. Their leader, a bearded wretch called Pospora, also tells you of a strange camp that he and his pilgrims discovered last night, near a place on the road which he calls ‘red rock’. However, this information does not come cheaply—you are pressed by the pilgrims into making a donation to their dubious cause. (Deduct 5 Gold Crowns from you Action Chart. If you possess fewer than 5 Crowns, erase instead one Backpack Item of your choice.)

Having satisfied your curiosity, you return to the troop and continue the ride east.

[Abe Sargent]

For an hour you ride across the rich grasslands of eastern Talestria until you come to a range of hills that are carpeted with scented spruce and pine. The road snakes its way through this ruggedly beautiful landscape to a place where a smaller track branches off the main trail, heading south. A huge boulder of red granite marks the start of this adjoining track, yet there is no signpost to indicate where it leads. Using your Kai tracking skills, you determine that the track has been used by men and horses during the last twenty-four hours.

(Investigate)

You follow the narrow track for half a mile before arriving at a clearing. Here you discover the poorly-concealed remains of an encampment which, on closer examination, you are convinced was used by the Eldenoran bandits who attacked the village at Pinepeaks.

Among the ashes of a campfire you find a small, soot-blackened silver seal which bears the star emblem of Eldenora. (If you wish to keep this Silver Seal, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.)

Once satisfied that there is nothing else here of interest or value, you return with the troop to the red rock and continue east along the main trail.


(I keep it)

it is near dusk when you emerge from the hills and see the glimmering waters of the River Kinam less than five miles distant. This great river marks the border between Talestria and Palmyrion, Queen Evaine’s neighbouring ally. The road descends to a border toll bridge beyond which you can see the sprawling town of Scade. The troop is challenged by the bridge warden to halt and pay a fee of 100 Silver Lune. This fee is soon forgotten, though, when the Lord Constable shows the pedantic old man his Royal Seal. With a stiff salute he steps aside and bids you all a safe journey.

Scade is a bustling market town which has grown rich and fat in the years following the defeat of the Darklords. Its brightly painted buildings and paved thoroughfares exude affluence, and even its lowly street-beggars look clean and well-fed by comparison to those in other parts of Magnamund. Nathor leads the troop to an inn near the centre of the town, a fine establishment called ‘The Lucky Bucket’. Its owner, a corpulent fellow with a polished bald pate, welcomes him with open arms. After the ordeal at Pinepeaks and the long day’s ride, you are looking forward to a hot bath and a large supper. However, it soon transpires that the inn is almost full and the owner can only provide rooms for five of the troop.

‘Not to worry,’ says Nathor, noticing the look of disappointment on your face. ‘I know Knight Tranius—the lord of this manor. Many’s the time we’ve hunted boar in the hills. His castle is but two miles from here. Five can billet here tonight while the rest of us lodge with Tranius.’

You agree to Nathor’s proposal and set off with him, accompanied by three of the troopers, along a river track which heads north to Castle Tranius.

The river track runs parallel to the Kinam for nearly a mile before bearing east and entering a coppice of tall conifers. On the far side of this cultivated wood you come to a bridge across a wide, fast-flowing tributary of the Kinam. The parapet of the bridge is lined with imposing stone statues, each depicting a past lord of Scade Manor.



In the distance you can now see Castle Tranius. Its curtain wall and fortified barbican are illuminated by torches which were lit, as is the custom here, an hour before sunset. On arriving at the gatehouse, Lord Nathor and the rest of you are welcomed into the castle keep where your horses are attended to. A trio of Knight Tranius’ guards come to escort you to his hall and, as you follow them to the castle’s upper chambers, Nathor asks after Guetor the Boarmaster, the leader of Knight Tranius’ hunt.

‘He’s no longer with us,’ answers one of the guards, tersely. ‘He’s gone away.’

Before Nathor can enquire further as to the whereabouts of his old hunting instructor, you are ushered into the castle’s main hall and asked to wait a few minutes for Knight Tranius to arrive.

The hall is lit by a hundred sputtering candles and the light of a log fire which blazes in the chamber’s imposing stone hearth. Three tall arched windows, each glazed with stained glass panels, are set into the south wall, and an impressive collection of books and fine tapestries line the others. Clearly, Knight Tranius is a refined man whose tastes extend beyond hunting the occasional boar.

After a few minutes, a concealed panel beside the fireplace slides open and a broad-shouldered man clad in a wolfskin coat and a silver helm steps into the hall.

