You are a Grand Master of the New Order of the Kai—the warrior élite of Sommerlund.
It is the year MS 5083, thirty-three years after the First Order of the Kai was almost wiped out by the Darklords of Helgedad. These champions of evil, who were sent by the Dark God Naar to destroy your fertile world of Magnamund, have since been destroyed. Lone Wolf, the leader of your illustrious fighting order, was the sole survivor of the massacre. As a young Kai initiate he stood amidst the burning wreckage of the old Kai Monastery and vowed to avenge the slaughter of his comrades. In the year MS 5070 he kept his pledge when alone he infiltrated the foul domain of the Darklords and destroyed the infernal city of Helgedad, the base of their evil power.
With the fall of Helgedad, chaos befell the Darkland armies who had, until then, been poised to conquer all Magnamund. Quickly their disorder escalated into a mutinous civil war which allowed the Freeland Alliance armies of Magnamund time in which to recover and launch a successful counter-offensive. Against all odds, a swift and total victory was secured over the feuding armies of evil.
Following the demise of the Darklords, peace reigned in your homeland of Sommerlund. Under the direction of Lone Wolf the ruined Monastery of the Kai was rebuilt and restored to its former glory, and the raising of a New Order of Kai warriors was swiftly established. You are one of this new generation of Kai recruits. You were born in Sommerlund in the year MS 5063, during the time of the war against the Darklords. When you were seven years old you were sent by your father to the Kai Monastery. There, under the tutelage of Lone Wolf, you developed your martial skills and honed the special Kai abilities which lay dormant within you. During the years that followed, your skills were nurtured and sharpened to perfection by long hours of study and rigorous training. Your exceptional talent helped you master all of the Kai and Magnakai Disciplines, and you rose swiftly through the ranks of the New Order to become one of only five who now hold the high rank of Kai Grand Master. It is an achievement which has brought great honour upon you and your family.
In the year MS 5077 your skill and courage were put to the test when an attack was launched upon the Kai Monastery during Lone Wolf’s absence. By means of a Shadow Gate (an astral corridor between the physical world of Magnamund and the many ethereal domains which lie beyond it), Naar sent forth a host of dragon-creatures to besiege the monastery and lay waste to all Sommerlund. He had chosen his time well, yet his evil plan was thwarted by the tenacious defence that you and your brethren maintained until the siege was raised by Lone Wolf and the King’s Army of Sommerlund.
During the six years that have elapsed since the defeat of his minions, Naar has endeavoured to enact his vengeance upon the Kai. He commands many agents of evil upon Magnamund, and quietly they wait in the shadows for the day when they can serve their fell master. One such agent was Baron Sadanzo of Siyen. The Kingdom of Siyen is one of the richest countries in the continent of Southern Magnamund, and it is also one of Sommerlund’s oldest allies. Sadanzo had its ruler, King Oridon, brutally assassinated so that he could lay claim to the throne in the absence of Prince Karvas, Oridon’s only son, who lived in exile upon the remote Isle of Sheasu. The Baron was a disciple of Naar and he possessed a sorcerous power that had turned the minds of the Siyenese Court to his will. By use of sorcery he made them support his ascendance to the throne. It was a dangerous threat to Siyen, yet all was not lost. The constitution of Siyen decreed that Prince Karvas had, upon the death of his father, 60 days in which to lay claim to his rightful heritage. Only if he failed to return in time would Sadanzo be elected the new King.
Lone Wolf promised to prevent Baron Sadanzo from usurping the throne, but it was a pledge that only you could fulfil. At the time of King Oridon’s assassination, you were engaged upon a mission in Southern Magnamund and were closer to the Isle of Sheasu than any other Kai. Upon successful completion of your mission, Lone Wolf ordered you to forgo your return to the Kai Monastery and journey instead to Sheasu to seek out the exiled Prince. Your new mission was to find Karvas and escort him safely home in time to claim his throne and thwart Sadanzo’s plan. Despite great adversity you succeeded; Prince Karvas was duly elected King and the evil Baron Sadanzo and his followers were put to the sword. In recognition of your courage and your invaluable help in saving his realm from Sadanzo’s tyranny, the newly-crowned King Karvas made you an honourable Knight of Siyen. He also placed Golden Star, his royal sailing ship, at your disposal to help speed your return home to Holmgard—the Sommlending capital.
