[Let's Play] Lone Wolf - Kai Series

[Thaluikhain]

Kicking the ladder seems sensible, and not something we get to do too often, so try that.

[SGamerz]

Employ Kai Discipline of Ladder-kicking

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; time to play some Humpty Dumpty with the fascists.

409

You raise your leg and aim a heavy kick at the base of the ladder with the sole of your boot. The gray wood splinters and the ladder twists violently to one side. Above, the Giaks shriek with shock as suddenly they lose their grip and come tumbling through the smoky air to land with a bone-breaking thud on the hard stone floor. Two have been killed instantly by the crushing fall, and the third is left semi-unconscious and bleeding. Before it can recover, you deliver a swift, killing blow to the base of its leathery gray neck.
     An arrow impacts and splinters to matchwood on the ground by your feet. Glancing upwards, through the smoke you catch a glimpse of a yellow-clad Giak archer framed in the open trapdoor high above. It curses you and reaches to its quiver for a second arrow. But before it can take aim again, you make your escape into the gallery of the barbican.
     Turn to 358.

358

The gallery floor shudders and broken plaster cascades from its ceiling as you run through this battered, dust-choked passageway towards the second gatehouse tower. Quickly you push open the tower door and witness a scene that makes you cry out with shock and anger. A gaping hole has been torn from the tower wall. The blast of the explosion, which made the hole, has also killed the three Kai sentinels who were posted here and allowed some of the enemy to gain entry unopposed.
     Two Giaks are crouching over the corpses of your dead comrades, gleefully mutilating their bodies with long serrated knives. Fired by sudden rage and revulsion, you unsheathe your weapon and attack these ghoulish creatures before they can turn their cruel blades on you.

Giak Assault Troopers:
COMBAT SKILL 14       ENDURANCE 15

     Due to the speed and ferocity of your attack, you may increase your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of this fight.
     If you win the combat, turn to 258.



The combat:
Combat Ratio: 15 + 2 (Mindblast) + 2 (Kai Shield) + 2 (speed and ferocity of attack) – 14 = 7
Round 1 Roll: 0
Player Endurance: 15 – 0 = 15
Giak Assault Troopers Automatically Killed

Silent Wolf gets lucky by getting a 0 roll on the first round and slaughters the two fascist desecrators of the dead in one blow.

258

Through the hole in the tower wall, you observe another wave of Kraan and Zlaanbeast approaching from the west. You catch only fleeting glimpses of this third wave through the billowing clouds of smoke which are much thicker than before. All of the small battlement fires have now connected, and the monastery’s entire north-west quarter is fiercely ablaze. Your stomach churns at the sight of this terrible destruction, but your determination to complete the task that Star Fire has set you does not falter. With a growing sense of dread, you descend the tower’s staircase and pass along a passage which connects the tower to the Kai stables.
     The banded oak door to the stables is locked. The surface is giving off wisps of smoke and the iron drawbolt is hot to the touch as you pull it back. Quickly, you raise the hood of your cloak and wrap it closely around you, then you take a deep breath and pull open the door. Fire is eating through the middle of the stable roof, and burning tiles and timbers are falling from above. This building is partitioned into several stalls for the horses, but fortunately they seem to have escaped the blaze. You see that the main doors which lead to the training park are wide open.
     Suddenly, you hear the neighing of two frightened horses that are still trapped in their stalls at the far end of the stables. Bravely you make your way through the flaming debris and release the first horse from its stall. As you are approaching the stall occupied by the second horse, your heart sinks when you see that the portal which leads to the Tower of the Sun is blocked by a tangle of blazing timbers and shattered roof tiles. Entry by this way is now impossible.
     Through the gaping hole in the roof, you can see the top of the tower looming above the smoke and flames. A desperate fight is taking place up there, around the base of its crystal spire. One last remaining Kai sentinel is bravely defending the beacon from attack by a Giak assault squad that has been landed from the air by Kraan. Fearful that this single brave Kai lord cannot hold the enemy at bay for very much longer, you resolve to find another route into the tower. With its main door now closed and sealed, there is but one other way to gain entry to the tower from inside the monastery grounds; via the Kai Chapel in the northeast quarter. However, in order to reach the chapel, you will have to cross the burning battlefield that once was the monastery’s training park and grounds.
     You pull open the stall and leap onto the frightened horse’s back as immediately it bolts for the open doors. With grim determination, you hang on to the horse by its mane and attempt to steer it safely through the combat and the carnage that await you outside. The enemy is far greater in number than before, and only a handful of Kai are now fighting them out in the open. The unexpected appearance of a single rider confuses the Giaks that you encounter as you race across the body-strewn ground towards the distant chapel. Those who attempt to block you are trampled swiftly under your horse’s hooves before they are able to strike. The speed and audacity of your action carries you safely across the training park and to within a few dozen yards of the chapel door, to where a group of determined Kai are defending the entrance. You are getting ready to dismount and run the final few yards to the doorway, when an enemy soldier, clad fully in black steel armor, takes notice of your actions and raises his crossbow. He is a Drakkar, one of a brutal species of humanoid warriors in the service of Darklord Zagarna’s army who have arrived with the third wave. With a cool and ruthless efficiency, this battle-hardened soldier tracks your movements, takes careful aim, then slowly squeezes the trigger of his heavy crossbow.
     If you possess the Kai Discipline of Mindblast, and wish to use it, turn to 156.
     If you possess the Kai Discipline of Mind over Matter, and wish to use it, turn to 344.
     If you have neither of these Kai Disciplines, or choose not to use either of them, turn to 464.