‘Hail, Tranius!’ says Nathor. ‘It’s good to … ’

The Lord Constable’s words of greeting die in his throat and immediately you sense that something is very wrong. You hear a bolt slide shut outside the door to the hall, sealing it closed, and your Kai senses suddenly scream a warning of impending danger.

‘You’re not Tranius,’ shouts Nathor at the shadowy figure at the far end of the hall. ‘By the gods! Who are you?’

[Abe Sargent]

(Yes, I possess the Sommerswerd)

The figure beside the fireplace does not reply. Instead, it stretches out a gloved hand and takes up an iron rod which is lying upon the stone mantle. The moment its fingers close around the haft, a crackling blue flame ignites at its tip.



‘Draw steel!’ commands Nathor, and his men respond by unsheathing their swords in readiness for combat. The Sommerswerd hums with power as you release it from its scabbard and hold it before your face. You sense that the figure is not human: it possesses an aura of evil that marks it as a dark disciple, a magician versed in the forbidden black arts of the Nadziranim.

Suddenly there is a low, concussive boom and a spiral of blue flame shoots the length of the hall, fired from the tip of the figure’s iron stave. It connects with the blade of your divine sword and rebounds, shattering one of the tall windows into a thousand glittering shards.

‘Take him!’ shouts Nathor, and his men rush forward, but a second blast from the stave puts an end to their brave advance. All three are cut down by an arc of blue fire that leaves their corpses heaped and smouldering in the middle of the hall.

Nathor curses the sinister figure and it responds by uttering a chilling, inhuman laugh. Now you sense a new danger approaching—the being’s sickly laughter is summoning its minions to the hall.

‘Lord Nathor!’ you cry. ‘We cannot prevail here. We must escape … Follow me!’

And with these words, you race to the window and leap feet-first through the shattered pane.

(I roll an 8)

For a few moments you hurtle through the cold night air, oblivious to your surroundings. Then, in a terrifying instant, you glimpse the flagstones of the keep and the roof of the castle stables: they are more than a hundred feet below.

Your stomach churns with fear as you watch the hard, unyielding flagstones of the keep come rushing towards you at dizzying speed.

(Yes I have KA and Sun Thane)

Using the Brotherhood Spell Slow Fall you are able to control the rate of your descent. Unfortunately, Lord Constable Nathor does not possess this ability and, as you are beginning to slow down, he comes tumbling past you, his eyes and mouth wide with terror.

You stretch out and make a grab for his cloak as he hurtles past. You manage to get a grip and hold on fast, but as you are nearing the ground, the cloak comes unfastened and he falls the last twenty feet to the flagstoned keep. Upon landing, you discover that Nathor is still alive, but his left ankle is badly broken and his face is cut and bruised. Despite his obvious pain he manages a smile, revealing gaps where he is missing two of his teeth.

Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your fingers to his injured foot (reduce your ENDURANCE points score by 3). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from the gatehouse with their swords drawn. You draw your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.

Castle Guardsmen (impostors): COMBAT SKILL 48 ENDURANCE 48

(Much better forces! Alright, I have a +9 I think – so I’m about to blow this crap up. I toss a 4 and 8. 30 to my 4. A 5 and 7 finish, and I took 3 more. 7 damage total to me)

You leap over the heaped bodies of the bogus castle guardsmen and sheathe your bloodied weapon. Then you take hold of Nathor and carry him into the stables where you heave him across the neck of a saddled horse. Quickly you mount this steed and urge it to the gallop, bursting forth from the stable doors at a breakneck speed. Outside, the castle keep is alive with screams and curses as you steer your horse towards the gatehouse, where, to your mounting horror, you see that the portcullis is beginning to fall.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Telegnosis and have reached the Kai rank of Sun Lord or higher, add 2 to the number you have picked. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, add 2. If you possess Animal Mastery, add 1.

(So I get +7. I roll a 1 which would normally fail, but not with those bonuses)

You race through the gatehouse arch just moments before the heavy portcullis comes crashing down. Without daring to look back, you urge your horse across the wooden drawbridge and along the open track that lies beyond. The angry shouts of the gate guards echo from the battlements but so too do the unexpected sounds of clanking chains and baying hounds

[Abe Sargent]

You have covered more than half a mile when you chance a glance over your shoulder. To your dismay you see that you are being pursued by a snarling pack of wolf-like creatures with drooling fangs and eyes that gleam menacingly in the darkness. An icy chill invades your heart. These are no ordinary hunting hounds—these are hellish beasts born of a dark sorcery.

