The_White_Crane posted:

Take the Amulet, Rope and Key, we don't need a tinderbox when we have elementalism.
I can't believe two people are voting not to keep the amulet when we just took damage to get it.

The_White_Crane posted:

Take the Amulet, Rope and Key, we don't need a tinderbox when we have elementalism.
I can't believe two people are voting not to keep the amulet when we just took damage to get it.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Keep the amulet and a Rope

nelson posted:

search

Trail of the Wolf posted:

A swift search of this mess hall uncovers the following items that may be of some use during your mission:

• Enough food for 2 Meals
  
• 3 Arrows
  
• 2 Swords
  
• Axe
  
• Dagger
  
• Candlestick
  
• Pewter Goblet
  
• Dining Fork
  
• Bottle of Wine
  
• Torch

If you wish to keep any of the above items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.

You enter the tunnel and follow it to an open portal where an iron platform juts from the wall of the blockhouse complex. Fifty feet below the platform is a broad thoroughfare that is busy with the traffic of bandit columns and Hammerland wagons newly-arrived from Cragmantle. A narrow bridge spans the gap between the platform and another which juts from the side of the central citadel. There you can see a dark, semicircular portal in the citadel wall that is open and unguarded.

The narrow bridge arcs towards the citadel platform, but its smooth span is broken in the middle by a hinged drawbridge. It is open and it hangs down, creating a gap at the apex that is 15 feet wide. You observe that this banded iron flap is operated by two heavy chains that run beneath the span. You magnify your vision and trace their route back to the base of a plinth which stands on the blockhouse platform, close by the entrance to the bridge. A winch handle protrudes from this plinth, but when you attempt to crank the chains taut, you find that it will not budge: it is locked in position. A closer inspection of the winch spindle reveals a keyhole at its centre.

nelson posted:

Take meals and wine. Try a copper key.

nelson posted:

Take meals and wine. Try a copper key.

Runcible Cat posted:

Food, booze

Decoy Badger posted:

Try a copper key.

Trail of the Wolf posted:

You retrieve the Copper Key from your Backpack and insert it into the keyhole. It fits, and when you twist it anticlockwise, the winch handle unlocks. You take hold of the handle and hurriedly you wind it until the drawbridge is fully raised. Then you relock the winch and pocket the key as you hurry across the bridge. On reaching the opposite platform, you stop to check that the coast is clear before entering the citadel of Gazad Helkona.

You follow a short semicircular tunnel that leads to a wide gallery encircling the upper section of a colossal hall. Peering over the parapet of the gallery, you look down on the red granite floor of the hall 50 feet below. Here you see Drakkarim and Giaks standing in idle groups around the lip of a deep lava-filled pit that looks as if it could descend all the way to the molten core of Magnamund. Motes of rust-coloured dust cling to every surface and the scorching air reeks of molten metal and sulphur.

An unbroken line of fiery bronze statues encircle the gallery, depicting former loyal servants of Darklord Chlanzor. You are casting your eye along their line when suddenly you see two of Xaol’s henchmen. They emerge from a passageway located next to a spiral staircase on the far side of the gallery. Quickly you take cover behind the nearest statue and watch as those two men, accompanied by a wolfhound, come walking around the gallery towards your hiding place.



As the bandits and the wolfhound approach, you use your Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility to mask your body scent. This precaution prevents the wolfhound from detecting your presence, and the group pass by your hiding place unawares. You watch them enter the tunnel that leads to the exterior platform, and as soon as they disappear from view, you leave the statue and hurry around the gallery to the staircase opposite.

A short flight of iron steps ascends to a long, low-ceilinged hall. Its plastered walls are decorated with frescoes that depict enslaved humans, bedecked with chains and heads bowed in defeat, parading in a line before a triumphant group of Drakkarim warlords. At the far end of this hall you discover three doors recessed into the wall.

