Votes registered; no weapons will be switched.
503
Hurriedly you descend the ladder to the gallery located below the tower roof and raise the lever to seal off the trapdoor above. You breathe a sigh of relief that you are still alive, and feel a glowing sense of pride and satisfaction that you have fulfilled your mission despite all the odds. You are preparing to climb over the gallery rail and leap down to the chamber floor below, when suddenly you sense that something has changed since you were last in the Grand Master’s chamber. You feel a draught of cold air coming from the direction of the south wall, and you can detect the faint odor of battle-smoke on this chill breeze.
You move along the gallery and look down to see that one of the south-facing windows is now open. Perched on the ledge is a black hawk. Your gaze is drawn to the hawk’s eye; it is glimmering like a pool of fathomless black water. The eye blinks, and a swirl of images begin to invade your mind. You see glimpses of the deadly battle raging in the training park below. The devastation is shocking to behold, and only a few of your Masters and Kai comrades remain alive. The images swirl once more, making you feel dizzy and light-headed, and you are forced to grip the rail tightly to prevent yourself from collapsing to the gallery floor. Once more the swirling shapes come back into focus, and now your mind is filled with the sights and sounds of the battle raging on the ground. Your pulse races and you gasp for breath when suddenly you realize what these images are; they are a view of the battle as seen through the eyes of your Grand Master. Brave Blade is surrounded now by a closing circle of Drakkarim and Giaks, several ranks deep. You see his sword blades flashing in slow motion, striking at the advancing enemy with devastating effect, killing several with each blow he cuts through the relentless press of their bodies. But you sense also that he is greatly outnumbered, and his strength is finally waning in the face of such impossible odds.
“Go to the vault, Silent Wolf.”
Brave Blade’s words are like a soft whisper in your ear.
“Escape from here. All is lost... save yourself... Reach Holmgard and tell King Ulnar. May Kai and Ishir preserve you.”
503. Grand Master Brave Blade is surrounded now by a closing circle of Drakkarim and Giaks.
The images fade and your head begins to clear as if you are awaking from a nightmare. The black hawk screeches loudly. It leaves its perch on the narrow window ledge and flies away towards the southeast, on a bearing running parallel to the crystal beacon’s orange beam of light. Then you hear the sound of a triumphant enemy cheer rising up from the training park below, and your heart sinks with a chilling realization that, at last, they have defeated Brave Blade and the courageous few who fought by his side to the bitter end.
A feeling of outrage wells up from deep within you. With cat-like grace, you vault the gallery’s rail and land easily on the tiled floor below. Then you rush to the open window and look down. The battle is finally over. The grounds of the monastery are littered with the bodies of the dead and the dying, and teaming with the cheering ranks of the now victorious enemy. Then suddenly their cheering fades, and an angry cry echoes around the monastery’s breached and burning walls. From the center of the training park battleground, a hooded figure unleashes from its outstretched palm a ball of scarlet fire that arcs upwards towards your window. There is a sudden flash, and a wave of scorched air flings you backwards to the floor.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table.
If the number you have chosen is 0-4, turn to
234.
If the number is 5-9, turn to
64.
Rolling the die gives us a 7, so we will go to
64.
64
You manage to throw your hands up in front of you just moments before the fiery missile explodes. This saves your face from the searing blast, but leaves the palms of your hands badly blistered (lose 1 ENDURANCE point).
The books and manuscripts on the shelves nearest to the window are immediately ignited by the heat. They burst into flame, and give off thick clouds of black smoke that will quickly fill this chamber. Cursing your enemies for the death and destruction they have wrought, you pull yourself to your feet and make a hurried escape by way of the chamber’s staircase.
Turn to
453.
453
Trembling with shock, you run headlong down the stairs and make your way back to the Grand Hall of the Kai on the ground floor level. Its formidable great door is being pounded by the enemy who are trying to batter their way into the tower. The great timbers are creaking and splintering under the determined blows. Mindful of the psychic message that Grand Master Brave Blade conveyed to you just moments before his death, you approach the small door located beneath the wide stone staircase. You are sure that this must be the way down to the vault. Once more you twist the door’s polished gold handle and push against it, but to no avail. The door is still firmly locked.
If you possess a Kai Gold Key, turn to
104.
If you do not possess this item, turn to
401.
Silent Wolf possesses a Kai Gold Key.
104
You take the small gold key from your pack and insert it into the keyhole located just below the door handle. A twist to the right and the lock clicks open. Quickly you push open the door and see a narrow stone staircase leading down. You enter, close and lock the door behind you, then hurry down the steps into the darkness below.
Turn to
381.
381
As your eyes grow accustomed to the darkness, you are able to see a faint golden light seeping from an archway at the bottom of this steep staircase. It guides you down safely to the bottom steps. From here you can see the source of the light, glowing at the end of a cold stone passageway. It is a small shimmering globe that is attached to the bare stone wall, and it illuminates a heavy door banded with strips of pure gold. You make your way closer and, with trembling fingers, you reach out and push open this grand portal.
