One Kai Left: The Lone Wolf Dynasty - Page 8

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 09:37 PM

You have reached the north side of the keep when you are unexpectedly confronted by three Cener Druids, who turn a corner and come walking towards you in a line abreast. To avoid them you are forced to sidestep quickly into a shadowy doorway.

From the darkened doorway you watch the activity taking place in the keep, hoping to see something that will help you locate where in Mogaruith the Cenerese are producing their deadly plague viruses.

From out of the milling crowds of Vazhag there suddenly appears a small group of red-robed Cener Druids. They are talking to each other as they walk towards your hiding place.

Quickly you pull away from the open doorway and retreat deeper into the building. A narrow corridor takes you to a flight of steps which descends to where a passage crosses your path. An ornately painted sign, written in Cenerese, indicates what may be found at the end of each passage.

Your Magnakai skills enable you to read this sign. The arrow pointing to the left reads 'Library'; the arrow pointing to the right reads 'Laboratory'.

(Both hold value. Let’s start with the library,)

The corridor makes a gradual descent towards a single wooden door shod with heavy iron fittings. You press the handle carefully and, to your surprise, the door opens inwards without a sound. You enter and push the door closed before beginning your exploration of this archive.

The library contains thousands of books and time-yellowed parchments, stacked in uneven rows upon shelves that line every wall. The air is heavy with their odour and your senses prickle with the sensation that you are in the presence of works of great evil. Silently you pass from one chamber to the next until you spy two druids seated at a table in an adjoining room. They are studying a large tome which is bound in a pale-coloured leather. A wave of nausea makes you swallow hard the instant you realize that the book is covered with human skin. The two druids, who appear to be little older than a dozen years apiece, are chattering to each other excitedly. You move closer to the room and eavesdrop on their conversation.

After a few minutes you learn that their names are Noraa and Monad. They are novices who were brought into the sect by Cenerese agents after having been orphaned in their native land of Lourden. They seem devoted to studying the lore of their evil brotherhood, and as they read they ruminate at length about a great 'day of retribution' that the Cenerese will enjoy before the year ends.

At length they finish their studies and rise from the table. As Monad restores the book to its shelf, Noraa says:

'Hurry up. We'll be late for Kadrian's sermon.'

Monad nods apologetically, and hurries to join his brother as he leaves the library by another door. As the latch clicks shut, you emerge from your listening place and enter the room.

(I choose to search the room)

You scan the walls of this reading room and as your eye passes over the books and scrolls stored upon its shelves, you feel an almost uncontrollable urge to tear every one of them to pieces. The wickedness they contain, gleaned after thousands of years of perpetrating the vilest herbcraft known to Magnamund, is so potent that you feel your Kai strength waning in their presence (lose 2 ENDURANCE points).

Mindful of the insidious effect of these books you search as quickly as you can. On one of the lower shelves you notice an ornately carved wooden box, banded with gold and inlaid with precious gemstones. You carry it to the main table where the light is brightest and, as you place it there, you hear a riddle emanating from a design engraved on its lid. It speaks in the Cenerese tongue but you instantly recognize the words:

'My treasure is hidden from view
But I'll open myself for you,
If you ponder this puzzle then state
The right answer to determine my fate.
Divide 80 by one half,
Then examine what you see.
From this number take 14,
What remains will open me.'

Your Kai senses tell you that by solving the riddle, then speaking the answer aloud, you will cause the lid of the box to open.

When you think you have solved this riddle, turn to the page number which is the same as your answer.

(160-14 =146, should be the answer. Let’s see).

All that is inside is a Map of Mogaruith, which I take. I hear someone else enter the library, so it’s time I made my leaves.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 09:46 PM

Quote:

You hurry out of the library and follow a series of corridors which end at a large antechamber. This domed hall is decorated with tapestries which depict Cenerese legends, ignoble and infamous deeds that were perpetrated during the Age of the Old Kingdoms, when, for nearly a thousand years, the Cenerese tyrannized Northern Magnamund.

A single heavy oaken door in the opposite wall offers the only exit from the antechamber. As you approach it you notice that it is slightly ajar. Suddenly you hear the doleful sound of chanting emanating from beyond this door. Curiosity coaxes you nearer. You approach and peer through its narrow opening, and a chill runs the length of your spine when you see what lies beyond.

Beyond the door lies a secret Cenerese prayer hall, a chapel of evil where the druids worship and make sacrifice to their foul gods. Kneeling in pews before a blood-red alter are dozens of figures. They chant a soulless dirge as they read from books bound in black cloth. Around the walls hang grim decorations: skulls, flayed skins, tattered baffle banners, and other ugly tributes to the power that is worshipped and coveted here--the power of death, disease and decay.

You look with loathing at the congregation. In the main they are Cenerese, but there are others among them, old adversaries whose origins you recognize immediately. Acolytes of Vashna, Drakkarim, Vassagonian outlaws, Hammerlanders, and even a few Giaks. No doubt the remnants of the Darkland armies found sanctuary here after their masters' demise.

A noise in the corridor behind warns that someone is approaching the antechamber. To avoid them, you slip inside the prayer hall and hide in the shadows cast by a column which supports the roof. Moments later, three druids enter the hall and close the door before taking their places among the congregation.

In case there are any among the congregation who have the power to sense your presence, you draw upon your Disciplines of camouflage and mental defense to minimize the risks of being detected.

A few uneventful minutes pass until another druid enters the hall, ascending from a circular stairwell to your left. He is a tall, imposing figure, dressed in glittering blue robes edged with black velvet. The congregation rises as he walks to the altar, where he turns to face them.

'Be seated my brothers,' he commands, in a voice that is deep and resonant. At once you suspect that he is Arch Druid Cadak himself, but his opening address soon dispels this idea.

'The battle against the Slovians goes in our favour. We have repulsed their puny attacks and our defenses along the Storn remain intact. The Slovians are beaten. They are too weak to threaten us again. I, Kadrian, have seen the great river running red with the blood of their slain.'

Upon hearing this the congregation screech their approval until Kadrian calls for silence. Then, from a tome lying on the altar, he begins to read the opening passages of a service dedicated to Xuzargha, the Cenerese god of pestilence. The gathering fall to their knees, raise the hoods of their robes, and close their eyes in reverence as they listen devoutly to Brother Kadrian's sonorous voice.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 09:57 PM

Anxious to leave this hall, you look around for a means of escape. Two opportunities present themselves: the circular stairwell by which Brother Kadrian entered the hall, and a door to your right marked 'Vestibule'.

(I choose Vestibule)

Once inside, you close the door gently and breathe a sigh of relief. You find yourself alone in a small room which reeks of a heady mixture of incense and sulphur. Scarlet robes line the walls, hanging from wooden pegs driven into the crumbling plaster, and upon a solitary table are heaped a pile of green masks, fashioned from a glass-like mineral.

(I have a Robe and Mask)

A sudden noise startles you and you spin around to face it. A section of the wall is moving inwards, carrying with it the robes that are hanging there. A figure, dressed in a hooded purple cloak and clasping a large leather-bound book, appears in the opening. As he steps into the room the section of wall closes behind him.

'What are you doing here, brother?' he asks, his voice heavy with suspicion. You sense that he is a druid of high rank and you know your answer must be convincing if you are to avoid his wrath.

(I say I’ve been sent to help you)

'Mmmm . . . I did not request an attendant to assist me during devotions,' he says, narrowing his cruel grey eyes. 'Who ordered you here? Was it Brother Jhordax?'

You hesitate, but he does not seem to be expecting a reply.

'That fool Jhordax. This is not the first time that he has failed to observe the protocol of this hall. You can tell your master that I am not impressed by his incompetence. He will have to answer to Him if this ever occurs again.'

The cloaked druid sweeps past you, opens the door to the prayer hall, then slams it shut behind him to reinforce his displeasure.

Mindful of how near you have just come to being detected, you hurry to the section of wall from where the druid appeared and search for a way to make it open once more. You discover a lever and, within seconds of pulling it, the concealed panel glides inwards allowing you access to a secret passage.

The narrow passageway descends by steps and slopes to a chamber which is lit by two large black candles, fixed into holes in the surface of a marble slab. On a nearby table lie the following items:

2 Arrows
Enough food for 2 Meals
2 Daggers
1 Sword
Mirror
Rope

If you wish to take any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

Opposite the slab there is a door which opens into a narrow corridor. You step through and follow this corridor to a room where stands an imposing door made of sheeted copper, inlaid with a filigree of gold and silver. It is the only exit from an otherwise drab and gloomy chamber.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 10:07 PM

A closer inspection of the door reveals that it is surrounded by an airtight seal. Furthermore, there is no keyhole, drawbolt, or handle. However, your keen eyesight is drawn to a pattern in the door's centre panel which, thanks to past experience, you recognize to be a sophisticated combination lock.

The gold inlays form three rows of three numbers within a grid of silver lines.

Below these numbers, in ancient Cenerese script, is carved the message:

'Declare ye the true number to pass this way'

Study the grid of numbers. When you think you know the answer to the riddle, turn to the entry which bears the same number as your answer

(Note that I took two arrows and a mirror. I believe the number is 15. 4+9+2 = 15. So do each of the next two.)

It works and the door opens. I slip through. After a short jaunt, the tunnel ends at a door and stairs down. I choose the door. I find a second Copper Key in this bedroom, and nothing else. I take the stairs down now. It hit’s a door, and guess what, I have a key for it. I have two.

Quote:

Before you stretches a cavernous hall, lit by the glow from fire-filled orbs hanging by chains from the ceiling. Facing each other are two rows of stone statues which form a grotesque corridor leading to an archway on the far side. A flicker of fear chills your heart when you notice that the expressions frozen upon their misshapen faces are those of pain and despair.

Cautiously you advance. You are wary of the statues and your body is tensed to react should they show the slightest hint of animation. Then you detect something which makes you freeze in mid-step. Your Kai senses warn you that something is sleeping in a shadowy alcove close to the distant archway. Anxious not to disturb whatever is resting there, you call upon your camouflage skills to mask your presence before moving any nearer.

(I roll a die. I roll a one. Uh oh.)

You are within twenty feet of the archway when suddenly a tremendous roar echoes around the hall. You start to run, hoping to make it through the arch and escape a confrontation, but almost immediately you are brought skidding to a halt by a terrifying sight.

Advancing from the alcove is a creature whose ghastly visage is the very stuff of nightmares. From its bear-like torso there protrude four tentacles and two powerful legs, all sheathed in shaggy scales. The limbs are surmounted with horny talons which glint menacingly, and its head, set with huge fishy eyes, is bulbous and disfigured by disease. It rests awkwardly upon a crooked neck which wobbles with every movement the lumbering beast makes. A livid crimson gash just below the eyes serves as its mouth, and a long tail with sharp spines swishes behind it, gouging furrows in the surface of the marble floor.

With surprising speed the beast is suddenly upon you, stabbing and slashing at your body with its sword-sharp talons.

Degradon CS 49, EP 36.

I use Kai-Surge. It is immune to Psi-Surge or Mindblast. I roll a 0 and it takes 16 and me 1. I rock a 6 and it takes 10 and me 3. A 7 follows. It dies and I took a total of 6.

Quote:

With a roar of agony, the Degradon crashes forward, forcing you to leap aside to avoid being pinned beneath its loathsome carcass. Breathless and shaking with the fatigue of this deadly combat, you lean against the wall and survey your surroundings.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 10:16 PM

Before you stretches a cavernous hall, lit by the glow from fire-filled orbs hanging by chains from the ceiling. Facing each other are two rows of stone statues which form a grotesque corridor leading to an archway on the far side. Although they are human in shape, extreme expressions of pain and despair twist and contort their faces.

You advance cautiously. You are wary of the statues and your body is tensed to react should they show the slightest hint of animation. Fortunately your caution is unnecessary and you are able to reach the archway and leave the hall without further incident. A short passage leads to a junction where a wider corridor crosses from left to right. Your skin prickles in reaction to the concentration of evil you detect in this subterranean part of Mogaruith, and silently you call upon your creator, the noble god Kai, for protection and guidance before continuing.

Instinct prompts you to turn left, and within a few minutes you arrive at a chamber where a vast staircase of black marble ascends to many levels, lost in the gloom above. Opposite this grand staircase stands a large door, carved from a solid sheet of strange green metal, the like of which you have never seen before. It gives off a pulsating radiance which washes over the empty chamber, illuminating symbols carved into the walls and floor. You focus on these symbols and, in a chilling moment of realization, you decipher their meaning.

The symbols form concentric circles which spell out a grim message:

'Humble thyself for thou art worthless like the dust before He who dwells herein. Pay homage to the emissary of the Lords of Decay for He is the instrument of their intention. Abase thyself afore His power. Hail, mighty Cadak of Mogaruith!'

Fear and uncertainty knot your stomach as you stand and stare at the door to Arch Druid Cadak's throne hall. Your senses scream at you to turn and run from this place for the air is so heavy with evil that you feel as if you are being slowly suffocated to death. But on this occasion you resist your instincts, for you have yet to discover where the Cenerese are cultivating their deadly plague virus and you know that the answer to that question can most likely be found here.

With fear running cold in your veins, you steel yourself and step towards the glowing door. As you come within a few feet of its pulsating surface, a band of intense light washes over you from head to toe.

(I do not have Kai-Screen)

A sudden rush of pain and nausea makes you drop to your knees (lose 3 ENDURANCE points), leaving you shivering fitfully. Your psychic Magnakai Disciplines were insufficient to protect you against the physical effects of the powerful mind probe which you have just experienced, but they were at least able to shield your true identity.

The light, reflected from the Cener Mask you are wearing, activates a sensor and as you rise to your feet you see the great metal door begin to slide open.

Beyond the door awaits an echoing hall which reeks of decay. Its walls are adorned with gruesome paintings which depict terrible scenes of human slaughter. One in particular catches your eye and, although you try hard to ignore it, you find you cannot turn your head away. It shows a pit of helpless humans, writhing and screaming in anguish as they are slowly consumed by packs of wild-eyed plague dogs. The scene shocks you deeply for the doomed humans all have distinct Sommlending features.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 10:27 PM

With difficulty you tear your eyes away and force yourself to look elsewhere in this unfriendly hall. You see columns rising to the roof, each wound round with creepers and fungi which give off an unwholesome, pallid light. Ahead you see another door, identical to that by which you have entered, and before it there stands a desk on top of a plinth of green stone. A creature sits at the desk, huddled over the open pages of a ledger upon which it is writing with a feathered quill pen. As you draw closer it stops scrawling and places its quill into a nearby pot of ink, fashioned from the crown of a human skull. The creature raises its hairless head and stares at you unblinkingly with its solitary eye.

‘Who seeks an audience with He?' it croaks, hoarsely. 'State your name, brother, and your purpose here.'

You are standing in the antechamber of Arch Druid Cadak's throne hall. To enter the hall itself and, hopefully, discover where the deadly virus is being cultivated, you know that you must first persuade this creature to allow you to pass.

(My options are to say I came from the battlefront with urgent news, I am an agent from the last lands with urgent news, or use Animal Mastery, which I do)

It resists. I roll a number and get a 3, which would normally fail, but I add 3 for Kai-Surge and 2 for having more than 20 EP right now. It defeats my control, but it is dazed, and reaching for a magical item. I choose to use my bow. It dies from the arrow. I search the desk and papers but find nothing but a lever to enter the throne room door. Alright, here we go.

Quote:

You flick the lever and turn to approach the throne room door. There is a faint rumble and the great metallic portal slowly glides open to reveal Arch Druid Cadak's private domain.

The room is little larger than the antechamber, however its furnishings and appointments are lavish in the extreme. Ornately carved furniture, inlayed with gold and precious gems, lines walls hung with priceless tapestries and paintings. At the centre of the chamber stands a great black chair, sculpted to display demonic creatures paying homage to the Cenerese. Glowing orbs hang suspended from the ceiling, bathing the chamber in a multi-hued light which is continually changing in colour and intensity.

Although your eyes and your Kai senses tell you that the chamber is empty, you are reluctant to pass through the door. A stench of pure evil is flooding out from this room, wafting over you like an invisible sea that seeks to soil and corrupt all it touches. Fighting back your nausea, you force yourself to cross the threshold and search the chamber before its owner returns.

Of all the precious items which crowd this room, your eye is attracted to three that seem to stand out from the rest. The first is a large crystal sphere which rests on a table beside the great chair. The second is a tapestry, the largest of them all, which hangs directly opposite the door. And the third is a gold statuette which rests on a shelf to your left.

(I do not have Telegnosis)

You are sorely aware that time is running out. It can not be long before either Cadak returns to his chamber or the Cenerese discover that they have an intruder in their midst. With this thought in mind you set about searching the throne room for clues that could reveal the whereabouts of the lethal plague virus you have come to destroy.

(Which do I search, the globe, the tapestry, or the statue? I choose the statue and find a Gold Key, which I pocket)

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 10:36 PM

You spin around to see a figure standing in the doorway. He is tall and his sharp features are framed by a mane of flowing platinum hair. In his left hand he carries a wizard's staff and in his right he holds a feathered quill, the pen of the creature who was once his scribe.

‘Was it you who murdered Cordask?' he asks, his powerful voice devoid of the slightest emotion. But when you do not answer him immediately his voice and his expression undergo a dramatic change. His eyes radiate an unearthly glow and your skin tingles as you feel his psychic energies probing at your mind.

'You are not a brother,' he growls, like a rabid dog, and casts the quill aside.

'Take off your mask and show your true self . . . assassin!'

And with that he advances towards you with his staff pointing straight at your heart. You raise your weapon defensively and, in the blink of an eye, a crackling flame lights at the tip of his staff and comes roaring towards your chest.

(I do have the Sommerswerd)

You raise the Sommerswerd and catch the magical fire upon the flat of its blade. There is a deafening crack and you feel an electrifying jolt run the length of your sword arm as the flame is deflected and set roaring back towards its caster. He regards the rebounding fireball with a look of cool indifference and proceeds to sheathe himself in a glowing cocoon of pale blue light. The flames split apart as they collide with this protective shell, flowing harmlessly around his body to disappear into the antechamber beyond.

'There is only one who wields such a blade,' he spits, pointing at the Sommerswerd with his flame-tipped staff.

'And I'll see that you perish upon it, Cadak!' you shout in defiant reply.

'Ha!' he sneers, 'I rejoice that fate has brought you here to me, Lone Wolf, for it is you who will perish. Turn around and meet your nemesis!'

You sense that Cadak's command is no simple trick for you can feel another presence in the room, moving towards your back. You sidestep to your left and turn, keeping the Arch Druid still in sight as you glance across your shoulder at the rest of the chamber.

You had been half-expecting to see one of Cadak's henchmen sneaking forward with a dagger in his hand, and so the terrible sight which greets your gaze now is doubly shocking.

Stepping from out of the tapestry which covers the wall is a gigantic, bull-like creature, with the head and face of a man. Two needle-sharp fangs protrude from its bloodstained upper lip, and its eyes gleam with a murderous lust that chills your soul. What had once, only minutes before, been woven into the fabric of the tapestry, now strides towards you with slow purposeful steps, its taloned hands outstretched in eager readiness to tear you apart.

Exterminus CS 50, EP 50

I use Kai Blast. I roll a 8, 1, 2, 5, and 7. He has taken 38, and I 17. I roll a 3 and a 9. He is dead and I took 22 total (19/42)

The demonic Exterminus screams in agony as your killing blow pierces its heart. It sways for a moment, defying gravity, then reels backwards and crashes down upon the table which stands beside Cadak's black chair. The awesome bulk of the creature's body crushes the table to matchwood and breaks open the crystal sphere that rested upon it. Immediately there is a loud boom and a tremendous rush of putrid air knocks you down. A funnel of darkness engulfs the body of Exterminus and, with stunning suddenness, there is silence. Both the creature and the shattered remnants of the sphere have vanished completely.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 10:55 PM

You stagger to your feet and turn to face the Arch Druid. The shock of what he has witnessed has left him open-mouthed and drained of colour. He is mumbling incoherently and trembling with fear. You take up your weapon and advance towards him, determined to rid Magnamund of this vile druid once and for all, but the sight of you drawing closer snaps him out of his trauma and galvanizes him into action. He weaves his hands before his face and, in an instant, he is shrouded in a cocoon of light. You strike out at the light but your weapon passes clean through it, meeting with no resistance. Then the light fades and you are left standing alone in the druid's empty throne room.

The overpowering aura of evil that filled this room has now vanished. You close your eyes and, for a few seconds, you allow your Magnakai sense of Divination to analyze the psychic residues lingering at the place where Exterminus disappeared. Shapes take form in your mind and, in a moment of chilling discovery, you fathom the secret of the crystal sphere.

The sphere was not of this world. It was fashioned in the Plain of Darkness, the domain of Naar, King of all that is Evil. Through the sphere the Dark God maintained contact with Arch Druid Cadak, directing him to fulfil his schemes of vengeance. The destruction of the sphere has rid your world of a terrible device, a channel through which the concentrated Evil of Naar had been allowed to pour unchecked.

You open your eyes once more and a feeling of well-being envelops your senses, as if you have just awoken after a deep and refreshing sleep (restore 8 ENDURANCE points). A rustling sound draws your keen eyes towards the tapestry from where Exterminus appeared; it is crumbling to pieces. As the rotting scraps of material fall away, a portal is revealed through which you glimpse a scene that revives your hopes for your quest's success.

Through the wide opening in the chamber wall there is a gallery which overlooks a vast windowless hall. You approach the gallery's railed parapet and stare down at a score of druids who are working at tiled tables positioned in rows across the floor. Upon some tables rest porcelain troughs filled with oily fluids which seethe beneath a constant shower of electrical sparks. Other tables support dozens of glass boxes of differing sizes. The smallest contain rats; the largest contain horses. Hundreds of pipes and tubes run around the walls, feeding a supply of fluids and gasses to the experiment tables. The fumes rising from this diabolical laboratory sting your eyes, but you ignore the discomfort and continue your observations, eager to take in every detail of the evil work which is taking place below. It is not long before you recognize that this hall is where the deadly plague virus, and its vaccine, are being produced.

You know that you must act with all haste for Arch Druid Cadak is still alive and, wherever he is at present, you can be sure he is plotting to capture or kill you, probably both. Below lies that which you have come here to destroy. But how will you accomplish your task? Relentlessly the seconds tick by as you try to formulate a plan. Then you see something which sparks an idea. The pipes that feed fluids to the laboratory's disposal tanks are connected to a massive cauldron suspended from the ceiling by a winch and chains. You focus upon a plaque fixed to the side of this great vat and magnify your vision until you can read what has been engraved upon it. With grim satisfaction you read the words: 'Danger--Concentrated Acid'.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 11:04 PM

Here is the key to the destruction of the virus. If you can cause the cauldron to tilt over far enough it will discharge its contents into the hall below, flooding the virus-laden tables with thousands of gallons of concentrated acid.

Elated by your daring plan, you look for a way to reach the winch which controls the angle at which the cauldron hangs from the ceiling. It is positioned high upon a platform atop an iron gantry, which is accessible only by ladder. Fortunately this ladder begins on the far side of the gallery.

Confident in your purpose you hurry around the gallery towards the ladder. You are within twenty paces when suddenly the harsh clang of an alarm bell fills the hall. You have been seen.

Screams of 'Intruder!' echo from below as you run headlong towards the ladder. You reach it and begin your climb towards a secondary platform, located directly below the one which supports the winch.

You are only six rungs away from the platform when suddenly the faces of two Acolytes of Vashna appear over the edge. They curse and spit on you as they try to stab you with their spears.

(Do I have Magi-Magic? Nope. Kai-Alchemy? Nope.)

I have to face them together, and one has a Medallion of Protection

Acolytes of Vashna CS 36, EP 50.

I roll a 0 and kill them both automatically.

All eyes in the hall have seen me, and as I move to the platform, they figure out what I am going to do. Vazhag archer starts firing bolts at me. I roll a number and add a Grand Huntmastery bonus. I roll a 5 which becomes an 8. They all miss.

Quote:

You reach the top of the ladder and haul yourself on to the winch platform. Now the whistling shafts strike and splinter uselessly against the underside of this metal floor which hides you from the archers' view.

You run to the winch and examine the gears and chains, trying at once to understand their workings and find a way to cause the cauldron to discharge its corrosive contents into the hall below. But the device is designed to prevent the chance of this occurring. The only way you can make the cauldron spill its deadly load is by severing a thick metal pin which secures the heavy chain to its rim.

Anxiously you glance over the edge of the platform at the confusion raging in the hall below. Three druids, having recognized your intentions, are trying desperately to gather together virus samples from their cultivation vats. The vats are fixed to the tables, triple-sealed with protective glass to prevent accidental leaks, and it is precisely this elaborate protection which now confounds the druids' frantic efforts to save their plague cultures.

Out of the corner of your eye you notice that the first of the Vazhag archers is now climbing the ladder to the winch platform, and you know you must act swiftly and effectively if you are to fulfil your quest.

(I do not have Kai Alchemy or Grand Nexus)

I draw the Sommerswerd and try to pull the pin. Roll a number. Got a 9. The support pin has popped out. The chain is falling and I have to roll a die. Got a 2. The chain glances off me and I take 3 EP. There was no Grand Huntmastery bonus to the roll, weird.

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The cauldron smashes down into the centre of the hall and explodes with devastating effect, spewing its deadly contents in all directions. A tidal wave of acid engulfs the tables, submerging and burning everything not made of stone, porcelain or glass. The pitiful screams of the druids rise above the thunderous din as they and their deadly work are consumed by a merciless sea of corrosive.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 11:13 PM

Suddenly an arrow passes within a few inches of your face. The Vazhag archers have reached the top of the ladder and are poised to rush on to the platform itself. Anxiously you look around for some means of escape, but when none readily appears you fear you are trapped. Then you notice an observation platform jutting out of the wall. It is over on the far side of the hall, more than thirty yards away, and lies some ten feet below your present position.

A daring escape plan forms in your mind's eye and hurriedly you cast off your Cener Robe and Mask, a disguise which is now redundant, and prepare to enact your vision. (I put them back in my backpack.) You reach out and grab hold of the chain which once supported the cauldron. Then, using all your strength, you draw it back and leap into the air as the momentum carries you off the platform.

Your stomach churns as you swing across the hall and glance down at the dreadful carnage taking place a hundred feet below. Angry squeals and a clutch of arrows follow in your wake as the Vazhag archers try desperately to prevent you from getting away. Grimly you cling to the chain as it nears the end of its arc, and try to ignore the arrows that are whistling by on either side.

(I roll a 7 and add 2 for Grand Huntmastery. There it is)

My jump was perfect and I have arrived. Beyond a doorway is a flight of steps and I go up until I hit a fork. West or east? East.

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You follow this dark passage for several minutes before arriving at what appears to be a dead end. You are about to turn around and retrace your steps when suddenly your senses alert you to an ornately carved brick in the facing wall. On closer examination you discover a keyhole, and a Cenerese engraving which bears the seal of Arch Druid Cadak.

(I use a Gold Key)

You insert the gleaming key into the keyhole and twist it clockwise. There is a faint click and, as you push, the wall glides inwards then moves away to your right. It reveals a small well-kept chamber, its walls lined with shelves containing hundreds of stoppered jars, each one neatly labelled.

The jars contain all manner of compounds and elements, from worthless dirt to precious gold dust, and many herbs besides. You search along the shelves and take down half a dozen jars whose contents you recognize:

Laumspur (Enough for 5 doses) Restores 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat.
Alether (Enough for 4 doses) Increases COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for duration of one fight only.
Gallowbrush (Enough for 2 doses) Induces 10 hours' sleep and loss of 2 ENDURANCE points per dose.
Sabito (Enough for 2 doses) Enables user to breathe underwater.
Laumwort (Enough for 3 doses) Restores 2 ENDURANCE points if swallowed before or after combat.
Oede (Enough for 1 dose) Very rare and valuable. Many healing properties. Cures serious diseases.

If you wish to keep one or more of the above jars, remember to record your choice on your Action Chart. All of these jars are Backpack Items.

This is the money. Each bottle takes up one space, and some of these have a ton of doses. Here is what I have in my Backpack:

Mirror, Cener Mask, Cener Robex2, Rope, 2x Laumpsur. I have three spaces. I take the Laumpur uber-bottle, Alether uber-bottle, and Oede. I put the Cener Robe and Mask back on screw this. I grab everything else too.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 11:33 PM

There is a secret door in the back of the room that I take.

Quote:

You follow the narrow passageway which gradually ascends towards the north. The clanging of a distant alarm bell reminds you that all of Mogaruith has been alerted to your presence and, in light of the devastation you have caused, you know better than to expect mercy from the Cenerese if they should catch you now.

After a few minutes the passage arrives at a hall where a railed balcony overlooks a deep circular shaft. A broad stone staircase at the north wall ascends to the next level and you stride swiftly towards it. As you pass the balcony you pause for a moment to stare down at a fascinating sight. Hundreds of feet below, at the base of the shaft, huge vats filled with a sickly brown fluid bubble and seethe as if they are boiling on a hob. You notice scores of robed druids standing on a great iron gantry suspended above these vats, each one equipped with what appears to be a gigantic butterfly net. They are busily scooping up large brown objects which keep bobbing to the surface of the morass. You use your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision and, as the scene looms larger, you see that the objects are alive. Your stomach churns with revulsion when you suddenly realize what it is that you are looking at. These are the spawning vats in which the Ceners create their loathsome, disease-ridden Vazhag.

