The Buccaneers of Shadaki

by Joe Dever

  Kai Weapon Table

  RNWeapon TypeWeapon NameCSUnique PropertiesCS

  0 Axe ‘Spawnsmite’ +5 versus reptilian enemies +6

  1 Axe ‘Alema’ +5 versus undead enemies +7

  2 Axe ‘Magnara’ +5 versus rock or stone +8

  3 Sword ‘Sunstrike’ +5 when used in daylight +6

  4 Sword ‘Kaistar’ +5 when used at night +7

  5 Sword ‘Valiance’ +5 when used versus magicians7 +8

  6 Sword ‘Ulnarias’ +5 when used underwater +9

  7 Broadsword ‘Raumas’ +5 versus winged enemies +6

  8 Broadsword ‘Illuminatus’ +5 when used underground +7

  9 Broadsword ‘Firefall’ +5 versus fire-emitting enemies +8

  RN = Random Number CS = COMBAT SKILL

  Equipment — How to use it

  Weapons

  The maximum number of Weapons that you can carry is two. Weapons aid you in combat. If you have the Grand Master Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery and a correct Weapon, it adds 5 points to your COMBAT SKILL. If you find a Weapon during your adventure, you may pick it up and use it. You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.

  Bows and Arrows

  During your adventure there will be opportunities to use a Bow and Arrow. If you equip yourself with this Weapon, and you possess at least one Arrow, you may use it when the text of a particular section allows you to do so. The Bow is a useful Weapon, for it enables you to hit an enemy at a distance. However, a Bow cannot be used in hand-to-hand combat; therefore it is best to equip yourself also with a close combat Weapon, such as a Sword or an Axe.

  In order to use a Bow you must possess a Quiver and at least one Arrow. Each time the Bow is used, erase an Arrow from your Action Chart. A Bow cannot, of course, be used if you exhaust your supply of Arrows, but the opportunity may arise during your adventure for you to replenish your stock of Arrows.

  Backpack Items

  These must be stored in your Backpack. Because space is limited, you may keep a maximum of ten articles, including Meals, in your Backpack at any one time. You may only carry one Backpack at a time. During your travels you will discover various useful items which you may decide to keep. You may exchange or discard them at any point when you are not involved in combat.

  Any item that may be of use, and which can be picked up on your adventure and entered on your Action Chart, is given either initial capitals (e.g. Silver Mirror, Gold Key), or is clearly identified as a Backpack Item. Unless you are told that it is a Special Item, carry it in your Backpack.

  Special Items

  Special Items are not carried in the Backpack. When you discover a Special Item, you will be told how or where to carry it. The maximum number of Special Items that can be carried on any adventure is 12.

  Kai Weapon

  Your Kai Weapon is a Special Item and it can be carried and used in addition to two normal Weapons. If you possess the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery for a weapon type which is the same as your unique Kai Weapon, you may add the Grand Weaponmastery bonus of +5 to your COMBAT SKILL. This is in addition to the bonus gained when you use your Kai Weapon in combat.

  Food

  Food is carried in your Backpack. Each Meal counts as one item. 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. However, if you have chosen Grand Huntmastery as one of your four Disciplines, then you will not need to tick off a Meal when instructed to eat.

  Potion of Laumspur

  This is a healing potion that can restore 4 ENDURANCE points to your total when swallowed after combat. There is enough for one dose only. If you discover any other potion during the adventure, you will be informed of its effect. All potions are Backpack Items.

  Gold Crowns

  The currency most readily accepted in southeastern Magnamund is the Noble. These are always carried in the Belt Pouch. It will hold a maximum of fifty Nobles. Gold Crowns are readily accepted at a rate of 1 Gold Crown for 1 Noble.

  [5] If you have completed the previous Lone Wolf New Order adventure (Book 21), you already possess a Kai Weapon.

  [6] These bonuses are not cumulative.

  [7] ‘Valiance’ is also effective against magical creatures.

  Rules for Combat

  There will be occasions during your adventure when you will have to fight an enemy. The enemy's COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points are given in the text. Your aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his ENDURANCE points to zero while losing as few ENDURANCE points as possible yourself.

  At the start of a combat, enter your own 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 Grand Master Disciplines and Special Items 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

  You, Grand Master (COMBAT SKILL 32), are attacked in a forest by a pack of Wild Dogs (COMBAT SKILL 31). You are taken by surprise and are not given the opportunity of evading their attack. You possess the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-surge to which the Wild Dogs are not immune, so you add 8 points to your COMBAT SKILL. You also possess the Kai Weapon ‘Ulnarias’, so you add an additional 5 points to your COMBAT SKILL. This gives you a total COMBAT SKILL of 45.