Silent Wolf has the Kai Discipline of Mindblast, but not Mind over Matter. After passing through two non-combat sections and killing 5 more Giak fascists (3 from using the Kai Discipline of Ladder-kicking, and 2 in a flawless combat while high on a murderous rage), our hero now has his first opportunity to actively use one of his Kai Disciplines. Please make your votes on whether to use it or not before 9:00 AM PST 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. Star Fire’s Sword
2. Axe
BACKPACK:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
BELT POUCH: 13 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 16/22
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: 8
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0

[Beroli]

Shoot first. Bring psychic powers to a crossbow fight.

Just to make absolutely sure there's no unclarity, I mean use Mindblast.

[Thaluikhain]

Use mental powers against whatever a Drakkar is.

[SGamerz]

Mindblast

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; using Mindblast.

156

     Your psychic senses have been heightened and sharpened by the myriad dangers surrounding you. Instinctively, your eyes are drawn to the distant Drakkar who is about to fire his crossbow; you sense he is the greatest threat to your life at this moment in time. Hurriedly, you focus on his black helm and direct a pulse of psychic energy towards it. The pulse you release is weak and unsteady, yet it is sufficient to spoil his aim just enough to spare your life. He fires, and the steel bolt comes whistling towards you… to pass by your head by barely a hand’s breadth.
     Turn to 291.

291

You steer your horse towards the door of the Kai chapel, to where a dozen or more Giaks are trying to force their way through its partially shattered door. A pair of young Kai initiates are defending the entrance, stabbing and slicing at the attackers with their swords as they try to climb through the door’s ragged, V-shaped hole. Your brave horse carries you directly into this tight-knit group of attackers, scattering their rear ranks and crushing those in the center with his steel-shod hooves. He rears up and uses his forelegs like twin hammers, raining a rapid series of blows upon their heads that batters them senseless. You unsheathe your weapon and slip from his back. As your feet touch the black, blood-soaked ground, you are set upon by a handful of snarling, vengeful Giaks. You slay two of their number, and break the jaw of a third with a swift back-handed slash.
     “Get inside, Silent Wolf!” comes a cry from the chapel. It is the voice of Rain Dove, a friend and fellow Initiate. Heeding her cry, you dive headlong through the narrow gap in the chapel door and somersault to a halt on the stone floor beyond. Rain Dove and her brave companion, Steel Sky, block the gap as soon as you are safely through, using one of the chapel’s heavy wooden pews. The Giaks pound at the hastily-barricaded door, but the portal remains secure. At least for now.
     Inside the chapel there are less than a dozen Kai who have sought sanctuary here from the battle. All of them are bloodied and torn from the fight. Two young Kai acolytes, both badly wounded themselves, are trying to comfort a Kai Journeyman whose left hand has been severed at the wrist. They are using their healing skills in unison in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It touches you deeply to see that these young Kai are selflessly forsaking their own needs in order to help their wounded elder.
     “You fought well, Silent Wolf,” says Steel Sky. “We saw you ride out from the stables. I didn’t think you’d make it across the training park alive.”
     “I was never in any doubt,” retorts Rain Dove. “I knew you’d survive.”
     Hurriedly, you tell your friends of the urgent task you must fulfil for Kai Master Star Fire. They, too, know of the portal which leads from the sacristy of this chapel to the lower hall of the Tower of the Sun. Rain Dove urges you to investigate it at once.
     The two of you hurry towards the altar positioned at the north end of this prayer hall. The gold surface of the altar is embellished with the sun symbols of the god Kai, and the moon symbols of Goddess Ishir. You offer up a silent prayer to Them, to preserve you and your fellow Kai this day, as you pass around the altar and enter the small sacristy chamber beyond. Here is where the holy robes and the blessed artifacts of the Kai Order are kept.