A noise from the staircase attracts your attention; it is the sound of shuffling footfalls descending the stairs. Moments later your keen sense of smell identifies the threat: a Vazhag patrol is hurrying towards the hall.

I choose to hide)

Quickly you crouch down and take cover beside the staircase, hidden from view by the shadows and your Kai camouflage skills. Within seconds the Vazhag appear, but they are not alone. They are being led by a frog-like Tzarg which they have tethered on a chain. The Tzarg has its face pressed close to the steps and it is snuffling and snorting like a bloodhound as it tries to locate your scent.

(I use Animal Mastery)

You focus your power at the Tzarg and will it to leave the hall along the passage by which you entered. At first you sense resistance to your command but this soon collapses and the Tzarg obeys. It waddles into the passageway with an excited group of Vazhag close on its heels, all of them now convinced by the Tzarg's reaction that it has picked up your trail.

Patiently you wait until the sound of their footsteps has faded before you emerge from your hiding place and leave the hall by the stairs.

The stairs lead to another hall on a level fifty feet higher. Here, two staircases ascend to the left and right, and a gloomy tunnel disappears directly ahead of you. Your senses pick up something moving at the end of the tunnel and, when you focus your infravision along this dark passageway, you see another Vazhag patrol heading straight towards you. This one is being led by two Acolytes of Vashna and a pack of Ruel war-dogs.

Eager to evade these enemies, you glance at both staircases and try to decide which one to climb.

(Left or right? Left, always left)

At the top is a rubbish room with a table and some weapons on it. I refill my quiver.

Abe Sargent · 11-30-2009, 11:41 PM

Quote:

You run through a maze of corridors and narrow passageways, up flights of stairs and across dingy halls and chambers. On several occasions you are forced to hide when a Vazhag patrol passes within a few feet, but your wits and your camouflage skills keep you safe and undetected.

At length you reach a pillared hall on the surface level where you hide from the patrols until the coast is clear. Daylight is streaming in through the hall door, and from where you are hiding you can see the keep and tower beyond. Your hopes rise when you notice that the keep is deserted and the drawbridge is still lowered, tempting you with a direct escape route out of Mogaruith.

Suddenly another bell tolls, adding to the persistent din of the alarm. It is coming from the tower and it signifies that the portcullis is being lowered.

(I can run for the Portcullis or try to find another way. I look for another way.)

Quietly you contemplate your next move as the portcullis slams down, sealing off the main exit from Mogaruith. Within a few moments your thoughts are disturbed by the sound of a large troop of Vazhag ascending the stairs by which you entered this hall. Their approach prompts you to leave by the main door and look for another hiding place outside in the keep.

From the shadows of a disused storeroom doorway, you scour the surrounding battlements and walkways, hoping to see an opportunity for escape. However, it does not take too long to discover that the tower offered the only easy route out of this stronghold, one that is now blocked by the portcullis.

Suddenly you hear an angry squeal and turn to see a rat-man's snout protruding from the window of a turret high up to your left. It has seen you and it is informing its confederates of your hiding place. You are forced to abandon the doorway and run into a nearby alley as a score of Vazhag guards come charging across the keep in hot pursuit. The alley is a dead end, but you find a stone stairway which ascends to the battlements and you take it in order to keep ahead of the bloodthirsty pack.

At the top of the stairs you find yourself sandwiched between two converging Vazhag patrols which are racing along the battlements from both directions. To stand and fight would be futile; you would kill many but you would eventually be overcome by the sheer weight of their numbers.

Now there is only one option left and the very thought of it sends a chill racing down your spine. Steeling yourself for what must be done, you sheathe your weapon, take a deep breath, then launch yourself over the battlements towards the bubbling moat.

Abe Sargent · 12-01-2009, 12:00 AM

You hit the surface with a mighty splash and sink like a stone. Foul fluids fill your nose and mouth, causing you to cough and retch as you struggle to rise to the surface. You are submerged in a deadly cocktail of acids and toxic wastes from the dungeons of Mogaruith and, were it not for your Magnakai Disciplines of Nexus and Curing, you would have perished within seconds of entering the moat.

The Vazhag on the battlements are squealing in triumph for they are certain that you have jumped to your doom. They leave the wall and return to their duties for, in their experience, no living thing has ever survived a dip in the moat. When you do break the surface and strike out for the bank, you do so unseen. It is not until you are pulling yourself out of the moat that your luck suddenly fails you.

You are spotted by a group of three Vazhag returning from battle. Two are armed with spears and they face you on foot, but the third sits astride a captured Slovian steed. It is wielding a cavalry lance and you can tell by the way the rat-man balances it that it is skilled in its use. The two spear-wielders squeal their battle-cry and attack you simultaneously. However, this cry is quickly transformed into a duet of pain when you strike out and kill them instantly. They drop to the ground and almost immediately the rider is upon you, jabbing at your chest with the tip of its lance. You duck the first thrust, and steady yourself to meet the second as the Vazhag lancer turns and bears down on you once more.

Vazhag Lancer CS 32, EP 20. I roll a 1 and then a 8 with auto death. I took 3.

The Vazhag lancer tumbles lifelessly to the ground startling its horse which turns and bolts towards the forest. Instantly you act to prevent its escape by using your Magnakai ability of Animal Control. Your powers soothe the creature and coax it to return.

Abe Sargent · 12-01-2009, 12:04 AM

Quickly you mount the steed and head off along the trail which leads to the River Storn. You are less than five miles from the bridge where you hope to finally make good your escape to the Freeland of Slovia. By keeping to the forest's edge you avoid the traffic of Vazhag troops moving back and forth along the trail and, by the time you reach the banks of the mighty Storn, your spirits are high. Unfortunately, when you do catch your first sight of the bridge, your hopes of making a crossing here are soon dashed.

A fierce and bloody battle is raging upon the Ghardoz, the formidable stone bridge that joins together the lands of Ruel and Slovia across the River Storn. Its central span is wreathed with smoke and flame, and the approaches are heaped with the dead of both armies.

On the far side of the river, over three hundred yards away, you can see the scarlet battle banners of Slovia fluttering in the soot-laden air. Regiments of foot soldiers are positioned on the bank, waiting nervously for their orders to assault the bridge. You stare at the fast-flowing waters of the Storn and, after careful thought, you decide to brave the currents and attempt to swim across.

You send your horse away into the forest and then wade into the icy waters. You are only waist-deep in the Storn when the currents catch you and swiftly bear you away downstream, towards the bridge and the battle. You are passing beneath the central span when suddenly a section of the parapet collapses, showering you with rocks and flame.

I roll a number I get a 5 (A 3 or less is death here, sucky Joe D to have auto death at the end from a random roll).

Drawing upon your very last reserves of strength, you fight against the powerful current and succeed in avoiding being hit by the deluge of rocks and flames. As your strength subsides, you are swept under the bridge and, minutes later, you find yourself washed up on the west bank of the Storn. A company of Slovian archers drag you from the icy water and, fearing you to be a Cenerese spy, they take you to their Captain. Fortunately he recognizes your Kai cloak and tunic, and at once you are afforded the treatment and respect which befits one who holds the title of Kai Grand Master.

The Captain sends word of your survival to the Palmyrions at Holona where, the following day, you are reunited with Captain Cearmaine and Guildmaster Banedon. Later that same day, the president of Palmyrion--Elector Manatine--arrives with his entourage and, upon learning of the success of your daring mission, he orders that an official celebration take place throughout the republic. You receive the thanks of a grateful nation and, in recognition of your bravery, the Elector presents you with the 'Golden Star of Palmyrion', the highest award his country can bestow upon a warrior.

Congratulations Lone Wolf!--you have won a major victory over the Cenerese and removed a threat which could have devastated all of Magnamund. Yet the struggle against Evil goes on. Within a few months of your triumphant return to Sommerlund a grave situation develops, a situation which threatens the life of your closest friend--Guildmaster Banedon.

Abe Sargent · 12-01-2009, 12:11 AM

Review of the Plague Lords of Ruel

Everything is harder than the Magnakai, and sometimes it feels like enemy creep. I did stop their plague operations, but what is to hinder them from restarting? I didn’t kill the head guy, and I didn’t destroy the fortress or anything. This is not a major victory. It’s not as if the Cener are ended as a threat, like I did to the Darklords.

The adventure was okay, it still had a few clichés like swinging on a chain to get from one platform to another. I mentioned how sucky it is to have a 40% chance of death the section before the end by random number. You do get a +3 on it if you have both Assimilance and Grand Huntmastery. I never even used Curing’s +20 EP (and I forgot too vs. the Triple bad guys at he beginning). It the first time I’ve lost in a while at Lone Wolf.

Once I play through a few more Grand Master books, I’ll get a better handle on each of them, how they work, and can compare them.

This book had a weird feel with a lot of modern day concepts like virus and bacteria, vaccine, and some pictures that made it look very industrial age. Not for the first time either, as Joe D has had Ironclads and guns and such. Still, the whole book here felt weird and the plotline I think is much more suited for James Bond than Lone Wolf. “We are creating a disease to kill the whole world except our people, who have the vaccine. Mua-hah-hah-hah!”

End of The Plague Lords of Ruel.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 07:19 PM

The Captives of Kaag

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 5075 and twenty-five years have passed 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, Archlord Gnaag, 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 Northern Magnamund. Some factions which comprised 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 five 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 underway. The new generation of Kai recruits, all of whom were born during the era of war against the Darklords, possesses latent Kai skills and all 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 organized the training of the Second Order recruits. Your efforts were soon rewarded and, 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 new-found 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 that 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 not years but centuries to complete.

In the far west, the Drakkarim had retreated to the homelands and were engaged in a bloody war again the Lencians. Much of Nyras had been reclaimed by the armies of King Sarnac, the Lencian commander, and his flag now flew over territory which, two thousand years ago, had once been part of Lencia.

Following the destruction of the Darklords of Helgedad, the Giaks, the most prolific in number of all of Gnaag's troops, fled into the Darklands and sought refuge in the gigantic city-fortresses of Nadgazad, Aarnak, Gourmen and Kaag. Within each of these hellish strongholds fierce fighting broke out as remnants of the Xaghash (lesser Darklords) and the Nadziranim (evil practitioners of Right-handed magic who once aided individual Darklord masters) fought for control. It is widely believed that by the time the Elder Magi and the Herbwardens reach the walls of these strongholds the occupants will have long since brought about their own extinction.

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 who wait quietly in the shadows for the chance to do his evil bidding.

Only six months ago the evil Cener Druids of Ruel attempted to enact Naar's revenge. Secretly, in the laboratories of their foul stronghold of Mogaruith, they had laboured to create a virulent plague virus capable of killing every living creature upon Magnamund, save their own kind. Word of their terrible plan reached Lord Rimoah who immediately urged the rulers of the Freelands to raise armies and invade Ruel. Hurriedly they complied, but the invasion ended in disaster. Seven thousand fighting men entered Ruel intent on storming the fortress of Mogaruith and razing it to the ground. Seven thousand marched into the dark realm; only seventy emerged alive. The Ceners were within days of perfecting their ultimate weapon when you took up the challenge and ventured alone into Mogaruith. Despite overwhelming odds you thwarted their evil plan by destroying the virus and the means by which it was created.

After emerging from Ruel triumphant, your quest fulfilled, you returned home to Sommerlund and the Kai monastery where you resumed your duties as Grand Master. Three months later, on the day that saw the first fall of winter snow, you were visited by Lord Rimoah. Once again he found himself the reluctant bearer of ill news. Your friend Guildmaster Banedon, whilst helping with the reclamation of wastelands close to the Maakengorge, had been abducted by a war-band of Giaks under the command of Nadziranim sorcerers. A rescue was attempted, but ruthlessly the Nadziranim obliterated those who tried to follow their escape into the Darklands.

'The Nadziranim have grown bold of late,' said Lord Rimoah, his words tinged with fear and bitterness.
'They have a new-found power and are keen to exercise it. It would have taken considerable skill and energy to ensnare one as gifted as Banedon.'

'But why Banedon?' you asked, trying at once to comprehend and come to terms with the loss of your trusted friend.

'I fear that the Nadziranim seek to extract from him the secrets of Left-handed magic, so that they may be able to marry it to their own foul sorcery. Such an outcome would give them extraordinary power. It could herald the rebirth of the Darklands.'

At once you recalled how such an attempt to unite the two paths of magic had resulted in catastrophe for Sommerlund. Vonotar the Traitor, a magician from the same guild as Banedon, had betrayed his homeland in exchange for the promise of Nadziranim power. It was his act of treachery that brought about the invasion of Sommerlund and the destruction of the First Order of the Kai.

'What can be done?' you asked of Rimoah, fearful that it may already be too late to save your friend.

'Banedon is still alive, of that I'm sure. The Nadziranim have taken him to the old Darklord city-fortress of Kaag. His life is in deadly danger but they will not kill him until they have succeeded in extracting the knowledge they crave. We can only pray that he is strong enough to resist them until . . .' Lord Rimoah held you with his eyes, words no longer necessary. It was clear that all hope for Banedon's survival depended upon his swift rescue from Kaag, and there was only one who could effect such a perilous quest with any hope of success.

'So be it,' you said, resolutely, 'I accept the mission. I alone will go to Kaag and secure his release . . . or die valiantly in the attempt.'

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 07:45 PM

Map of Sommerlund and the Darklands:

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 07:50 PM

Here are the improved Disciplines for the new rank:

Kai Grand Guardian

If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian (5 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:

Animal Mastery
Kai Grand Guardians with this Discipline are able to summon a limited number of forest animals to their location. The creatures so summoned will become loyal and willing allies, willing to do the Kai Grand Guardian's bidding. This ability can only be used in an outdoor setting.

Assimilance
Kai Grand Guardians who possess this skill are able to create a cloud of fog-like vapour within 15 yards of their location. This fog will obscure both normal and infravision. The duration of the fog increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.

Grand Huntmastery
Kai Grand Guardians with this skill enjoy increased mobility when travelling across all types of terrain, whether on foot or on horseback. This improved ability is very useful when used to outdistance a pursuing enemy.

Kai-surge
Kai Grand Guardians who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to attack up to three enemies in psychic combat simultaneously.

Kai-screen
Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to exercise a defensive psychic skill known as Mindblend. This cloaking ability enables them to both protect and hide their minds from being detected by a hostile psychic probe.

Magi-magic
Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:

Splinter--This causes breakable items such as bottles, jugs, mirrors, windows, etc., to shatter to pieces. The range of this spell increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Flameshaft--This causes the tip of any Arrow, or arrow-like missile, to burn fiercely with a magical flame which cannot readily be extinguished by normal means.

I want to grab Kai-Screen, Assimilance, Kai _Alchemy or Magi-Magic. Flameshaft makes me happy. I take Kai-Screen.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 07:55 PM

I take the map, fill up my quiver, and grab Laumspur. 24 more crowns come my way.

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, Southlands, Vassagonia, Stornlands, Tekaro, The Danarg, Anari, Ghatan, Vhozada (Daziarn), Darklands, Ruel, Mogaruith
Fur Blanket
192 Gold Crowns
1 Meal
2 Potion of Laumspur - +5 EP
5 Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP
Fur Backpack
Bone Sword
Effigy
Concentrated Graveweed
Kalte Diamond
Ragadorn Dagger
Magic Spear
Holy Water
Brass Key
Iron Key
Whip
Sommlending Cavalry Spear (Normal)
Quarterstaff, Royal Guard (Normal)
Scroll of Prophecy
Shield
Jeweled Mace
Bottle of Kourshah - +4 EP
Copper Key
Gold Key
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
Ticket to Eula
Chainmail Waistcoat
2 Rope
Lantern
Quivers w/ 11 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
Medal: Battle of Luoni
Drakkar Dagger (Normal)
Zagganozod Sword (Normal)
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
Blue Stone Triangle
Grey Crystal Ring
Psychic Ring
Wrist and Finger Guards
Firesphere
Green Mask
Golden Amulet
Iron Key
Black Key (Helgedad)
Pouch of Tobacco
Pipe
Zejar-Deluga
Nadazgada
Pouch of Herbs - Adgana
Cener Mask
Cener Robe
Sabito - 2 doses
Laumspur +4 EP (with 5 doses)
Alether +2 CS (4 doses)
Oede Herb
Gallowbrush (2 doses)
Gold Key (Ruel)
Copper Key (Ruel)
Cener Dagger (Normal)

Keeping:

25 Gold Crowns
Crystal Star Pendant
Silver Bow of Duadon
Sommerswerd
Korlinum Scabbard
Dagger of Vashna
Map of Sommerlund/Darklands
Shield
Silver Helmet
Padded Leather Waistcoat
Bronin Vest
Silver Bracers
Kagonite Chainmail
Rope
2 Laumspur +4 EP
Laumwort +2 EP (3 doses)
Quiver w/ 6 arrows
Kai Monastery Spear

I have 4 slots used in my backpack out of 10, 3 special item slots out of 12, and one weapon slot, plus 25 of 50 gold crowns.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 07:55 PM

Lone Wolf, Kai Grand Guardian

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

CS 53
EP 44

Grand Pathsmanship
Grand Huntmastery
Animal Mastery
Kai-Surge
Kai-Screen

Here we is.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 08:22 PM

Preparations for the quest take no more than a day to complete. The following morning, shortly before dawn, you and Lord Rimoah leave the Kai monastery by a secret route which takes you to a clearing deep in the heart of the Fryelund forest. There awaits the means by which you will travel swiftly to Kaag.

Your journey to the Darklands will be made aboard Guildmaster Banedon's airship--the Skyrider. This magical craft has borne you on many quests to distant lands, yet never before without your friend and companion at its helm. Now, in his absence, the stewardship of the Skyrider has passed to its bo'sun--Nolrim of Bor.

'Welcome aboard, Grand Master,' says Nolrim, proud to be serving under your command. You clasp his strong hand in friendship and compliment him and the crew for the pristine condition of their craft. There is no doubting that he and his company of dwarves are sorely grieved by the absence of their Captain, yet they have not allowed their anguish to give way to hopelessness or despair. These sturdy warriors are renowned for their formidable fighting spirit and you know they willingly risk their lives to help you rescue Banedon from the minions of darkness.

Soon the frost-laden fir trees are receding beneath the Skyrider's bow as Nolrim steers a westward course towards the grey, snow-capped peaks of the Durncrag mountains. You spend the flight inside the Captain's cabin, where you and Lord Rimoah discuss your dangerous mission. The plan is to traverse the Durncrag Range and enter the Darklands under cover of a dust storm which is currently sweeping southwards towards Kaag. A landing will be made ten miles to the north-east of the city-fortress, beyond a ridge of hills that will keep the Skyrider hidden from the eyes of Kaag's watchful lookouts. From there you are to make your way to the fortress on foot, enter as best you can, locate and rescue Banedon, then return with him to the Skyrider which will carry you back to the safety of Sommerlund. You will have 48 hours in which to complete your mission. If, after the two days have elapsed, you have not returned, Rimoah will be forced to assume that you and the Guildmaster have perished. The dust storm will not last for more than two days, after which time there is a grave danger that the Skyrider will be spotted and attacked by the Kraan and Zlanbeasts which are known to patrol the skies around Kaag.

In a little under two hours you reach your destination where the weather conditions are atrocious. A fierce, dust-choked wind buffets the craft mercilessly during the final descent and visibility is no more than a dozen yards at best. Yet, despite these terrible conditions, Nolrim brings the Skyrider in for a faultless landing behind the ridge. The moment the keel beds into the soft ground, the crew leap into action with ropes and chains. Nolrim soon enters the cabin to inform you that the craft is secure and, with trepidation, you get ready to set off for Kaag.

'Godspeed, Lone Wolf,' says Rimoah, with a smile of encouragement. 'I shall pray to Kai and Ishir for your safety and success. May their light guide you on your journey into darkness.'

You acknowledge his blessing gratefully before bidding him, and Nolrim, farewell. Then, without looking back, you pull your warm cloak tight about you and set off into the storm.

You lower your head and force yourself to trudge uphill against the storm, your feet sinking ankle-deep into the barren volcanic dust with every laboured step. Keeping your eyes shut tight against the stinging, gritty winds, you trust solely to your Magnakai senses to steer you on the correct course towards the Darkland city. Only when you reach the top of the ridge do you attempt to look around at the bleak domain. The Skyrider is lost from sight, shrouded by the swirling grey clouds. Kaag, too, remains hidden for some minutes until a sudden lull in the storm clears the southern vista. Then, what you see makes your blood run cold.

In your lifetime you have gazed upon many awe-inspiring cities, but few compare with the enormous size and monstrous grandeur of Kaag. A coal-black curtain-wall constructed of massive blocks of smooth, featureless stone, encircles this city, forty miles wide. At its centre there arises a gigantic citadel of black marble, pyramid-shaped and slitted with numerous vents to allow what passes for air to circulate within. Its highest point towers two miles above the desolate plain. Thunder booms and streaks of blue-white lightning earth themselves against its walls, drawn from the rolling storm clouds gathered menacingly overhead.

At first the fortress seems wholly impregnable, then you notice that the outer wall is not entirely intact. Illuminated by the infrequent electrical flashes, you see that a vast section of the battlements, close to the North Gate, have collapsed. Also, away to the east, a mile-long section has fallen outwards to litter the plain with huge black cubes of stone. You are surprised to note that no attempt has been made to repair these breaches and, consequently, access to the city could be effected at either place with relative ease.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 08:43 PM

(I can choose a breach in the north or east wall, my choice. I go with east.)

Drawing on your inner strength to quell your fears of what may lie ahead, you descend the ridge and approach the great, frowning bastions of Kaag. Through the swirling dust you see a pitted road which leads to the East Gate. Its storm-blown surface is littered with corpses, bleached bones, rusted weapons and armour. Crab-like scavengers scuttle among the debris, fighting for scraps to feed their young which nest in thousands of empty Giak skulls half-buried in the ground.

Shielded from detection by the storm and your Kai skills, you reach the breached east wall unobserved.

Swiftly you climb over the rubble, which is heaped between the huge cubes of marble that once comprised this section of Kaag's curtain-wall, and find yourself in a street lined with decaying halls and slum dwellings. A dun pall of choking smoke hovers above this quarter, which reeks of iron and sulphur. Moving among the ruins you see a ragged group of Giaks, led by a Gourgaz clad in a shirt of mail. They halt for a few moments, then the Gourgaz hisses an order and they continue at a lumbering pace, heading south. You notice that their tattered blue-green uniforms all bear the emblem of a broken skull.

(Follow them or head in the opposite direction. Opposite)

Expecting the unexpected, you enter a rubble-strewn alley which takes you deeper into the black heart of Kaag. A mile later you reach a broader street, partially submerged by brackish, ankle-deep slime. Beyond it, at a deserted square, you see a tangle of rusty iron pipes spilling out from a circular shaft in the ground. Jets of steam hiss skywards from a thousand tiny cracks in these corroded conduits. Nearby, in the ruins, a guttering fire casts an eerie yellow light over the area. Shadows play upon the surrounding walls, cast not only by the fire but also by the winged Kraan which swoop back and forth across this square, dousing themselves in the jets of scalding-hot steam.

You are watching the Kraan diving and twisting above the rooftops when suddenly your Magnakai sense of Divination alerts you to imminent danger. You can sense the approach of a hostile creature, one which is using its psychic power to scan the surrounding area.

(I can run or enter a building to hide. I choose building)

You climb across the shattered masonry and take cover near an empty window which overlooks the square. Minutes later you see a thin figure clad in red robes, accompanied by six grime-smeared Giaks, enter the square from an alley on the far side. At once you recognize the skeletal features of the robed one: it is a Vordak, an undead spawn of the Darklords.

The Vordak raises a bony hand and immediately its companions halt. Then, with a sweep of its arm, it slowly scans the ruins bordering the square.

I use Kai-Screen + Grand Guardian. It fails to find me. I choose to explore the ruins further. How, I find that the ground here is unsafe. A section gives way into an old basement. I roll a die and add Grand Huntmastery bonus. I get a 4, which becomes a 6, which just makes it. I lose two EP from timbers hitting my arm, but I manage to haul myself out of the cellar with ease. I see an area with a street battle fought recently, and over a dozen Giak corpses on the street. I choose to investigate a crypt...

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Once the coast is clear, you run across the street and down the short flight of stone steps leading to the crypt door. Hurriedly you press your shoulder to the cold iron and the portal creaks open to reveal a cramped, rough-walled chamber, dominated by a massive wooden chair, its back mostly destroyed by fire. Through the blackened timbers you see a mouldy tapestry covering part of the rear wall. The crypt is otherwise empty.

(I do not have both Telegnosis and Grand Pathsmanship)

Your sixth sense prickles with the presentiment of danger. You can feel the presence of a hostile magical being who, although not in this chamber, is somewhere very near. Fearful of the risk of being trapped in this dingy crypt, you unsheathe your weapon and back slowly towards the door, your eyes scanning all around for the merest hint of movement. Then, suddenly, the heavy portal slams shut with a mighty crash that reverberates in your ears. Before you have time to take a breath there is another sound, stone grating on stone, which draws your eyes to the fire-blackened chair.

Behind the chair, the tapestry is suddenly torn aside and you find yourself staring at a creature swathed in a hooded orange cloak. It sidesteps the chair and shrieks a defiant curse as it raises a warty, taloned fist. In the next instant you see it hurl a cube of shiny black stone, which comes streaking through the air towards your face.

(I dodge the cube, which I’ve seen explode before)

You duck your head and the cube passes harmlessly over your shoulder to smash against the wall behind. On impact there is a tremendous flash and an explosion which releases a gout of searing flame. Needle-sharp slivers of stone pepper your back, but your quick reflexes have saved you from sustaining fatal injuries. Lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

(See?)

Painfully you stagger to your feet and shake your head in a vain attempt to be rid of the loud ringing that now fills your ears. Through the smoke and dust generated by the explosion, you glimpse the hooded creature creeping towards you. He holds a rod before him which radiates a ghostly green light. You snatch up your weapon and prepare to do battle as your robed enemy raises this rod in readiness to strike you down. Then there is a crack of energy and, as the rod whistles towards your chest, the tip transforms itself into a fiery spiked ball.

Liganim with Ziranakag CS 44, EP 32

I use Kai Surge. I roll a 0 and it auto dies and I took 1.

I leave the Ziranakag behind when I see it consume its body with hot fire. Fearful of what else may be behind the tapestry, I force open the crypt door and bound back into the Kaag street. I find a nice hiding place in a ruined building and rest there for a bit before trying to come up with a new plan.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Your rest is disturbed by the sudden arrival in the plaza of a score of battle-weary Giaks, some Drakkarim, and a Gourgaz who is nursing a wounded arm. You watch them make camp and notice that they are so fatigued that they neglect to post any sentries.

The pall of smoke which has covered this section of the city begins to thin out, and in the middle distance you can see the base of the great citadel. It is a truly awesome sight, a pyramid of jet-black stone which rises to a needle-sharp peak more than ten thousand feet above the streets of Kaag.

Soon a rickety wooden cart, drawn by two ugly, ox-like creatures in harness, trundles into the plaza. It halts and its Giak driver pulls back the tarpaulin which is covering its cargo, revealing haunches of grey-green meat stacked in a pile. Unceremoniously, he tosses them to the exhausted soldiers who devour them with obvious relish. It is an unwholesome sight, made even more so when you realize that what they are eating is freshly slaughtered Giak meat.

The troops have almost finished their grisly meal when a figure, clad in flowing grey robes and a helm of brightly polished steel, swoops down from out of the brooding sky upon the back of a Zlanbeast. He screams orders to the Gourgaz who immediately responds by cursing and slapping his tired troops into line. The grey rider berates the sorry-looking squad before finally taking to the skies once more. Stung into action by his harsh words, the Gourgaz officer leads his unit away at the double.

Curiosity prompts you to follow them, although you take care to remain hidden from view. They zig-zag through a maze of back streets before arriving at the approach road to a large hall. Here a pitched battle is taking place between two warring factions: one side wearing uniforms of orange cloth, the other clad in blue-green.

For several minutes you observe the carnage taking place as the two groups fight for control of the hall. The fighting soon escalates to the surrounding ruins and wisely you decide it best to leave this area before you, too, become caught up in the fighting.

You notice a road away to your right which leads directly to the citadel. It is virtually deserted and seems to offer the best escape route from the battle zone. However, you have covered barely a hundred yards when you are suddenly confronted by a unit of Drakkarim Death Knights, reinforcements freshly arrived from the citadel itself.

Quickly you dive into a side street and run as fast as you can, but the Death Knights have seen you and, despite their heavy armour, they give chase determinedly.

The street soon ends at a junction where two roads branch away, one to the left, the other to the right.

(I use Grand Huntmastery)

Your Magnakai senses warn you that the left road leads to a dead end. Without hesitation, you turn right and take off along the street at a steady pace.

Although the Death Knights are hot on your heels, you are confident that you will soon outrun them. However, your confidence is severely shaken when you see that the way ahead is blocked by a hill of rubble, the remains of a collapsed watchtower.

(I use Grand Hunt mastery + Grand Guardian)

You race across the mound of jagged rubble, barely slowing your stride as you surmount this obstacle easily. The pursuing Death Knights, handicapped by their weighty armour and lack of special skills, can only watch in astonishment as you disappear from view.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 10:19 PM

The street continues beyond the mound, heading due south towards the great citadel, the shadow of this edifice looming ever larger. Soon the street opens out to a wide concourse which encircles the citadel and offers access to its great northern door. The entire door is made of black iron and streaked with rust. Turrets jut from either side, on top of which you see giant cannon-like weapons, similar to those once employed by the Darklords aboard their ironclad fleets.

