The Kingdoms of Terror Read online

  The Kingdoms of Terror

  You are Lone Wolf — the last Kai Master of Sommerlund. Following your discovery of The Book of the Magnakai you have vowed to restore the Order of the Kai to their former glory. To achieve this, you must find the Lorestone of Varetta, a treasure which contains the secret powers of your warrior ancestors.

  In The Kingdoms of Terror, you must follow a trail of ancient clues that will take you deep into the hostile Stornlands, where war, treachery, and intrigue will conspire to defeat your quest. Choose your weapons and your skills with care — the future of your country depends on it!

  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.

  Gary Chalk, the illustrator of the early Lone Wolf series, was born in 1952, grew up in Hertfordshire, England. Being interested in history, he began playing war games at the age of fifteen. When he graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts in design, Gary spent three years training in a studio before becoming a teacher in art and design.

  Gary was working as a children's book illustrator when he became involved in adventure gaming, an interest which eventually led to the creation of several successful games. He is the inventor/illustrator of some of Britain's biggest-selling fantasy games including Cry Havoc, Starship Captain, and Battlecars (co-designed with Ian Livingstone). He is also known for his work on the very successful game, Talisman.

  Gary was working at Games Workshop when Joe Dever asked him to illustrate some of his manuscript of Flight from the Dark. The two teamed up after that and they continued to work together until the eighth book in the series, The Jungle of Horrors.

  Gary has also drawn the illustrations in Redwall and related books, The Prince of Shadows gamebook series, and several books which he also authored. Gary continues to enjoy war gaming and works as an illustrator and model maker.

  * * *

  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 © 1985 Joe Dever.

  Illustrations copyright © 1985 Gary Chalk.

  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

  The Stornlands

  Action Chart

  Combat Rules Summary

  Combat Results Table

  Random Number Table

  Errata

  Footnotes

  Table of Illustrations

  Project Aon License

  Dedication

  To Philippa and Alison

  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

  Kevin Garrett

  Illustration Transcription

  Jonathan Blake

  Paul Haskell

  Simon Osborne

  Daniel Strong

  XML

  Jonathan Blake

  Simon Osborne

  Thomas Wolmer

  Alternate Illustrations

  JC Alvarez (Action Charts)

  Jonathan Blake (Extramatter Charts and Tables)

  Michael Hahn (map)

  Proofreading

  Simon Osborne (Sections 1–35 and 281–350)

  Matthew Reynolds (Frontmatter and Sections 71–280)

  Tony Wrigley (Sections 36–70)

  Editing

  Mike Feldman

  Alex Hambly

  Ingo Klöcker

  Mark Laird

  LeRoy McSwain

  Simon Osborne

  Matthew Reynolds

  Thomas Wolmer

  Coordination

  Jonathan Blake

  Special Thanks

  James Durrant, Benjamin Krefetz, Neil McGrory, Dewi Morgan

  The Story So Far …

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

  Three years have passed since your triumph over the Darklord Haakon at the Tomb of the Majhan, and for the northern realm of Sommerlund, these have been three years of peace and prosperity. Since Haakon's defeat, the power of the Darklords has waned. Rumours abound that a civil war rages in Helgedad, as the lesser Darklords fight for power and dominion over the city. However, it
is a widely held belief in Sommerlund that your discovery of the lost Sommlending treasure, The Book of the Magnakai, is the real reason for their power struggle.

  The Book of the Magnakai is legendary in Sommerlund. With the wisdom of the Magnakai, Sun Eagle, the first Kai Grand Master, instilled the disciplines into the warriors of Sommerlund that were to protect your land from devastation at the hands of the Darklords. The Book of the Magnakai was lost hundreds of years ago, but its wisdom was kept alive, handed down through generations of Kai so that they too could share the strength to resist their eternal enemies.

