Trail of the Wolf Page 4

  Telegnosis

  By use of this Discipline, a Kai Grand Defender is able to locate a known or familiar material object. Initially the range of this ability is limited to a 15-foot radius, however this distance steadily increases as a Kai Grand Master advances in rank.

  Astrology

  Kai Grand Defenders who possess this Discipline are skilled in the use of all common astrological devices used to predict future events. Such devices include cards, dice, and crystal spheres.

  Herbmastery

  Kai Grand Defenders who possess this Discipline are able to neutralize any poisonous toxins that may be present in organic materials such as plants, berries, and fruits. Through the use of this skill, the transformation of toxins can sometimes result in an increase in ENDURANCE and/or COMBAT SKILL when the previously poisonous matter is swallowed.

  Elementalism

  By using this Discipline, Kai Grand Defenders are able to summon up a dense, misty vapour to obscure themselves from both normal vision and infravision (night sight). This mist will occur within 5 feet of the Kai Grand Defender and will last for three to five minutes. Range and duration increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.

  Bardsmanship

  Kai Grand Defenders who possess this Discipline are able to use their musical skills to pacify (and/or implant a suggestion into the mind of) an intelligent creature within audible range. This improved Discipline is similar in effect to the Brotherhood Spell Mind Charm (Kai-alchemy).

  Kai Grand Guardian

  If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Kai Grand Guardian, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:

  Assimilance

  Kai Grand Guardians who possess this skill are able to summon a cloud of fog-like vapour within 15 yards of their location. This fog will obscure both normal vision and infravision. The duration of the fog increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.

  Herbmastery

  Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to use their advanced knowledge of Herbmastery to produce explosive compounds from simple organic materials.

  Elementalism

  Through the use of this Discipline, Kai Grand Guardians are able to protect themselves from the effects of storm-force winds by creating a sphere of calm air around their bodies. Initially this protective bubble lasts for one minute, but duration steadily increases as a Grand Master ascends in Kai rank.

  Grand Huntmastery

  Kai Grand Guardians with this skill enjoy increased mobility when travelling across all types of terrain, whether on foot or on horseback. This improved ability can be very useful when used to outdistance a pursuing enemy.

  Kai-surge

  Kai Grand Guardians who possess mastery of this Discipline are able to attack up to three enemies in psychic combat simultaneously.

  Kai-screen

  Kai Grand Guardians who possess this Discipline are able to exercise a defensive psychic skill known as Mindblend. This cloaking ability enables a Kai Grand Guardian to protect their mind and also prevent it from being detected by a hostile psychic probe.

  Magi-magic

  Grand Masters who have reached the rank of Kai Grand Guardian are able to use the following battle-spells of the Elder Magi:

  Splinter — This causes breakable items such as bottles, jugs, mirrors, windows, etc., to shatter to pieces. The range of this spell increases as a Grand Master rises in rank.

  Flameshaft — This causes the tip of any Arrow, or Arrow-like missile, to burn fiercely with a magical flame which cannot readily be extinguished by normal means.

  The nature of additional improvements and how they affect your existing Grand Master Disciplines will be noted in the Improved Grand Master Disciplines section of future Lone Wolf New Order books.

  New Order Wisdom

  The success of your mission to find and free your illustrious leader is one of vital importance. Lone Wolf's abductor is a powerful and formidable adversary, and your search will be fraught with danger at every turn. Be wary and on your guard at all times during your exploration of Gazad Helkona.

  During your search, some of the material items that you will encounter will be of use to you, but some may be red herrings of no real value at all. If you discover items during your mission, be selective in what you choose to keep. Pick your four Grand Master Disciplines with care for a wise choice will enable anyone to complete the quest, no matter how weak their initial COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE scores may be. Completion of previous Lone Wolf adventures (Books 1–24) may be advantageous, but it is not essential for the successful completion of this New Order adventure.

  Grand Master — may the light of the Gods Kai and Ishir guide you safely during your mission.

  For Sommerlund and the Kai!

  1

  You decide to begin your air voyage to the Shezar Hills at first light the following day. In the few hours which remain before dawn, both you and Banedon make final preparations for the long journey west. You summon to your chambers Winter Oak, a Kai Archmaster, and tell him of the mission you are about to undertake at daybreak. He is the most senior member of the garrison and you place him in command during your absence. The Kai crusaders are expected to arrive in two days' time, and it will be his duty to inform them of your whereabouts and to keep the monastery safe until you and Lone Wolf return.

  Having completed your preparations, you sleep for a few hours and rise shortly before dawn. Lord Rimoah escorts you to the monastery training park where, hovering above, you see the sleek hull of Cloud-dancer glinting in the moonlight. Rimoah has chosen not to accompany you on the voyage. Instead, he will remain here at the monastery and maintain contact with Banedon by means of a seeing stone. One of the ship's lookouts sees you crossing the park below and he orders a boarding cage to be lowered from the stern deck. As you wait for it to touch the ground, Rimoah takes from his pocket a sigil of platinum fixed upon a loop of braided twine. He presses the amulet into your hand and insists that you wear it at all times.