  You now subtract the Wild Dogs' COMBAT SKILL from your own, giving a Combat Ratio of +14 (45−31=+14). +14 is noted on your 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 yourself and your enemy in this round of combat. (E represents points lost by the enemy; GM represents points lost by yourself — Grand Master.)

  Example

  The Combat Ratio between you and the Wild Dogs has been established as +14. If the number picked from the Random Number Table is 1, then the result of the first round of combat is:

  You (GM) lose 3 ENDURANCE points (plus an additional 1 point for using Kai-surge. This loss is in addition to the loss suffered as a result of combat).

  Wild Dogs lose 9 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 your enemy or yourself are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If you are declared dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, you can proceed but with your ENDURANCE points possibly 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 you may lose ENDURANCE points during that round (such is the risk of turning tail and running away during combat!). You may only evade if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.

  Levels of New Order Kai Grand Mastership

  The following table is a guide to the ranks and titles you can achieve at each stage of your journey along the road of Kai Grand Mastership. As you successfully complete each adventure in the New Order series, you will gain an additional Grand Master Discipline and progr
ess towards the pinnacle of Kai perfection — to become a Kai Supreme Master.

  Kai Grand Master Senior — You begin the New Order adventures at this level of Kai Grand Mastery8

  Kai Grand Master Superior

  Kai Grand Sentinel

  Kai Grand Defender

  Kai Grand Guardian

  Sun Knight

  Sun Lord

  Sun Thane

  Grand Thane

  Grand Crown

  Sun Prince

  Kai Supreme Master

  [8] It is unclear why a New Order Grand Master becomes a Supreme Master by mastering only 15 of the 16 Grand Master Disciplines. It is also unclear why New Order Grand Masters must master four extra Disciplines in order to receive the same improvements to their Disciplines as Lone Wolf did with fewer.

  Improved Grand Master Disciplines

  As you rise through the higher levels of Grand Mastery you will find that your Disciplines will steadily improve.

  Kai Grand Master Superior

  If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Kai Grand Master Superior, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:

  Animal Mastery

  Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this Discipline are able to deter predatory animals in the wild by exuding a scent which is repellent to them. In order for this improved Discipline to work effectively, a Kai Grand Master Superior must be aware of the species of predatory animal he/she wishes to deter. The scent can only be detected by the targeted animal.

  Assimilance

  Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this skill are able to create a noise and project it up to 15 yards away from their location. The noise is akin to the rumbling sound of thunder and it can be used to distract or divert an enemy's attention. This improved Discipline requires a degree of preparation and therefore it cannot be used during combat.

  Astrology

  Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this Discipline are skilled in the use of all mechanical devices designed to measure and/or observe the cosmology of Magnamund. Such devices include sextants, astrolabes, and orreries.

  Herbmastery

  Kai Grand Master Superiors who have this Discipline are able to purify water, thereby making contaminated or briny water suitable for consumption. Roughly two pints of water per day can be purified using this skill alone. This daily total steadily increases as a Grand Master advances in rank.

  Elementalism

  Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this skill are able to condense pure water out of the surrounding air. This water can be made to fall as a fine spray or as a sudden deluge. It can also be made to fill any suitable container or receptacle. Using this skill, Grand Master Superiors can create the equivalent of one large bucketful of fresh water.

  Bardsmanship

  Kai Grand Master Superiors who possess this Discipline are able to utilize their musical skills to pacify an excited or hostile animal.

  The nature of additional improvements and how they affect your existing Grand Master Disciplines will be noted in the Improved Grand Master Disciplines section of future Lone Wolf New Order books.

  New Order Wisdom

  You are about to embark upon the final stage of a vital mission to return the fabled Moonstone of the Shianti to its creators.

  Some of the material items that you will encounter during your quest will be of use to you, while others may be red herrings of no real value at all. If you discover items, be selective in what you choose to keep.

  Pick your four Grand Master Disciplines with care, for a wise choice will enable any player to complete the quest, no matter how weak their initial COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE scores may be. Completion of previous Lone Wolf adventures (Books 1–21) may be advantageous, but it is not essential for the successful completion of this New Order adventure.

  May the light of the Gods Kai and Ishir guide you during your important quest.

  For Sommerlund and the Kai!