Your Kai Sixth Sense tells you that Lone Wolf is somewhere nearby. Encouraged by this feeling of certainty, you close your eyes and take hold of the Platinum Amulet that Lord Rimoah gave you before you left the monastery. Its powers help to focus your concentration as you try to determine which of the three doors will lead you to your imprisoned leader. You sense the faint warmth of Lone Wolf’s aura, but it is too weak for you to be sure of the direction you should follow.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

achtungnight posted:

Center! Lone Wolf would demand that door, seeing as he always has to be the center of attention.

achtungnight posted:

Center! Lone Wolf would demand that door, seeing as he always has to be the center of attention.

The_White_Crane posted:

Centre.

Trail of the Wolf posted:

This sturdy oaken door is studded with iron nails and inset with a large iron lockplate. You twist the enamelled doorknob and discover that it is locked.

You insert the Iron Key into the lockplate and twist it anticlockwise. The mortise is stiff, but the key fits and 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.

You feel a sudden movement in the air, and you shiver with dread when your Kai senses alert you to an evil presence. A crackling sound makes you look to the black marble throne where a strange manifestation is taking place. The seat is filled by a ball of shimmering energy that slowly grows and transforms into a living creature. You gasp with shock when this nightmarish entity raises itself out of the throne and comes stalking towards you on two muscular legs.

Despite its crouching gait, the creature stands an arm’s length taller than you. Its shiny crimson hide is thickly veined, and its snake-like head is studded with hundreds of razor-sharp barbs that sparkle like diamonds when they catch the light. It fixes you with a hungry stare and slashes at the air with its claw-tipped forearms. You retreat before its steady advance and raise your Kai Weapon in readiness to defend yourself against this monstrous entity. As you raise your axe, the creature utters a sound that resembles a deep, bubbling laugh. It opens its soot-blackened jaw and a gout of flame comes shooting towards your face. You react in an instant, your lightning-fast reflexes saving you from being incinerated by the beast’s fiery breath. You dive and roll across the floor towards the chamber wall, and then you spring back onto your feet and launch a furious attack at the creature before it can spit a second blast of white-hot fire.



Fydakzh: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 58

If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Firefall’ you may add the bonus gained from its unique properties during this combat.

Trail of the Wolf posted:

As the hellish creature crashes to the ground, felled by a killing blow to the nape of its neck, you stagger away from its smouldering body and wipe the blade of your weapon upon the hem of your cloak. When you look again at the marble throne, you notice the faint outline of a second doorway that is concealed in the wall beside the seat. Silently it slides open as you approach it, and beyond you can see a tunnel disappearing into darkness.

Inside the entrance to this gloomy passage you discover a niche in the wall. It contains a small crystal decanter of green fluid that is festooned with cobwebs. Cautiously you pull its stopper to sniff the contents, and you are surprised to discover that it contains a tincture of Laumspur. It is old and stale, but it still possesses some of its healing powers. (This Decanter contains the equivalent of two doses of Laumspur. Each dose will restore 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed after combat. If you wish to keep the Decanter, it will occupy only one space in your Backpack.)

Curing (1/10): +1 EP (12/41).
Automatically used Decanter of Laumspur: +8 EP (20/41).

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’?

Curing (2/10): +1 EP (21/41).

Decoy Badger posted:

I've really disliked the lack of ambush warrior skeletons in this series. Have some respect for fantasy tradition!

nelson posted:

105 - I actually made a spreadsheet to figure this out.

Trail of the Wolf posted:

When the dial clicks into position, the heavy wooden doors swing open and a gust of putrid air makes you swallow hard before you take your first cautious step into the hall beyond. You cast a suspicious eye around this circular chamber for it is illuminated by tall candles that radiate a cold, cyanic light. The floor is strewn with bones and human cadavers in varying states of decomposition, and the walls are hung with great silken tapestries depicting horrific scenes that glorify the power of death and decay.

As your eagle eyes penetrate the gloom, your pulse races when they fall upon Lone Wolf. He sits cross-legged within a sphere of translucent grey light that hovers three feet above the floor. His divine blade, Sommerswerd, is cradled in his lap, and his head hangs limply against his chest. At first you believe he is unconscious; then your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen detects that he is engaged in a desperate mental battle against a host of invisible enemies who are seeking to enslave his soul.