Soon you reach the tributary bridge that is lined with statues, and you catch sight of the twinkling lights of Scade about a mile beyond. The feral pack are closing fast and you know that your encumbered horse cannot outpace them indefinitely. You must do something to delay them, if you and Nathor are to escape in one piece.

(I don’t have Magi-Magic, but I do have a high rank and KS)

You cross to the far side of the river and wait there as the first few wolf-creatures come racing towards the bridge. The pack leader is a massive brute with ghastly yellow eyes that seem to follow your every move. The moment he reaches the bridge approach, you focus your psychic power at the nearest statue. Your concentrated pulse of psychic energy shatters this sculpture with devastating effect, peppering the hellish beast with razor-sharp shards of stone.

(I toss a 5)

The pack leader is torn to shreds by the blast, and several of his followers are left mortally wounded. The sight of their injuries, coupled with the deafening sound of the unexpected explosion, is more than the remaining pack members can bear. With a howl of fear and frustration, they turn away and race back to the safety of Castle Tranius.

(That was an awesome ability)

You ride to Scade with all the speed your exhausted horse can muster and return at once to the Lucky Bucket Inn where the remaining members of the troop are billeted. The news of your encounter at Castle Tranius comes as a shock, both to the troopers and to the innkeeper who fears for the safety of the real Knight Tranius.

‘I haven’t seen him in the town for near-on a week,’ he says, anxiously rubbing his many chins. ‘We ’ere had no inkling that somethin’ bad was happenin’ up there at the castle. It’s right put the shakes up me, I can tell you.’

In the warm comfort of the inn, you use your Kai healing skills to mend the Lord Constable’s injuries. He is carefully testing his weight on his newly-mended ankle when suddenly there is a commotion outside in the street. An angry mob of hard-faced men, many clutching torches, staves, and coils of rope, are marching down the cobbled avenue towards the inn.

‘Hang the Talestrian thieves!’ they shout. ‘String up the murdering swine!’

‘What’s going on? Who are these men?’ says Nathor. The innkeeper’s face turns white and he begins to tremble with fear.

‘I … I don’t rightly know,’ he stammers. ‘I ain’t never seen ’em before. They’s not from these parts. We’ve never had no quarrel with Talestria. You’ve always been our friends.’

Suddenly a chunk of cobblestone smashes through a window and an angry cry arises from the mob:

‘Come out, you Talestrian dogs. Come out or we’ll burn you out!’
Nathor calls everyone to the rear of the inn where a passage leads directly to the stables.

‘I fear this is some kind of crude ploy to murder you, Grand Master,’ he says. ‘If you are to stand any chance of reaching your homeland, you must continue your journey at once. I and my men will do what we can to hold this mob at bay, but you must leave now and you must go alone.’
Another window shatters and a burning brand is hurled into the inn.
‘Very well,’ you reply, uneasily. ‘I shall leave at once.’

(My guides always die )

After bidding a hurried farewell to the Lord Constable and his men, you take a fresh horse and leave the inn by a door at the rear of the stables. Some of the mob have gathered in an adjoining alleyway, but aided by your Kai camouflage skills, you evade these bloodthirsty thugs with ease.
Keeping to the smaller alleys and passages, you make your way across Scade unseen and then head north towards the open plains. You ride all night, using your infravision to help guide your horse through the lush grasslands and keep watch for potential dangers. As the hours slip past you cannot help but think about Nathor and the men of his troop; they are risking their lives by staying behind as bait for the mob. You admire their courage and it strengthens your resolve to return home to Sommerlund. Should the Lord Constable and his men have to pay for your escape with their lives, then you are determined that their sacrifice shall not be a wasted one.

During your long night ride, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

[Abe Sargent]

In the twilight before dawn, you catch sight of the River Kinam less than a mile away to the west. You scan the surrounding landscape and note several small tracks (which lead to tiny farmsteads dotted around the vast plain) converging at a hamlet which nestles in a bend of this great river. During the past hour your horse has developed a slight limp, and a cursory look at his affected leg reveals that he has thrown a shoe. You know that unless you replace the missing shoe, and soon, he will be too lame to carry you further. Reluctantly, you decide to enter the hamlet and go in search of a blacksmith.

A signpost at the entrance to the hamlet announces its name: Kalma. It is a quiet, sleepy sort of place that in many ways reminds you of Dage, the Sommlending village where you were born and where you spent your early years. Near the centre of this humble village you discover a smithy where, even at this early hour, you can hear the sound of a hammer beating iron. You tether your horse to a rail alongside a moth-eaten old donkey, and call out for the blacksmith.