From the cover of a ruined house, you watch the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim, all clad in orange uniforms bearing the mark of a bloodied scythe. The more you stare at the citadel, the more you are sure that this is where Banedon is being held prisoner. However, entry into the citadel itself looks to be impossible, until, that is, an opportunity unexpectedly presents itself.

Directly across the street from where you are hiding, you see a square, flat-roofed tower, one of several which encircle the outer edge of the concourse. A flock of screeching Kraan are feeding on slabs of maggoty meat which have been left there by the Drakkarim guards. Once they have eaten their fill, they take to the air and return to their cave-like pens, located high up on the citadel's outer wall. Some of the returning Kraan are ridden by Drakkarim and other guards who steer their mounts towards landing platforms which jut like great steel tongues from the entrances to the pens.

It occurs to you that if you were able to mount one of the feeding Kraan, you could attempt to enter the citadel by the very same route.

Emboldened by your plan, you resolve to put it into action. Patiently you survey the feeding tower opposite and note that there are two ways to gain access to its roof. You could climb a staircase that runs directly from the street to the roof, or you could attempt to scale its wall.

(I use Grand Pathsmanship)

Your senses warn you that the tower stairs, although they look empty, are in fact guarded by Drakkarim stationed inside the tower. They offer the most convenient route to the roof, but it could also be the most perilous.

(I choose the wall)

You move quietly to a new position, directly opposite the tower, and wait for the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim to disperse. The street is soon empty and you get ready to make your move.

You sprint across the now-empty street and crouch at the base of the tower wall. The brick surface is plastered with powdery grey cement and, as you look up at the roof twenty feet above, you steel yourself for what could prove to be a difficult climb.

(I roll a 7 and add 1 for having a rope and 2 for Grand Huntmastery)

Despite the treacherous condition of the tower wall, your natural skill and agility see you safely to the top. In less than a minute you manage to reach the level of the tower parapet.

You pull yourself over the parapet, only to be confronted immediately by a Drakkar guard. Unbeknown to you he has been sitting on the tower roof, quietly watching the spectacle of the feeding Kraan.

He grabs you by the throat and attempts to throw you off the tower. You counter this clumsy attack easily by turning his hand aside and grabbing hold of his battle tunic. A swift twist of your body sends him sailing over your shoulder to land, head first, in the street below.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 11:01 PM

The guard, his neck broken, is no longer a threat to anyone, so you turn your attention to the five Kraan which are feeding on the roof. Gingerly you approach them, hoping not to startle them into flight, but the commotion, and your presence, has made them very uneasy.

(I use Animal Mastery)

Using your Kai mastery, you focus upon one of the five feeding Kraan, the only one which is equipped with a saddle and reins. The other four abandon their feast and take to the air as you approach, but the target of your attention remains on the roof, cowed and submissive to your psychic command.

You approach this scaly beast confidently and climb into its saddle. Obediently it obeys when, with a kick of your heels, you urge it skywards. Its powerful wings bear you speedily towards the landing platforms situated high above the great north door and, as you fly closer to your destination, you see two which are open and unguarded. One has an arch-shaped portal, the other a wider, oblong-shaped entrance.

(I choose the oblong one)

The Kraan glides towards the semi-ovoid platform and you swing one leg over its neck in readiness to leap from the saddle the moment it lands. With graceful agility, you jump the last few feet on to the platform and run through the open entrance. A Giak Kraan-handler suddenly appears before you, but your quick wits and Kai camouflage skills keep you from being seen. As he shuffles out on to the platform to tend to the screeching Kraan, you run towards the rear of the pen where there are two exits: one to the south, the other to the west.

(I go south)

Beyond the archway, a passage leads to a pair of stout steel-sheathed doors. The lock that secures them is inlaid with a series of numbers and you immediately recognize that they are part of a combination lock. One number in the sequence is missing. By tapping the correct number upon the blank square, you will cause the lock to disengage.

Study the following sequence of numbers carefully. When you think you know what the missing number is, turn to the page that is identical to your answer.

Obviously 20. Behind is a small armory. I take an extra quiver and 4 arrows. I also nab a Kaag Broadsword. There is a spiral staircase back here. I choose to go up. Here a weird thing:

You climb the stairs and emerge in the centre of a hall on the level above. This vault-like room contains a wealth of grim exhibits, hung upon the walls and displayed in glass-fronted cases. The skulls of rare creatures are displayed beside tanned hides and jewel-encrusted bones. One item in particular catches your eye: it is a statuette, fashioned in the likeness of Darklord Zagarna.

If you wish to keep this Statuette of Zagarna, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you keep in your Backpack. If you already carry your maximum quota, you must discard one item in its favour.

Okay, so how do you keep a Special Item in your Backpack and it not be a Backpack Item? I keep going up and end up in a cold room that doles out 5 EP unless I have Grand Nexus.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 11:18 PM

Quote:

The tunnel ends at a huge, echoing hall. It was once a place of worship dedicated to Zagarna, Darklord of Kaag. Now, however, it lies in total ruin, having been ransacked and destroyed by those who took command following his destruction, by your hand, at the raising of the Siege of Holmgard.

In the alcoves and grottoes that adjoin this hall, where once stood effigies of Zagarna, there now stand likenesses of Darklord Slûtar. Behind one such tribute you notice something very unusual, yet familiar. A column of shimmering blue light descends into the alcove from a hole in the middle of the roof and passes through a similar hole in the floor. Your senses tingle as you gaze at this column, for you immediately recognize its purpose. Within the confines of the light, gravity is greatly reduced. It is used as a means of transportation, an elevator that can take you to other levels of Kaag, either above or below. The last time you saw one of these devices was in Helgedad, the former principal stronghold of the Darklands.

(I step into the teleporter beam)

You step warily into the glimmering column of light and immediately feel yourself begin to rise. Bands of darkness flick past with growing rapidity, each one marking a passing level of this mountainous citadel. Then you feel yourself slowing to a halt. The column fades and you find yourself standing on a metal dais in the centre of a domed chamber. Ahead you see a great door, forged of Kagonite, and beside it there is a narrow staircase leading downwards.

As you approach the door, you notice the lock which secures it. It is inlaid with a series of numbers and, at once, you recognize that they are component parts of a combination lock. One number in the sequence is missing. By tapping the correct number upon the blank square, you will cause the lock to disengage.
Study the following sequence of numbers carefully. When you think you know what the missing number is, turn to the page that is identical to your answer.

(Obviously 3.)

The dark tunnel descends to a titanic circular hall which is lit by a lava-filled vent at its centre. Tunnels radiate from this hall in every direction, like the spokes of an infernal wheel, their destinations mere pinpoints of flame in the far distance. The air here is thick and cloying. It is choked by sulphur and other foul discharges of noisy engines located deep in the bowels of Kaag. The pressure of this tainted atmosphere is forever changing, causing you momentarily to lose your balance and stumble when first you enter the central hall.

Before you, astride the vent, a colossal idol looms up against the crimson light like some supernatural giant forged of steel and stone. Warily you pass beside one of its huge, taloned feet, half expecting it to animate suddenly and come crashing down upon you as if you were a lowly insect. Fortunately, the foot remains immobile and you are able to leave by a triangular-shaped tunnel, the largest of those which radiate from this hall.

Other passages branch off this tunnel, spaced at regular intervals of one hundred paces. You detect movement taking place in several of these sub-tunnels and, when at last your natural curiosity prompts you to stop and observe one (using your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision), you detect that it is occupied by Nadziranim. These mysterious sorcerers are gifted in the black arts of Right-handed magic and, before their demise, they slavishly assisted the Darklords of Helgedad. These particular Nadziranim are busy at slime-filled vats, engaged in the harvesting of Giak spawn, a process that at first fascinates then rapidly repulses you. Sickened by what you have seen, you hurry away towards a distant junction where a narrower tunnel crosses from left to right. As you approach the junction, you feel the skin on your arms and the nape of your neck tingle with a premonition of peril. The sensation soon passes, but you are left with an awareness that a greater danger lurks somewhere nearby.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 11:41 PM

(Go left or right at the junction. Left)

The floor of the tunnel is gently sloped and, as it ascends, you notice the temperature steadily becoming much cooler. At length it opens out into a dimly-lit chamber where the stone floor is strewn with wood-shavings soiled by dung and dried blood. As you enter, you hear an inhuman snickering sound coming from among the maze of stout pillars that support the roof. The sound causes you immediately to draw your weapon; you have heard this cry once before, and although it was several years ago, you have not forgotten the creature who made it.

Slowly, from out of the shadows come three hulking beasts, their yellow cat-like eyes glinting malevolently. Your fears are confirmed: they are Egorghs, massive wild bear-like creatures native to the stormy northern coasts of the Darklands. Stirred by the promise of fresh meat, they advance towards you and make ready to launch an attack with fang and claw.

(I use Animal Mastery)

Calling upon your Grand Mastery, mentally you command the three lumbering beasts to halt and, simultaneously, all three freeze in their tracks. Bewildered and frightened by the strange feelings that are coursing through their bodies, the three creatures back away into the shadows, whimpering grotesquely as they retreat like a litter of sick pups.

Immediately you seize the chance to escape and hurry past them, running through the chamber towards an open passage beyond.

You enter the passage and follow it for several minutes before arriving at an empty circular room. The only feature here is a rusty iron ladder, fixed precariously to the wall, which ascends through a hole in the ceiling to a level above. There is no other exit from this chamber and so, with caution guiding your every move, you climb the rust-eaten rungs.

You rise through the hole to find yourself in a corridor which is strewn with human bones. Skeletons lie mixed in tangled heaps and many of the skulls and loose bones seem to have been gnawed. The psychic residues of pain and terror left by these luckless victims presses in upon your senses, making you feel queasy and claustrophobic. With pounding heart you advance along the bone-choked passage, stepping carefully through the skeletons to avoid making a sound. But you have taken less than a dozen steps when something unexpected makes you freeze in your tracks.

In the dim distance you see a score of creatures stumbling along the tunnel. You magnify your gaze and discern that they are vaguely human in form, although hairless, lean and stringy as if from starvation. Their toes and fingers end in horny, hooked claws and their large eyes are deep set in skeletal faces, etched by untold years of pain and anguish. You bring to bear your innate psychic skills and are shocked by what you discover.

Your senses reveal that these creatures were once human soldiers in the armies of the Freeland Alliance. Captured in battle and brought to Kaag long ago, they have endured unspeakable experiments at the hands of the Nadziranim. Now, no longer of use to those evil magicians, these pitiful victims have been left to wander the forgotten passages of this foul city, united in undeath.

When the undead soldiers are twenty yards distant you attempt to communicate with them telepathically. You sense that the one who is leading the group radiates a faint psychic aura and you hope that he may know the whereabouts of your captive friend Banedon. At first your questions elicit no reply, then, when your eyes meet, you feel a wave of despair wash over you as suddenly you tap into the agony of this creature's existence. (Lose two ENDURANCE points due to psychic shock.) As the effects of the shock fade, you hear a ghostly voice echoing thinly in your mind.

Yes . . . I know of whom you seek . . . it croaks. The Sommlending wizard is imprisoned here in Kaag . . . in Zagarna's courtroom . . .

You ask the wretched zombie for directions to Zagarna's courtroom but the only help he can offer is to tell you that it is 'many levels above'.

The pitiful group part in two to allow you to pass. As you move through them, your hatred of the Nadziranim blazes anew when you see upon the bodies of these once-human soldiers the terrible scars left by the cruel experiments. Filled with anger and remorse you hurry away, silently fearful that Banedon may already have suffered a similar fate.

Abe Sargent · 12-02-2009, 11:52 PM

After a few minutes the tunnel ascends by steps to a cavern-like chamber where the walls are mildewed and damp. A sloping passage leads away to your left, descending towards a distant pit which reeks of vermin and decay. You shun this exit and turn your attentions instead to an iron door set into the far wall. Although it is locked, you experience no difficulty picking it.

On the other side of the door you discover a torchlit corridor leading off to the left and right.

(Left)

The corridor wends a tortuous route through a series of interconnecting caverns and chambers. Some are occupied by lowly Giak slaves engaged in menial tasks, none of whom notice your stealthy passing.

After nearly an hour you arrive at a large hall which is littered with stout trestle tables and wooden benches. A squad of thirty Drakkarim are seated around the largest table, hungrily devouring a foul-smelling feast of meat and wine. You note that most are unarmed, their weapons having been heaped upon an adjoining table prior to the feasting.

From the shadowy cover of an alcove you listen to their idle chatter, hoping to glean clues as to the location of Zagarna's courtroom, but, unfortunately, your patience goes unrewarded. These troops seem preoccupied with exaggerating the success of ambushes which they have launched recently upon their enemies in the streets around the citadel. However, from this barrack-room talk you do learn two interesting facts about the struggle taking place within Kaag. The two warring factions are fighting principally for control over the Giak spawning vats located in the dungeons of the citadel. The vats are the key to power here; they produce both an unending supply of fresh troops and a source of raw food for whoever controls them.

Anxious to continue your quest, you resolve to leave the hall by an archway on the far side. Although confident that your camouflage skills will keep you hidden from the Drakkarim, the hall is well-lit and there is a slim chance that you could be seen.

(I roll a die and add numbers for Grand Huntmastery that make failure impossible)

You are within a few yards of the passage that leads out of the mess hall when suddenly four Drakkarim turn a corner and come striding up the passage towards you. Hurriedly you flatten yourself against the nearest wall and muster your Kai camouflage skills in an attempt to stay hidden.

The four stride past within an arm's length of your position yet they fail to detect your presence. Once they are inside the hall you peel yourself away from the wall and quickly escape into the passage.

Fifty yards on, the passage turns sharply to the left and you find yourself staring at an iron-banded door. Luckily this portal is unlocked and you hurry through it, pausing only for a few seconds to bolt it shut behind you before continuing on your way.

Shortly you arrive at a deserted stairwell where you begin a long and laborious ascent. You climb more than sixty levels of the citadel before reaching the top. During your climb, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 12:28 AM

Directly opposite the landing at the top of the stairs is a massive bronze portal, its surface inlaid with intricate symbols cast in silver and gleaming gold. A sleeping Drakkar sentry is seated beside this huge door. He snores softly, his leather-helmeted head tilted to his shoulder and his spear lying uselessly at his feet. He is oblivious to your presence as you glide past him and silently push open the great door.

Beyond the portal lies a massive circular hall, its walls lined with slabs of smooth black rock. Its domed ceiling rises more than a hundred feet to point directly above a dais positioned at the centre of the chamber. A flame-filled moat surrounds this circular platform whereupon lies the unconscious body of a blond-haired man clad in silken blue robes. Your spirits soar when you recognize the designs embroidered upon the robe for they are the symbols of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star--the magician's guild of Sommerlund. For a moment your joy at having found your friend is dampened when your Magnakai senses warn that great danger is close at hand. Prompted by this presentiment you hurry towards the moat, to where an iron drawbridge stands raised, and begin to crank its handle in order to lower it across the fiery divide.

(Do I have Kai-Alchemy? Telegnosis? Nope)

The moment the heavy iron bridge crashes down across the moat you leap upon it and race towards the dais. But as you near its centre a wall of sparkling magical flame erupts at either end, sealing off both routes completely. In desperation you call telepathically to Banedon, hoping to awaken him to consciousness, but you are unable to make contact. Then, unexpectedly, your psychic calls are answered by a blood-chilling scream.

Horror floods your mind when you realize that the person on the dais is not your friend Banedon--it is a Helghast. As the creature rises and its features twist and distort before your gaze, you cast an anxious glance back across the bridge towards the great door. Standing there now are two Drakkarim guards with a slavering boar-like beast which is straining on its leash. Suddenly the magical flame vanishes and, with relish, they release the creature and send it bounding towards you.

(I use my bow and roll a die)

Your Arrow penetrates the beast's skull and kills it instantaneously, although the momentum of its attack carries its hulking body forward for several yards before it finally crashes snout-first into the iron drawbridge floor, and tumbles head over heels.

You watch as the body of the slain Gnagusk slowly rolls off the drawbridge and plummets into the flaming moat. This victory fills you with renewed confidence, but the feeling is all too short-lived. Suddenly, two steely hands fix themselves around your throat, crushing your windpipe. The Helghast is attacking you from behind and, as you struggle to break free, its iron-hard fingers close ever tighter: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

The two Drakkarim cackle at your plight as they approach the drawbridge, their swords drawn ready to avenge the death of their pet.

(Do I have the Sommerswerd? Yup.)

You reach to your belt and unsheathe the sun-sword. At once a golden halo of flame bursts from its polished blade, causing the Helghast to shriek in alarm as it recognizes the power you wield. It loosens its terrible grip upon your throat, enabling you to thrust the hilt of the Sommerswerd into its midriff and force it away. The Helghast emits a wailing cry and a wave of psychic energy assails your mind. But your Magnakai defenses are more than sufficient to repel this weak attack and, with one fell sweep of your arm, you cleave the demonic creature cleanly in two.

The sundered halves of the Helghast fall from the bridge to be consumed by the hungry flames. Open-mouthed, the two Drakkarim stumble to a halt and stare down into the moat. Nervously they glance at each other, fearful of suffering a similar fate, then they turn and run towards the open door. Determined not to let them escape, you give chase and catch up with them within a few yards of the entrance.

Drakkarim CS 26, EP 35

I roll an 8. Auto death

Breathless from combat, you step away from the two dead Drakkarim, sheathe your weapon, and wipe your blood-spattered brow with the back of your hand. Then, in order to leave no trace, you drag both of the corpses to the edge of the moat and consign them, and their weapons, to the hungry flames.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 12:55 AM

A narrow passage near the main door provides an exit from this hall. This leads into a wider tunnel which is flanked on both sides by cages, all empty but showing signs of having recently been occupied by war-dogs and the like. Beyond the cells you discover a chamber strewn with wooden boxes, trunks, sacks and several oak casks. It, too, is empty, although in the far wall there is a stout door with a spy-hole drilled at its centre. Your keen Kai senses detect the faint sound of squealing coming from the other side of this door.

I search the chamber and find:

Rope
Lantern
Silver Bowl
Whistle
Brass Key
Black Key
Hammer
Enough food for 2 Meals

(I take Lantern, Silver Bowl, Whistle, Brass Key, Black Key, and Hammer)

Intrigued by the squealing, you approach the door cautiously and place your eye to the spy-hole. Your fears soon melt away when you see two ragged-eared rats in a corridor beyond, fighting over a meaty bone. You chuckle as the smaller of the two unexpectedly wins the dispute and proudly drags away his prize. Your eyes follow the rat as it disappears towards a distant hallway where you spy something else that makes your pulse quicken in anticipation.

Using your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision, you see a pair of massive doors at the far side of the thoroughfare, guarded by two warriors clad in polished silver armour. A steady traffic of Drakkarim and Giaks passes to and fro before the doors, but none enter. You judge the hall to be over a hundred yards away, but even at this distance you can sense a great power is being contained behind the doors.

After a short while the traffic in the hallway subsides. Then two wispy, ghost-like figures glide into view, each clad in shimmering semi-transparent robes, and at once you recognize them to be Nadziranim--masters of evil magic. The guards step aside and, as the great doors part to allow the sorcerers entry, a flood of blinding purplish light pours from out of the room beyond. Suddenly your senses tingle with a premonition that your friend Banedon is close at hand. Convinced that you will find him somewhere beyond the doors, you resolve to gain entry as quickly as you can, but if you are to get past the two guards you must first create a diversion.

(I can put on a Drakkar uniform on the floor, or start a fire here in this storeroom)

You pull the door slightly ajar then quickly gather up some sacks and boxes which you stack in a heap near the opening. The guttering wall torch that illuminates this chamber provides the flame to set this little makeshift bonfire alight. Soon the tinder-dry pile is ablaze, sending clouds of acrid blue-grey smoke billowing along the corridor towards the guards.

(I roll a die and get 4)

The guards see the approaching clouds of smoke and immediately raise the alarm. Aided by a passing group of Drakkarim and Giaks, the two silver-clad guardians come thundering along the corridor and skid to a halt outside the door. You hear them coughing and cursing, then the door flies open and two luckless Giaks are thrust into the smoky room with orders to put out the blaze.

Utilizing your Magnakai camouflage skills, and helped by the smoke and confusion, you manage to slip past the Giaks and the others and hurry along the corridor towards the distant doors. To your surprise, the two massive portals open as you approach them. A purple glare blinds you momentarily, forcing you to raise your hand to shield your eyes, but still you keep running until you have passed through the doors.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 01:04 AM

The purplish glare is generated by a glassy opaque sphere which hangs suspended above the doors. It pours forth a blinding curtain of light which fills the entrance, but this quickly fades once you have passed through into the chamber beyond.

As your eyes adjust to the gloomy interior, you find yourself standing in a small temple. A plain stone altar dominates the chamber, around which are positioned a ring of twenty black candles. The candles are fixed into elaborately carved holders fashioned to resemble each of the twenty Darklords sent long ago by Naar, King of the Darkness, to conquer Magnamund. Their flames burn brightly scarlet and they give off a rancid, greasy smell that, despite your attempts to block it, makes you feel lightheaded and nauseous.

Hurriedly you move to leave this temple through an archway opposite, for there is an extraordinary saturation of evil contained within these walls and you feel it leeching your mental and physical strength.

(Unless you possess Kai-screen, deduct 3 ENDURANCE points due to its insidious effects.)

You are near the centre of the temple when you notice something strange resting in a hollow in the surface of the altar.

(Have I ever been to Mogaruith? Yup)

At once you recognize the glassy orb which rests upon the altar. It is identical to the sphere you saw in the chamber of Arch Druid Cadak in Mogaruith, the sphere by which he communicated with the master of all evil--the evil God Naar. With dread, you look upon the surface of the orb and your blood runs cold; it is as if the eye of the Dark God himself were gazing upon you.

(I choose to destroy it)

You take up one of the heavy black candlesticks and raise it above your head, steadying yourself as you get ready to hurl it at the sphere. Then a wave of dark energy comes coursing from the orb and you swoon as it washes over your body. You are in danger of dropping the candlestick upon your own head until, with a defiant cry, you draw on your psychic strength to counter the power of the orb.

As your mind clears and your strength returns, you launch the candlestick at the altar and smash the orb into hundreds of tiny shards. Instantly there is a tremendous implosion and a rush of air as the evil within this chamber is sucked back to its source. The stench that permeated the air has now gone and you feel a sense of well-being infuse your body: add 3 ENDURANCE points to your current score.

Anxious to make up for lost time, you turn away from the altar and hurry through the archway opposite. Beyond lies an icy-cold corridor where the walls and ceilings are carved with many strange spatial designs. As you follow this passage, you notice that the theme of planets and stars gradually changes to one of volcanoes and lava fissures. As if to mirror this the temperature also changes, becoming steadily hotter and drier until, by the time you finally near the corridor's end, the heat has become almost furnace-like in intensity. Breathless and bathed with sweat, you stare through the shimmering air and see a great iron door at the end of the passage.

Due to the excessive heat, unless you possess the Disciplines of Grand Huntmastery and Grand Nexus, you must now consume a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

You increase your speed as you approach the iron door and get ready to push against it, expecting great resistance but, to your complete surprise, the heavy portal swings open the instant you reach out to touch it. A gust of cooling air wafts in your face, encouraging you to step into the hall which lies beyond. Swiftly the iron door slams shut behind you but you pay it no heed. The refreshing coolness and the awesome spectacle of the hall itself commands your complete attention.

Tiers of glittering gold-veined marble descend to a circular hall where a ring of fluted copper pillars support a platform, shaped like the foredeck of some great ship. Multicoloured rays stream from a crystal sphere suspended above this platform, creating a cage of flickering light at its centre. Sitting in this radiant cage is a pale-skinned man with long blond hair. His knees are drawn up to his chin and his eyes are closed, as if asleep. You recognize him to be Banedon, but still mindful of your encounter with the Helghast, you reserve your judgement.

A narrow staircase, its hand-rails carved and fashioned from the tusks of Kalte mammoths, leads directly to the platform. Cautiously you descend the tiers, cross the floor, and advance towards these stairs, stopping only when you reach a granite throne positioned directly opposite the staircase. The back and arms of this crude seat have been chiselled to resemble a lion-like creature sitting on its haunches, and it is from here that you attempt to communicate telepathically with the sleeping man.

At first there is no response. Then, wearily, he raises his head and forces open his eyes. His face is haggard and lined with fatigue, but the look of extreme tiredness slowly changes to a smile of recognition when he sees you.

Lone Wolf . . . the words form slowly in your mind, thank Ishir you've found me . . .

Convinced now that he truly is your friend Banedon, you rush towards the steps, eager to free him from his prison. Then you sense something is wrong and you skid to a halt at the foot of the steps. Banedon's weary smile has changed to a wide-eyed look of fear.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 01:15 AM

A sudden noise makes you spin around, half-crouched, your weapon ready to hand for your defense. At first you see nothing, then a faint shadow moving at the corner of your eye draws your attention to an alcove on the other side of the hall. Suddenly you hear Banedon's voice echoing faintly in your head. You cannot understand what he is saying but you sense that it is a warning. You glance over your shoulder and notice that he is pointing at the granite throne. To your horror you see that the throne's fanged mouth is opening wider and wider.

(I have Kai-Screen)

A ghostly mist issues from the parting jaws of the throne-statue. You step back, your weapon raised, but it does nothing to protect you from the piercing screech which suddenly fills your head. Fortunately, your powerful mind defenses are protection enough against this violent psychic attack, and soon the screech fades to a more tolerable volume.

From out of the mist-filled jaw there emerges a small black creature covered in shaggy fur. Its head is white, cut with dark bony ridges and studded with running sores that encircle its flaming red eyes.

You raise your weapon and get ready to strike as it stalks nearer, but your concentration is momentarily broken when you notice a wispy shadow emerging from the alcove on the far side of the hall. It is a Nadziranim sorcerer. Fearful of its purpose, you turn away from the furry creature and make a dash towards the ivory staircase, intent on reaching Banedon as quickly as possible. The stalking creature, thinking that you are running in fear, immediately gives chase and comes bounding towards you, determined to intercept you before you reach the steps.

(I use my bow)

You sheathe your weapon and unshoulder your Bow as you run towards the stairs. Once there, you draw an Arrow and take aim at the advancing creature. It halts, snarling defiantly, then, to your utter amazement, its furry chest undergoes a rapid metamorphosis. What was fur only a few seconds ago is now a shiny steel-hard shell.

(I aim at its head. I roll a 8 and then add 8. )

The creature tries to dodge your speeding shaft but it is too slow. The Arrow skewers its lower jaw, causing the beast to shriek out loudly in pained surprise. However, despite this fearful wounding, it does not break off its attack. With chilling disregard for pain, it wrenches the Arrow from its jaw and hurls it aside. Unnerved by this display of bravado, you shoulder your Bow as, with a gurgling shriek, the beast comes bounding forwards. You get ready to meet its advance yet, when it is but ten feet away, it suddenly opens its bloodstained mouth wide and spews forth a stream of white-hot liquid fire.

(I do not have Grand Nexus. I try to dodge and roll a die. 5 + 3 for Grand Huntmastery)

Your lightning-fast reflexes save you from being hit by the searing stream of liquid fire. Several droplets splash your tunic and it catches alight (lose 1 ENDURANCE point), but you quickly extinguish the flames. Coolly you raise your weapon and stare the creature defiantly in the eye as it gets ready to pounce.

Talons spring from the creature's forepaws and its sharp teeth glint like polished knives as it comes leaping through the air towards you.

Vodak: CS 44, EP 52

I use Kai-Surge. I roll a 4. It takes 12 and me 3. I rock a 7 and it takes 18 and me 1. A 2 follows and I hit for 10 and take 3. Then I roll a 7 again and it is rocked for another 18. It dies and I took 8.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 01:31 AM

Slowly a brooding, malignant vapour arises from the creature's corpse to hover in the air above it. You sense a powerful magical aura radiating from this sinister shadow and, as you back away from it, a mass of swirling sparks begin flickering at its core. Banedon calls for your help, his cry echoing faintly in your mind. You spin around and see him falling sideways to the floor of the platform, unconscious and unmoving. Fear runs cold in your veins, a fear that grows wilder when you glance once more at the hovering shadow, for now it has descended to the ground and from beneath its curtain-like base there pours a seething tide of black-bodied insects, some as large as mice.

Biting back your fears, you raise your weapon and focus on the advancing swarm. Suddenly your psychic senses tingle. These are no ordinary insects; in fact these are not insects at all. Your sixth sense detects that they are merely a clever illusion created to deceive you. Confident in this knowledge you stand your ground and allow the tide of creepy-crawlies to wash over your feet. Within a matter of seconds the insect horde fades and vanishes, dispelled by your disbelief in their existence.

The hovering shadow is changing shape once more. It expands and thickens, its misty outline now becoming hard and clearly defined. Your heart quickens when the transformation is complete for now you see before you a scaly dragon, with frosty-white skin and eyes as black as deep space. It fixes you with a murderous gaze and opens a mouth that is packed with razor-sharp fangs. Then a chilling gust of super-cold breath blows over you, leaving you shivering. Your Magnakai skills save you from being instantly frozen to death by this icy blast, but they will not keep you safe from the creature's fangs, its horny tail, or its sword-like claws. With a hungry growl, the dragon comes stalking forwards. Its jaw hangs open in expectation of an easy feast.

