The Jungle of Horrors (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:

1. Add any extra points gained through your Magnakai Disciplines and Special Items to your current
   COMBAT SKILL
   total.
   
2. 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 attacked by a Nightstalker (
   COMBAT SKILL
   22). He is not given the opportunity to evade combat but must stand and fight as the creature leaps on him. Lone Wolf has the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge to which the Nightstalker is not immune, so Lone Wolf adds 4 points to his
   COMBAT SKILL
   , giving a total
   COMBAT SKILL
   of 19.
   He subtracts the Nightstalker's
   COMBAT SKILL
   from his own, giving a Combat Ratio of −3. (19 − 22 = −3). −3 is noted on the
   Action Chart
   as the Combat Ratio.
   
3. When you have your Combat Ratio
   , pick a number from the
   Random Number Table
   .
   
4. 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 the Nightstalker 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 (plus an additional 2 points for using Psi-surge)
     
   • Nightstalker loses 6
     ENDURANCE
     points
     
5. On the
   Action Chart
   , mark the changes in
   ENDURANCE
   points to the participants in the combat.
   
6. Unless otherwise instructed, or unless you have an option to evade, the next round of combat now starts.
   
7. 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 possibly 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 achieved by Kai Masters at each stage of their training. As you successfully complete each adventure in the
Lone Wolf Magnakai
series, you will gain an additional Magnakai Discipline and progress towards the ultimate distinction of a Kai Warrior — Kai Grand Mastership.

1. Kai Master
   
2. Kai Master Senior
   
3. Kai Master Superior —
   You begin the
   Lone Wolf Magnakai
   adventures with this level of training
   .
   
4. Primate
   
5. Tutelary
   
6. Principalin
   
7. Mentora
   
8. Scion-kai
   
9. Archmaster
   
10. Kai Grand Master
    

In the years before their massacre, the Kai Masters of Sommerlund devoted themselves to the study of the Magnakai. These skills were divided into four schools of training called ‘Lore-circles’. By mastering all of the Magnakai Disciplines of a Lore-circle, the Kai Masters developed their fighting prowess (
COMBAT SKILL
), and their physical and mental stamina (
ENDURANCE
) to a level far higher than any mortal warrior could otherwise attain.

Listed below are the four Lore-circles of the Magnakai and the skills that must be mastered in order to complete them.

Circle of Fire

Weaponmastery & Huntmastery

Circle of Light

Animal Control & Curing

Circle of Solaris

Invisibility, Huntmastery & Pathsmanship

Circle of the Spirit

Psi-surge, Psi-screen, Nexus & Divination

By completing a Lore-circle, you may add to your
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
the extra bonus points that are shown below.

Circle of Fire

+1
CS
+2
EP

Circle of Light

0
CS
+3
EP

Circle of Solaris

+1
CS
+3
EP

Circle of the Spirit

+3
CS
+3
EP

All bonus points that you acquire by completing a Lore-circle are additions to your basic
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
scores.

As you rise through the levels of Magnakai training you will find that some of your skills will improve. If you have reached the rank of Primate (four skills) or Tutelary (five skills) you will now benefit from improvements to the following Magnakai Disciplines:

Animal Control

Primates with this Magnakai Discipline will be able to repel an animal that is intent on harming them by blocking its sense of taste and smell. The level of success is dependent on the size and ferocity of the animal.

Curing

Primates with this skill will have the ability to delay the effect of poisons, including venoms, that they may come into contact with. Although a Kai Primate with this skill is not able to neutralize a poison, he will be able to slow its effect, giving him more time to find an antidote or cure.

Huntmastery

Primates with this skill have a greatly increased agility and are able to climb without the use of climbing aids, such as ropes, etc.

Psi-surge

Primates with the Magnakai Discipline of Psi-surge will, by concentrating their psychic powers upon an object, be able to set up vibrations that may lead to the disruption or destruction of the object.

Nexus

Primates with the skill of Nexus will be able to offer a far greater resistance than before to the effects of noxious gases and fumes.

Weaponmastery

Tutelaries are able to use defensive combat skills to great effect when fighting unarmed. When entering combat without a weapon, you will lose only 2 points from your
COMBAT SKILL
, instead of the usual 4 points.

Invisibility

Tutelaries are able to increase the effectiveness of their skill by drawing the enemy's attention to a place other than that in which they are hiding. The effectiveness of this ability increases as a Kai Master rises in rank.

Pathsmanship

Tutelaries with this skill can detect an enemy ambush within 500 yards of their position unless their
ENDURANCE
score is low due to wounds sustained or lack of food.

Psi-screen

Tutelaries with this skill develop mental defences against magical charms and hostile telepathy. These defences increase in strength as a Kai Master rises in rank.

Divination

Tutelaries who possess this Magnakai Discipline are able to recognize objects or creatures with magical skills or abilities, although they may not be able to if the creature or object is shielded from detection.

The nature of any additional improvements and how they affect your Magnakai Disciplines will be noted in the Improved Disciplines section of future
Lone Wolf
books.

The quest for the Lorestone of Ohrido will be fraught with danger, for the temple in which it lies is situated deep within the Danarg. Make notes as you progress through the story — they will be of great help in this and future adventures.

Many things that you find will help 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.

