The Masters of Darkness

by Joe Dever

  The Masters of Darkness

  You are Lone Wolf — the last Kai Master of Sommerlund. Upon your triumphant return from the twilight world of the Daziarn, you discover your mortal enemies — the Darklords of Helgedad — are poised to conquer all of Magnamund.

  In The Masters of Darkness, your mission is to journey to the infernal city of Helgedad, to the very heart of the Darklords' evil empire. There you must confront Darklord Gnaag, Archlord of the Black City, in a battle that will determine the future of your entire world.

  Joe Dever, the creator of the bestselling Lone Wolf adventure books and novels, has achieved world-wide recognition in three creative fields — as an award-winning author of international renown, as an acclaimed musician and composer, and as a games designer specialising in role-playing games.

  On graduating from college in 1974, Joe Dever became a professional musician, and for several years, he worked in the music industry in Europe and the United States.

  While working in Los Angeles in 1977 he discovered a then little-known game called ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Although the game was in its infancy, Joe at once realised its huge potential and began designing his own role-playing games along similar conceptual lines. These first games were to form the basis of a fantasy world called Magnamund, which later became the setting for the Lone Wolf books.

  Five years later, in 1982 at the Origins Game Fair, Joe won the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons World Championships in Baltimore, an event held before 16,000 people. Inspired and encouraged by his success at Origins, Joe decided to quit the music business and devote his time to writing and games design.

  In 1983, after a brief spell at Games Workshop in London, he wrote Flight from the Dark — the first Lone Wolf interactive gamebook. His manuscript immediately attracted a frenzy of interest from three major London publishing companies, all of whom bid for world rights. Joe accepted an offer of publication from Hutchinson's (later to become Century Hutchinson Ltd; now Random House UK) and Flight from the Dark was first published in 1984.

  This first book sold more than 100,000 copies within its first month of publication, and overseas rights were snapped up by twelve countries (including the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Sweden). The success of Joe's first book laid the foundations for the future of the Lone Wolf series, which has sold millions of copies around the world.

  The Lone Wolf series ended after 28 books and 14 years. Joe has continued to work in the games industry as script writer and games design consultant.

  Brian Williams was first noticed by Joe Dever for his work in White Dwarf magazine (circa issue 50) and the Real Life Gamebooks series by Jon Sutherland and Simon Farrell. Brian Williams was Joe's first choice of illustrators to replace Gary Chalk. Jon, being an old friend of Joe's, introduced the two. Brian was excited to work with Joe on the Lone Wolf series. He illustrated The Cauldron of Fear and almost every book about Magnamund since that time.

  * * *

  Internet Edition published by Project Aon. This edition is intended to reflect the complete text of the original version. Where we have made minor corrections, they will be noted in the Errata.

  Publication Date: 28 October 2012

  Text copyright © 1988 Joe Dever.

  Illustrations copyright © 1988 Brian Williams.

  Distribution of this Internet Edition is restricted under the terms of the Project Aon License.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  The Story So Far …

  The Game RulesMagnakai Disciplines

  Equipment

  Rules for Combat

  Levels of Magnakai Training

  Lore-circles of the Magnakai

  Improved Disciplines

  Magnakai Wisdom

  Numbered Sections

  Sommerlund & the Darklands

  Action Chart

  Combat Rules Summary

  Combat Results Table

  Random Number Table

  Errata

  Footnotes

  Table of Illustrations

  Project Aon License

  Dedication

  For Sophie and Ben

  With special thanks to

  Adrian Orr — creator of the ‘Mind Reaper’.

  Acknowledgements

  ‘I would be especially pleased if my granting of the rights to distribute my books in this way was seen as my “millennium gift” to all those devoted readers who have kept the Kai flag flying high, through all the good times, and the not-so-good. It would make me very proud indeed if this enterprise laid the foundations of a lasting legacy, securing the longevity of Lone Wolf by making my creation freely and readily accessible to current and future online generations. For them, for us, for Sommerlund and the Kai. … ’ Joe Dever

  Project Aon would first like to thank Joe Dever for making this generous offering of the books that we have all loved from the beginning. We are also grateful for the generosity of Rob Adams, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Ian Page, Graham Round, and Brian Williams for contributing their portions of the world of Magnamund to Project Aon. We would also like to acknowledge the following members of Project Aon for their diligent work:

  Credits

  Transcription

  Matthew Reynolds

  Illustration Transcription

  Jonathan Blake

  XML

  Jonathan Blake

  Jeff Dougan

  Simon Osborne

  Thomas Wolmer

  Alternate Illustrations

  JC Alvarez (Action Charts)

  Jonathan Blake (Extramatter Charts and Tables)

  Proofreading

  Simon Osborne (Frontmatter and Sections 36–70, 106–210, and 246–350)

  Matthew Reynolds (Sections 1–35, 71–105, 211–245, and 281–350)

  Editing

  Jeff Dougan

  Ingo Klöcker

  Simon Osborne

  Thomas Wolmer

  PDF Layout

  Jonathan Blake

  Ingo Klöcker

  Coordination

  Jonathan Blake

  Special Thanks

  Richard Chalk, James Durrant, Benjamin Krefetz, Dewi Morgan, Timothy Pederick, Peter Smyth, Denis Vald

  The Story So Far …

  You are the warrior, Lone Wolf, last of the Kai Masters of Sommerlund and sole survivor of the massacre that destroyed your kinsmen during a bitter war with your age-old enemies — the Darklords of Helgedad.

