One Kai Left: The Lone Wolf Dynasty

[Abe Sargent]

I have been walking for almost two hours when I come across a large wooden tower in the forest. I can go towards the watchtower or try to sneak around. I choose to keep going.

I am less than 20 years away from the watchtower when I am challenged and my business is demanded. I have reached the border of Durenor. I can use Sixth Sense, so I do. It tells me he is a loyal Durenese Soldier. I choose to show him the Seal of Hammerdal rather than try and lie.

He stares at the ring in awe. The legends about this ring are eons old. It is said that of all of the lost treasures of the Durenese, this is the one they would not want returned. Its presence bodes ill tidings. The guard’s face falls as he realizes the significance of this meeting. He sets me on the right path and tells me which branches to take.

A short while later, I take the left track and then go over the deep Rymerift River over a stone bridge at the other side is a sing pointing me towards Port Bax. Just 3 miles away.

[Abe Sargent]

At dusk on the 10th day of my quest, I arrive at Port Bax. Like a diamond set in a sea of green velvet, the towers of the city shine and sparkle in the evening light. To the north is harbour and the Durenese war fleet. I enter the city and see City Hall. I can choose to use tracking, so I do. It tells me that the Sommlending Consulate is in the naval quadrant of Port Bax, so I move in that direction.

At the end of the avenue, I reach some gates. Port Watchtower, Harbor Authority can be seen on a sign above them. I approach the gate where soldiers are, but I am turned back because I do not have either a white or a red pass. The gate itself is red.

I turn back and head to the watchtower building. There is a door marked Red Pass, one marked White Pass, and one to turn back. Since the gate is red, I enter the Red Pass door.

Behind is a man wearing a Duranese Naval Officer’s uniform. He’s pretty snarky. He demands to see access papers and proof of my commanding officer’s authorization. In order to shut him up, I choose to show him the Seal of Hammerdal.

Shock splashes on his face, and without a word he beckons me to follow. We move up some stairs, and within a few moments, arrive at a desk where I am issued a Red Pass immediately.

I arrive at the harbor guards, and this time I have a Red Pass. They salute me and allow me to continue along my way. Within a few seconds, I can make out the shining flag of my country, Sommerlund, flapping against our Consulate’s building. I smile at the banner of home and make for the building. The guards recognize me and within a few moments, I am greeted by tall grey haired official who thanks the gods for my arrival.


I meet the Lord-Lieutenant Rhygar, a knight in heavy chain mail in service to our King. Born of a Sommlending mother and Duranese father, he was a natural choice for envoy, and has become a legend in the city after helping to fight off the Ice Barbarians of Kalte. He orders a fine meal for me immediately. I gain 6 EP from it. We will leave in the morning and go to Hammerdal together.

[Abe Sargent]

Early the next day I am escorted to the stables. Three of Rhygar’s best men and himself will be joining me on the final 230 mile ride to Hammerdal. We leave Port Bax behind and I am asked to pick a number.

The dice say 1. For three days we ride for Hammerdal. In the distance are the Hammerdal Mountains which protect the capital city. It is the morning of the 14th day of my mission. We are about to leave our camp when a group of six hooded horse riders approaches, blocking our exit. Rhygar orders them to move as we carry the King‘s Dispatch, but they refuse and do not speak.



He orders his men to draw their swords and charges in. I have three options, follow Rhygar, make for the woods, or use Sixth Sense. My keen Kai senses tell me that they are very evil. I shout out a warning to Rhygar and his men but they are already engaged.

As they charge the cloaked riders, one draws a black staff from under its robes and spits blue flame towards the Sommlending warriors. They arrive and begin to cut with their swords but the enemy is unfazed. Because they are Helghasts. Six Helghasts are attacking our men, and I have the only magical weapon. The leader sends a powerful Mindblast my way. I have two options: run or fight. I can kill one Helghast, but six? That’s stupid. I run.

I jump into the think brush and abandon my horse. A few minutes later Rhygar arrives and pushes me to run with him towards the mountains, as we leave his men behind, fighting futilely against the Helghasts.

We run for 6 hours. The Helghast are on the highway so we are forced to make our way through wood and rock. Each time I stumble, Rhygar pulls me up. His stamina is incredible. By night we arrive at the entrance to the Tarnalin, three tunnels through the mountains to Hammerdal. There is no more running off to the side. We have to go back on the beaten path for the rest of the way. Each tunnel is over 40 miles long. Rhygar hands me some food to eat and I do. He tells me that he will hold off the Helghast here and for me to continue along. I have two options, leave him my Magical Spear, or keep it.

I don’t want to be selfish, but I have no way of harming a Helghast without the Spear, and who knows if they are in the tunnels or not. I need it. Sorry Rhygar, I’d love to give you a path to victory, but I have to remember the big picture. The Kai are dead. Only the Sommerswerd can defeat the Darklords, and only a Kai can wield it, so I have to get it.

[Abe Sargent]

The tunnel is over one hundred feet high and wide. Usually it is alive with traffic and yet now it is dead. As I continue, I pass an overturned fruit cart, and then arrive at a fork. I can go left or right, or use Tracking. I use Tracking and discover that the left tunnel is quicker by two miles, and that recent bootprints head off into both the right and left tunnels. I choose left.

As I go, I eventually find a passenger wagon to the right side of the tunnel. Around it are three dead bodies of Duranese soldiers. I can go it, go past, or use Sixth Sense, which I do and detect a strong aura of evil from the wagon, and I get a new chance to go back and take the right tunnel. I do that.

The right tunnel has some steps cut into the wall and a platform at the top. I can climb the platform, go on, or use Sixth Sense, which I do, Once again, I sense great evil. Well, I have to confront it sooner or later. I climb up the stone steps to the platform. As I do, I hear a blood-curdling cry and see the blood red soul-piercing eyes of a Helghast again. I draw my magic spear and level it at the Helghast as it charges me. It impales itself on my spear and we tumble to the ground and I take 2 EP. I can choose to run or try and drive the spear into it killing it. I do the latter and kill it and retrieve my magical spear. Dead Helghast. I wipe the tip on its smouldering robe.

I run down the tunnel as fast my legs will take me. Almost three miles pass before I see a group of wagons in the distance that are set up like a barricade. Soldier in red uniforms line the barricade. As I get closer, they dispatch a group of ten soldiers to meet me.

These are soldiers of Durenor, and there are ten of them, so I raise my hands rather than attack scared soldiers who are my allies. They demand to know who I am and hat my business is. I tell them, and they don’t believe me until I show a certain Seal. They have a horse drawn carriage behind the line and I am ushered in and the knight and I are taken down Tarnalin.



The Knight is Lord Axim of Ryme, commander of King Alin‘s personal bodyguard. They had a run in with the Helghast and him and just ten men survived. I must eat a meal in the coach, and I choose to eat my Laumspur. Will my journey finally be successful?

[Abe Sargent]

The morning of the 15th day of my quest brings us to Hammerdal. It’s white spires against the mountains is breathtaking. It does not need fortifications because it has the mountains.




We speed through lush farmlands, towers and streets, until we arrive at the King’s Tower at the centre of Hammerdal. At the end of the day, I will become a part of the oldest legend in the Lastlands when I take the Sommerswerd.


Quote:

King Alin IV sits alone in his domed tower, viewing his mountain domain through one of the many portals of tinted glass. You and Lord Axim are formally announced as you enter the chamber, and you respectfully bow to his Majesty. Then, Lord Axim removes the Seal of Hammerdal from your finger and walks over to the King's side. For nearly an hour they talk, their sombre faces reflecting the seriousness of the situation.

There is a short pause of silent meditation, and King Alin suddenly rises from his throne and addresses you for the first time.

'Alas, the Darklords have woken once more, and once more does Sommerlund come in search of our aid. I had prayed that my reign would be remembered as a time of peace and fulfillment, but in my heart I knew it was to be otherwise.'

The King removes a golden key from the pocket of his white robe and inserts it in a marble dais standing in the centre of the chamber. A gentle humming fills the room, as the stone cover slides back to reveal the hilt of a golden sword.

'Take the sword, Lone Wolf. It is foretold that only a true son of Sommerlund can release the powers that lie within its blade.'

As you grasp the glowing hilt, a tingling sensation runs up your arm and radiates throughout your body.



As you notice, I no longer have the Seal of Hammderdal. I am asked if I have Sixth Sense, and if I do, to move to a certain passage.

