[Let's Play] Lone Wolf - Kai Series

[Thaluikhain]

May as well go left.

(Nice picture of the lizard monster)

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Lone Wolf will let socialism lead the way.

44

You have ridden about three miles along this timberland trail when, in the distance, you spot the unmistakable silhouette of Giaks. They are standing in a group in the middle of the track and do not appear to have seen you. High above the trees you hear the cry of Kraan heading towards the west. They have just landed these Giaks on the forest road and are now returning to the mountains to collect another squad of enemy scouts.
     If you wish to gallop straight towards the distant group of Giaks, in the hope that you will catch them by surprise and scatter them, turn to 530.
     If you decide to leave the road and take to the forest to avoid these Giak scouts, turn instead to 255.


(Asking all of you to tolerate the ugliness, as this picture is probably one of the worst ones that I have made in MS Paint. I am still learning how to draw decently with only a limited amount of time to devote to these illustrations.)

Lone Wolf heals 1 ENDURANCE point from the noncombat section. Please make your votes on whether to confront or run from this new group of fascists before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
WEAPONS:
1. Sword (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
2. Double-bladed Axe (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
8. Coil of Rope
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
BELT POUCH: 16 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 21/22
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 20
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas

[Beroli]

Go into the forest. Again, we have a mission, and it's not "slaughter every Giak in Sommerlund with a double-bladed axe."

[SGamerz]

Avoid the scouts.

[Thaluikhain]

Avoid, as if we charge they'll have plenty of time to see us coming.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; running from this group of fascist scouts in order to save Lone Wolf’s skin.

255

You steer your horse off the rail and take to the trees. The timberland here is thickly entangled with shrubs and thorny briars which make the going difficult, but you persevere and soon reach a less ensnaring part of this darkening forest. Unfortunately, this clearer part of the forest has also been chosen by the enemy for use as a secret encampment.
     A Giak lookout raises the alarm as soon as it sees your white horse approaching through the trees. The enemy is alert and quick to react. Moments after the alarm is sounded, a flurry of black arrows comes whistling towards you.
     Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess the Kai Discipline of Camouflage, add 2 to the number you have chosen.
     If your total is now 4 or lower, turn to 383.
     If it is 5 or higher, turn to 425.

Lone Wolf does not possess the Kai Discipline of Camouflage. Rolling the die yields a 0, so we will go to 383.

383

You are struck simultaneously by three Giak arrows. One clips your right shoulder, another grazes your left leg just above the ankle, and the third draws a crimson line across the back of your right hand. Lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
     If you have survived these grazing wounds, you can attempt to escape from this secret enemy encampment by turning to 176.



Despite the melodramatics depicted by the above image, Lone Wolf has survived these wounds, so it is now off to 176.

176

You spur the Prince’s horse to a gallop and race him deeper into the forest. This is a fine warhorse, agile and strong, by far the best horse you have ever ridden. Although the ground is a tangle of briars and roots, he never once falters. The Giaks are soon left far behind. When you judge it safe to do so, you slacken the pace and then bring your mount to a halt, allowing him a few minutes to rest. The light has faded fast and night is almost upon you.
     If you wish to continue your ride in the same direction, turn to 65.
     If you wish to change direction and steer your horse to your left (so as to follow the bearing of the trail you left behind), turn to 201.

To recap, Lone Wolf healed back to full health, but runs into another group of fascist Giaks in his attempt to avoid any trouble. His reward for fleeing from the fascist scouts is a loss of 3 ENDURANCE points. He gains back 1 ENDURANCE point as twilight closes in. Please make your votes on whether to keep going or to follow the bearing of the trail that Lone Wolf left behind before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
WEAPONS:
1. Sword (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
2. Double-bladed Axe (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
8. Coil of Rope
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
BELT POUCH: 16 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 20/22
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 20
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas

[Beroli]

Steer the horse to the left.

[SGamerz]

Left

[Thaluikhain]

Left, if the Giaks are still pursuing us in the direction we were traveling, we don't want to be traveling in that direction.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Lone Wolf will steer his horse towards communism to get rid of all traces of fascism from his mind and body.

201

You soon emerge from the woods onto a main highway. You recognize this road – it is the main turnpike which connects the northern part of Toran to the capital, Holmgard, in the south. Spurring your horse onto the highway, you turn him towards the south. This road is wide and clear, and its surface is in good condition. You feel confident now that you should be able to reach Holmgard by morning.
     Turn to 210.

210

As you ride along the highway, you notice that light is fading fast. It will soon be completely dark, which will make it very difficult for you to see any dangers that may be lurking ahead. You decide that it is best if you take cover and rest for a few hours in the tree line bordering the highway.
     When you are satisfied that your resting place is secure, you pull your warm green cloak about you and drift off into an uneasy sleep.
     Turn to 389.

389

You are awoken by the loathsome cries of Kraan circling high above you in the clear dawn sky. Rubbing your eyes, you peer upwards through the canopy of branches to see three of the loathsome creatures. They screech repeatedly, then they peel away and fly off towards the north.
     You feel sure that you could not have been seen from the air, but you are wary that they may have detected you using one of their other senses. For safety’s sake, you decide that it would be prudent to break camp and leave at once.
     Without any undue delay, you prepare and mount your horse and then continue your ride south along the main highway to Holmgard.
     Turn to 335.