  1

  For three days you are treated to the lavish hospitality of the Elder Magi and the freedom of the wondrous city of Elzian. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, having fully recovered from the rigours of your journey to Dessi, you meet with Lord Rimoah in the Tower of Truth to discuss the final stage of your quest — the voyage to the Isle of Lorn. He informs you that passage has been arranged for you aboard a Suhnese trading ship called The Azan which sails tomorrow at dawn. The ship's master, Captain Jenkshi, has been paid generously to carry you to his home port of Suhn, and you can expect to be well treated by him and his crew. It will be a long voyage, some 2,500 miles in all, but not all of it will be spent at sea. The Azan will put in at several ports along the way, both to trade and to take on fresh supplies of food and water. Rimoah reminds you of the need for secrecy — nobody must know the real purpose of your journey. Jenkshi and his men have been told that you are simply a courier who is carrying official papers for the attention of Lord Zinair, the Dessian ambassador to Suhn. On arriving at Suhn you are to contact Lord Zinair who will arrange for your passage across the Sea of Dreams to the Isle of Lorn. Before you leave the Tower of Truth and return to your chambers, Lord Rimoah examines the satchel in which you carry the Moonstone. Its special korlinium lining meets with his approval.

  ‘Lone Wolf has prepared you well for your mission,’ he says, as he secures the buckle. ‘I'm sure I have no need to remind you to keep this bag closed at all times. You are about to venture through dangerous territory, and there are many who would give anything to possess the contents of this satchel. You would be wise to trust only yourself, Grand Master.’ (If you have not already done so, record the Moonstone on your Action Chart as a Special Item. You carry it slung over your shoulder in its leather satchel.)

  Rimoah escorts you to your room and tells you that he will call for you at an hour before dawn to take you to the quay. As he bids you goodnight, a doleful bell rings out in some distant part of the city. Rimoah's eyes fill with sadness.

  ‘What does the bell mean, my lord?’ you ask.

  ‘It signifies the passing of Lord Casis. He, too, is about to begin a journey. Alas, it will be his last. I must go now — I am being summoned to witness his departure.’

  As he leaves, Rimoah pauses for a moment and then glances back over his shoulder. ‘You are welcome to accompany me if you wish, Grand Master. The passing of an Elder is a rare and special occasion. You may learn much from what you see.’

  If you wish to accept Lord Rimoah's invitation, turn to 225.

  If you choose to decline his invitation, turn to 118.

  2

  When first you enter the mists, it seems as if you are no longer sailing upon a sea of water. It becomes a blended sea and sky of deep blue light, without horizon or boundary — a limitless space. Gradually you detect vague shadows passing quickly by, and then distant sounds, like muffled whispers, surging then pulsing away before you can catch the words. Then you see globes of darkness hovering to and fro, and your Kai senses scream a warning that these are invaders, evil intruders in this realm of ghostly mist. They grow in numbers and begin to spiral around your boat, whispering and laughing and babbling all the while. You can feel your boat gradually slowing until it ceases to move at all. Fear grips you when you realise that these mischievous black spheres have the power to hold you prisoner, to keep you from ever reaching the shores of Lorn. Suddenly the vague sounds and voices in your mind begin to crystallize into words that you can understand.

  You have proved your physical courage, foolish follower of Kai. But now you must put your mental strength to the test if you wish to find the Isle of Lorn.

  The eerie voice laughs and you steel yourself to meet its mental challenge.

  How great in number are the Warriors of Nhang?

  If you think you know the answer to this challenge, turn now to the section which is the same as your answer.9

  If you do not know the answer to this challenge, turn to 303.

 
; [9] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.

  3

  You concentrate on the wall of the hut, at a point directly opposite the guarded door, and then you summon forth the Old Kingdom power-word Gloar! The concussion of your spell-word hits the wall and punches a ragged hole through its bamboo timbers. You run at this hole and charge the weakened wall with your shoulder. It cracks and splits open, enabling you to force yourself through the gap and escape.

  Turn to 308.

  4

  You fight your way to the surface of the churning sea and gulp a lungful of air. All about you are flailing lumps of debris, foaming bubbles, and treacherous strands of rope and canvas that threaten to entangle your limbs and drag you to your doom. Breathing hard, you fill your lungs and feed oxygen to your blood before diving deep below the flotsam of the dying ship. You surface beyond the debris and swim for the shore, now less than a mile distant.

  The waves bring you ashore upon a rocky beach where you crawl for shelter among boulders at the base of a chalk cliff. From here you see the wreck of the Vargas come drifting towards the shoreline to be smashed to pieces on the rocks. Gangs of men are pacing the beach, salvaging cargo and slaying any crewman who is washed ashore alive. They are wreckers, and your Kai senses tell you that they are led by an evil magician who possesses great power. You can feel the aura of his presence nearby, high upon the cliffs, and you know that he has been responsible for the wicked destruction of the Vargas and its crew.