In Mydnight
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.
+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.
-
Text
Distribution of this Internet Edition is restricted under the terms of the Project Aon License.
You will only be able to fight one round of combat before the momentum of your charge carries you past your enemy. If the Kai Weapon you wield is Valiance
, you may apply the bonus gained due to its unique properties.
The last Cavalian shudders as you land your killing blow. He shrieks his death-cry and twists away from your blade to fall limply across the heaped bodies of his confederates. As the echo of his plaintive cry fades, you hear another sound that makes you spin on your heel and face the stables door; it is the sound of running footsteps, and they are getting louder by the second. The sound of combat has alerted another group of Cavalians who were waiting inside the tavern. Now they are rushing across the courtyard towards the stables.
Karvas hides himself beside the door and he fells the first Cavalian to enter with a scything swipe to the midriff. As he doubles over and falls, another four come bursting through the doorway and throw themselves upon you, hacking and slicing with swords and axes. You make short work of these clumsy warriors. You dispatch three of their number while Karvas skilfully defeats the fourth. You are about to mount your horses and leave when another Cavalian suddenly appears, silhouetted in the doorway. He is attired from head to toe in crafted leather armour, and in his right hand he clasps a sword that radiates a sickly evil. Its razor-sharp blade is wreathed with green flame and a fiery red jewel pulsates at its hilt. With a cry of vengeance upon his lips, this fearsome warrior-mage launches a ferocious attack.
-This enemy is immune to Mindblast (but not Kai-surge). You may add 5 points to your Kaistar
or Valiance
, you will benefit from its additional
You also discover an iron key that bears an inscription on its shank. Your Magnakai Pathsmanship skills enable you to decipher its meaning: THIS KEY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TEHDA STABLES.
+You also discover an iron key that bears an inscription on its shank. Your Magnakai Pathsmanship skills enable you to decipher its meaning: This key is the property of the Tehda Stables
.
If you wish to keep this Tehda Key, record it on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you carry in the pocket of your tunic. You need not discard another item in its favour if you are already carrying the maximum number of Special Items permissible.)
Stealthily you climb the steps to a flagstoned loading area that is crowded with soldiers and wagons. By keeping low and moving from one wagon to the next, you and Karvas are able to cross this concourse undetected. On the far side you discover a stone bridge that traverses the River Tehda. You hurry across it and enter a wide avenue which leads to the city
You take the key from your tunic pocket and read the inscription on its shank: THIS KEY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TEHDA STABLES.
+You take the key from your tunic pocket and read the inscription on its shank: This key is the property of the Tehda Stables
.
With luck this scrap of iron will net us two horses,
you say, clasping it tightly. Karvas smiles and gets ready to move from behind the cart, but you tell him to stay here and wait for your signal. Better I should go alone, my lord,
you say. It will halve the risk of being seen by the guards at the main gate. Wait here for my signal and be ready to act quickly when you see it.
The Prince nods his agreement and he wishes you good luck before you go.
Aided by your Magnakai Discipline of Invisibility, you leave the cart and scurry across the square to the unguarded stables
You call upon your Magnakai Discipline of Animal Control to calm the horse as you creep towards her. Taking care to keep the mare between yourself and her rider, in case he should happen to glance in your direction, you quickly unbuckle the saddlebag and peer inside. It contains mostly personal items
You are about to return to your hiding place when you chance upon a concealed pocket at the base of the bag. It contains an iron key that bears an inscription on its shank, and your Magnakai Pathsmanship skills enable you to decipher its meaning: THIS KEY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TEHDA STABLES. You slip the key into your pocket and rebuckle the saddlebag before you take cover.
+You are about to return to your hiding place when you chance upon a concealed pocket at the base of the bag. It contains an iron key that bears an inscription on its shank, and your Magnakai Pathsmanship skills enable you to decipher its meaning: This key is the property of the Tehda Stables
. You slip the key into your pocket and rebuckle the saddlebag before you take cover.
(Remember to record this Tehda Key on your Action Chart. It is a Special Item which you carry in the pocket of your tunic. You need not discard another item in its favour if you are already carrying the maximum number of Special Items permissible.)
Once you are hidden from view, you watch as the horseman stops to stare out across endless rows of tree stumps. Slowly he shakes his head, and then he looks up at the darkening sky and you hear him curse the failing light. In the distance, one of his comrades shouts his name and beckons him to rejoin the wagons. Begrudgingly he acknowledges the call. He slams his sabre back into its steel scabbard and returns to his horse. Patiently you watch him climb into the saddle and ride away before you rise from your hiding place and call for Prince Karvas to show himself.