Effortlessly, the door swings open on its well-oiled hinges. Revealed beyond is a chamber that, until now, only the Grand Master himself was ever permitted to enter. This is the Vault of the Sun, the deepest chamber in the monastery, Grand Master Brave Blade’s personal sanctuary.
The grey granite walls of the Vault of the Sun are richly embellished with gemstones, golden runes, Kai insignia, and elaborate carvings. Upon one of its walls hangs a collection of the finest art you have ever seen, a cluster of paintings depicting moments of glory in the Order’s proud history. You look upon these pictures with wonderment and awe. Scenes of Kai battle-victories hang side-by-side with depictions of events that have a great religious significance: the rare and legendary occasions when the noble god Kai has manifested Himself to the Order and bestowed upon it His divine sapience. Your skin tingles at the sight of these holy paintings, and you feel your strength and energy renewed. (You may restore up to 5 ENDURANCE points due to the healing power that these artworks transmit when looked upon by a member of the Order.) Lying on a grand table before the wall of paintings are some other items that catch your eye.
•
Laumspur (This will restore 4 ENDURANCE POINTS when swallowed after combat. There is enough for one dose.)
•
Alether (Potion of Strength. This will increase your COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of one fight only if swallowed before that fight. There is enough for one dose.)
•
Dagger
•
Double-bladed Axe
•
Broadsword
•
War Hammer
•
Short Sword
•
Spear
These weapons are beautifully made and perfect 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 into the east wall of the vault is a grey granite door, veined with gold. Instinct alone makes you reach out and pull a lever protruding from the wall nearby. Immediately, the door swings open to reveal a tunnel. It is long and straight and illuminated by a line of oil lamps fixed in brackets to the gray stone walls. Judging by its length, its depth, and its direction, you are confident that this passage passes beneath the monastery’s curtain wall and emerges somewhere in the forest beyond.
With a heavy heart, you turn and take one last look at the sacred vault of your fallen leader. With tears welling in your eyes, you gaze upon the wondrous face of the god Kai that is depicted in the largest of the paintings. The vision of your noble god fills you with a renewed determination and the will to survive. Before His likeness, you vow to avenge the deaths of your comrades and masters who have fallen this day. And in a sudden flash of realization you know that, from this day hence, things will never be the same. You are no longer the quiet Kai Initiate they called Silent Wolf; you are now the only surviving member of this proud and noble Order. You are the last of the Kai. You are now Lone Wolf.
Blinking away the tears, you turn and leave the vault. Your assessment of the passageway proves to be correct. After several hundred yards, the granite floor gradually ascends until you arrive at another stone door, but one that is rough-hewn, like the surface of a boulder.
You press a lever and the boulder-like door slides aside to reveal a tangle of pine trees and bushes. Dawn has now fully broken and the weak sunlight is streaming through the canopy of branches overhead. You leave the tunnel and the door glides back into position. You look around and make a careful mental note of this location, for the secret entrance is perfectly camouflaged and very hard to detect.
You know that you must make haste, for it is not safe to linger so close to the burning monastery. Kraan and Zlaanbeast are circling overhead, and you can sense that Giak patrols are searching nearby. You resolve to set out for Holmgard. King Ulnar, alerted by the beacon, will be mustering the army in readiness to halt the enemy’s invasion. But he is unaware that the whole elite of the Kai, save yourself, have been slaughtered. Without the Kai to lead the regiments of the Sommlending army, your country is now at the mercy of its ancient enemies – the Darklords of Helgedad.
Silently you bid a final farewell to your fallen kin and renew your vow that their deaths will be avenged. Then you leave the tunnel entrance and follow a narrow track away into the forest. After a few hundred yards, this track splits in two.
If you possess the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense, and wish to use it, turn to
198.
If you do not possess this Kai Discipline, or if you choose not to use it, you may follow the left fork of the forest track by turning to
121.
Or you can take the right fork, by turning to
419.
Our hero has the Kai Discipline of Sixth Sense. To recap, our hero healed a net of 8 ENDURANCE points, with a loss of 1 point from being slightly damaged from the ball of scarlet fire, a gain of 4 points from the other noncombat sections, and an additional gain of 5 points coming from the Vault of the Sun’s paintings. I will assume that he takes the Laumspur and Alether potion from the Vault of the Sun’s grand table. However, he can also choose six +1 COMBAT SKILL weapons to take. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT on whether to swap any of his current weapons for these six options and what his first action under his new name, Lone Wolf, will be 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. Meal
4. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
5. Laumspur (+4 ENDURANCE)
6. Alether (+2 COMBAT SKILL for one fight)
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: 11
RESURRECTIONS USED: 0