‘In ’ere,’ comes the curt reply. On entering you discover a tall, broad-shouldered man clad in a leather apron, busily shaping a horseshoe on an anvil.

My steed has shed a shoe,’ you say. ‘Can you replace it?’

‘Aye,’ he says, without bothering to look up from his work, ‘but it’ll cost you 20 Lune. In cash, and in advance, if you please.’

(I pay, I have 15 crowns left)

‘Leave y’ horse outside and come back in an hour—I’ll ’ave it done by then.’

The sun is now above the horizon and this hamlet is slowly stirring to life. You decide to wile away the next hour or so by looking around its simple shops and riverside stores. One building in particular catches your eye: it is a hall perched precariously on the end of a wide wooden jetty. You can hear an old man’s voice trailing from its open doors, answered by the occasional murmur of a crowd. Inside you discover a wizened old cleric administering to a sick woman whose head is swathed with bandages. The cleric is attempting to cure the woman of her ills by laying-on his hands, but the pressure is simply making the pain in her head feel worse.

‘Charlatan,’ mumbles one onlooker. ‘Old fake,’ whispers another. The aged cleric hears these dissenting voices and he becomes flustered. Although he may be incompetent as a healer, you sense that he is a good man at heart and so you decide to save him from the disgruntled crowd, who look as if they are on the brink of throwing him in the river at any moment.

‘Hold, good brother!’ you say, moving swiftly through the crowd to the small stage on which he and the bandaged woman are standing. ‘You should not be placing your hands upon this good woman’s head. Surely the source of her pain stems from her aching heart!’

And with this you take hold of the man’s hands and place them on the woman’s chest. Her first reaction is one of shock and she starts to pull away, but when you transmit your own healing powers through the cleric’s hands and into her body, the pain in her head suddenly vanishes. A smile of pure joy lights up her face and hurriedly she strips off her bandages.

‘Ishir be praised!’ she cries. ‘I’m cured. I’m completely cured!’

The woman reaches to her purse and counts out 40 silver Lune into the cleric’s trembling hands, and all the while she praises him loudly for taking the pain from her head. The cleric, whose name is Matho, sheepishly accepts her generous donation. Then, quite suddenly, he is swamped by the crowd of onlookers who all rush the stage at once.
Each one waves a money purse and demands that he cure them as well. The frail old man is in danger of being crushed to death until you rescue him from this agitated crowd.

Once safely outside, he offers you all of the woman’s donation, for he knows only too well that it was your healing abilities which cured her, and not his own. (If you wish to accept this money, record it on your Action Chart as 40 Lune.)

‘Where are you bound for, stranger?’ he asks.

‘The east,’ you reply.

‘That’s where I’ve journeyed from. Perhaps I can offer you a word of caution, eh? There’s plague in the Stornlands this year. You would be well to avoid the region if you can. If you can’t, well, this potion will protect you. I can at least guarantee that.’

The old cleric pulls a small flask from his pocket and offers it to you. (If you wish to accept this potion, record it on your Action Chart as Matho’s Potion.)

Then the old cleric accompanies you back to the blacksmithy where he, too, is having his mount re-shoed. You collect your horse, and he collects his ragged old mule; then you bid each other good luck and farewell before going your separate ways.

(I take half of the money – back to 20 crowns – I grab the potion as well)

[Abe Sargent]

You leave Kalma and ride due east along a dusty track. Mile after mile of featureless grassland passes by on either side until, late in the afternoon, you enter a range of gentle, wooded hills. You have not gone very far before you discover a stream of sparkling water that is teeming with trout. Feeling tired and hungry, you decide to rest here and try your luck at catching some fresh fish for your supper.

Within half an hour, you have collected six fine speckled specimens of Palmyrion trout, more than enough to sate your ravenous appetite. You are about to construct a small campfire on which to cook them when suddenly you hear the sound of a wagon and horses approaching along the hill track from the east. Rather than run the risk of being confronted by bandits, you take cover behind a bush and wait for the wagon to appear.

Through the foliage you see six well-armed horsemen riding two abreast. They are followed by a carriage, behind which there are another two horsemen guarding the rear. The coach is quite small, suitable for no more than two passengers at most, and its lacquered black wood looks dull. It is covered with the dust of a long journey. It has curtained windows and a crest adorns its doors.