335

You have ridden for several miles and have seen no sign of refugees or enemy soldiers. You continue to ride as fast as your horse will carry you until you find yourself approaching a high ridge. You feel confident that you will be able to see the capital from this high vantage point.
     As you crest the peak of the ridge, the sight that meets you on the far side is one that fills you with hope. But you quickly discover that there is also a new challenge which must be overcome.
     Turn to 215.

215
(Illustration overleaf of next page)

In the distance you see the tall grey-white walls and glimmering spires of Holmgard. The colorful banners of the city’s guilds are fluttering from the battlements in the fresh morning breeze. Stretching out towards the east, the mighty River Eledil wends its way from its source in the Durncrag Mountains, through the capital, and out towards the broad estuary of the Holmgulf. The natural beauty of this grand vista makes you feel proud and fortunate to have been born a Sommlending. But when you turn your gaze towards the distant western peaks of the Durncrags, there you behold a sight that blights this magnificent landscape. Hovering among its jagged mountain tops, like dark and malevolent storm clouds, are swarms of Zlanbeast and Kraan. They are mustering their numbers in preparation for an attack on the capital. In the narrow mountain passes below these swarms, you see vast columns of enemy troops on the march. Clearly their intention is to assault and lay siege to Holmgard. You estimate that the main body of their vast army is now no more than two days’ march from the city’s walls.
     The King’s Highway from Holmgard to Toran crosses the fertile rolling plain and farmlands surrounding the capital. At a gallop, you reckon you will be able to reach the outer fieldworks of the city’s defenses in under an hour. But to do so on horseback would entail having to cover several miles of open countryside, without any protection overhead. This will make you vulnerable to attack from the air by marauding Kraan. You ponder the alternative routes that could bring you to the capital, and determine two other options. Nearby you can see a small river. It is the Daune, a tributary of the Eledil. It wends its sluggish way across the plain and flows into the Eledil less than a mile from the walls of the capital. If you were to abandon your horse, you could use the gentle current of the Daune to carry you downstream towards the city’s outer defenses. The river’s banks are steeply undercut for most of the way, and they would offer you some cover as you approached the fieldworks. Or there is the final alternative. Situated between the River Daune and the King’s Highway is a vast burial ground. This place is called the Graveyard of the Ancients. It was constructed many centuries ago, in an age before the Sommlending laid claim to this land and transformed it into the fertile wonder you see today. The tombs and crumbling monuments of this ancient necropolis would certainly conceal your approach to the city, but it is a forbidden area. You shiver when you recall tales you have heard about the nameless horrors which supposedly lie here still, in an eternal restless sleep, waiting to corrupt and consume the unwary trespasser.
     If you choose to take your chances out on the open plain, you can make your final approach to Holmgard by way of the King’s Highway. Turn to 298.
     If you decide that you will stand a better chance of safely reaching the capital by way of the River Daune, you can leave your horse to graze on the rich grassland hereabouts before turning to 189.
     Or, if you are brave enough to risk the unknown perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients, you can approach the city by this forbidden route. Turn to 510.


215. In the distance you see the tall gray-white walls and glimmering spires of Holmgard.

With Lone Wolf back to full ENDURANCE from the noncombat sections, please make your votes on which way our hero should take before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
WEAPONS:
1. Sword (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
2. Double-bladed Axe (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
8. Coil of Rope
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
BELT POUCH: 16 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 22/22
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 20
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas

[Beroli]

Go by the open plain. The river and graveyard sound more dangerous.

[SGamerz]

The highway will definitely be watched by the enemy army. I vote for graveyard. No doubt it'll have its own dangers, but a lone Kai Lord can probably deal with a few undead better than a whole army.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, graveyard

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; going to the Graveyard of the Ancients wins over the King’s Highway by a 2-1 vote.

510

As you descend the ridge towards the Graveyard of the Ancients, you become aware of a strange mist that swirls all around this gray and forbidding place. It rises up from fissures in the ground, and from out of the cracked and crumbling tombs of this cursed necropolis. This heavy air is damp and foul and redolent with decay. It feeds a blanket of low cloud which keeps the graveyard locked in a perpetual gloom.
     With growing trepidation, you make your way towards its broken gate. As you draw closer, a creeping chill seems to penetrate your very bones. You are less than a hundred yards from the shattered entrance when your horse becomes startled, and no matter how much you urge him on, he refuses to go one step nearer to this dreadful place. Reluctantly, you are forced to abandon your horse and continue your final approach on foot.
     Turn to 432.

432

You pass beneath the main gate’s broken arch and realize at once that your passage through this graveyard is not going to be an easy one. The ground is broken and covered with thorny graveweed. This wicked briar snags your cloak and claws at your legs as slowly you wend your way between the ancient crypts. The clammy air is difficult to breathe. The sickly sweet gases that are seeping from the open crypts seem to carry with them the haunting murmur of distant whispering. The sounds are very faint, but they torment your ears and fill your mind with sinister, shadowy images.


