The Caverns of Kalte Read online

  Before you set sail, you are given the choice of the following items (in addition to those you already possess, but remember you may only carry two weapons). You may take any two of the following:

  Sword (Weapons)

  Short Sword (Weapons)

  Padded Leather Waistcoat (Special Items). This adds 2 ENDURANCE points to your total.

  Spear (Weapons)

  Mace (Weapons)

  Warhammer (Weapons)

  Axe (Weapons)

  Potion of Laumspur (Backpack Items). This restores 4 ENDURANCE points to your total when swallowed after combat. There is only enough for one dose.

  Quarterstaff (Weapons)

  Special Rations (Meals). This counts as one meal. (See ‘How to Use Your Equipment’ before deciding.)

  Broadsword (Weapons)

  List the two items you choose on your Action Chart, under the heading given in brackets, and make a note of any effect it may have on your ENDURANCE points or COMBAT SKILL.

  How to Carry Equipment

  Now that you have your equipment, the following list shows you how it is carried. You don't need to make notes but you can refer back to this list in the course of your adventure.

  Sword — carried in the hand.

  Short Sword — carried in the hand.

  Padded Leather Waistcoat — worn on the body.

  Spear — carried in the hand.

  Mace — carried in the hand.

  Warhammer — carried in the hand.

  Axe — carried in the hand.

  Potion of Laumspur — carried in the Backpack.

  Quarterstaff — carried in the hand.

  Special Rations — carried in the Backpack.

  Broadsword — carried in the hand.

  How Much Can You Carry?

  Weapons

  The maximum number of weapons that you may carry is two.

  Backpack Items

  These must be stored in your Backpack. Because space is limited, you may only keep a maximum of eight articles, including Meals, in your Backpack at any one time.

  Special Items

  Special Items are not carried in the Backpack. When you discover a Special Item, you will be told how to carry it.

  Gold Crowns

  These are always carried in the Belt Pouch. It will hold a maximum of fifty crowns.

  Food

  Food is carried in your Backpack. Each Meal counts as one item.

  Any item that may be of use and can be picked up on your adventure and entered on your Action Chart is given capital letters in the text. Unless you are told it is a Special Item, carry it in your Backpack.

  How to Use Your Equipment

  Weapons

  Weapons aid you in combat. If you have the Kai Discipline of Weaponskill and the correct weapon, it adds 2 points to your COMBAT SKILL. If you enter a combat with no weapons, deduct 4 points from your COMBAT SKILL and fight with your bare hands. If you find a weapon during the adventure, you may pick it up and use it. (Remember you can only carry two Weapons at once.) You may only use one Weapon at a time in combat.

  Backpack Items

  During your travels you will discover various useful items which you may wish to keep. (Remember you can only carry eight items in your Backpack at once.) You may exchange or discard them at any point when you are not involved in combat.

  Special Items

  Each Special Item has a particular purpose or effect. You may be told this when the item is discovered, or it may be revealed to you as the adventure progresses.

  Gold Crowns

  The currency of Sommerlund is the Crown, which is a small gold coin. Gold is especially valuable in Kalte, and you may find that your Gold Crowns will be useful, especially if used as a bribe.

  Food

  Stored on your ice-sledge, along with your tent and other equipment, is enough food for you to complete your mission. If this food, or any you may have in your Backpack, is unavailable to you when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3 ENDURANCE points. As Kalte is an icy desert you will be unable to use the Kai Discipline of Hunting to obtain a Meal (see ‘Hunting’ in the Kai Disciplines section).

  Potion of Laumspur

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

  Rules for Combat

  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

  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 possibly reduced.

  A summary of Combat Rules 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 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.

  Levels of Kai Training

  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.

  Kai Wisdom

  Your mission will be fraught with great danger, for Kalte is a bleak and hostile land and your foe is a master of cunning. Use the map to help you plot your course to the ice fortress of Ikaya. 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 many routes to the ice fortress of Ikaya, but only one will enable you to capture Vonotar and return to Sommerlund 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 or ENDURANCE points score. Successful completion of previous Lone Wolf adventures is not essential for the success of this quest.

  The betrayal of your country can be avenged by bringing the traitor to justice.

  Good Luck!

  1

  Even before you accepted the task of bringing Vonotar to justice, preparations were being made for your voyage to Kalte. The captain of the Sommlending warship Cardonal, having returned from a long Kaltersee patrol, was ordered to await your arrival at Anskaven. During the night, food, ice equipment, and Kanu-dog teams were taken on board. The mission was highly secret — only senior members of the crew were told the true nature of the voyage that lay ahead.

  The plan is to set you ashore at Halle Bluff, drop anchor, and await your return. An élite team of trusted guides will lead you from the bluff to Ikaya. Once inside the ice fortress, you are to hunt down and capture Vonotar, and then return with your guides to the ship. Your mission must be accomplished within thirty days at most, for winter is closing in and no ship can withstand the grip of the Kalte pack-ice. If you do not return in time, the captain will be forced to set sail without you.

  For six days, the Cardonal sails across the stormy Kaltersee without running into a storm; but every day the temperature steadily drops until a layer of ice covers the decks. On the morning of the seventh day, the snow-capped island of Tola is sighted on the horizon. Soon after, a light wind rises from the east.