Ice Dragon (Polymorphed Nadziranim) CS 48, EP 52

I use Kai Surge. I roll 4, 8, 2, and 6. It has taken 36 and me 11. I roll a 6 and 0. It have taken exactly 52. I took a total of 15. 23/44

The moment you strike your killing blow, the body of the Ice Dragon becomes transparent, as if it was made wholly of glass, then slowly this form melts away to a steamy vapour which quickly evaporates, leaving no trace of the creature's existence.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 01:43 AM

A deathly silence fills the hall, broken only by the sound of Banedon's laboured breathing. Fearful of his condition, you climb the ivory staircase and rush to his side. However, you are prevented from touching your friend by the encircling wall of energy in which he is held prisoner. You sense that the power which keeps him here against his will is being generated by the crystal sphere which hangs suspended in the air directly above him. You gaze at this sphere and the thought occurs that if you could disrupt it in some way, by breaking or dislodging it, it might cause the power wall to fail.

(I can use a bow, Kai_Alchemy, or Magi-Magic. I use my bow, it works.)

You rush forwards and try to revive Banedon but he is deeply unconscious and does not respond. Taking hold of your friend by the arm, you lift him across your shoulders, then carefully begin your descent from the platform. Once you are safely at the bottom of the steps, you cast your eyes around the hall for a means of escape. There are only two exits visible: the light-filled doors by which you entered, and a tunnel in the north wall.

(Tunnel in the north wall)

Holding Banedon firmly in place across your shoulders, you climb the tiered steps towards the tunnel. The cold dark passage looks most uninviting, but when you hear the sound of a patrol approaching the main doors, you forget your reticence and hurry along the passage to avoid him.

The dingy passage descends by slope and stair to a rectangular hall which is lined with ancient stone statues, their features made unrecognizable by age. Tar-soaked torches fixed to the two longest walls illuminate this musty chamber with a flickering amber light, and the air is heavy with their oily stench. In the distance you see an archway and the passage continuing away into darkness.

(I choose to stop and try to revive Banedon)

You lower Banedon to the floor and make him as comfortable as you can by propping him in a sitting position with his back against one of the statues. Then, despite your own fatigue, you use your innate healing skills in an attempt to revive him to consciousness. His pulse is weak and his skin is cold to the touch, and you can tell by his poor physical condition that he has been starved and beaten during his imprisonment here in Kaag. Placing your hands upon his brow, you feel some of your body warmth draining away as you concentrate on transmitting your healing powers to your injured friend. Slowly he responds, and although he is still too weak to speak, he manages to open his eyes and communicate with you telepathically.

I know this chamber . . . he says, . . .I have been here before. Look there, at the statue opposite. You'll find a lever concealed at its side. It opens a hidden door.

Guided by Banedon's messages you discover that there is indeed a lever as he described. You pull it and a panel in the stone wall glides open to reveal a secret alcove and flight of steps leading downwards. Noises in the tunnel warn you that Drakkarim are approaching and so, without hesitation, you shoulder your friend once more and hurry into the alcove to avoid them.

The panel glides shut behind you and keeps you hidden from the enemy. Through the wall you hear cries of surprise and some curses when they enter the chamber to discover that you have seemingly disappeared into thin air. Mindful that they might find your hiding place, you descend the stairs and arrive at a vault which is lavishly equipped with all manner of elaborate laboratory apparatus. Several large tables line one wall, many stained with blood.

You sense that Banedon is disturbed by the sight of these tables and, when you ask him what is wrong, he tells you that this chamber is where the Nadziranim subjected him to hours of brutal interrogation in a futile attempt to extract the magical secrets of the Brotherhood.

Despite all their fiendish tortures, he says, his mind-voice weak yet full of pride, they learned nothing.

You search for a way out of this vault and soon discover a steel door which is secured by a curious combination lock. It comprises three raised blocks, each block divided into four equal squares. In each square, bar one, there is a number. You ask Banedon if he knows how the lock operates and he recalls once seeing a Nadziranim tapping the empty square several times in order to make the door open.

Consider the following grids of numbers. When you think you know what the missing number is, turn to the entry that bears the same number as your answer

Each number is multiplied by two. The missing number is 8. It works. We arrive in a passage and I can go left or right. I go to ask Banedon but he is unconscious again. I choose left. I run into a door and use my Brass Key.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Beyond the door awaits a sumptuous chamber dominated by a magnificent fireplace crafted from blocks of glassy rock. The walls are hung with fine tapestries, looted from the Stornlands during times of war, and you note that the furniture is carved from best Durenese oak.

You pass through the chamber into an adjoining passage which leads to a library. As you enter, you disturb a robed creature seated at a lectern. Before it can rise or raise the alarm, you draw your weapon and silence it with a swift blow to the base of its skull. Pulling back its hood reveals it to be a Liganim, a thrall of the Nadziranim sorcerers.

Suddenly you hear movement and glance up to see another Liganim peering over the parapet of a gallery which encircles the upper level of this library. The creature, having witnessed the slaying of its companion, lets out a horrified squeal and turns to run towards an archway on the far side of the gallery. Determined to prevent his escape, you lower Banedon to the floor then rush towards a flight of wooden stairs that also lead to the archway. However, as you near the landing at the top of these stairs, two more of the creatures appear from either side, with wands gripped in their clawed hands. They shout a spell-word in the dark tongue and a crackling curtain of energy flares between the two rods, blocking your path. The power-wall looks formidable, but you sense at once that it is really quite weak.

(I do not have Kai-Alchemy)

You charge through the power-wall and your senses reel as your body earths the electrical energy: lose 3 ENDURANCE points. But, despite the momentary pain, you quickly recover and dispatch the two wand-wielding Liganim before they, too, attempt to run from the library.

The noise of their dying screams freezes the escaping Liganim dead in his tracks. He spins around in the archway, his ugly face transfixed into a mask of sheer terror as he watches you come racing towards him with your weapon poised to strike. However, the sight is too much for his weak heart which ceases to beat moments before you land your blow.

You return to collect Banedon, then, once he is safely across your shoulders, you climb the stairs and hurry through the archway. A tunnel lined with rich wood panelling leads to a chamber where eight smaller passages disappear off in all directions. You scan these exits and a familiar fear returns to haunt you, a fear that you will never find your way out off Kaag alive.

Using your innate healing skills, you try once more to revive Banedon. You remember once, during a tutorial at the Kai monastery, that Banedon conjured up a vision of the monastery and its surrounding estates. You were able to see yourself in miniature, standing in your chambers as if you were a tiny animated doll in a doll's house. If he were well enough to perform that spell here in Kaag, you might be able to locate your position and plan a route of escape.

Mustering your skills, you place your hands on Banedon's chest and transmit your power directly into his heart. (Reduce your ENDURANCE by 3 points.) Gradually Banedon stirs to consciousness and, as his strength returns, rekindled by your healing power, he is able to grant your request. On the floor of the chamber he calls forth a living, three-dimensional vision of Kaag. Gradually this vision expands until you are looking at yourselves, kneeling on the floor of a chamber on one of the upper levels of the central citadel. The vision blurs and fades, but not before you are able to trace the quickest way out of this dreadful place.

The passage which heads due south from this chamber leads directly to the Zlanbeast pens and landing platforms situated on the exterior wall of the citadel, high above the great South Gate. It is from here that you plan to escape, leaving the citadel by the same way you entered it: by air.

Confident that the success of your quest is now within your grasp, you help Banedon to his feet and support him as you make your way along the south passage.

With trepidation you follow the passage, praying all the while that Banedon's vision proves to be correct. Then at last your prayers are answered when, in the distance, you catch your first glimpse of the Zlanbeast pens.

You soon arrive at the entrance to the pens, where, from the safety of the shadows, you stop to observe the activity taking place inside. Lining the walls of the chamber you count more than a dozen cages, each holding a Zlanbeast or several smaller Kraan. Most are feeding, but there are some saddled ready for flight. One of these saddled Zlanbeast is perched nearby on a landing platform from where it casts its idle gaze upon the city far below.

You are contemplating how long it will take you and Banedon to reach the platform and climb aboard the waiting Zlanbeast, when suddenly you notice something strange that arouses your suspicions: there are no handlers or guards on duty in the pen.

(I use Grand Pathsmanship)

You bring your advanced tracking senses to bear and, almost at once, you detect an ambush has been laid for you in this pen. An elaborate magical screen has been erected to camouflage and keep hidden the warriors who are, at this very moment, lying in wait for you and Banedon to appear.

Anxiously, you peer into the pen, scrutinizing every shadow for some clue to the ambushers' whereabouts, but you are unable to spot their positions. The saddled Zlanbeast looks so inviting, yet your hopes of escape are tempered by the desire to keep yourself and Guildmaster Banedon alive.

(I risk the ambush)

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 02:07 AM

You draw your weapon and support your friend with your free hand. You tell him what you have sensed, that there is a strong chance that an ambush awaits you in the pen, but he agrees with you that a sudden rush towards the landing platform stands a good chance of success. Then, with a nod of your head, you indicate the Zlanbeast that is perched outside on the platform and whisper to Banedon that that particular creature is the one that will soon be carrying you out of Kaag. He nods his approval and you get ready to enter the pen.

You have taken less than five steps towards the platform when an unexpected sound makes you look up. To your horror, you see a weighted net falling from the ceiling directly on to your heads.

(I roll a 2 and add 3 for Grand Huntmastery)

Hastily you push Banedon aside then dive to avoid the falling net, the sheer speed with which you react saving you both from becoming trapped like two foxes in a snare. Quickly you spring to your feet and rush to help your fallen companion. As you stoop to lift him, you hear a deep voice cursing you quietly in the shadows. You turn to face the voice, weapon in hand, ready to cut him down. But you are shocked to the core when you see who it is who emerges into the grey light of the pen.

'So we meet again, Lone Wolf.'

The words, full of hatred, are spoken by a tall, ancient figure, whose gaunt face is framed by a shock of platinum hair. It is Arch Druid Cadak, ruler of Mogaruith, the leader of the Cener Druids of Ruel.

'What is your purpose here, Cadak?' you growl in reply, your weapon raised in case he or his minions should attempt to rush you.

'I am ruler of this city now. After all, is it not fitting that I should inherit the legacy of the Darklords?' Cadak's whimsical mood seems to change for the worse, a change reflected in his voice.

'Your meddlesome intrusions have cost me dear, Kai Lord,' he hisses. 'We have a debt to settle and I intend to make you pay what you owe. I brought you here. It was my purpose. I have no interest in the inferior magic of this fool you call friend,' he says, sneering at Banedon, 'yet I knew he would be bait enough to lure you.'

Slowly he steps towards the shadows and you tense yourself, fearing an imminent attack.

'Now you will settle your debt . . .' he says, almost in a whisper, 'once and for all!'

He snaps his fingers and you hear the creak of a heavy iron door slowly opening. Then a low, snorting noise echoes through the pen, stirring the caged Kraan and Zlanbeast to sudden frenzy. You steel yourself and cast your eyes around in a desperate attempt to see what it is that is responsible for this sudden uproar. Then the cause emerges into the light and your blood runs ice cold in your veins when you look upon its terrible face.

Emerging from the shadows with slow purposeful steps comes a huge rodent-like creature. Its mustard-coloured body and its six claw-tipped legs are thick and powerful, corded with muscle that ripples as it moves. Its head is monstrous, the jaw seeming too large for the skull. This entire bony structure extends beyond the lips and is studded with large spade-like teeth.

I can use magi-Magic, Kai Alchemy, a bow. The bow does nothing, so I grab my weapon.

Zavaghar CS 52, EP 60.

If my EP ever falls beneath 12, we instead stop the fight. I use Kai Blast

I roll a 8, 3, 2, and 7. I took 12. I am at 23/44. I dealt 32. I roll a 9, 1, and 7. I deal 26. That’s 58. I took 9. I am at 14/44, so I don’t stop the fight yet. I roll again. 4. It dies and I am at 10./44

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 02:17 AM

Quote:

The Zavaghar shrieks in agony and comes crashing to the floor, its limbs flailing and its jaw chattering wildly as it ekes out the last throes of death.

'No! No! No!' screams Arch Druid Cadak, his voice filled with anger and bitter frustration. 'It cannot be! It cannot be!'

Madly he rushes across the pen and stares with open-mouthed incredulity at the carcass of the huge Zavaghar, his eyes wide with disbelief. Meanwhile, you have helped Banedon to his feet and the two of you have begun to hurry towards your means of escape which is still perched on the landing platform.

Suddenly, Cadak recovers from his shock and, seeing the two of you escaping, screams an order to his remaining Drakkarim to prevent you from getting away.

You reach the winged creature and, using your Magnakai skills, you manage to subdue it to your command. Arrows and crossbow bolts fly past, dangerously close, fired by those Drakkarim who have responded to Cadak's order. You try to ignore these missiles as you mount the Zlanbeast and heave Banedon roughly across its great scaly neck.

With a sharp kick, you urge the Zlanbeast into the air and, as it soars away from the platform, you glance back to see Cadak shaking his fist and screaming vile curses.

You laugh at his displeasure, but your laughter chokes in your throat when you notice a battery of heavy bolt-throwers lining the battlements above the pens. They are manned by Giak soldiers, and, as you fly past them, they discharge a cloud of deadly missiles.

(I roll a 3, we dodge the bolts)

Below you is the South Gate of Kaag. Its surface is covered by the hide of Nyxator, preserved by the Darklords as a trophy of Naar's evil power. Nyxator was the first servant of the God Kai to appear on Magnamund and the form he chose to adopt was that of a great dragon. He was the first recipient of Kai's wisdom, a wisdom he encapsulated in the Lorestones for the future good of all who follow the way of Kai.

You stare down at the face of your ancient ancestor and, for a fleeting moment, you detect the trace of a smile upon its fossilized lips. Then, in the next instant, you plunge into a bank of stormy grey cloud and the dread city of Kaag is lost to view.

By the time you find your way back to the Skyrider, the storm has blown itself out. Your return is met with cheers and joyous celebration for your quest has been a great success. Lord Rimoah is especially pleased and he praises you warmly:

'Against all odds,' he says, his voice filled with pride, 'you have rescued our friend from the nightmare fortress of Kaag and delivered him safely into the arms of his loyal crew.'

Congratulations, Grand Master Lone Wolf. You have triumphed once again, proving beyond doubt that you embody the ideals of the Kai. You have saved your closest friend from the clutches of the evil druid Cadak and confounded his plans.

Yet the fight against Evil goes ever on. Soon your courage and skills will be put to the test again, this time in a far distant realm of Magnamund. The nature of the quest and the perils that await you can be found in the next Grand Master adventure entitled:

The Darke Crusade

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 02:26 AM

Review of The Captives of Kaag. This story was just off. There are many times when I felt the passage as asking for the wrong skill, like Hunting for Tracking, Hunting for Camouflage and so forth. It’s off. I rescued a guy. Still not a major thing. I also like how a simple Zadziranim can be harder to kill than a Darklord.

I know that in each series you have problems. In order to place you in danger, and to give you some difficulty, they have to require certain skills, which you already had in previous adventures to do the same thing. For example, in Shadow on the Sand, while fleeing from Maouk, you use Tracking and sense that a road has a dead end. Tracking. Not even Pathsmanship, but tracking. Yet you cannot tell that a path here has a dead end unless you use Grand Huntmastery. You regularly wind up in places where you have no idea of which direction to go, but that happened very rarely in the previous series because you almost always had Tracking, Pathsmanship, Sixth Sense or Divination as a help. Here you rarely have any help at all. His happens all of the time for game reasons, but it makes for a bad story. Oh, and Joe Dever lied He said Telegnosis helped with spirit-walk, but it appears to be the same Sixth Sense skill as before. And Grand Nexus helps in Mind Over Matter despite the fact that the skill’s description has no such mention.

Why didn’t I need the Golden Amulet to survive the Darklands? Isn’t that a bit of a plot hole?

End of The Captives of Kaag

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 07:26 PM

The Darke Crusade:

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 5076 and twenty-six years have passed 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, Archlord Gnaag, 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 Northern Magnamund. Some factions which comprised 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 six 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 under way. The new generation of Kai recruits, all of whom were born during the era of war against the Darklords, possess latent Kai skills and all 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 organized the training of the Second Order recruits. Your efforts were soon rewarded and, 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 new-found 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 that you had rediscovered 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 most 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 not years but centuries to complete.

In the far west, the Drakkarim had retreated to their homelands and were engaged in a bloody war against the Lencians. Much of southern Nyras had been reclaimed by the armies of King Sarnac, the Lencian commander, and his flag now flew over territory which, two thousand years ago, had once been part of Lencia.

Following the destruction of the Darklords of Helgedad, the Giaks, the most prolific in number of all of Gnaag's troops, fled into the Darklands and sought refuge in the gigantic city-fortresses of Nadgazad, Aarnak, Gournen, Akagazad and Kaag. Within each of these hellish strongholds fierce fighting broke out as remnants of the Xaghash (lesser Darklords) and the Nadziranim (evil practitioners of Right-handed Magic who once aided individual Darklord masters) fought for control. It is widely believed that by the time the Elder Magi and the Herbwardens reach the walls of these strongholds they will encounter no resistance; the occupants will have long since brought about their own extinction. Elsewhere, throughout Northern Magnamund, peace reigns victorious and the peoples of the Free Kingdom 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.

Only a year ago the evil Cener Druids of Ruel attempted to enact Naar's revenge. Secretly, in the laboratories of their foul stronghold of Mogaruith, they had laboured to create a virulent plague virus capable of killing every living creature upon Magnamund, save their own kind. Word of their terrible plan reached Lord Rimoah who immediately urged the rulers of the Freelands to raise armies and invade Ruel. Hurriedly they complied, but the invasion ended in disaster. Seven thousand fighting men entered Ruel intent on storming the fortress of Mogaruith and razing it to the ground. Seven thousand marched into the dark realm; only seventy emerged alive. The Ceners were within days of perfecting their ultimate weapon when you took up the challenge and ventured alone into Mogaruith.

Despite overwhelming odds you thwarted their evil plan by destroying the virus and the means by which it was created.

After emerging from Ruel triumphant, your quest fulfilled, you returned home to Sommerlund and the Kai monastery where you resumed your duties as Grand Master. Three months later, on the day that saw the first fall of winter snow, you were visited by Lord Rimoah. Once again he found himself the reluctant bearer of ill news. Your friend Guildmaster Banedon, whilst helping with the reclamation of wastelands close to the Maakengorge, had been abducted by a war-band of Giaks under the command of Nadziranim sorcerers. A rescue was attempted, but ruthlessly the Nadziranim obliterated those who tried to follow their escape into the Darklands. It was feared that the Nadziranim would try to extract from Banedon the secrets of Left-Handed Magic, so that they might marry it to their own foul sorcery. Such an outcome would have given them extraordinary power, power enough to revive the Darklands. A previous attempt to unite the two paths of Magic had resulted in catastrophe for Sommerlund. In the year MS 5050, Vonotar the Traitor, a magician from the same guild as Banedon, had betrayed his homeland in exchange for the promise of Nadziranim power. It was his act of treachery which brought about the invasion of Sommerlund and the destruction of the First Order of the Kai.

Banedon's survival depended upon a swift rescue from Kaag. Mindful of all that was at stake, courageously you volunteered to enter the city-fortress alone in an attempt to save your friend.

Despite fierce odds you gained entry to Kaag, located Banedon, then snatched him from the foul denizens of that city by way of a daring aerial escape from the upper levels of their great citadel. Banedon was severely weakened by his ordeal at the hands of the Nadziranim and, had it not been for your timely intervention, he would certainly have perished in that grim city-fortress.

The rescue of Guildmaster Banedon and his safe return to Sommerlund was cause for much celebration, especially in the streets and guildhalls of his native city of Toran. For several days you allowed yourself to be fêted by the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star before returning to your monastery where, with a feeling of quiet satisfaction, you gladly resumed your duties as Kai Grand Master.

So the year ended and another began, yet even before the snows of winter had begun to thaw, once again your unique skills were being sought in the relentless struggle against Evil. This time the plea for help arrived by way of a foreign ambassador, a special envoy who had travelled thousands of miles from the court of King Sarnac of Lencia. Their war against the Drakkarim, who were under the command of Magnaarn, the High Warlord of Darke, had stagnated ever since the onset of winter and recently the whole campaign had taken a turn for the worse. The Lencians learned that Magnaarn had undertaken a quest for the Doomstone of Darke, an artefact of legendary evil. It was said that this gem was the most powerful of all the Doomstones created by Agarash the Damned during the Age of Eternal Night. Before the demise of the Darklords, this Doomstone had rested in the head of the Nyras Sceptre, a magical weapon wielded by Darklord Dakushna, Lord of Kagorst. In the chaos that followed the wake of Dakushna's destruction, the Nyras Sceptre was lost, though many secretly believed it to have been stolen by one of Dakushna's Nadziranim sorcerers. Some months later during the war in Nyras the sceptre reappeared, but the Doomstone was missing from its setting atop the sceptre's platinum haft.

'We fear that Magnaarn is close to finding the Doomstone of Darke,' said the Lencian envoy. 'Already he possesses the sceptre's haft. My liege, King Sarnac, beseeches you, Grand Master Lone Wolf, to come to our aid. Help us find the Doomstone and thwart Magnaarn's plan, for if he successfully reunites the Doomstone and the Nyras sceptre he will command a power capable of our undoing.'

'With respect, my lord, surely this one weapon, however evil it may be, is no match when pitted against all the armoured might of Lencia?' you replied diplomatically, as yet unconvinced by the envoy's plea.

'Perhaps so, Grand Master,' he replied, 'Were the nature of the threat merely the weapon alone. Sadly this is not the only issue here. Until now, the Nadziranim sorcerers who control the strongholds of Kagorst and Akagazad have refused to aid Magnaarn in his war against us. Many times he has begged them for help, for within those fortress walls are thousands of Giaks and other breeds who sought sanctuary there after the defeat of the Darklords. They still possess their weapons and they would make a formidable enemy if ever they were mustered against us. Magnaarn's possession of the Doomstone of Darke will most certainly influence the Nadziranim. Its power is such that Magnaarn could simply force them to obey his every command. Their refusal would result in their immediate destruction.'

Politely you dismissed the envoy whilst you considered your response to his plea. In the solitude of your chamber you pondered the problem, weighing plight of Lencia against your duties and responsibilities there at the Kai monastery. At length, after careful deliberation, you reached your decision.

'Well my Lord?' enquired the envoy, nervously, upon re-entering your chamber. 'Will you help us thwart Magnaarn?'

'Once, not so very long ago, your King and his army aided me during my quest for the Magnakai,' you replied. 'Perhaps now the time has come for me to repay my debt of gratitude. Yes, I shall help you. I shall return with you to Lencia and champion your cause. I vow that I shall do all in my power to thwart Magnaarn's quest.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 07:29 PM

Map:

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 07:32 PM

Of the first three Grand Master books, this one feels the most like Lone Wolf. Who cares about rescuing a friend? The plague, virus vacceine thing felt very un-Lone Wolf. taking out a wardlord who is tryoing to find a Doomstone, now that's Lone Wolf. I've already destroyed one tyrant with a Doomstone in Castle Death, and you have a chance to find a second in Ikaya, in Book 3, when you get the Effigy, if you push the buttons differently - Doomstone. You just toss it out when you are told what it is. Imagine if Vonotar had found that!

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 07:45 PM

Okay, here are the improved disciplines for this level:

Sun Knight

If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Knight (6 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:

Grand Weaponmastery

Sun Knights with this Discipline are able to wield two-handed weapons (i.e. Broadsword, Quarterstaff, Spear) with full effect, using only one hand.

Deliverance

Sun Knights who possess this skill are able to repair serious wounds sustained by creatures other than themselves. By the laying of hands upon the affected creature's body, a Sun Knight can cause an open wound (or other serious injury) to mend itself. The speed at which this healing takes place increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.

Grand Pathsmanship

Kai Sun Knights with this skill are able to repel at will all normal-sized insects within a radius of three yards. The range and numbers of insects so affected increases considerably as a Grand Master rises in rank.

Grand Nexus

Sun Knights who possess Mastery of this Discipline are able to feign death. By placing themselves into a state of suspended animation, outwardly they are able to achieve all semblance of being truly dead. However, whilst in this state the only sense that a Sun Knight retains is the ability to hear.

Telegnosis

Sun Knights who possess this Discipline are able to communicate telepathically over great distances. Initially the range of this ability is approximately 100 miles, but this distance increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.

Kai-alchemy

Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Sun Knight are able to use the following Brotherhood spells:

Halt Missile--This causes any projected or hurled missile (i.e. arrows, axes, crossbow bolts etc.) which may pose an immediate threat to the life of a Sun Knight, to cease its flight and remain stationary in mid-air. The effect of the spell lasts for 2-3 seconds, allowing the Sun Knight sufficient time to move away from its line of flight. Initially only one missile can be affected by this spell, but the number increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.
Strength--By casting this spell, a Sun Knight is able to greatly increase his or her physical strength for a short duration. It can be used to lift or move heavy objects, or to effect a temporary increase in COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE scores whilst fighting an enemy in unarmed combat.

Options for a new Discipline - Telegnosis to give me the Sixth Sense ability back, Kai-Alchemy or Magi-Magic to give me something new, that’s pretty much it. I’m choosing the better named Kai-Alchemy. Magi-Magic is a dumb name.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 08:28 PM

I get a Map of Western Tentarias, 22 crowns, Laumspur. It’s the same dumb items to choose from each time.

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, Southlands, Vassagonia, Stornlands, Tekaro, The Danarg, Anari, Ghatan, Vhozada (Daziarn), Darklands, Ruel, Mogaruith, Updated Darklands
Fur Blanket
214 Gold Crowns
1 Meal
2 Potion of Laumspur - +5 EP
6 Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP
Fur Backpack
Bone Sword
Effigy
Concentrated Graveweed
Kalte Diamond
Ragadorn Dagger
Magic Spear
Holy Water
Brass Key
Iron Key
Whip
Sommlending Cavalry Spear (Normal)
Quarterstaff, Royal Guard (Normal)
Scroll of Prophecy
Shield
Jeweled Mace
Bottle of Kourshah - +4 EP
Copper Key
Gold Key
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
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
Medal: Battle of Luoni
Drakkar Dagger (Normal)
Zagganozod Sword (Normal)
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
Blue Stone Triangle
Grey Crystal Ring
Psychic Ring
Wrist and Finger Guards
Firesphere
Green Mask
Golden Amulet
Iron Key
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)

Keeping:

25 Gold Crowns
Crystal Star Pendant
Silver Bow of Duadon
Sommerswerd
Korlinum Scabbard
Dagger of Vashna
Map of Western Tentarias
Shield
Silver Helmet
Padded Leather Waistcoat
Bronin Vest
Silver Bracers
Kagonite Chainmail
Rope
Laumspur
Laumwort +2 EP (3 doses)
Quiver w/ 6 arrows
Kai Monastery Spear

I dropped the extra quiver and most of the rest.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 08:35 PM

Lone Wolf, Kai Sun Knight

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

CS 54
EP 46

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

Alright, time for book 15. This book has only been read by me once, a long time ago. I don’t remember anything from it. Heck, I didn’t remember anything from 14 except a couple of pictures.

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 08:48 PM

Having pledged your help, you commence preparations for your long journey to Lencia. You have many things you wish to attend to before you depart and so you invite Lord Floras, the Lencian envoy, to enjoy the hospitality of the monastery for a few days in order that you can settle your most pressing obligations. To your surprise he declines your invitation and insists that you leave at once, for he is anxious to return immediately to his distant homeland. Respectfully he reminds you that time does not favour your quest. By ship and by horse his journey to the monastery took more than a month to complete, and with Magnaarn already so near to finding the Doomstone of Darke, he fears that further delays could prove disastrous.

Mindful of the great distance which needs to be traversed you hurriedly dispatch a journeyman to Toran. He carries your request for help which is addressed to Lord Rimoah, your most trusted friend and advisor, who is presently attending to Guildmaster Banedon in his convalescence. Early next morning Lord Rimoah arrives at the monastery in person, aboard the vessel that is to be the answer to your dilemma: Skyrider--Banedon's flying ship.

Warmly you greet your old friend, then you introduce him formally to Lord Floras. The two talk at length about the war in the west, and Rimoah concludes the discussion by voicing his approval of your decision to go to King Sarnac's aid. Then he offers some words of warning.

'Be in no doubt, Grand Master,' he says, 'This mission you have chosen to fulfil will be as perilous as any you have undertaken in the past. Magnaarn is a cunning adversary and this stone he seeks is possessed of a deadly evil. Do not underestimate your enemy. If he should succeed in his quest then I fear the lands of the Western Tentarias will never be at peace.'

Within the hour the final preparations for your airborne voyage to Lencia are completed, and Lord Floras and you are piped aboard the Skyrider by Bo'sun Nolrim and his cheerful crew of dwarves. You exchange a few reminiscences with each of the jovial crewmen and cannot help but smile when they tell you how proud they feel to have been given the chance to serve you once more.

Nolrim takes the helm and you sense a vibration run down the length of the deck as he coaxes the craft's powerful engine to life. Lord Floras joins you at the prow and together you wave a farewell to Rimoah and your fellow Kai as, steadily, the Skyrider ascends into the crisp, wintery sky. Then, with a sudden surge of power, the keel clears the battlements of the Tower of the Sun and swiftly the monastery and its inhabitants recede into the distance.