The shadowy prison-sphere that entraps Lone Wolf hovers before a vile throne constructed entirely of human skulls and bones. Seated here is a thin man attired in black robes edged with gold and scarlet braid. His pale skin and feverish dark eyes are touched by the bluish glow of the surrounding candles, accentuating his sinister mien. With an extended right hand he grasps the surface of a large crystal sphere that is fixed to a pedestal beside his throne. This crystal is hollow, but its core is filled with swirling black vapours that radiate a deathly chill. The robed man stares fixedly at the sphere and appears to be mesmerized by it. You magnify your vision, and when you focus your gaze upon the sphere, suddenly you fathom the secret of the terrible power contained within.

Curing (3/10): +1 EP (22/41).

The crystal sphere is not an artefact of this world. It was forged in Dazganon, the dread fortress of the Dark God Naar, upon the ethereal Plane of Darkness. The supernatural forces that exist within this sphere enable Naar to exert total control over his agent Xaol. Your Kai senses inform you that the destruction of this sphere would deal a severe blow to the Dark God. It would rob him of a means by which his influence can prevail on Magnamund.



Suddenly Xaol cries out in alarm, as if the evil necromancer has awoken from the grip of a nightmare. He snatches his hand away from the crystal sphere and points it at you accusingly. His dark eyes glare with madness when he spits out his chilling threat: ‘Foolish Kai. You are doomed. You and your weak master will never leave my hall alive!’

In the next instant, the doors to the necromancer’s hall crash shut and you are assailed by a terrible sound that fills your head with pain.

Curing (4/10): +1 EP (23/41).

Desperately you draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to protect the fabric of your inner mind from this powerful psychic assault. Your defences knit together and form a wall that repels this attack, but not before you have suffered a painful psychic trauma: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.

Endurance: 19/41.

The screeching wall of noise ceases abruptly, and you open your eyes to see Xaol the Necromancer staring at you aghast. Frantically he snatches up a black iron staff that rests beside his throne of bones, and then he leaps from his seat with surprising agility. You reach for Alema as he comes bounding towards you, his staff poised to thrust at your head. He lunges, not with a rod of iron but with a living serpent. The necromancer’s staff has transformed into a deadly, hissing black snake. Hastily you retreat as the serpent’s dripping fangs strike out for your throat.



Xaol the Necromancer (with Serpent Rod): COMBAT SKILL 50 ENDURANCE 40

If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Spawnsmite’ or ‘Valiance’ you may add the bonus that you gain from its unique properties during this combat.

Trail of the Wolf posted:

Your killing blow brings Xaol staggering to his knees, gasping hoarsely. He drops his serpent staff and the instant it leaves his grasp, it shrivels up into a tight ball that hisses, smokes, and bubbles. Xaol falls to one side, his gaunt shaven head striking the bone-littered floor with a dull thud. Through blood-flecked lips he utters a curse, vowing one day to return from beyond the grave to wreak bloody vengeance upon you and the Kai. Then his dark eyes flicker and glaze over, and his thin frame convulses for a moment and falls still.

You leap over the withered remains of the necromancer and his cursed staff, and rush towards Lone Wolf. Slowly your master raises his tousled head and fixes you with his steely blue eyes. You sense that he has been greatly weakened by his ordeal. He has suffered much since his abduction, yet he has found the strength within himself to resist his cruel tormentors. Inspired by his resolute courage, you ask how you can free him from the prison-sphere. Lone Wolf mouths a reply, but you cannot hear him. Using your Magnakai Discipline of Divination you try to detect telepathic communication, but you sense that it is futile. No mind speech can penetrate the milky grey walls of Lone Wolf’s hovering prison. Then your leader glowers at the crystal sphere that is fixed atop a pedestal beside the throne of bones, and instantly you fathom his meaning. Slowly you mouth the words: ‘Must I destroy the sphere?’ Lone Wolf nods approvingly. Fired up by his directive, you raise your Kai Weapon and approach the crystal sphere. But before you come to within striking distance, a powerful gust of freezing air hits you in the chest and sends you reeling backwards to the floor.

Curing (5/10): +1 EP (14/41).
We roll: 4.

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.

Endurance: 12/41.