  ‘It is an artefact imbued with Old Kingdom magic,’ he says, sagely. ‘It has protective powers that may help you when you enter Gazad Helkona. Lone Wolf possesses a similar sigil, and I am sure that it has helped him to resist Zorkaan thus far.’

  You accept the sigil and slip its braided noose over your head. (Record this Platinum Amulet on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you wear around your neck. You need not discard another Special Item in its favour if you already hold the maximum number permissible.)

  To continue, turn to 282.

  2

  The nearest bandit tugs at his sword. You beat him to the draw and lunge at his chest with your Kai Weapon, running him through. He sways on his feet, his knuckles white on his sword hilt; then his strength fades and he keels over backwards onto the hard stone floor. The wolfhound yelps and runs off, but the remaining bandit stands his ground.

  ‘Prepare to die, raven-bait!’ he spits, as he unsheathes his heavy blade from its leather scabbard.

  Illustration I—‘Prepare to die, raven-bait!’ spits the bandit, as he unsheathes his heavy blade.

  Wolfhound Handler: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 32

  If you win this combat, turn to 252.

  3

  The Drakkar drops his sword and crashes to his knees. Groaning in agony, his gauntleted fingers scrabbling uselessly at your feathered shaft, he topples backwards and tumbles down the stairs, felling his comrades like skittles as he careers through their ranks. The few who are not bowled over by their leader immediately open fire at you with their crossbows, forcing you to dive for cover behind the parapet. As you crouch beside Lone Wolf, a sudden shriek echoes across the observatory platform, making you glance over your shoulder in fearful anticipation.

  Turn to 264.

  4

  You focus on the trio of bandits in the hall beyond as you muster your formidable psychic powers. A ball of glowing energy slowly takes shape in your mind. When you feel that yo
u can contain it no longer, you launch it at the bandits in three rapid bursts. The men cry out in pain as your psychic attack cuts deeply into the fabric of their minds, leaving them shocked and stunned. Before they can fully recover, you kick open the iron door and burst into the hall with your Kai Weapon raised to strike.

  Hammerland Bandits (in psychic shock): COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE 36

  If you win this combat, turn to 131.

  5

  ‘Thank Ishir you saved us from that hellish device, Sire,’ you gasp, and wipe away the cold sweat that has beaded upon your brow. ‘I fear I could not counter it.’

  The boarding cage is winched up through an aperture in the stern deck of the Cloud-dancer and, as it shudders to a halt, the gate is pulled open. Eager hands help you and Lone Wolf out onto the deck, and Guildmaster Banedon salutes you from his position at the ship's helm. All along the port and starboard rails, his young crewmen are firing at the swooping Kraan with bows and Bor pistols. Their unerring marksmanship soon decimates the enemy's squadron and forces the survivors to abandon their attack. Banedon pulls the helm hard about and, with a resounding cheer from his victorious crew, the Cloud-dancer soars over the fortified wall of Gazad Helkona and speeds away towards the east.

  Turn to 350.

  6

  Beyond the landing lies the entrance to a foul-smelling chamber, its floor littered with bones and scraps of rotting meat. Its walls are embellished with bas-reliefs showing demonic heads and bestial faces, with several humanoid creatures dancing in the background. They are partnered by scaly serpents that rise up from fissures in a volcanic landscape. To the right of the chamber you can see the remains of a granite altar that has been split asunder by some great force. Its riven fragments lie heaped before the entrance to a shadowy alcove. To the left, you see a black iron door with a peephole drilled near its centre. On the floor beside this door is a large wooden chest.

  If you wish to search the chamber, turn to 302.

  If you wish to approach the door and look through the peephole, turn to 223.

  7

  You crash down heavily among the bones and cadavers that litter the necromancer's hall, and a sharp pain shoots through your skull when you strike the back of your head against the hard marble floor: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.

  To continue, turn to 325.

  8

  After several minutes of intense effort, the lock opens with a dull Clunk! Carefully, you push open the door and enter a spacious chamber that is lit by ten globes of flickering white light. They hang suspended in the air with no visible means of support. The walls of this chamber are plastered and decorated with murals that depict the armies of Darklord Chlanzor despoiling the farms and cities of the Freeland Alliance. Standing against the far wall is a throne-like chair, crudely fashioned from a huge block of black marble. Veins of fluorescent purples and greens colour its surface, and the air around it shimmers like a desert haze.

  As you approach this chair, you hear the door slam shut behind you. Instinctively you spin around and you see that there is no lockplate on the inside of the chamber door. Its surface is plastered and entirely smooth; it blends in seamlessly with the painted walls.

  To continue, turn to 90.

