[Let's Play] Lone Wolf - Kai Series

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, mind over matter.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; using Mind Over Matter.

317

You concentrate your powers and direct them at an outcrop of loose shale which is overhanging the shaft on the opposite side of the chamber. Moments later, there is a crack of slate and stone as part of the outcrop crumbles away and falls into the gaping mine shaft. The guard is startled by the sudden noise and leaves his post to investigate. Without a moment’s hesitation, you dash across the now empty bridge and disappear into the tunnel beyond.
     Turn to 348.

348

No more than fifty yards along the tunnel wall, you notice a lever set into the rock. Your Kai instincts make you naturally suspicious of this unusual feature and you scour the floor looking for evidence of a trap. You find nothing, but a glance at the roof reveals the underside of a wide portcullis hidden between two supporting beams.
     You pull the lever and the portcullis falls, sealing off the tunnel behind you. To make sure you will not be followed, you smash the lever with a wedge of stone before continuing your exploration of this tunnel.
     To continue, turn to 185.

185

You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. If you possess the Kai Discipline of Hunting, you are unable to use it to provide food in this instance.
     The tunnel continues for several miles before eventually arriving at a long, deserted gallery.
     To continue, turn to 40.

40

A line of empty ore wagons are parked along a stretch of track that disappears into the west wall of this gallery. Above the arched main tunnel, a flight of wooden stairs leads to a smaller passage that is lit by a sputtering torch.
     You stay hidden in the shadows, watching the gallery for half an hour before you are satisfied that it is safe to enter.
     If you have the Kai Discipline of Tracking, and if you have reached the Kai rank of Aspirant or higher, turn at once to 349.
     If you have not reached this rank of Kai training, or do not possess this discipline, you can follow the wagon track into the west tunnel, by turning to 55.
     Or you can climb the stairs to the balcony and explore the smaller passage, by turning instead to 291.

Lone Wolf has the Kai Discipline of Tracking and is above the Kai rank of Aspirant as a Journeyman.

349

Judging by the smoothness of the stone floor, and the condition of the ore wagons, you deduce that this gallery must service a major section of the mines. A fresh breeze can be felt blowing out of the west tunnel and your senses tell you that you are near to the surface.
     Ruanon lies due west, in the same direction as the ore wagon tunnel. Mindful of this fact, you take a deep breath and emerge from the shadows, cross the gallery and quietly enter the archway beyond.
     To continue, turn to 55.

55

As you make your way along the torchlit tunnel, you pass by several ore wagons bearing identical brands on their wooden sides. It is a cross moline set above the initials ‘O.V.’. You recognize this to be the seal of Oren Vanalund, the Baron of Ruanon, and it confirms your belief that you are heading in the right direction.



     Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps can be heard echoing from the tunnel ahead. They become steadily louder, and they are accompanied now by shouting and the sharp crack of a whip.
     If you wish to dive into one of the empty ore wagons, turn to 161.
     If you decide to hide in the shadows cast by the rough tunnel wall, turn instead to 286.

Here’s the recap: Lone Wolf uses Mind Over Matter to sneak past the guard undetected. After exploring the tunnel and eating a Meal along the way, Lone Wolf comes close to the surface and encounters several ore wagons and approaching footsteps. With Lone Wolf restoring 6 ENDURANCE points from the noncombat sections thanks to his Healing Kai Discipline, please make your votes on whether to hide into the wagons or shadows 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
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
WEAPONS:
1. Broadsword
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Long Rope (Slot 1)
4. Long Rope (Slot 2)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
BELT POUCH: 23 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 21/24
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: 38
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’

[Beroli]

Dive into the ore wagon.

[Thaluikhain]

Ore wagon seems more interesting, yeah.

[SGamerz]

Wagon.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Lone Wolf will dive into one of the empty ore wagons.