Shortly after dawn on a cool mid-autumn morning, the sleek royal Siyenese clipper glided into Holmgard harbour. Despite the early hour, an escort of the King’s Guard were standing by in readiness to convey you by carriage directly to the Kai Monastery where you were greeted and warmly congratulated by your fellow Grand Masters. You also received glowing praise from Supreme Master Lone Wolf for successfully completing your missions and for upholding the finest traditions of the Kai. It felt good to be home after so many months abroad and you were looking forward to settling back into the routine of the monastery. But your hopes were soon dashed when, later that day, you were summoned by Lone Wolf to a private audience with him in his chambers. The news he had to impart came as an unexpected shock.
‘We must prepare for a crusade, Grand Master,’ he said, as he unfurled a large vellum map of central Magnamund and spread it upon the granite floor of his vaulted chamber. ‘War rages anew in the Stornlands, and its ravenous flames threaten to devour our allies within the Freeland Alliance.’
Lone Wolf unsheathed his mighty sword—Sommerswerd—and, using the tip of its golden blade, he pointed to a landlocked realm west of the great River Storn. ‘This is Eldenora, the source of the problems we must face. Since the fall of its former ruler, Prince Lutha, a new lordling has arisen to snatch the reins of this lawless realm. He is not of noble birth, yet he has crushed all royal opposition and taken upon himself the title Lord Vandyan of Eldenora. Earlier this year he swelled the ranks of his army with regiments of Magadorian and Ogian mercenaries. After having falsely accused his peaceful neighbour—Delden—of violating Eldenoran territory, he stationed these mercenaries along his northern border. When Delden mustered its army to counter the threat, Vandyan accused them of aggression and promptly declared war. The campaign was swift and brutal; Delden’s army was broken in battle and its people are now enslaved by this tyrant. Emboldened by his martial success, Vandyan carried the war further afield. Magador, its defences already weakened by the defection to Eldenora of its best mercenary regiments, was the next to crumble. By mid-summer Vandyan’s army had crossed the River Storn and captured Salony. Word reached us from neighbouring Lyris that a steady stream of fresh troops were arriving from Eldenora to bolster the ranks of its occupying armies. Clearly Lyris, with its ancient city of Varetta, was the next jewel to be added to Vandyan’s shameful crown of conquest.’
Lone Wolf interrupted the briefing to open a door to an adjoining antechamber, and through this doorway shuffled an old man clad in a hooded robe of dyed brown linen. ‘May I introduce you to Gwynian the Sage,’ said Lone Wolf, reverently. ‘He has travelled from Varetta to seek our aid.’
The name Gwynian was well known to you, for this wise sage had helped Lone Wolf on many occasions in the past and his name was revered by the Kai. But this was the first time you had met him in person and you felt greatly honoured. In turn, Gwynian praised you for the victories you had achieved since becoming a Kai Grand Master. Upon Lone Wolf’s invitation, he approached the map and took over the briefing.
‘Since my arrival here, sadly I have learned that my beloved city of Varetta is besieged by Vandyan’s horde,’ he said, with quiet solemnity. ‘Lone Wolf has already told you that the Eldenorans are receiving a constant supply of reinforcements. This fact alone would be of grave concern, but it is the nature of these troops that disturbs us more. They are neither human nor mercenaries. They are Vorka, a fighting breed of Agarashi that became extinct following the destruction of their master—Agarash the Damned—several millennia ago…or so we had believed. Now the Vorka have reappeared in great numbers. They are armed, trained, and utterly subservient to the commands of Lord Vandyan.’
As Gwynian continued the briefing, you learned that the war had escalated greatly since the arrival of the Vorka. To the south, Eldenoran armies had seized the city of Tekaro and were marching across the Slovarian Plain, driving the battle-weary Slovians before them. To the west, Vandyan’s armies had invaded Palmyrion and were within reach of Vanamor, the capital. Lone Wolf informed you that Guildmaster Banedon had travelled to Palmyrion by skyship to assist its ruler, Elector Manatine, muster his country’s defences. With his help the Palmyrions were holding the enemy at bay, but with hundreds of Vorka reinforcements arriving unchecked, it was simply a matter of time before Vanamor would be overrun.
‘The Vorka are the key to Vandyan’s military successes,’ said Lone Wolf. ‘If we are to defeat him and save our allies, then we must cut off his reinforcements at the source.’