The Sommerswerd fills my senses with light and knowledge and ability. This weapon was forged long before the Sommlending or Duranese were a part of Magnamund. To release its powers, only a Kai Lord can wield it. Should it ever be used in combat by someone who is not Kai, the powers will wane and leave it. Like the magical spear, it counts as a weapon like special item, and can be used in combat. When used, skills in Short Sword, Sword or Broadsword will give you an additional +2 with Weaponskill, but I have quarterstaff. I get +8 Combat Skill when I use it. It absorbs any magic used against me. It deals double damage to undead enemies. It is the only weapon in Magnamund that can kill a Darklord* (Later you find out that it is the only Good aligned weapon that can do so, but the Darklords have forged weapons that can kill each other too). I am the only person left who can wield the Sommerswerd, and it is the only way my people will be saved. I sheath the Sommerswerd in its scabbard.

[Abe Sargent]

It takes 14 days to muster the Duranese army and ready the war fleet. As each day passes, I am reminded of the perils of my homeland. I am the guest of the King of Holmgard. I am given a Potion of Laumspur will heal 5 EP when I quaff it. I am visited daily by the best servants and more in Hammderdal, and I am completely healed, rested, and ready for more fighting.

One day when the Herbwarden come to work on my wounds, he brings unfortunate tidings about the death of Lord Rhygar who’s body was found by the Tarnalin. I am asked if I have Sixth Sense, and I do. It tells me that I already knew, and I just realize it. My Sixth Sense is enhanced by the presences of the Sommerswerd. I am practicing with it to get better used to its weight.

On the morning of the 33rd day of my quest, Lord Axim and I ride to Port Bax. The place has changed a lot in two weeks. Preparations for war are complete, and the giant war fleet is ready to leave. We will set sail abroad the flagship Durenor, Admiral Calfen’s personal vessel. An hour later and we have left Port Bax behind and I am asked to roll the die. My result is a 3.

For three more days and nights we sail for Holmgard and Sommerlund. Although the days pass uneventfully, it is like some sort of invisible drain is on the spirits of the men, as their eagerness and confidence begins to erode, and Admiral Calfen is worried.

The next day, the sorcery seems to be lifted, but something darker approaches.

[Abe Sargent]

A veil of sea fog approaches and it is quite thick. We near the Kirlundian Isles. We can make out some strange and dark shapes in the sea fog. Soon they grow into the shapes of ships. “Prepare for Battle!” is cried across the war fleet, but as the ships come fully into view, the entire Duranese army is shocked at their sight. These are death-hulks. They are the sunken ships in the sea, and have been risen from the grave to fight once more. They have been summoned by a great and powerful wizardry to keep me from reaching Holmgard in time to save my people.




Their sinister flagship is aimed at ours, and it rams us, tearing into our vessel. We are ordered to abandon the vessel by Admiral Calfen. I can either try and jump to their vessel’s deck, or jump into the water and try to swim to another Duranese ship. I have the Sommerswerd, so I jump to their vessel’s deck.

I land on rotting timbers and drop to the deck below, where a large mass of slow zombies presses about me. They are immune to Mindblast, are undead, and are about to eat my blade.

Zombie Crew CS 13, EP 16.

I roll a 9 and they automatically are killed instead of taking damage

I lose an EP from the stench of the ship. I can climb up, leave the hold through a door or use Sixth Sense. There is supposedly an evil creature of some power behind the door approached, and if I climbed up I would be vulnerable to attack, so I turn and await my foe. I strike just as the door opens and it takes one hit form the Sommerswerd. Revealed is a now wounded Helghast

Wounded Helghast CS 22, EP 20

It is undead and totally immune to Mindblast. I roll a 4 and it takes 8 damage, doubled to 16, while I take 2. On my second attack I roll a 2 and hit it for 12 while I take 3. I have taken 6 total EP so far.

[Abe Sargent]

I move up a flight of stairs onto the deck of their flagship and see fierce battles all around. All of the sudden I see a tower on the rear of the flagship I am on fire a gout of flame into a Duranese ship and soldiers are set on fire.



I can jump overboard to hit up the tower. I choose to go to the tower. Two zombies try to block my entrance but I cleave them with my sword. I am at the foot of the tower and see a hunched over figure in crimson robes launch fire across the water with magical powers. I am asked if I have the Crystal Star Pendant, have Tracking, want to jump overboard, or climb the tower and attack. I choose the Crystal Star Pendant option.

This is Vonotar the Traitor. This is the renegade wizard from the Magician’s Guild of Toran that Banedon told me about. He is a master of the black arts and a major foe. My Sixth Sense tells me that Vonotar is the one behind everything. He raised the black death hulks from the seabed. He sent the various minions to assassinate me. I can approach and try to take him out, or jump overboard.

I’m going up the ladder. With the Sommerswerd in one hand, the climb is difficult. I reach the top just to hear him say that he will enjoy the irony of killing me himself. His left hand spits forth a powerful bolt of magical energy but I manage to align the Sommerswerd with it and it is absorbed. That ability of my blade just saved my life.
Vonotar curses me and pulls out a gem. He breaks it and the tower is full of an acrid smoke. After it clears, I can see him paddling away in a row boat. And here I expected some secret teleport or something. I can choose to jump in the water and try to chase him, or fight my way back to a Duranese warship. I choose to chase him.

Their flagship is burning, so jumping overboard makes sense. As I swim, another attack comes from above as a wing of Kraan arrive to attack us. One plucks me from the see but a Sommerswerd to the belly forces it to drop me onto the deck of the Kalkarn, a Duranese warship.

Lord Axim can be seen, battle-tested and grim, but tearing through the undead ranks. I join him and soon we clear the Kalkarn of the enemy. He shows me that the other undead warships have also lost or started to sink. This battle is over. Probably Vonotar’s leaving had something to do with it. Within a few minutes, all of their vessels have sunk.

[Abe Sargent]

70 warships left Port Bax and only 50 arrive at Holmgard as the Duranese have won a great battle. Despite the loss of Admiral Calfen and the flagship and many troops, the men are in high spirits as we sail into the Holmgard harbor.



It is dusk on the 37th day of my journey. The spires of Holmgard are a welcome sight, but the siege continues. We will not approach tonight and fight under the moon, but will instead arrive at dawn tomorrow. Dawn arrives and I move to Holmgard, destiny in hand.


Quote:


Holmgard has suffered much since your departure. Many of the shops and houses you remember passing on your way to the quay, are little more now than heaps of ashes. The Darklords' army with their evil engines of war surround the walls, and the flaming arcs of fireballs shooting through the air continually light the night sky as they rain down on the streets below. The people fight the fire as best they can, but they are hungry and exhausted and close to surrender. At first, as it enters the harbour, the fleet is mistaken for the enemy and cries of despair can be heard all along the quay. But as the first of the soldiers set foot in the city and unfurl the royal arms of Durenor, the news of your return spreads quickly. The cries of despair have changed to a chorus of cheers: 'The Kai Lord has returned.'

You are standing at the top of the great watchtower, high above the main gate of the city, when the first light of dawn creeps slowly over the horizon. Thousand upon thousand of the black-clad enemy are massed around the city wall, huddled like beetles in the trenches that cover the plain. In the midst of this horde, a great red tent has been erected bearing the symbol of a broken skull. It is the mark of Zagarna, Lord of Kaag, a Darklord of Helgedad. His great ambition is the destruction of Holmgard; his fiercest desire to lead his army to victory over the House of Ulnar and claim Sommerlund for his own.

But victory is not to be his this day. Raising the Sommerswerd high above your head, a shaft of dawn sunlight catches upon the tip of the golden sword and a brilliant flash of blinding white flame runs the entire length of the blade. The power of the Sommerswerd electrifies you. Your senses reel and now your body reacts instinctively. You lower the Sommerswerd and point the blade towards the tent of Lord Zagarna. There is a mighty roar as the power of the sun-sword is unleashed in a searing white beam. The tent explodes and a brilliant fireball of white flame mushrooms skyward. A long and terrible cry rends the air. It is Lord Zagarna. The leader of the evil army is no more.




Gripped with fear and panic, the vast black army rise up and run in chaos from the city wall. The impossible has happened, their invincible master is slain. Again the Sommerswerd has returned to defeat them. The army and the allies of Durenor ride out of the city gates in pursuit of the panic-stricken enemy as they run blindly towards the Durncrag Mountains. The victory is yours. Holmgard is saved and the murder of the Kai has finally been avenged.

[Abe Sargent]

End of Fire on the Water

[Abe Sargent]

Comments:

I like fighting Vonotar, but I hate that I couldn’t find the

Spoiler

Green Sceptre

this time. It’s awesome to fight your old allies.

