The Hunger of Sejanoz
Read The Hunger of Sejanoz Online
Authors: Joe Dever
Tags: #Fiction, #Fantasy, #Lone Wolf, #Magnamund
A visit to the fabulous court of Xo-lin is disrupted when news of an invasion arrives at the venerable emperor's palace in Pensei. The evil Autarch Sejanoz of Bhanar has launched a sudden and devastating attack upon Xo-lin's ancient realm. With the tyrant's armies swarming across his borders, the aged Xo-lin is forced to flee his Imperial Palace and seek sanctuary in the distant city of Tazhan.
In
The Hunger of Sejanoz
, your mission is to escort the aged emperor and his entourage safely across the Great Lissan Plain to Tazhan. Will you succeed in your perilous task … or will you and your charges fall victim to the merciless forces of the Autarch?
Joe Dever
, the creator of the bestselling Lone Wolf adventure books and novels, has achieved world-wide recognition in three creative fields — as an award-winning author of international renown, as an acclaimed musician and composer, and as a games designer specialising in role-playing games.
On graduating from college in 1974, Joe Dever became a professional musician, and for several years, he worked in the music industry in Europe and the United States.
While working in Los Angeles in 1977 he discovered a then little-known game called ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Although the game was in its infancy, Joe at once realised its huge potential and began designing his own role-playing games along similar conceptual lines. These first games were to form the basis of a fantasy world called Magnamund, which later became the setting for the Lone Wolf books.
Five years later, in 1982 at the Origins Game Fair, Joe won the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons World Championships in Baltimore, an event held before 16,000 people. Inspired and encouraged by his success at Origins, Joe decided to quit the music business and devote his time to writing and games design.
In 1983, after a brief spell at Games Workshop in London, he wrote
Flight from the Dark
— the first Lone Wolf interactive gamebook. His manuscript immediately attracted a frenzy of interest from three major London publishing companies, all of whom bid for world rights. Joe accepted an offer of publication from Hutchinson's (later to become Century Hutchinson Ltd; now Random House UK) and
Flight from the Dark
was first published in 1984.
This first book sold more than 100,000 copies within its first month of publication, and overseas rights were snapped up by twelve countries (including the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Sweden). The success of Joe's first book laid the foundations for the future of the Lone Wolf series, which has sold millions of copies around the world.
The Lone Wolf series ended after 28 books and 14 years. Joe has continued to work in the games industry as script writer and games design consultant.
Brian Williams
was first noticed by Joe Dever for his work in
White Dwarf
magazine (circa issue 50) and the
Real Life Gamebooks
series by Jon Sutherland and Simon Farrell. Brian Williams was Joe's first choice of illustrators to replace Gary Chalk. Jon, being an old friend of Joe's, introduced the two. Brian was excited to work with Joe on the
Lone Wolf
series. He illustrated
The Cauldron of Fear
and almost every book about Magnamund since that time.
Internet Edition published by
Project Aon
. This edition is intended to reflect the complete text of the original version. Where we have made minor corrections, they will be noted in the
Errata
.
Publication Date: 25 June 2014
Text copyright © 1998 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1998 Brian Williams.
Distribution of this Internet Edition is restricted under the terms of the
Project Aon License
.
To Brian Ash
‘I would be especially pleased if my granting of the rights to distribute my books in this way was seen as my “millennium gift” to all those devoted readers who have kept the Kai flag flying high, through all the good times, and the not-so-good. It would make me very proud indeed if this enterprise laid the foundations of a lasting legacy, securing the longevity of Lone Wolf by making my creation freely and readily accessible to current and future online generations. For them, for us, for Sommerlund and the Kai. … ’
Joe Dever
Project Aon would first like to thank Joe Dever for making this generous offering of the books that we have all loved from the beginning. We are also grateful for the generosity of Rob Adams, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Ian Page, Graham Round, and Brian Williams for contributing their portions of the world of Magnamund to Project Aon. We would also like to acknowledge the following members of Project Aon for their diligent work:
- Transcription
- Björn Floderus
- Illustration Transcription
- Jonathan Blake
- XML
- Jonathan Blake
Simon Osborne - Action Charts
- JC Alvarez
Jonathan Blake - Proofreading
- Simon Osborne (Frontmatter and Sections 1–300)
- Editing
- Jan Charvát
Ingo Klöcker
Benjamin Krefetz
LeRoy McSwain
Sean Donald
Simon Osborne
Timothy Pederick - Coordination
- Jonathan Blake
- Special Thanks
- James Durrant, Paul Haskell
It is early summer in the year MS 5085 and you are a Grand Master of the New Order of the Kai, the warrior élite of Sommerlund.