You and your companion are escorted to a warm cabin at the bow which has been prepared especially for your passage. It is well stocked with provisions and, spread out across a grand oak table, you find several maps of Northern Magnamund. Aided by Lord Floras, you study these maps and use them to chart your course to the Lencian city-port of Vadera. Bo'sun Nolrim is informed of your chosen route and, as he sets about implementing your course, you settle back to enjoy what will be a long voyage. By your calculations, it will take thirty hours for the Skyrider to reach its destination.

During your voyage, Lord Floras recounts the dramatic events which have taken place in the Western Tentarias since the demise of the Darklords. Prior to their fall, the Drakkarim nations had for many centuries kept the Lencians at bay. Countless crusades had been undertaken to recapture their former lands but all had ended in costly defeat for the House of Sarnac. Then, two years ago, the tide finally turned when the King launched an invasion across the Gulf of Lencia into the lands of Zaldir and Nyras. The boldness of his strategy and the unpreparedness of his enemies combined to win for him many victories in the early months of the war. Much of Zaldir and all of southern Nyras were taken and held by his conquering knights, and now the lines of battle are drawn diagonally across the centre of Nyras, from Lake Lenag in the north to the marshland fortress of Lozonzee in the east. However, King Sarnac cannot lay claim to total victory in the south, for the cities of Shpyder and Darke have defied all his attempts at capture. Their Drakkarim garrisons have steadfastly held on to these important strongholds and, although they have been surrounded and besieged for more than a year, still they refuse to surrender.

'At present, the war is focused around the towns of Hokidat and Konozod,' says Lord Floras, tracing a circle around their location on the map with the tip of his index finger. 'Many battles have been fought here but victory has, as yet, eluded us. Now, with the onset of a cruel winter, our advance has ground to a halt. Maintaining the sieges at Shpyder and Darke has drained us of troops and resources that would have been put to better use in the north. To compensate for this shortage, the King has employed many companies of foreign mercenaries to reinforce his armies in the field, but their services are expensive and the campaign has already proved costly, both in revenue and lives. The King is hard pressed to pay for their continued loyalty and already several regiments have deserted. If Magnaarn were to complete his quest and strike now, whilst our battle lines are weakened, his counterattack could push us all the way back to the sea.'

Lord Floras' report is sobering, yet it serves to strengthen your determination to thwart Magnaarn's quest. Later, shortly before nightfall, you leave the cabin and go up to the stern deck for a breath of fresh air. In quiet solitude you see the great expanse of the Slovarian plain passing by more than a mile beneath the craft and, as you watch, you lose yourself in thoughts of what may await your arrival in Lencia. The night sky is clear and laced with twinkling stars. As you return to the cabin to sleep, you draw comfort from the thought that the weather and the stars have seen fit to help speed your night passage to Vadera.

You rise at dawn and peer out of the cabin porthole to be greeted by a wondrous sight, for the Skyrider is now flying west along the Tentarias, the great divide that parts the two continents of Magnamund. You are soaring more than a mile above blue-green waters which shimmer in the early morning sun. Sunlight is also reflecting from the snow-capped mountain peaks of the Great Bor and Boradon mountains which rise up on either side to form a gigantic corridor of unyielding stone. Fondly the crew cast their eyes across the northern landscape, for this is the magnificent realm of Bor, the place of their birth, and many years have elapsed since they last visited their native land.

The weather remains clear and swift progress is made as the Skyrider follows its course along the Tentarias towards the Gulf of Lencia. By mid-morning you pass within a few miles of Humbold, capital of Eru, then emerge from the mountain corridor to a less enchanting sight. To the north, as far as the eye can see, stretches a dull and sickly mire. It is the infamous Hellswamp, an infernal morass of twisted vegetation and treacherous, shifting mudflats. Slowly the hours pass and the anticipation of your arrival at Vadera steadily grows. Then, at two hours past noon, the lookout catches first sight of the city-port nestling in its protected bay along the Lencian coast. You join Nolrim at the prow as skillfully he begins a descent towards the main square, the only place large enough to accommodate the craft in the closely packed quarters of this populous city.

At first, the sight of the Skyrider gliding towards their city causes a wave of panic among the Vaderans, who mistake it for a Drakkarim machine of war. But this initial fear is soon assuaged when the tower lookouts pass word that your mast bears a Sommlending flag. Upon landing, masses of curious citizens surge from out of the surrounding streets to form a ring of bodies around the airship's keel. Then a troop of armoured guardsmen push through the crowds and the air is filled with the buzz of their excited speculation. After a brief consultation with Lord Floras, they escort you both to the Vadera Citadel for an immediate audience with King Sarnac.

(Subtle)

You are ushered into a lavish chamber that is hung with Lencian flags and decorated with exotic fineries from the far-flung corners of Magnamund. All around guardsmen stand rigidly to attention, their eyes watchful and unblinking behind their silver visors as you approach the high-backed throne which dominates the centre of the room. There before you sits King Sarnac, his silver-grey hair framing a benign face that is still lean and firm despite advancing years.

'Welcome, Grand Master,' he says, as he rises from his throne and offers his hand in friendship. 'I prayed that you would come to Lencia, to help in the defeat of that cur, Magnaarn, but I did not imagine that you would arrive so soon. You are most welcome.'

Gladly you acknowledge the King's greeting and, after he has commended and dismissed Lord Floras, you adjourn with him to an antechamber where he tells you about the mission ahead.

'Latest reports from my spies and scouts in the north say that Magnaarn is presently at his army headquarters in Shugkona. Drakkarim have been seen combing a region of the Tozaz forest fifty miles to the north of his headquarters. We think that this is where he believes he'll find the Doomstone of Darke. There are many ancient temples in this area . . . perhaps one is harbouring that evil gem.'

The King pauses for a few moments to take some refreshment. From a jewel-encrusted pitcher, he pours two glasses of wine and proffers one to you before continuing. Gratefully you accept and politely you sip the rare vintage whilst listening to the King's plan of action.

'Grand Master,' he says, fixing you with his powerful gaze, 'if you are to thwart Magnaarn you must travel to Shugkona and seek him out. He must be killed, or failing this, the infernal Doomstone must be destroyed before he can use it against us. Secrecy is paramount if your mission is to succeed, therefore no attempt to approach Shugkona directly can be made. The lines of battle are drawn up to within fifty miles of that stronghold and the region is alive with Drakkarim. Yet there is still one means of approach that the enemy will not be guarding. I have made provision for a boat to take you to a place we call "Bear Rock". It lies on the River Gourneni and is only thirty miles from Magnaarn's headquarters. However, there is one complication . . . to reach the river you must first enter the Hellswamp.'

The thought of venturing into that terrible mire fills you with a cold dread, for the Hellswamp is notoriously perilous. King Sarnac recognizes your apprehension and quickly he tries to assuage your fears.

'I understand your anxiety, Grand Master, but rest assured that you will not be entering alone. One of my finest officers will be your guide throughout this mission. He has scouted this route before and he knows how to avoid its many dangers. Once you reach Bear Rock he will guide you through the forest to Shugkona. There you must find out where Magnaarn is and do whatever is necessary to foil his quest. Once your mission has been accomplished, my officer will bring you through our battle lines and see you safely back here to Vadera.'

The king reaches for a cord which hangs from a hole in the domed ceiling. He tugs it and a bell tinkles in a distant part of the citadel.

'Now, Grand Master,' he says, turning to face the door of the antechamber, 'the time has come for me to introduce your guide.'

Through the open archway comes a Lencian soldier attired in the parade tunic and breeches of a Court Captain. He is unusually tall, but his most striking feature is his close-set eyes which are bright above his thin, hawk-like nose and bushy black moustache. At once you recognize this officer, for he is Captain Prarg. During the fighting at Cetza you and he led Prince Graygor's reserves in a decisive action that helped save the Eruan Guards and turn the tide of the battle in your favour.

'Well met, Sire!' he says, with a smile, ''Tis an honour to have been chosen to guide you on your noble quest.'

(Can we have a guide not die? At least once? Or how about if I find out he was a spy for the enemy all along or something)

'You will commence your mission at midnight,' says the King, motioning you towards a small window which overlooks the busy harbour of Vadera. He points to a ship, one of several moored at the quayside, but one that is readily identifiable for it is the only vessel not in military service.

'That trading sloop will carry you and the Captain to the small island you can see in the distance. That is Battle Isle. There you will find a sailing boat with enough provisions for your mission. The Captain knows where it is hidden and he will be responsible for your safe passage once you set sail for the Hellswamp. Remember, secrecy is vital to the success of your mission. Trust nobody save Captain Prarg.'

The King voices his fear that Drakkarim spies are operating in the harbour and he expresses his concern that your unexpected arrival by air may have already alerted them to your presence here in Vadera. However, it is too late to change the plan; it is a risk you must accept.

Having concluded your briefing, King Sarnac sends for an escort to take you to a private chamber where you can rest and reflect upon the mission ahead. Later that evening, you and Captain Prarg are smuggled out of the citadel via a secret passage which leads directly to the harbour. Quietly you board the sloop and hide yourselves amongst its cargo of supplies which are destined for the garrison on Battle Isle. The ship sets sail on the first strike of midnight and, after a smooth and uneventful voyage it moors at a jetty on the southern coast of Battle Isle, three hours later.

The crew of the sloop are unaware that you are aboard and, in order to safeguard your secrecy, you await your chance to disembark without being seen. Soon the opportunity presents itself. As the crew go in search of help to unload the cargo, the two of you leave the sloop and hurry off along the beach, heading north towards the place where your sailing boat awaits. There is no cloud and a near-full moon illuminates the rocky beach, making it easy for you to progress despite the difficult terrain.

(Told ya it wasn’t subtle. I have Grand Pathsmanship)

Abe Sargent · 12-03-2009, 09:22 PM

Your super-keen senses alert you to something on the brow of a hill which overlooks this stretch of beach. You detect the faint glint of moonlight on steel and at once you whisper a warning to Prarg. Instantly he takes cover among the rocks and together you watch with bated breath as two inquisitive Lencian lookouts leave their post and come down to the sea's edge. They scan the beach then, shaking their heads, they turn and retrace their steps, pausing to skewer a few clumps of seaweed with their spears as they trek back to their post.

As the lookouts climb the hill, you and Prarg hurry away whilst they have their backs turned.

Shortly you reach a small secluded cove where Captain Prarg discovers a rusty anchor. It is a landmark, left on purpose by agents of King Sarnac to point the way to the cave where they have left your boat and provisions. You find the cave and together you haul the boat down the beach and raise its coal-black sail before pushing it out into the icy waters of the Tentarias.

Once aboard, you trim the sail whilst Prarg takes charge of the rudder. There is a good wind and within minutes your tiny craft is bobbing towards the far western channel of the Hellswamp, twenty miles distant. You ask Prarg if this dark estuary has a name, and he replies, 'Yes. The Drakkarim call it "Dakushna's Channel" after the Darklord who once commanded the city-fortress of Kagorst. They say it is a fitting dedication, for the waterway is as deadly and as treacherous as the being after whom it is named.'

Dawn breaks as you sail into the estuary of Dakushna's Channel. Prarg keeps the boat in the centre of the wide waterway, where the slimy water is deepest and the ever-present risk of grounding upon submerged debris is less likely to befall you.

Soon you are enveloped by the chaotic wilderness of the Hellswamp and you feel your spirits drop, as if they are being leeched by some unseen vampire. The monotonous view of slime-laden mudflats extends seemingly forever on every side, broken only occasionally by a dead, vine-strangled tree. You both take some comfort in the fact that there is a wind and it is blowing in a favourable direction. Despite the depressing scenery you make good progress until, late in the afternoon, you are forced to lower your sail when you reach a point where unexpectedly the channel splits in two. Prarg says that this split must have occurred recently, for it was not present the last time he sailed this way. Reluctantly he admits that he is not sure which way to go.

Upon the edge of the left bank, in the middle distance, you see a circle of mud huts perched close to the channel's edge. You magnify your vision, but you are unable to discern any signs of life.

(Left, normally I’d want to steer clear of habitation, but that seems the right way to get where we want to go)

Without a rigged sail, the stinking marsh wind propels your boat along the channel at a far slower rate. Gradually you approach the cluster of huts and, as you pass before them, you see eight dwellings, each built of mud-daubed roots and thatched with rotting vegetation. They are empty but they have not been deserted. The shoreline is littered with bones, the remnants of past meals, and nearby is a crude wooden frame on which the skins of a snake and a lizard have been stretched out to dry.

'It's a Ciquali camp,' whispers Prarg nervously, his eyes scouring the surrounding waters for the slightest sign of movement. During your travels you have heard tales about the Ciquali, none of which were favourable. They are the bane of the Hellswamp--a breed of vicious amphibians, intelligent and cunning, with a taste for human flesh that makes them especially dangerous.

'Our luck's good, Lone Wolf,' says Prarg, as gradually the wind carries you beyond the huts. 'The camp's empty--they must be away hunting. Truly we're fortunate to have come this way this time.'

As soon as you lose sight of the settlement, you hoist the sail and catch the prevailing wind which propels you northwards along Dakushna's Channel. You are hungry, and unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

Gradually, over the next few hours, the level of the water rises until it covers most of the surrounding mud flats. Here and there, clumps of wire-hard briar stand isolated on tiny islands which are almost flush with the surface. They are the only features to break the dreary landscape.

As sunset approaches, so the wind dies until there is barely enough breeze to ruffle the canvas. Stoically Prarg gathers in the mainsail and you ship the oars, then together you pull back against the scum-darkened water and continue on your way. You are watchful of the current, for this will indicate your approach to the River Gourneni, but the water is so thick with silt and slime that neither of you can be certain of its direction, or even of its existence.

Abe Sargent · 12-04-2009, 08:47 PM

It is almost dark when finally you reach the outflow of the Gourneni. It is a sluggish confluence, jammed with deadwood and silt-banks which obstruct most of its fifty-yard width. You both realize that an attempt to navigate this river at night would be foolish, and so you decide to set up camp at the river's edge and wait until first light before continuing.

Using your Kai skills of detection, you scan the two river banks to determine which would be a safer place to set up camp. Unfortunately you sense little difference between the two; neither east nor west looks very inviting.

(The west bank is closer to the Gourneni, which means it is away from the Hellswamp‘s center)

Within ten yards of the west bank the boat stops abruptly when it runs aground in the silted shallows.

'Curse our fortunes,' grumbles Prarg, peering over the side. 'I was a'hoping we'd be lucky enough t'keep our feet dry.' Wearily he searches through the provisions and produces a heavy rope, one end of which he proceeds to tie around the bowhead while you stow away the oars. Then, together, you slip into the cold knee-deep mud and begin the laborious task of hauling the boat towards dry ground.

You encamp on a strip of frozen loam and use the upturned boat as a shelter from the elements. As night falls, so, too, does the temperature. You cast your experienced eye across the darkening skies and see banks of cloud, heavy with snow, scudding the distant horizon. They are an unwelcome sight, the precursors to a winter storm.

Prarg volunteers to sit the first watch but, mindful that his need for rest is greater than yours, you insist that he be the first to get some sleep. For four hours you sit and scan the bleak horizon, your mind filled with unanswered questions about the mission and the dangers you have yet to face. While you ponder what may await you in the future, you remain watchful and alert, for the risk of an attack by the denizens of this swamp is ever present. Fortunately, the cold dissuades them from leaving their lairs this night and your watch passes without incident. Then the time comes for you to awaken Prarg. With a distinct lack of enthusiasm he takes over whilst you settle down to catch a few hours of much-needed sleep.

Prarg awakens you shortly before dawn. It has been snowing during the night and the boat is covered with a thin layer of crisp white flakes. As you open your eyes, the cold air brings you swiftly to your senses, its sudden unexpected chill making you shiver violently. However, this discomfort is momentary; your Magnakai skill of Nexus rights the imbalance and a comfortable warmth returns to your frozen limbs.

Carefully you step from beneath the boat and cast your eyes across the marsh which borders the river, now completely white. Tracks in the snow betray the nocturnal passage of several swamp creatures, but none are too large as to cause you undue concern. Prarg unpacks some provisions and, after a breakfast of dried meat, potatoes, ale and blue cheese, you prepare the boat for your long voyage north up the Gourneni river to Bear Rock.

By mid-morning the snow has returned and your progress is soon hampered by a whipping wind that blows persistently in your faces. Shielded by your innate skills, the sub-zero temperatures cause you little concern as tirelessly you work the oars. But Prarg is not so fortunate and, as the hours pass, the cold saps his strength until he is unable to continue rowing. Single-handedly you take over the oars whilst your guide, swathed in blankets, mans the rudder and acts as your pilot through the narrower sections of the Gourneni.

You reach Bear Rock shortly before dusk. The landmark is a massive granite boulder, weather-worn into the shape of a huge bear standing upright with its forepaws extended. It is positioned on the west side of the Gourneni and overshadows a sheltered cove formed where, over the centuries, the river has undercut the bank. Here you bring the boat ashore and make camp for the night.

Over your evening meal you discuss the next leg of your mission. In the morning you will hide the boat before setting off cross-country towards Magnaarn's headquarters at Shugkona. Fifty miles of dense timberland separate you from this town and, in current conditions, you estimate it will take at least two days to reach.

(I have Animal Mastery + Grand Guardian)

After your meal, you leave Prarg and climb to the top of the river bank. Here, using your Grand Mastery, you send forth a mental command into the surrounding forest, summoning creatures to your aid. At first there is no response, then a pair of white Nyras Timberwolves appear at the forest's edge and, upon your command, they approach you. Normally these wolves are wild and feral creatures, slave to nothing save their natural instincts, yet your mastery over them is total; they are utterly compliant to your will.

You command the two wolves to guard your camp while you and Prarg are sleeping. With a blink of their eyes they acknowledge your order and settle themselves on their haunches. You return to the boat and tell Prarg what you have done. At first he is skeptical, but having already witnessed some of your powers in action, he does not protest too hard, especially as he can now look forward to a long sleep without having to stand watch. Unfortunately for Prarg, his hopes for an uninterrupted night's rest are soon shattered.

Abe Sargent · 12-04-2009, 09:21 PM

Shortly after midnight you are awoken by the sound of wolves howling. Within a few moments you are on your feet, your weapon in hand as you race up the bank towards the place where you stationed your timberwolf guards. As you crest the bank you see them pacing back and forth, their eyes fixed on the forest's edge, their thick white fur standing on end with anxiety and fear. You scour the tree-line and at once you see the cause of their concern: Akataz. A dozen of the leathery black war-dogs are slinking in the shadows, waiting for the chance to attack. These ferocious wild dogs are often used by the Drakkarim and you have encountered them before on several occasions. Mindful of past experiences, you recall a weakness of the breed: they are particularly susceptible to psychic attacks.

Armed with this knowledge, you focus your Magnakai skill of Psi-surge upon the pack and launch a sharp blast of psychic energy in their direction. The effect is immediate: the Akataz are traumatized by this sudden assault. Shrieking with fright; the dogs flee from the bank and seek refuge in the dark safety of the Tozaz Forest. Confident that they will not be back, affectionately you pat your two loyal guards then return to the boat to resume your night's rest.

You wake with the dawn and fix a hasty breakfast before breaking camp. Within the hour you are ready to begin your trek towards Magnaarn's stronghold at Shugkona, but first you must dispose of your boat. Prarg takes what provisions he needs, then, with his sword, he pierces several holes in the keel. You launch the boat towards the centre of the river and watch as slowly it sinks beneath the surface. The moment it disappears, you leave the river's edge and set off into the trees.

Deep in the forest the snowfall is light underfoot, because of the thick canopy of branches overhead, and you find the going much easier than expected. You are struck by the unexpected beauty of this dense timberland in winter, by the intricate webs of frost that trail between its blue-green branches, and by its frozen streams and waterfalls. But even as you admire it, you remain ever conscious of its dangers. Prarg leads the way, and swiftly you progress from one concealed marker to another, all having been placed by him on previous missions behind enemy lines. By using his system of hidden signposts he is able to guide you safely through a maze of Drakkarim outposts and patrol routes that riddle this timberland.

It is nearing noon and you have covered more than twenty miles when Prarg motions you to halt: he has found something unexpected. Nailed to a trunk is a small rectangle of orange-coloured metal.

'This is a Drakkarim marker,' he says, after closer examination. 'They use them to mark the perimeter boundaries of their forest camps. It wasn't here the last time I came this way which means there must be a new outpost here, somewhere close.'

'How close?' you ask.

'Within half a mile at most.'

For a few moments you stop and listen to the silence of the forest. You close your eyes and concentrate, and through the use of your aural skills, you detect noises away to the north. The sounds are mixed and many, and you are unable to discern their exact cause.

(I choose to investigate. We need info about where the Doomstone is, if the quest has been completed, etc)

Prarg has reservations about your decision; he fears that your curiosity could be leading you both straight into the arms of the enemy. You understand his anxiety but you stand by your decision. Time is running against you and some risks must be taken if you are to discover quickly the location of Magnaarn and the Doomstone. With a nod of his head Prarg accepts the logic of your argument. Then, as if to reaffirm his loyalty, he draws his sword and offers to lead the way.

Cautiously you follow him through the dense trees, your nerves as taught as bowstrings. As you draw closer, you are able to make out the sounds of wood being chopped, gruff voices and the jingle of horse bridles. Your suspicions are confirmed when you reach the edge of a clearing and see a Drakkarim encampment in the centre of recently cleared ground. Three log cabins, two only partially completed, stand in the middle of a circular ditch which is backed in turn by a chest-high wall of sharpened stakes. You count more than a hundred Drakkarim labouring to complete this forest outpost, while another fifty or so stand guard along its perimeter wall. They look well-equipped; all are clad in thick furs and studded leather armour, and they wield weapons which are unmistakably fresh from the forge.

Abe Sargent · 12-04-2009, 09:35 PM

Slowly you edge your way around the clearing until you are on the north side of the encampment. Here the perimeter wall has yet to be completed, affording you an unobstructed view of the cabins. You settle yourself behind a fallen tree and patiently you observe the main hut. Suddenly the door swings open, and a Drakkarim officer strides out into the snow. He pulls on his iron helm and draws his wolfskin cloak close about him as he goes off to inspect his men's work. The door swings shut, but before it closes, you catch a glimpse of something that sparks your curiosity anew.

Before the door closed you caught sight of a map spread out across a trestle table in the centre of the cabin. You whisper to Prarg what you have seen, then you tell him to wait for you here while you try to get a closer look at that map. It may contain a clue to Magnaarn's whereabouts.

Slowly you work your way across the snowy ground towards the ditch which encircles the camp. Your camouflage skills keep you from being seen by the Drakkarim sentries and you are able to reach the cover of this shallow, ice-filled trench with little difficulty. While you wait here for the chance to make a dash for the cabin, you notice two points of entry: the main door and a side window.

(I go through door)

As soon as the coast is clear, you leap from the ditch and sprint through a gap in the log wall. You are within a few yards of the cabin when suddenly you see two Drakkarim on horseback come galloping along a newly-laid forest track which leads to the encampment. You are in danger of being seen by them, so the moment you reach the cabin door you thrust it open and rush in.

Your sudden entrance startles a Drakkarim sergeant who is secretly sneaking a gulp of wine from his Captain's private stock. The bristle-bearded soldier chokes on his mouthful of ruby-red claret when he hears the door open, but his fear soon turns to anger when he sees it is you, and not his commander, who is standing in the doorway. He spits out the wine and hurls the half-empty bottle at your head. You dodge this missile with ease, but it has served its purpose; it has bought the sergeant the time he needs to unsheathe his heavy-bladed sword. He sneers, and your heart skips a beat when you see him get ready to shout for help. You must silence him quickly or he will alert the entire camp to your presence.

(I use Kai-Alchemy)

You utter the words of the Brotherhood spell 'Silence' and within the confines of the cabin all sound ceases. The Drakkarim sergeant screams for help, but to his amazement, he finds he has suddenly been struck dumb. You unsheathe your weapon and rush forward to strike him down, determined to finish him before the effects of the spell wear off.

Drakkarim Sergeant CS 30, EP 29

I roll a 5 and he takes 14. I take nothing because of the speed of my attack. I roll a 7 and he is dead from the additional 18 damage.

The Drakkar shudders as you land your killing blow. With an open-mouthed look of surprise, he clasps his chest then drops lifelessly to the floor. Quickly you step over his corpse and hurry to the table to study the map. To your disappointment, the map turns out to be merely a construction plan of the encampment. It offers no clues to Magnaarn's present location.

(I search the cabin more)

You sift through the items stacked upon the shelves, packed in cases and hidden in the personal bags of the Drakkarim commander, and discover the following which may be of use to you during your mission:

Dagger
Sword
2 potions of Laumspur (each restores 4 ENDURANCE points)
Hourglass
Signet Ring
Bow
3 Arrows
Brass Key

(I take the Brass Key, pots of Laumspur, Dagger, Hourglass, and Signet Ring)

As you are about to leave the cabin, you notice a lantern hanging on a hook beside the door. You take it down, flip up its glass cover, then cast it into the corner where it immediately sets fire to a heap of clothes. The fire will cover your tracks and, hopefully, cause enough of a diversion to enable you to escape from the encampment unchallenged.

