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<gamebook xml:lang="en-UK" version="0.10">
$Id$
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+Revision 1.3 2007/01/17 22:58:04 jonathan.blake
+Simon's updates
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Revision 1.2 2006/07/09 23:54:43 cvsuser
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</section>
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+
<section class="frontmatter" id="tssf">
<meta>
<title>The Story So Far<ch.ellips/></title>
<link class="prev" idref="acknwldg" />
<link class="next" idref="gamerulz" />
</meta>
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<data>
<p>You are Grand Master lone Wolf of Sommerlund, sole survivor of a massacre that wiped out the First Order of the Kai<ch.emdash/>an elite warrior caste.</p>
<p>For sever years now peace has reigned in Sommerlund. Under your direction the once-ruined monastery of the Kai has been thoroughly rebuilt and restored to its former glory, and the task of teaching a New Order of Kai warriors the skills and proud traditions of your ancestors is also well established. The new generation of Kai recruits, all of whom were born during the era of war against he Darklords, possess latent Kai skills and show exceptional promise. These skills will be nurtured and honed to perfection during their time here at the Monastery so that they may teach and inspire future generations, thereby ensuring the continued security of your homeland in future years.</p>
- <p>Your attainment of he rank of Kai Grand Master brought with it great rewards. Some, such as he restoration of he Kai and the undying gratitude of your fellow Sommlending, could have been anticipated. Yet there have been rewards which you could not possibly have foreseen. The discovery that within you lay he potential to develop Kai Disciplines beyond those of he Magnakai, which, until now, were thought to be the ultimate that a Kai Master could aspire to, was truly a revelation. Your discovery has inspired you to set out upon a new and previously unknown path in search of the wisdom and power that no Kai lord before you has ever possessed. In the name of your creator, the God Kai, and for the greater glory of Sommerlund and the Goddess Ishir, you have vowed to reach the very pinnacle of Kai perfection -to attain all of the Grand Master Disciplines and become the first Kai Supreme Master.</p>
+ <p>Your attainment of he rank of Kai Grand Master brought with it great rewards. Some, such as he restoration of he Kai and the undying gratitude of your fellow Sommlending, could have been anticipated. Yet there have been rewards which you could not possibly have foreseen. The discovery that within you lay he potential to develop Kai Disciplines beyond those of he Magnakai, which, until now, were thought to be the ultimate that a Kai Master could aspire to, was truly a revelation. Your discovery has inspired you to set out upon a new and previously unknown path in search of the wisdom and power that no Kai lord before you has ever possessed. In the name of your creator, the God Kai, and for the greater glory of Sommerlund and the Goddess Ishir, you have vowed to reach the very pinnacle of Kai perfection<ch.emdash/>to attain all of the Grand Master Disciplines and become the first Kai Supreme Master.</p>
<p>With diligence and determination you set about the restoration of the Kai Monastery and the training of the New Order recruits. Your efforts were soon rewarded for, within the space of two short years, the first raw recruits had graduated to become a cadre of gifted Kai Masters who, in turn, were able to commence the teaching of their skills to subsequent intakes of Kai novices. Readily the Kai Masters rose to their new-found responsibilities, leaving you free to devote more of your time to the pursuit and perfection of the Grand Master Disciplines. During this period you also received expert tutelage in the ways of magic from two of your most trusted friends and advisors: Guildmaster Banedon, leader of the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, and Lord Rimoah, speaker for the High Council of be Elder Magi.</p>
<data>
<p>You keep a record of your adventure on the <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
- <p>For more than six years, ever since the demise of the Darklords of Helgedad, you have devoted yourself to developing further your fighting prowess<ch.emdash/><typ class="attribute
>COMBAT SKILL</typ><ch.emdash/>and physical stamina<ch.emdash/><typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ>. Before you begin your first Grand Master adventure you need to measure how effective your training has been. To do this take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it on to the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If you pick a 0 it counts as zero.</p>
- <p>The first number that you pick from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> in this way represents your <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ>. Add 25 to the number you picked and write the total in the <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (i.e., if your pencil fell on the number 6 in the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> you would write in a <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> of 31). When you fight, your <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.</p>
- <p>The second number that you pick from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> represents your powers of <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ>. Add 30 to this number and write the total in the <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (i.e., if your pencil fell on the number 7 on the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> you would have 37 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points).</p>
- <p>If you are wounded in combat you will lose <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. If at any time your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points fall to zero, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points can be regained during the course of the adventure, but your number of <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points can never rise above the number you have when you start an adventure.</p>
- <p>If you have successfully completed any of the previous adventures in the Lone Wolf series (Books 1<ch.endash/>17), you can carry your current scores of <typ class="attribute
>COMBAT SKILL</typ> and <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points over to Book 17. These scores may include Weaponmastery, Curing, and Psi-surge bonuses obtained upon completion of Lone Wolf Kai (Books 1<ch.endash/>5) or Magnakai (Books 6<ch.endash/>12) adventures.<footref id="gamerulz-1" idref="gamerulz-1-foot"/> Only if you have completed these previous adventures will you benefit from the appropriate bonuses in the course of the Grand Master series. You may also carry over any Weapons and Backpack Items you had in your possession at the end of your last adventure, and these should be entered on your new Grand Master <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (you are still limited to two Weapons, but you may now carry up to ten Backpack Items).</p>
+ <p>For more than six years, ever since the demise of the Darklords of Helgedad, you have devoted yourself to developing further your fighting prowess<ch.emdash/><typ class="attribute
">COMBAT SKILL</typ><ch.emdash/>and physical stamina<ch.emdash/><typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>. Before you begin your first Grand Master adventure you need to measure how effective your training has been. To do this take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point with the blunt end of it on to the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If you pick a 0 it counts as zero.</p>
+ <p>The first number that you pick from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> in this way represents your <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ>. Add 25 to the number you picked and write the total in the <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (i.e., if your pencil fell on the number 6 in the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> you would write in a <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> of 31). When you fight, your <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> will be pitted against that of your enemy. A high score in this section is therefore very desirable.</p>
+ <p>The second number that you pick from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> represents your powers of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>. Add 30 to this number and write the total in the <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (i.e., if your pencil fell on the number 7 on the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a> you would have 37 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points).</p>
+ <p>If you are wounded in combat you will lose <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. If at any time your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points fall to zero, you are dead and the adventure is over. Lost <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points can be regained during the course of the adventure, but your number of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points can never rise above the number you have when you start an adventure.</p>
+ <p>If you have successfully completed any of the previous adventures in the Lone Wolf series (Books 1<ch.endash/>17), you can carry your current scores of <typ class="attribute
">COMBAT SKILL</typ> and <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points over to Book 17. These scores may include Weaponmastery, Curing, and Psi-surge bonuses obtained upon completion of Lone Wolf Kai (Books 1<ch.endash/>5) or Magnakai (Books 6<ch.endash/>12) adventures.<footref id="gamerulz-1" idref="gamerulz-1-foot"/> Only if you have completed these previous adventures will you benefit from the appropriate bonuses in the course of the Grand Master series. You may also carry over any Weapons and Backpack Items you had in your possession at the end of your last adventure, and these should be entered on your new Grand Master <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> (you are still limited to two Weapons, but you may now carry up to ten Backpack Items).</p>
<p>However, only the following Special Items may be carried over from the Lone Wolf Kai (Books 1<ch.endash/>5) and Magnakai (Books 6<ch.endash/>12) series to the Lone Wolf Grand Master series (Books 13-onwards):<footref id="gamerulz-2" idref="gamerulz-2-foot"/></p>