As they draw closer, you see one of the leading horsemen raise his hand to bring the column to a halt. Your heart sinks when you realize that he has seen your horse. Rather than take the risk of losing your mount, you call out to the horseman, commanding him to continue on his way.

‘Show y’self,’ he shouts in reply, and draws his sabre. ‘Unless you be a brigand, you have no need to fear us.’

You remain hidden for a few moments longer, using your Kai skills to determine their purpose. When you can detect no aura of evil about them, you rise from behind the bush so that you can be seen. A pale hand parts the carriage curtains and you glimpse the face of a handsome young woman with jet-black hair. Judging by the finery of her dress and the elegance of her demeanour, you assess her to be of noble birth.

‘You, Sir!’ she calls, with a refined Palmyrion accent. ‘I … I know you. Please, won’t you approach my coach so that I can be sure?’

(I close up)

intrigued by the young woman’s high-bred charms, you step away from the bushes and approach her carriage door.

‘Why, yes,’ she says, excitedly. ‘You are the Northland warrior they call Lone Wolf, are you not? I was in attendance at the Elector’s court the day he awarded you the Star of Palmyrion for your victory over the Cener Druids of Ruel. I am honoured to meet with you in person, brave sir.’

The carriage door swings open and the beautiful young woman steps gracefully out onto the stony trail.

‘May I be so bold as to introduce myself,’ she says, pausing to adjust a broad-brimmed hat which is trimmed with black corvayl fur, as silky smooth as her flowing hair. ‘I am the Baroness Coryene of the Lucia Province.’

She offers her delicate hand and you kiss it in deference to her noble rank. Out of the corner of your eye you notice the leading horseman dismount and come to stand protectively by her side



Oh, and this is my personal guard—Dorst.’

You give the gruff-looking fellow a slight bow and he nods his head in response, albeit begrudgingly.

‘We are returning from a visit to my cousin’s estate. We were hoping to reach Kalma by sunset, but we were delayed by bandits,’ she says, almost apologetically.

‘We made ’em pay dearly for wastin’ our time, though,’ adds Dorst, with quiet menace.

‘It appears that we shall now have to encamp here in the hills this night,’ says the Baroness. ‘Perhaps you would care to join us, my Lord? I would feel so much safer if you did.’

Despite Dorst’s cutting glances, you agree to the Baroness’s proposal. Then you produce the six trout that you caught earlier and offer them to her as a gift.

‘Why, thank you,’ she says, with a wide smile. ‘They look … delicious.’

You help the Baroness’s entourage to set up camp beside the stream while Dorst, who considers himself something of a master cook, prepares the trout you caught earlier. To your surprise, the meal turns out to be excellent (restore 3 ENDURANCE points).

During supper, you ask the Baroness what news she has heard of events in the east. She tells you that there is war between the principalities of the Stornlands, although this is such a common condition that it can hardly be considered news any more. Of distant Sommerlund she has heard nothing. After supper, she excuses herself and retires to her carriage. Dorst posts two men to guard her coach, and then he invites you to play cards with himself and the remaining five men.

(I accept)

Dorst spreads out an oilskin blanket and you all gather round, seating yourself cross-legged on the ground. He then deals five cards to each man and opens the betting with a stake of five Lune. The game is Taluka—common in the inns of Palmyrion and especially popular among professional gamblers. With your Kai abilities it is easy for you to know every card that is being played, and so, rather than risk being called a cheat, you simply go through the motions of playing the game, maintaining exactly the same amount of money you begin with.

After half an hour or so, you suddenly realize that Dorst is cheating.

(I choose to expose the cheating”

You grab Dorst by the wrist and shake a dozen cards from his sleeve. A deathly silence descends on the group as all eyes look first at the cards, and then at you. Simultaneously, the men start to laugh like hyenas until tears are soon streaming down their faces. One by one, they jiggle their hands over the blanket and hidden cards cascade from all their sleeves.
‘Did you not know, Northlander,’ chuckles Dorst, ‘that cheatin’ is fair in Taluka? Least, that’s the way we play it, eh, boys?’

Feeling a little embarrassed by their behaviour, you fold your hand of cards, pick up your money, and make an excuse that you are tired after your long day’s ride. Dorst and his men bid you goodnight, and as he and his men continue with their dubious game, you go and check to see that your horse is comfortable for the night. You are busy gathering some grasses for his feed when suddenly a shriek echoes through the hills—it is the unmistakable cry of a Kraan.