161

Raising the hood of your Kai cloak, you crouch in the bottom of an empty ore wagon and wait here with bated breath. Through a gap in the wood you can see a haggard procession of men shuffling towards you. An escort of bandit warriors pushes them forward, beating any who falter or slip out of line. You feel a sudden jolt as your wagon is pushed along the tunnel and glance up to see a sweat-streaked face peering down at you.
     ‘Run left when I say “Go”,’ whispers the face, then it disappears from view behind the edge of the wagon.
     As the wagon emerges from the tunnel, weak sunlight suddenly floods over you. Through the crack you can now see your destination; the wagons are being shunted onto a timber gantry where the track ends some fifty feet above a huge mound of ore. Your observations are cut short by a hissed command:
     ‘Go!’
     If you wish to leap from the wagon and run to the left, turn to 27.
     If you choose to jump from the wagon and run to the right, turn to 144.
     If you decide to ignore the command and stay where you are, turn to 294.

Lone Wolf gains 1 more ENDURANCE point from the noncombat section. Please make your votes on how to respond to the command 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
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
WEAPONS:
1. Broadsword
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Long Rope (Slot 1)
4. Long Rope (Slot 2)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
BELT POUCH: 23 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 22/24
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: 38
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’

[SGamerz]

If he means us harm, all he had to do was raise the alarm, so I believe we can trust him. Follow his instruction and go left.

[Beroli]

Leap from the wagon and run to the left.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Lone Wolf will leap from the wagon and run to the left to resist fascism.

27

You leap over the side of the wagon and sprint towards a group of densely packed trees that are less than twenty yards from the track. Luck is with you, for the bandit guards fail to notice your daring escape and the wagons continue on their way towards the gantry without slowing.
     Pausing just long enough to catch your breath, you give silent thanks to the stranger who helped you before pressing onwards through the thick woodland.
     Turn to 200.

200

The trees are alive with bandit patrols, but your quick wits and Kai skills prevent you from being spotted by any of them. Eventually, you come to the edge of the copse and you find yourself staring out across an expanse of open plain towards the town Ruanon. The sight that lies before you is very disquieting.
     Much of the mining town has been burnt to the ground. The blackened ruins of what were once shops, cottages and taverns are now little more than smoldering mounds of charcoal. You are beginning to fear the worst, that Ruanon has been totally destroyed, when a gentle breeze clears the haze of wood smoke hanging like a grey curtain over the ruins. Inside the perimeter of ruined buildings, you can now see that a barricade has been thrown up around a tower of stone. Above the tower, a tattered flag still flies. It brings you renewed hope, for it is the sun-flag of Sommerlund edged with a band of white braid. It is the cavalry standard of the King’s Guard Regiment.
     The sudden crack of a twig makes you freeze. You glance behind to see three bandits creeping through the trees towards you. The wide steel tips of their spears glint in the gloom of the thick timberland and they seem to be coated with a clear, sticky fluid.



     If you possess the Kai Discipline of Hunting or if you have ever visited Gorn Cove, turn to 45.
     If you decide to stand and fight the bandits, turn to 133.
     If you choose to evade them, you must run across the open plain towards Ruanon, eight hundred yards away (turn to 307).

Lone Wolf possesses the Kai Discipline of Hunting *and* has visited Gorn Cove.

45

You recognize gnadurn sap dripping from their spears. It is a deadly and swift-acting poison. You dare not risk engaging in combat with these bandits, for the merest graze from one of their tainted weapons could be fatal. Leaping to your feet, you race away from the trees and run towards Ruanon.
     To continue, turn to 307.

307

From all along the forest edge, groups of bandits emerge from the trees, whipped and scolded by their bullying sergeants for allowing you to escape. This spurs you to quicken your pace and you cover the first hundred yards with ease. Then arrows begin to fall around you. You duck and weave, making yourself a difficult target for the archers and gradually the falling shafts dwindle in number. You smile at their futile attempts to stop you, but your confidence is soon shaken by a pack of snarling Warhounds breaking out of the woods to your right. They are off the leash and hungry for blood. You are less than five hundred yards from Ruanon but the Warhounds are closing in with frightening speed.
     If you choose to quicken your pace and try to outrun them, turn to 225.
     If you decide to halt and fight them, turn to 36.