<ul>
<li>Crystal Star Pendant</li>
<dl>
<dt>Weaponmastery</dt>
- <dd>Proficiency with all close combat and missile weapons. Master of unarmed combat; no <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> loss when fighting bare-handed.</dd>
+ <dd>Proficiency with all close combat and missile weapons. Master of unarmed combat; no <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> loss when fighting bare-handed.</dd>
<dt>Animal Control</dt>
<dd>Communication with most animals; limited control over hostile creatures. Can use woodland animals as guides and can block a non-sentient creature<ch.apos/>s sense of taste and smell.</dd>
<dt>Curing</dt>
- <dd>Steady restoration of lost <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points (to self and others) as a result of combat wounds. Neutralization of poisons, venoms and toxins. Repair of serious battle wounds.</dd>
+ <dd>Steady restoration of lost <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points (to self and others) as a result of combat wounds. Neutralization of poisons, venoms and toxins. Repair of serious battle wounds.</dd>
<dt>Invisibility</dt>
<dd>Mask body heat and scent; hide effectively; mask sounds during movement; minor alterations of physical appearance.</dd>
<dt>Huntmastery</dt>
<section class="frontmatter" id="wpnmstry">
<meta><title>Grand Weaponmastery</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>This Discipline enables a Grand Master to become supremely efficient in the use of all weapons. When you enter combat with one of your Grand Master weapons, you add 5 points to your <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ>. The rank of Kai Grand Defender, with which you begin the Grand Master series, means you are skilled in <em>two</em> of the weapons listed below.<footref id="discplnz-1" idref="discplnz-1-foot"/></p>
+ <p>This Discipline enables a Grand Master to become supremely efficient in the use of all weapons. When you enter combat with one of your Grand Master weapons, you add 5 points to your <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ>. The rank of Kai Grand Defender, with which you begin the Grand Master series, means you are skilled in <em>two</em> of the weapons listed below.<footref id="discplnz-1" idref="discplnz-1-foot"/></p>
<illustration class="inline">
<meta>
<creator>Brian Williams</creator>
<section class="frontmatter" id="deliver">
<meta><title>Deliverance (Advanced Curing)</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Grand Masters are able to use their healing power to repair serious battle wounds. If, whilst in combat, their <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> is reduced to 8 points or less, they can draw upon their mastery to restore 20 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. This ability can only be used once every 20 days.</p>
+ <p>Grand Masters are able to use their healing power to repair serious battle wounds. If, whilst in combat, their <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> is reduced to 8 points or less, they can draw upon their mastery to restore 20 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. This ability can only be used once every 20 days.</p>
</data>
</section>
<section class="frontmatter" id="kaisurge">
<meta><title>Kai-surge</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>When using their psychic ability to attack an enemy, Grand Masters may add 8 points to their <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ>. For every round in which Kai-surge is used, Grand Masters need only deduct 1 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> point. When using the weaker psychic attack<ch.emdash/>Mindblast<ch.emdash/>they may add 4 points without loss of <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. (Kai-surge, Psi-surge, and Mindblast cannot be used simultaneously.)</p>
- <p>Grand Masters cannot use Kai-surge if their <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> score falls to 6 points or below.</p>
+ <p>When using their psychic ability to attack an enemy, Grand Masters may add 8 points to their <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ>. For every round in which Kai-surge is used, Grand Masters need only deduct 1 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point. When using the weaker psychic attack<ch.emdash/>Mindblast<ch.emdash/>they may add 4 points without loss of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. (Kai-surge, Psi-surge, and Mindblast cannot be used simultaneously.)</p>
+ <p>Grand Masters cannot use Kai-surge if their <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score falls to 6 points or below.</p>
</data>
</section>
<p>If you successfully complete the mission as set in this, the sixth of the Lone Wolf Grand Master series, you may add a further Grand Master Discipline of your choice to your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> in <bookref book="19wb">Book 19</bookref>.</p>
- <p>For every Grand Master Discipline you possess, in excess of the original four Disciplines you begin with, you may add 1 point to your basic <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> score and 2 points to your basic <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score. These bonus points, together with your extra Grand Master Discipline(s), your original four Grand Master Disciplines, and any Special Items that you have found and been able to keep during your adventures, may then be carried over and used in the next Grand Master adventure, which is called <bookref book="19wb"><cite>Wolf<ch.apos/>s Bane</cite>.</bookref></p>
+ <p>For every Grand Master Discipline you possess, in excess of the original four Disciplines you begin with, you may add 1 point to your basic <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> score and 2 points to your basic <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score. These bonus points, together with your extra Grand Master Discipline(s), your original four Grand Master Disciplines, and any Special Items that you have found and been able to keep during your adventures, may then be carried over and used in the next Grand Master adventure, which is called <bookref book="19wb"><cite>Wolf<ch.apos/>s Bane</cite>.</bookref></p>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>There will be occasions during your adventure when you have to fight an enemy. The enemy<ch.apos/>s <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> and <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points are given in the text. Lone Wolf<ch.apos/>s aim in the combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points to zero while losing as few <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points as possible himself.</p>
<p>At the start of a combat, enter Lone Wolf<ch.apos/>s and the enemy<ch.apos/>s <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points in the appropriate boxes on the Combat Record section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>. The sequence for combat is as follows:</p>
- <ol class="paragraphed">
+ <ol class="paragraphed">
<li><p>Add any extra points gained through your Grand Master Disciplines and Special Items to your current <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> total.</p></li>
<li>
<p>Subtract the <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> of your enemy from this total. The result is your Combat Ratio. Enter it on the <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>.</p>
<p>The following table is a guide to the rank and titles you can achieve at each stage of your journey along the road of Kai Grand Mastership. As you successfully complete each adventure in the Lone Wolf Grand Master series, you will gain an additional Grand Master Discipline and progress towards the pinnacle of Kai perfection<ch.emdash/>to become a Kai Supreme Master.</p>
<ol>
- <li>Kai Grand Master Senior</li>
+ <li>Kai Grand Master Senior</li>
<li>Kai Grand Master Superior</li>
<li>Kai Grand Sentinel</li>
<li>Kai Grand Defender<ch.emdash/><em>You begin the Lone Wolf Grand Master adventures at this level of Mastery</em></li>
<data>
<p>If you are a Grand Master who has reached the rank of Sun Knight (6 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:</p>
- <dl class="paragraphed">
+ <dl class="paragraphed">
<dt>Grand Weaponmastery</dt>
<dd><p>Sun Knights with this Discipline are able to wield two-handed weapons (i.e. Broadsword, Quarterstaff, and Spear) with full effect, using only one hand.</p></dd>
<dt>Deliverance</dt>
</ul>
</dd>
</dl>
- </section>
+ </data>
+ </section>
<section class="frontmatter" id="grandthane">
<meta><title>Grand Thane</title></meta>
<p>If you are a Kai Grand Master who has reached the rank of Grand Thane (9 Disciplines), you will now benefit from improvements to the following Grand Master Disciplines:</p>
<dt>Deliverance</dt>
<dd><p>Grand Thanes with this Discipline are able to call upon the God Kai for divine assistance should a situation warrant it. Kai cannot intervene to save a Grand Thane from physical danger, but he can give signs which may help a Grand Thane chose the best course of action. A Grand Thane can call upon the God Kai for assistance no more than once every month. The frequency of divine audiences will increase as a Grand Master rises in rank.</p></dd>
<dt>Assimilance</dt>
- <dd><p>Grand Thanes who possess this skill are able to protect themselves from detection by creatures using infra-vision (the ability to see the heat radiating from a person or thing), or ultra-vision (the ability to detect objects or movement in the ultra-violet spectrum of light).</p></dd>
+ <dd><p>Grand Thanes who possess this skill are able to protect themselves from detection by creatures using infravision (the ability to see the heat radiating from a person or thing), or ultra-vision (the ability to detect objects or movement in the ultra-violet spectrum of light).</p></dd>
<dt>Grand Kai-surge</dt>
<dd><p>Grand Thanes with this skill are able to focus their mind-power upon inanimate breakable objects, eg, bottles, windows, all ceramics, urns, jugs etc, and cause them to explode violently. Any person or creature in close proximity to such an explosion risks injury from flying shrapnel.</p></dd>
<dt>Grand Nexus</dt>
</ul>
</dd>
</dl>
- </data>
</section>
<p>The nature of any additional improvements and how they affect your Grand Master Disciplines will be noted in the <ch.apos/>Improved Grand Master Disciplines<ch.apos/> section of future Lone Wolf books.</p>
</data>
</data>
</section>
-
+
<section class="frontmatter" id="kaiwisdm">
<meta>
<title>Grand Master<ch.apos/>s Wisdom</title>