  At first, there appears to be little danger, but within half an hour a furious blizzard is blowing, and all sight of land quickly vanishes in the scudding drift. All day the furious gale rages. Tremendous winds slice the tops of the huge grey waves and water crashes over the decks, masts, and rigging of the ship, freezing almost immediately into solid ice. The sides of the ship become several feet thick with seawater. It is not until early evening that the weather clears, and although the wind still blows strongly, the force of the gale is spent.

  You are soon to discover that the gale has blown the ship nearly thirty miles off course, along the lip of the Ljuk ice shelf. You know that to return to Halle Bluff would waste a precious day, so you decide to land on the ice shelf and start your mission from there.

  As the last of the Kanu-dogs are carried ashore, your guides tell you of the two possible routes to Ikaya from here. The first route involves a hundred and thirty mile trek to Cloudmaker Mountain and then, following the difficult terrain of the Viad Glacier, a further hundred miles must be covered before you arrive at the ice fortress. The alternative route involves a longer journey of nearly one hundred and eighty miles into the Hrod Basin, followed by a trek of a hundred miles through Storm Giant Pass to Ikaya. Even if the weather and your luck hold good, either route will involve ten days of hard trekking before you reach your goal. You should consult the map of Kalte before making your decision.

  If you wish to attempt the shorter, but more difficult Viad Glacier route, turn to 160.

  If you wish to take the longer, but easier Hrod Basin and Storm Giant Pass route, turn to 273.

  2

  To your right, you notice that a stone door is cunningly concealed by an intricate wall carving. A close examination of the carving reveals a lever.

  If you wish to pull this lever, turn to 290.

  If you do not wish to pull the lever, you may continue climbing the stairs by turning to 76.

  3

  You watch with a mixture of fascination and revulsion as each segment of the creature shatters and then slowly dissolves into the ice. Soon, all that remains of the Crystal Frostwyrm are the undigested contents of its stomach. To your surprise, in the centre of this mess of fetid flesh and bone, you can see the shank of an Ornate Silver Key.

  If you wish to take this Key, turn to 280.

  If you would rather ignore it and look for a way to open the fortress door, turn to 344.

  4

  You hide the body under the staircase and quickly search it. You discover a Bone Sword and a Blue Stone Disc. If you wish to keep either or both of these items, mark them on your Action Chart as Special Items1. You leave the body and run quickly up the stairs.

  Turn to 332.

  [1] All other Bone Swords in this book are recorded as normal Weapons, but the Collector's Edition notes that this is a Kalkoth rib blade which adds 1 to your COMBAT SKILL when used in Kalte.

  5

  You can see two men in ragged clothes, huddled together beside a fire that seems to be burning inside a small metal bowl. Over the flames, the skinned carcass of a small animal is roasting on a spit. The men are old and toothless, and they have a strange glint of madness in their slanted eyes.

  Illustration I—Two men in ragged clothes are huddled together beside a small fire.

  If you wish to approach them and ask for some of their food, turn to 295.

  If you wish to attack them, turn to 14.

  If you wish to ignore them and continue on your way, turn to 132.

  6

  You advance into the darkness, feeling ahead with your weapon for any obstruction. For some distance, the tunnel continues northwards before turning sharply to your right. A few feet ahead, you can now see light streaming from another portal. Beyond this a staircase descends into the dark.

  If you wish to look through the portal, turn to 224.

  If you wish to continue towards the stairs, turn to 166.

  7

  Suddenly, the black slab explodes into hundreds of razor-sharp splinters of stone. Your back is grazed and your ears ring, but otherwise you are unharmed. By taking refuge in the corner of the chamber, you have escaped serious injury. It now seems apparent that the monolith was designed to guard against or ensnare trespassers. A powerful glyph, a spell of protection, must have been placed upon it by an ancient mage.

  As the black dust slowly settles, you notice that a panel in the north wall has opened to reveal a darkened exit from the chamber.

  If you wish to try this exit, turn to 145.

  If you wish to try to open the door by which you entered, turn to 242.

  8

  The smell is revolting, and you try desperately to hold your breath as you smear handfuls of the slimy grease inside your jacket. As the oil penetrates your skin, you feel a warm glow as if you were near a fire: the more grease you apply, the warmer you become. You also notice that the awful smell is gradually fading. (Note the fact that you have applied Baknar oil on your Action Chart although it does not take up any space and only applies for the duration of this adventure.)

  ‘When it soaks into your skin, you lose your sense of smell,’ says Fenor.

  ‘Just as well,’ replies Dyce. ‘I don't think I could stand living with myself otherwise!’

  Baknar oil gives excellent insu
lation from the bitter cold of Kalte, and it may save you valuable ENDURANCE points in the near future.

  Irian regains consciousness and is soon scooping out the Baknar carcass for himself. Light is now fading fast and you decide to pitch camp in this narrow pass. You prepare a meal, and then you each take it in turns to sit watch, just in case the Baknar decide to return.

  Turn to 325.

  9

  You desperately fight against the agonizing pain, but it is so intense that you soon lose consciousness, and within a few minutes your will has been completely drained — you have become a helpless slave, unable to resist Vonotar's psychic commands. He orders you to pick up the Ice Barbarian's sword and draw it across your throat. Powerless to resist, you kill yourself with one quick flick of your wrist.