  When you discovered The Book of the Magnakai, you gave a solemn pledge to restore the Kai to their former glory and so ensure the security of your land in the years to come. You returned to your homeland and, in the seclusion of your monastery in the hills, set about the study of the Magnakai Disciplines. It was an exacting task — a trial of physical strength and mental fortitude. The seasons came and went, but you were unaware of the passage of time, lost in your quest for the knowledge and the skills of your warrior kin. Three years of determined study pass, revealing the secrets of three of the Magnakai Disciplines. However, the others cannot be learnt by study alone, and in order to fulfil your pledge to restore the Kai, you must complete the quest first made by Sun Eagle over a thousand years ago. When he had finally completed his quest, he recorded all his experiences in The Book of the Magnakai, but the script has faded with the passing years and now few words remain to guide you.

  ‘Seek and find the Lorestone of Varetta, for this alone holds the power and the wisdom … ’ are the few words you can still decipher of the Grand Master's chronicle.

  Although the verse is brief you are not without hope, for you recognize the name Varetta. It is one of the oldest cities of Magnamund, lying in the Stornlands beyond the Maakengorge, far to the south of Sommerlund. You realize that you must set out upon the quest without delay, for the war in Helgedad will not last indefinitely, and the Darklords swore long ago to conquer your country and destroy your people. As soon as their civil strife is resolved, the victorious lords of evil will turn on Sommerlund and summon the creatures of the Dark Realm to thwart your quest. You must therefore act quickly and with secrecy, for your life and the future of Sommerlund depend on your success.

  And so, guided by the words of your ancient mentor and with the shadow of the Darklords ever present, you set out on the quest for the Lorestone of Varetta, unaware of the wonders and the horrors that await you in the Stornlands.

  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, Books 1–5, you can carry your current scores of COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points over to Book 6. 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.)

  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 Kai 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.

  Animal Control

  This Magnakai Discipline enables a Kai Master to communicate with most animals and to determine their purpose and intentions. It also enables a Kai Master to fight from the saddle with great advantage.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Animal Control’ on your Action Chart.

  Curing

  The possessor of this skill can restore 1 lost ENDURANCE point to his total for every numbered section of the book through which he passes, provided he is not involved in combat. (This can only be done after his ENDURANCE has fallen below its original level.) This Magnakai Discipline also enables a Kai Master to cure disease, blindness, and any combat wounds sustained by others, as well as himself. Using the knowledge that mastery of this skill provides will also allow a Kai Master to identify the properties of any herbs, roots, and potions that may be encountered during the adventure.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Curing: +1 ENDURANCE point for each section without combat’ on your Action Chart.

  Invisibility

  This Magnakai skill allows a Kai Master to blend in with his surroundings, even in the most exposed terrain. It will enable him to mask his body heat and scent, and to adopt the dialect and mannerisms of any town or city that he visits.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Invisibility’ on your Action Chart.

  Huntmastery

  This skill ensures that a Kai Master will never starve in the wild; he will always be able to hunt for food, even in areas of wasteland and desert. It also enables a Kai Master to move with great speed and dext
erity and will allow him to ignore any extra loss of COMBAT SKILL points due to a surprise attack or ambush.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Huntmastery’ on your Action Chart.

  Pathsmanship

  In addition to the basic skill of being able to recognize the correct path in unknown territory, the Magnakai skill of Pathsmanship will enable a Kai Master to read foreign languages, decipher symbols, read footprints and tracks (even if they have been disturbed), and detect the presence of most traps. It also grants him the gift of always knowing intuitively the position of north.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Pathsmanship’ on your Action Chart.

  Psi-surge

  This psychic skill enables a Kai Master to attack an enemy using the force of his mind. It can be used as well as normal combat weapons and adds 4 extra points to your COMBAT SKILL.

  It is a powerful Discipline, but it is also a costly one. For every round of combat in which you use Psi-surge, you must deduct 2 ENDURANCE points. A weaker form of Psi-surge called Mindblast can be used against an enemy without losing any ENDURANCE points, but it will add only 2 extra points to your COMBAT SKILL. (Psi-surge and Mindblast cannot be used simultaneously.) Psi-surge cannot be used if your ENDURANCE falls to 6 points or below, and not all of the creatures encountered on your adventure will be affected by it; you will be told if a creature is immune.

  If you choose this skill, write ‘Psi-surge: +4 COMBAT SKILL points but −2 ENDURANCE points per round’ and ‘Mindblast: +2 COMBAT SKILL points’ on your Action Chart.

  Psi-screen