I have two problems with Fire on the Water usually - too many random rolls determine outcomes that are significant, and it introduces the Deus Ex Machina of the Sommerswerd. It also initially has the issues with the Tarnalian, the magic spear and Rhygar, but this is a cleaned up version. Originally, if you had the Magic Spear, and gave the spear to Rhygar, you died, period, no chance of survival. A revised version made it so that if you didn’t have the Magic Spear at all, you died, period, no chance of survival. Both were rough. One meant you had to keep the spear, and the other meant you had to go left at the fork along the coast instead of heading to the forest, and then choose to help the cry, choose to ignore the warnings of the Szalls, and if you had camouflage, you would know it’s a Helghast and leave, and if you searched its pack then you would leave too. That’s a lot of ifs ands or buts involved in getting the magic spear. Both issues have problems, so Project Aon fixed it so that there are paths to victory whether you have the spear, don’t have it, or give it away.

Oh, and I also don’t like how, in the passage that describes the food brought by the Innkeeper at the Forlorn Hope, it has you recalling the quote by Captain Kelman that enemies and spies are everywhere. It tells you that the food is tainted, and I am not a fan of that.

So, Fire on the Water - vast improvement in storytelling and length. You can read through and fight through Flight from the Dark in no time. Fire on the Water - not so much. Plus, there are a ton of Helghasts everywhere, so it’s not super easy or anything, and you can random dice die in many places, like when the mast falls on you on the Green Sceptre or whatnot.

[Abe Sargent]

The next book is The Caverns of Kalte


In the northern land of Sommerlund, it had been the custom for many centuries to send the children of the Warrior Lords to the monastery of Kai. There they were taught the skills and disciplines of their noble fathers.

You are Lone Wolf, and you are now the last of the Warrior Lords of Sommerlund. One year ago, the ancient enemy of your people--the Darklords of Helgedad--suddenly invaded Sommerlund and completely devastated the Kai monastery. All of the Kai warriors were in attendance for the feast of Fehmarn, and all except you were massacred.

You fought your way to Holmgard, the capital of your country, where the King sent you upon a desperate quest for help. Your mission was fraught with great danger, for Sommerlund had been betrayed by one of its own magicians--Vonotar the Traitor. His agents sought to kill you at every opportunity, but your skill and strength defeated their evil aims. You returned to Holmgard at the head of a great fleet--the allies of Durenor--and destroyed the Darklord army that besieged your capital.

Much of Sommerlund was ruined by the war. The rich farmlands were laid waste and many towns were razed to the ground. But the Sommlending are a tough people and were undaunted by the enormous task that lay ahead. They set about the rebuilding of war-torn Sommerlund with such determination that now, one year later, few of the scars of war remain visible.

For the crucial part that you played in the victory, the King has bestowed upon you the rank and title of 'Fryearl of Sommerlund', a rare honour for one so young. The ruins of the Kai monastery and much of the surrounding lands are now 'Fryelund' under your protection.

Work to rebuild the monastery was about to commence when disturbing news from the north prompted the King to summon you to the capital. Many merchants, returning from the summer trading expeditions to Kalte, told of the fall of the Brumalmarc--the leader of the Ice Barbarians. The description of the hunchbacked magician who has succeeded the fierce Brumalmarc fits only one man--Vonotar the Traitor.

After the defeat of the Darklords, Vonotar escaped to the frozen wastes of Kalte. He made his way to the ice fortress of Ikaya where, through deception, he tricked the cruel Brumalmarc into adopting him as his magician. It was a mistake that was to cost the barbarian leader his fortress and his life.

The news that Vonotar still lives spreads like wildfire throughout Sommerlund. Thousands of Sommlending surround the capital and demand that Vonotar be made to pay for his treachery. So great is the outcry that the King is obliged to promise that the evil traitor will be brought back to Holmgard, and made to stand trial for his crimes.

For you, Lone Wolf, the King's promise is the start of a quest that will pit you against a hated foe, deep within the hostile Caverns of Kalte.

[Abe Sargent]

One of the things I am given is a Map of Kalte, which you can find here:

[Abe Sargent]

I decide to take Camouflage as my next discipline. I am unable to use Hunting anywhere in this book for meals, and Mind Over Matter and Animal Kinship have uses, but I’d rather have the ability to hide than the ability to talk to animals when push comes to shove.

In addition to the Map of Kalte, I am given a pouch with 16 crowns and that is all I am taking with me. The rest are left behind for safekeeping. I doubt I’ll need gold crowns much on this journey. I also have a choice of two items to take, and I decide to grab the Padded Leather Waistcoat which gives me +2 EP and another Pot of Laumspur, this time healing 4 EP. I’m leaving it behind though, because we have a ton of supplies with us, including duplicates of everything just in case we lose a sledge, so it’s not like I need any supplies.



I am doing the following with my items:




Safekeeping:

Golden Key
Prince Pelethar’s Sword
Kai Axe
Burrowcrawler Dagger
Warhammer from Farmhouse
Red Pass
Coach Ticket
Black Sword of Parsion
Map of Sommerlund
Fur Blanket
49 Gold Crowns
1 Meal
Potion of Laumspur - +5 EP
Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP



Keeping:

Crystal Star Pendant
Sommerswerd
Magic Spear
Dagger
Map of Kalte
Shield
Padded Leather Waistcoat
16 Gold Crowns

[Abe Sargent]

Lone Wolf, Guardian Rank of Kai:

28 EP
27 CS w/ Shield, Mindblast, & Sommerswerd

Sixth Sense
Healing
Tracking
Weaponskill
Mindblast
Mindshield
Camouflage

[Abe Sargent]

Here we go.


We set out from Anskaven on the Sommlending warship Cardonal. Food, water, ice equipment and Kanu-dog teams were loading onto the ship before we left. Only the most senior members of the crew knew what the voyage was for.

The plan is for me to set ashore at the Halle Bluff, which you can see on the map. There the ship will drop anchor and await my return. An elite team of trusted guides will take me from the Bluff to Ikaya, the Ice Fortress. Their job is to get me to and back from Ikaya, my job is to penetrate the defenses of the Ice Fortress and find and capture Vonotar if possible, and kill him if not. This is the traitor to his own people that is responsible for the death of many of my fellow Sommlending. Our mission cannot take longer than 30 days, because the Pack Ice will begin to form and endanger the return.

For six days, our journey is uneventful, and on the seventh we only have a small ice storm and spot the island of Tola. However, as we approach, the ice storm grows stronger and as the day continue, the ship is forced off course and lands at the Ljuk Ice Shelf instead of the Bluffs. We unload here, because it would waste a day to travel back to the Halle Bluff.

We have a choice of routes from here. We can go up the shorter but rougher trek to Cloudmaker Mountain, and from there across the Viad Glacier. Or we can take the longer but easier trek through the Hrod Basin and into Storm Giant Pass to Ikaya. Each should take about ten days, and the choice is mine.

I choose to take the shorter, more direct route, but harder. That way, if something goes wrong, there is less mileage to cover.

[Abe Sargent]

Our teams organize into two sledges, each with six Kanu-dogs and me and my three guides, Fenor, Dyce and Irian. The Kanu-dogs are well suited to this mission, bred for operation in the Kalte Wastes. The guides are the best we could find and dedicated to the success of this mission. They are expert trappers, guides, survivalists, and more. I am on a sled with Dyce, and each has enough equipment and food for the journey, so in case we lose a sled, we can get there and back.

You can see very far in this glacial landscape, and I can see the Viad Glacier and mountains even here. We make great progress the first day, and camp inside a circle of ice pillars that were created by the constantly moving ice shelf. Our tents are secure and our dogs fed when suddenly Irian calls out:

“By the gods, a Baknar!”

Baknar are very large creatures that hunt and forage in Kalte coastline and usually eat fish or birds in the sea coast, but it appears to want Kanu-dog tonight.

I have three options - use Hunting, Animal Kinship, or Fight it. Well, obviously, I have to fight.


[img]http://www.projectaon.org/en/xhtml/lw/03tcok/ill5.gif[img]


The Sommerswerd hums in my hand, even at night. I cannot evade the Baknar and must fight it to the death of either it or me.

Baknar: CS 19, EP 30

I roll an 8 and deal 14 damage while taking none. A 4 follows and 9 to it, 2 to me. A 1 deals out 6 and I take 4. It has 1 Ep left. I roll a zero and kill it. I took 6 total damage and am at 22.

The beast dies and a horrible stench wafts from its body. Even the dogs shrink away from the foul-smelling Baknar. Irian doesn’t and pulls out a dagger and slices into its carcass. Why would we want to skin this foul creature? Ick. Irians skins it from neck to groin, opens it up, and scoops out handfuls of its oil and cheerfully smears it on his face and body. He tells me it will protect against the cold.