As you are struggling painfully to your feet, you suddenly become aware of the arrival of a new and powerful evil in this hall. Instinctively you look to the crystal sphere, and your heart sinks when you see that its swirling black vapours are now oozing through the glassy surface. These sinister wisps of darkness draw together and swirl around the throne of bones like a small tornado. Then from the core of this whirlwind there issues a loud and hideous shriek that makes your blood run cold.



Curing (6/10): +1 EP (13/41).

Instantly, you recognize the chilling shriek of Zorkaan the Soultaker, and you recall in vivid detail the combat that took place between you and this foul entity just a week ago in the citadel of Skull-Tor. Wary of his psychic powers, you muster your mental defences in readiness to counter any attack that he may launch upon your mind.

Curing (7/10): +1 EP (14/41).

You draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to erect a defensive wall around the core of your mind; then you brace yourself in readiness to meet the anticipated attack. Despite your preparations, you are deeply shocked by the power and sheer ferocity of Zorkaan when he unleashes his psychic assault. You reel under the bombardment of his incorporeal powers as they batter your mental defences (lose 3 ENDURANCE points), but you refuse to submit to his will and you survive this terrifying assault. As the attacks wither and fade, you sense Zorkaan explode with anger and frustration at having been thwarted by your formidable resolve.

Endurance: 11/41.

The whirling shadow of Zorkaan is shrinking and condensing. It coalesces to form a funnel of choking black fog that hovers menacingly above the corpse of the necromancer. The narrowest part of this swirling cone of darkness pierces the dead sorcerer’s chest and, in the blink of an eye, Zorkaan takes control of Xaol’s lifeless cadaver.

Curing (8/10): +1 EP (12/41).

Wisps of smoke are rising from the pocket of your tunic. The Black Amulet has begun to burn through the lining of your jacket, and its raw heat blisters the skin on your hip: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. Your Kai senses scream a warning that this artefact is cursed and could explode at any moment.

Endurance: 11/41.
We roll: 2.

Hurriedly you reach into the pocket of your tunic and grasp the glowing amulet. Pain shoots all the way from your fingers to your shoulder as the red-hot surface of this cursed artefact burns deeply into your flesh (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Despite the agony you suffer, you wrench the Black Amulet from your pocket and hurl it away. The evil object arcs through the air and hits the floor, exploding on impact with tremendous noise and heat.

Endurance: 9/41.

The noise of the explosion is reverberating around the hall as the possessed body of Xaol rises up from the floor and extends its twisted arms towards you. An unholy fire blazes in the eyes of the dead necromancer as his corpse moves across the hall towards you with unnatural speed. You pray to the Goddess Ishir for her protection as this ghastly zombie leaps upon you and attempts to fix its corpse-cold hands around your throat.

Xaol Zombie (possessed by Zorkaan): COMBAT SKILL 55 ENDURANCE 43

This possessed creature is immune to psychic attack. If your Kai Weapon is ‘Alema’ or ‘Valiance’, you may add the appropriate bonus gained through their unique properties. You may reduce the total damage inflicted upon you by 5 ENDURANCE points due to the protection you gain from wearing the Platinum Amulet. However, unless you possess the Discipline of Kai-screen, you must reduce your COMBAT SKILL by 3 for the duration of this combat.

Trail of the Wolf posted:

Your third blow severs Xaol’s corpse at the waist and the two halves tumble to the floor. For a few moments the sundered legs and the upper torso writhe blindly forwards with maniacal intent, but then the shade of Zorkaan abandons its crippled host and the two halves collapse and lie still. The funnel of dark vapour that is Zorkaan escapes into the upper reaches of the hall, where it disappears among the vaulted stone rafters. You scour the ceiling with all of your senses, yet you are no longer able to detect your adversary.

You look to Lone Wolf and he holds your gaze; then he glances towards the crystal sphere and you sense that he is urging you to destroy it.

Curing (9/10): +1 EP (19/41).

achtungnight posted:

Braveheart is a Kick Chick!

Synthbuttrange posted:

We have a bow

moosecow333 posted:

Couldn’t have thrown the amulet at the orb Braveheart?

