The Chasm of Doom (3 page)
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
- Lone Wolf loses 3
- 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.
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.
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.
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 may 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!
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
.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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
.
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.