I can choose to apply the oil, or avoid smelling awfully. I choose to apply the fat/oil substance of the freshly killed Baknar - double ick.

I initially hold my breath and apply the foul oil, but I quickly begin to feel warmer the more I apply. I also notice the smell disappearing slowly. All of the guides have applied the Baknar Oil, and only the dogs seem to object, and they whine and hide their noses in the snow as I pass to head back to my tent.

[Abe Sargent]

The following morning Fenor prepares a nice hot breakfast, a welcome sight to greet you in this icy wasteland. I eat a bowl of steaming stew gratefully. The morning is beautiful and we make quick time. By nightfall we have reached Syem Island ahead of schedule. Syem Island is a pinnacle of granite that juts out of the ice 400 feet. We make camp tonight on the leeward side to avoid most of the wind.

I am asked to roll the dice. I get a 4.

The next day snow clouds appear in the sky around Syem Island. We arrive at the edge of the Viad Glacier in a few hours. Bits of ice jut out at every angle and present a most unusual obstacle. We have to walk the sledges in a few places, and try hard to get to the smoother going of the regular glacier in a bit.

We cover about a half of a mile through this before we come across a major crevasse in the ice. It is only a few feet wide but it is miles long. We tie a rope around everyone in order to help us get to safety. The hardest part will be getting the dogs and sleds across. Luckily, we manage it alright.

Finally we come to an even larger crevasse over 8 feet wide. Our sledges are ten feet long and ought to be able to be used as bridges to cross the fissure, but if the ice give sway, it’s bye bye Kai Lord. We can either try and use the sledges as bridges, or we can jump across with the Kanu-dogs, and then pull the sledges after us. I prefer the latter choice because it seems like everything is in my control. The first one hopes the ice holds, but I have no way of knowing it, but the second is a jump under my control and pulling under it as well.

Dyce makes it over but Irian slips and has to be pulled up by Dyce. Now it is my time. I am asked to roll the dice, and add two if I have Hunting. I roll a 8. It takes nearly an hour to cross, but everything and everyone is okay. We have finished the ascent of Viad Glacier today, and camp in a small bowl in the ice.

[Abe Sargent]

I am asked to pick a number. I get a 2.

For three days and nights we fight our way across the glacier. Falls, bruises, razor sharp ice, cuts, sprains and the constant cold sap at our strength. However, we are lucky to have avoided a blizzard and count that as a definite blessing.

We reach the shelter of Cloudmaker Mountain. The mountain is over 13,000 feet high and we camp in her shadow is a perfect fissure.

Later that evening, after we are camped, I go out to take a piss, and I spy a faint glow of torchlight in the rocks above. I can choose to use Sixth Sense, investigate, or go back to camp. I use Sixth Sense. It tells me there is someone or something in the fissure, but I cannot tell their intentions, so I head out to explore.

I climb fifteen feet deeper into the fissure when suddenly the ice gives way and I fall way down. I tumble over 200 feet into a huge pile of snow and I begin to suffocate. I eventually manage to extricate myself and look around. I still have my special items, gold, and dagger but I have lost my backpack, since it is still in my tent above. I cannot carry any backpack items until and if I find a new one.

I look around to see where I am. The light of this area seems to be given off by strange bowls hanging from the ceiling. These are M’Lare bowls that were discovered by the ancients long ago as a source of light. My guides will never find me and will probably call off their search after a day or three.

[Abe Sargent]

A vast corridor with icy stalactites of significant size greets me, and for two hours of walking I continue to wonder at the splendour of Kalte. I reach a junction and I can go right, left, or Tracking. Tracking tells me that I am directly beneath Cloudmaker Mountain. The tunnels are east or north, I choose east.

After a mile or so, the tunnel opens up into a beautiful grotto with melt water cascades and a silvery mineral in the rocks creating pretty displays and reflections. The grotto has no other openings except for a cave under one of the cascades that I can enter if I so choose. I do choose.

The cave is cold and dark. I go about sixty yards when I hear animal noises. I can use Animal Kinship, draw my sword and charge, or creep closer. It’s dark, so I am going to assume the benefit of non-friendlies, because I may not have the chance to see if they are or are not such.

I have surprised a group of four Kalkoth and kill two of them before the other two turn and face me. I fight them one at a time.

Kalkoth One CS 11, EP 35
Kalkoth Two CS 10, EP 32

I have a huge CS advantage. Should be easy. I roll a 0 and kill the first automatically without any sweat. I roll a 9 and bisect the other.

I am told that if I take any damage, I am to immediately go to one passage, and I can evade, and I can kill them. I kill them without a scratch, so I go there.

I notice one of the creatures has a Blue Stone Triangle on a chain around its neck and I take it and put it around mine. I wipe my blade on the Kalkoth hide and move on.

[Abe Sargent]

After a few hundred yards I enter a hugely giant cavern that spreads out in every direction farther than I can see. It appears that I have entered the Caverns of Kalte. I am looking at an uncharted world rarely seen by any, and rumored by myth. These places were built by the ancients before my people every existed. The M’Lare bowls continue to light the way.

I trek through this cavern for six hours in a northerly direction. I finally arrive at a swiftly moving melt-water river with some ice chunks in it. I can see a tunnel leading off on the other side. The only way across is to jump from one chunk of ice to the next. I am instructed to pick a number and add 2 if I have Hunting. I roll a 6.

I quickly make it across and follow the tunnel for an unknown number of hours. I pass fissures and more, but nothing else, the tunnel just continues. I am in a daze an nearly asleep on my feet when the smell of cocking food awakens me. I move down the tunnel and spy a side chamber. I choose to enter.

I see two men huddled for warmth around a cooking fire coming from an odd sphere.





The men look old and a bit crazy, but the food is delicious looking and I am very hungry and without any meals or even a backpack to put meals in. I can approach them politely and ask for some food, attack them, or carry on. I choose to approach them politely.

As I enter, they jump up scared and run away. I can hear their screams of fear echo down the passageway. I devour the cooking animal very quickly and finally have the warmth of food in my belly. I also notice the odd sphere. The fire is coming out of two halves of a sphere. I pick it up and it is cool to the touch. I close the sphere, open it back up, and fire is still there. This is quite an interesting device, and I decide to take the Firesphere (a special item).

[Abe Sargent]

I continue along the tunnel for another mile but soon sleep begins to overtake me and I sleep. I awake refreshed but I have no idea what day it is, or what day it is. Mile after mile passes and I see ice halls, crystal rooms, and finally the ledge of a great chasm, which I follow. After a while on the ledge, I glance back and notice a giant two headed snake. I am asked if I have Tracking and/or Animal Kinship. I do have one.

Tracking tells me this is a Javek, a deadly poisonous ice snake that moves quickly. I will be unable to outrun it. However, like many ice creatures, it is afraid of fire. I am asked if I have the Firesphere or I can just attack the poisonous snake. I pull out the Firesphere and place the halve son the ground between the Javek and me. The Javek writhes about and tries different angles to get to me, but it cannot get past the Firesphere on this ledge. After some time, it gives up and moves back into the darkness. Once I am sure it is gone for good, I collect the Firesphere and continue on my way.

The chasm and ledge, after miles, eventually open into an icy but scaleable rock face. I can try to scale the rock face, or I can descend into a hall that has opened up. I choose to descend. This is faster than above with all of its ice traps and such and I am going north still.

Shortly after I discover a fork and I can go left, right, or use Tracking to identify some tracks in the snow and ground. I use Tracking and identify the tracks as a Baknar, but I cannot tell which way it currently is. I decide to go left.

[Abe Sargent]

After a short walk I arrive at a massive ice hall full of stalactites and stalagmites. The floor is covered with animal bones and tracks and the northern wall is bricks, mortar, and a door. Suddenly hope fills me. These must be the foundations of Ikaya, and I will have a chance to enter from the deep dungeons, far away from prying eyes.




There is a ramp that leads to the door. I can cross the icy hall or try to examine the bones. I examine. I try to find something before I eventually make out a bone box. I pick it up and I have a choice of opening it. I choose to do so and find a beautiful and very large diamond, which I add to my belt pouch. It would be worth thousands of Gold Crowns.

As I move up the slippery stone ramp towards the door, I hear a sound of cracking ice from behind me and I turn and see a large mound of what I thought were crystals move. They unfurl into a giant serpent and it begins to approach me. I can run to the door or fight the serpent. I’d rather just get the fight over with now.

