The Chasm of Doom
Page 2
List the six items that you choose on your Action Chart, under the heading given in brackets, and make a note of any effect it may have on your ENDURANCE points or COMBAT SKILL.
How to Carry Equipment
Now that you have your equipment, the following list shows you how it is carried. You don't need to make notes but you can refer back to this list in the course of your adventure.
Warhammer — carried in the hand.
Dagger — carried in the hand.
Potion of Laumspur — carried in the Backpack.
Sword — carried in the hand.
Spear — carried in the hand.
Special Rations — carried in the Backpack.
Mace — carried in hand.
Chainmail Waistcoat — worn on the body.
Shield — slung over the shoulder when not in combat, otherwise carried in the hand.
How Much Can You Carry?
Weapons
The maximum number of weapons that you may carry is two.
Backpack Items
These must be stored in your Backpack. Because space is limited, you may only keep a maximum of eight articles, including Meals, in your Backpack at any one time.
Special Items
Special Items are not carried in the Backpack. When you discover a Special Item, you will be told how to carry it.
Gold Crowns
These are always carried in the Belt Pouch. It will hold a maximum of fifty Crowns.
Food
Food is carried in your Backpack. Each Meal counts as one item.
Any item that may be of use and can be picked up on your adventure and entered on your Action Chart is given capital letters in the text. Unless you are told it is a Special Item, carry it in your Backpack.
How to Use Your Equipment
Weapons
Weapons aid you in combat. If you have the Kai Discipline of Weaponskill and the correct weapon, it adds 2 points to your COMBAT SKILL. If you enter a combat with no weapons, deduct 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL and fight with your bare hands. If you find a weapon during the adventure, you may pick it up and use it. (Remember you can only carry two weapons at once.) You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.
Backpack Items
During your travels you will discover various useful items which you may wish to keep. (Remember you can only carry a maximum of eight items in your Backpack at any time.) You may exchange or discard them at any point when you are not involved in combat.
Special Items
Each Special Item has a particular purpose or effect. You may be told this when the item is discovered, or it may be revealed to you as the adventure progresses.
Gold Crowns
The currency of Sommerlund is the Crown, which is a small gold coin. Whenever you kill an enemy and search the body, you may take any Gold Crowns that you find and put them in your Belt Pouch.
Food
You will need to eat regularly during your adventure. If you do not have any food when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3 ENDURANCE points. If you have chosen the Kai Discipline of Hunting as one of your skills, you will not need to tick off a Meal when instructed to eat (unless you are in an area of wilderness where the opportunity for hunting is limited).
Potions of Laumspur
These are healing potions that can restore 4 ENDURANCE points to your total when swallowed after combat. There is enough for two doses only. If you discover any other potions during the adventure, you will be informed of their effect. All potions are Backpack Items.
Rules for Combat
There will be occasions during your adventure when you have to fight an enemy. The enemy's COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points are given in the text. Lone Wolf's aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his ENDURANCE points to zero while losing as few ENDURANCE points as possible himself.
At the start of a combat, enter Lone Wolf's and the enemy's ENDURANCE points in the appropriate boxes on the Combat Record section of your Action Chart.
The sequence for combat is as follows:
Add any extra points gained through your Kai Disciplines to your current COMBAT SKILL total.
Subtract the COMBAT SKILL of your enemy from this total. The result is your Combat Ratio. Enter it on the Action Chart.
Example
Lone Wolf (COMBAT SKILL 15) is ambushed by a Winged Devil (COMBAT SKILL 20). He is not given the opportunity to evade combat, but must stand and fight as the creature swoops down on him. Lone Wolf has the Kai Discipline of Mindblast to which the Winged Devil is not immune, so he adds 2 points to his COMBAT SKILL, giving a total COMBAT SKILL of 17.
He subtracts the Winged Devil's COMBAT SKILL from his own, giving a Combat Ratio of −3. (17 − 20 = −3). −3 is noted on the Action Chart as the Combat Ratio.
When you have your Combat Ratio, pick a number from the Random Number Table.
Turn to the Combat Results Table. Along the top of the chart are shown the Combat Ratio numbers. Find the number that is the same as your Combat Ratio and cross-reference it with the random number that you have picked (the random numbers appear on the side of the chart). You now have the number of ENDURANCE points lost by both Lone Wolf and his enemy in this round of combat. (E represents points lost by the enemy; LW represents points lost by Lone Wolf.)
Example
The Combat Ratio between Lone Wolf and Winged Devil has been established as 3. If the number taken from the Random Number Table is a 6, then the result of the first round of combat is:
Lone Wolf loses 3 ENDURANCE points
Winged Devil loses 6 ENDURANCE points
On the Action Chart, mark the changes in ENDURANCE points to the participants in the combat.
Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, the next round of combat now starts.
Repeat the sequence from Stage 3.
This process of combat continues until the ENDURANCE points of either the enemy or Lone Wolf are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If Lone Wolf is dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, Lone Wolf proceeds but with his ENDURANCE points reduced.
A summary of Combat Rules appears in the back of this book.
Evasion of Combat
During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade combat. If you have already engaged in a round of combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored, and you make your escape. Only Lone Wolf may lose ENDURANCE points during that round, but then that is the risk of running away! You may only evade if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.
Levels of Kai Training
The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles that are bestowed upon Kai Lords at each stage of their training. As you successfully complete each adventure in the Lone Wolf series, you will gain an additional Kai Discipline and gradually progress towards mastery of the ten basic Kai Disciplines.
Novice
Intuite
Doan
Acolyte
Initiate — You begin the Lone Wolf adventures with this level of Kai training
Aspirant
Guardian
Warmarn or Journeyman
Savant
Master
Beyond the ten basic skills of the Kai Master await the secrets of the higher Kai Disciplines or ‘Magnakai’. By acquiring the wisdom of the Magnakai, a Kai Lord can progress towards the ultimate achievement and become a Kai Grand Master.
Kai Wisdom
Your mission will be fraught with danger, for you are about to venture into the bleak and hostile Wildlands of the south. Use the map to help you plot your course to Ruanon. Make notes as you progress through the story, for they will be of great help in future adventures.
Many things that you find will aid you during your adventure. Some Special Items will be of use in future Lone Wolf adventures and others ma
y be red herrings of no real use at all, so be selective in what you decide to keep.
There are several routes to Ruanon, but only one will enable you to reach the mining town and find Captain D'Val with the minimum of danger. A wise choice of Kai Disciplines and a great deal of courage should enable any player to complete the mission, no matter how weak his initial COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points score. Successful completion of previous Lone Wolf adventures is not essential for the success of this quest.
Good Luck!
1
For three days you lead your brave company of rangers across the lush plains of southern Sommerlund on the first stage of your urgent mission. The flat, treeless fields surround you with a seemingly endless expanse of wheat, so high that even though you are in the saddle it reaches well above your knees. Your horses seem to be swimming through a vast yellow sea of corn that is only interrupted by an occasional track, or group of isolated farmhouses.
The southerners welcome your sudden appearance, but you only make the briefest stops for food and rest, neither wishing to risk becoming a burden, nor alarm these good people with your mission.
By noon on the fourth day, you reach the Pass of Moytura. Here the plains give way to the broken foothills of the Durncrag Mountains. You soon reach a highway, the surface cracked and full of pot-holes, heading off towards the south. This is the notorious Ruanon Pike. South of the pass, the Ruanon Pike crosses a hundred miles of open territory known as ‘Raider's Road’. Bandit tribes from the Wildlands and Giak war-bands from the mountains of the west frequently ambush those who travel along the Pike, and the regular shipment of gold and gems from the mines at Ruanon have sometimes yielded rich pickings to these merciless robbers.
‘Point and flankers,’ you shout, and immediately three groups of rangers peel away from the column and spur their horses to a gallop. You watch with pride as the expert horsemen take up their scouting positions to the front and side of the company.
It is late afternoon when a ranger scout approaches the company from the west. He points towards a craggy outcrop where a thin spiral of wood smoke betrays a hut hidden beneath the overhanging rock.
If you wish to investigate the hut, turn to 160.
If you wish to ignore the hut and continue on your ride along the Ruanon Pike, turn to 273.
2
You search the bodies of the dead bandits and discover the following items:
Sword
Mace
Dagger
Warhammer
12 Gold Crowns
Backpack
Enough food for 2 Meals
You may take any of the above items but be sure to mark them on your Action Chart.
Picking up the map that lies on the bloodstained table, you notice that the room in which you now stand has been surrounded by a circle of black ink. The map reveals that a door in the far wall opens on to a passageway leading directly to the surface. Eager to leave the death-filled chamber, you pass through the door and run steadily along the passageway towards a distant shaft of sunlight. It takes several seconds for your eyes to adjust to the glare of the sun, but gradually you realize that you have finally escaped from the Maaken Mines and are in the western foothills less than two miles from Ruanon itself.
However, several bandit warriors can be seen patrolling an entrance to the mines, just below the rocky ledge on which you now crouch. If you are to reach Ruanon alive, you must avoid these patrols at all costs.