Thirty-five years ago, the First Order of the Kai was massacred by the Darklords of Helgedad, a host of powerful creatures sent by the evil God Naar to destroy the world of Magnamund. Lone Wolf, the supreme leader of your illustrious fighting order, was the only survivor of their 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 their 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, allowing 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 a New Order was 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. Your skills were nurtured and sharpened to perfection by years of study and rigorous training. Your exceptional talents helped you to 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 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 fellow warriors maintained until the siege was raised by Lone Wolf and the King's Army of Sommerlund.
1
During the seven years since the defeat of his minions, Naar has sought vengeance upon the Kai. He commands many agents of evil upon Magnamund, and they wait quietly in the shadows for the chance to serve their fell master.
Less than a month ago, Lord Rimoah of Dessi came to the Kai Monastery aboard the flying ship
Cloud-dancer
. This wise counsellor is one of the Elder Magi, an ancient race of goodly magicians who have remained steadfastly loyal to the Kai for many centuries. His visit was unexpected and you sensed at once that something was wrong. Lone Wolf summoned you to his chamber where, with mounting dread, you listened to Lord Rimoah's account of events in Southern Magnamund which threatened to destroy the fragile peace of that distant continent.
The Elder Magi had received word that Autarch Sejanoz, the evil ruler of Bhanar, had secretly dispatched a squad of his personal guards into the Doomlands of Naaros. At first, the Elders could not fathom a reason why the Autarch had done this. The Doomlands are one of the most inhospitable regions in all of Magnamund, a barren wasteland of ash and cinder that was the domain of Agarash the Damned. At its centre his mighty fortress-city of Naaros once stood. Yet, following his defeat by the Elder Magi, all that remains of it now is a titanic chasm of molten lava and heat-fused rock. Loyal rangers were dispatched to the Doomlands to spy on the Autarch's men and attempt to discover their true purpose. After many weeks spent tracking their prey, they observed them excavating an unmarked burial mound near to the ruins of Naaros. Within this mound the Autarch's men discovered the Claw of Naar.
The Claw of Naar is an ancient wand of power crafted by the evil God himself. It was used by Agarash the Damned during his conquest of Magnamund. Legend held that it had been lost forever in the molten ruin of Naaros, but now it had resurfaced, and its return boded ill for the peaceable New Kingdoms bordering the Autocracy of Bhanar.
The rangers reported that the Autarch's squad were returning to Bhanar with the Claw in their possession. Their chosen route would take them through the Southern Dammerdon Mountains, and so the rangers went ahead to hide themselves in a gorge called Sunderer Pass, where they awaited their arrival. Their plan was to ambush the squad in the narrow confines of the pass and steal the Claw. However, the ranger leader was wisely anxious that the power of the Claw might overwhelm his small group, and so he requested that help be sent urgently. Rimoah responded in turn by seeking the aid of the Kai.
‘I have come to ask for the help of the Kai,’ said Rimoah. ‘We of the Elder Magi have the power and the means to destroy the Claw of Naar, but only when we have that accursed object in our possession. To secure the Claw will require skills and courage that only the Kai possess. And, so, I come here seeking your aid, Supreme Master.’
‘It will not be an easy task,’ replied Lone Wolf, ‘but we have the advantage of both speed and surprise. Sunderer Pass is no more than a day's journey away by skyship.’
‘Aye,’ replied Rimoah, ‘but we must depart this afternoon if we are to be certain of reaching the pass before the arrival of the Autarch's squad.’
Lone Wolf had been tempted to accept the challenge himself, yet he was committed to urgent duties at the King's court and so he requested that you journey to Bhanar in his stead and help Lord Rimoah to secure the Claw of Naar. You accepted the mission without hesitation and, within the hour, you found yourself standing beside Rimoah at the deck-rail of the sleek flying ship
Cloud-dancer
, watching the Kai Monastery shrink away into the distance as the craft soared into a clear blue sky.
By late afternoon of the following day, you reached Sunderer Pass and made contact with the rangers. Their leader informed you that a trap had been set to ensnare the enemy and their foul relic as they came through the pass. However, this ambush went badly wrong, and in the ensuing chaos you were separated from Lord Rimoah when
Cloud-dancer
was attacked by a horde of winged horrors that swarmed from out of the Doomlands. In the ensuing battle Lord Rimoah was forced to flee.