  9

  You crouch beside the broken neck of the Kraan and discover a tube of hide attached by a chain to its collar. You flip open the end of the tube and discover that it contains a hollow metal pipe drilled with holes.

  If you possess Bardsmanship, turn to 246.

  If you do not, turn to 165.

  10

  You use your Magnakai Discipline of Curing to help Lone Wolf emerge from his coma and regain consciousness. It is a difficult procedure and it costs you 2 ENDURANCE points, but your sacrifice is not made in vain.

  Turn to 313.

  11

  Warily you explore this narrow tunnel, and as you advance deeper into the darkness, you detect the sickly aroma of mould and decay. Bones crunch beneath your boots and the walls become thickly coated with a pallid grey moss. At length you are brought to a halt when the passage arrives at a dead end. You examine the mossy wall ahead, and your tracking skills help you to uncover a loose brick that conceals a length of rotting cord. You tug this cord and it triggers a hidden counterweight that causes the whole wall to revolve on a central hinge. Squeezing through the narrow gap, you enter a dark chamber that lies beyond. A few moments later, you hear the cogs of the counterweight resetting. Then the secret panel revolves about its hinge and locks behind you.

  Using your infravision, you scan your surroundings and discover that you have entered a hall that is flanked on either side by a row of human skeletons. They stand at attention with their spines pressed against the stone wall, and clasped in their bony hands are rusty polearms of differing type and origin. At the far end of this hall, you can see a pair of stout wooden doors reinforced with strips of polished steel. Cautiously you advance under the sightless gaze of the flanking skeletons, and upon reaching the doors you discover that they are secured by a combination lock. A single dial with a brass pointer is mounted upon a circular plate that is numbered 0 to 200 around its bevelled edge. You place the palm of your hand against the door, and a tingle of excitement runs down your spine when you sense that Lone Wolf is being held captive on the other side of these doors.

  With the help of your Kai Sixth Sense, you determine that the number which will open the combination lock is the same as the solution to the following puzzle.

  If A=1, B=2, C=3 (and so on through the alphabet until you reach Z=26), what is the total numerical value of the fortress of GAZAD HELKONA?

  When you think that you have calculated the total, turn to the section of this book that is the same as your answer.9

  If you calculate incorrectly, or if you are unable to answer this puzzle, turn instead to 183.

  [9] The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.

  12

  The dial clicks into its correct position,10 and the concealed section of the wall creaks open to reveal a dark and narrow passage. You enter this secret tunnel and ascend a long stone ramp to a wider section of the passage, lit faintly by a strange ochre glow. This murky light radiates from clumps of bacteria that are thriving on the dank walls.

  At once you recognize the bacteria to be Gnallia, a benign bacillus that is often used to prevent and cure infections of the blood. The raw bacteria are edible and rich in protein, and there is sufficient here for 5 Meals. If you wish to keep some of this Gnallia, record it in the Meals section of your Action Chart. Each Meal of Gnallia will restore 2 ENDURANCE points.

  At length the passage comes to an end at a narrow door. At your approach, this portal slides open to reveal a winding stone staircase. You step out of the passageway and, as you turn to climb the stairs, you hear the portal sliding shut behind you. Cautiously you ascend the steps until they come to an end at a circular landing.

  Turn to 6.

  [10] This is the correct answer to the combination lock in Section 219.

  13

  You use your Magnakai Curing skills in an urgent attempt to restore Lone Wolf to consciousness. You unbutton the front of his battle-tunic and place your hands on his chest; then you transfer the warmth of your healing powers directly into his body (this use of your Discipline costs you 3 ENDURANCE points). After a few minutes you feel his heartbeat growing stronger, yet before you can complete the healing procedure, you hear the daunting sound of steel-shod boots echoing up the shaft from below. You risk a glance over the parapet of the stairs and you see a dozen armoured Drakkarim emerging from the tunnel at the base of the shaft. As they come running up the stairs, you see that many of them are armed with loaded crossbows.

  Reluctantly you are forced to abandon your attempt to revive Lone Wolf. You heave him across your shoulder and take to the stairs once more, climbing as fast as your aching legs will carry you both towards the observatory roof, 60 feet above. />
  Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

  If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 171.

  If it is 5–9, turn to 320.

  14

  You leap over the bodies of the slain Drakkarim who lie entwined at the bottom of the tower stairs. Anxious that their discovery could lead to your capture, you drag them away from the steps and bundle them into an empty storage cupboard located under the stairs. As you are closing the cupboard door, you notice an iron key hanging from a peg driven into the wall. (If you wish to keep this Iron Key, record it on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item.)

  To continue, turn to 160.

  15

  Biting back the pain of the grit in your eyes, you force yourself along the difficult trail until at last you reach the crest of the hill where are able to take shelter at the rocky knoll. As you settle yourself into a hollow beside a pillar of jagged stone, you are startled by a loud screeching caw echoing in the dark skies above.