The Prisoners of Time Read online

  Primate

  Animal Control

  Primates with this Magnakai Discipline are 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 have the ability to delay the effects 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 is 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.

  Tutelary

  Weaponmastery

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

  Invisibility

  Tutelaries are able to increase the effectiveness of their skill when hiding from an enemy 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. However, this improved Discipline can be negated if the creature or object is shielded from detection.

  Principalin

  Animal Control

  Principalins with this skill are able to call on a woodland animal (if nearby) to aid them, either in combat, or to act as a messenger or guide. The number of animals that can be summoned increases as a Kai Master rises in rank.

  Invisibility

  Principalins are able to mask any sounds made by their movements while using this skill.

  Huntmastery

  Principalins with this Magnakai Discipline are able to intensify their eyesight at will, giving them telescopic vision.

  Psi-surge

  Principalins using this skill in combat are able to confuse an enemy by planting seeds of doubt in its mind. The effectiveness of this ability increases as a Kai Master rises in rank.

  Nexus

  Principalins with this ability can extinguish fires by force of will alone. The size of the fire, and the number that can be extinguished using Nexus increases as a Kai Master rises in rank.

  Mentora

  Weaponmastery

  Mentoras skilled in Weaponmastery are more accurate when using all missile weapons, whether fired (e.g. a bow) or thrown (e.g. a dagger). When using a bow or thrown weapon and instructed to pick a number from the Random Number Table, add 2 to the number picked if you are a Mentora with the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery.

  Curing

  Mentoras with this skill are able to neutralize the effects of any poisons, venoms, or toxins with which they come into contact.

  Pathsmanship

  Mentoras who possess this Magnakai Discipline are able to cross any kind of terrain on foot without leaving any tracks, even if the ground is covered in snow.

  Psi-screen

  Mentoras with this ability can protect themselves from evil spirits and other non-corporeal beings that attack with psychic energy. The effectiveness of this ability increases as a Kai Master rises in rank.

  Divination

  Mentoras who possess this skill are able to detect psychic residues lingering in a place where a dramatic event, such as a battle, a murder, a ritual sacrifice, or a ritual ceremony, has taken place. By meditating at the scene of the incident, a Kai Mentora is able to visualize the event, even though it may have occurred in the distant past.

  Scion-kai

  Weaponmastery

  When entering combat with a weapon they have mastered, Scion-kai may add 4 points (instead of the usual 3 points) to their COMBAT SKILL. Also, when in combat without a weapon they lose only 1 point from their COMBAT SKILL.

  Invisibility

  Scion-kai are able to alter their physical appearance at will in order to deceive an enemy. The duration and effectiveness of this deception increases as a Kai Master rises in rank.

  Pathsmanship

  Scion-kai with this ability are able to converse with any sentient creature. They are also able to make themselves invisible when subjected to any psychic or magical spells of detection.

  Psi-screen

  When engaging in psychic combat Scion-kai are able to absorb and control some of the energies directed at them. By deflecting or inducing the hostile energy they can either reduce the damage they sustain, or increase the power of their own psychic attacks.

  Divination

  Scion-kai are able to leave their body in a state of suspended animation and, in spirit form, explore their immediate surroundings unhindered by physical limitations. This ability is called ‘spirit walking’. The length of time a Kai Master can spirit walk increases as he rises in rank. When the spirit is separated from the body in this fashion, the body remains inanimate and vulnerable to attack. If a Kai Master's body is killed whilst he is spirit walking, his spiritual self will also cease to exist, and vice versa.

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

  Magnakai Wisdom

  Your visit to the twilight world of the Daziarn will be fraught with supernatural dangers. As you search for the two remaining Lorestones be on your guard at all times, for here even the laws of nature are strange and unstable. Make notes as you progress through this story for they will be of great help, both in this quest and in the ultimate Magnakai adventure which follows it.

  Many things that you find will help you during your mission. Some Special Items will be of use in this and future Lone Wolf books, while others may be red herrings of no real value at all, so be selective in what you decide to keep. If this is your first Magnakai adventure be sure to choose your three Magnakai Disciplines with care, for a wise choice enables any player to complete the quest, no matter how weak their 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.4

  The future of Magnamund and the restoration of your warrior élite depend on the success of your Daziarn quest. May the spirit of your ancestors and the wisdom of the great God Kai guide your journey along the path of the Magnakai.