This more than a mere snake, it is a Crystal Frostwyrm. I cannot evade. This powerful creature is immune to Mindblast.




Crystal Frostwyrm - CS 15, EP 30.

I roll a 2 and take 3 while I deal 9. I follow with a 9 and it dies.

The creature shatters and begins to dissolve into the ice. As this happens, I see a silver key among the fetid organs. I decide to grab it, but the stomach acids coating it deal 1 EP to me, and then I pick it up with my cloak.

The fortress door is completely smooth and there is no latch, and no keyhole. However, there is a small triangle shaped depression. I am asked if I have a Blue Stone Triangle, and I do. I press it into the granite and the door begins to open, and then halfway open, it stops and begins to close, so I grab the Triangle and jump through into Ikaya.

[Abe Sargent]

Ikaya is much warmer than the outside, and I can actually take off my mittens and lower the hood of my cloak. That alone feels good. The M’Lare Bowls continue to light up Ikaya. The stone passage I am in goes up to a small landing leads to an archway, beyond which is a room with ages of refuse in it. A large lever is beside the archway. I can pull the lever, enter the room and search, or continue east along the passageway.

I enter the room and search, and after a while, I turn up an old fur backpack and a length of rope so long it takes up to slots. I take both.

I now head east along the passageway, since the lever just opens and close a door into the refuse room. I eventually hit a flight of broad stone steps that ascend northwards to a large landing some thirty feet up. How long will I remain undetected? I actually have surprise on my side right now. I am hungry and must either eat a meal or lose 3 EP. I have to lose the EP which is not healable with Healing, because I have no meals.

[Abe Sargent]

I can go east or west. I go eat and run into a fissure and choose to return and go west rather than fling my rope around an M’Lare bowl and try to swing over. Less than five minutes later I arrive at a large stone door with a lever. I can pull it or continue along the corridor. I pull it. It creaks open and I see a room with an old stench that shows it has been undisturbed for centuries. On an old stone table is a sack with four ancient bottles. I can choose to examine them, or leave.



I examine them. I can use the pack as a backpack but I already have the old fur one. There are Red, Orange, Green and Black potions. Which one do I want to investigate?

Let’s start with Red:

I wipe the grime off, unstopper it, and I am asked if I have Healing, which I do. Healing tells me this is distilled Laumspur than will heal 5 EP when swallowed. I restopper it and take it.

Let’s go with orange. The stopper is jammed and it takes a while to get it loose. I am asked if I have either Sixth Sense or Weaponskill. I do, so my skills tell me this is distilled Alether. If I drink it before a battle, I get +4 CS for that battle. I add it to my backpack.

I choose green next. I am asked if I have Animal Kinship or if I am the rank of Aspirant or higher, and I have that rank. This is the aroma of concentrated Gallowbrush, or “Sleeptooth.” It is a very powerful sleeping potion, and my Kai Masters use to use this on injured horses in order to treat them. I keep it.

Last is the black potion. This stopper is sealed with wax, and I have to risk the thin glass in order to break the seal. I can choose not to do it, or to continue. I continue. It is very delicate and I am asked to roll a number and add 3 if I have either Mindblast or Mind Over Matter. I add 3 and get a 8 total. I manage to crack it in the right place and the odor is quite foul and pungent. I am asked if I have ever visited the Graveyard of the Ancients, which I have. Using my previous experience, I know this to be concentrated Graveweed, a poisonous concoction. I take the deadly poison, because you never know.

I only have space for two more backpack items, but I look and feel like an apothecary now.

[Abe Sargent]

I continue along the corridor. The walls of this area has strange carvings like tornadoes on them. Odd. I keep moving until the corridor reaches a sharp turn to the right. Another stone door faces me and I can choose to continue or to pull the lever. I pull the lever. Inside is a small room with a granite chest, which I choose to investigate.

I see the faces of grotesque and more creatures adorn the corners of the chest. One face has a keyhole. I can try the silver key, or leave.



I try it. The lock is clicked and the key disappears as the chest opens. Here is a magnificent Silver Helmet.



I can use Sixth Sense, put it on, or leave it here. I use my extra perceptions and discover it is a powerful magical helmet, and not evil at all. I decide to put it on and I discover that it increases my CS by 2. Where most armor increases EP, this one increases CS instead. I keep the Silver Helmet on, and happily continue my explorations.

[Abe Sargent]

I climb over a hundred steps before I arrive at a landing. I am asked to pick a number and add 3 if I have Tracking, Hunting or Sixth Sense. I roll a 2, add 3 ,and just barely make the cutoff. My skills allow me to discover a small lever in the wall. I pull it. A narrow archway with billowing mist and smoke greets me. It is very cold too. I am asked if I have both Sixth Sense and the rank of Guardian, which I do.

I will quote what I learn:


You can sense the presence of a powerful life-force beyond the misty arch. As you concentrate, you suddenly recall a tale told to you when you were a small child, 'The Legend of the Vagadyn Gate'. This was a tale of Ice Demons and how they once fought a war to be able to leave their world and come to Kalte. They were formless creatures, without shape and substance, and existed as pure energy in another dimension, beyond the confines of space and time. The Ice Demons discovered the Vagadyn gate, a sort of door between their world and Magnamund; they fought each other to enter this gate, unaware of the fate that awaited them. The Ancients had also discovered the gate. As the Ice Demons passed through the Vagadyn, their spirits were imprisoned in crystals by the cunning Ancients, who harnessed the power of the Ice Demons to build Ikaya. The M'lare bowls that light the fortress each contain the spirits of lesser Ice Demons trapped within. You also remember that the tale warns against destroying the crystal prisons: if an Ice Demon is released it will seek to claim the body of its rescuer.


I enter the misty arch. This is a hidden temple of the ancients. The chamber is ill-lit and cold. The floor has slabs of quartz and granite on it, and there is an alter on the north side with a strange statue on top. There are stairs on the other side. I can approach the stairs, use only granite flagstones, or only quartz. I choose to just walk over there.

As I do, a crackle of energy lances over the statue and it begins to move. I can attack it now, wait to see what happens, or run for it. I choose to wait. It rises from the altar and moves towards me. I can run or attack it.




I swing at it with the Sommerswerd and it breaks easily. The temperature in the room drops significantly and I am saved from icy cold damage by Baknar Oil. A wind is released from the statue and begins to form around itself, swirling and mounting in pressure.



I have released an Ice Demon and it is intent on killing me. I am asked if I have the Sommerswerd, Firesphere, want to flee or want to attack. The wind buffets me, and as I raise the ultimate weapon of the light, it recognizes its own doom and screeches in terror. I strike at the very heart of the cyclonic ice demon and the wind dissipates, flinging its death scream across the room. You see, I was forewarned, but I was also forearmed. I figured I should just kill it and banish it back so that someone else doesn’t accidentally die to it.

I choose to search the altar rather than immediately leave. I see that two stone buttons have risen from the altar. I can try to push them, leave, or use Sixth Sense. My Sixth Sense tells me that if I press them in the right order, I should get something good. However, there is a chance for a trap. I choose to play with the buttons. I can use Mind Over Matter to push them, but I don’t have it. I can push left then right, right then left, or both together. I go left then right, in the order you would read. A secret compartment opens and I pull out a strange effigy of a tentacled creatures.




I keep it as a special item. I try the buttons again but they are locked. I leave and pass through an archway on the other side, pulling a lever there to close off the temple. The temperature is warming up again and I can see light at the end of a dark passageway, and there is a portal close to the floor with a corridor ten feet down. I can take the passageway or the portal down. Let’s go back down. I jump through the portal.

[Abe Sargent]

I twist my ankle slightly in the fall and give out a small yelp of pain and lose 1 EP. I see an Ice Barbarian seated about 30 feet away and he is moving towards me. I can charge and attack him, use Camouflage, or run for the north corridor. I use Camouflage.

The stone walls and their carvings cast odd shadows and I use that to my advantage to hide. I am asked to roll a die and I roll a 2. He does not see me, and I can choose to tiptoe away or ambush him from behind. I choose the latter. Because of my quickness and ambush, I will not lose any EP in the first two rounds of battle.

Ice Barbarian - 17 CS, 29 EP

He is immune to Mindblast. I roll a 7 and he takes 14. I roll a 2 and he takes 8 and I take nothing because of the ambush. I follow with a 1 and he takes 7 and me 4. Another 2 kills him off and I took 7 damage and I am at 18.