307. A pack of snarling warhounds break out of the woods.

Here’s the recap: Lone Wolf escapes from the miners and fascist guards thanks to the help of his mysterious miner ally. He then enters the woods and comes close to Ruanon, but is attacked by many bandits. Soon a pack of Warhounds becomes Lone Wolf’s greatest threat. With his Healing putting him back to full ENDURANCE from the noncombat sections, please make your votes on how to deal with the Warhounds 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
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
WEAPONS:
1. Broadsword
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Long Rope (Slot 1)
4. Long Rope (Slot 2)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
BELT POUCH: 23 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 24/24
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: 38
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’

[Beroli]

Keep running.

[SGamerz]

Don’t give the chance for the guys with poisoned weapons to catch up. Keep running.

[Thaluikhain]

Run away (and that pic is I think the worst in this series so far)

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Lone Wolf will quicken his pace and try to outrun them.

225

You try to ignore your aching legs and the fear that knots your stomach by forcing your concentration on the sun-flag, a fluttering symbol of hope in the distance. Your face is streaked with sweat and your lungs feel fit to burst, but you dare not slacken your pace. The thought of Warhound fangs closing and tugging on your skin is all you need to drive you onwards.
     At four hundred yards, you can see that the barricade and watchtower are inhabited, but at this distance the faces you can see are only a line of small dots on the walls. At three hundred yards you run into some gruesome remains, where the corpses of bandits lie twisted on the ground, most killed by arrows. Many have lain in the open for weeks. A murder of startled carrion crows arises, shrieking from their feast as you race through the decomposing bodies. You turn your face away in disgust.
     Suddenly, a new sound drifts across the plain. It is the sound of cheering. The beleaguered defenders have just spotted you and recognized your green Kai cloak. Now there are only two hundred yards to go. You have just passed the ruins of a burnt-out cottage when you feel an agonizing pain tear through your left thigh. An arrow has pierced your leg and you are pitched forward into the mud and ash.
     Crouched in the ruined cottage, a bandit sniper sniggers evilly as he raises his bow and takes careful aim at your head.
     Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Camouflage, add 1.
     If the result is 0, turn to 181.
     If it is 1-5, turn to 20.
     If it is 6-10, turn to 300.

Lone Wolf does not possess Camouflage. Rolling the die yielded a 5.

20

An arrow hisses overhead; a scream of agony fills the air. The bow slips from the archer’s fingers as he sinks slowly to his knees, the arrow lodged deep between his startled eyes. The clack of fangs and the soft swift pad of stealthy feet tell you that the Warhounds are closing in. You look up to see a man running towards you from the barricade. He has a shield in one hand and a longbow in the other. It is Guard Captain D’Val.



He reaches you, breathless from his run, and draws an arrow from his quiver. D’Val aims and fires, drawing another arrow the moment the first is loosed. The Warhounds tumble and crash to the ground around you, felled by D’Val’s deadly accurate shafts. Eight lie dead before his quiver is empty.
     The captain grabs you by the arm and, swinging you over his shoulder in one swift motion, carries you back towards the barricade. Others run forward to help you, but the bandit archers are now in range and your men are forced back by a hail of arrows. The red shafts of the enemy whistle past on all sides. As you reach the barricade, a wagon is pulled aside and you are carried in through the gap. Captain D’Val is close to exhaustion. He staggers, and his guards rush to catch him before he drops you to the ground.
     Turn to 341.

341

A circle of unshaven faces stare down at you. A soldier cradles your leg while another snaps the shaft that is buried deeply in your thigh. Before you can even cry out in pain, he has drawn the arrow from your leg with one swift tug.
     ‘You are very lucky,’ he says, as he bandages a handful of Laumspur leaves to your aching limb. ‘The wound is clean and the bleeding is but slight.’
     You lose 4 ENDURANCE points, but the soldier’s quick thinking and skill has saved your leg from infection. With care, the soldiers carry both you and Captain D’Val away into the stone watchtower.
     To continue, turn to 116.