  Good luck!

  [4] Due to several unavoidable, difficult combats in this book, it is practically impossible for a new or average character to complete this adventure successfully. Even a character with optimal choices of equipment and Disciplines and the highest possible scores for COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE will have a difficult time with this adventure.

  1

  All sense of time and space is lost as you plunge headlong into the whirling black throat of the abyss. Only a numbing chill and a mournful sound, like a million voices crying in despair, accompany you on your descent into the unknown. Gradually your mind is filled with fearful visions, nightmare shapes that reach out of the
darkness to claw and bite and scream at your passing. They grow in menace until they are swiftly dispelled by diamond-shaped motes of light, which streak past at incredible speeds. The tiny lights engulf you in a cone of fiery brilliance and a metallic smell of ozone, sharp and pungent, assails your nostrils. A sensation of warmth surges through your frozen limbs. Then, an instant later, you strike solid ground with such a suddenness that you are left stunned and panting for breath.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table (if you pick 0 it counts as 10). The number you have picked represents the number of ENDURANCE points you have lost during your passage through the Shadow Gate. Adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

  Turn to 20.

  2

  You throw the Fireseed against the wall of the tomb and it bursts into flame, showering the Chaos-creatures with splinters of stone and motes of red fire. Now they screech and squeal and rip each other to pieces in their panic to avoid the searing flames. The Fireseed has saved you from their initial attack but you sense that it is just a temporary reprieve. The whole area is saturated with hundreds of their kind and if you stay here you will be overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers. Reluctantly you are forced back to the Grand Sepulchre and the three tentacled horrors that command its entrance.

  Turn to 34.

  3

  Using your Kai skill you command the sinister reptilian to halt and return to its lair. Immediately, the rustle of its scaly body ceases: it is losing interest now that it can no longer detect your scent. It turns and slithers away, and you hurry up the stairs towards the surface.

  Turn to 70.

  4

  You leave Serocca's chamber and follow T'uk T'ron as he leads you out of the tower and along a busy street towards the city's main square. Three gleaming bronze chariots, each drawn by a team of strange, horse-like creatures called onipa, are ready and waiting to take you to Tolakos. With the Ookor captain you climb aboard the leading chariot and grab the hand-rail as its driver cracks his whip. The onipa surge forward and, in a cloud of thick dust, the chariots race out of the city and along a stony road that cuts through the centre of the valley beyond.

  Three hours pass before you catch sight of a village on the road ahead. T'uk T'ron grins and points repeatedly at his open mouth. ‘You want eat here?’ he says, shouting to make himself heard above the incessant rattling of the chariot wheels.

  If you wish to stop at the Ookor village for a meal, turn to 124.

  If you wish to press on to Tolakos without stopping, turn to 258.

  5

  Your new scout's name is Arke, a wiry Meledorian with steely grey hair and a lean, scraggy face. He is an expert woodsman and with his help you are able to avoid all contact with marauding remnants of the chaos-horde. The journey to the edge of the Plain of Guakor takes nearly 100 hours, during which time you are able to conserve your food supplies by living off the land. In fact, so bountiful is the Nahgoth Forest that you are able to gather a surplus of food equivalent to 3 Meals (if you wish to keep any of this surplus food, adjust your Action Chart accordingly).

  You share a meal with Arke and bid him farewell (you do not need to erase a Meal from your Action Chart). Then you check your equipment and consult your map before setting off with trepidation across the barren Plain of Guakor.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–6, turn to 202.

  If it is 7–9, turn to 318.

  6

  Puzzled by its purpose, you step back from the monolith in order to look at it in its entirety. You have taken less than a dozen steps when you hear the rustle of foliage: you are not alone.

  Turn to 343.

  7

  Filling the alcoves and lying on tables of solid silver in the centre of the vault are huge piles of jewels, precious metals, and artefacts of breathtaking beauty. Never have you seen a wealth to rival the hoard surrounding you here. Open-mouthed you wander between the tables, sifting and examining those objects that outshine the vivid brilliance of the rest. One unique item in particular fires your admiration — a mighty broadsword set with rubies, emeralds, and polished korlinium. Its size and weight are perfectly balanced, and, as you raise it above your head, it hums with a potent magical force locked within its mirror-bright blade.