I kill him and I can take his Bone Sword and Gold Bracelet. I can use Sixth Sense. It tells me the Gold Bracelet is a powerful piece of magic. Gold is out of place here because the Ice Barbarians use tooth and bone and leather for their needs. There are no mines on Kalte. Jewelry is of not interest to these practical people. My Sixth Sense leads me to suspect this was worn by force. I choose not to put it on.

[Abe Sargent]

I continue on and discover a door in the corridor. I can look in the room, or continue on. I look in through a spy-hole and see a robed man inside of a pentacle traced on the floor. I can go it or continue. I choose to go in.

As I go in, he asks who is there. He looks up and recognizes my Kai Cloak and praises the gods. He is Tygon, a merchant from Ragadorn who was kidnapped by the Ice Barbarians and now awaits audience with their new leader. He asks to be freed. I recognize the pentagram as a common circle of biding that can be easily broken from the outside. I can either freed him, or leave him, or if I have visited Ragadorn I can ask him some questions about the city. I choose to ask him.

I can ask him who the name of the ruler is, what is the name of the tavern in Barnacle Street, or the name of the river that divides Ragadorn. I choose the former. He says Killean.

Now, that’s actually wrong. Lachlan has been the ruler there for four years, and Killean before him. But if Tygon has been here for four or more years, that would be right. Of course, if he was here for four or more years, he wouldn’t be still waiting Vonotar’s audience, and Vonotar has only been here for less than a year himself. There’s no way the old Ice Barbarian chieftain would have imprisoned someone behid a magical circle. Something doesn’t add up here. I choose not to free him. He cries out to me as I leave.

[Abe Sargent]

As I continue, I come across another prisoner. This must be the jails, and that’s why the Ice Barbarian was down here, probably a guard. The spy hole for this door reveals and old man huddled in the corner with blue robes. I open the door to his cell.

Quote:

'Upon my soul, a Kai Lord!' he exclaims, his eyes now wide with astonishment.

'How I've prayed for freedom, for deliverance from this infernal place. And although hope never deserted me, I never expected such an illustrious rescuer.'

In the middle of his excitement, the old man is suddenly disturbed by a fit of coughing that leaves him pale and exhausted. It is a few minutes before he can speak again. 'My name is Loi-Kymar. I am an elder of the Magicians' Guild of Toran,' he says, slowly removing a small crystal star pendant, the symbol of the guild, from beneath his tattered robes. The guild is known as the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, and the magician shows his pendant as proof of his identity. You ask him how he came to be imprisoned here in Ikaya, many hundreds of miles from his native Toran.





'Vonotar, that unspeakable wretch, is responsible for my plight. Days before the Darklord invasion of Sommerlund, he betrayed your Kai masters to win power--the black power of death and darkness. However, he failed to play his part in the war plans his evil masters had laid. The Darklords do not tolerate such weakness--mercy has no place in their brutal minds. In the bitterness of defeat, they sought to destroy Vonotar for his crime of failure. Vonotar knew that I possessed the only means to effect an escape from their vengeance, for my Guildstaff has the power of teleportation. He tried to steal it and flee to the safety of Ikaya by himself, but he learnt that its power is not for all men to share; only I am blessed with its secret. He was angry and would have murdered my kinspeople had I not agreed to bring him here, so I had no choice but to do so.'

'Ever since, I have been a prisoner in this cell. Vonotar has tortured my body and my mind, but I have not divulged the secret of my Guildstaff, which he now keeps in the Hall of the Brumalmarc. For if I were to tell him, my life would no longer be of any value.'

You tell Loi-Kymar of your mission and of the events that have led to your meeting. He offers to show you a route through Ikaya to the Hall of the Brumalmarc where Vonotar now resides as ruler, and if you can retrieve his Guildstaff, he promises to teleport you to the coast in time to rendezvous with your ship.

For the first time since you fell into the caverns of Kalte, you feel confident that your mission can now succeed.

[Abe Sargent]

Loi-Kymar tells me that he has memorized the corridors and secrets of Ikaya by listening. He has learned more from his cell than Vonotar has with all of his magery. We go through several secret doors and down multiple passages before we end up in the kitchens. We are at a secret door that enters the kitchens, and a big bowl of stew is being brewed while some hungry Ice Barbarians prepare for their meal. I can use the Graveweed, Sleeptooth, or launch a secret attack. I decide to use the sleep potion. After all, I have learned the Ice Barbarians are mental slaves of Vonotar, so I want to kill as few as possible.

I pour the potion into their stew, and after a few moments, they are ready and move to get some, hungry to hot stew food. After a few more minutes, the Ice Barbarians are all snoozing happily. The kitchen is well stocked with herbs and Loi-Kymar prepares a selection and feeds them to me, and I am healed 6 EP. I am back to full at 28 EP.

He tells me we are on the same level as the Hall of the Brumalmarc. Two Ice-Barbarians stand guard by large jewel encrusted doors. He takes three jars from his pockets that he squirreled away from the kitchens and mixes them together. Blue smoke begins to emerge, and I need to deliver it near the Ice barbarian guards. I can use Camouflage, Mind Over Matter, Hunting or just try. I use Camouflage. I use some cloth to plug my nostrils and move the bowl near the Ice Barbarians with my skills. They collapse to the floor and we can approach the Hall completely undetected. I steel myself for an attack and push open the doors.

[Abe Sargent]

This is a vast chamber with crystal blocks as decoration. Vonotar the Traitor is on a crystal throne entranced by study and oblivious to us. We truly got him, completely and totally surprised. Loi-Kymar sneezes and Vonotar looks up.

Upon seeing us, he gasps and fumbles for his black staff. He looks like a criminal caught in the act. I unsheathe the Sommerswerd and charge towards him but he is far enough away that he is able to summon a really large guardian, a Akraa’Neonor. This huge tentacled monster has a central eye and slithers towards me. I can use my Sommerswerd, pull out the Effigy, or just attack it with a regular weapon.

I pull out the Effigy. I grab it from my pocket and it begins to glow. The creature is mesmerized. Loi-Kymar orders me to use it against Vonotar, and I mentally command the Akraa’Neonor to capture Vonotar, which is does with ease. Within seconds, we have captured a struggling Vonotar, who finally faints. I try Vonotar up and strip him of all of his rings, trinkets and jewelry.

Loi-Kymar raids the Hall until his finds his Guildstaff. After a few moments, he begins to use it to teleport all three of us to the boat.


The final section:


As the colours fade, you become aware of a sudden drop in temperature. You now stand upon the Ljuk ice shelf at a point less than half a mile from where the Cardonal lies at anchor. Loi-Kymar and Vonotar are close by, both shivering in the chill morning air. Within minutes you are sighted by the ship's lookout and a longboat is despatched. As a wriggling Vonotar is hoisted unceremoniously aboard the Cardonal and deposited in the brig the captain is the first to congratulate you on your skill and daring.

'But how did you manage to return so quickly?' he asks incredulously. 'We were not expecting you for another ten days.'

'Let us say,' interrupts Loi-Kymar, 'that the wisdom of the Kai and the lore of the Magicians' Guild can surpass the limitations of even time itself.'

A puzzled expression crosses the captain's face, but it is gradually replaced by a smile as he begins to understand the magician's curious answer.

Your journey to Anskaven is swift, but you are saddened by your memories of the brave guides that were left behind. Your arrival in the port is greeted by an anxious crowd. They fear that your early return is a sign of your mission's failure. When the news of Vonotar's capture becomes known, your warrior skills are required once again; this time in the defense of your enemy against the seething mob of outraged Sommlending that assault Anskaven gaol. Safe passage is eventually secured to Toran, where trial awaits the traitor.

Upon the dawn of the feast of Maesmarn, in the depths of the Guildhall of the Crystal Star, Vonotar the Traitor is tried by his brotherhood and found guilty of his terrible crimes. He is led away in silence to the deepest chamber of the Guildhall, wherein lies the Daziarn: a portal of total darkness, the door of an eternal prison from which there can be no escape.





You are the avenger of his crimes, and it is you who cast the wretched traitor into the limbo of Daziarn. Your mission is now completed. You have survived the caverns of Kalte and freed Sommerlund from the menace of Vonotar.

[Abe Sargent]

Alright, let’s look at The Caverns of Kalte

This is the first title in what will become a very common theme as Joe Dever, bless his heart, simply cannot write a good title. The Titles will be THE blank OF blank, and the second black will often be a adjective of nastiness. The next book, The Chasm of Doom, then The Kingdoms of Terror in book 6, The Jungle of Horror, the Cauldron of Fear, the Prisoners of Torgar, The Prisoners of Time, and The Masters of Darkness round out the first 12 before we have The Plague Lords of Ruel, The Captives of Kaag, The Legacy of Vashna, The Deathlord of Ixia, The Curse of Naar and that ends the series with Lone Wolf.