116

‘I was hoping the King would send out a large search party,’ says Captain D’Val, wryly, now having fully recovered from his exhaustion. ‘I was beginning to tire of this town.’
     You rise from your straw bed and offer your thanks to the captain. His brave and timely action saved you from a certain death.
     ‘T’is nothing to compare with you, Lone Wolf,’ replies the captain. ‘Your bravery is legend. Your presence here is worth a hundred soldiers.’
     He asks you about your mission and you recount the events that have led you to this meeting. The long ride south, the loss of your company, your passage through the Maaken Mines and your encounters with the bandits.
     ‘Yes, the bandits… Barraka’s fighters,’ retorts D’Val, his gruff voice conveying his contempt for them and their leader. ‘It seems we have both suffered at his hand. A month ago, he and his Vassagonian renegades ambushed my troop on the Ruanon Pike. We were sorely outnumbered and the fight was bitter. But we broke free of their deadly grip and escaped here to Ruanon. We have been beleaguered ever since, unable to do much else except pray for help to arrive from Holmgard. We have weapons and courage enough to resist them, but we have barely enough food and water left to survive another week.’
     You ask D’Val what has become of the people of Ruanon.
     ‘Most are now slaves. Barraka has taken the mines and he uses the Ruanese as forced labor. Other than yourself, there is only one other who has escaped from the mines and survived the Warhounds and the bandit snipers. That man is Baron Oren Vanalund. Come, I shall take you to him.’
     D’Val leads you to the topmost chamber of the watchtower and pushes open an iron-shod door. The sight which meets your eyes fills your heart with sorrow and pity.
     To continue, turn to 318.

318

Oren Vanalund is the fifteenth baron of Ruanon, a noble warrior of royal lineage and fifth in succession to the throne of Sommerlund. This once proud and chivalrous warlord now lies upon the cold stone floor of the chamber, red-eyed and whimpering like a frightened dog.
     ‘He has lost everything,’ says D’Val quietly. ‘Barraka has destroyed his castle, his land, his town and his family. His sons are dead, and his only daughter Madelon has been taken captive by Barraka himself. I fear the ordeal has broken his mind.’


318. ‘He has lost everything…  his castle, his land, his town, and his family…’

     The Baron’s daughter shares the same name as her royal cousin – Madelon! You first met the Crown Princess when you fled to Holmgard to warn the King of the destruction of the Kai Monastery four years ago.
     The pathetic man raises his tear-stained face and with feeble voice mutters a curious rhyme, over and over again.

“When a fair royal maid on the altar dies,
The dead of Maakengorge shall rise.”

     If you possess a Scroll, turn to 279.
     If you do not possess a Scroll, turn to 57.

Lone Wolf possesses a Scroll.

279

As you unfurl the Scroll and begin to read its ominous contents, the Baron struggles to his feet. Word for word he echoes the prophetic verse:

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

     ‘You must save her, Lone Wolf. You must prevent the sacrifice.’ The Baron’s voice is choked with emotion.
     ‘Save who?’ questions Captain D’Val, as he tries to calm the distressed Baron.
     ‘My daughter, Madelon. Barraka has found the Dagger of Vashna. He plans to sacrifice my daughter upon the altar of Maaken to release the undead of Maakengorge.’
     The Baron explains that during the Age of the Black Moon, King Ulnar I of Sommerlund killed the mightiest of all the Darklords, Vashna, with the divine Sommerswerd – the Sword of the Sun. Vashna’s remains, and the bodies of all his soldiers, were hurled into the bottomless abyss of Maakengorge.
     ‘He plans to lead the dead to victory. First to conquer Sommerlund, and then all of the Lastlands,’ he says, despairingly.
     You stare at the Baron in stunned silence. If Barraka completes the sacrifice, all is lost. What mortal army can stand against a legion of the dead?
     Captain D’Val ushers you from the chamber and closes the door.
     ‘I feared he was insane, but your Scroll confirms my worst nightmare. He speaks the truth!’
     As the dreadful significance of the verse begins to sink in, your thoughts are broken by the shrill blast of a war horn. Captain D’Val strides over to an arrow slit and peers out across the plain. As he turns to speak, you notice that his face is ashen gray.
     ‘The bandits… they’re launching an attack!’
     If you possess Captain D’Val’s sword, turn to 327.
     If you do not possess it, turn to 289.