You take it in turns to keep watch throughout the night in case a pursuit party is sent from Cavalia to track you down. Fortunately, the night passes peacefully and you leave the wood shortly before dawn. As the sun crests the eastern horizon, you see a signpost at the roadside which says: VAREDO
.
You take it in turns to keep watch throughout the night in case a pursuit party is sent from Cavalia to track you down. Fortunately, the night passes peacefully and you leave the wood shortly before dawn. As the sun crests the eastern horizon, you see a signpost at the roadside which says: Varedo
.
Normally one could expect to reach Varedo in three days by horse,
says Karvas, but if we use every hour of daylight and rest our mounts briefly, every hour, we may be able to cover the distance in half the time.
Mindful that you now have only nine days in which to reach Seroa to be in time for the crowning, and wary that a pursuit party could still be sent from Cavalia to hunt you down, you spend this day in the saddle riding as far and as fast as your horses are able. By nightfall, you have made excellent progress and you are confident that the threat from Cavalia is no more. You camp for the night beside a stream and, before you sleep, you use your Magnakai skills to assist the horses to recover fully from their hard day
The following day is spent crossing the seemingly endless Lucien Plain, the monotony of the grasslands broken only occasionally by an isolated hamlet or farmstead. You have no need to approach these settlements for the rich prairie yields enough game to keep you well fed while you are on the move. It also provides surplus food equivalent to 2 Meals (adjust your Action Chart accordingly if you wish to keep one or both of these Meals).
During the afternoon, you see a group of riders approaching from the north, from out of the wooded foothills of the Ioma Range. You magnify your vision and your stomach churns when you see that they are carrying spears which display the black eagle
Word of the shrine
The stables are surrounded by a high brick wall topped by a row of foot-long spikes embedded in mortar. A sign hangs above the main entrance that reads TEHDA STABLES. The tolling bells have roused the stable guards and this entrance is now heavily guarded, as are three smaller entrances set at intervals along its perimeter wall. Only one door has no armed guard posted before it, but when you magnify your vision you quickly see why this is so. It is secured by three steel bolts and a heavy iron lock.
+The stables are surrounded by a high brick wall topped by a row of foot-long spikes embedded in mortar. A sign hangs above the main entrance that reads Tehda Stables
. The tolling bells have roused the stable guards and this entrance is now heavily guarded, as are three smaller entrances set at intervals along its perimeter wall. Only one door has no armed guard posted before it, but when you magnify your vision you quickly see why this is so. It is secured by three steel bolts and a heavy iron lock.
Welcome to your royal apartment,
he says, in a sneering tone. I
Karvas is angered by the knight
Slay him!
screeches the knight, as he struggles to free himself from your grasp. Instantly the guards rush at you with their weapons raised in eager readiness to carry out his order.
Prince Karvas is unarmed and unable to assist you during this combat.
Welcome to your royal apartment,
he says, in a sneering tone. I
Karvas is angered by the knight
Slay him!
screeches the knight, as he struggles to free himself. Instantly the guards rush at you with their weapons raised in eager readiness to carry out his order.
Kai Weapon:
Belt Pouch:
Meals:
(128) Replaced add 5 to
with add 5 points to
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with
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with Cavalian Bandits
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with six rounds or more
.
(130) Replaced exclaims,
with exclaims.
. Added a paragraph break between Crown Prince Karvas!
and Instantly the
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with Weapons
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with Prince
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with Prince
.
(131) Replaced confiscated weapons
with confiscated Weapons
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with Prince
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with Lodamos
.
(132) Replaced Kai weapon
with Kai Weapon
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with two-storey
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with Pathsmanship
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with Sixth Sense
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with 30 Ren
. Replaced arm band
with armband
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with Prince
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with a patrol of armed guards which is marching
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with darkness and your innate Kai camouflage skills have
.
(132) Replaced Kai weapon
with Kai Weapon
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with two-storey
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with Pathsmanship
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with Sixth Sense
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with 30 Ren
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with armband
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with Prince
. Replaced a patrol of armed guards who are marching
with a patrol of armed guards which is marching
. Replaced darkness, and your innate Kai camouflage skills have
with darkness and your innate Kai camouflage skills have
. Replaced THIS KEY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TEHDA STABLES
with
.