Anyway, the book is okay. Is the first time you get bonuses for rolls for having certain skills, and that makes the random number system feel a lot more fair from Fire on the Water.

I don’t like how the book is the only place in the series where you can lose by not dying. If you get to Vonotar without Loi-Kymar, you lose. If you do not have the Effigy, you have to fight the powerful guardian creature he summons, and it has 50 EP and has a high CS. Now, its undead, so your Sommerswerd can kill it quickly, but if you do not have the Sommerswerd of the Effigy, you have to fight it, and if you can’t kill it in 7 turns, which is virtually impossible, Loi-Kymar bites it and Vonotar escapes and you lose. That’s a bit unfair. You either have to have the Sommerswerd or the Effigy, but if you press the buttons in a different order, you lose if you don’t have the Sommerswerd. That’s pretty random. Even if you had Weaponskill, found the Silver Helmet AND used Alether, you would have to have a really high initial CS to have a chance of dealing 50 damage in 7 turns. If you have an average 5, that’s just 23 CS and you have a +1 CS ratio. That is doable, but if you have a 13 or lower initial, or you can’t identify or find the Silver Helmet and/or Alether, or you already used the Alether, you are dying. Plus, if you have not played through previous books, you have not been to Ragadorn, and you may easily free the Helghast, and without the Sommerswerd, you die to it automatically. Thus, although most of the book is fine, although the few fights are generally harder like the Baktar or the Ice Barbarians, you may have some serious difficulty later if this is your first book. It really assumes you won in a few places, or else you need to get lucky with the buttons, and the Helghast.

Sometimes, this really feels like Get a Lot of Items R Us. I found Blue Stone Triangle, Firesphere, Silver Helm, four potions, rope, weapons, Effigy, diamond, you kind find a few other things like Gold Bracelet, Blue Disc, Doomstone, etc. Anyways, here we go to the next one.


End of The Caverns of Kalte

[Abe Sargent]

The next one is the Chasm of Doom.

[JAG]

3 for 3

[Abe Sargent]

Yup. Once you get the Sommerswerd, the next few books are easy.

[Abe Sargent]

Ruanon is a remote mining province to the south of your homeland, Sommerlund. Nestling between the sullen peaks of the Durncrag and Maaken mountains, the people of this province have long prospered from their toil in the ore-rich mines, living and enjoying their wealth under the protection of their lord--Baron Vanalund.

The gold and gems that are mined at Ruanon yield an important source of revenue to your homeland. The heavily guarded convoy of wagons that leave the province and journey to the capital has become a regular monthly routine; a routine that had never been broken until one month ago when, suddenly, all contact with Ruanon ceased. A troop of one hundred cavalry from the King's Guard were immediately despatched to investigate the whereabouts of the missing convoy. Their commanding officer, Captain D'Val was ordered to report back to the King as soon as contact was made, but he and his men have not returned: they too have disappeared without trace.

The King has summoned you, Lone Wolf, last of the Kai Lords, to his citadel at Holmgard. Your quest is to find Captain D'Val and his men, discover what has happened to the missing convoy, and to uncover the veil of mystery that now hangs over Ruanon. The King has gathered a company of border rangers, a unit of élite scouts, all of whom are skilled in horsemanship and outdoor survival. He has ordered these fifty men to accompany you in the hope that, with your leadership, they may succeed where the larger and more visible force failed.

As you and your men enter the Royal Armoury to equip yourselves for the long ride ahead, you glimpse a black crow perched on a window ledge high above. It flies away, but not before a shiver has run down your spine: in Holmgard, the crow is a bird of ill omen.

[Abe Sargent]

I am given a Map of the Southlands.

[Abe Sargent]

Alright, I am taking Hunting as my next skill. Easy peasy.

I can take up to six items from the Royal Armory, so I take a Chainmail Waistcoat, 2 potions of Laumspur (+4 EP), two meals and a staff.

The Chainmail Waistcoat is, officially, compatible with the Padded one. Awesome.

I also get a bag of 10 gold.

[Abe Sargent]

Let’s take a look at what I have:

Safekeeping:

Golden Key
Prince Pelethar’s Sword
Kai Axe
Burrowcrawler Dagger
Warhammer from Farmhouse
Red Pass
Coach Ticket
Black Sword of Parsion
Map of Sommerlund, Kalte
Fur Blanket
49 Gold Crowns
1 Meal
2xPotion of Laumspur - +5 EP
Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP
Fur Backpack
Bone Sword
Effigy
Distilled Alether +4 CS
Concentrated Graveweed
Kalte Diamond
Ragadorn Dagger
Magic Spear




Keeping:

Crystal Star Pendant
Blue Stone Triangle
Sommerswerd
Quarterstaff, Royal Guard
Firesphere
Map of Southlands
Shield
Silver Helmet
Chainmail Waistcoat
Padded Leather Waistcoat
2 Meals
2 Potions of Laumspur: 4 EP
Ropex2 slots
26 Gold Crowns



I have 7 of the max 12 Special Items. I don’t consider the Triangle, Pendant, Map to count against the total.

I have 7 of 8 backpack slots filled with Rope, Meals, and Potions

I have just 26 gold crowns.

I am carrying a staff in the weapon slot. Actually, after consideration, I’m moving the Magic Spear to Safekeeping. That gives me room for 6 special items, not 5.

[Abe Sargent]

Lone Wolf, Warmarn Kai Lord


29 CS with helmet, shield, blade and Mindblast
32 EP with two waistcoats


Sixth Sense
Hunting
Tracking
Healing
Weaponskill
Mindblast
Mindshield
Camouflage


You might recall Captain D’Val from the beginning of Fire on the Water as the guy who got me equipped and ready and got my boat ready.


Alright, here we go, The Chasm of Doom awaits.

[Abe Sargent]

For three days I lead my 50 elite rangers southward without any trouble. The lush plains of southern Sommerlund are the first stage of my voyage, but they are a welcome sight. We are riding our horses towards Ruanon and answers to the lost gold carts, the lost men, and the lack of contact.

The Southerners welcome our presence but we can hardly stop as our urgent mission calls. We neither want to burden them, nor scare them. Before noon on the fourth day we arrive at the Pass of Moytura. We soon arrive at the notorious Ruanan Pike, a road once mighty but dilapidated in several places, passing on the edges of the Wildlands, and subject to raiders and Giak raids. We move into a cautious position as we continue to ride. Hours later, one of my rangers notices a spiral of wood smoke from the local wood. Do we hit it up, or keep going?

I decide to go there. We need information, and if anyone lives there, perhaps they can give us some. I take an escort of five rangers and approach a hut. As I near the door, I hear a voice say, “Come in Lone Wolf, I’ve been expecting you.” I can leave, enter, or draw my weapon kick in the door and enter. I draw my weapon. I kick in the door and a lot of dust flies about. The voice says he is alone and I have nothing to fear. I enter.

The interior is dimly lit. I see an old man seated at a table and looking up at me. I don’t recognize him. He is moving his hands across a large crystal sphere. I inquire as to how he knows my name. “The stars foretold our meeting long ago Lone Wolf.” He asks me not to be alarmed by his knowledge, as he wants to aid me. He hands me a small scroll with the following verse:

When the full moon shines o'er the temple deep,
A sacrifice will stir from sleep
The legions of a long forgotten lord.
When a fair royal maid on the altar dies,
The dead of Maakengorge shall rise
To claim their long-awaited reward.





The man has fallen into a trance and fails to answer my questions. As I watch, he begins to fade. I can keep his scroll as a special item, and I choose to do so.

[Abe Sargent]

I can ask them for info, or let them go on their way. They may be a good source of info, so I stop them.

I signal the driver to stop, and as they do, a small stout man with a bright pink tunic plunges out of the front wagon and shouts and curses at the driver, until he sees us. Then the idiot starts shouting Bandits! And Robbers! He works himself into such a rage and riot that he manages to knock himself over.



I am told by others that the man, Yesu, is simply afraid of the Pike so much that his nerves have got him. I find out that they are from the land of Cloeasia to the far east. They played at Eshnar but the people were quiet and listless, so they travel to Holmgard for a better audience. They offer to camp with us for the night and do some entertaining. Having 50 Sommerlund rangers in this dangerous land probably helps them out too. I agree.

The minstrels set up a small stage and announce the title of their play The Brave Warriors of Sommerlund. During the performance, I notice something odd. One of the players is using a real sword, and not just any sword, but only those issued to cavalry officers. After the play I approach him to question him about the sword, but he gets nervous and makes a dash for the darkness of the wagons. I can pursue, let him go, or use either Hunting or Tracking to find him. I decide to use my skills.