<meta><title>1</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You set sail from Vadera harbour on a bitterly cold, grey, late winters day. The masts of your host ship, the Lencian clipper Saxin, have been rigged with every available square inch of canvas to catch the prevailing winds that will, with luck, propel you quickly to Talestria<ch.emdash/>the first stage of your long journey home. The clipper is a sleek and impressive craft and its departure does not go unnoticed, yet of all the many Lencians who have turned out to watch and wave it farewell, only King Sarnac and his closest advisors know the true purpose of its voyage.</p>
- <p>Once the Saxin Is beyond the sheltering walls of Vadera harbour, its Captain charts an easterly course along the Tentarlas<ch.emdash/>the chain of seas and landlocked lakes which separate the two continents of Magnamund. You and your companion, Lord Ardan, settle into the ship<ch.apos/>s easy routine and, with few on-board duties to perform, you endeavour to pass the long hours constructively. With the aid of a map (see the inside front cover of his book) which he gives to you, Ardan briefs you on the route you should travel if you are to reach Sommerlund as swiftly as possible. You spend your time discussing the details of the route and pondering the new Evil which now threatens your homeland and the Kai.</p>
+ <p>You set sailfrom Vadera harbour on a bitterly cold, grey, late winters day. The masts of your host ship, the Lencian clipper <cite>Saxin</cite>, have been rigged with every available square inch of canvas to catch the prevailing winds that will, with luck, propel you quickly to Talestria<ch.emdash/>the first stage of your long journey home. The clipper is a sleek and impressive craft and its departure does not go unnoticed, yet of all the many Lencians who have turned out to watch and wave it farewell, only King Sarnac and his closest advisors know the true purpose of its voyage.</p>
+ <p>Once the <cite>Saxin</cite> is beyond the sheltering walls of Vadera harbour, its Captain charts an easterly course along the Tentarlas<ch.emdash/>the chain of seas and landlocked lakes which separate the two continents of Magnamund. You and your companion, Lord Ardan, settle into the ship<ch.apos/>s easy routine and, with few on-board duties to perform, you endeavour to pass the long hours constructively. With the aid of a <a idref="map">map</a> (see the inside front cover of his book) which he gives to you, Ardan briefs you on the route you should travel if you are to reach Sommerlund as swiftly as possible. You spend your time discussing the details of the route and pondering the new Evil which now threatens your homeland and the Kai.</p>
<p>Every night, as you lie awake on your bunk staring at the tarred beams of your cabin, you wish away the miles that separate you from your beloved homeland. You want, most of all, to be with your young Kai acolytes in this dark hour, but fate has seen fit to place a great distance between you. Fearful of what you may find if you arrive home too late, every night you offer up prayers to the Gods Ishir and Kai to help speed your return to Sommerlund.</p>
<choice idref="sect175"><link-text>Turn to 175</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>9</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Quickly you intone the words of the Old Kingdom spell <spell>Hold Enemy </spell>and direct its power at Prince Lutha. Instantly he is frozen into immobility. Your swift action has prevented him from activating the evil power of the ring he wears, a power which could spell your doom. But you sense that it is only a matter of time before your spell wears off and he is free to direct the power of the ring against you.</p>
+ <p>Quickly you intone the words of the Old Kingdom spell <spell>Hold Enemy</spell> and direct its power at Prince Lutha. Instantly he is frozen into immobility. Your swift action has prevented him from activating the evil power of the ring he wears, a power which could spell your doom. But you sense that it is only a matter of time before your spell wears off and he is free to direct the power of the ring against you.</p>
<p>Seizing the advantage, you call on your Magnakai skills of Pathsmanship to aid you as you begin the difficult climb out of the pit. The ascent becomes a race against time; you must reach the open trapdoor before the Prince recovers from the effects of your spell.</p>
<p>You are pulling yourself through the opening when Lutha begins to move. He attempts to kick you with his right foot but you twist away in time to avoid the vicious attack. You tug his left leg and put him off balance; this move buys you the few seconds you need to get to your feet. As you rise he comes at you with a dagger in his hand, forcing you back towards the open hole.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">54</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">39</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">54</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">39</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>While wearing the Ring of Power, Lutha is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect89">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 89</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>Quickly you make your descent across the rocks to where the Sun-Crystal lies, but in your hurry, you slip and fall on he wet granite.</p>
- <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Nexus, add 2. If you possess Grand Pathsmanship, add 1. If your current <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points total is 11 or less, deduct 1.</p>
+ <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess Grand Nexus, add 2. If you possess Grand Pathsmanship, add 1. If your current <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points total is 11 or less, deduct 1.</p>
<choice idref="sect258">If your total score is now 2 or less, <link-text>turn to 258</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect134">If it is 3 or more, <link-text>turn to 134</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>13</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You place your hands on the young man<ch.apos/>s chest and, using your Magnakai healing skills, you cause the puncture wound to mend (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> score by 1 point). However, your treatment is not enough to save him. The poison in his blood is too strong and to well-established to be neutralized by your innate Kai powers. Sadly you watch as the brave young man slips into a sleep from which he will not awaken.</p>
+ <p>You place your hands on the young man<ch.apos/>s chest and, using your Magnakai healing skills, you cause the puncture wound to mend (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score by 1 point). However, your treatment is not enough to save him. The poison in his blood is too strong and to well-established to be neutralized by your innate Kai powers. Sadly you watch as the brave young man slips into a sleep from which he will not awaken.</p>
<choice idref="sect255"><link-text>Turn to 255</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>14</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You hear the hiss of a crossbow bolt in flight, and instantly react by pulling your horse sharply to one side. It is a move that saves your life. The iron missile grazes your shoulder (lose 1 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> point) but it does not prevent you from making good your escape into the trees.</p>
+ <p>You hear the hiss of a crossbow bolt in flight, and instantly react by pulling your horse sharply to one side. It is a move that saves your life. The iron missile grazes your shoulder (lose 1 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point) but it does not prevent you from making good your escape into the trees.</p>
<p>You keep to the woods and head south in a wide arc around the Eldenoran settlement at Fabri. During your ride through this lush timberland, you discover the following items in the bags and blanket roll which are attached to the horse<ch.apos/>s saddle:</p>
<p>Sword Rope Tinderbox Blanket Bow Quiver containing 5 arrows 12 Lune (equivalent to 3 Gold Crowns) Spyglass</p>
<p>If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<p>Shortly before sunset, you emerge from the trees at a place where three trails meet. A wooden signpost propped against a boulder indicates three directions, and distances:</p>
- <p>North-Chod-250 miles West-Holona-SO miles South-Tenzha-20 miles</p>
- <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your map, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha. During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENOURANCE points.</p>
+ <p>North<ch.endash/>Chod<ch.endash/>250 miles</p>
+ <p>West<ch.endash/>Holona<ch.endash/>50 miles</p>
+ <p>South<ch.endash/>Tenzha<ch.endash/>20 miles</p>
+ <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your <a idref="map">map</a>, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha. During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect343">To continue, <link-text>turn to 343</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>He calls his men to come forward and, before you can caution him, he leads them at the gallop down the steep trail which descends towards the valley floor. Cursing his impetuosity, you spur your steed onward and follow in his wake. You have covered less than half a mile when suddenly your Magnakai sense of Divination screams a warning<ch.emdash/>the troop is riding directly into an ambush.</p>
<p>Desperately you shout for Nathor to halt but your command goes unheeded. Then, from out of the surrounding pines, there comes a volley of arrows and spears. One spear penetrates deep into your horse<ch.apos/>s flank, killing him instantly.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
- <p>If the number you have picked is 0 or 1, turn 278.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect278">If the number you have picked is 0 or 1, <link-text>turn to 278</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect183">If it is 2<ch.endash/>6, <link-text>turn to 183</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect107">If it is 7<ch.endash/>9, <link-text>turn to 107</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>19</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Beyond the valley lies an expanse of coarse and thorny vegetation which is alive with wild game. You stop to catch yourself an evening meal and then make camp beneath an old twisted oak (restore 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points). The night passes uneventfully and at first light you resume your ride east. Shortly before midday, you arrive at the ruins of an ancient church where a signpost, pointing to the east, says:</p>