‘This is so,’ replied Gwynian, ‘and we do know from where the Vorka have sprung.’ The sage stooped and pointed with a gnarled finger at the middle of the vellum map. ‘Our agents have reported they come from here…Duadon. It is the Eldenoran capital. Thousands of Vorka have been observed marching out from this walled city to bolster Vandyan’s armies in the field, yet no Vorka have ever been seen entering the city from elsewhere. This can mean but one thing: the Vorka horde is being created somewhere within Duadon itself.’
‘But how?’ you asked, incredulously. ‘Is Vandyan a great sorcerer?’
‘No, he is not a sorcerer, great or otherwise,’ replied Gwynian, knowingly. ‘But he has discovered an ancient force that was thought to be lost forever. There is only one power in Magnamund capable of creating the Vorka: the power of the runes. Vandyan has discovered the lost Runes of Agarash the Damned.’
Gwynian told of how, millennia ago, Agarash the Damned had battled with the Elder Magi in a war that had lasted for more than a thousand years. Nearing the end of this epic confrontation, as his vitality waned against the goodly magic of the Elder Magi, the evil Agarash encapsulated the essence of his remaining powers into tablets of obsidian and crystals of jet. Agarash knew that he was doomed, but if he were able to preserve some of his powers in this way, so that they could be used by future disciples of Naar upon Magnamund, then the legacy of his terrible rule would survive beyond him. Three obsidian tablets were engraved with marks, or runes, to distinguish their fell origin, while a further seven crystals were fashioned into likenesses of the Kai Lorestones and called Doomstones in mockery of those goodly gems of power.
‘Since the demise of Agarash, some of the Doomstones have surfaced to ensnare and empower Naar’s lowly agents,’ said Gwynian. ‘But the Doomstones cannot create Vorka. Only the runes hold this power. It has long been believed that they perished with Agarash himself in the destruction of Naaros, his legendary stronghold. Now, it seems, they have finally surfaced once more…and have fallen into the hands of Lord Vandyan.’
Lone Wolf vowed that he would help Gwynian raise the siege of Varetta and secure for him the freedom of Lyris. The New Order Kai were told to prepare for a crusade against Eldenora, and valuable help was provided by High-Mayor Kordas of Casiorn. At his own expense, this rich merchant ruler raised an army of mercenaries in Anari, Firalond, and Kakush, and he sent them to the town of Quarlen to prevent the enemy from crossing the River Quarl. These mercenaries are skilled soldiers and have been paid handsomely, but they lack gifted leaders. It was agreed that the Kai would provide this leadership, with Kai Grand Masters and lesser ranks assuming command of mercenary regiments upon their arrival in Quarlen.
‘Three days hence, we begin the ride to Quarlen,’ said Lone Wolf. ‘Armed with our knowledge, our courage, and our Disciplines, I vow we Kai shall turn back the tide of evil that now threatens to consume our allies.’
You keep a record of your adventure on the Action Chart.
During the years you have spent in training at the Kai Monastery, you have devoted yourself to further developing your fighting prowess (COMBAT SKILL) and physical stamina (ENDURANCE). Before you begin this New Order adventure you need to measure how effective your training has been. To do this take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point the blunt end of it onto the Random Number Table. If you pick a 0 it counts as zero.
The first number that you pick from the Random Number Table in this way represents your COMBAT SKILL. Add 25 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 7 in the Random Number Table you would write in a COMBAT SKILL of 32). When you fight, your COMBAT SKILL will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore desirable.
The second number that you pick from the Random Number Table represents your powers of ENDURANCE. Add 30 to this number and write the total in the ENDURANCE section of your Action Chart (i.e. if your pencil fell on the number 8 on the Random Number Table you would have 38 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 cannot rise above the number you have when you start an adventure.
If you have successfully completed previous adventures in the Lone Wolf New Order series (Books 21–23), you can carry your current scores of COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points over to this adventure. You may also carry over any Special Items, Kai Weapon, normal Weapons, and Backpack Items you had in your possession at the end of your last adventure, and these should be entered on your new Action Chart.
Playing Tip: You may use a 10-sided die instead of the Random Number Table if you find it more convenient.
It has long been the tradition of your élite warrior caste to bestow a new name upon each young novice when they complete their first year’s training at the Kai Monastery. Kai names are chosen by senior Kai Masters with the aim of reflecting the individual strengths and qualities of each novice.