Waiting until the enemy patrols have disappeared from view, you make your way down a steep track leading into a copse of densely packed trees. A brief pause for breath is all that you allow yourself before setting off through the forest towards Ruanon.
Turn to 200.
3
You climb the barricade and shout the order: ‘Draw bows!’ And, as the enemy shield-wall closes fast in a deadly race to beat your archers, ‘Fire!’
Their shields of cured skin and wood are no defence against the hail of death that tears into their ranks. The whole line seems to pause and sway; great gaps appear and spearmen fall in heaps on the field. Few escape being injured.
You sense a turn in the tide of battle. The enemy are pulling away from the barricades by the score, carrying their wounded on their backs and on their upturned shields.
You jump from the wall and race back towards the watchtower where Captain D'Val is still embroiled in a bitter struggle against the bandit horsemen. You are about to leap over the body of a dead bandit warrior when he suddenly comes to life and lashes out at your legs with a mace. He was only feigning death and his surprise attack has knocked you to the ground. You lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
Turn to 62.
4
You recognize the fungi to be Calacena. The spores of these pink mushrooms are much sought after by illusionists and magicians, although it is said that they can cause terrible hallucinations and even madness. As you step gingerly along the corridor, you take great care not to tread or brush against the spore-laden fungi.
The tunnel continues uninterrupted for several miles before eventually reaching a long, deserted gallery.
Turn to 40.
5
You push him to the ground and smother him with your Kai cloak. The flames are soon extinguished and you draw away your cloak to see how badly he is injured. Your quick action has saved the captain's life for although his uniform is burnt and tattered, he has survived the fire unscathed.
‘It is my turn to thank you, Lone Wolf. This time it is you who has saved me from certain death.’
You help the captain to his feet and race to the barricade; the enemy have now reached the ruined perimeter of Ruanon, and they are creeping forward under cover of the broken cottage walls. Climbing up onto an overturned wagon, you order the Sommlending guards back to the barricades. But is it too late to repel the attack?
Turn to 186.
6
You soon reach the junction where the track meets the main highway and the burnt-out wagon lies abandoned at the side of the road.
If you wish to investigate the wagon, turn to 80.
If you decide to ignore the wagon and ride south along the highway, turn to 175.
7
Your enemy falls from the saddle, and his body is dragged away by his horse, a twisted foot ensnared in the stirrup. All around you the din of battle rages. You realize that these armour-clad horsemen are no ordinary bandit clan; they fight with a discipline and skill unheard of among the lowly outlaws of the Wildlands.
A horse passes close by, the dead body of a ranger still upright in the saddle. You snatch the reins and retrieve a war-horn from the dead man's neck. If you are to avoid total disaster, you know that you must quickly sound the retreat.
You wheel your steed towards the south and spur the blood-spattered animal to the gallop. The remnants of your company are close at your heels, the victory cries of your foe resounding in their ears.
Turn to 154.
8
Your men secure the boat to a rusty iron ring before following you up the stone steps towards the archway. As you reach a narrow ledge at the top of the granite staircase, you hear strange sounds drifting from the darkness ahead, like the hissing of a jet of steam. It lasts for a few seconds before the crack of a whip and the voice of a man cursing bring it to an abrupt halt.
If you wish to enter the tunnel, turn to 151.
If you decide not to enter the tunnel, you can return to the rowing boat and continue along the underground river by turning to 240.
9
A wave of panic knots your stomach as the bridge drops away beneath your feet. You dive forward and just manage to grasp hold of the slatted wooden floor. But the worst is yet to come. Your grip is slipping, and the bridge is about to crash into the far wall.
If you wish to tighten your grip and brace yourself for the shock of impact, turn to 112.
If you decide to leap clear of the swinging bridge into the unknown depth of the mine shaft, turn to 342.
10
The warrior staggers back and tumbles over the ramparts into the raging battle below. His feathered mount ascends and flies away, its hideous caw piercing the storm-black sky.
Lying upon the gore-stained floor is a beautiful Onyx Medallion, which was torn from the warrior's armour as he fell. If you wish to keep the Onyx Medallion, place it in your pocket and mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item.
Leave the watchtower by turning to 59.
11
You have covered less than twenty yards when you reach a solid rock-face. It is a dead end. The tunnel has only just been recently excavated, and you can go no further in this direction. You must now return to the junction.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 97.
If the number is 5–9, turn to 190.
12
Fifty miles south of Ruanon, the ruined city of Maaken teeters on the brink of Maakengorge. A cold sweat breaks out upon your brow as you contemplate the difficulty of your mission, for you are separated from your goal by fifty miles of enemy-held territory. But there is still a flicker of hope; with the enemy in confusion and retreat, your chances of success will be far higher now than before battle.