     Positioned beside the west wall of the sacristy is a large stone tomb, the last resting place of Iron Pearl, a former Kai Grand Master. Held by brackets on the top of his tomb is a replica of the Grand Master’s famous Iron Pearl Broadsword (You may unhook this Weapon from its brackets and use it if you wish. Kai lore expressly states that it may only ever be used if the monastery itself should come under attack. If you already possess two Weapons, you must now discard one in its favor.)
     Rain Dove pulls aside a large heavy gold velvet curtain which hangs from a stout wooden rail on the wall beside the tomb. Behind this curtain is a stone door which leads to the lower hall of the Tower of the Sun. There is no handle to this heavy door, only three cylindrical tumblers which are inscribed with numerals.
     In order to open the portal, you must align the three tumblers so that the correct 3-digit code appears in sequence on their facings.
     The first number is equal to the number of Giaks you saw mutilating the corpses of slain Kai guards in the second gatehouse tower.
     The second number is equal to the number of horses you discovered trapped in the burning stables.
     The third numeral is equal to the number of Giaks who offered to surrender to you during the battle in the training park.
     If you are able to answer these three questions, write down your answers in the correct order and then turn to the numbered section they indicate.
     If you are unable to answer the questions, or if your answer proves to be incorrect, turn instead to 361.

To recap, Silent Wolf heals 2 ENDURANCE points from the noncombat sections and kills another 2 Giak fascists on his ride to the Kai chapel. He is now at the chapel’s sacristy and has the option of replacing one of his Weapons with the Iron Pearl Broadsword, and needs to figure out the code to open the portal to the Tower of the Sun. Please make your votes on whether to switch any of his weapons for the Iron Pearl Broadsword and what the code is before 9:00 AM PST 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. Star Fire’s Sword
2. Axe
BACKPACK:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
BELT POUCH: 13 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 18/22
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: 10
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0

[Beroli]

The literal answer is 220: 0 Giaks offered to surrender to Silent Wolf at the battle in the training park, because he wasn't there. If that isn't the right answer I'm not seeing any legitimate way we could know it.

The reprint wastes no time getting to "doors open with nonsensical quiz codes," I see.

I also vote to switch Star Fire's Sword for the Iron Pearl Broadsword.

[SGamerz]

220.

Are there any rules that differentiate 2-handed weapons? If the broadsword can't be used with shield, don't take it. If it can, then switch it for Star Fire's sword.

[JourneymanN00b]

For the purposes of this adventure, Silent Wolf is strong enough to wield the Iron Pearl Broadsword with one hand and can thus use it with the Kai Shield. I have registered your votes to switch Star Fire’s Sword with the Iron Pearl Broadsword and input 220 as the door code.