[Abe Sargent]

(Yes I sure do have KaiScreen)

Instinctively you crouch down and take cover amongst the nearby foliage. You also call upon your Kai camouflage and psychic skills to help mask your presence from the creature which is circling high above the trees. For several minutes you stare at the loathsome creature, not daring to move a muscle; then you see it fly away and you breathe a sigh of relief.

A chill night wind whistles through the trees and you shiver. But it is not the cold that is chilling your blood—it is the sudden fear that you may never see your homeland again

Dorst doubles the guard in case the Kraan should decide to return during the night. Then he and the others unpack their sleeping furs and settle down to a night’s rest beside the warmth of the campfire embers. For an hour you lie awake, staring uneasily at the sky, until fatigue finally overtakes you and you slip into a deep sleep.

You are woken at dawn by one of Dorst’s men who immediately hands you a steaming mug of Huas, a delicious Palmyrion beverage. You notice the others are in various states of waking and, as you sip your reviving drink, you watch Dorst shaving at the stream. After a while the Baroness emerges from her carriage. She appears as fresh as a spring flower, and together you breakfast before the camp is struck and you go your separate ways.
‘If ever you visit Lucia Province,’ she says, leaning from the open window of her carriage, ‘be sure to visit my estate in Gadorvo.’

‘I would be honoured, my lady,’ you reply, and wave to her until, at last, her carriage and riders disappear into the hills.

The weather is warmer than of late and you make good progress despite the poor condition of the road. An hour past midday, as you are crossing a treeless valley, you happen upon a young man praying at a wayside shrine. He is dressed in a guildsman’s tunic and cloak, and he appears to be unarmed.

(I stop)

The young man gets up off his knees and greets you with a friendly smile. He is unusually talkative for a guildsman and you soon learn that his name is Frello, and that he is a journeyman from the Silversmiths’ Guild of Vanamor. He has stopped here to offer up a prayer to Ishir to protect him from ‘bad strangers on the trail’. It appears that he was robbed yesterday by some Eldenorans on the road out of Vanamor. He offers to share half a loaf of bread with you, but you decline his generosity, thanking him nonetheless. You sense that it is all the food he has. Mindful of wasting time, you bid him good luck and then continue your journey east.

Beyond the valley lies an expanse of coarse and thorny vegetation which is alive with wild game. You stop to catch yourself an evening meal and then make camp beneath an old twisted oak (restore 3 ENDURANCE points). The night passes uneventfully and at first light you resume your ride east. Shortly before midday, you arrive at the ruins of an ancient church where a signpost, pointing to the east, says:

Vanamor—42 miles

You allow yourself a smile; with luck you could be inside the city walls by nightfall.

Later in the day you see a dust cloud approaching along the road. You magnify your vision and see a dozen armed horsemen clad in ragged uniforms of green and black. A sense of unease pervades your mind; these are the colours most often worn by Eldenoran soldiers. Trusting to your Kai instincts, you steer your horse off the trail and take cover among the trees of a nearby copse.

(I toss a 2)

As the riders approach, your initial suspicions are confirmed: these are unquestionably Eldenoran brigands. Their saddle-cloths bear their emblem and their steeds are laden with sacks and pouches that bulge with ill-gotten gains. You decide to remain hidden until they have passed by, but as they draw level with the copse, your horse suddenly shrieks and rises up on its hind legs. With shocked dismay you see that a harmless grass snake has coiled itself around your horse’s foreleg.

The cry of your frightened horse betrays your hiding place. The Eldenorans wheel away from the road and come charging towards the copse, their swords drawn in eager anticipation of yet another easy kill.

(I choose to fight)

Upon the bellowed command of their leader, the onrushing horsemen split into two groups. One group continues its charge towards you while the other slows to a halt to await the outcome. You sense that they are used to picking off lone travellers in this fashion; no sense expending the energy of twelve men when the job can be accomplished by six. But this time they have underestimated their enemy and it is a mistake you intend them to pay dearly for.

(I charge to keep them off balance rather than use a bow)

As the horsemen close in, unexpectedly you spur your steed straight at them in a bold countercharge. The move takes the leading pair of riders by surprise and, before they fully recover their battle-senses, you speed between them and lash out with a single scything sweep. Both riders crash to the ground—minus their heads.

Shocked by your sheer audacity, the brigand leader shouts a recall to the others. They wheel around in a wide arc and form up in a line behind him, cursing you vehemently for the death of their comrades. Then, with a vengeful yell, the brigand chief leads his gang of saddle-bandits in a charge that, he hopes, will leave you trampled into the ground.