Tiggum posted:

Shall we try our bow, use Kai-alchemy, or try kicking it?

Braveheart posted:

"Sorry Naar, but it's time to give you the boot!"

achtungnight posted:

Braveheart is a Kick Chick!

Trail of the Wolf posted:

You rush towards the sphere with the intention of kicking it from its pedestal. "Sorry Naar," you say, "but it's time to give you the boot!" But as you bring back your foot in readiness to strike, suddenly the dark shadow of Zorkaan falls upon you and launches a massive psychic attack from close range.

Curing (10/10): +1 EP (20/41).

You are engulfed by a white-hot sheet of psychic fire that sears and blisters the fibres of your inner mind: lose 3 ENDURANCE points. Were it not for the protective effect of your Platinum Amulet, this assault would have been fatal.

The stunning effect of Zorkaan’s lightning attack has damaged a part of your mind that controls your Kai abilities. In addition to the physical damage sustained, you must also forfeit the use of one of your Grand Master Disciplines for the rest of this mission. (If you complete the mission successfully, you may restore your forfeited Discipline and use it again in a future Lone Wolf New Order adventure.)

Endurance: 17/41.

As you recover your senses, you look up to see Zorkaan looming above you, his swirling black form swelling in volume and menace as it prepares to deal you one final, devastating blow. Valiantly you struggle to resist, but you are fearful that you no longer possess the strength needed to counter this powerful foe. An evil laugh echoes in your mind as slowly the wispy mass of black vapour spirals down towards your face. Desperately you lash out at your mocking adversary, but you lose your balance and collapse to your knees. With a prayer to Ishir on your lips, you watch with growing horror as a glowing spike of radiant energy appears at the core of Zorkaan’s form. It hangs directly above you, like a sorcerous lance poised deliver a killing blow.

You are engulfed by a sudden explosion of golden light. Zorkaan emits a deafening shriek as the supernatural fabric of his being is ripped asunder by the Sommerswerd—Lone Wolf’s divine blade. As the creature is engulfed in a blaze of golden fire, the Sommerswerd falls to the floor near your feet. You look down at the blade in stunned disbelief; then you raise your eyes and look to Lone Wolf who is slumped within the confines of his hovering prison-sphere. Slowly the enormity of what has happened begins to permeate through the turmoil that is raging in your mind. In a desperate bid to save you, Lone Wolf has used the last of his strength to hurl his magical blade through the wall of his sorcerous prison. This courageous act has destroyed Zorkaan and spared you your life.



As the last fragments of Zorkaan’s black shadow are consumed by the golden flames, you struggle to your feet and stumble towards Lone Wolf. You fear the worst, that your brave leader has sacrificed his own life for yours, but to your profound relief you soon discover that he is not dead but unconscious.

You retrieve the Sommerswerd from the ground and marvel at its craftsmanship and fine balance. Then you hurry to the prison-sphere and thrust the tip of the golden blade into a ragged tear that was made when Lone Wolf hurled the Sommerswerd at Zorkaan. Crimson sparks erupt from the rent in the sphere as determinedly you work the sword with a sawing motion. The split lengthens until you are able to reach in and grab hold of Lone Wolf’s tunic. Carefully you pull your unconscious leader out of his sorcerous cell, and then you sheathe the Sommerswerd in his scabbard before you heave his limp body over your shoulder. Fearing that Xaol’s absence may soon come to the attention of his minions, you cast your gaze around the necromancer’s hall in search of a way to escape. The doors by which you entered have been sealed shut, but your keen eyes and your Kai senses alert you to two other possible routes out of this chamber. The first is a narrow door located in the wall directly behind the throne of bones, and the other is an archway that is covered by a thin velvet tapestry.

Toplowtech posted:

LOL at the kickback.
Lose Astrology.
Also archway.

Toplowtech posted:

LOL at the kickback.
Lose Astrology.

Decoy Badger posted:

Lose deliverance since it's already been used, and go for the door.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Nah, Deliverance sometimes has utility for healing NPCs (like Lone Wolf, say). Astrology has come up once so far and was completely useless then.

Take the archway.