220

You hear a dull, stony click when you rotate the third tumbler into position. Then, silently, the heavy portal swings open to reveal a torchlit passageway. Rain Dove bids you good luck. You pause to shake her hand and return her sentiment before setting off along the passageway.
     This narrow stone-walled corridor ends at a stout wooden door. It is banded with strips of polished brass and studded with silver-headed nails that shimmer in the flickering torchlight. You twist its heavy handle and breathe a sigh of relief when you discover it is unlocked.
     Beyond this door is the Grand Hall of the Kai. Here is where the most important formal occasions take place, the hall where the higher ranks of the Kai dine and entertain royal or noble foreign visitors. It is the most lavishly decorated of all the halls of the monastery. The vast chamber is eerily empty and quiet, save for the faint noises of battle coming from beyond its formidable main door, and the soft crackling of a large log fire which is burning in the hall’s magnificent marble fireplace. You explore the hall and satisfy yourself that there are no high-ranking Kai Lords present here. Those that are still alive are outside, doing battle with the Giak invaders. All of the large exterior doors to this hall have been locked and then nailed shut from the inside. There is a smaller door located under the wide stone staircase, but when you twist its polished gold handle, you discover it is locked. The only way you can leave the Grand Hall is by the passageway that will take you back to the Kai Chapel, or by ascending a stone staircase which occupies its northeast corner. This gleaming white marble staircase gives access to the floor above.
     If you wish to search the Grand Hall for items that may be of use to you, turn to 66.
     If you choose not to conduct a search, you can continue your mission by ascending the marble staircase. Turn to 518.



What my latest shoddy MS Paint picture is asking is indeed the question. With Silent Wolf gaining 1 ENDURANCE from the noncombat section, please make your votes on how to resolve this Hamlet-like contemplation 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. Iron Pearl Broadsword
2. Axe
BACKPACK:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
BELT POUCH: 13 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 19/22
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: 10
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0

[Beroli]

Head straight up.

[SGamerz]

Search the Grand Hall.

[Thaluikhain]

If time is not a factor, and we get more healing for wasting it, dawdle in the grand hall.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; searching the Grand Hall for items won by a 2-1 vote, since we will be turning to section 518 eventually in this case.

66

Above the grand marble fireplace hangs a large silk tapestry, woven with silver and gold thread and embellished with precious gemstones. It depicts a famous event in the history of the Sommerlund – King Ulnar I’s victory over Darklord Vashna upon the very brink of the Maakengorge chasm. Hanging on the walls on either side of the great tapestry are two pairs of finely-crafted weapons. These once belonged to famous Kai Masters of old.
• Dagger
• Sword
• Mace
• Quarterstaff
     These weapons are beautifully made and perfectly weighted. You may choose to take and use a maximum of two. Each weapon will add +1 point to your COMBAT SKILL when used in combat. Make a note of this special bonus on your Action Chart, and remember to erase any Weapons you may already be carrying if you decide to swap them now.
     Set against the hall’s north wall is a large, ornately carved chest of drawers fashioned from mahogany and gold. This was a gift to the Kai Order from Queen Evaine of Talestria following her visit here three years ago. You search through the drawers and discover the following items:
• Laumspur (This will restore 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat. There is enough for one dose; Backpack Item)
• Kai Battle Crystal (This is an explosive grenade; Backpack Item)
• Kai Sleep Crystal (This is also a grenade, but one which contains a powerful sleep gas; Backpack Item)
• Kai Gold Key (Special Item)
     If you choose to keep any, or all, of these items remember to make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.
     Once you have completed your search of the Grand Hall, you may continue your mission by ascending the grand marble staircase to the floor above. Turn to 518.



Silent Wolf gains 1 ENDURANCE from the noncombat section. I assume that the Laumspur, Kai Battle Crystal, Kai Sleep Crystal, and Kai Gold Key are taken. He has a choice of four +1 COMBAT SKILL weapons to take, however. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT on which of these weapons to select 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. Iron Pearl Broadsword
2. Axe
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Kai Sleep Crystal
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
BELT POUCH: 13 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: 10
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0

[Beroli]

I vote to switch the Iron Pearl Broadsword for the +1 sword. We have an obvious and already-illustrated use for a weapon that can be thrown, so we should keep the axe.

[SGamerz]

Take +1 Sword, drop broadsword.