You may create your own Kai name for yourself, or you can generate a Kai name at random using the name tables below. To generate a Kai name, pick a number from the Random Number Table and consult Table A. The name which corresponds to the number you have picked is the first part, or prefix, of your Kai name. Now pick a second number from the Random Number Table and consult Table B. The name which corresponds to the number you have picked is the second part, or suffix, of your Kai name. Put the prefix and the suffix together and you have your own personal Kai name.
| Table A | Table B | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Kai name prefix) | (Kai name suffix) | |||
| 0 = | Swift | 0 = | Blade | |
| 1 = | Sun | 1 = | Fire | |
| 2 = | True | 2 = | Hawk | |
| 3 = | Bold | 3 = | Heart | |
| 4 = | Moon | 4 = | Friend | |
| 5 = | Sword | 5 = | Star | |
| 6 = | Wise | 6 = | Dancer | |
| 7 = | Storm | 7 = | Helm | |
| 8 = | Rune | 8 = | Strider | |
| 9 = | Brave | 9 = | Shield | |
During your distinguished rise to the ranks of the New Order of Kai Grand Masters, you have become proficient in all of the basic Kai and Magnakai Disciplines. These Disciplines provide you with a formidable arsenal of natural abilities which will serve you well. A brief summary of your skills is given below:
After years of martial training and study at the Kai Monastery, and by the rigorous practice of the teachings of your illustrious mentor—Kai Supreme Master Lone Wolf—you have achieved the noble rank of Kai Grand Master Senior.
Following in the footsteps of Lone Wolf himself, you have vowed that one day you will become totally proficient in all 16 of the New Order Kai Grand Master Disciplines. By doing so successfully you will share with Lone Wolf the responsibility, the honour, and the future glory of leading the New Order Kai as a Supreme Master.
If this is the first New Order adventure you have undertaken, then your present rank is that of Kai Grand Master Senior. This means that you have mastered five of the New Order Grand Master Disciplines listed below. It is for you to decide which five Disciplines these are. As all of the New Order Grand Master Disciplines may be of use to you at some point during your mission, pick these five skills with care. The correct use of a New Order Grand Master Discipline at the right time could save your life. When you have chosen your five Disciplines, enter them in the Grand Master Disciplines section of your Action Chart.
![[illustration]](24/wpnmast.png)
This Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to become supremely efficient in the use of all weapons. When you enter combat armed with one of your Grand Master weapons, you may add 5 points to your COMBAT SKILL. The rank of Kai Grand Master Senior, with which you begin the New Order series, means that you are skilled in the use of one of the weapons listed below.
![[illustration]](24/weapons.png)
For every adventure that you complete successfully in the New Order series while possessing the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery, you will gain proficiency with one additional weapon.
If you have the Discipline of Grand Weaponmastery with Bow, you may add 5 points to any number you pick from the Random Number Table, when using the Bow.
![[illustration]](24/anmlmast.png)
New Order Grand Masters have considerable control over hostile, non-sentient creatures. Also, they have the ability to converse with birds and fishes, and use them as guides.
![[illustration]](24/delvrance.png)
New Order Grand Masters are able to use their healing power to repair serious battle-wounds. If, while in combat, their ENDURANCE is reduced to 8 points or less, they can draw upon their mastery to restore 20 ENDURANCE points. This emergency ability can only be used once every 20 days.
![[illustration]](24/assmlnce.png)
New Order Grand Masters are able to effect striking changes to their physical appearance, and maintain these changes over a period of one to three days. They have also mastered advanced camouflage techniques which make them virtually undetectable in an open landscape.
![[illustration]](24/huntmstr.png)
New Order Grand Masters are able to see in total darkness and they possess great natural speed and agility. They also have a superb sense of touch and taste. If you have chosen the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery as one of your skills, you will not need to tick off a Meal when instructed to eat.
![[illustration]](24/pathsmn.png)
New Order Grand Masters are able to resist entrapment by hostile plants. Also they have a super-awareness of ambush, or the threat of ambush, in woods and dense forests.