As this wave of brigands comes thundering down upon you, the leader lunges at your head with his straight-bladed sword. It whistles by just inches from your scalp, but you do not allow him a second try. You twist in the saddle and strike like lightning, splitting his helmet and his skull with a single mighty blow. He falls before his men, yet they prove to be hardy rogues and they press home their attack regardless.

Eldenoran Brigands: COMBAT SKILL 46 ENDURANCE 41

(I toss 1, 1, and 8. They die, and I take 9)

You sheathe your bloodstained weapon and dismount in order to search the bodies of your slain foes. Your search is thorough and it uncovers the following items:

• 6 Swords
• 4 Axes
• Broadsword
• 2 Spears
• 260 Lune (equivalent to 65 Gold Crowns)
• 4 Backpacks
• 5 Daggers
• Enough food for 12 Meals
• Rope
• Boar Whip
• Hammer
• Lantern
• Blanket
• Spyglass
• Silver Seal (Special Item)

If you choose to keep any of the above items, remember to record them in the appropriate sections.

(I take the Boar Whip as a weapon, fill my gold pouch with 50 crowns, I also grab a Blanket)

[Abe Sargent]

You reach the city of Vanamor late in the evening, long after the sun has set beyond the western horizon. The guards at the west gate do not, at first, look kindly upon a travel-stained rider of unknown origin, but when you show them the Star of Palmyrion—the medal that their leader, the Elector Manatine, awarded you for your victory over the evil druids of Ruel—their cold attitude undergoes a dramatic change. The guard sergeant apologizes profusely and escorts you personally through the capital’s streets, past a well-ordered collection of dwellings and public buildings, to a grand palatial edifice in the city’s northern quarter. It is the Elector’s Hall—the seat of the Palmyrion republic.

Trumpets announce your arrival as you stride through the hall’s great arched doors. Senators and officials stop momentarily to stare; then their attentions return to their affairs of state which strike you as unusually urgent. It is almost midnight, yet the Elector’s Hall is a buzzing hive of activity. You meet with Elector Manatine in his War Room where he and his generals are poring over maps and battle reports. He welcomes you with a warm handshake but his countenance seems unusually dour and agitated. You are soon to learn why.

‘It is good to see you again, Grand Master,’ he says, forcing a smile. ‘I was expecting you. I received word yesterday from Queen Evaine telling me of your urgent journey. Yet it is unfortunate that your visit should come at this time; I would have hoped to have given you the kind of welcome you truly deserve.’ The Elector then introduces you to his generals who acknowledge you with soldierly salutes.

‘As you can see, we are at war, Grand Master,’ he says, sweeping a hand over the maps which lie strewn across his state table. ‘The new ruler of Eldenora, a low-born blackguard by the name of Lutha who dares to adorn himself with the title “Prince of Duadon”, is attempting to seize our northern territories. We are locked in battle with his army of cut-throats near Holona and, though it pains me to have to admit this, we’re hard-pressed to contain his advance. This war has come without warning and we were ill-prepared. We have few reserves, insufficient to support the Holona garrison and to counter the many small units of Eldenoran horsemen who are ravaging our plains. This is a dark and testing time for us, Grand Master, but e’en so, I shall aid you all I can.’



You learn that the Elector has already elicited, on your behalf, the help of High-Mayor Cordas of Casiorn. Cordas is reputedly the richest man in all of Magnamund. Manatine tells you that Cordas has ordered the construction of a sky-vessel to transport you swiftly to Sommerlund.
‘This craft is presently being built in Casiorn, and the High-Mayor has sent word that you should go there as quickly as you can. His teams of skilled artisans are working on the craft day and night, and he is confident that it will be completed in fifteen days’ time.’

In times of peace, you would expect the 850-mile ride to Casiorn to take little more than two weeks to complete. But peace, always a fragile state in the Stornlands, has been shattered by Prince Lutha’s unprovoked attack on Holona, a town through which you had hoped to travel. Anxiously, you ask the Elector how the war against Eldenora will affect your chances of reaching Casiorn swiftly.

‘Sadly, I cannot predict the future, Grand Master,’ he replies. ‘The war bodes ill for both our causes. However, I shall do what I am able to speed your journey onwards.’

The Elector motions to one of his guardsmen who turns and leaves the War Room. He soon returns with another soldier who wears the uniform of a captain.