11-30-2009, 09:37 PM	#351
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You have reached the north side of the keep when you are unexpectedly confronted by three Cener Druids, who turn a corner and come walking towards you in a line abreast. To avoid them you are forced to sidestep quickly into a shadowy doorway. From the darkened doorway you watch the activity taking place in the keep, hoping to see something that will help you locate where in Mogaruith the Cenerese are producing their deadly plague viruses. From out of the milling crowds of Vazhag there suddenly appears a small group of red-robed Cener Druids. They are talking to each other as they walk towards your hiding place. Quickly you pull away from the open doorway and retreat deeper into the building. A narrow corridor takes you to a flight of steps which descends to where a passage crosses your path. An ornately painted sign, written in Cenerese, indicates what may be found at the end of each passage. Your Magnakai skills enable you to read this sign. The arrow pointing to the left reads 'Library'; the arrow pointing to the right reads 'Laboratory'. (Both hold value. Let’s start with the library,) The corridor makes a gradual descent towards a single wooden door shod with heavy iron fittings. You press the handle carefully and, to your surprise, the door opens inwards without a sound. You enter and push the door closed before beginning your exploration of this archive. The library contains thousands of books and time-yellowed parchments, stacked in uneven rows upon shelves that line every wall. The air is heavy with their odour and your senses prickle with the sensation that you are in the presence of works of great evil. Silently you pass from one chamber to the next until you spy two druids seated at a table in an adjoining room. They are studying a large tome which is bound in a pale-coloured leather. A wave of nausea makes you swallow hard the instant you realize that the book is covered with human skin. The two druids, who appear to be little older than a dozen years apiece, are chattering to each other excitedly. You move closer to the room and eavesdrop on their conversation. After a few minutes you learn that their names are Noraa and Monad. They are novices who were brought into the sect by Cenerese agents after having been orphaned in their native land of Lourden. They seem devoted to studying the lore of their evil brotherhood, and as they read they ruminate at length about a great 'day of retribution' that the Cenerese will enjoy before the year ends. At length they finish their studies and rise from the table. As Monad restores the book to its shelf, Noraa says: 'Hurry up. We'll be late for Kadrian's sermon.' Monad nods apologetically, and hurries to join his brother as he leaves the library by another door. As the latch clicks shut, you emerge from your listening place and enter the room. (I choose to search the room) You scan the walls of this reading room and as your eye passes over the books and scrolls stored upon its shelves, you feel an almost uncontrollable urge to tear every one of them to pieces. The wickedness they contain, gleaned after thousands of years of perpetrating the vilest herbcraft known to Magnamund, is so potent that you feel your Kai strength waning in their presence (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Mindful of the insidious effect of these books you search as quickly as you can. On one of the lower shelves you notice an ornately carved wooden box, banded with gold and inlaid with precious gemstones. You carry it to the main table where the light is brightest and, as you place it there, you hear a riddle emanating from a design engraved on its lid. It speaks in the Cenerese tongue but you instantly recognize the words: 'My treasure is hidden from view But I'll open myself for you, If you ponder this puzzle then state The right answer to determine my fate. Divide 80 by one half, Then examine what you see. From this number take 14, What remains will open me.' Your Kai senses tell you that by solving the riddle, then speaking the answer aloud, you will cause the lid of the box to open. When you think you have solved this riddle, turn to the page number which is the same as your answer. (160-14 =146, should be the answer. Let’s see). All that is inside is a Map of Mogaruith, which I take. I hear someone else enter the library, so it’s time I made my leaves. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 09:46 PM	#352
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quote: You hurry out of the library and follow a series of corridors which end at a large antechamber. This domed hall is decorated with tapestries which depict Cenerese legends, ignoble and infamous deeds that were perpetrated during the Age of the Old Kingdoms, when, for nearly a thousand years, the Cenerese tyrannized Northern Magnamund. A single heavy oaken door in the opposite wall offers the only exit from the antechamber. As you approach it you notice that it is slightly ajar. Suddenly you hear the doleful sound of chanting emanating from beyond this door. Curiosity coaxes you nearer. You approach and peer through its narrow opening, and a chill runs the length of your spine when you see what lies beyond. Beyond the door lies a secret Cenerese prayer hall, a chapel of evil where the druids worship and make sacrifice to their foul gods. Kneeling in pews before a blood-red alter are dozens of figures. They chant a soulless dirge as they read from books bound in black cloth. Around the walls hang grim decorations: skulls, flayed skins, tattered baffle banners, and other ugly tributes to the power that is worshipped and coveted here--the power of death, disease and decay. You look with loathing at the congregation. In the main they are Cenerese, but there are others among them, old adversaries whose origins you recognize immediately. Acolytes of Vashna, Drakkarim, Vassagonian outlaws, Hammerlanders, and even a few Giaks. No doubt the remnants of the Darkland armies found sanctuary here after their masters' demise. A noise in the corridor behind warns that someone is approaching the antechamber. To avoid them, you slip inside the prayer hall and hide in the shadows cast by a column which supports the roof. Moments later, three druids enter the hall and close the door before taking their places among the congregation. In case there are any among the congregation who have the power to sense your presence, you draw upon your Disciplines of camouflage and mental defense to minimize the risks of being detected. A few uneventful minutes pass until another druid enters the hall, ascending from a circular stairwell to your left. He is a tall, imposing figure, dressed in glittering blue robes edged with black velvet. The congregation rises as he walks to the altar, where he turns to face them. 'Be seated my brothers,' he commands, in a voice that is deep and resonant. At once you suspect that he is Arch Druid Cadak himself, but his opening address soon dispels this idea. 'The battle against the Slovians goes in our favour. We have repulsed their puny attacks and our defenses along the Storn remain intact. The Slovians are beaten. They are too weak to threaten us again. I, Kadrian, have seen the great river running red with the blood of their slain.' Upon hearing this the congregation screech their approval until Kadrian calls for silence. Then, from a tome lying on the altar, he begins to read the opening passages of a service dedicated to Xuzargha, the Cenerese god of pestilence. The gathering fall to their knees, raise the hoods of their robes, and close their eyes in reverence as they listen devoutly to Brother Kadrian's sonorous voice. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 09:57 PM	#353
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Anxious to leave this hall, you look around for a means of escape. Two opportunities present themselves: the circular stairwell by which Brother Kadrian entered the hall, and a door to your right marked 'Vestibule'. (I choose Vestibule) Once inside, you close the door gently and breathe a sigh of relief. You find yourself alone in a small room which reeks of a heady mixture of incense and sulphur. Scarlet robes line the walls, hanging from wooden pegs driven into the crumbling plaster, and upon a solitary table are heaped a pile of green masks, fashioned from a glass-like mineral. (I have a Robe and Mask) A sudden noise startles you and you spin around to face it. A section of the wall is moving inwards, carrying with it the robes that are hanging there. A figure, dressed in a hooded purple cloak and clasping a large leather-bound book, appears in the opening. As he steps into the room the section of wall closes behind him. 'What are you doing here, brother?' he asks, his voice heavy with suspicion. You sense that he is a druid of high rank and you know your answer must be convincing if you are to avoid his wrath. (I say I’ve been sent to help you) 'Mmmm . . . I did not request an attendant to assist me during devotions,' he says, narrowing his cruel grey eyes. 'Who ordered you here? Was it Brother Jhordax?' You hesitate, but he does not seem to be expecting a reply. 'That fool Jhordax. This is not the first time that he has failed to observe the protocol of this hall. You can tell your master that I am not impressed by his incompetence. He will have to answer to Him if this ever occurs again.' The cloaked druid sweeps past you, opens the door to the prayer hall, then slams it shut behind him to reinforce his displeasure. Mindful of how near you have just come to being detected, you hurry to the section of wall from where the druid appeared and search for a way to make it open once more. You discover a lever and, within seconds of pulling it, the concealed panel glides inwards allowing you access to a secret passage. The narrow passageway descends by steps and slopes to a chamber which is lit by two large black candles, fixed into holes in the surface of a marble slab. On a nearby table lie the following items: 2 Arrows Enough food for 2 Meals 2 Daggers 1 Sword Mirror Rope If you wish to take any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly. Opposite the slab there is a door which opens into a narrow corridor. You step through and follow this corridor to a room where stands an imposing door made of sheeted copper, inlaid with a filigree of gold and silver. It is the only exit from an otherwise drab and gloomy chamber. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 10:07 PM	#354
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	A closer inspection of the door reveals that it is surrounded by an airtight seal. Furthermore, there is no keyhole, drawbolt, or handle. However, your keen eyesight is drawn to a pattern in the door's centre panel which, thanks to past experience, you recognize to be a sophisticated combination lock. The gold inlays form three rows of three numbers within a grid of silver lines. Below these numbers, in ancient Cenerese script, is carved the message: 'Declare ye the true number to pass this way' Study the grid of numbers. When you think you know the answer to the riddle, turn to the entry which bears the same number as your answer (Note that I took two arrows and a mirror. I believe the number is 15. 4+9+2 = 15. So do each of the next two.) It works and the door opens. I slip through. After a short jaunt, the tunnel ends at a door and stairs down. I choose the door. I find a second Copper Key in this bedroom, and nothing else. I take the stairs down now. It hit’s a door, and guess what, I have a key for it. I have two. Quote: Before you stretches a cavernous hall, lit by the glow from fire-filled orbs hanging by chains from the ceiling. Facing each other are two rows of stone statues which form a grotesque corridor leading to an archway on the far side. A flicker of fear chills your heart when you notice that the expressions frozen upon their misshapen faces are those of pain and despair. Cautiously you advance. You are wary of the statues and your body is tensed to react should they show the slightest hint of animation. Then you detect something which makes you freeze in mid-step. Your Kai senses warn you that something is sleeping in a shadowy alcove close to the distant archway. Anxious not to disturb whatever is resting there, you call upon your camouflage skills to mask your presence before moving any nearer. (I roll a die. I roll a one. Uh oh.) You are within twenty feet of the archway when suddenly a tremendous roar echoes around the hall. You start to run, hoping to make it through the arch and escape a confrontation, but almost immediately you are brought skidding to a halt by a terrifying sight. Advancing from the alcove is a creature whose ghastly visage is the very stuff of nightmares. From its bear-like torso there protrude four tentacles and two powerful legs, all sheathed in shaggy scales. The limbs are surmounted with horny talons which glint menacingly, and its head, set with huge fishy eyes, is bulbous and disfigured by disease. It rests awkwardly upon a crooked neck which wobbles with every movement the lumbering beast makes. A livid crimson gash just below the eyes serves as its mouth, and a long tail with sharp spines swishes behind it, gouging furrows in the surface of the marble floor. With surprising speed the beast is suddenly upon you, stabbing and slashing at your body with its sword-sharp talons. Degradon CS 49, EP 36. I use Kai-Surge. It is immune to Psi-Surge or Mindblast. I roll a 0 and it takes 16 and me 1. I rock a 6 and it takes 10 and me 3. A 7 follows. It dies and I took a total of 6. Quote: With a roar of agony, the Degradon crashes forward, forcing you to leap aside to avoid being pinned beneath its loathsome carcass. Breathless and shaking with the fatigue of this deadly combat, you lean against the wall and survey your surroundings. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 10:16 PM	#355
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Before you stretches a cavernous hall, lit by the glow from fire-filled orbs hanging by chains from the ceiling. Facing each other are two rows of stone statues which form a grotesque corridor leading to an archway on the far side. Although they are human in shape, extreme expressions of pain and despair twist and contort their faces. You advance cautiously. You are wary of the statues and your body is tensed to react should they show the slightest hint of animation. Fortunately your caution is unnecessary and you are able to reach the archway and leave the hall without further incident. A short passage leads to a junction where a wider corridor crosses from left to right. Your skin prickles in reaction to the concentration of evil you detect in this subterranean part of Mogaruith, and silently you call upon your creator, the noble god Kai, for protection and guidance before continuing. Instinct prompts you to turn left, and within a few minutes you arrive at a chamber where a vast staircase of black marble ascends to many levels, lost in the gloom above. Opposite this grand staircase stands a large door, carved from a solid sheet of strange green metal, the like of which you have never seen before. It gives off a pulsating radiance which washes over the empty chamber, illuminating symbols carved into the walls and floor. You focus on these symbols and, in a chilling moment of realization, you decipher their meaning. The symbols form concentric circles which spell out a grim message: 'Humble thyself for thou art worthless like the dust before He who dwells herein. Pay homage to the emissary of the Lords of Decay for He is the instrument of their intention. Abase thyself afore His power. Hail, mighty Cadak of Mogaruith!' Fear and uncertainty knot your stomach as you stand and stare at the door to Arch Druid Cadak's throne hall. Your senses scream at you to turn and run from this place for the air is so heavy with evil that you feel as if you are being slowly suffocated to death. But on this occasion you resist your instincts, for you have yet to discover where the Cenerese are cultivating their deadly plague virus and you know that the answer to that question can most likely be found here. With fear running cold in your veins, you steel yourself and step towards the glowing door. As you come within a few feet of its pulsating surface, a band of intense light washes over you from head to toe. (I do not have Kai-Screen) A sudden rush of pain and nausea makes you drop to your knees (lose 3 ENDURANCE points), leaving you shivering fitfully. Your psychic Magnakai Disciplines were insufficient to protect you against the physical effects of the powerful mind probe which you have just experienced, but they were at least able to shield your true identity. The light, reflected from the Cener Mask you are wearing, activates a sensor and as you rise to your feet you see the great metal door begin to slide open. Beyond the door awaits an echoing hall which reeks of decay. Its walls are adorned with gruesome paintings which depict terrible scenes of human slaughter. One in particular catches your eye and, although you try hard to ignore it, you find you cannot turn your head away. It shows a pit of helpless humans, writhing and screaming in anguish as they are slowly consumed by packs of wild-eyed plague dogs. The scene shocks you deeply for the doomed humans all have distinct Sommlending features. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 10:27 PM	#356
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	With difficulty you tear your eyes away and force yourself to look elsewhere in this unfriendly hall. You see columns rising to the roof, each wound round with creepers and fungi which give off an unwholesome, pallid light. Ahead you see another door, identical to that by which you have entered, and before it there stands a desk on top of a plinth of green stone. A creature sits at the desk, huddled over the open pages of a ledger upon which it is writing with a feathered quill pen. As you draw closer it stops scrawling and places its quill into a nearby pot of ink, fashioned from the crown of a human skull. The creature raises its hairless head and stares at you unblinkingly with its solitary eye. ‘Who seeks an audience with He?' it croaks, hoarsely. 'State your name, brother, and your purpose here.' You are standing in the antechamber of Arch Druid Cadak's throne hall. To enter the hall itself and, hopefully, discover where the deadly virus is being cultivated, you know that you must first persuade this creature to allow you to pass. (My options are to say I came from the battlefront with urgent news, I am an agent from the last lands with urgent news, or use Animal Mastery, which I do) It resists. I roll a number and get a 3, which would normally fail, but I add 3 for Kai-Surge and 2 for having more than 20 EP right now. It defeats my control, but it is dazed, and reaching for a magical item. I choose to use my bow. It dies from the arrow. I search the desk and papers but find nothing but a lever to enter the throne room door. Alright, here we go. Quote: You flick the lever and turn to approach the throne room door. There is a faint rumble and the great metallic portal slowly glides open to reveal Arch Druid Cadak's private domain. The room is little larger than the antechamber, however its furnishings and appointments are lavish in the extreme. Ornately carved furniture, inlayed with gold and precious gems, lines walls hung with priceless tapestries and paintings. At the centre of the chamber stands a great black chair, sculpted to display demonic creatures paying homage to the Cenerese. Glowing orbs hang suspended from the ceiling, bathing the chamber in a multi-hued light which is continually changing in colour and intensity. Although your eyes and your Kai senses tell you that the chamber is empty, you are reluctant to pass through the door. A stench of pure evil is flooding out from this room, wafting over you like an invisible sea that seeks to soil and corrupt all it touches. Fighting back your nausea, you force yourself to cross the threshold and search the chamber before its owner returns. Of all the precious items which crowd this room, your eye is attracted to three that seem to stand out from the rest. The first is a large crystal sphere which rests on a table beside the great chair. The second is a tapestry, the largest of them all, which hangs directly opposite the door. And the third is a gold statuette which rests on a shelf to your left. (I do not have Telegnosis) You are sorely aware that time is running out. It can not be long before either Cadak returns to his chamber or the Cenerese discover that they have an intruder in their midst. With this thought in mind you set about searching the throne room for clues that could reveal the whereabouts of the lethal plague virus you have come to destroy. (Which do I search, the globe, the tapestry, or the statue? I choose the statue and find a Gold Key, which I pocket) __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 10:36 PM	#357
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You spin around to see a figure standing in the doorway. He is tall and his sharp features are framed by a mane of flowing platinum hair. In his left hand he carries a wizard's staff and in his right he holds a feathered quill, the pen of the creature who was once his scribe. ‘Was it you who murdered Cordask?' he asks, his powerful voice devoid of the slightest emotion. But when you do not answer him immediately his voice and his expression undergo a dramatic change. His eyes radiate an unearthly glow and your skin tingles as you feel his psychic energies probing at your mind. 'You are not a brother,' he growls, like a rabid dog, and casts the quill aside. 'Take off your mask and show your true self . . . assassin!' And with that he advances towards you with his staff pointing straight at your heart. You raise your weapon defensively and, in the blink of an eye, a crackling flame lights at the tip of his staff and comes roaring towards your chest. (I do have the Sommerswerd) You raise the Sommerswerd and catch the magical fire upon the flat of its blade. There is a deafening crack and you feel an electrifying jolt run the length of your sword arm as the flame is deflected and set roaring back towards its caster. He regards the rebounding fireball with a look of cool indifference and proceeds to sheathe himself in a glowing cocoon of pale blue light. The flames split apart as they collide with this protective shell, flowing harmlessly around his body to disappear into the antechamber beyond. 'There is only one who wields such a blade,' he spits, pointing at the Sommerswerd with his flame-tipped staff. 'And I'll see that you perish upon it, Cadak!' you shout in defiant reply. 'Ha!' he sneers, 'I rejoice that fate has brought you here to me, Lone Wolf, for it is you who will perish. Turn around and meet your nemesis!' You sense that Cadak's command is no simple trick for you can feel another presence in the room, moving towards your back. You sidestep to your left and turn, keeping the Arch Druid still in sight as you glance across your shoulder at the rest of the chamber. You had been half-expecting to see one of Cadak's henchmen sneaking forward with a dagger in his hand, and so the terrible sight which greets your gaze now is doubly shocking. Stepping from out of the tapestry which covers the wall is a gigantic, bull-like creature, with the head and face of a man. Two needle-sharp fangs protrude from its bloodstained upper lip, and its eyes gleam with a murderous lust that chills your soul. What had once, only minutes before, been woven into the fabric of the tapestry, now strides towards you with slow purposeful steps, its taloned hands outstretched in eager readiness to tear you apart. Exterminus CS 50, EP 50 I use Kai Blast. I roll a 8, 1, 2, 5, and 7. He has taken 38, and I 17. I roll a 3 and a 9. He is dead and I took 22 total (19/42) The demonic Exterminus screams in agony as your killing blow pierces its heart. It sways for a moment, defying gravity, then reels backwards and crashes down upon the table which stands beside Cadak's black chair. The awesome bulk of the creature's body crushes the table to matchwood and breaks open the crystal sphere that rested upon it. Immediately there is a loud boom and a tremendous rush of putrid air knocks you down. A funnel of darkness engulfs the body of Exterminus and, with stunning suddenness, there is silence. Both the creature and the shattered remnants of the sphere have vanished completely. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 10:55 PM	#358
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You stagger to your feet and turn to face the Arch Druid. The shock of what he has witnessed has left him open-mouthed and drained of colour. He is mumbling incoherently and trembling with fear. You take up your weapon and advance towards him, determined to rid Magnamund of this vile druid once and for all, but the sight of you drawing closer snaps him out of his trauma and galvanizes him into action. He weaves his hands before his face and, in an instant, he is shrouded in a cocoon of light. You strike out at the light but your weapon passes clean through it, meeting with no resistance. Then the light fades and you are left standing alone in the druid's empty throne room. The overpowering aura of evil that filled this room has now vanished. You close your eyes and, for a few seconds, you allow your Magnakai sense of Divination to analyze the psychic residues lingering at the place where Exterminus disappeared. Shapes take form in your mind and, in a moment of chilling discovery, you fathom the secret of the crystal sphere. The sphere was not of this world. It was fashioned in the Plain of Darkness, the domain of Naar, King of all that is Evil. Through the sphere the Dark God maintained contact with Arch Druid Cadak, directing him to fulfil his schemes of vengeance. The destruction of the sphere has rid your world of a terrible device, a channel through which the concentrated Evil of Naar had been allowed to pour unchecked. You open your eyes once more and a feeling of well-being envelops your senses, as if you have just awoken after a deep and refreshing sleep (restore 8 ENDURANCE points). A rustling sound draws your keen eyes towards the tapestry from where Exterminus appeared; it is crumbling to pieces. As the rotting scraps of material fall away, a portal is revealed through which you glimpse a scene that revives your hopes for your quest's success. Through the wide opening in the chamber wall there is a gallery which overlooks a vast windowless hall. You approach the gallery's railed parapet and stare down at a score of druids who are working at tiled tables positioned in rows across the floor. Upon some tables rest porcelain troughs filled with oily fluids which seethe beneath a constant shower of electrical sparks. Other tables support dozens of glass boxes of differing sizes. The smallest contain rats; the largest contain horses. Hundreds of pipes and tubes run around the walls, feeding a supply of fluids and gasses to the experiment tables. The fumes rising from this diabolical laboratory sting your eyes, but you ignore the discomfort and continue your observations, eager to take in every detail of the evil work which is taking place below. It is not long before you recognize that this hall is where the deadly plague virus, and its vaccine, are being produced. You know that you must act with all haste for Arch Druid Cadak is still alive and, wherever he is at present, you can be sure he is plotting to capture or kill you, probably both. Below lies that which you have come here to destroy. But how will you accomplish your task? Relentlessly the seconds tick by as you try to formulate a plan. Then you see something which sparks an idea. The pipes that feed fluids to the laboratory's disposal tanks are connected to a massive cauldron suspended from the ceiling by a winch and chains. You focus upon a plaque fixed to the side of this great vat and magnify your vision until you can read what has been engraved upon it. With grim satisfaction you read the words: 'Danger--Concentrated Acid'. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 11:04 PM	#359
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Here is the key to the destruction of the virus. If you can cause the cauldron to tilt over far enough it will discharge its contents into the hall below, flooding the virus-laden tables with thousands of gallons of concentrated acid. Elated by your daring plan, you look for a way to reach the winch which controls the angle at which the cauldron hangs from the ceiling. It is positioned high upon a platform atop an iron gantry, which is accessible only by ladder. Fortunately this ladder begins on the far side of the gallery. Confident in your purpose you hurry around the gallery towards the ladder. You are within twenty paces when suddenly the harsh clang of an alarm bell fills the hall. You have been seen. Screams of 'Intruder!' echo from below as you run headlong towards the ladder. You reach it and begin your climb towards a secondary platform, located directly below the one which supports the winch. You are only six rungs away from the platform when suddenly the faces of two Acolytes of Vashna appear over the edge. They curse and spit on you as they try to stab you with their spears. (Do I have Magi-Magic? Nope. Kai-Alchemy? Nope.) I have to face them together, and one has a Medallion of Protection Acolytes of Vashna CS 36, EP 50. I roll a 0 and kill them both automatically. All eyes in the hall have seen me, and as I move to the platform, they figure out what I am going to do. Vazhag archer starts firing bolts at me. I roll a number and add a Grand Huntmastery bonus. I roll a 5 which becomes an 8. They all miss. Quote: You reach the top of the ladder and haul yourself on to the winch platform. Now the whistling shafts strike and splinter uselessly against the underside of this metal floor which hides you from the archers' view. You run to the winch and examine the gears and chains, trying at once to understand their workings and find a way to cause the cauldron to discharge its corrosive contents into the hall below. But the device is designed to prevent the chance of this occurring. The only way you can make the cauldron spill its deadly load is by severing a thick metal pin which secures the heavy chain to its rim. Anxiously you glance over the edge of the platform at the confusion raging in the hall below. Three druids, having recognized your intentions, are trying desperately to gather together virus samples from their cultivation vats. The vats are fixed to the tables, triple-sealed with protective glass to prevent accidental leaks, and it is precisely this elaborate protection which now confounds the druids' frantic efforts to save their plague cultures. Out of the corner of your eye you notice that the first of the Vazhag archers is now climbing the ladder to the winch platform, and you know you must act swiftly and effectively if you are to fulfil your quest. (I do not have Kai Alchemy or Grand Nexus) I draw the Sommerswerd and try to pull the pin. Roll a number. Got a 9. The support pin has popped out. The chain is falling and I have to roll a die. Got a 2. The chain glances off me and I take 3 EP. There was no Grand Huntmastery bonus to the roll, weird. Quote The cauldron smashes down into the centre of the hall and explodes with devastating effect, spewing its deadly contents in all directions. A tidal wave of acid engulfs the tables, submerging and burning everything not made of stone, porcelain or glass. The pitiful screams of the druids rise above the thunderous din as they and their deadly work are consumed by a merciless sea of corrosive. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 11:13 PM	#360
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Suddenly an arrow passes within a few inches of your face. The Vazhag archers have reached the top of the ladder and are poised to rush on to the platform itself. Anxiously you look around for some means of escape, but when none readily appears you fear you are trapped. Then you notice an observation platform jutting out of the wall. It is over on the far side of the hall, more than thirty yards away, and lies some ten feet below your present position. A daring escape plan forms in your mind's eye and hurriedly you cast off your Cener Robe and Mask, a disguise which is now redundant, and prepare to enact your vision. (I put them back in my backpack.) You reach out and grab hold of the chain which once supported the cauldron. Then, using all your strength, you draw it back and leap into the air as the momentum carries you off the platform. Your stomach churns as you swing across the hall and glance down at the dreadful carnage taking place a hundred feet below. Angry squeals and a clutch of arrows follow in your wake as the Vazhag archers try desperately to prevent you from getting away. Grimly you cling to the chain as it nears the end of its arc, and try to ignore the arrows that are whistling by on either side. (I roll a 7 and add 2 for Grand Huntmastery. There it is) My jump was perfect and I have arrived. Beyond a doorway is a flight of steps and I go up until I hit a fork. West or east? East. Quote: You follow this dark passage for several minutes before arriving at what appears to be a dead end. You are about to turn around and retrace your steps when suddenly your senses alert you to an ornately carved brick in the facing wall. On closer examination you discover a keyhole, and a Cenerese engraving which bears the seal of Arch Druid Cadak. (I use a Gold Key) You insert the gleaming key into the keyhole and twist it clockwise. There is a faint click and, as you push, the wall glides inwards then moves away to your right. It reveals a small well-kept chamber, its walls lined with shelves containing hundreds of stoppered jars, each one neatly labelled. The jars contain all manner of compounds and elements, from worthless dirt to precious gold dust, and many herbs besides. You search along the shelves and take down half a dozen jars whose contents you recognize: Laumspur (Enough for 5 doses) Restores 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat. Alether (Enough for 4 doses) Increases COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for duration of one fight only. Gallowbrush (Enough for 2 doses) Induces 10 hours' sleep and loss of 2 ENDURANCE points per dose. Sabito (Enough for 2 doses) Enables user to breathe underwater. Laumwort (Enough for 3 doses) Restores 2 ENDURANCE points if swallowed before or after combat. Oede (Enough for 1 dose) Very rare and valuable. Many healing properties. Cures serious diseases. If you wish to keep one or more of the above jars, remember to record your choice on your Action Chart. All of these jars are Backpack Items. This is the money. Each bottle takes up one space, and some of these have a ton of doses. Here is what I have in my Backpack: Mirror, Cener Mask, Cener Robex2, Rope, 2x Laumpsur. I have three spaces. I take the Laumpur uber-bottle, Alether uber-bottle, and Oede. I put the Cener Robe and Mask back on screw this. I grab everything else too. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 11:33 PM	#361
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	There is a secret door in the back of the room that I take. Quote: You follow the narrow passageway which gradually ascends towards the north. The clanging of a distant alarm bell reminds you that all of Mogaruith has been alerted to your presence and, in light of the devastation you have caused, you know better than to expect mercy from the Cenerese if they should catch you now. After a few minutes the passage arrives at a hall where a railed balcony overlooks a deep circular shaft. A broad stone staircase at the north wall ascends to the next level and you stride swiftly towards it. As you pass the balcony you pause for a moment to stare down at a fascinating sight. Hundreds of feet below, at the base of the shaft, huge vats filled with a sickly brown fluid bubble and seethe as if they are boiling on a hob. You notice scores of robed druids standing on a great iron gantry suspended above these vats, each one equipped with what appears to be a gigantic butterfly net. They are busily scooping up large brown objects which keep bobbing to the surface of the morass. You use your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision and, as the scene looms larger, you see that the objects are alive. Your stomach churns with revulsion when you suddenly realize what it is that you are looking at. These are the spawning vats in which the Ceners create their loathsome, disease-ridden Vazhag. A noise from the staircase attracts your attention; it is the sound of shuffling footfalls descending the stairs. Moments later your keen sense of smell identifies the threat: a Vazhag patrol is hurrying towards the hall. I choose to hide) Quickly you crouch down and take cover beside the staircase, hidden from view by the shadows and your Kai camouflage skills. Within seconds the Vazhag appear, but they are not alone. They are being led by a frog-like Tzarg which they have tethered on a chain. The Tzarg has its face pressed close to the steps and it is snuffling and snorting like a bloodhound as it tries to locate your scent. (I use Animal Mastery) You focus your power at the Tzarg and will it to leave the hall along the passage by which you entered. At first you sense resistance to your command but this soon collapses and the Tzarg obeys. It waddles into the passageway with an excited group of Vazhag close on its heels, all of them now convinced by the Tzarg's reaction that it has picked up your trail. Patiently you wait until the sound of their footsteps has faded before you emerge from your hiding place and leave the hall by the stairs. The stairs lead to another hall on a level fifty feet higher. Here, two staircases ascend to the left and right, and a gloomy tunnel disappears directly ahead of you. Your senses pick up something moving at the end of the tunnel and, when you focus your infravision along this dark passageway, you see another Vazhag patrol heading straight towards you. This one is being led by two Acolytes of Vashna and a pack of Ruel war-dogs. Eager to evade these enemies, you glance at both staircases and try to decide which one to climb. (Left or right? Left, always left) At the top is a rubbish room with a table and some weapons on it. I refill my quiver. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