[Thaluikhain]

I agree with that, especially as that weapon was stated as only being allowed to be used in this place, which we will presumably leave at some point.

[SGamerz]

@JourneymanN00b: I heard that the new editions also come with short "companion" adventures each featuring a supporting character as the PC. Will you be running those between the main series too?

[JourneymanN00b]

SGamerz, I believe you are talking about the Collector’s Editions. The Definitive Editions do not have the bonus companion adventures that the Collector's Editions have but features encyclopedic entries about different characters, places and artefacts that the player came across during the main adventure. According to Wikipedia, adjustments were made to the main story of each book, with changes to some enemy stats, new powers granted by certain items and corrections to the text (including changing the gender of some Kai in the first book to make the series more female friendly) and some of the links of the previous editions.

I can certainly provide details about any encyclopedic entries that anyone is interested in when we finish each book.


Anyway, I have registered your votes to drop the Iron Pearl Broadsword for the +1 COMBAT SKILL Sword.

518

You ascend to the first floor of the Tower of the Sun. This level is divided into four smaller halls, known as the Lore Halls. They are used by your Masters for the study and teaching of the Lore-circles of the Magnakai – the advanced Kai Disciplines, and combinations of advanced disciplines, that they employ to powerful effect. This is the first time you have ever set foot in these hallowed halls, and you cannot help but marvel at the thousands of rare tomes and manuscripts that are stacked in neat rows upon the shelves that line the walls from floor to ceiling.
     In the northwest corner of the Lore Hall of Solaris, you find another stone staircase leading to the floor above. Hurriedly you ascend its granite steps and emerge into the Kai Masters’ Hall. This grand chamber has several large pillars of fluted granite which support the floor of the chamber above, and there is a large stone throne set upon a raised dais which abuts the east wall. This is the place where the Masters hold their meetings, and where Grand Master Brave Blade consults with them. The throne is where the Grand Master sits during these addresses. The walls of the Kai Masters’ Hall are decorated with gold-framed paintings depicting proud moments in the history of Sommerlund and the Order of the Kai.
     Behind a drawn curtain in the northeast corner, you discover another stone staircase which ascends to the top floor turret above. Few of the lower ranks have ever trod these steps before, for they lead to the personal chambers of the Grand Master himself. Mindful of your mission, you climb the steps and emerge into an ornately wood-paneled room which is lined with bookshelves. Above these shelves is a gallery which encircles the chamber. Up there, on the gallery level, are kept some of the rarest and most precious academic works of the Order. The ladder, which normally affords access to the gallery, lies broken in pieces on the floor.
     Set into the walls at regular intervals are several narrow windows which are glazed with panes of pure Caron crystal. You approach one of these in the south wall and look through it, but the view you are expecting to see of the training park below is obscured by a fog of thick smoke coming from the blazing battlements, and you are unable to see how the desperate battle is progressing below. You turn away from the window and look up at the gallery once more. A banistered handrail extends all the way around it, and as you follow the line of this rail, you notice a platform set back into the northeast corner. Here another ladder ascends to a trapdoor aperture in the ceiling. Your pulse quickens when you realize that this is the way to the top of the tower, to where the crystal beacon is located.
     In order for you to reach this ladder, you must first find a way to climb up to the gallery.
     If you possess a Rope, turn to 5.
     If you do not possess a Rope, turn instead to 302.

Silent Wolf does not possess a Rope.

302

In the center of the chamber stands a large globe depicting the continents and seas of Magnamund. There is a button on top of this globe and, acting purely on instinct, you reach out and depress it. The soft hissing sound of escaping air draws your attention away to the east wall. Here, a large flat map panel is rising up from a narrow slit in the tiled stone floor.