- <p>VANAMOR<ch.emdash/>42 miles</p>
+ <p>Beyond the valley lies an expanse of coarse and thorny vegetation which is alive with wild game. You stop to catch yourself an evening meal and then make camp beneath an old twisted oak (restore 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points). The night passes uneventfully and at first light you resume your ride east. Shortly before midday, you arrive at the ruins of an ancient church where a signpost, pointing to the east, says:</p>
+ <p><signpost>VANAMOR<ch.emdash/>42 miles</signpost></p>
<p>You allow yourself a smile; with luck you could be the city walls by nightfall.</p>
<p>Later in the day you see a dust cloud approaching along the road. You magnify your vision and see a dozen armed horsemen clad in ragged uniforms of green and black. A sense of unease pervades your mind; these are the colours most often worn by Eldenoran soldiers. Trusting to your Kai instincts, you steer your horse off the trail and take cover among the trees of a nearby copse.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
<data>
<p>The unexpected sound of the voice jolts you to full consciousness. You look around for who it was who uttered these words and, to your surprise, you see an old man dressed in brown robes standing before you, stroking your horses nose. Immediately you recognize the kindly face of Gwynian the Sage.</p>
<p><quote>Fate calls us together once more, Lone Wolf,</quote> he says, <quote>Come, we have much to discuss.</quote></p>
- <p>And with that he takes hold of your horse<ch.apos/>s bridle and leads him across the park to a grand building. It has changed much since you were last here, but despite <ch.apos/>he new brick and marble façade you recognize Varetta<ch.apos/>s Halls of Learning.</p>
- <p>You are taken along a gravelled path to a hall, where a sign hanging over its richly-carved oak door says: LIBRARY. You dismount, and Gwynian ties the reins to a ring set into the wall. Then he pushes open the door and together you enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior. Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library, marching past on either side as you walk towards another door at the far end of the hall.</p>
+ <p>And with that he takes hold of your horse<ch.apos/>s bridle and leads him across the park to a grand building. It has changed much since you were last here, but despite the new brick and marble fa<ch.ccedil/>ade you recognize Varetta<ch.apos/>s Halls of Learning.</p>
+ <p>You are taken along a gravelled path to a hall, where a sign hanging over its richly-carved oak door says: <signpost>LIBRARY</signpost>. You dismount, and Gwynian ties the reins to a ring set into the wall. Then he pushes open the door and together you enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior. Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library, marching past on either side as you walk towards another door at the far end of the hall.</p>
<choice idref="sect268"><link-text>Turn to 268</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>22</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You instruct Captain D<ch.apos/>Val to retreat with the regiment fifty yards back along the trail. When he has complied with your order, you move upstream until you can see, at an angle, the source of the ultra-violet beam: it is a small metallic polyhedron, studded with rivets.</p>
+ <p>You instruct Captain D<ch.apos/>Val to retreat with the regiment fifty yards back along the trail. When he has complied with your order, you move upstream until you can see, at an angle, the source of the ultraviolet beam: it is a small metallic polyhedron, studded with rivets.</p>
<p>You dismount and pick a large stone out of the river and lob it at the device with deft precision. The instant the stone hits, there is a violent explosion which knocks you down and peppers the area of the ford with sharp splinters of rock.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
<choice idref="sect310">If the number you have picked is 0<ch.endash/>3, <link-text>turn to 310</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>25</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You fold your hand of cards, pick up your money, and make an excuse that you are tired after your long day<ch.apos/>s ride. Dorst and his men bid you good-night, and as he and his men continue with the game, you go and check to see that your horse is comfortable for the night. You are busy gathering some grasses for his feed when suddenly a shriek echoes through the hills<ch.emdash/>it is the unmistakable cry of a Kraan.</p>
+ <p>You fold your hand of cards, pick up your money, and make an excuse that you are tired after your long day<ch.apos/>s ride. Dorst and his men bid you goodnight, and as he and his men continue with the game, you go and check to see that your horse is comfortable for the night. You are busy gathering some grasses for his feed when suddenly a shriek echoes through the hills<ch.emdash/>it is the unmistakable cry of a Kraan.</p>
<choice idref="sect221">If you possess Kai-screen, <link-text>turn to 221</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect99">If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, <link-text>turn to 99</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>Your advanced Kai mastery reveals to you the whereabouts of the missing purse of gems. It is in the boot of the bargee, the lank-haired man who is siding with the merchant against the other. He is hoping to keep hidden his guilt by pointing the finger of suspicion at the man in the hide coat.</p>
<p>The bargee steps away from the table and, as he tries to move quietly towards the tavern door, he passes in front of your chair. Deftly you kick the top of his boot. The blow splits the purse and scatters gemstones all over the tavern floor.</p>
- <p><quote>Why you <ch.ellips/></quote> growls the guilty bargee, and, in the blink of an eye, he draws a dagger and lunges for your heart.</p>
-Bargee (master thief): <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 36 ENCURANCE 25
+ <p><quote>Why you<ch.ellips/></quote> growls the guilty bargee, and, in the blink of an eye, he draws a dagger and lunges for your heart.</p>
+<combat><enemy>Bargee (master thief):</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">36</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">25</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect199">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 199</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>27</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You take a gasp of air and dive below the surface, but as you submerge, you feel the stinging kiss of a crossbow bolt<ch.apos/>s tip graze your shoulder: lose 2 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>You take a gasp of air and dive below the surface, but as you submerge, you feel the stinging kiss of a crossbow bolt<ch.apos/>s tip graze your shoulder: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Having lost the element of surprise, you allow the current to carry you a few hundred yards downstream before you cone to the surface. You find yourself opposite a shallow bay in the river bank which affords you better cover from the nearest enemy trench than your previous position upstream. Quickly you crawl out of the water and slither like a snake up the muddy bank to drop silently into this trench. A dull-witted Eldenoran is swiftly dispatched with a blow from the edge of your hand, enabling you to move further along this log-walled ditch. Just as you are passing the opening to a makeshift dug-out, you sense danger ahead. A single file of Eldenoran swordsmen are marching along the trench in your direction; it will be only a matter of seconds before they are close enough to see you.</p>
<choice idref="sect185">If you wish to dive into the dug-out to avoid being seen by these men, <link-text>turn to 185</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect57">If you choose to unsheathe your weapon and prepare for combat with this advancing file of troops, <link-text>turn to 57</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>29</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You fall among the damp, jagged rocks and gash your head on a pointed outcrop: lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>You fall among the damp, jagged rocks and gash your head on a pointed outcrop: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Your sudden movement alerts a lavas to your position and it circles around Ravens Eerie until it is sure that you are human. Then, with a piercing shriek, it comes diving out of the sky with its claws extended and its beaked jaw open wide.</p>
<choice idref="sect108"><link-text>Turn to 108</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You abandon your horse at the derelict barn and creep down stealthily to the river<ch.apos/>s edge. After stowing your cloak and boots in your backpack, you wade out into the cold dark waters of the Storn and begin your swim to the opposite bank. The river current is strong and, before long, you find yourself being carried swiftly downstream.</p>
- <choice idref="sect232">If your current <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score is 10 or less <link-text>turn to 232</link-text>.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect232">If your current <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score is 10 or less <link-text>turn to 232</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect177">If it is 11 or more, <link-text>turn to 177</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>Not until you see the bulbous golden towers of the High Mayor<ch.apos/>s Palace do you allow Wildwind to slow his pace. You pass through the palace<ch.apos/>s grand arch, crafted from marble and gold, and as you bring Wildwind to a halt you see a wondrous skyship hovering over the roof of the High Mayor<ch.apos/>s chambers. It reminds you of Skyrider<ch.emdash/>your friend Guildmaster Banedon<ch.apos/>s flying ship, although the craft above is and appears to be fashioned not from wood, but from burnished metal.</p>
<p><quote>She awaits your command,</quote> says High Mayor Cordas, as he strides down the steps of his palace chambers with an entourage of guards and advisors scurrying in his wake. <quote>What do you think?</quote> he beams, pointing to the ship. <quote>Is she not magnificent?</quote></p>