Lone Wolf does not possess Captain D’Val’s sword.

289

You follow Captain D’Val as he hurries down the broad watchtower steps and out to the barricade. A rolling sound, like distant thunder, fills the air. Cavalry are pouring onto the plain from all sides, grouping up into battalions in preparation for the advance. Columns of foot soldiers in bright scarlet armor march through their ranks, herding a frightened wall of people before them.
     ‘They’re Ruanese!’ cries D’Val, his hand shielding the light from his eyes. ‘That cur Barraka; he’s using them as a shield!’
     All around you, the captain’s soldiers have drawn their arrows and are awaiting his signal to fire, but it is an order he dare not give. Suddenly, a hidden catapult hurls a massive black rock through the air. It arcs and tumbles straight towards the barricade. You stare in horror as it bursts into flame and disintegrates, showering a rain of blazing oil on everyone beneath. The soldiers cannot evade the deluge and many are badly burnt before the flames are smothered. A battle-cry resounds from the enemy ranks. It is the signal to attack. The Ruanese are roughly pushed aside and trampled by the onrush of scarlet warriors who are now racing towards the barricade.


289. You stare in horror as a deluge of blazing oil rains down.

     The blazing oil has scattered D’Val’s troops and the barricade is poorly defended. You hear D’Val shout your name. His cloak and tunic are ablaze and he is screaming for your help.
     If you have reached the Kai rank of Journeyman / Warmarn (i.e. you possess 8 Kai Disciplines), turn to 255.
     If you wish to help the captain, turn to 5.
     If you decide to rally the defenders before the enemy reaches the barricade, turn to 86.

Lone Wolf has reached the Kai rank of Journeyman.

255

You must rally the defenders or all is lost. You order two soldiers to help the captain and then you leap up onto the side of an overturned wagon in order to get a clearer view of the enemy advance. They have already reached the ruined perimeter of Ruanon and they are now creeping forward under cover of the broken cottage walls. You shout orders to D’Val’s soldiers to defend the barricade, but the enemy is less than one hundred yards from the wall. You are afraid it might already be too late to repel their attack.
     To continue, turn to 186.

186

The Vassagonian bandits break cover and charge. Coolly, you give the order to fire. A cloud of arrows sweeps down upon the armor-clad men and the hardened tips penetrate their scarlet plate. The first wave of assailants tumbles and falls and the second wave falters. Another volley forces them to retreat to the ruins to reorganize themselves.
     Here and there, groups of bandit warriors have survived the hail of death and reached the barricade. Most are slain as they try to enter, but a small and determined section of their boldest fighters have broken through close to where you stand. Suddenly, a thick-bodied warrior leaps onto the wagon and attacks you.

Vassagonian Warrior:
COMBAT SKILL 18       ENDURANCE 25

     You can evade combat at any time by jumping from the wagon. Turn to 66.
     If you win the fight, turn to 243.

The combat:
Combat Ratio: 15 + 2 (Silver Helm) + 2 (Mindblast) + 2 (Kai Shield) – 18 = 3
Round 1 Roll: 1
Player Endurance: 24 – 4 = 20
Vassagonian Warrior Endurance: 25 – 5 = 20
Round 2 Roll: 0
Player Endurance: 20 – 0 = 20
Vassagonian Warrior Endurance: 20 – 16 = 4
Round 3 Roll: 0
Player Endurance: 20 – 0 = 20
Vassagonian Warrior Endurance: 4 – 16 = -12

Lone Wolf kills the Vassagonian Warrior in three rounds while taking 4 ENDURANCE points of damage from the combat.

243

D’Val runs past the wagon, leading a dozen of his best swordsmen in a bold countercharge which drives the enemy all the way back to the barricade. None escape alive. Those who survive D’Val’s swordsmen are soon cut down on the plain by his archers as they run headlong towards the ruins.
     The Sommlending shout of victory has barely died away before you are faced by a new and sinister threat.
     To continue, turn to 124.

124

A mantlet, a large shield on wheels, is being pushed slowly across the body-strewn battleground towards the barricade. Arrow shafts soon bristle from its thick wooden planks as D’Val’s soldiers fire their bows time and time again in an attempt to hit the shielded foe.