     At once you realize that the rising panel offers a way of reaching the gallery above. You run across the chamber and leap up to grasp the panel’s top edge as it ascends. Your hope is that you will be lifted high enough to reach the banisters of the handrail, so that you can then climb over the rail and reach the ladder to the roof.
     Your plan is sound, except for one small and unfortunate detail. The top of the panel is as sharp as a sword, and when you grab hold of it, the keen edge bites deeply into the palms of your hands (lose 3 ENDURANCE points). Despite the agony you are suffering, you hang on just long enough to reach the gallery floor. Then, with difficulty, you transfer your grip from the rail to the banisters. Both of your hands are now cut and bleeding, making it difficult for you to maintain a firm grip. Biting back the pain, you pull yourself over the rail and fall to your knees on the gallery floor. Cursing your misfortune, you bind your injured hands tightly with strips of cloth torn from the edge of your cloak. When the pain finally subsides, and you are able to flex all of your fingers, you get to your feet and approach the roof ladder.
     Turn to 186.

186

At the bottom of the ladder lies the corpse of a Kai Mistress. She has suffered many deep wounds to her head, neck, and shoulders, and is barely recognizable. Yet despite her terrible injuries you are able to identify her from the unique design of her Kai cloak clasp. Here lies the body of Mistress True Path, one of the Kai Order’s finest scouts.
     You take hold of her lifeless hand and it is still warm; she has been dead for less than an hour. You find her bloodied handprint on the handle of a lever at the base of the ladder, and slowly you are able to piece together what must have happened during the final few minutes of this courageous woman’s life.
     Mistress True Path was sent by Grand Master Brave Blade to fulfil the same task that you are now undertaking – to activate the crystal beacon. From the nature of his wounds, you judge that she must have been attacked by several enemies the instant she tried to climb out onto the roof of the tower. Her left ankle is also badly broken, indicating that she fell from the ladder and landed here. During the final few minutes of her life she must have been in terrible pain, yet still she was able to pull the lever and seal off the trapdoor, denying her killers entry to this chamber, And further, she was able to destroy the gallery’s ladder so that if the enemy were to breach the trapdoor, they would be further delayed upon reaching this point.
     Your throat tightens when you realize that the enemies who killed Mistress True Path are very likely to be waiting on the roof for the next Kai attempting to reach the beacon. All of your survival instincts are screaming at you not to go up onto the roof, but you have a duty to fulfil, and the longer you delay, the more likely the enemy are of finding a way to destroy the beacon before it can be triggered. Fearful of the fate awaiting you above, you try to think of some way you can increase your chances of surviving this final, and most dangerous, part of your perilous mission.
     If you possess a Kai Battle Crystal, and wish to use it, turn to 416.
     If you possess a Kai Sleep Crystal, and wish to use it, turn to 312.
     If you possess neither of these items, or choose not to use them, turn instead to 471.

Silent Wolf has both a Kai Battle Crystal and a Kai Sleep Crystal.

To recap: Silent Wolf loses 3 ENDURANCE points from his efforts to reach the gallery of the Tower of the Sun’s top floor. However, he manages to heal 2 ENDURANCE points from the non-combat sections before and after the section in question. He now is faced with the choice to use either his Kai Battle Crystal or Kai Sleep Crystal to help survive the tower roof. Please make your votes on which crystal, if any, to use 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. Axe
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3. Kai Sleep Crystal
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
BELT POUCH: 13 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 19/22
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: 10
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0

[Beroli]

Use the Sleep Crystal.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, sleep crystal seems best.

[SGamerz]

I'd prefer to use the Battle Crystal and save the Sleep Crystal for a possible encounter in enclosed space, but I don't think this is a major issue.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; using the Kai Sleep Crystal won over using the Kai Battle Crystal by a 2-1 vote.