<p><quote>Yes, indeed she is,</quote> you reply, as you dismount from Wildwind who, to your greater astonishment, displays not the slightest sign of fatigue after your incredible ride from Varetta. <quote>Pray tell me, High Mayor. What is the craft<ch.apos/>s name?</quote></p>
- <p><quote>We call her <quote>Cloud<ch.endash/>dancer</quote></quote> he replies, proudly.</p>
+ <p><quote>We call her <quote>Cloud-dancer</quote></quote> he replies, proudly.</p>
<p>Within the hour you are standing aboard the gleaming steel deck of Cloud-dancer, which vibrates gently in tune to the rising power of its magical engines. The crew of Casiornian engineers set free the hawsers which hold her in place and then, with a farewell wave to Cordas and his court, you give the order for Cloud-dancer to commence her maiden voyage north to Holmgard.</p>
<choice idref="sect60"><link-text>Turn to 60</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>The trooper fumbles for the haft of an axe which is tucked into his belt. Before he can free it, you stride forward and strike a blow with your fist that sends him crashing backwards through the open hut door. Moments later, there is a loud commotion and half a dozen angry Eldenorans come pouring out of the doorway with weapons drawn. You will have to fight them:</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran horse-scouts</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">34</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">38</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran horse-scouts</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">34</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">38</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect85">If you win and the combat lasts three rounds or less <link-text>turn to 85</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect160">If you win and the combat lasts four rounds or more, <link-text>turn to 160</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>34</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Your calves and feet are badly scorched by the heat of the dragon<ch.apos/>s breath: lose 4 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you force yourself to stand and then use your Magnakai skill of Nexus to extinguish your burning breeches. Your quick thinking has saved you from more serious injury, but it does not impress the dragon. Your escape from his incinerating breath serves to make him even angrier. In a fit of pique, he stomps his massive forefoot down on to the black soil and sends a splash of molten mud and flame soaring into the sulphurous sky.</p>
+ <p>Your calves and feet are badly scorched by the heat of the dragon<ch.apos/>s breath: lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. Gritting your teeth against the pain, you force yourself to stand and then use your Magnakai skill of Nexus to extinguish your burning breeches. Your quick thinking has saved you from more serious injury, but it does not impress the dragon. Your escape from his incinerating breath serves to make him even angrier. In a fit of pique, he stomps his massive forefoot down on to the black soil and sends a splash of molten mud and flame soaring into the sulphurous sky.</p>
<p>You use this opportunity to retreat towards the Shadow Gate, but you do not get very far before the great beast sees you and comes lumbering forwards with his jaw agape.</p>
- <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
+ <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
<choice idref="sect316"><link-text>Turn to 316</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p><quote>Sir, if I am able to cure this lame mare,</quote> you say, stroking the horse<ch.apos/>s velvety nose, <quote>then will you allow me to keep her?</quote></p>
<p><quote>Ha, ha, ha, so you think you can work miracles, do you?</quote> chuckles the owner, <quote>Very well then, stranger. If you can cure her<ch.emdash/>you can keep her.</quote></p>
<p>Gently you settle the mare and run your hands down her lame foreleg. Using your Magnakai Disciplines of curing and animal control, you slowly ease her worn-out joints and mend her cracked bones. Within minutes she is as agile as a new-born foal.</p>
- <p><quote>Well I be a storgh<ch.apos/>s uncle!</quote> gasps the owner, amazed by the sudden transformation. <quote>So, stranger, you con work miracles after all! The horse is yours!</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Well I be a storgh<ch.apos/>s uncle!</quote> gasps the owner, amazed by the sudden transformation. <quote>So, stranger, you <cite>can</cite> work miracles after all! The horse is yours!</quote></p>
<p>You climb upon the mare<ch.apos/>s back and wave farewell to the owner and the stable-boy, who is now crying tears of joy.</p>
<p><quote>If ever you<ch.apos/>re looking for work,</quote> says the owner, as you turn the horse to leave, <quote>then there<ch.apos/>ll always be a job for you here!</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect244"><link-text>Turn to 244</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>You erect a psychic shield to protect our mind from Roark<ch.apos/>s assault, and you successfully deflect his attack. But as his ghastly apparition gallops past, it stirs in its wake a whirling maelstrom that is filled with rocks, broken glass and other city debris. This whirlwind assails you physically and knocks you to the ground.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Ghost of Roark</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">30</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Ghost of Roark</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">30</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>You conduct this combat in ho normal way. While attacking the ghost of Roark using your psychic Kai abilities, you must defend yourself from the injurious effects of the debris-storm. Only by defeating Roark<ch.apos/>s ghost an combat will you cause the maelstrom to cease.</p>
<choice idref="sect146">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 146</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>The electrical fire that borders the Shadow Gate suddenly flares and gives off hissing sparks which climb like fireworks into the night sky. Moments later, a trio of lavas emerge from its total darkness and soar into the air. Judging by their direction of flight, you determine that they are going to reinforce the enemy line which keeps King Ulnar<ch.apos/>s armies at bay.</p>
<p>You are too far from the Shadow Gate to hurl the Sun-Crystal and so, with caution, you begin to inch your way nearer to your goal.</p>
<choice idref="sect291">If you possess Grand Pathsmanship and Telegnosis <link-text>turn to 291</link-text>.</choice>
- <choice idref="sect127">If you do not possess both of these skills, <link-text>turn to 127</link-text>.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect127">If you do not possess <cite>both</cite> of these skills, <link-text>turn to 127</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>43</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Beyond the bog, the land gently rises to barren plateau that is dotted with scrub and stunted pines. Here, beneath the twisted boughs of a dead tree, you make camp for the night and settle down to sleep. Before you rest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Beyond the bog, the land gently rises to barren plateau that is dotted with scrub and stunted pines. Here, beneath the twisted boughs of a dead tree, you make camp for the night and settle down to sleep. Before you rest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect313">To continue, <link-text>turn to 313</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>King Ulnar convenes an emergency council of the Sommlending barons in his Chamber of State. When all are assembled, Baron Caldar of Anskaven conducts a briefing, principally for your benefit, outlining the grave situation confronting Sommerlund and, most especially, the new order of the Kai. You are aware of much of what he says, having been briefed already by Gwynian the Sage in Varetta, but you learn that the Sommlending army has lost many brave men attempting to break the siege at the Kai Monastery and is too weakened, at present, to attack the enemy again.</p>
<p><quote>Where is Guildmaster Banedon?</quote> you ask, when called upon by the King to speak to the council of war.</p>
- <p><quote>He is at the Kai Monastery,</quote> answers Baron Medar of Tyso, <quote>He, in company with Lord Rimoah of Dessi and the ten most senior magicians of Toran<ch.apos/>s Brotherhood, went to the monastery during the early days of the siege. They travelled there aboard the Guildmaster<ch.apos/>s skyship and <ch.ellips/></quote> At this point, the Baron hesitates and looks to the King, as if seeking his permission to continue. The King continues on his behalf.</p>
- <p><quote>Grand Master,</quote> he says, his voice heavy, <quote>The Guildmaster<ch.apos/>s skyship was seen falling from the skies above the monastery. Border Rangers saw it crash in flames. We <ch.ellips/> we fear that all aboard were lost.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>He is at the Kai Monastery,</quote> answers Baron Medar of Tyso, <quote>He, in company with Lord Rimoah of Dessi and the ten most senior magicians of Toran<ch.apos/>s Brotherhood, went to the monastery during the early days of the siege. They travelled there aboard the Guildmaster<ch.apos/>s skyship and<ch.ellips/></quote> At this point, the Baron hesitates and looks to the King, as if seeking his permission to continue. The King continues on his behalf.</p>
+ <p><quote>Grand Master,</quote> he says, his voice heavy, <quote>The Guildmaster<ch.apos/>s skyship was seen falling from the skies above the monastery. Border Rangers saw it crash in flames. We<ch.ellips/> we fear that all aboard were lost.</quote></p>
<p>The King<ch.apos/>s words come as a terrible blow for Banedon and Rimoah are your closest friends. If it is true, and all of Sommerlund<ch.apos/>s finest magicians have been lost at a stroke, then the blow is doubly severe. The security of your homeland will have been greatly compromised by their deaths.</p>
<choice idref="sect252">If you possess Telegnosis, <link-text>turn to 252</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect124">If you do not possess this Discipline, <link-text>turn to 124</link-text>.</choice>
<p>Hurriedly you utter the words of the Brotherhood spell <spell>Levitation</spell> and, simultaneously, you leap into the air. The spell takes effect almost immediately, and it pushes you high enough to avoid the dragon<ch.apos/>s searing blast of flame.</p>