124. A mantlet is being pushed across the battleground towards the barricade.

     Suddenly, a robed figure darts from behind the mantlet and levels a black staff at the barricade. He is cut down by an arrow, but not before he lets loose from his staff a guttering ball of flame. It cartwheels across the plain and explodes with a tremendous roar, hurling the bodies of defenders and the shattered remnants of the barricade high into the air.
     Through the cloud of dust and falling debris, you can see a line of enemy cavalry charging across the plain. They wear tall plumed helmets of polished steel and breastplates of deepest crimson. In the wake of the fireball they pour through the breach in the barricade and attack the stunned defenders. They are a merciless foe who give and expect no quarter.
     Your attention is caught by the sound of pounding hooves fast approaching from your right. You turn and see an enemy horseman spurring his horse straight towards you, with his battle lance leveled at your chest.
     If you choose to stand and fight this charging horseman, turn to 333.
     If you decide to run back to the watchtower, turn to 107.

Here’s the recap: Lone Wolf gets shot in the left thigh by a bandit sniper during his escape from the Warhounds, but is rescued by Captain D’Val and is safely carried to Ruanon. While Lone Wolf’s wound causes him to lose 4 ENDURANCE, his Healing discipline allows him to fully heal from the injury during the noncombat sections where Baron Oren Vanalund begs Lone Wolf to save his daughter Madelon from Barraka, the big bad fascist of this adventure. Barraka’s bandits then launch an attack on Ruanon. Lone Wolf kills a fascist Vassagonian Warrior and takes 4 ENDURANCE points of damage. In the following noncombat sections, his Healing Kai Discipline allows him to regain 2 of these lost ENDURANCE points. Lone Wolf now sees a charging horseman headed towards him. Please make your votes on whether to fight or run 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
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
WEAPONS:
1. Broadsword
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Long Rope (Slot 1)
4. Long Rope (Slot 2)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
BELT POUCH: 23 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 22/24
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: 39
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’

[Beroli]

Stand and fight.

[SGamerz]

Watchtower.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for running to the watchtower.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; running back to the watchtower won over standing and fighting this charging horseman by a 1.5-1 vote.

107

The bandit horseman pursues you, the sharp tip of his lance speeding ever closer to your back. You are running as fast as you can and it is too late to dodge the Sommlending soldier who now stands in your way, his bowstring drawn back ready to fire.
     ‘Dive!’ he screams at you, and instinctively you obey his bold command. Almost simultaneously, he releases the straining bowstring. The bandit is barely feet away when the steel-tipped arrow penetrates his visor and erupts from the rear of his helmet with a spray of crimson blood. The charging horse crashes nose-first into the ground, throwing its dead rider out of the saddle.



     He tumbles to a halt close to your feet. You open your mouth to shout your thanks, but before you can say a word, the soldier turns about and hurries away to the barricade.
     If you wish to follow the soldier, turn to 59.
     If you choose to continue on your way towards the watchtower, turn to 310.

Lone Wolf gains 1 ENDURANCE point from his Healing Kai Discipline and the noncombat section. Please make your votes on whether to go to the soldier or the watchtower 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
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
WEAPONS:
1. Broadsword
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Long Rope (Slot 1)
4. Long Rope (Slot 2)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
BELT POUCH: 23 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 23/24
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: 39
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’

[Beroli]

Follow the soldier.

[SGamerz]

Continue to the watchtower.

[Thaluikhain]

Follow the soldier.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; following the soldier won over continuing to the watchtower by a 2-1 vote.

59

Captain D’Val and his guards are locked in mortal combat with the invading cavalry. They are outnumbered and hard-pressed by the merciless foe who use their spike-shod horses to kick and trample their opponents underfoot. You reach the barricade to see yet another wave of the enemy approaching. There are armored handlers with packs of Warhounds that are spread out in front of a line of spear-armed infantry.
     Fifty yards from the barricade, the armored handlers stop and kneel to let loose their dogs of war.
     Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
     If the number you have picked is 0-4, turn to 193.
     If it is 5-9, turn to 260.