Choose your three Magnakai Disciplines with care, for a wise choice enables any player to complete the quest, no matter how weak his initial
COMBAT SKILL
and
ENDURANCE
points scores. Successful completion of previous
Lone Wolf
adventures, although an advantage, is not essential for the completion of this Magnakai adventure.

May the spirit of your ancestors guide you on the path of the Magnakai.

Good luck!

You leave Elzian under cover of darkness on a trading ship bound for Garthen. It is a trim vessel, lean-prowed and simple in design — one of a thousand such ships that sail the chain of land-locked seas and lakes dividing the northern and southern continents of Magnamund. Its passage along this great waterway called the Tentarias is unlikely to invite undue attention, and it is for this reason that the Elder Magi have placed you aboard. The nature of your voyage is secret, but you are not alone, for a guide has been chosen to accompany you on your dangerous mission. His name is Paido, a tall, ebony-skinned Vakeros, who is a master of the art of battle-magic. Among his fellow warriors he is a high-ranking lord, respected and honoured for his bravery and skill on the field of battle. Now, for the mission that lies ahead, he has exchanged his gold and scarlet robes for the clothes of a commoner, a roving adventurer with a sword for hire. It is a disguise you too have adopted to veil your true identity on the long voyage to the land of Talestria, where a rendezvous with royalty awaits you.

You sail westwards, a benevolent wind filling the triangular sail and skimming the ship across the still, blue waters. The hull seems to slide over the surface of the water rather than cut its way through, and you cannot help but wonder if Paido has conjured some magic to speed your passage. Your first port of call is the city of Talon, where food stocks and fresh water are replenished. Then the voyage continues along the Tentarias to the port of Orello, the last stopping place before your ship-bound journey ends at Garthen — crown capital of Talestria.

It is an hour past midnight when you dock at Varnos Harbour in Garthen, a sprawling network of quays and cracked stone jetties that shelter great fleets of merchants, traders, and dhows. Silently like a shadow, you disembark and follow Paido through the twisting harbour streets, slowly climbing the steep stairs that connect one level of Garthen to the next. Rusty lanterns cast pools of yellow light beneath the timbered balconies, illuminating the stalls of merchants and vendors who will haggle, brag, and barter in the crowded streets till dawn. Paido halts at an iron-shod door and raps the grille with the hilt of his blue-steel sword. A man's face appears, stern and handsome, with smooth dark hair and keen, intelligent eyes. A smile of recognition softens his lordly features when he sees Paido. In an instant the door swings open and you are ushered inside.

The man's name is Adamas, Lord Constable of the Royal Citadel, protector and cousin of Queen Evaine of Talestria. For centuries a strong bond of friendship has existed between the royal household and the magicians of Dessi, and when called upon by the Elder Magi to help you in your quest, Queen Evaine pledged her support without hesitation. She has volunteered the services of Lord Adamas, who is to ensure your safe and unhindered passage through Talestria to the borders of the Danarg. At dawn, after snatching a few hours' sleep, you are taken by coach to the east city wharf, where an empty corn barge is waiting to ferry you up-river. Haulage is provided by eight large ghorkas — hairy, ox-like creatures from the plains of Slovia — which are harnessed to the barge by chains. They lumber along the cobbled towpath, continually kept in line by the stinging lash of the barge owner's zull-hide whip. The next day the barge arrives at a small river village called Lona, where a detachment of Lord Adamas' cavalry, resplendent in surcoats of scarlet and grey, provide you with horses for the cross-country journey to the fortified city of Phoena.

Ill news greets you in Phoena, the city of triple towers. Zegron, warlord of Xanar, ruler of the barren highlands of Ogia, has amassed an army of Drakkarim warriors. Three days ago they attacked the border town of Luukos to the north. The Talestrian garrison put up a brave and spirited defence, but they were hopelessly outnumbered by the bloodthirsty Ogian horde that drove through the perimeter walls with battering rams and engines of war. The Drakkarim razed Luukos to the ground, and only a handful of survivors escaped to tell of the dreadful battle.

‘The situation is grave,’ reports Lord Adamas, on returning from an emergency conclave of his fellow Talestrian knights. ‘For decades Zegron and his minions have raided our northern territories, but never before with such determination and strength. We must mobilize our army for war, for it is war that Ogia has invited by its unforgivable attack on Luukos. I must return to Garthen to muster my retainers in preparation for battle and inform the Queen of the evil that threatens her realm. I can no longer escort you to the Danarg, though your quest must proceed in spite of all that conspires against it.’

He sends for his scribe, who arrives with helpers laden with the paraphernalia of his craft. He dictates an order of safe conduct and sets the impression of his signet ring into the hot wax seal before passing the parchment to you.

‘Our northern people are a frontier breed, wary and suspicious of strangers. If challenged, show this Pass and your safe passage will be assured by all who are loyal to Queen Evaine.’ (Mark this Pass
²
on your
Action Chart
as a Special Item which you carry tucked inside your tunic.)

Early next morning Lord Adamas accompanies you and Paido to the main square of Phoena; it is from here that your quest begins. The first leg of your journey to the Danarg will take you north to the town of Tharro which nestles in the fertile uplands of Talestria. There are two ways of reaching the town: you can travel by road or you can take a barge along the River Phoen. Consult the
map
before deciding which route to take.

If you wish to travel to Tharro by barge,
turn to 271
.

If you prefer to ride to Tharro along the Great North Road,
turn to 109
.