![[illustration]](24/ksurge.png)
When using their psychic ability to attack an enemy, New Order Grand Masters may add 8 points to their COMBAT SKILL. For every round in which Kai-surge is used, they need only deduct 1 ENDURANCE point. Grand Masters have the option of using a weaker form of psychic attack called Mindblast. When using this lesser attack, they may add 4 points to their COMBAT SKILL without loss of ENDURANCE points (Kai-surge and Mindblast cannot be used simultaneously). New Order Grand Masters cannot use Kai-surge if their ENDURANCE score falls to 6 points or below.
![[illustration]](24/kscreen.png)
During psychic combat, New Order Grand Masters are able to construct mind-fortresses capable of protecting themselves and others. The strength and capacity of these fortresses increase as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
![[illustration]](24/nexus.png)
New Order Grand Masters are able to withstand contact with harmful elements, such as flames and acids, for upwards of an hour in duration. This ability increases as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
![[illustration]](24/telegnss.png)
This Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to spirit-walk for far greater lengths of time, and with far fewer ill effects. Duration of the spirit-walk and the protection afforded to his inanimate body increase as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
![[illustration]](24/magimagc.png)
Under the tutelage of Lone Wolf, you have been able to master the rudimentary skills of Old Kingdom battle-magic. These arcane skills include the use of basic Old Kingdom Spells, such as Shield, Power Word, and Invisible Fist. As you advance in rank, so will your knowledge and mastery of Old Kingdom magic increase.
![[illustration]](24/alchemy.png)
Under the tutelage of Lone Wolf and Guildmaster Banedon (the leader of Sommerlund’s Guild of Magicians), you have mastered the elementary spells of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star. These spells include Lightning Hand, Levitation, and Mind Charm. As you advance in rank, so will your knowledge and mastery of Brotherhood magic increase.
![[illustration]](24/astrolgy.png)
The celestial bodies which occupy the skies above Magnamund have long been known to affect the lives of its inhabitants. Mastery of this Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to predict and shape the future by studying the relative positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the myriad planets and stars. The number and accuracy of these predictions increase as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
![[illustration]](24/herblism.png)
Mastery of this New Order Discipline enables a Grand Master to identify readily any substance derived from living or growing organic material. He is aware of any secret uses to which an organic material may be put, and he is skilled in effecting the release of a substance’s medicinal and/or magical properties.
![[illustration]](24/elmntlsm.png)
This Discipline enables a New Order Grand Master to manipulate the four basic elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. By drawing upon individual elements that are available, or combinations thereof, he is able to detach, affix, increase, concentrate, intensify, remove, or accelerate this matter to fulfil a specific purpose, e.g. create a wall, hurl a rock, spray sand, remove air, intensify fire. The versatility of this Discipline increases as a New Order Grand Master advances in rank.
![[illustration]](24/bard.png)
Through mastery of this Discipline a Kai Grand Master of the New Order becomes a multi-talented performer, proficient in the use of any musical instrument. He is able to sing or chant, recite or compose tales of legend, mimic speech or dialect, and stimulate a wide range of emotions among sentient creatures. The effect and power of his bardic abilities will steadily increase as he advances through the Grand Master ranks.
If you successfully complete the mission as set in Book 24 of the Lone Wolf New Order series, you may add a further Grand Master Discipline of your choice to your Action Chart in Book 25. For every Grand Master Discipline you possess, in excess of the original five Disciplines you begin with, you may add 1 point to your basic COMBAT SKILL score and 2 points to your basic ENDURANCE points score. These bonus points, together with your extra Grand Master Discipline(s), your original five Grand Master Disciplines, your Kai Weapon, and any other Special Items and Backpack Items that you have found and been able to keep during your adventures, may then be carried over and used in the next New Order adventure, which is called: Trail of the Wolf.
Before you leave the Kai Monastery and commence the crusade upon Duadon, you take with you a map of the central Stornlands and a pouch of gold. To find out how much gold is in the pouch, pick a number from the Random Number Table and add 20 to the number you have picked. The total equals the number of Gold Crowns inside the pouch, and you should now enter this number in the ‘Gold Crowns’ section of your Action Chart.
If you have successfully completed previous New Order adventures (Books 21–23), you may add this sum to the number of Crowns you already possess. Fifty is the maximum number of Gold Crowns you can carry in your pouch at any time. You may also select five items from the list below, only two of which may be Weapons.
![[illustration]](24/axe.png)
![[illustration]](24/sword.png)
![[illustration]](24/quiver.png)
![[illustration]](24/lute.png)
![[illustration]](24/dagger.png)
![[illustration]](24/bow.png)
![[illustration]](24/food.png)
![[illustration]](24/rope.png)
![[illustration]](24/potion.png)
![[illustration]](24/bsword.png)
List the five items that you have chosen on your Action Chart, under the appropriate headings, and make a note of any effect that they may have on your ENDURANCE points and/or COMBAT SKILL.
Upon reaching the ultimate rank of Kai Supreme Master, Lone Wolf received as a reward from the God Kai many new skills and abilities. One of these skills was Kai Weaponcraft. Using his newfound mastery, Lone Wolf forged ten weapons of magical power in the armoury furnaces of the Kai Monastery. These magical weapons are reserved for the élite of the New Order Kai who attain the rank of Grand Master.
In recognition of your rank and achievement, you may choose your own Kai Weapon from the table below or, if you prefer, you can generate one at random. To generate a Kai Weapon, pick a number from the Random Number Table and consult the first column. The magical Axe, Sword, or Broadsword which corresponds to the number you have picked will be your own personal Kai Weapon. Record this magical weapon and its unique properties in the Kai Weapon section of the Special Items List.
Example
Say you choose the number 1 from the Random Number Table, your Kai Weapon will be the Axe ‘Alema’.
When using this Kai Weapon in normal combat you may add +5 points to your COMBAT SKILL. Each Kai Weapon has a unique property. When you use your Kai Weapon in combat against the type of enemy that matches its unique property, or use it at the optimum time or location, then you may add the higher bonus to your COMBAT SKILL (these bonuses are not cumulative).
Example
If you were to use ‘Alema’ in combat against an undead enemy, you could add the higher bonus of +7 to your COMBAT SKILL. If you were to fight a living enemy using this weapon then the bonus to your COMBAT SKILL would remain at +5.
| Kai Weapon Table | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RN | Weapon Type | Weapon Name | CS | Unique Properties | CS |
| 0 | Axe | ‘Spawnsmite’ | +5 | versus reptilian enemies | +6 |
| 1 | Axe | ‘Alema’ | +5 | versus undead enemies | +7 |
| 2 | Axe | ‘Magnara’ | +5 | versus rock or stone | +8 |
| 3 | Sword | ‘Sunstrike’ | +5 | when used in daylight | +6 |
| 4 | Sword | ‘Kaistar’ | +5 | when used at night | +7 |
| 5 | Sword | ‘Valiance’ | +5 | when used against magicians or creatures born of magic | +8 |
| 6 | Sword | ‘Ulnarias’ | +5 | when used underwater | +9 |
| 7 | Broadsword | ‘Raumas’ | +5 | versus winged enemies | +6 |
| 8 | Broadsword | ‘Illuminatus’ | +5 | when used underground | +7 |
| 9 | Broadsword | ‘Firefall’ | +5 | versus fire-emitting enemies | +8 |
| RN = Random Number | CS = COMBAT SKILL | ||||
There will be occasions during your adventure when you will have to fight an enemy. The enemy’s COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE points are given in the text. Your aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his ENDURANCE points to zero while losing as few ENDURANCE points as possible yourself.
At the start of a combat, enter your own 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:
This process of combat continues until the ENDURANCE points of either your enemy or yourself are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If you are declared dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, you can proceed but with your 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 you may lose ENDURANCE points during that round (such is the risk of turning tail and running away during combat!). 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 you can achieve at each stage of your journey along the road of Kai Grand Mastership. As you successfully complete each adventure in the New Order series, you will gain an additional Grand Master Discipline and progress towards the pinnacle of Kai perfection—to become a Kai Supreme Master.
As you rise through the higher levels of Grand Mastery you will find that your Disciplines will steadily improve.
If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Kai Grand Master Superior, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Kai Grand Sentinel, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Kai Grand Defender, you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:
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.
You are about to embark upon a crusade against Lord Vandyan of Eldenora, a cruel tyrant who draws his power from runes created long ago by Agarash the Damned—the first champion of the Dark God Naar. The evil power of these ancient stones must be destroyed, and quickly, if Vandyan is to be prevented from enslaving the free kingdoms of Northern Magnamund.
During your quest, some of the material items that you will encounter will be of use to you, yet others may be red herrings of no real value at all. If you discover items during your travels, be selective of what you choose to keep. Pick your five 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 1–23) 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!