  Many centuries have passed since Sun Eagle, the first of your kind, established the Order of the Kai. Aided by the magicians of Dessi, he completed a perilous quest to find seven crystals of power known as the Lorestones of Nyxator, and upon their discovery he unlocked a wisdom and strength that lay within both the Lorestones and himself. He recorded the nature of his discoveries and his experiences in a great tome entitled The Book of the Magnakai. You found this lost Kai treasure and gave a solemn pledge to restore the Kai to their former glory, thereby ensuring the security of your land in the years to come. To fulfil your pledge, you embarked on the same quest that was undertaken by Sun Eagle over one thousand years ago: the search for the seven crystals of power that hold the power and wisdom of your ancestors.

  Your quest was to take you far from your northern homeland. Following in the footsteps of the first Kai Grand Master you journeyed to Dessi and sought the help of the Elder Magi, the magicians who aided Sun Eagle on his quest long ago. There you learned that for centuries the Elder Magi had awaited your coming. An ancient Dessi legend told of the birth and rise to greatness of two koura-tas-kai, which means ‘Sons of the Sun’. One
was named Ikar, which means ‘eagle’, and the other was named Skarn, which means ‘wolf’. A prophecy foretold that the koura-tas-kai would each come from out of the north to seek the counsel of the Elder Magi in order that they might fulfil a great quest. Although separated by several centuries, they would share one spirit, one purpose, and one destiny — to triumph over the champions of darkness in an age of great peril. The Elder Magi knew that you were Skarn, the wolf of Dessi legend, and in keeping with their ancient vows they promised to help you complete the Magnakai quest.

  In Elzian, the capital of Dessi, you were tutored in the histories of Magnamund and received lessons in lore that you would have learned from the Kai masters if only they, like you, had survived the murderous Darklord attack on the Kai Monastery. You were eager to learn all that the Elder Magi could teach you in preparation for your quest, but war was to cut short your tuition. In the Darklands capital of Helgedad a struggle for power had been won by a Darklord called Gnaag. The other Darklords, fourteen in number, united behind their new leader and upon his command began to muster huge armies in preparation for the conquest of Magnamund. Swiftly their Giak legions grew in number, enabling Gnaag to launch a sweeping invasion that was to catch the Freelands unprepared. His legions advanced unchecked until, at the momentous Battle of Tahou, you turned the tide of the war decisively against Gnaag by defeating his powerful ally, Zakhan Kimah, in mortal combat.

  Victory at Tahou paved the way for the liberation of all the lands that Gnaag had taken by force. But the sweet taste of this victory was to turn sour when you discovered that he had captured the last three remaining Lorestones of Nyxator, and had vowed to avenge his defeat by destroying them and killing you. Alarmed by this news, the High Council of the Elder Magi helped you to formulate a plan of action. They had received news from allies in the west that the Lorestones were being held in the city-fortress of Torgar, where Gnaag's sorcerers — the Nadziranim — were searching for a means of destroying them. Fearing that they might achieve their goal, the Elder Magi made preparations for your secret passage to Torgar and, after a long and perilous journey, you arrived to find it besieged by the allied armies of Talestria and Palmyrion. During the many months of the Darklord invasion, hundreds of Talestrians were enslaved and sent to labour in the dungeons and sulphur mines deep within the bowels of Torgar. Their plight had seemed hopeless until the allied armies, under the command of Lord Adamas of Garthen, finally arrived to liberate them. Due in part to your bravery and skill during the assault, Lord Adamas' troops were able to breach the great Torgar gate and storm its citadel. During this fierce battle you gained entry to the chamber at the heart of the citadel where the Nadziranim were attempting to destroy the Lorestones. Above a circular black pit the three radiant gems hung suspended in a fireball of negative energy, the focal point of several beams of power arising from crystals set around the edge of the pit. By means of a gantry you were able to climb above these energy beams and retrieve one of the three Lorestones. But, as you reached out for the remaining two, the terrible voice of Darklord Gnaag filled the chamber. ‘Vengeance is mine!’ he rasped, and in the next instant a bolt of blue lightning leapt from a crystal that he held in his fly-like hand. It sheared through the rusty iron gantry, creating a shock wave that sent the Lorestones tumbling into the black pit. A second bolt ripped the gantry in two, and, with the ghastly laugh of Darklord Gnaag ringing in your ears, you fell headlong into a portal of total darkness — a Shadow Gate — which led to the twilight world of the Daziarn Plane.