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with 2 miles
.
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(135) Replaced bow shot
with bowshot
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with Arrow
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(136) Replaced TEHDA STABLES
with THIS KEY IS THE PROPERTY OF THE TEHDA STABLES
in line with Section 132. Replaced drawbolts
with bolts
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with Prince
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with stables
.
(136) Replaced TEHDA STABLES
with
in line with Section 132. Replaced drawbolts
with bolts
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with Prince
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with stables
.
(137) Replaced lancer
with lancers
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with nerve breaks
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(139) Added the illustration caption You see a herd of migrating fanji.
that was missing from the first printing of the book. Replaced horizon, then
with horizon; then
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(140) Replaced sixth sense
with Sixth Sense
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with Prince
.
(142) Replaced sixth sense
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with Cavalians here
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(143) Replaced Kai weapon
with Kai Weapon
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with Prince
.
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with head, and then
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(145) Replaced pathsmanship
with Pathsmanship
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with head, and then
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with
.
(147) Replaced Dammerdon mountains
with Dammerdon Mountains
.
(148) Replaced despatched
with dispatched
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with King of Siyen
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with city, and
. Added the illustration caption
that was missing from the first printing of the book. Replaced prince
with Prince
. Replaced prince
with Prince
. Replaced their cheer are
with their cheers are
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with Karvas
.
(149) Replaced shockwave
with shock wave
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with mainmast: lose
as elsewhere in this adventure.
(167) Replaced sixth sense
with Sixth Sense
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with Belt Pouch
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with Prince
.
(169) Replaced Kai-alchemy, and
with Kai-alchemy and
.
(170) Replaced each occurrence of prince
with Prince
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with Prince
.
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with you see a
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with black eagle
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(171) Replaced you ee a
with you see a
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with Varedo
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(172) Replaced prince
with Prince
.
(173) Replaced sixth sense
with Sixth Sense
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with Prince
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with Prince
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with doubled-back
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(177) Replaced 30 metres
with 100 feet
. Replaced 5 metres
with 15 feet
. Added the illustration caption Prince Karvas is hanging by one hand to an outcrop of jagged rock.
that was missing from the first printing of the book. Replaced prince
with Prince
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with Kai-alchemy and
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with Rope and
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(178) Replaced combat skill
with
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with complement
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with scrolls, and
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(180) Replaced drawbolts
with bolts
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with foot-long
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(180) Replaced drawbolts
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with foot-long
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(181) Replaced prince
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.
(184) Replaced tunnel that give
with tunnel that gives
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with Weaponmastery and
.
(185) Replaced Kai weapon
with Kai Weapon
. Removed which you carry in your backpack
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with Sixth Sense
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(199) Replaced crack
with
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(200) Replaced market place
with marketplace
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with Herbmastery and
.
(202) Replaced prince
with Prince
. Replaced money, in
with money in
.
(203) Replaced Citadel gaolers
with Citadel Gaolers
. Added the illustration caption The Knight holds a short-bladed sword in one hand and a wooden bowl in the other.
that was missing from the first printing of the book. Replaced The Knight
with The knight
in the illustration
(203) Replaced Citadel gaolers
with Citadel Gaolers
. Added the illustration caption The Knight holds a short-bladed sword in one hand and a wooden bowl in the other.
that was missing from the first printing of the book. Replaced The Knight
with The knight
in the illustrationKnight Bachelor
with Knight Bachelor
.
(205) Replaced Old Kingdom spell
with Old Kingdom Spell
. Removed the dashes around
.
(208) Replaced at all; they are
with at all: they are
.
(210) Replaced Brotherhood spell
with Brotherhood Spell
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with rib cage
. Removed the dashes around
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with sharp popping
.
(270) Replaced prince
with Prince
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with Karvas
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(271) Replaced sixth sense
with Sixth Sense
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with line of black-clad figures, mostly soldiers, comes
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(274) Replaced prince
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(275) Replaced Citadel goalers
with Citadel Gaolers
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(275) Replaced Citadel goalers (6)
with 6 Citadel Gaolers
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(277) Replaced 100 metres
with 100 yards
. Replaced this Special Item
with this item
for consistency with changes made to Section 288.
(278) Replaced quiver
with Quiver
. Replaced horses
with horse
. Replaced arrow
with Arrow
.