11-30-2009, 11:41 PM	#362
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quote: You run through a maze of corridors and narrow passageways, up flights of stairs and across dingy halls and chambers. On several occasions you are forced to hide when a Vazhag patrol passes within a few feet, but your wits and your camouflage skills keep you safe and undetected. At length you reach a pillared hall on the surface level where you hide from the patrols until the coast is clear. Daylight is streaming in through the hall door, and from where you are hiding you can see the keep and tower beyond. Your hopes rise when you notice that the keep is deserted and the drawbridge is still lowered, tempting you with a direct escape route out of Mogaruith. Suddenly another bell tolls, adding to the persistent din of the alarm. It is coming from the tower and it signifies that the portcullis is being lowered. (I can run for the Portcullis or try to find another way. I look for another way.) Quietly you contemplate your next move as the portcullis slams down, sealing off the main exit from Mogaruith. Within a few moments your thoughts are disturbed by the sound of a large troop of Vazhag ascending the stairs by which you entered this hall. Their approach prompts you to leave by the main door and look for another hiding place outside in the keep. From the shadows of a disused storeroom doorway, you scour the surrounding battlements and walkways, hoping to see an opportunity for escape. However, it does not take too long to discover that the tower offered the only easy route out of this stronghold, one that is now blocked by the portcullis. Suddenly you hear an angry squeal and turn to see a rat-man's snout protruding from the window of a turret high up to your left. It has seen you and it is informing its confederates of your hiding place. You are forced to abandon the doorway and run into a nearby alley as a score of Vazhag guards come charging across the keep in hot pursuit. The alley is a dead end, but you find a stone stairway which ascends to the battlements and you take it in order to keep ahead of the bloodthirsty pack. At the top of the stairs you find yourself sandwiched between two converging Vazhag patrols which are racing along the battlements from both directions. To stand and fight would be futile; you would kill many but you would eventually be overcome by the sheer weight of their numbers. Now there is only one option left and the very thought of it sends a chill racing down your spine. Steeling yourself for what must be done, you sheathe your weapon, take a deep breath, then launch yourself over the battlements towards the bubbling moat. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-01-2009, 12:00 AM	#363
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	You hit the surface with a mighty splash and sink like a stone. Foul fluids fill your nose and mouth, causing you to cough and retch as you struggle to rise to the surface. You are submerged in a deadly cocktail of acids and toxic wastes from the dungeons of Mogaruith and, were it not for your Magnakai Disciplines of Nexus and Curing, you would have perished within seconds of entering the moat. The Vazhag on the battlements are squealing in triumph for they are certain that you have jumped to your doom. They leave the wall and return to their duties for, in their experience, no living thing has ever survived a dip in the moat. When you do break the surface and strike out for the bank, you do so unseen. It is not until you are pulling yourself out of the moat that your luck suddenly fails you. You are spotted by a group of three Vazhag returning from battle. Two are armed with spears and they face you on foot, but the third sits astride a captured Slovian steed. It is wielding a cavalry lance and you can tell by the way the rat-man balances it that it is skilled in its use. The two spear-wielders squeal their battle-cry and attack you simultaneously. However, this cry is quickly transformed into a duet of pain when you strike out and kill them instantly. They drop to the ground and almost immediately the rider is upon you, jabbing at your chest with the tip of its lance. You duck the first thrust, and steady yourself to meet the second as the Vazhag lancer turns and bears down on you once more. Vazhag Lancer CS 32, EP 20. I roll a 1 and then a 8 with auto death. I took 3. The Vazhag lancer tumbles lifelessly to the ground startling its horse which turns and bolts towards the forest. Instantly you act to prevent its escape by using your Magnakai ability of Animal Control. Your powers soothe the creature and coax it to return. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-01-2009, 12:04 AM	#364
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quickly you mount the steed and head off along the trail which leads to the River Storn. You are less than five miles from the bridge where you hope to finally make good your escape to the Freeland of Slovia. By keeping to the forest's edge you avoid the traffic of Vazhag troops moving back and forth along the trail and, by the time you reach the banks of the mighty Storn, your spirits are high. Unfortunately, when you do catch your first sight of the bridge, your hopes of making a crossing here are soon dashed. A fierce and bloody battle is raging upon the Ghardoz, the formidable stone bridge that joins together the lands of Ruel and Slovia across the River Storn. Its central span is wreathed with smoke and flame, and the approaches are heaped with the dead of both armies. On the far side of the river, over three hundred yards away, you can see the scarlet battle banners of Slovia fluttering in the soot-laden air. Regiments of foot soldiers are positioned on the bank, waiting nervously for their orders to assault the bridge. You stare at the fast-flowing waters of the Storn and, after careful thought, you decide to brave the currents and attempt to swim across. You send your horse away into the forest and then wade into the icy waters. You are only waist-deep in the Storn when the currents catch you and swiftly bear you away downstream, towards the bridge and the battle. You are passing beneath the central span when suddenly a section of the parapet collapses, showering you with rocks and flame. I roll a number I get a 5 (A 3 or less is death here, sucky Joe D to have auto death at the end from a random roll). Drawing upon your very last reserves of strength, you fight against the powerful current and succeed in avoiding being hit by the deluge of rocks and flames. As your strength subsides, you are swept under the bridge and, minutes later, you find yourself washed up on the west bank of the Storn. A company of Slovian archers drag you from the icy water and, fearing you to be a Cenerese spy, they take you to their Captain. Fortunately he recognizes your Kai cloak and tunic, and at once you are afforded the treatment and respect which befits one who holds the title of Kai Grand Master. The Captain sends word of your survival to the Palmyrions at Holona where, the following day, you are reunited with Captain Cearmaine and Guildmaster Banedon. Later that same day, the president of Palmyrion--Elector Manatine--arrives with his entourage and, upon learning of the success of your daring mission, he orders that an official celebration take place throughout the republic. You receive the thanks of a grateful nation and, in recognition of your bravery, the Elector presents you with the 'Golden Star of Palmyrion', the highest award his country can bestow upon a warrior. Congratulations Lone Wolf!--you have won a major victory over the Cenerese and removed a threat which could have devastated all of Magnamund. Yet the struggle against Evil goes on. Within a few months of your triumphant return to Sommerlund a grave situation develops, a situation which threatens the life of your closest friend--Guildmaster Banedon. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-01-2009, 12:11 AM	#365
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Review of the Plague Lords of Ruel Everything is harder than the Magnakai, and sometimes it feels like enemy creep. I did stop their plague operations, but what is to hinder them from restarting? I didn’t kill the head guy, and I didn’t destroy the fortress or anything. This is not a major victory. It’s not as if the Cener are ended as a threat, like I did to the Darklords. The adventure was okay, it still had a few clichés like swinging on a chain to get from one platform to another. I mentioned how sucky it is to have a 40% chance of death the section before the end by random number. You do get a +3 on it if you have both Assimilance and Grand Huntmastery. I never even used Curing’s +20 EP (and I forgot too vs. the Triple bad guys at he beginning). It the first time I’ve lost in a while at Lone Wolf. Once I play through a few more Grand Master books, I’ll get a better handle on each of them, how they work, and can compare them. This book had a weird feel with a lot of modern day concepts like virus and bacteria, vaccine, and some pictures that made it look very industrial age. Not for the first time either, as Joe D has had Ironclads and guns and such. Still, the whole book here felt weird and the plotline I think is much more suited for James Bond than Lone Wolf. “We are creating a disease to kill the whole world except our people, who have the vaccine. Mua-hah-hah-hah!” End of The Plague Lords of Ruel. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 07:19 PM	#366
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	The Captives of Kaag 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 5075 and twenty-five years have passed 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, Archlord Gnaag, 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 Northern Magnamund. Some factions which comprised 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 five 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 underway. The new generation of Kai recruits, all of whom were born during the era of war against the Darklords, possesses latent Kai skills and all 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 organized the training of the Second Order recruits. Your efforts were soon rewarded and, 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 new-found 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 that 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 not years but centuries to complete. In the far west, the Drakkarim had retreated to the homelands and were engaged in a bloody war again the Lencians. Much of Nyras had been reclaimed by the armies of King Sarnac, the Lencian commander, and his flag now flew over territory which, two thousand years ago, had once been part of Lencia. Following the destruction of the Darklords of Helgedad, the Giaks, the most prolific in number of all of Gnaag's troops, fled into the Darklands and sought refuge in the gigantic city-fortresses of Nadgazad, Aarnak, Gourmen and Kaag. Within each of these hellish strongholds fierce fighting broke out as remnants of the Xaghash (lesser Darklords) and the Nadziranim (evil practitioners of Right-handed magic who once aided individual Darklord masters) fought for control. It is widely believed that by the time the Elder Magi and the Herbwardens reach the walls of these strongholds the occupants will have long since brought about their own extinction. 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 who wait quietly in the shadows for the chance to do his evil bidding. Only six months ago the evil Cener Druids of Ruel attempted to enact Naar's revenge. Secretly, in the laboratories of their foul stronghold of Mogaruith, they had laboured to create a virulent plague virus capable of killing every living creature upon Magnamund, save their own kind. Word of their terrible plan reached Lord Rimoah who immediately urged the rulers of the Freelands to raise armies and invade Ruel. Hurriedly they complied, but the invasion ended in disaster. Seven thousand fighting men entered Ruel intent on storming the fortress of Mogaruith and razing it to the ground. Seven thousand marched into the dark realm; only seventy emerged alive. The Ceners were within days of perfecting their ultimate weapon when you took up the challenge and ventured alone into Mogaruith. Despite overwhelming odds you thwarted their evil plan by destroying the virus and the means by which it was created. After emerging from Ruel triumphant, your quest fulfilled, you returned home to Sommerlund and the Kai monastery where you resumed your duties as Grand Master. Three months later, on the day that saw the first fall of winter snow, you were visited by Lord Rimoah. Once again he found himself the reluctant bearer of ill news. Your friend Guildmaster Banedon, whilst helping with the reclamation of wastelands close to the Maakengorge, had been abducted by a war-band of Giaks under the command of Nadziranim sorcerers. A rescue was attempted, but ruthlessly the Nadziranim obliterated those who tried to follow their escape into the Darklands. 'The Nadziranim have grown bold of late,' said Lord Rimoah, his words tinged with fear and bitterness. 'They have a new-found power and are keen to exercise it. It would have taken considerable skill and energy to ensnare one as gifted as Banedon.' 'But why Banedon?' you asked, trying at once to comprehend and come to terms with the loss of your trusted friend. 'I fear that the Nadziranim seek to extract from him the secrets of Left-handed magic, so that they may be able to marry it to their own foul sorcery. Such an outcome would give them extraordinary power. It could herald the rebirth of the Darklands.' At once you recalled how such an attempt to unite the two paths of magic had resulted in catastrophe for Sommerlund. Vonotar the Traitor, a magician from the same guild as Banedon, had betrayed his homeland in exchange for the promise of Nadziranim power. It was his act of treachery that brought about the invasion of Sommerlund and the destruction of the First Order of the Kai. 'What can be done?' you asked of Rimoah, fearful that it may already be too late to save your friend. 'Banedon is still alive, of that I'm sure. The Nadziranim have taken him to the old Darklord city-fortress of Kaag. His life is in deadly danger but they will not kill him until they have succeeded in extracting the knowledge they crave. We can only pray that he is strong enough to resist them until . . .' Lord Rimoah held you with his eyes, words no longer necessary. It was clear that all hope for Banedon's survival depended upon his swift rescue from Kaag, and there was only one who could effect such a perilous quest with any hope of success. 'So be it,' you said, resolutely, 'I accept the mission. I alone will go to Kaag and secure his release . . . or die valiantly in the attempt.' __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 07:45 PM	#367
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Map of Sommerlund and the Darklands: __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 07:50 PM	#368
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Here are the improved Disciplines for the new rank: Kai Grand Guardian If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian (5 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines: Animal Mastery Kai Grand Guardians with this Discipline are able to summon a limited number of forest animals to their location. The creatures so summoned will become loyal and willing allies, willing to do the Kai Grand Guardian's bidding. This ability can only be used in an outdoor setting. Assimilance Kai Grand Guardians who possess this skill are able to create a cloud of fog-like vapour within 15 yards of their location. This fog will obscure both normal and infravision. The duration of the fog increases as a Grand Master rises in rank. Grand Huntmastery Kai Grand Guardians with this skill enjoy increased mobility when travelling across all types of terrain, whether on foot or on horseback. This improved ability is very useful when used to outdistance a pursuing enemy. Kai-surge Kai Grand Guardians who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to attack up to three enemies in psychic combat simultaneously. Kai-screen Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to exercise a defensive psychic skill known as Mindblend. This cloaking ability enables them to both protect and hide their minds from being detected by a hostile psychic probe. Magi-magic Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi: Splinter--This causes breakable items such as bottles, jugs, mirrors, windows, etc., to shatter to pieces. The range of this spell increases as a Grand Master rises in rank. Flameshaft--This causes the tip of any Arrow, or arrow-like missile, to burn fiercely with a magical flame which cannot readily be extinguished by normal means. I want to grab Kai-Screen, Assimilance, Kai _Alchemy or Magi-Magic. Flameshaft makes me happy. I take Kai-Screen. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 07:55 PM	#369
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	I take the map, fill up my quiver, and grab Laumspur. 24 more crowns come my way. 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, Southlands, Vassagonia, Stornlands, Tekaro, The Danarg, Anari, Ghatan, Vhozada (Daziarn), Darklands, Ruel, Mogaruith Fur Blanket 192 Gold Crowns 1 Meal 2 Potion of Laumspur - +5 EP 5 Potion of Laumspur - +4 EP Fur Backpack Bone Sword Effigy Concentrated Graveweed Kalte Diamond Ragadorn Dagger Magic Spear Holy Water Brass Key Iron Key Whip Sommlending Cavalry Spear (Normal) Quarterstaff, Royal Guard (Normal) Scroll of Prophecy Shield Jeweled Mace Bottle of Kourshah - +4 EP Copper Key Gold Key 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 Ticket to Eula Chainmail Waistcoat 2 Rope Lantern Quivers w/ 11 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 Medal: Battle of Luoni Drakkar Dagger (Normal) Zagganozod Sword (Normal) 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 Blue Stone Triangle Grey Crystal Ring Psychic Ring Wrist and Finger Guards Firesphere Green Mask Golden Amulet Iron Key Black Key (Helgedad) Pouch of Tobacco Pipe Zejar-Deluga Nadazgada Pouch of Herbs - Adgana Cener Mask Cener Robe Sabito - 2 doses Laumspur +4 EP (with 5 doses) Alether +2 CS (4 doses) Oede Herb Gallowbrush (2 doses) Gold Key (Ruel) Copper Key (Ruel) Cener Dagger (Normal) Keeping: 25 Gold Crowns Crystal Star Pendant Silver Bow of Duadon Sommerswerd Korlinum Scabbard Dagger of Vashna Map of Sommerlund/Darklands Shield Silver Helmet Padded Leather Waistcoat Bronin Vest Silver Bracers Kagonite Chainmail Rope 2 Laumspur +4 EP Laumwort +2 EP (3 doses) Quiver w/ 6 arrows Kai Monastery Spear I have 4 slots used in my backpack out of 10, 3 special item slots out of 12, and one weapon slot, plus 25 of 50 gold crowns. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 07:55 PM	#370
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Lone Wolf, Kai Grand Guardian Kor-Skarn, Fryearl, Warmartial of Sommerlund, Savior of Tahou, 'Golden Star of Palmyrion' CS 53 EP 44 Grand Pathsmanship Grand Huntmastery Animal Mastery Kai-Surge Kai-Screen Here we is. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent Last edited by Abe Sargent : 12-02-2009 at 07:58 PM.