Despite this serious setback to your mission, you resolved to press on and attempt to deny Autarch Sejanoz the Claw of Naar. Aided by the rangers, you pursued the Autarch's men and captured the Claw. Yet this success proved to be only temporary, for the Claw was soon snatched back and hurriedly conveyed to the Bhanarian city of Yua Tzhan. In a daring raid upon the military barracks of that formidable city, you and your brave comrades succeeded in stealing it back once more. A daring flight to the friendly land of Chai ensued where, in the border town of Zuda, you were confronted by the Autarch himself. A desperate fight took place here, during which your ranger companions were slain by the evil tyrant. Yet their sacrifice was not in vain, for you were able to maintain possession of the Claw and effect a successful escape to Fort Jhung, a nearby Chai stronghold, where you were unexpectedly reunited with Lord Rimoah. You delivered to him the Claw of Naar and he vowed that the accursed artefact would be destroyed by the Elder Magi to prevent it from ever falling into the hands of Autarch Sejanoz.
Soon after your reunion with Rimoah, you journeyed together to the Chai capital of Pensei aboard
Cloud-dancer
where you were greeted and fêted by the court of Khea-khan Xo-lin, Chai's venerable ruler. However, it was during these festivities that calamitous news arrived at the Khea-khan's palace: Autarch Sejanoz had begun a massive invasion of Chai.
The tyrant's armies were swarming across the borders, sweeping all resistance before them. In the west the strongholds of Fort Jhung and Fort Xian had fallen. In the south, a vast seaborne invasion force had established a beachhead near to the port of Valus and swiftly overrun the ill-defended city of Dwala. Messengers were arriving at the palace with grim regularity to report the latest defeat. From these reports it quickly became clear that the Autarch's main objective was the capture of Pensei itself.
Fearing that the Claw of Naar could yet fall into the Autarch's hands, Lord Rimoah resolved to journey at once to Dessi aboard
Cloud-dancer
. Fearing for the safety of their aged Khea-khan, the courtiers of Pensei pleaded with their beloved ruler to flee to the safety of distant Dessi with Rimoah. But the Khea-khan steadfastly refused their requests, fearing that he would be thought a coward if he were to abandon his land and his subjects in this hour of approaching darkness.
Despite the pleas of his advisors and his family, the obstinate Xo-lin vowed to remain in Pensei. He put his faith in the skill and tenacity of his famous Imperial Guardsmen, believing that these warriors would halt the advancing Bhanarian armies. But when news arrived of their defeat and decimation in a battle at the town of Vabou, little more than a hundred miles south of Pensei, suddenly a terrible realization struck the aged ruler. There were now too few Chai warriors left to prevent the enemy legions from seizing the capital and enslaving its citizens. With heavy heart, the Khea-khan reluctantly agreed to leave Pensei. Yet, resolutely, he refused to go with Lord Rimoah. Instead, he ordered his courtiers to prepare a caravan of horse-drawn carriages for the speedy evacuation of himself, his family, and selected members of his court entourage. They would journey east, following the trade route to the Lissanian city of Tazhan. Here the Khea-khan could be sure of finding sanctuary in this New Kingdom stronghold. Upon his arrival he would rally the armies of his loyal allies and then return with them, across the vastness of the Great Lissan Plain, to free his land and its people from the Autarch's ruthless occupation.
Fearing for the safety of the Khea-khan, and the disastrous consequences that will befall the New Kingdoms if he should be captured by the enemy, Lord Rimoah urged you to accompany Xo-lin's entourage. Your experience and your Kai skills could be crucial to their survival during the seventeen days that it will take for them to reach the city of Tazhan. Once the Claw of Naar is safely in Dessi, Rimoah promised to return and journey directly to Tazhan by skyship. There he will inform its ruling council of the Bhanarian invasion, and try to elicit their martial support in readiness for Xo-lin's arrival.
You agreed to Rimoah's request to escort the aged ruler, and as the court of the Khea-khan began hasty preparation for the evacuation of the palace, you bade farewell to Lord Rimoah.
‘Until we meet again in Tazhan, Grand Master,’ he said, solemnly, ‘I shall pray to Ishir to watch over you on the road that you must travel. It is vital that Xo-lin arrives in Tazhan alive. He is the only one who can rally the New Kingdoms to rise up and repel the Bhanarians. Without him, I fear, the New Kingdoms will fall to the inexorable might of Sejanoz.’
[1]
Lone Wolf
18:
Dawn of the Dragons