432. Your passage through this graveyard is not going to be an easy one. The ground is broken and covered with thorny graveweed.

     Carefully you make your way between two ancient pillars, parting the tangled graveweed with your cloaked hand. Then suddenly there is a loud rumbling sound, and the ground collapses beneath you. With a yelp of fear and surprise, you drop down into a dark void amidst a tumble of loose gray earth and stone.
     Turn to 101.

101

You are winded by the fall but not badly hurt (lose 1 ENDURANCE point). You have dropped fifteen feet or so through the fractured roof of an underground tomb. As the dust settles, you see that the walls of this burial chamber are fashioned from a slick black marble which is seamless and slippery with damp. You are unable to climb back to the surface by this way. Cursing your ill fortune, you look around the gloomy chamber in the hope of finding some other way by which you can leave.
     As your eyes become accustomed to the gray half-light, you notice an arched tunnel in the east wall of the tomb chamber. Set close to this archway is a sarcophagus, its domed lid carved with the name and likeness of some ancient noble.
     If you have and wish to use the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, turn to 92.
     If you wish to attempt to open the sarcophagus to see what it contains, turn to 365.
     If you decide to leave the chamber via the arched tunnel in the east wall, turn to 146.

Lone Wolf has the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense. Please make your votes on whether to use it, or if not, what to do next before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
WEAPONS:
1. Sword (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
2. Double-bladed Axe (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
8. Coil of Rope
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
BELT POUCH: 16 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 21/22
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 20
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas

[Beroli]

Use Sixth Sense.

[SGamerz]

Sixth Sense.

[Thaluikhain]

6th sense, of course.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; using the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense.

92

Your special Kai sense is screaming a warning that this chamber has now been occupied by an invisible entity which is wholly evil. Alerted to the danger, you turn towards the tunnel and leave this cursed tomb as quickly as you are able.
     Turn to 146.

146

The walls of this tunnel are dank and slimy, and trailing cobwebs brush your face as you explore its murky depths. You can feel a panic beginning to knot your stomach as this fetid passageway gets darker and darker. At length you come to a junction where the tunnel meets a narrower corridor crossing from north to south.
     If you wish to turn north, go to 36.
     If you choose to go south, turn to 141.
     If you decide to continue exploring the tunnel ahead, turn to 458.



Please make your votes on which path that our scared, but fully healed from the noncombat sections, hero should take before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
WEAPONS:
1. Sword (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
2. Double-bladed Axe (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
8. Coil of Rope
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
BELT POUCH: 16 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 22/22
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 20
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas

[Beroli]

Go north.

[SGamerz]

The tunnel was in the east wall, so I guess north, because it's left.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Lone Wolf will follow his communist instincts and turn north.

36

Cautiously, you inch your way along the dark corridor until you reach a place where it turns abruptly towards the east. From somewhere beyond the corner you can see a pale greenish light. It shimmers on the wet stone floor, illuminating a sticky gray fungus that encrusts its surface.
     If you wish to continue exploring this passageway, turn to 375.
     If you decide not to go any further in this direction, you can retrace your steps back to the junction. From there you can either explore the south tunnel (turn to 141), or the west tunnel (turn to 458).



Please make your votes on whether to continue down the passageway or choose another option before 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Beroli]

One, that sounds dangerous.

Two, weird "we went east and somehow got turn around" issues aside, if the option previously listed as "ahead" was west then we must have just turned right.

Go back to the intersection and go south.

[SGamerz]

Keep exploring. We should get a Sixth Sense ping if there's something dangerous to detect.

[pragma]

Back to intersection and head south.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; going back to the junction and exploring the south tunnel won over continuing to explore by a 2-1 vote.

141

This chillingly cold corridor gradually descends before making an abrupt turn towards the east. Cautiously you peer around the corner and see a greenish glow which illuminates the tunnel in the far distance. Assisted by this eerie light, you are able to make faster progress and soon you come to a place where the passageway opens out into a large chamber. The strange green light is emanating from a big stone bowl that rests atop a granite throne. On a plinth in front of the throne there stands a statue. It has the appearance of a winged serpent, standing upright upon a ridged tail and curved into the slender shape of a large ‘S’.
     If you wish to examine the statue more closely, turn to 187.
     If you choose to rest here a while, you can sit on the throne by turning to 229.
     Of if you decide to look for an exit from this eerie chamber, turn instead to 390.



Please make your votes on whether sightseeing, playing king, or looking for an escape route is most important by 9:00 AM PDT to guarantee that they will be counted.

ACTION CHART
KAI DISCIPLINES:
1. Sixth Sense
2. Healing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat
3. Hunting: no need for a Meal when instructed to eat
4. Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points
5. Mindshield: no points lost when attacked by Mindblast
WEAPONS:
1. Sword (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
2. Double-bladed Axe (+1 COMBAT SKILL)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
8. Coil of Rope
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
BELT POUCH: 16 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 22/22
RULES:
• When in combat, stop to ask whether to use any items or abilities if ENDURANCE is less than 11 or Combat Ratio is less than -4
FASCIST KILL COUNT: 20
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas