You are a Grand Master of the New Order of the Kai—the warrior élite of Sommerlund.
It is early winter in the year MS 5084, thirty-four years since the First Order of the Kai was massacred 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 supreme leader of your illustrious fighting order, was the only survivor of the Darklord attack upon the Kai. As a young initiate he stood amidst the burning wreckage of the old Kai Monastery and vowed to avenge the slaughter of his comrades. Twenty years later 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 destruction 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 enough 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 has reigned in your homeland of Sommerlund. Under the direction of Lone Wolf the ruined Monastery of the Kai has been thoroughly rebuilt and restored to its former glory, and a New Order has been firmly 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. Over the years that followed, your skills were nurtured and sharpened to perfection by long hours of study and rigorous training. Your exceptional talents have helped you to master all of the Kai and Magnakai Disciplines, and you have risen 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 that 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 Sommerlund 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 seven years that have elapsed since the defeat of his minions, Naar has sought vengeance upon the Kai. He commands many agents of evil upon Magnamund, and quietly they wait in the shadows for the day when they may serve their fell master. One such agent was Lord Vandyan of Eldenora. Guided by Naar, Vandyan sought and found three ancient runes of evil. Empowered by his discoveries, Vandyan summoned a vast army of reptilian warriors—the Vorka—which he used to conquer and occupy the lands of his peaceful neighbours. Emboldened by his martial successes, Vandyan overran much of central Magnamund, including the realm of Lyris—one of Sommerlund’s oldest allies. In response to a plea for help from Lyris, Lone Wolf mounted a Kai crusade to raise the Vorka siege of Varetta, its capital city.
During this crusade, you undertook a vital mission behind enemy lines that turned the tide of the whole campaign. Alone, you infiltrated Vandyan’s daunting fortress of Skull-Tor and destroyed the three runes, thereby extinguishing the source of the power by which the Vorka horde were permitted to exist. Vandyan’s army dissolved on the battlefield and the Kai were able to raise the siege of Varetta.
During your mission in Skull-Tor, you discovered that the Vorka were not the only creatures that Vandyan had summoned by the power of the runes. A demonic entity called Zorkaan the Soultaker had also been brought to Magnamund from its lair upon the Plane of Darkness—the ethereal domain of Naar. Having fought and defeated this creature, you believed that it had perished forever when subsequently you smashed the runes. Sadly, this was not so. After celebrating the battlefield victory at Varetta, Lone Wolf ordered you to return in triumph to the Kai Monastery aboard the flying ship Cloud-dancer. He chose to ride with his New Order crusaders and they were expected to arrive home a week later.
After five days, a Kai scout arrived unexpectedly at the monastery with shocking news to impart. Lone Wolf had disappeared. Those who witnessed the abduction said that he was engulfed by a whirling black shadow that fell upon him from out of a stormy sky. So swift was the attack that your fellow Grand Masters were unable to prevent him from being carried away. The scout’s description of the whirling black shadow was identical to the form adopted by Zorkaan the Soultaker. The destruction of the rune used by Vandyan to summon Zorkaan had not brought about the creature’s demise after all: it had trapped the creature upon Magnamund.
You had achieved a great victory at Skull-Tor, but the shocking news of Lone Wolf’s abduction cast a shadow over your triumph there. Hurriedly you summoned Guildmaster Banedon, the leader of Sommerlund’s Guild of Magicians, to an emergency council at the Kai Monastery. He responded swiftly to your summons and arrived within hours aboard his flying craft Cloud-dancer. He was accompanied by Lord Rimoah of Dessi, an Elder Magi magician who is also Lone Wolf’s oldest friend and advisor.
Rimoah informed you that Zorkaan’s arrival upon Magnamund had not gone unnoticed by the Elder Magi. From afar they had sensed the creature’s presence and, through the use of their Old Kingdom magic, Rimoah and his fellow elders had charted its movements. Rimoah told you of an evil sorcerer called Xaol who was in hiding in Gazad Helkona, a former Darklord city-fortress located in the desolate wastes of northern Skaror. This vile necromancer was a known agent of Naar. During the days before Lone Wolf’s abduction, Rimoah and the Elder Magi had detected streams of psychic communication coursing between Gazad Helkona and the Plane of Darkness.
‘Naar was transmitting to Xaol the secrets of a Ritual of Binding by which the freed spirit of Zorkaan could be enslaved,’ said Rimoah. ‘This ritual was enacted successfully in the stronghold of Gazad Helkona. Through Xaol, Naar has gained control over Zorkaan. He sent this creature to assassinate Lone Wolf, yet the attempt was unsuccessful. Zorkaan failed to kill Lone Wolf…but he was able to subdue and kidnap him.’
Rimoah informed you that your leader was being held prisoner in Gazad Helkona. By the use of his Supreme Master Disciplines and the power of the Sommerswerd, his magical blade, Lone Wolf had survived death at the hand of Naar’s foul creation. ‘Your leader is brave and resourceful,’ he said, ‘but I fear that Zorkaan’s frequent attacks will weaken and eventually destroy him unless he is rescued quickly.’
Selflessly you volunteered to attempt the rescue. Rimoah and Banedon, impressed by your courage and your confidence, readily agreed to help you achieve your difficult mission and together you formulated a plan of action. Banedon transported you aboard Cloud-dancer to a remote valley south of Gazad Helkona, from where you approached the fortress on foot. Despite great adversity you were able to gain entry to Xaol’s fortress and save your leader from the clutches of Naar’s agent. During your daring mission, you fought and defeated both Xaol and Zorkaan before Banedon arrived to snatch both you and Lone Wolf from the clutches of Xaol’s angry minions.
A year has elapsed since your triumph at Gazad Helkona. It has been a peaceful and rewarding time for you at the Kai Monastery, a period in which you have devoted yourself to the training of new recruits. Such has been the success of your tutelage that you have come to be greatly revered by your students and your peers. Yet, lately, you have felt a longing to venture abroad once more, to test your courage and your battle skills in the ineluctable war against Evil.
Early one morning, you glimpsed a golden eagle leave its nest in the frost-covered timberland that stretches beyond the window of your private chamber. As you watched this majestic creature soar above the tree-line, you were reminded of the daring aerial escape that you had made from Gazad Helkona aboard Banedon’s skycraft. Then you felt a tingle of premonition at the nape of your neck when you noticed a distant speck in the clear azure sky. This speck grew larger until you were able to discern the distinctive outline of Cloud-dancer approaching from the north. Hurriedly you left your chamber and went to the monastery training park where a small group of Kai Lords had gathered in expectation. As the sleek skyship was made to hover overhead, a boarding cage was lowered to the frost-hardened ground and out stepped an unexpected visitor—Lord Rimoah of Dessi. You exchanged greetings and he requested an immediate audience with Lone Wolf. From his sombre expression you could tell that he had grave and urgent news to impart.
You escorted Lord Rimoah personally to Lone Wolf’s chambers, located beneath the Tower of the Sun, the monastery’s commanding citadel. Before you could excuse yourself and leave the vault, Lone Wolf asked you to stay to listen to what the venerable magician had come to say. Lord Rimoah nodded his benign approval.
‘Dwarf King Ryvin of Bor is in desperate need of our aid, my lords,’ began Rimoah, earnestly. ‘An ancient horror has been awoken in the depths of his subterranean kingdom, and now it threatens to destroy his realm. The Drodarin race may be doomed unless we are able to overcome this creature…and swiftly.’
Lord Rimoah informed you that recent excavations in the lowest levels of the vast underground kingdom of Bor had disturbed the Shom’zaa. This powerful entity was entombed by the Elder Magi during their 1,000-year war against Agarash the Damned—Naar’s first champion of evil. Lone Wolf lowered his eyes and shook his head in disbelief upon hearing Rimoah’s words.
‘I understood that dwarf lore expressly forbade such deep mining, for fear that the Shom’zaa and its minions might be released. How could such a thing have been allowed to occur?’ he said.
‘Greed is to blame, my lord,’ replied Rimoah, sadly, ‘…the greed of King Ryvin’s elder son, the Crown Prince Leomin. He alone was responsible for the excavations that opened the way to this ancient horror.’
Lord Rimoah informed you that only five days have elapsed since the Shom’zaa was released, yet already the creature and its Agarashi minions have taken control of the lower levels of the kingdom. ‘Bitter fighting rages in the tunnels and chambers of Bor as King Ryvin’s army struggles to contain the Shom’zaa and its horde,’ he said. ‘They are being sorely pressed, for the enemy have captured their armouries and equipped themselves for the fight. Ryvin has lost control of the tunnels leading to his throne chamber, where Leomin and his younger brother, Prince Torfan, are now trapped and besieged, along with the remnants of their personal guard.’
Lone Wolf was disturbed to hear that the Throne Chamber of Bor was under attack, for it houses the fabled Throne of Andarin. This grand seat contains a gem of power that was bestowed upon the Drodarin dwarves of Bor by the Goddess Ishir. Its divine radiance provides the dwarves with a unique energy that enables them to grow their crops deep underground, without the need for direct sunlight. If the Throne of Andarin is destroyed then the crops will surely fail and famine will beset Bor, with disastrous consequences.
‘Repeated attempts to break the siege of the throne chamber have failed, and the morale of Ryvin’s army is now dangerously low,’ said Rimoah. ‘I’ve heard tell that even the Dwarf Lords and the War-thanes, the élite of Ryvin’s army, hold that Prince Leomin’s greed has sealed their fate. If such talk is true, and the Shom’zaa conquers Bor, then our hopes for a lasting peace in Magnamund will be ruined. The fall of Bor will give Naar a base of power at the very heart of Magnamund. There he will be able to muster his agents, spawn his vile abominations, and attempt once more to conquer our world.’
‘But what can be done to save Bor before it is too late?’ asked Lone Wolf, anxiously.
‘King Ryvin lacks the means to destroy this enemy,’ replied Rimoah, gravely. ‘Nevertheless, the means exist. The Shom’zaa is especially vulnerable to magic of the Old Kingdom. It is the magic that we used to entrap and entomb the creature millennia ago.’
From a pocket of his flowing robes, Rimoah took out a spherical crystal and held it in the cupped palm of his hand. Its multi-faceted surface radiated beams of golden light which shimmered and sparkled with a supernatural brilliance.
‘A Sun-crystal,’ said Lone Wolf.
‘Yes, my lord,’ replied Rimoah, reverently. ‘By the skilful use of the power contained within this sphere it is possible that we may defeat the Shom’zaa and its minions, and thereby spare the kingdom of Bor from the tyrannical rule of Naar. We of the Elder Magi have crafted the means to defeat the Shom’zaa, but in all Magnamund only the Kai have the ability and courage that is needed to take this goodly weapon and use it to its full effect.’
Lone Wolf approached Rimoah and took the Sun-crystal from his outstretched palm. Then he turned to face you.
‘We have been called upon to undertake a difficult and dangerous mission, Grand Master,’ he said. ‘You have proven your bravery and skill beyond all doubt, and truly you have earned the right to refuse this quest with honour. Yet I sense that you hunger for the heat of battle and the challenge of the quest, and so I offer this mission to you. Will you venture to Bor and confront the bane that now threatens to destroy our dwarven allies?’
‘Yes, my lord, I will,’ you replied, without a moment’s hesitation. ‘For the greater glory of Sommerlund and the Kai, I am proud to accept the quest.’
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 21–25), 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 26 of the Lone Wolf New Order series, you may add a further Grand Master Discipline of your choice to your Action Chart in Book 27. 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: Vampirium.
Before you leave the Kai Monastery and begin your journey to Bor, you equip yourself with a map of Bor and its surrounding territories 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 21–25), 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.
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:
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:
If you are a New Order Kai who has attained the rank of Sun Knight, 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 quest to help King Ryvin defeat sinister forces that threaten to destroy his ancient kingdom of Bor. You will encounter some powerful and cunning adversaries and your mission will be fraught with danger at every turn, so be on your guard at all times.
During your mission, some of the material items that you find will be of use to you, but others 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 initial 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 1–25) 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 and protect you during your quest in the ancient kingdom of Bor.
For Sommerlund and the Kai!