12-02-2009, 08:22 PM	#371
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Preparations for the quest take no more than a day to complete. The following morning, shortly before dawn, you and Lord Rimoah leave the Kai monastery by a secret route which takes you to a clearing deep in the heart of the Fryelund forest. There awaits the means by which you will travel swiftly to Kaag. Your journey to the Darklands will be made aboard Guildmaster Banedon's airship--the Skyrider. This magical craft has borne you on many quests to distant lands, yet never before without your friend and companion at its helm. Now, in his absence, the stewardship of the Skyrider has passed to its bo'sun--Nolrim of Bor. 'Welcome aboard, Grand Master,' says Nolrim, proud to be serving under your command. You clasp his strong hand in friendship and compliment him and the crew for the pristine condition of their craft. There is no doubting that he and his company of dwarves are sorely grieved by the absence of their Captain, yet they have not allowed their anguish to give way to hopelessness or despair. These sturdy warriors are renowned for their formidable fighting spirit and you know they willingly risk their lives to help you rescue Banedon from the minions of darkness. Soon the frost-laden fir trees are receding beneath the Skyrider's bow as Nolrim steers a westward course towards the grey, snow-capped peaks of the Durncrag mountains. You spend the flight inside the Captain's cabin, where you and Lord Rimoah discuss your dangerous mission. The plan is to traverse the Durncrag Range and enter the Darklands under cover of a dust storm which is currently sweeping southwards towards Kaag. A landing will be made ten miles to the north-east of the city-fortress, beyond a ridge of hills that will keep the Skyrider hidden from the eyes of Kaag's watchful lookouts. From there you are to make your way to the fortress on foot, enter as best you can, locate and rescue Banedon, then return with him to the Skyrider which will carry you back to the safety of Sommerlund. You will have 48 hours in which to complete your mission. If, after the two days have elapsed, you have not returned, Rimoah will be forced to assume that you and the Guildmaster have perished. The dust storm will not last for more than two days, after which time there is a grave danger that the Skyrider will be spotted and attacked by the Kraan and Zlanbeasts which are known to patrol the skies around Kaag. In a little under two hours you reach your destination where the weather conditions are atrocious. A fierce, dust-choked wind buffets the craft mercilessly during the final descent and visibility is no more than a dozen yards at best. Yet, despite these terrible conditions, Nolrim brings the Skyrider in for a faultless landing behind the ridge. The moment the keel beds into the soft ground, the crew leap into action with ropes and chains. Nolrim soon enters the cabin to inform you that the craft is secure and, with trepidation, you get ready to set off for Kaag. 'Godspeed, Lone Wolf,' says Rimoah, with a smile of encouragement. 'I shall pray to Kai and Ishir for your safety and success. May their light guide you on your journey into darkness.' You acknowledge his blessing gratefully before bidding him, and Nolrim, farewell. Then, without looking back, you pull your warm cloak tight about you and set off into the storm. You lower your head and force yourself to trudge uphill against the storm, your feet sinking ankle-deep into the barren volcanic dust with every laboured step. Keeping your eyes shut tight against the stinging, gritty winds, you trust solely to your Magnakai senses to steer you on the correct course towards the Darkland city. Only when you reach the top of the ridge do you attempt to look around at the bleak domain. The Skyrider is lost from sight, shrouded by the swirling grey clouds. Kaag, too, remains hidden for some minutes until a sudden lull in the storm clears the southern vista. Then, what you see makes your blood run cold. In your lifetime you have gazed upon many awe-inspiring cities, but few compare with the enormous size and monstrous grandeur of Kaag. A coal-black curtain-wall constructed of massive blocks of smooth, featureless stone, encircles this city, forty miles wide. At its centre there arises a gigantic citadel of black marble, pyramid-shaped and slitted with numerous vents to allow what passes for air to circulate within. Its highest point towers two miles above the desolate plain. Thunder booms and streaks of blue-white lightning earth themselves against its walls, drawn from the rolling storm clouds gathered menacingly overhead. At first the fortress seems wholly impregnable, then you notice that the outer wall is not entirely intact. Illuminated by the infrequent electrical flashes, you see that a vast section of the battlements, close to the North Gate, have collapsed. Also, away to the east, a mile-long section has fallen outwards to litter the plain with huge black cubes of stone. You are surprised to note that no attempt has been made to repair these breaches and, consequently, access to the city could be effected at either place with relative ease. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 08:43 PM	#372
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	(I can choose a breach in the north or east wall, my choice. I go with east.) Drawing on your inner strength to quell your fears of what may lie ahead, you descend the ridge and approach the great, frowning bastions of Kaag. Through the swirling dust you see a pitted road which leads to the East Gate. Its storm-blown surface is littered with corpses, bleached bones, rusted weapons and armour. Crab-like scavengers scuttle among the debris, fighting for scraps to feed their young which nest in thousands of empty Giak skulls half-buried in the ground. Shielded from detection by the storm and your Kai skills, you reach the breached east wall unobserved. Swiftly you climb over the rubble, which is heaped between the huge cubes of marble that once comprised this section of Kaag's curtain-wall, and find yourself in a street lined with decaying halls and slum dwellings. A dun pall of choking smoke hovers above this quarter, which reeks of iron and sulphur. Moving among the ruins you see a ragged group of Giaks, led by a Gourgaz clad in a shirt of mail. They halt for a few moments, then the Gourgaz hisses an order and they continue at a lumbering pace, heading south. You notice that their tattered blue-green uniforms all bear the emblem of a broken skull. (Follow them or head in the opposite direction. Opposite) Expecting the unexpected, you enter a rubble-strewn alley which takes you deeper into the black heart of Kaag. A mile later you reach a broader street, partially submerged by brackish, ankle-deep slime. Beyond it, at a deserted square, you see a tangle of rusty iron pipes spilling out from a circular shaft in the ground. Jets of steam hiss skywards from a thousand tiny cracks in these corroded conduits. Nearby, in the ruins, a guttering fire casts an eerie yellow light over the area. Shadows play upon the surrounding walls, cast not only by the fire but also by the winged Kraan which swoop back and forth across this square, dousing themselves in the jets of scalding-hot steam. You are watching the Kraan diving and twisting above the rooftops when suddenly your Magnakai sense of Divination alerts you to imminent danger. You can sense the approach of a hostile creature, one which is using its psychic power to scan the surrounding area. (I can run or enter a building to hide. I choose building) You climb across the shattered masonry and take cover near an empty window which overlooks the square. Minutes later you see a thin figure clad in red robes, accompanied by six grime-smeared Giaks, enter the square from an alley on the far side. At once you recognize the skeletal features of the robed one: it is a Vordak, an undead spawn of the Darklords. The Vordak raises a bony hand and immediately its companions halt. Then, with a sweep of its arm, it slowly scans the ruins bordering the square. I use Kai-Screen + Grand Guardian. It fails to find me. I choose to explore the ruins further. How, I find that the ground here is unsafe. A section gives way into an old basement. I roll a die and add Grand Huntmastery bonus. I get a 4, which becomes a 6, which just makes it. I lose two EP from timbers hitting my arm, but I manage to haul myself out of the cellar with ease. I see an area with a street battle fought recently, and over a dozen Giak corpses on the street. I choose to investigate a crypt... __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 09:00 PM	#373
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quote: Once the coast is clear, you run across the street and down the short flight of stone steps leading to the crypt door. Hurriedly you press your shoulder to the cold iron and the portal creaks open to reveal a cramped, rough-walled chamber, dominated by a massive wooden chair, its back mostly destroyed by fire. Through the blackened timbers you see a mouldy tapestry covering part of the rear wall. The crypt is otherwise empty. (I do not have both Telegnosis and Grand Pathsmanship) Your sixth sense prickles with the presentiment of danger. You can feel the presence of a hostile magical being who, although not in this chamber, is somewhere very near. Fearful of the risk of being trapped in this dingy crypt, you unsheathe your weapon and back slowly towards the door, your eyes scanning all around for the merest hint of movement. Then, suddenly, the heavy portal slams shut with a mighty crash that reverberates in your ears. Before you have time to take a breath there is another sound, stone grating on stone, which draws your eyes to the fire-blackened chair. Behind the chair, the tapestry is suddenly torn aside and you find yourself staring at a creature swathed in a hooded orange cloak. It sidesteps the chair and shrieks a defiant curse as it raises a warty, taloned fist. In the next instant you see it hurl a cube of shiny black stone, which comes streaking through the air towards your face. (I dodge the cube, which I’ve seen explode before) You duck your head and the cube passes harmlessly over your shoulder to smash against the wall behind. On impact there is a tremendous flash and an explosion which releases a gout of searing flame. Needle-sharp slivers of stone pepper your back, but your quick reflexes have saved you from sustaining fatal injuries. Lose 4 ENDURANCE points. (See?) Painfully you stagger to your feet and shake your head in a vain attempt to be rid of the loud ringing that now fills your ears. Through the smoke and dust generated by the explosion, you glimpse the hooded creature creeping towards you. He holds a rod before him which radiates a ghostly green light. You snatch up your weapon and prepare to do battle as your robed enemy raises this rod in readiness to strike you down. Then there is a crack of energy and, as the rod whistles towards your chest, the tip transforms itself into a fiery spiked ball. Liganim with Ziranakag CS 44, EP 32 I use Kai Surge. I roll a 0 and it auto dies and I took 1. I leave the Ziranakag behind when I see it consume its body with hot fire. Fearful of what else may be behind the tapestry, I force open the crypt door and bound back into the Kaag street. I find a nice hiding place in a ruined building and rest there for a bit before trying to come up with a new plan. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 10:00 PM	#374
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quote: Your rest is disturbed by the sudden arrival in the plaza of a score of battle-weary Giaks, some Drakkarim, and a Gourgaz who is nursing a wounded arm. You watch them make camp and notice that they are so fatigued that they neglect to post any sentries. The pall of smoke which has covered this section of the city begins to thin out, and in the middle distance you can see the base of the great citadel. It is a truly awesome sight, a pyramid of jet-black stone which rises to a needle-sharp peak more than ten thousand feet above the streets of Kaag. Soon a rickety wooden cart, drawn by two ugly, ox-like creatures in harness, trundles into the plaza. It halts and its Giak driver pulls back the tarpaulin which is covering its cargo, revealing haunches of grey-green meat stacked in a pile. Unceremoniously, he tosses them to the exhausted soldiers who devour them with obvious relish. It is an unwholesome sight, made even more so when you realize that what they are eating is freshly slaughtered Giak meat. The troops have almost finished their grisly meal when a figure, clad in flowing grey robes and a helm of brightly polished steel, swoops down from out of the brooding sky upon the back of a Zlanbeast. He screams orders to the Gourgaz who immediately responds by cursing and slapping his tired troops into line. The grey rider berates the sorry-looking squad before finally taking to the skies once more. Stung into action by his harsh words, the Gourgaz officer leads his unit away at the double. Curiosity prompts you to follow them, although you take care to remain hidden from view. They zig-zag through a maze of back streets before arriving at the approach road to a large hall. Here a pitched battle is taking place between two warring factions: one side wearing uniforms of orange cloth, the other clad in blue-green. For several minutes you observe the carnage taking place as the two groups fight for control of the hall. The fighting soon escalates to the surrounding ruins and wisely you decide it best to leave this area before you, too, become caught up in the fighting. You notice a road away to your right which leads directly to the citadel. It is virtually deserted and seems to offer the best escape route from the battle zone. However, you have covered barely a hundred yards when you are suddenly confronted by a unit of Drakkarim Death Knights, reinforcements freshly arrived from the citadel itself. Quickly you dive into a side street and run as fast as you can, but the Death Knights have seen you and, despite their heavy armour, they give chase determinedly. The street soon ends at a junction where two roads branch away, one to the left, the other to the right. (I use Grand Huntmastery) Your Magnakai senses warn you that the left road leads to a dead end. Without hesitation, you turn right and take off along the street at a steady pace. Although the Death Knights are hot on your heels, you are confident that you will soon outrun them. However, your confidence is severely shaken when you see that the way ahead is blocked by a hill of rubble, the remains of a collapsed watchtower. (I use Grand Hunt mastery + Grand Guardian) You race across the mound of jagged rubble, barely slowing your stride as you surmount this obstacle easily. The pursuing Death Knights, handicapped by their weighty armour and lack of special skills, can only watch in astonishment as you disappear from view. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 10:19 PM	#375
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	The street continues beyond the mound, heading due south towards the great citadel, the shadow of this edifice looming ever larger. Soon the street opens out to a wide concourse which encircles the citadel and offers access to its great northern door. The entire door is made of black iron and streaked with rust. Turrets jut from either side, on top of which you see giant cannon-like weapons, similar to those once employed by the Darklords aboard their ironclad fleets. From the cover of a ruined house, you watch the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim, all clad in orange uniforms bearing the mark of a bloodied scythe. The more you stare at the citadel, the more you are sure that this is where Banedon is being held prisoner. However, entry into the citadel itself looks to be impossible, until, that is, an opportunity unexpectedly presents itself. Directly across the street from where you are hiding, you see a square, flat-roofed tower, one of several which encircle the outer edge of the concourse. A flock of screeching Kraan are feeding on slabs of maggoty meat which have been left there by the Drakkarim guards. Once they have eaten their fill, they take to the air and return to their cave-like pens, located high up on the citadel's outer wall. Some of the returning Kraan are ridden by Drakkarim and other guards who steer their mounts towards landing platforms which jut like great steel tongues from the entrances to the pens. It occurs to you that if you were able to mount one of the feeding Kraan, you could attempt to enter the citadel by the very same route. Emboldened by your plan, you resolve to put it into action. Patiently you survey the feeding tower opposite and note that there are two ways to gain access to its roof. You could climb a staircase that runs directly from the street to the roof, or you could attempt to scale its wall. (I use Grand Pathsmanship) Your senses warn you that the tower stairs, although they look empty, are in fact guarded by Drakkarim stationed inside the tower. They offer the most convenient route to the roof, but it could also be the most perilous. (I choose the wall) You move quietly to a new position, directly opposite the tower, and wait for the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim to disperse. The street is soon empty and you get ready to make your move. You sprint across the now-empty street and crouch at the base of the tower wall. The brick surface is plastered with powdery grey cement and, as you look up at the roof twenty feet above, you steel yourself for what could prove to be a difficult climb. (I roll a 7 and add 1 for having a rope and 2 for Grand Huntmastery) Despite the treacherous condition of the tower wall, your natural skill and agility see you safely to the top. In less than a minute you manage to reach the level of the tower parapet. You pull yourself over the parapet, only to be confronted immediately by a Drakkar guard. Unbeknown to you he has been sitting on the tower roof, quietly watching the spectacle of the feeding Kraan. He grabs you by the throat and attempts to throw you off the tower. You counter this clumsy attack easily by turning his hand aside and grabbing hold of his battle tunic. A swift twist of your body sends him sailing over your shoulder to land, head first, in the street below. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 11:01 PM	#376
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	The guard, his neck broken, is no longer a threat to anyone, so you turn your attention to the five Kraan which are feeding on the roof. Gingerly you approach them, hoping not to startle them into flight, but the commotion, and your presence, has made them very uneasy. (I use Animal Mastery) Using your Kai mastery, you focus upon one of the five feeding Kraan, the only one which is equipped with a saddle and reins. The other four abandon their feast and take to the air as you approach, but the target of your attention remains on the roof, cowed and submissive to your psychic command. You approach this scaly beast confidently and climb into its saddle. Obediently it obeys when, with a kick of your heels, you urge it skywards. Its powerful wings bear you speedily towards the landing platforms situated high above the great north door and, as you fly closer to your destination, you see two which are open and unguarded. One has an arch-shaped portal, the other a wider, oblong-shaped entrance. (I choose the oblong one) The Kraan glides towards the semi-ovoid platform and you swing one leg over its neck in readiness to leap from the saddle the moment it lands. With graceful agility, you jump the last few feet on to the platform and run through the open entrance. A Giak Kraan-handler suddenly appears before you, but your quick wits and Kai camouflage skills keep you from being seen. As he shuffles out on to the platform to tend to the screeching Kraan, you run towards the rear of the pen where there are two exits: one to the south, the other to the west. (I go south) Beyond the archway, a passage leads to a pair of stout steel-sheathed doors. The lock that secures them is inlaid with a series of numbers and you immediately recognize that they are part of a combination lock. One number in the sequence is missing. By tapping the correct number upon the blank square, you will cause the lock to disengage. Study the following sequence of numbers carefully. When you think you know what the missing number is, turn to the page that is identical to your answer. Obviously 20. Behind is a small armory. I take an extra quiver and 4 arrows. I also nab a Kaag Broadsword. There is a spiral staircase back here. I choose to go up. Here a weird thing: You climb the stairs and emerge in the centre of a hall on the level above. This vault-like room contains a wealth of grim exhibits, hung upon the walls and displayed in glass-fronted cases. The skulls of rare creatures are displayed beside tanned hides and jewel-encrusted bones. One item in particular catches your eye: it is a statuette, fashioned in the likeness of Darklord Zagarna. If you wish to keep this Statuette of Zagarna, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you keep in your Backpack. If you already carry your maximum quota, you must discard one item in its favour. Okay, so how do you keep a Special Item in your Backpack and it not be a Backpack Item? I keep going up and end up in a cold room that doles out 5 EP unless I have Grand Nexus. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 11:18 PM	#377
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Quote: The tunnel ends at a huge, echoing hall. It was once a place of worship dedicated to Zagarna, Darklord of Kaag. Now, however, it lies in total ruin, having been ransacked and destroyed by those who took command following his destruction, by your hand, at the raising of the Siege of Holmgard. In the alcoves and grottoes that adjoin this hall, where once stood effigies of Zagarna, there now stand likenesses of Darklord Slûtar. Behind one such tribute you notice something very unusual, yet familiar. A column of shimmering blue light descends into the alcove from a hole in the middle of the roof and passes through a similar hole in the floor. Your senses tingle as you gaze at this column, for you immediately recognize its purpose. Within the confines of the light, gravity is greatly reduced. It is used as a means of transportation, an elevator that can take you to other levels of Kaag, either above or below. The last time you saw one of these devices was in Helgedad, the former principal stronghold of the Darklands. (I step into the teleporter beam) You step warily into the glimmering column of light and immediately feel yourself begin to rise. Bands of darkness flick past with growing rapidity, each one marking a passing level of this mountainous citadel. Then you feel yourself slowing to a halt. The column fades and you find yourself standing on a metal dais in the centre of a domed chamber. Ahead you see a great door, forged of Kagonite, and beside it there is a narrow staircase leading downwards. As you approach the door, you notice the lock which secures it. It is inlaid with a series of numbers and, at once, you recognize that they are component parts of a combination lock. One number in the sequence is missing. By tapping the correct number upon the blank square, you will cause the lock to disengage. Study the following sequence of numbers carefully. When you think you know what the missing number is, turn to the page that is identical to your answer. (Obviously 3.) The dark tunnel descends to a titanic circular hall which is lit by a lava-filled vent at its centre. Tunnels radiate from this hall in every direction, like the spokes of an infernal wheel, their destinations mere pinpoints of flame in the far distance. The air here is thick and cloying. It is choked by sulphur and other foul discharges of noisy engines located deep in the bowels of Kaag. The pressure of this tainted atmosphere is forever changing, causing you momentarily to lose your balance and stumble when first you enter the central hall. Before you, astride the vent, a colossal idol looms up against the crimson light like some supernatural giant forged of steel and stone. Warily you pass beside one of its huge, taloned feet, half expecting it to animate suddenly and come crashing down upon you as if you were a lowly insect. Fortunately, the foot remains immobile and you are able to leave by a triangular-shaped tunnel, the largest of those which radiate from this hall. Other passages branch off this tunnel, spaced at regular intervals of one hundred paces. You detect movement taking place in several of these sub-tunnels and, when at last your natural curiosity prompts you to stop and observe one (using your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision), you detect that it is occupied by Nadziranim. These mysterious sorcerers are gifted in the black arts of Right-handed magic and, before their demise, they slavishly assisted the Darklords of Helgedad. These particular Nadziranim are busy at slime-filled vats, engaged in the harvesting of Giak spawn, a process that at first fascinates then rapidly repulses you. Sickened by what you have seen, you hurry away towards a distant junction where a narrower tunnel crosses from left to right. As you approach the junction, you feel the skin on your arms and the nape of your neck tingle with a premonition of peril. The sensation soon passes, but you are left with an awareness that a greater danger lurks somewhere nearby. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 11:41 PM	#378
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	(Go left or right at the junction. Left) The floor of the tunnel is gently sloped and, as it ascends, you notice the temperature steadily becoming much cooler. At length it opens out into a dimly-lit chamber where the stone floor is strewn with wood-shavings soiled by dung and dried blood. As you enter, you hear an inhuman snickering sound coming from among the maze of stout pillars that support the roof. The sound causes you immediately to draw your weapon; you have heard this cry once before, and although it was several years ago, you have not forgotten the creature who made it. Slowly, from out of the shadows come three hulking beasts, their yellow cat-like eyes glinting malevolently. Your fears are confirmed: they are Egorghs, massive wild bear-like creatures native to the stormy northern coasts of the Darklands. Stirred by the promise of fresh meat, they advance towards you and make ready to launch an attack with fang and claw. (I use Animal Mastery) Calling upon your Grand Mastery, mentally you command the three lumbering beasts to halt and, simultaneously, all three freeze in their tracks. Bewildered and frightened by the strange feelings that are coursing through their bodies, the three creatures back away into the shadows, whimpering grotesquely as they retreat like a litter of sick pups. Immediately you seize the chance to escape and hurry past them, running through the chamber towards an open passage beyond. You enter the passage and follow it for several minutes before arriving at an empty circular room. The only feature here is a rusty iron ladder, fixed precariously to the wall, which ascends through a hole in the ceiling to a level above. There is no other exit from this chamber and so, with caution guiding your every move, you climb the rust-eaten rungs. You rise through the hole to find yourself in a corridor which is strewn with human bones. Skeletons lie mixed in tangled heaps and many of the skulls and loose bones seem to have been gnawed. The psychic residues of pain and terror left by these luckless victims presses in upon your senses, making you feel queasy and claustrophobic. With pounding heart you advance along the bone-choked passage, stepping carefully through the skeletons to avoid making a sound. But you have taken less than a dozen steps when something unexpected makes you freeze in your tracks. In the dim distance you see a score of creatures stumbling along the tunnel. You magnify your gaze and discern that they are vaguely human in form, although hairless, lean and stringy as if from starvation. Their toes and fingers end in horny, hooked claws and their large eyes are deep set in skeletal faces, etched by untold years of pain and anguish. You bring to bear your innate psychic skills and are shocked by what you discover. Your senses reveal that these creatures were once human soldiers in the armies of the Freeland Alliance. Captured in battle and brought to Kaag long ago, they have endured unspeakable experiments at the hands of the Nadziranim. Now, no longer of use to those evil magicians, these pitiful victims have been left to wander the forgotten passages of this foul city, united in undeath. When the undead soldiers are twenty yards distant you attempt to communicate with them telepathically. You sense that the one who is leading the group radiates a faint psychic aura and you hope that he may know the whereabouts of your captive friend Banedon. At first your questions elicit no reply, then, when your eyes meet, you feel a wave of despair wash over you as suddenly you tap into the agony of this creature's existence. (Lose two ENDURANCE points due to psychic shock.) As the effects of the shock fade, you hear a ghostly voice echoing thinly in your mind. Yes . . . I know of whom you seek . . . it croaks. The Sommlending wizard is imprisoned here in Kaag . . . in Zagarna's courtroom . . . You ask the wretched zombie for directions to Zagarna's courtroom but the only help he can offer is to tell you that it is 'many levels above'. The pitiful group part in two to allow you to pass. As you move through them, your hatred of the Nadziranim blazes anew when you see upon the bodies of these once-human soldiers the terrible scars left by the cruel experiments. Filled with anger and remorse you hurry away, silently fearful that Banedon may already have suffered a similar fate. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-02-2009, 11:52 PM	#379
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	After a few minutes the tunnel ascends by steps to a cavern-like chamber where the walls are mildewed and damp. A sloping passage leads away to your left, descending towards a distant pit which reeks of vermin and decay. You shun this exit and turn your attentions instead to an iron door set into the far wall. Although it is locked, you experience no difficulty picking it. On the other side of the door you discover a torchlit corridor leading off to the left and right. (Left) The corridor wends a tortuous route through a series of interconnecting caverns and chambers. Some are occupied by lowly Giak slaves engaged in menial tasks, none of whom notice your stealthy passing. After nearly an hour you arrive at a large hall which is littered with stout trestle tables and wooden benches. A squad of thirty Drakkarim are seated around the largest table, hungrily devouring a foul-smelling feast of meat and wine. You note that most are unarmed, their weapons having been heaped upon an adjoining table prior to the feasting. From the shadowy cover of an alcove you listen to their idle chatter, hoping to glean clues as to the location of Zagarna's courtroom, but, unfortunately, your patience goes unrewarded. These troops seem preoccupied with exaggerating the success of ambushes which they have launched recently upon their enemies in the streets around the citadel. However, from this barrack-room talk you do learn two interesting facts about the struggle taking place within Kaag. The two warring factions are fighting principally for control over the Giak spawning vats located in the dungeons of the citadel. The vats are the key to power here; they produce both an unending supply of fresh troops and a source of raw food for whoever controls them. Anxious to continue your quest, you resolve to leave the hall by an archway on the far side. Although confident that your camouflage skills will keep you hidden from the Drakkarim, the hall is well-lit and there is a slim chance that you could be seen. (I roll a die and add numbers for Grand Huntmastery that make failure impossible) You are within a few yards of the passage that leads out of the mess hall when suddenly four Drakkarim turn a corner and come striding up the passage towards you. Hurriedly you flatten yourself against the nearest wall and muster your Kai camouflage skills in an attempt to stay hidden. The four stride past within an arm's length of your position yet they fail to detect your presence. Once they are inside the hall you peel yourself away from the wall and quickly escape into the passage. Fifty yards on, the passage turns sharply to the left and you find yourself staring at an iron-banded door. Luckily this portal is unlocked and you hurry through it, pausing only for a few seconds to bolt it shut behind you before continuing on your way. Shortly you arrive at a deserted stairwell where you begin a long and laborious ascent. You climb more than sixty levels of the citadel before reaching the top. During your climb, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-03-2009, 12:28 AM	#380
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Directly opposite the landing at the top of the stairs is a massive bronze portal, its surface inlaid with intricate symbols cast in silver and gleaming gold. A sleeping Drakkar sentry is seated beside this huge door. He snores softly, his leather-helmeted head tilted to his shoulder and his spear lying uselessly at his feet. He is oblivious to your presence as you glide past him and silently push open the great door. Beyond the portal lies a massive circular hall, its walls lined with slabs of smooth black rock. Its domed ceiling rises more than a hundred feet to point directly above a dais positioned at the centre of the chamber. A flame-filled moat surrounds this circular platform whereupon lies the unconscious body of a blond-haired man clad in silken blue robes. Your spirits soar when you recognize the designs embroidered upon the robe for they are the symbols of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star--the magician's guild of Sommerlund. For a moment your joy at having found your friend is dampened when your Magnakai senses warn that great danger is close at hand. Prompted by this presentiment you hurry towards the moat, to where an iron drawbridge stands raised, and begin to crank its handle in order to lower it across the fiery divide. (Do I have Kai-Alchemy? Telegnosis? Nope) The moment the heavy iron bridge crashes down across the moat you leap upon it and race towards the dais. But as you near its centre a wall of sparkling magical flame erupts at either end, sealing off both routes completely. In desperation you call telepathically to Banedon, hoping to awaken him to consciousness, but you are unable to make contact. Then, unexpectedly, your psychic calls are answered by a blood-chilling scream. Horror floods your mind when you realize that the person on the dais is not your friend Banedon--it is a Helghast. As the creature rises and its features twist and distort before your gaze, you cast an anxious glance back across the bridge towards the great door. Standing there now are two Drakkarim guards with a slavering boar-like beast which is straining on its leash. Suddenly the magical flame vanishes and, with relish, they release the creature and send it bounding towards you. (I use my bow and roll a die) Your Arrow penetrates the beast's skull and kills it instantaneously, although the momentum of its attack carries its hulking body forward for several yards before it finally crashes snout-first into the iron drawbridge floor, and tumbles head over heels. You watch as the body of the slain Gnagusk slowly rolls off the drawbridge and plummets into the flaming moat. This victory fills you with renewed confidence, but the feeling is all too short-lived. Suddenly, two steely hands fix themselves around your throat, crushing your windpipe. The Helghast is attacking you from behind and, as you struggle to break free, its iron-hard fingers close ever tighter: lose 4 ENDURANCE points. The two Drakkarim cackle at your plight as they approach the drawbridge, their swords drawn ready to avenge the death of their pet. (Do I have the Sommerswerd? Yup.) You reach to your belt and unsheathe the sun-sword. At once a golden halo of flame bursts from its polished blade, causing the Helghast to shriek in alarm as it recognizes the power you wield. It loosens its terrible grip upon your throat, enabling you to thrust the hilt of the Sommerswerd into its midriff and force it away. The Helghast emits a wailing cry and a wave of psychic energy assails your mind. But your Magnakai defenses are more than sufficient to repel this weak attack and, with one fell sweep of your arm, you cleave the demonic creature cleanly in two. The sundered halves of the Helghast fall from the bridge to be consumed by the hungry flames. Open-mouthed, the two Drakkarim stumble to a halt and stare down into the moat. Nervously they glance at each other, fearful of suffering a similar fate, then they turn and run towards the open door. Determined not to let them escape, you give chase and catch up with them within a few yards of the entrance. Drakkarim CS 26, EP 35 I roll an 8. Auto death Breathless from combat, you step away from the two dead Drakkarim, sheathe your weapon, and wipe your blood-spattered brow with the back of your hand. Then, in order to leave no trace, you drag both of the corpses to the edge of the moat and consign them, and their weapons, to the hungry flames. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-03-2009, 12:55 AM	#381
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	A narrow passage near the main door provides an exit from this hall. This leads into a wider tunnel which is flanked on both sides by cages, all empty but showing signs of having recently been occupied by war-dogs and the like. Beyond the cells you discover a chamber strewn with wooden boxes, trunks, sacks and several oak casks. It, too, is empty, although in the far wall there is a stout door with a spy-hole drilled at its centre. Your keen Kai senses detect the faint sound of squealing coming from the other side of this door. I search the chamber and find: Rope Lantern Silver Bowl Whistle Brass Key Black Key Hammer Enough food for 2 Meals (I take Lantern, Silver Bowl, Whistle, Brass Key, Black Key, and Hammer) Intrigued by the squealing, you approach the door cautiously and place your eye to the spy-hole. Your fears soon melt away when you see two ragged-eared rats in a corridor beyond, fighting over a meaty bone. You chuckle as the smaller of the two unexpectedly wins the dispute and proudly drags away his prize. Your eyes follow the rat as it disappears towards a distant hallway where you spy something else that makes your pulse quicken in anticipation. Using your Magnakai skills to magnify your vision, you see a pair of massive doors at the far side of the thoroughfare, guarded by two warriors clad in polished silver armour. A steady traffic of Drakkarim and Giaks passes to and fro before the doors, but none enter. You judge the hall to be over a hundred yards away, but even at this distance you can sense a great power is being contained behind the doors. After a short while the traffic in the hallway subsides. Then two wispy, ghost-like figures glide into view, each clad in shimmering semi-transparent robes, and at once you recognize them to be Nadziranim--masters of evil magic. The guards step aside and, as the great doors part to allow the sorcerers entry, a flood of blinding purplish light pours from out of the room beyond. Suddenly your senses tingle with a premonition that your friend Banedon is close at hand. Convinced that you will find him somewhere beyond the doors, you resolve to gain entry as quickly as you can, but if you are to get past the two guards you must first create a diversion. (I can put on a Drakkar uniform on the floor, or start a fire here in this storeroom) You pull the door slightly ajar then quickly gather up some sacks and boxes which you stack in a heap near the opening. The guttering wall torch that illuminates this chamber provides the flame to set this little makeshift bonfire alight. Soon the tinder-dry pile is ablaze, sending clouds of acrid blue-grey smoke billowing along the corridor towards the guards. (I roll a die and get 4) The guards see the approaching clouds of smoke and immediately raise the alarm. Aided by a passing group of Drakkarim and Giaks, the two silver-clad guardians come thundering along the corridor and skid to a halt outside the door. You hear them coughing and cursing, then the door flies open and two luckless Giaks are thrust into the smoky room with orders to put out the blaze. Utilizing your Magnakai camouflage skills, and helped by the smoke and confusion, you manage to slip past the Giaks and the others and hurry along the corridor towards the distant doors. To your surprise, the two massive portals open as you approach them. A purple glare blinds you momentarily, forcing you to raise your hand to shield your eyes, but still you keep running until you have passed through the doors. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-03-2009, 01:04 AM	#382
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	The purplish glare is generated by a glassy opaque sphere which hangs suspended above the doors. It pours forth a blinding curtain of light which fills the entrance, but this quickly fades once you have passed through into the chamber beyond. As your eyes adjust to the gloomy interior, you find yourself standing in a small temple. A plain stone altar dominates the chamber, around which are positioned a ring of twenty black candles. The candles are fixed into elaborately carved holders fashioned to resemble each of the twenty Darklords sent long ago by Naar, King of the Darkness, to conquer Magnamund. Their flames burn brightly scarlet and they give off a rancid, greasy smell that, despite your attempts to block it, makes you feel lightheaded and nauseous. Hurriedly you move to leave this temple through an archway opposite, for there is an extraordinary saturation of evil contained within these walls and you feel it leeching your mental and physical strength. (Unless you possess Kai-screen, deduct 3 ENDURANCE points due to its insidious effects.) You are near the centre of the temple when you notice something strange resting in a hollow in the surface of the altar. (Have I ever been to Mogaruith? Yup) At once you recognize the glassy orb which rests upon the altar. It is identical to the sphere you saw in the chamber of Arch Druid Cadak in Mogaruith, the sphere by which he communicated with the master of all evil--the evil God Naar. With dread, you look upon the surface of the orb and your blood runs cold; it is as if the eye of the Dark God himself were gazing upon you. (I choose to destroy it) You take up one of the heavy black candlesticks and raise it above your head, steadying yourself as you get ready to hurl it at the sphere. Then a wave of dark energy comes coursing from the orb and you swoon as it washes over your body. You are in danger of dropping the candlestick upon your own head until, with a defiant cry, you draw on your psychic strength to counter the power of the orb. As your mind clears and your strength returns, you launch the candlestick at the altar and smash the orb into hundreds of tiny shards. Instantly there is a tremendous implosion and a rush of air as the evil within this chamber is sucked back to its source. The stench that permeated the air has now gone and you feel a sense of well-being infuse your body: add 3 ENDURANCE points to your current score. Anxious to make up for lost time, you turn away from the altar and hurry through the archway opposite. Beyond lies an icy-cold corridor where the walls and ceilings are carved with many strange spatial designs. As you follow this passage, you notice that the theme of planets and stars gradually changes to one of volcanoes and lava fissures. As if to mirror this the temperature also changes, becoming steadily hotter and drier until, by the time you finally near the corridor's end, the heat has become almost furnace-like in intensity. Breathless and bathed with sweat, you stare through the shimmering air and see a great iron door at the end of the passage. Due to the excessive heat, unless you possess the Disciplines of Grand Huntmastery and Grand Nexus, you must now consume a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. You increase your speed as you approach the iron door and get ready to push against it, expecting great resistance but, to your complete surprise, the heavy portal swings open the instant you reach out to touch it. A gust of cooling air wafts in your face, encouraging you to step into the hall which lies beyond. Swiftly the iron door slams shut behind you but you pay it no heed. The refreshing coolness and the awesome spectacle of the hall itself commands your complete attention. Tiers of glittering gold-veined marble descend to a circular hall where a ring of fluted copper pillars support a platform, shaped like the foredeck of some great ship. Multicoloured rays stream from a crystal sphere suspended above this platform, creating a cage of flickering light at its centre. Sitting in this radiant cage is a pale-skinned man with long blond hair. His knees are drawn up to his chin and his eyes are closed, as if asleep. You recognize him to be Banedon, but still mindful of your encounter with the Helghast, you reserve your judgement. A narrow staircase, its hand-rails carved and fashioned from the tusks of Kalte mammoths, leads directly to the platform. Cautiously you descend the tiers, cross the floor, and advance towards these stairs, stopping only when you reach a granite throne positioned directly opposite the staircase. The back and arms of this crude seat have been chiselled to resemble a lion-like creature sitting on its haunches, and it is from here that you attempt to communicate telepathically with the sleeping man. At first there is no response. Then, wearily, he raises his head and forces open his eyes. His face is haggard and lined with fatigue, but the look of extreme tiredness slowly changes to a smile of recognition when he sees you. Lone Wolf . . . the words form slowly in your mind, thank Ishir you've found me . . . Convinced now that he truly is your friend Banedon, you rush towards the steps, eager to free him from his prison. Then you sense something is wrong and you skid to a halt at the foot of the steps. Banedon's weary smile has changed to a wide-eyed look of fear. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-03-2009, 01:15 AM	#383
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	A sudden noise makes you spin around, half-crouched, your weapon ready to hand for your defense. At first you see nothing, then a faint shadow moving at the corner of your eye draws your attention to an alcove on the other side of the hall. Suddenly you hear Banedon's voice echoing faintly in your head. You cannot understand what he is saying but you sense that it is a warning. You glance over your shoulder and notice that he is pointing at the granite throne. To your horror you see that the throne's fanged mouth is opening wider and wider. (I have Kai-Screen) A ghostly mist issues from the parting jaws of the throne-statue. You step back, your weapon raised, but it does nothing to protect you from the piercing screech which suddenly fills your head. Fortunately, your powerful mind defenses are protection enough against this violent psychic attack, and soon the screech fades to a more tolerable volume. From out of the mist-filled jaw there emerges a small black creature covered in shaggy fur. Its head is white, cut with dark bony ridges and studded with running sores that encircle its flaming red eyes. You raise your weapon and get ready to strike as it stalks nearer, but your concentration is momentarily broken when you notice a wispy shadow emerging from the alcove on the far side of the hall. It is a Nadziranim sorcerer. Fearful of its purpose, you turn away from the furry creature and make a dash towards the ivory staircase, intent on reaching Banedon as quickly as possible. The stalking creature, thinking that you are running in fear, immediately gives chase and comes bounding towards you, determined to intercept you before you reach the steps. (I use my bow) You sheathe your weapon and unshoulder your Bow as you run towards the stairs. Once there, you draw an Arrow and take aim at the advancing creature. It halts, snarling defiantly, then, to your utter amazement, its furry chest undergoes a rapid metamorphosis. What was fur only a few seconds ago is now a shiny steel-hard shell. (I aim at its head. I roll a 8 and then add 8. ) The creature tries to dodge your speeding shaft but it is too slow. The Arrow skewers its lower jaw, causing the beast to shriek out loudly in pained surprise. However, despite this fearful wounding, it does not break off its attack. With chilling disregard for pain, it wrenches the Arrow from its jaw and hurls it aside. Unnerved by this display of bravado, you shoulder your Bow as, with a gurgling shriek, the beast comes bounding forwards. You get ready to meet its advance yet, when it is but ten feet away, it suddenly opens its bloodstained mouth wide and spews forth a stream of white-hot liquid fire. (I do not have Grand Nexus. I try to dodge and roll a die. 5 + 3 for Grand Huntmastery) Your lightning-fast reflexes save you from being hit by the searing stream of liquid fire. Several droplets splash your tunic and it catches alight (lose 1 ENDURANCE point), but you quickly extinguish the flames. Coolly you raise your weapon and stare the creature defiantly in the eye as it gets ready to pounce. Talons spring from the creature's forepaws and its sharp teeth glint like polished knives as it comes leaping through the air towards you. Vodak: CS 44, EP 52 I use Kai-Surge. I roll a 4. It takes 12 and me 3. I rock a 7 and it takes 18 and me 1. A 2 follows and I hit for 10 and take 3. Then I roll a 7 again and it is rocked for another 18. It dies and I took 8. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-03-2009, 01:31 AM	#384
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	Slowly a brooding, malignant vapour arises from the creature's corpse to hover in the air above it. You sense a powerful magical aura radiating from this sinister shadow and, as you back away from it, a mass of swirling sparks begin flickering at its core. Banedon calls for your help, his cry echoing faintly in your mind. You spin around and see him falling sideways to the floor of the platform, unconscious and unmoving. Fear runs cold in your veins, a fear that grows wilder when you glance once more at the hovering shadow, for now it has descended to the ground and from beneath its curtain-like base there pours a seething tide of black-bodied insects, some as large as mice. Biting back your fears, you raise your weapon and focus on the advancing swarm. Suddenly your psychic senses tingle. These are no ordinary insects; in fact these are not insects at all. Your sixth sense detects that they are merely a clever illusion created to deceive you. Confident in this knowledge you stand your ground and allow the tide of creepy-crawlies to wash over your feet. Within a matter of seconds the insect horde fades and vanishes, dispelled by your disbelief in their existence. The hovering shadow is changing shape once more. It expands and thickens, its misty outline now becoming hard and clearly defined. Your heart quickens when the transformation is complete for now you see before you a scaly dragon, with frosty-white skin and eyes as black as deep space. It fixes you with a murderous gaze and opens a mouth that is packed with razor-sharp fangs. Then a chilling gust of super-cold breath blows over you, leaving you shivering. Your Magnakai skills save you from being instantly frozen to death by this icy blast, but they will not keep you safe from the creature's fangs, its horny tail, or its sword-like claws. With a hungry growl, the dragon comes stalking forwards. Its jaw hangs open in expectation of an easy feast. Ice Dragon (Polymorphed Nadziranim) CS 48, EP 52 I use Kai Surge. I roll 4, 8, 2, and 6. It has taken 36 and me 11. I roll a 6 and 0. It have taken exactly 52. I took a total of 15. 23/44 The moment you strike your killing blow, the body of the Ice Dragon becomes transparent, as if it was made wholly of glass, then slowly this form melts away to a steamy vapour which quickly evaporates, leaving no trace of the creature's existence. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent

12-03-2009, 01:43 AM	#385
Abe Sargent Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Catonsville, MD	A deathly silence fills the hall, broken only by the sound of Banedon's laboured breathing. Fearful of his condition, you climb the ivory staircase and rush to his side. However, you are prevented from touching your friend by the encircling wall of energy in which he is held prisoner. You sense that the power which keeps him here against his will is being generated by the crystal sphere which hangs suspended in the air directly above him. You gaze at this sphere and the thought occurs that if you could disrupt it in some way, by breaking or dislodging it, it might cause the power wall to fail. (I can use a bow, Kai_Alchemy, or Magi-Magic. I use my bow, it works.) You rush forwards and try to revive Banedon but he is deeply unconscious and does not respond. Taking hold of your friend by the arm, you lift him across your shoulders, then carefully begin your descent from the platform. Once you are safely at the bottom of the steps, you cast your eyes around the hall for a means of escape. There are only two exits visible: the light-filled doors by which you entered, and a tunnel in the north wall. (Tunnel in the north wall) Holding Banedon firmly in place across your shoulders, you climb the tiered steps towards the tunnel. The cold dark passage looks most uninviting, but when you hear the sound of a patrol approaching the main doors, you forget your reticence and hurry along the passage to avoid him. The dingy passage descends by slope and stair to a rectangular hall which is lined with ancient stone statues, their features made unrecognizable by age. Tar-soaked torches fixed to the two longest walls illuminate this musty chamber with a flickering amber light, and the air is heavy with their oily stench. In the distance you see an archway and the passage continuing away into darkness. (I choose to stop and try to revive Banedon) You lower Banedon to the floor and make him as comfortable as you can by propping him in a sitting position with his back against one of the statues. Then, despite your own fatigue, you use your innate healing skills in an attempt to revive him to consciousness. His pulse is weak and his skin is cold to the touch, and you can tell by his poor physical condition that he has been starved and beaten during his imprisonment here in Kaag. Placing your hands upon his brow, you feel some of your body warmth draining away as you concentrate on transmitting your healing powers to your injured friend. Slowly he responds, and although he is still too weak to speak, he manages to open his eyes and communicate with you telepathically. I know this chamber . . . he says, . . .I have been here before. Look there, at the statue opposite. You'll find a lever concealed at its side. It opens a hidden door. Guided by Banedon's messages you discover that there is indeed a lever as he described. You pull it and a panel in the stone wall glides open to reveal a secret alcove and flight of steps leading downwards. Noises in the tunnel warn you that Drakkarim are approaching and so, without hesitation, you shoulder your friend once more and hurry into the alcove to avoid them. The panel glides shut behind you and keeps you hidden from the enemy. Through the wall you hear cries of surprise and some curses when they enter the chamber to discover that you have seemingly disappeared into thin air. Mindful that they might find your hiding place, you descend the stairs and arrive at a vault which is lavishly equipped with all manner of elaborate laboratory apparatus. Several large tables line one wall, many stained with blood. You sense that Banedon is disturbed by the sight of these tables and, when you ask him what is wrong, he tells you that this chamber is where the Nadziranim subjected him to hours of brutal interrogation in a futile attempt to extract the magical secrets of the Brotherhood. Despite all their fiendish tortures, he says, his mind-voice weak yet full of pride, they learned nothing. You search for a way out of this vault and soon discover a steel door which is secured by a curious combination lock. It comprises three raised blocks, each block divided into four equal squares. In each square, bar one, there is a number. You ask Banedon if he knows how the lock operates and he recalls once seeing a Nadziranim tapping the empty square several times in order to make the door open. Consider the following grids of numbers. When you think you know what the missing number is, turn to the entry that bears the same number as your answer Each number is multiplied by two. The missing number is 8. It works. We arrive in a passage and I can go left or right. I go to ask Banedon but he is unconscious again. I choose left. I run into a door and use my Brass Key. __________________ Check out my two current weekly Magic columns! https://www.coolstuffinc.com/a/?action=search&page=1&author[]=Abe%20Sargent