(I have been in Palmyrania before)

At once you recognize the captain: it is Cearmaine, the brave hero of the Darklands War, who guided you to Stonewatch and the Forest of Ruel during your quest to thwart the Cener Druids, two years previously.

‘Hail, Grand Master!’ he says, his battle-scarred face beaming with delight. ‘I am pleased to have been chosen by the Elector to escort you north to Holona.’

‘Well met, captain,’ you reply, shaking his steel hand. ‘I could not have wished for a better travelling companion.’

Elector Manatine permits you the use of his private chambers, which adjoin the War Room, where you are able to get a few hours’ sleep before dawn. Then, shortly after sunrise, you bid the Elector and his generals farewell and leave the city, with Captain Cearmaine, in a military coach bound for Holona. An escort of cavalry outriders accompany this armoured carriage in case you should meet unexpectedly with a unit of roving Eldenorans during your journey east. Thankfully, the journey proves swift and uneventful and, as the day is turning to dusk, you find yourself approaching the military outpost of Stonewatch.

You stay at this fort overnight and then continue on to Holona in the morning. For most of the journey you experience a sense of unease, a premonition that something is wrong, but it is not until you catch sight of the city, shortly before noon, that your fears are realized.

[Abe Sargent]

Holona is in turmoil. The approach roads and outlying fields are littered with scores of broken wagons, dead horses, and the ruined impediments of war. Palmyrion soldiers sit dejectedly on the frost-hardened earth, their glazed eyes and bandaged limbs bearing grim testimony to the bitter fighting that is taking place just a few miles to the north. Battle-weary officers ride among these exhausted men, cursing and coaxing them in a half-hearted attempt to rally them to arms. Few heed their call



Inside the city walls the situation is tense. Every available dwelling is packed to overflowing with wounded soldiers, and the civilian populace, displaced from their homes by the army’s needs, wander the streets and alleyways in a state of shocked confusion, greatly adding to the chaos.
Captain Cearmaine orders his driver to the Canatarium, the largest of Holona’s municipal halls, where General Foucharl, the Palmyrion commander, has established his headquarters. On entering this crowded building, a young lieutenant rushes up to Cearmaine and informs him that his son has been wounded in the battle now raging at the Reloni Bridge.

‘I must go to him, Grand Master,’ he says, his voice choked with emotion. ‘I’m told that he has not long to live.’

(I head with him)

You follow Cearmaine and the young lieutenant out of the Canatarium and along a crowded avenue towards a tented encampment in the city’s main park. Here, under a canvas awning, the captain finds his mortally wounded son being attended to by an army physician.

‘Will he pull through?’ asks Cearmaine, of the physician whose white surgical apron is stained deep crimson with the blood of all those he has attempted to save this day. The weary man does not answer—he simply shakes his head and leaves to attend yet another poor wretch who is crying out for him to end his suffering.



Cearmaine’s son has a deep chest wound which, on closer inspection, you determine was made by a poisoned arrow. The physician has removed the shaft but the poison has long since entered the young man’s bloodstream. His life is fast ebbing away and you sense there is very little you can do to save him.

(I do not have Deliverance)

you place your hands on the young man’s chest and, using your Magnakai Curing skills, you cause the puncture wound to mend (reduce your ENDURANCE score by 1 point). However, your treatment is not enough to save him. The poison in his blood is too strong and too well-established to be neutralized by your innate Kai powers. Sadly you watch as the brave young man slips into a sleep from which he will not awaken.

Cearmaine is overcome with grief by his son’s death. With trembling hands he takes the bloodstained tunic from beneath the young man’s head, unfolds it, and drapes it over his lifeless body. To your surprise, you note the insignia on the lapels are similar to those on Cearmaine’s uniform; his son held the rank of captain, the same as his father.
‘I must go to his regiment,’ he says, his voice wavering. ‘It is right and fitting that I take command of them now.’

After attending to the burial of his son, the grieving captain returns to the Canatarium to find out where his son’s regiment is stationed. He learns they are at the Reloni Bridge, at the very heart of the battle. Before he leaves, he thanks you for trying to save his son’s life and he suggests two routes by which you can reach the distant city of Casiorn from here.

The first route is the most direct, but it is also the most hazardous. It requires you to pass through the enemy lines at the Reloni Bridge, cross the southern tip of Eldenora, and then continue your journey north by way of the Slovarian Plain.

The second route will avoid the fighting at the Reloni Bridge, but it would mean having to pass through the city of Duadon—Prince Lutha’s stronghold.

(Hmmm… Let’s help the battle. I choose the Bridge)