I find the wagon he is in with my skill and I go up the ladder to the door. He is hiding underneath a blanket. How quaint. I sit down and ask him how he came by such a sword. He tells me that he bought it in Eshnar from the Innkeeper of the Pick and Shovel. He tells me to take it if it is my sword. As I look at it, I see that it was inscribed with “Captain Remir D’Val - King’s Guard Regiment.” I do take it, and it will count as a weapon.

[Abe Sargent]

I accept food from the camp upon my return and then retire for the evening. Sleep is delicious and I am asked to pick a number at dawn. I get a 0. We officially enter the Wildlands part of the journey, and no Hunting for meals for a while. The landscape of Summerlund is gradually replaced with the Wildlands, familiar territory to me. As the day continues, we see storm clouds gather in the distance over the Durncrag Mountains. We discover the ruins of an old temple less than a mile from the road. Do I camp the night there for shelter or press on?

We arrive at the ruins for shelter and see two black robed figures underneath the canopy of the temple ruins. Our men address them but they do not replay. I order them to come out and identify themselves, and they do not move. I can: Order my men to attack them, try to capture them alive, sheathe my weapon and approach them with a sign of friendliness.

Look, I really find this whole thing suspicious, and I remember the Helghasts that attacked Rhygar outside of Tarnalin, but I can’t go about my own country attacking random strangers in robes. I sheathe my weapon, realizing I may be giving them a chance for an ambush. They slip back their hoods to reveal shorn heads and smiles. They appear relieved. They still do not talk, but they hold out fish amulets as identification.




These are a group of pilgrims and monks called The Redeemers. They are devoted to a lifetime of study and, of course have vows of silence. One of them hands me a small earthenware flask of Holy Water, a backpack item. I thank him and take it. We pitch a camp under the marble canopy and I eat a meal because I cannot hunt here.

[Abe Sargent]

We are awakened at night by voices crying out that we are under attack! An arrow whistles through the darkness, and we leap up and begin to attack the Bandits after we form a circle to protect ourselves in the relative darkness lit only by our fire. I manage to find the Bandit Leader after he cuts down to of my men. I cannot evade.

Bandit Leader: CS 17, EP 26

I roll a 9 , and with my large CS that is an auto kill.

The ruins echo with the sound of battle. These are well disciplined bandits, and not ordinary rabble. We charge through them in order to keep them from taking our horses. However, by the end of the battle, we have just eleven horses left. Reluctantly, I select ten rangers, and send the remaining alive back to Holmgard. I am asked to pick a number. I get a 2.

[Izulde]

I hated the Caverns of Kalte. It always seemed that it was a super-easy book or a super-hard one.

[Abe Sargent]

After many hours of riding, we reach a highway junction that says Eshnar is 40 miles, and Ruanon south 60 miles. Now, obviously I am scouting to Ruanon, but I have Capt. D’Val’s sword in Eshnar, so diverting is not necessarily a stupid idea. Plus, as you’ll recall, the Troubadours said the people there were acting oddly. Oh, and I can use Hunting again now.

However, despite the reasons to go to Eshnar, there is one main reason to go south. We are supposed to. Sure, strange things are happening in Eshnar, but Ruanon is where the gold is being stopped and the people have disappeared. So its to Ruanon we go.

It is dusk when we arrive at the head of a forested valley. We have covered 20 miles. I can set up camp here, at the edge, send some men ahead to scout for bandits, or push everyone ahead despite fatigue and hunger. I decide to set up camp now, and the valley will wait until the morrow.

Luckily, the night is fine. We enter the valley and choose to send three scouts ahead because this is a perfect place for an ambush. The trees are packed too tightly together. We arrive at an overturned wagon, burnt out. The scout should have returned when they saw this, but there is no sign of them. I can search the wagon, ignore it, or check out a small track that goes into the hills from behind the wagon. I order the wagon searched.

There is nothing inside, but he wagon is blackened and the metal partly melted. This is the wreck of a Sommlending cavalry wagon. Whatever is in front of us can scorch a cavalry wagon badly. We turn up just in time to see these crazy large metal discs fly through the air and three more of my men fall dead, leaving me with just four rangers. We bury the dead, and now I have two choices - continue along Ambush Lane or take the track up the mountain.

I decide to take the track, but I fear an ambush at this very spot is suppose to make us take that track. After we head up it, I notice some tracks in the ground and I use Tracking to identify them as Sommlending Calvary horses. I choose to follow the tracks. I soon arrive at the opening of a mine. As I get close, they horseman dismounted and the harder dirt allows more distinct prints and they appear to be two of my missing scouts. They go into the mine, and I choose to follow them in after dismounting as well. I shout into the mine but get no response.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I hated the Caverns of Kalte. It always seemed that it was a super-easy book or a super-hard one.

Yeah, it's pretty straight forward too.

[Abe Sargent]

The mine is dark and there are unlit torches on the wall, we each grab one and light it. We follow the footprints to a collapsed section of the tunnel, and they go on top of the rocks and squeeze into the tunnel. I can follow or call off the search and retreat. I choose to follow. We just manage to squeeze through the gap. The mine tunnel descends for several hundred yards. We reach a room with a timber floor and the footprints go to a collapsed section in the middle. We approach and I see two bodies of my scouts laying at the bottom of a muddy shaft, dead. The timbers are creaking so we retreat. I can go east, south, or use Tracking.

My tracking tells me that I have entered the Maaken Mines via a disused passage. For hundreds of years the ore from these mines has been a boon to the economy and infrastructure. There are now a labyrinth of tunnels that have been built over the centuries. However, all I have to do is find a section of the mine still in use, and I can sneak into Ruanon. Not a bad plan at all Tracking. And since Ruanon lies to the south, I take the south passage.

We spend over two hours in the south tunnel. Eventually we arrive at a large cavern. There is a underground river that apparently carved it out, and our miners tunneled into it. It looks like there is another passage on the other side of the cavern and there is a boat tied up. I have two options. Take a boat across the river, and then go to the other tunnel. Or, I could take the boat into the river and ride down the underground river south. It just makes sense to keep heading south.

[Abe Sargent]

As we drift down the river I have my four men huddle down. The ceiling is dropping huge ore-stained drops of water into the river and I don’t want to get too much of the discolored water on my clothes, incase they stain and make it harder for me to hide.

After a mile we arrive at a small grotto and there is a flight of stone steps that rises out of the river. We can continue down the river, or investigate these curious stairs. These stairs are odd, so I order us to disembark here. My four men secure the boat. As we reach a narrow ledge up the stairs, we hear the hissing of steam, and then the crack of a whip and someone yelling. I can go up and investigate or go back to the boat.

I go up. We end up entering a small tunnel off the stairs and the ledge. We occasionally crush a bone underneath our heel as we walk cautiously and grimace. No one responds. We reach a section where the tunnel curves and reveal reflections of torch light on the stones. We see two guards standing at a well inside of a sunken and lit chamber. I can signal my men to attack or try to lure them here and capture them. Well, we have secrecy on our side, so let’s keep it. We make a scraping noise, and as they approach, we attack in force, grab them, shut their mouths, and tie them up. I can question them, search them, or move on. I try to ask them questions but they refuse to say anything.

I order them searched and here is what we find:

4 Gold Crowns
Spear
Broadsword
Iron Key
Brass Key
Enough food for 2 Meals
Potion of Red Liquid

I take the crowns, keys, the liquid is Laumspur, and an extra meal. That gives me a full backpack.

In the well chamber there is a large iron door. There is also a spiral staircase. I can go up or down the staircase or investigate the door. I choose the door. Next to the door is a whip, which is oddly a backpack item. I can take it. I drop a meal in order to do so. I use the Iron key on the door. Immediately a loud hissing like steam can be heard. A large cat like creature called an Elix pounces. It has glowing green eyes, and more pound through the door and attack my men. I draw my sword to attack the first one that came out.




Elix: CS 17, EP 30

I roll a 5. I take one, it 14. I roll a 3. Me 2, it 11. Finally I finish with a 2 and take an extra 2 damage to kill it off. My EP is 27 of 32.

Two of my men lay dead, with their throats torn out. One ranger is pinned to the floor and the other by the stairs. I choose to help the one fighting on the stairs. I hack apart his Elix and his foot is severed by the Elix, and he will die in a few minutes. The other man died too. That was the wrong door to open. I have no men and nothing was in the room. Go up or down. Let’s go up.