&inclusion.brian.williams.bio.lw;
</creator>
<publisher>Project Aon</publisher>
- <date class="publication"><year>2012</year><month>10</month><day>28</day></date>
+ <date class="publication"><year>2018</year><month>2</month><day>15</day></date>
<description class="blurb">
<p>You are Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>Kai Grand Master of Sommerlund. Far away to the west lies the peninsula of Ixia. It is an icy, desolate wasteland that for 10,000 years has been the domain of Lord Ixiataaga<ch.emdash/>Masterlord of the Dead. Here he reigns supreme over a horde of lost souls, an undead populace condemned to an eternity in his service.</p>
<p>In <strong><cite>The Deathlord of Ixia</cite></strong>, you must journey to the forbidden city of Xaagon<ch.emdash/>the seat of Lord Ixiataaga<ch.apos/>s dark power<ch.emdash/>and confront him in a life-or-death battle which will test your Grand Master abilities to the limit. Will you overcome and defeat this terrifying entity? Or will you fall victim to his undead legions and the terrible new power they wield?</p>
<p>At length you reach the landing to be greeted by the sight of two undead Ixian warriors standing guard at the mouth of a cave. Instinctively, you sidestep into the shadows to avoid being seen, but the Ixians show no reactions; it is as if they have both been cast in stone.</p>
<p>Beyond the open cave mouth you see a bleak and desolate wasteland of rock and ice. A blizzard is raging, whipped up by a fierce electrical storm that blazes above a distant mountain range. The jagged peaks are illuminated by the flashes of the storm<ch.apos/>s ghostly, blue-white fire.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small3" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>The moment you project the correct number at the lockplate, the entire portal begins to shimmer and lose its solidity.<footref id="sect20-1" idref="sect20-1-foot"/> It becomes transparent and then fades completely, as if evaporating into thin air. With a smile of satisfaction on your lips at having solved the riddle, you step through the now open archway and into an adjoining hall.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small10" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>It is in the thirtieth hour of your air voyage that the <cite>Skyrider<ch.apos/>s</cite> eagle-eyed lookout catches his first glimpse of Vadera. Word spreads quickly and a hubbub of excitement grips the dwarven crew as the flying ship draws ever closer to the fortified walls and turrets of the great northern Lencian port.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small2" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>The bodies of the ghastly creatures undergo a swift and gruesome transformation upon the instant you deal them the <foreign xml:lang="fr">coup de gr<ch.acirc/>ce</foreign>. Their torsos implode with dramatic effect, and they barely have time to cry out in agony as their twisted remains hit the floor and crumble to dust.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small10" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>As you strike down the last of your skeletal foes, you hear Captain Lanza<ch.apos/>s stirring battle-cry ring out above the noise of the fighting: <quote>For Lencia and the House of Sarnac!</quote> Despite the odds, he and his men have beaten back the enemy and are now within a stone<ch.apos/>s throw of the quay. You rush to the end of the street and join them at a small flagstoned square, close to the harbour wall.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small2" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>As you hurry away from the cave mouth, you look back over your shoulder to see the Ixian Mhagani illuminated momentarily by a flash of lightning. It fills the entrance to the cave, and it is howling with glee at having successfully defended its evil-smelling lair.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small12" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<p>The narrow passageway leads you to a chamber carved from glittering blue ice. Steps have been chiselled into its translucent north wall, a slippery staircase which ascends to a landing positioned high above the ice-cavern. As you climb the steps, the sub-zero temperature plummets even further, making you shiver involuntarily despite the combined protection of your Platinum Amulet and your Magnakai skills.</p>
<p>After a tiring climb you reach the landing to be greeted by the sight of an unguarded cave mouth. Through this opening you see a bleak and desolate wasteland of rock and ice. A blizzard is raging, whipped up by a fierce electrical storm that blazes above a distant mountain range. The jagged grey peaks are illuminated by the flashes of the storm<ch.apos/>s ghostly, blue-white fire.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small3" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>The corridor gradually ascends to a high gallery which overlooks a chamber two storeys deep. A dozen undead slaves clad in silvery robes are busy attending to a vast machine constructed of quartz-like crystal and black metal. Through holes in its side they probe and manipulate long glassy rods which reach into the machine<ch.apos/>s core. From these holes there radiates a brilliant, ghostly light.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small6" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>You are making a cursory search of this derelict chamber when suddenly you hear something that makes you reach for your weapon: it is the grating rumble of stone on stone.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small11" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<p>At the first opportunity you sprint away from the wooden crates and descend the staircase to a closed door. It is a sturdy portal, carved from solid rock and banded with strips of bronze. You test it with the toe of your boot and, to your surprise, it swings open with barely a sound.</p>
<p>Beyond the door lies a rough-hewn chamber lined with racks of ancient crystal spears and swords. Despite the millennia which have passed since they were crafted by armourers during the Age of Eternal Night, these weapons still hold a keen edge and gleam like new.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small4" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<p>After a few minutes of intense concentration your use of your Magnakai Discipline pays off. Successfully you will the lock to disengage, yet the effort required is far greater than you could have anticipated and it leaves you mentally weakened: lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>The portal begins to shimmer and lose its solidity. At first it becomes transparent and then it fades completely, as if evaporating into thin air. With a smile of satisfaction on your lips at having overcome it, you step through the now-open archway and into an adjoining hall.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small10" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>A few hundred yards beyond the rise, you see Tagazin moving along a track which leads to the top of a small hillock. Here, contained within an arch of ancient stone, you see a whirling vortex: it is unmistakably an open Shadow Gate.