<p>Your quick thinking has saved your skin, but it does not impress the dragon. Your escape from his incinerating breath serves to make him even angrier. He stomps his massive forefoot down on to the black soil and sends a splash of molten mud and flame soaring into the sulphurous sky.</p>
<p>You ease the levitation spell and return to the uncertain black soil. Then you retreat towards the Shadow Gate, but, as you run, you are forced to reach for your weapon as the great beast comes lumbering forwards with his jaw agape.</p>
- <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
+ <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
<choice idref="sect316"><link-text>Turn to 316</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>The defenders on the Tower fight like lions. The battle is fierce and bloody throughout the monastery, but the struggle is soon won and the shaken remnants of the winged attackers are repelled with heavy losses. A great cheer goes up as the last of the battered lavas limps into the air and makes its escape towards the Durncrags.</p>
<p>You leave the Tower and tour the battlements, offering words of comfort to the wounded and praising those Kai who have shown exceptional bravery. You are returning to the Grand Hall when you see Banedon approaching from the other direction.</p>
<p><quote>The time is ripe for you to begin your mission, Grand Master,</quote> he says. <quote>The enemy have lost a great number this night<ch.emdash/>it is unlikely they will return before the dawn.</quote></p>
- <p><quote>Yes, my friend,</quote> you reply, touching the pocket of your tunic which contains the Sun-Crystal, <quote>you are n1ht. The time has come- I will leave for Raven<ch.apos/>s terie at once.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Yes, my friend,</quote> you reply, touching the pocket of your tunic which contains the Sun-Crystal, <quote>you are right. The time has come<ch.emdash/>I will leave for Raven<ch.apos/>s Eerie at once.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect40"><link-text>Turn to 40</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You draw your weapon and slay the first guard to come within arm<ch.apos/>s length of your horse. The others freeze in their tracks, stunned by the speed of your attack, but then the sergeant screams at them like a wild animal and they rush forward again. They are more scared of their sergeant<ch.apos/>s wrath, it seems, than they are of your battle skill. You must fight them.</p>
- <p>Duadon guardsmen: COMBAT SNILL 42 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> 42</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Duadon guardsmen:</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">42</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect335">You may evade this combat after loin rounds by <link-text>turning to 335</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect290">If you win he fight, <link-text>turn to 290</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You rush into the forest and glance overhead to make doubly sure that you are not being tracked by the winged lavas. The darkening sky is clear of the enemy and confidently you press on through the trees, sure in your ability to remain undetected now that you are in your natural environment of the forest.</p>
- <p>Soon you reach the clearing and hurry to a boulder which bears the imprint of a human band. You place your right hand upon it and the imprint fits around it like a glove. Silently a hinged stone slab rises up from the around revealing a stair hat leads down into a brick-lined passageway. You enter and hurry along this familiar tunnel, covering a mile before you come to a door that opens automatically at your approach. Beyond lies the Vault of the Sun, your personal stronghold. It radiates a warmly golden light: they are the rays of the Lorestones of Nyxator. Once safely inside your underground lair, you pause to allow the radiant light of the Lorestones to wash over your tired and aching limbs and, within the space of a few heartbeats, the fatigue of your long journey home is melted away (restore all lost <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points).</p>
+ <p>Soon you reach the clearing and hurry to a boulder which bears the imprint of a human band. You place your right hand upon it and the imprint fits around it like a glove. Silently a hinged stone slab rises up from the around revealing a stair hat leads down into a brick-lined passageway. You enter and hurry along this familiar tunnel, covering a mile before you come to a door that opens automatically at your approach. Beyond lies the Vault of the Sun, your personal stronghold. It radiates a warmly golden light: they are the rays of the Lorestones of Nyxator. Once safely inside your underground lair, you pause to allow the radiant light of the Lorestones to wash over your tired and aching limbs and, within the space of a few heartbeats, the fatigue of your long journey home is melted away (restore all lost <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points).</p>
<p>Revived and revitalized, you throw open the door to the vault and see a young Kai Master standing guard at the foot of the tower stairwell. He is Sabre Fox, one of your most gifted students.</p>
<p><quote>Gr.. Grand Master!</quote> he stammers, hardly daring to believe his eyes, <quote>you have returned. Praise the Gods!<ch.emdash/>Our prayers have been answered!</quote></p>
<p>You smile at the young Kai Master who now has tears of joy in his steel-grey eyes.</p>
<data>
<p>Using the Brotherhood spell <spell>Levitation</spell> you are able to counter the speed of your descent. Unfortunately, Lord Constable Nathor does not possess the same ability and, as you are beginning to slow down, he comes screaming past you, his eyes and mouth wide with terror.</p>
<p>You stretch out and make a grab for his cloak as he hurtles past. You manage to get a grip and hold on fast, but as you are nearing the ground, his cloak comes undone and he falls the last twenty feet to the flagstoned keep. Upon landing, you discover that Nathor is still alive, but his left ankle is badly broken and his face is cut and bruised. Despite his obvious pain he manages a smile, revealing gaps where he is now missing two of his teeth.</p>
- <p>Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your hands to the injured foot (reduce you <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 4). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from out of the gatehouse with their swords drawn. You unsheathe your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Castle guardsmen (imposters)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">48</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your hands to the injured foot (reduce you <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 4). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from out of the gatehouse with their swords drawn. You unsheathe your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Castle guardsmen (imposters)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">48</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect93">If you win this fight, <link-text>turn to 93</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The leading Eldenoran soldier is stunned into open-mouthed shock when he sees you standing in the trench before him. You strike a swift, deadly blow, and he staggers backwards, pulling two of his comrades down to the floor of the trench as he falls. The others draw their swords and come leaping over their fallen friends, attacking you with unexpected fury.</p>
- <p>Eldenoran assault troops; <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 39 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> 42</p>
+ <p>Eldenoran assault troops; <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> 39 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> 42</p>
<choice idref="sect324">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 324</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>Suddenly you are confronted by one of these beasts who attempts to strike you from the Tower with its horny tail. You leap to avoid its scything attack, draw your weapon in mid-air, and swing your first blow the moment your feet return to the flagstones.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">49</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">49</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect49">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 49</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>59</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You help the Baroness<ch.apos/>s entourage 10 set up camp beside the stream while Dorst, who considers himself something of a master cook, prepares the trout you caught earlier. To your surprise, the meal turns out to be excellent (restore 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.)</p>
+ <p>You help the Baroness<ch.apos/>s entourage 10 set up camp beside the stream while Dorst, who considers himself something of a master cook, prepares the trout you caught earlier. To your surprise, the meal turns out to be excellent (restore 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.)</p>
<p>During supper, you ask the Baroness what news she has heard of events in the east. She tells you that there is war between the principalities of the Stornlands, although this is such a common condition that it can hardly be considered news any more. Of distant Sommerlund she has heard nothing. After supper, she excuses herself and retires to her carriage. Dorst posts two men to guard her coach, then he invites you to play cards with himself and the remaining five men.</p>
<choice idref="sect152">If you wish to accept his offer, <link-text>turn to 152</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect330">If you choose to decline his offer, <link-text>turn to 330</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>As the horsemen close in, unexpectedly you spur your steed straight at then in a bold counter-charge. The move takes the leading pair of riders by surprise and, before they fully recover their battle-senses, you speed between them and lash out with a single scything sweep. Both riders crash to the ground<ch.emdash/>minus their heads.</p>
<p>Shocked by your sheer audacity, the brigand leader shouts a recall to the others. They wheel around in a wide arc and form up in a line behind him, cursing you vehemently for the death of their comrades. Then, with a vengeful yell, the brigand chief leads his gang of saddle-bandits in a charge that, he hopes, will leave you trampled into the ground.</p>