Rolling the die yielded an 8.

260

The Warhounds spread out as they come streaming towards the barricade, their eyes aflame with evil intent. A group of five snarling dogs tear through the wall of sacks and casks and engulf the soldiers around you. Lashing out, you dispatch two of the loathsome dogs with one swipe, but in the heat of battle you fail to notice the Warhounds that have circled around and are now diving towards your back. They pitch you forward into the collapsed barricade and before you can free yourself, they have sunk their fangs into your legs (lose 2 ENDURANCE points).

Vassagonian Warhounds:
COMBAT SKILL 18       ENDURANCE 30

     If you are still alive after 3 rounds of combat, or if you win the fight in the first three rounds, turn to 311.

The combat:
Combat Ratio: 15 + 2 (Silver Helm) + 2 (Mindblast) + 2 (Kai Shield) – 18 = 3
Round 1 Roll: 2
Player Endurance: 22 – 3 = 19
Vassagonian Warhounds Endurance: 30 – 6 = 24
Round 2 Roll: 0
Player Endurance: 19 – 0 = 19
Vassagonian Warhounds Endurance: 24 – 16 = 8
Round 3 Roll: 4
Player Endurance: 19 – 2 = 17
Vassagonian Warhounds Endurance: 8 – 8 = 0

Lone Wolf manages to exactly kill the Vassagonian Warhounds in three rounds, and takes 5 ENDURANCE points of damage in the process of doing so.

311

Three Sommlending soldiers come to your aid. Their swords slice repeatedly into the evil Warhounds until both dogs stiffen and die. Thankful to be alive, you stagger to your feet and try to assess the situation as the battle rages all around.
     Sommlending soldiers still man the barricade, forming in groups that hold firm where the wall does not. Spears and arrows arc through the sky, piercing metal, wood and flesh. Combatants fall from their horses, horses scream and bolt, and the dead and the wounded lie everywhere.
     The Warhounds have been driven back upon the spears of their masters, who now advance behind a wall of shields. To your right, a bandit warrior is trying to jump his horse across the barricade, but the animal is wounded and near to death. It cannot complete the jump and the rider is hurled forward over the wall. He falls to the ground close behind you.
     If you choose to attack the bandit warrior, turn to 90.
     If you decide to rally the Sommlending soldiers to repel the advancing spearmen, turn to 3.

Here’s the recap: Lone Wolf manages to heal to full ENDURANCE before being forced to fight a pack of Vassagonian Warhounds. He manages to kill them while taking a total 7 ENDURANCE points of damage from their attack. After that, he gains 1 ENDURANCE point back from his Healing Kai Discipline and the noncombat section. Lone Wolf now sees a bandit warrior falling to the ground behind him from a failed jump over the barricade. Please make your votes on whether to fight fascism by himself or as part of a group of communists 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
6. Animal Kinship
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Tracking
WEAPONS:
1. Broadsword
2. Sommerswerd (In sections where it is specifically mentioned, +8 COMBAT SKILL and double damage against undead)
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur Potion (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Alether Concentrate (+4 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
3. Long Rope (Slot 1)
4. Long Rope (Slot 2)
5. Concentrated Laumspur Potion (+5 ENDURANCE)
6. Meal
7. Brass Key
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
• Crystal Star Pendant (Reroll one number per adventure, unused)
• Silver Helm (+2 COMBAT SKILL)
• Ticket
• Red Pass
• Padded Leather Waistcoat (+2 ENDURANCE)
• Firesphere
• Blue Stone Triangle
• Scroll
BELT POUCH: 23 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 18/24
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: 39
RESURRECTIONS USED: 1
NOTES:
• Visited the Ruins of Raumas
• Survived the perils of the Graveyard of the Ancients
• Visited Gorn Cove
• Bridge password is ‘sunset’
• Applied Baknar oil
• Visited a hut on ‘Raider’s Road’

[Thaluikhain]

I vote to attack the bandit while they are down.

[Beroli]

Attack the bandit warrior.

[SGamerz]

Rallying the men should be more important that focusing on individual enemies.