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small9" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>At the top of the stairs you find a chamber where the walls and floor are thick with frost. Standing beside a locked door is a crystal plinth on which lies an Onyx Key covered by a clear glass dome. Your Kai Sixth Sense tingles as you approach it<ch.emdash/>you sense that the glass dome is protected by sorcery.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small8" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>From out of the eerie mist there looms a high-prowed ship, wrought of age-blackened timbers which glisten with ice and frost. It speeds into the harbour and a morbid terror grips the hearts of the Lencian garrison when they see that it is crewed by a cadaverous host of skeletal warriors. A ghastly wail arises from the invading ship, an unholy shriek that shatters the garrison<ch.apos/>s will to resist. As one, the shocked Lencians turn and flee from the quayside, dropping and discarding their supplies and weapons in their hurry to get away.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small5" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>Intuition prompts you to take out the Onyx Key from your pocket and try it in the hole. It fits perfectly and, when you twist it clockwise, the entire portal begins to shimmer and lose its solidity. It becomes transparent before fading completely, as if evaporating into thin air. You go to retrieve the Onyx Key but it, too, has disappeared (erase this Special Item from your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>).</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small10" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>You trudge stoically through the snow and ice towards the distant circle of rocks, hoping all the while that they will afford you some protection from this incessant blizzard. When you are within a few dozen yards of the circle, you hear a deafening <onomatopoeia>crack!</onomatopoeia> which sets your pulse racing. With that split-second warning, a huge expanse of rock and ice breaks away from the slopes above and swiftly transforms itself into a thundering avalanche. Wide-eyed with horror, you watch as a million tons of ice, snow, and shale comes rumbling down the mountainside towards you.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small12" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>Your Kai Mastery warns you that you have inadvertently triggered a silent alarm. You unsheathe your weapon and turn to leave this rubble-strewn chamber, but as you move towards the stairs you hear a sound that makes you spin on your heel: it is the grating rumble of stone on stone.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small11" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<p>After a few minutes of intense concentration your Kai Mastery pays off. Successfully you will the lock to disengage, yet the effort required is far greater than you could have anticipated and it leaves you mentally weakened: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>The portal begins to shimmer and lose its solidity. At first it becomes transparent and then it fades completely, as if evaporating into thin air. With a smile of satisfaction on your lips at having overcome it, you step through the now-open archway and into an adjoining hall.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small10" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>As you stumble away from the cave mouth, you look back over your shoulder to see the mysterious creature illuminated momentarily by a flash of lightning. The sight is chilling to behold. From the creature<ch.apos/>s huge, bear-like body there writhes a score of slimy tentacles, and from the top of its reptilian head there protrudes a twisted horn, longer than a broadsword. It gives a loud gibbering howl of victory before returning to its evil-smelling lair.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small12" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>You raise the Sommerswerd and a gout of golden flame engulfs the blade, flaring with such brilliance that Deathlord Ixiataaga is momentarily blinded by its goodly light. He shrieks, and raises the Deathstaff defensively to ward off your first blow. As the blade of the sun-sword bites the haft of Ixiataaga<ch.apos/>s fell weapon, a hissing mass of crimson and gold sparks explode into the air. These fiery motes are sucked into the vortex of the Shadow Gate, which has now begun to whirl with alarming intensity.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small1" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<footnotes>
<footnote id="sect239-1-foot" idref="sect239-1">
- <p>There is no path which leads to this section of the book. It is functionally identical to <a idref="sect23">Section 23</a> and <a idref="sect242">Section 242</a>, and therefore its isolation does not affect the gameplay of the book.
also, in view of Banedon<ch.apos/>s comments in <a idref="sect339">Section 339</a>, it would seem that you should not use the Sommerswerd in this combat.</p>
+ <p>There is no path which leads to this section of the book. It is functionally identical to <a idref="sect23">Section 23</a> and <a idref="sect242">Section 242</a>, and therefore its isolation does not affect the gameplay of the book.
Also, in view of Banedon<ch.apos/>s comments in <a idref="sect339">Section 339</a>, it would seem that you should not use the Sommerswerd in this combat.</p>
</footnote>
</footnotes>
<data>
<p>Several hours pass before the blizzard dies down sufficiently for you to be able to leave the cave and continue your lonely trek towards Xaagon. You reach the end of the pass where, for the first time, you get a clear view of the Deathlord<ch.apos/>s dread city. Once, millennia ago, this city had been the home of a brilliant civilization; today the stately crystal palaces and temples of Xaagon are occupied by the lord and host of the evil dead.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small7" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>You flee from the skeletal horde and hide in an empty outbuilding, close to the base of the watchtower, until you are sure the coast is clear. As you emerge from hiding, you hear Captain Lanza<ch.apos/>s stirring cry ring out above the noise of battle: <quote>For Lencia and the House of Sarnac!</quote> Despite the odds, he and his men have beaten back the enemy and are now within a stone<ch.apos/>s throw of the quay. You rush along the street, towards the harbour, and join them at a small flagstoned square close to the quayside.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small2" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<data>
<p>Several hours pass before the blizzard dies down sufficiently for you to be able to leave your hollow and continue your lonely trek towards Xaagon. You scale the mountain of snowy debris brought down by the avalanche and reach the end of the pass where, for the first time, you get a clear view of the Deathlord<ch.apos/>s dread city. Once, millennia ago, this city had been the home of a brilliant civilization; today the stately crystal palaces and temples of Xaagon are occupied by the evil dead.</p>
-<!-- <illustration id="bw-small7" class="inline">-->
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
Project Aon Git Repositories / project-aon.git / blobdiff