  When first you looked upon the desolate wastelands of the Daziarn, you recalled what little you had heard tell of this alien world. The magicians of Sommerlund believe it to be an astral corridor, connecting and binding the planet Magnamund to other planes of existence. By passing through a Shadow Gate — one of which is situated below their Guildhall in the city of Toran — a person could gain entry to the Daziarn. However, all those who had ever passed through the Shadow Gate of Toran had never been seen again, prompting the magicians to believe that the journey could only be made in one direction. It was said that from the Daziarn there was no escape.

  Your vow to restore the Kai, and your stubborn will to survive against all odds, made you even more determined to recover the last two Lorestones and find a way of returning to your home world. In the course of your search you discovered that your fight against the forces of darkness was the focus of a greater conflict raging throughout all the planes of existence, and that the time had come when the actions of one individual would shape the future of every living thing. It came as a great revelation to discover that you were that individual.

  Part of your destiny was fulfilled when you fought and defeated the Chaos-master, the leader of the evil force that threatened to conquer the Daziarn. You recovered one of the Lorestones and, with the help of a god-like creature called Serocca, you were able to find the location of a Shadow Gate that would return you to your own world. Here your quest culminated in a battle with your old enemy, Vonotar the Traitor, who had found the last Lorestone and who controlled the city wherein lay the Shadow Gate. He had intended to use the power of the Lorestone to enable him to return to Magnamund, but your bravery and determination put paid to his plans. In a desperate fight, on the very threshold of the Shadow Gate itself, you slew him and retrieved the last Lorestone, thereby completing the Magnakai Quest. Instantly an overwhelming wave of power was transfused into your being, lifting you to a level of consciousness that transcended your mortal frame. You surrendered to this power and, under its guidance, you were drawn inexorably towards the Shadow Gate. Willingly you stepped into the icy darkness and began your triumphant return to the world where you were born.

  The Game Rules

  You keep a record of your adventure on the Action Chart.

  During your training as a Kai Master you have developed fighting prowess — COMBAT SKILL and physical stamina — ENDURANCE. Before you set off on your adventure you need to measure how effective your training has been. To do this take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it onto the Random Number Table. If you pick 0 it counts as zero.

  The first number that you pick from the Random Number Table in this way represents your COMBAT SKILL. Add 10 to the number you picked and write the total in the COMBAT SKILL section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 4 in the Random Number Table you would write in a COMBAT SKILL of 14). When you fight, your COMBAT SKILL will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.

  The second number that you pick from the Random Number Table represents your powers of ENDURANCE. Add 20 to this number and write the total in the ENDURANCE section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 6 on the Random Number Table you would have 26 ENDURANCE points).

  If you are wounded in combat you will lose ENDURANCE points. If at any time your ENDURANCE points fall to zero or below, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost ENDURANCE points can be regained during the course of the adventure, but your number of ENDURANCE points can never rise above the number you started with.

  If you have successfully completed any of the previous adventures in the Lone Wolf series, you can carry your current scores of COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points over to Book 12. You may also carry over any Weapons and Special Items you have in your possession at the end of your last adventure, and these should be entered on your new Action Chart. (You are still limited to two Weapons and eight Backpack Items.)

  You many choose one bonus Magnakai Discipline to add to your Action Chart for every Lone Wolf Magnakai adventure you successfully complete (Books 6–12).

  Magnakai Disciplines

  During your training as a Kai Lord, and in the course of the adventures that led to the discovery of The Book of the Magnakai, you have mastered all ten of the basic warrior skills known as the Kai Disciplines.

  After studying The Book of the Magnakai, you have also reached the rank of Ka
i Master Superior, which means that you have learnt three of the Magnakai Disciplines listed below. It is up to you to choose which three skills these are. As all of the Magnakai Disciplines may be of use to you at some point on your adventure, pick your three with care. The correct use of a Magnakai Discipline at the right time can save your life.

  The Magnakai skills are divided into groups, each of which is governed by a separate school of training. These groups are called ‘Lore-circles’. By mastering all of the Magnakai Disciplines in a particular Lore-circle, you can gain an increase in your COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points score. (See the section ‘Lore-circles of the Magnakai’ for details of these bonuses.)

  When you have chosen your three Magnakai Disciplines, enter them in the Magnakai Disciplines section of your Action Chart.

  Weaponmastery

  This Magnakai Discipline enables a Kai Master to become proficient in the use of all types of weapon. When you enter combat with a weapon you have mastered, you add 3 points to your COMBAT SKILL. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, you may add 3 to any number that you choose from the Random Number Table, when using the Bow. The rank of Kai Master Superior, with which you begin the Magnakai series, means you are skilled in three of the weapons in the list below.

  The fact that you are skilled with three Weapons does not mean that you begin the adventure carrying any of them. However, you will have opportunities to acquire Weapons during your adventure. For every Lone Wolf book that you complete in the Magnakai series, you may add an additional Weapon to your Weaponmastery Checklist.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Weaponmastery: +3 COMBAT SKILL points’ on your Action Chart, and tick your chosen weapons on the Weapons List. You cannot carry more than two Weapons.