  If you wish to keep this Ironheart Broadsword, mark it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry strapped across your back.

  Turn to 251.

  8

  You raise the sword and essay a cut or two to assess its worth. It is a fine weapon, skilfully crafted by an expert smith. Its hilt is bejewelled with emeralds and the curvy blade is engraved with a spectacular fiery dragon. At once you recognize the design and your hopes of retrieving the last Lorestone are revived. It is identical to the symbol you first saw in the Table of Visions: the mark that emblazoned the stone gate of Haagadar.

  You focus your Kai skills on the blade and they confirm your suspicions. The scarlet warrior came from Haagadar, and it is to that distant city that his black-winged mount is now returning with the last Lorestone of Nyxator.

  Turn to 246.

  9

  You search for a solution that will break the spell of holding that secures the door, but your senses tell you that you lack the means to overcome this alien magic. Reluctantly you turn your back on the door and consider your next course of action.

  If you wish to investigate the adjoining room, turn to 170.

  If you choose to remain in the room, turn to 219.

  10

  The hack of weapons and the ghastly howls of the attacking Chaos-creatures grow louder. The battle noise, especially the dying screams of the Ookor, play upon your mind as you run for the safety of the hills. When eventually you reach the first ridge, you look back at the bridge guiltily in the hope of seeing T'uk T'ron and his guards victorious. But your hope is in vain, for the only creatures alive and triumphant are the grey horde now feasting ghoulishly on the slain.

  Remorse clouds your mind and your senses give no forewarning of the menace skulking nearby. From behind a moss-covered boulder emerge six hideous monstrosities, crouched and snarling, each with the fire of chaos burning in their evil eyes. With a blood-curdling yowl they fall upon you and drag you to your knees.

  Agtah Pack: COMBAT SKILL 34 ENDURANCE 40

  These creatures are immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). Owing to the surprise and ferocity of their attack, you are unable to unsheathe a weapon and must fight the first two rounds of combat unarmed.

  If you win the combat, turn to 114.

  11

  The pain fades but it is replaced by a fearful numbness that drains the strength from your limbs. Odel's face and the canopy of dense branches swirl and grow dim as the toxins of the deadly orange Khetu Spore buds poison your blood. You sink into a deep sleep — a sleep from which you will never awaken.

  Your life and your quest end here.

  12

  Hastily you tip your provisions onto the wet, flagstoned floor and run up the stairs as fast as your legs will carry you. Your quick thinking pays off: the gigantic sewer snake stops to consume your food, enabling you to escape.

  Turn to 70.

  13

  Drawing on your Kai skill you command the waking reptilian to close its eyes and go back to sleep. But the creature is ravenously hungry and, despite your success at masking your body scent, it begins to edge forward in preparation for attack.

  Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add 1 point to this number for every Magnakai Discipline you possess.

  If your total is now 8 or less, turn to 271.

  If it is 9 or more, turn to 199.

  14

  You inscribe the symbol and suddenly a blast of cold vapour hits you squarely in the face. You choke and retch as the bitter, poisonous gas seeps into your lungs.

  If you possess the Magnakai Discipline of Curing and have reached the Kai rank of Mentora or higher, turn to 223.

&n
bsp; If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to reach this level of Magnakai training, turn to 99.

  15

  The scouts spin on their heels to face you, raising their forearms in reflex action at your sudden appearance. ‘Hold it!’ snaps one of them to his companions, who are both on the verge of firing their weapons. ‘He could be the one.’

  Warily they approach and demand that you identify yourself. You tell them who you are and suggest that they look in your pocket if they require proof that you speak the truth. Gingerly, one steps forward.

  Turn to 87.

  16

  The stumpy little Ookor takes a rapid step backwards when you tell him you do not come from Meledor. Nervously his followers close around him and raise their spears, forming a defensive wall to protect their leader. You assure them that you mean no harm and try to explain how you arrived in their land, but fear and suspicion cloud their eyes until you mention Serocca, the name of the one whose help you seek.

  ‘Very well,’ says L'yan-K'ril, pensively. ‘We will take you to Serocca, if that is truly your wish.’

  Turn to 35.