- <p>As this wave of brigands come thundering down upon you, the leader urges at your head with his straight-bladed sword. It whistles by 4ust inches from your scalp, but you do not allow him a second try. You twist in the saddle and strike like lightning, splitting his helmet and his skull with a single mighty blow. He falls before his men, yet they prove to be hardy rogues and they press home their attack regardless.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran brigands</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">46</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">41</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>As this wave of brigands come thundering down upon you, the leader urges at your head with his straight-bladed sword. It whistles by just inches from your scalp, but you do not allow him a second try. You twist in the saddle and strike like lightning, splitting his helmet and his skull with a single mighty blow. He falls before his men, yet they prove to be hardy rogues and they press home their attack regardless.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran brigands</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">46</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">41</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect182">You may evade this combat after four rounds, by <link-text>turning to 182</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect109">If you win the fight, <link-text>turn to 109</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>68</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The pack leader is torn to shreds by the blast, and several of his followers are left modally wounded. The sight of their injuries, coupled with the deafening sound of the unexpected explosion, is more than the remaining pack members can bear. With a howl of fear and frustration, they turn away and race back to the safety of Castle Tranius.</p>
+ <p>The pack leader is torn to shreds by the blast, and several of his followers are left mortally wounded. The sight of their injuries, coupled with the deafening sound of the unexpected explosion, is more than the remaining pack members can bear. With a howl of fear and frustration, they turn away and race back to the safety of Castle Tranius.</p>
<choice idref="sect86"><link-text>Turn to 86</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You ride to a barricade that is within twenty yards of the river<ch.apos/>s edge. To he astonishment of the soldiers who are sheltering here from a hail of fire bombs and arrows, you leap from your horse and sprint headlong towards the river. The moment you hit the freezing water, you stay submerged as you begin the long swim to the opposite bank.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
- <p>If the number you have picked is 0<ch.endash/>5, urn to 163.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect163">If the number you have picked is 0<ch.endash/>5, <link-text>turn to 163</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect125">If it is 6<ch.endash/>9, <link-text>turn to 125</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>Suddenly there is a low, concussive boom and a spiral of blue flame shoots the length of the hail, Fired from the tip of the figure<ch.apos/>s iron stave. You are its intended target and you dive to the floor to avoid being hit. The bolt ricochets off the stone wall close behind you and shatters one of the tall windows into a thousand glittering shards.</p>
<p><quote>Take him!</quote> shouts Nathor, and his men rush forward, but a second blast from the stave puts an end to their brave advance. All three are cut down by an arc of blue fire that leaves their corpses heaped and smouldering in the middle of the hall.</p>
<p>Nathor curses the sinister figure and it responds by uttering a chilling, inhuman laugh. Now you sense a new danger approaching<ch.emdash/>the being<ch.apos/>s sickly laughter is summoning its minions to the hall.</p>
- <p><quote>Lord Nathor!</quote> you cry, <quote>We cannot prevail here. We must escape <ch.ellips/> follow me!</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Lord Nathor!</quote> you cry, <quote>We cannot prevail here. We must escape<ch.ellips/> follow me!</quote></p>
<p>And with these words, you race to the window and leap feet-first through its shattered pane.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
<choice idref="sect219">If the number you have picked is 0<ch.endash/>4, <link-text>turn to 219</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>Within a matter of seconds, the remaining pack members catch the scent of their leaders blood and it drives them into a frenzy. They increase their speed and, knowing that you cannot out-run them, you are forced to turn and face them as they launch a simultaneous attack.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran war-dogs (in blood-frenzy)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">42</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">47</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran war-dogs (in blood-frenzy)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">42</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">47</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>Due to their frenzied state, these war-dogs are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect295">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 295</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You leave behind the Denka Gate and follow a road that twists and climbs through densely wooded highland. Once you crest the last timbered hill, you begin a gradual descent towards the Taunor Valley<ch.emdash/>a fertile expanse of cropland and grassy plain. By dusk you can see the River Quarl ahead and, shortly before nightfall, you cross its fast-flowing waters at a bridge in the centre of Quarlen, a busy town on the caravan route to Casiorn.</p>
- <p>Just beyond the bridge you see an impressive hostelry, with adjoining stables. A shield hangs above the courtyard gate displaying its name: THE BARREL BRIDGE TAVERN.</p>
+ <p>Just beyond the bridge you see an impressive hostelry, with adjoining stables. A shield hangs above the courtyard gate displaying its name: <signpost>THE BARREL BRIDGE TAVERN</signpost>.</p>
<choice idref="sect211">If you wish to stop and enter this hostelry, <link-text>turn to 211</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect31">If you choose to continue your ride to Casiorn, <link-text>turn to 31</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>Your arrow glances harmlessly off the dragon<ch.apos/>s skull, making him even angrier than he already is. He stomps his massive forefoot down onto the black soil and sends a splash of molten mud and flames soaring into the air.</p>
<p>Hurriedly you discard your bow and reach for your weapon as the great beast comes lumbering slowly towards you with his massive jaw agape.</p>
- <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
+ <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
<choice idref="sect316"><link-text>Turn to 316</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>78</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You shout the order to fire and the Kai let loose their straining bowstrings. A cloud of arrows with armour-piercing tips, hardened in the fires of the monastery forge, whistle towards the swooping lavas with impressive accuracy. All find their target, but only one of the winged creatures falls from the sky. You see that the beast has been struck in the eye. Hurriedly the acolytes reload as the lava prepare to land on the battements.</p>
+ <p>You shout the order to fire and the Kai let loose their straining bowstrings. A cloud of arrows with armour-piercing tips, hardened in the fires of the monastery forge, whistle towards the swooping lavas with impressive accuracy. All find their target, but only one of the winged creatures falls from the sky. You see that the beast has been struck in the eye. Hurriedly the acolytes reload as the lava prepare to land on the battlements.</p>
<p><quote>Fire at their eyes!</quote> you shout, and a cloud of fifty Kai arrows are sent screaming through the sky to seek their elusive mark. This time more than half find their target, decimating the onrushing lavas at a single stroke, yet those winged creatures who do survive this deadly volley are quick1y among the defenders on the wall.</p>
<choice idref="sect165"><link-text>Turn to 165</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>79</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Using the Brotherhood spell <spell>Mind Charm</spell>, you command the prisoner to reveal the identity of the person who sent him here to Garthen to murder you. At first you are unable to penetrate the man<ch.apos/>s mind<ch.emdash/>his memory is protected by a magical shield. Then you draw on your psychic Kat skills to boost the <spell>Mind Charm</spell> spell and suddenly you feel the man<ch.apos/>s magical shield begin to crack and disintegrate.</p>
+ <p>Using the Brotherhood spell <spell>Mind Charm</spell>, you command the prisoner to reveal the identity of the person who sent him here to Garthen to murder you. At first you are unable to penetrate the man<ch.apos/>s mind<ch.emdash/>his memory is protected by a magical shield. Then you draw on your psychic Kai skills to boost the <spell>Mind Charm</spell> spell and suddenly you feel the man<ch.apos/>s magical shield begin to crack and disintegrate.</p>
<p>The man shrieks with fear as his body is racked by convulsions. A mass of images swirl and solidify in your mind<ch.apos/>s eye<ch.emdash/>they are images of a past meeting in a far-off place which you recognize to be Duadon, the capital city of Eldenora. You see a shadowy figure, sheathed in ornate chainmail, handing a bulging pouch of gold to the prisoner in a dimly-lit alleyway. The figure speaks your name before melting away into the shadows.</p>
- <p><quote>Who is this person?</quote> you say, commanding the trembling prisoner to answer. He parts his bruised bps and tries to utter a name but no sound emerges. You sense that he is fighting to overcome the remnants of the shielding spell placed upon his mind. Moving closer, you try to make out the name he is struggling hard to whisper.</p>
+ <p><quote>Who is this person?</quote> you say, commanding the trembling prisoner to answer. He parts his bruised lips and tries to utter a name but no sound emerges. You sense that he is fighting to overcome the remnants of the shielding spell placed upon his mind. Moving closer, you try to make out the name he is struggling hard to whisper.</p>
