The Darke Crusade (30 page)
Quickly you search through the clutter of boxes which lie scattered all around this cabin, and you discover the following which may be of use to you during your mission:
- 2 Potions of Laumspur (each restores 4
ENDURANCE
points) - Hourglass
- Signet Ring
- Bow
- 3 Arrows
- Sword
- Brass Key
- Dagger
If you decide to keep any of the above, remember to make the necessary adjustments to your
Action Chart
.
To continue,
turn to 277
.
Quickly you let go of the oars and throw yourself on the floor of the boat to avoid being hit by the speeding arrow.
Pick a number from the
Random Number Table
. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 4 or less,
turn to 269
.
If it is 5 or more,
turn to 77
.
Prarg is soon paralysed by the intense cold. He ceases all movement when his body goes into shock and rapidly he disappears beneath the water. You rush to help him, approaching as near to the edge of the hole as you dare, and then you see his face pressed to the underside of the ice, close to where you are standing. His eyes are wide open and a stream of bubbles trails from his nose and mouth. You must act quickly if you are to save him.
If you wish to jump into the gaping hole in the ice and attempt to pull him out,
turn to 94
.
If you decide to attempt to smash another hole in the ice close to where he is trapped,
turn to 238
.
With stoic determination you begin the laborious task of clearing away the rock and rubble which fills this stairwell. You are fearful that it may take you several days to reach the next level, and so it comes as a welcome surprise when, after just a few minutes work, you see a gap appearing at the top of the mound. A gust of cold, wintry air wafts through this breach, rekindling your hopes of reaching the surface. Revived by the cold clean air, you attack the rubble with renewed vigour. But then your hopes are shaken when you hear a sinister sound; behind you, something is climbing the stairs to the landing.
If you possess Kai-alchemy and have reached the rank of Sun Knight,
turn to 256
.
If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you have yet to reach this level of Kai Mastery,
turn to 285
.
The tip of your lance penetrates the Death Knight's armoured breastplate and kills him instantly. The force of the blow is such that it snaps the lance in two and nearly knocks you clean out of your saddle, but you manage to hold tight and quickly you recover. Moments later you reach the platform to see Captain Prarg struggling to break free from his gaolers. He succeeds and he comes running towards you. With a yell he leaps from the platform and lands astride the rump of your horse.
‘Go, Lone Wolf, go!’ he shouts, excitedly.
You dig your heels into the horse's flanks and take off through the confused mass of Drakkarim towards an avenue on the north side of the square. Prarg's hands are still tied behind his back and in order to stop himself from falling off the horse, he is forced to hang on to your cloak with his teeth.
You gallop out of the square and along the northern avenue which is flanked by barracks and hovels. Arrows come whistling from their windows but they are poorly aimed and fly wide of their mark. You glance over your shoulder and see that some Drakkarim horsemen are grouping up at the exit from the square in order to give chase. You urge the horse onwards, and as you speed towards a distant corner, you use your Magnakai skill of Nexus to loosen Prarg's bonds. Minutes later you turn the corner and see the road which leads out of Shugkona. Your spirits rise, but they are quickly dashed when you see that your route of escape is blocked.
As your slain enemies keel over backwards and splash into the mire, you roll Prarg onto his back then watch as the remaining Ciquali, now leaderless, turn away and disappear as quickly as they had come, slapping back to the cold, dark safety of their hiding places beneath the surface. Silence returns, and for a long moment you stay alert, suspecting trickery. Then slowly you relax; they have gone.
Aided by your healing skills, Prarg makes a speedy recovery from the battering he sustained in combat with the Ciquali chieftain. The boat, too, has survived the attack and you are able to continue without further delay. As soon as you pass the obstruction, you hoist the sail and catch the prevailing wind which propels you northwards along the channel beyond.
You are hungry after your encounter. Unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must now eat a Meal or lose 3
ENDURANCE
points.
To continue,
turn to 322
.
The moment you strike your killing blow, the Nyras Sceptre explodes with a brilliant flash and you are knocked down by the sudden release of energy. For several minutes you lie unconscious on the floor of this wind-swept turret, until you are found and revived by your guide and companion, Captain Prarg. Nothing remains of either Warlord Magnaarn or the Nyras Sceptre; both have been utterly destroyed. Prarg helps you to your feet, and as you look out across the battle-torn landscape, you witness a wondrous event. The Gulf of Lencia is dotted with scores of square-rigged men o' war. They are the ships of the Kasland fleet: at last Lencia's allies have arrived.
Thanks to your bravery and determination, the power which has so devastated this land is now no more. The destruction of the Nyras Sceptre heralds a turning of the tides of war in the west. The Nadziranim and their armies flee the field of battle and are pursued by the allies all the way back to their strongholds in the north. The remnants of Magnaarn's army are routed and swept out of Nyras, and after many centuries, this country finally returns to its rightful heirs.
In recognition of your victory over Warlord Magnaarn, King Sarnac of Lencia and Archduke Chalamis of Kasland hold a royal banquet in Vadera in your honour. You are heaped with praise and you receive the thanks and warm congratulations of a grateful populace.
Well done, Lone Wolf. Once again you have achieved a victory over the forces of darkness and proved yourself to be worthy of the title ‘Kai Grand Master’. Yet the fight against Evil goes ever on. On your return to your homeland you will be faced with a new and deadly challenge that will test your remarkable skills and unquestionable bravery. The nature of this challenge can be found in the next Grand Master adventure, which is entitled:
The Legacy of Vashna
1-10:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11-20:
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21-30:
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31-40:
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41-50:
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51-60:
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61-70:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71-80:
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81-90:
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91-100:
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101-110:
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111-120:
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121-130:
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131-140:
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141-150:
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151-160:
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161-170:
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171-180:
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181-190:
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191-200:
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201-210:
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211-220:
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221-230:
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231-240:
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241-250:
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251-260:
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261-270:
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271-280:
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281-290:
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291-300:
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301-310:
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311-320:
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321-330:
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331-340:
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341-350:
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