312

You retrieve the Kai Sleep Crystal from your backpack. You have been trained in the use of this device and you can tell, by the milky gray hue of the liquid held inside its apple-sized shell, that this one has been filled and is ready for use. You twist the upper half of the device six full rotations. Every twist will delay its detonation by one second. Then you lift the trapdoor lever, tap the crystal hard on the wall to activate it, and hurl it through the aperture as the trapdoor slides open above your head. Swiftly you pull the lever down again, closing the trapdoor to prevent the crystal from falling back on you. Moments later, you hear a sharp crack from the roof above, followed closely by the sound of Giaks choking. When you can no longer hear the sounds of their coughing and spluttering, you unsheathe your weapon and push the lever down once more. Then, slowly you climb the ladder, hoping that the sleeping gas released from the crystal will have by now done its job.
     You take a deep breath before emerging through the open trapdoor and climbing onto the roof. Your precaution is not necessary – the sleeping gas has already been dissipated by the icy wind that whistles through the crenellations of the monastery’s tallest tower. Two Giak assault troopers lie on the tiled floor, snoring loudly. A third enemy, a Drakkar in black battle armor, is slumped against the parapet. His helmet is tilted forwards, with its skeletal mouthpiece resting on the top of the sleeping warrior’s breastplate.
     You step over the snoring Giaks and approach the base of the crystal spire. Its rune-carved trunk, forged from hardened steel, bears many fresh marks and indentations. Fortunately, this is just surface damage caused by the enemy’s many fruitless attempts to render the beacon ineffective. Unbeknown to them, a small panel near the base can be slid aside to reveal a metal switch which will fire the beacon. You are stooping to reach for the panel when suddenly a dark shape looms above you. A Giak Captain, taller and uglier than any other Giak you have seen so far, comes leaping from the saddle of his Kraan to land heavily on the tower roof. He stumbles in his battle armor, but quickly regains his footing. He bellows a battle-cry and then comes rushing at you, his scimitar held high. He is determined to cleave your head in two.

Giak Captain
(with psychic protection):
COMBAT SKILL 16       ENDURANCE 15

     This Giak Captain enjoys the protection of a Nadziranim battle-spell, and he is immune to psychic attack. If you possess the Kai Discipline of Mindblast, you are unable to use it against this enemy.
     If you win this combat, turn to 132.

The combat:
Combat Ratio: 15 + 1 (Sword) + 2 (Kai Shield) – 16 = 2
Round 1 Roll: 2
Player Endurance: 19 – 4 = 15
Giak Captain Endurance: 15 – 5 = 10
Round 2 Roll: 3
Player Endurance: 15 – 3 = 12
Giak Captain Endurance: 10 – 6 = 4
Round 3 Roll: 3
Player Endurance: 12 – 3 = 9
Giak Captain Endurance: 4 – 6 = -2

Due to mediocre rolls, Silent Wolf takes three rounds to kill the Giak Captain. Before expiring, the fascist manages to deal 10 ENDURANCE points of damage to our hero. Ouch!

132

The Giak captain shrieks a gurgling death-cry when you strike your killing blow. As its heavy body slumps against the parapet of the tower and lies still, you sheathe your bloodied weapon and turn your attention back to the base of the crystal spire. Quickly you reach down, slide open its secret panel, and press the metal control switch. With a deafening crack, the crystal beacon explodes into life. Its multifaceted surface emits a beam of focused orange light that penetrates the gloomy skies to the southeast and reaches, in the blink of an eye, all the way to the distant city of Holmgard.



     A collective roar of anger arises from out of the noise of the battle raging below. The enemy have failed to prevent this alarm beacon from being activated, and they know their vengeful master, Darklord Zagarna, will exact a terrible price for their failure. Their cries elate you. But the completion of your task brings with it renewed danger. The encircling Kraan are drawing together now in preparation to attack you and exact their revenge. You must leave the roof of the tower quickly if you are to avoid their imminent assault.
     If you wish to leave at once by the trapdoor in the roof, turn to 503.
     If you decide to pause for a few moments to search the body of the dead Giak captain, turn to 309.

Silent Wolf was able to heal 1 ENDURANCE point back from the non-combat section after activating the beacon. Please make your votes on whether to loot the body or leave the roof 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. Axe
BACKPACK:
1. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
2. Kai Battle Crystal
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
SPECIAL ITEMS:
• Kai Shield (+2 COMBAT SKILL when used in combat)
• Kai Gold Key
BELT POUCH: 13 Gold Crowns
COMBAT SKILL: 15
ENDURANCE POINTS: 10/22
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: 11
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0

[Beroli]

Leave immediately.

[Thaluikhain]

Delay to search, restore endurance, and reference the "The beacons are lit!" scene from the movie adaptation of "Return of the King" (one of my favourite scenes)