<choice idref="sect326"><link-text>Turn to 326</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>Using the Old Kingdom battle-spell <spell>Hold Enemy</spell>, you command the Eldenoran to cease all movement. Instantly, the drunken thug freezes like a stone statue, enabling the young woman and her child to break free from his grasp. She runs towards you, cradling the sobbing child in her arms.</p>
- <p><quote>Thank you, thank-you <ch.ellips/></quote> she cries as she falls to your feet. Gently you lift her, assuring her with kind words that her ordeal is over. She smiles, reassured, but her expression quickly changes when she spots something moving behind you.</p>
+ <p><quote>Thank you, thank you<ch.ellips/></quote> she cries as she falls to your feet. Gently you lift her, assuring her with kind words that her ordeal is over. She smiles, reassured, but her expression quickly changes when she spots something moving behind you.</p>
<p><quote>There he is, that cur Holkar!</quote> she spits. <quote>He<ch.apos/>s the murdering leader of these bandits. All this chaos his doing.</quote></p>
<p>You turn to look at the object of her hatred, and see a swarthy brigand dodging between the gravestones tat line the abbey grounds. He has a sack full of cot slung over his shoulder and he is hurrying towards his horse which stands close to the abbey<ch.apos/>s perimeter wall. Determined not to let him escape, you rush into the grounds of the abbey and give chase.</p>
<choice idref="sect206"><link-text>Turn to 206</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>83</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Once outside the broken gate of Amory, you turn to the north and follow the road which leads to Varetta, the principal city of Lyris. At noon you come to a fork in the road where a signpost indicates two different destinations: Soren (left) and Varetta (right). You take the right-hand road and spend the afternoon riding across a lonely stretch of gently undulating plain. During this ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Once outside the broken gate of Amory, you turn to the north and follow the road which leads to Varetta, the principal city of Lyris. At noon you come to a fork in the road where a signpost indicates two different destinations: Soren (left) and Varetta (right). You take the right-hand road and spend the afternoon riding across a lonely stretch of gently undulating plain. During this ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Daylight is beginning to wane when you arrive at a village that is dominated by a fortified manor house. Rain clouds are fast closing in from the west and your thoughts turn, once more, to finding shelter or the night.</p>
<choice idref="sect318">If you wish to seek shelter at the manor house, <link-text>turn to 318</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect42">If you choose to seek shelter in the village, <link-text>turn to 42</link-text>.</choice>
<p>Spyglass</p>
<p>If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<p>Shortly before sunset, you emerge from the trees at a place where three trails meet. A wooden signpost propped against a boulder indicates three directions, destinations, and distances:</p>
- <p>North-Chod-250 miles West-Holona-50 miles South-Tenzha-20 miles</p>
- <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your map, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
- <p>During your tide, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>North<ch.endash/>Chod<ch.endash/>250 miles</p>
+ <p>West<ch.endash/>Holona<ch.endash/>50 miles</p>
+ <p>South<ch.endash/>Tenzha<ch.endash/>20 miles</p>
+ <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your <a idref="map">map</a>, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
+ <p>During your tide, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect343">To continue, <link-text>turn to 343</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>In the warm comfort of the inn, you use your Kai healing skills to mend the Lord Constable<ch.apos/>s injuries. He is carefully testing his weight on his newly mended ankle when suddenly there is a commotion outside in the street. An angry mob of hard-faced men, many clutching torches, staves, and coils of rope, are marching down the cobbled avenue towards the inn.</p>
<p><quote>Hang the Talestrian thieves!</quote> they shout. <quote>String up the murdering swine!</quote></p>
<p><quote>What<ch.apos/>s going on? Who are these men?</quote> says Nathor. The innkeeper<ch.apos/>s face turns white and he begins to tremble with fear.</p>
- <p><quote>I <ch.ellips/> I don<ch.apos/>t rightly know,</quote> he stammers, <quote>I ain<ch.apos/>t never seen <ch.apos/>em before. They<ch.apos/>s not from these parts. We<ch.apos/>ve never had no quarrel with Talestria. You<ch.apos/>ve always been our friends.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>I<ch.ellips/> I don<ch.apos/>t rightly know,</quote> he stammers, <quote>I ain<ch.apos/>t never seen <ch.apos/>em before. They<ch.apos/>s not from these parts. We<ch.apos/>ve never had no quarrel with Talestria. You<ch.apos/>ve always been our friends.</quote></p>
<p>Suddenly a chunk of cobblestone smashes through a window and an angry cry arises from the mob:</p>
<p><quote>Come out, you Talestrian dogs. Come out or we<ch.apos/>ll burn you out!</quote></p>
<p>Nathor calls everyone to the rear of the inn where a passage leads directly to the stables.</p>
<data>
<p>You are part-way across the lord when alarm bells sound on both sides of the river.</p>
<p><quote>Deserter at the ford!</quote> goes the cry from the Eldenoran fort. <quote>Enemy spy approaching!</quote> shout the Slovian guards.</p>
- <p>Moments later, a hissing cloud of arrows and bolts descend on you from both sides and several missiles graze your back and thighs: lose 5 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. But the speed of your surprise crossing and your Kai camouflage skills enable you to reach the Slovian side intact, and you disappear swiftly into the darkness of the plains beyond.</p>
+ <p>Moments later, a hissing cloud of arrows and bolts descend on you from both sides and several missiles graze your back and thighs: lose 5 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. But the speed of your surprise crossing and your Kai camouflage skills enable you to reach the Slovian side intact, and you disappear swiftly into the darkness of the plains beyond.</p>
<choice idref="sect92"><link-text>Turn to 92</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>88</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The instant you pass through the Shadow Gate, you are assailed by howling gales and icy winds that freeze you to the bone: lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. You feel as if both you and the lavas are whirling downwards in ever-decreasing circles into the core of the vortex, and rapidly you lose all track of time. Then, as abruptly as it began, the whirling ceases and the frigidity of the abyss is transformed into a harsh and blistering heat. With fearful apprehension, you force open your eyes to look upon the nightmare realm that surrounds you.</p>
+ <p>The instant you pass through the Shadow Gate, you are assailed by howling gales and icy winds that freeze you to the bone: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. You feel as if both you and the lavas are whirling downwards in ever-decreasing circles into the core of the vortex, and rapidly you lose all track of time. Then, as abruptly as it began, the whirling ceases and the frigidity of the abyss is transformed into a harsh and blistering heat. With fearful apprehension, you force open your eyes to look upon the nightmare realm that surrounds you.</p>
<choice idref="sect64"><link-text>Turn to 64</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The moment you strike your killing blow, the evil power of Lutha<ch.apos/>s ring implodes and consumes the Prince<ch.apos/>s body in a whirlwind of supernatural fire. You turn your back on the intense heat and, when the heat subsides, you turn around to see that he has been incinerated beyond all recognition. No sign of the ring remains, and only a glowing heap of bones mark the place where he fell.</p>
- <p>From beyond a closed door you hear a horde of guards come running along an echoing corridor towards the chamber in which you stand. Beside your feet is the dagger which Prince Lutha used against you, and you stoop to pick it up (record this in the
Weapons List section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>).</p>
+ <p>From beyond a closed door you hear a horde of guards come running along an echoing corridor towards the chamber in which you stand. Beside your feet is the dagger which Prince Lutha used against you, and you stoop to pick it up (record this in the
<a idref="action">Weapons List</a> section of your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>).</p>
<p>Then you lower yourself back into the shaft and descend to the bottom of the pit. There you use the dagger to prise open the circular panel in the wall and, as it falls away, you discover a chute which leads to an underground river. Quickly you crawl along the slime-smeared chute and slip into the river, where you are carried swiftly away by the strong undercurrent.</p>
<choice idref="sect150"><link-text>Turn to 150</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>90</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You enter Quill Street and ride along this narrow avenue, which is flanked by aromatic jala houses and perfumeries, until it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard enhance to a grand building whose brick and marble façade is adorned with the words: HALLS OF LEARNING. Suddenly you feel inexplicably drawn towards this building; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems.</p>
- <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: LIBRARY. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
+ <p>You enter Quill Street and ride along this narrow avenue, which is flanked by aromatic jala houses and perfumeries, until it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard enhance to a grand building whose brick and marble fa<ch.ccedil/>ade is adorned with the words: <signpost>HALLS OF LEARNING</signpost>. Suddenly you feel inexplicably drawn towards this building; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems.</p>
+ <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: <signpost>LIBRARY</signpost>. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
<p>Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library. Your eyes travel along them until they reach another door at the far end of the hall. There, standing framed in its archway, is an old man clad in plain brown robes. He looks at you and smiles knowingly.</p>
<p><quote>Welcome, Grand Master,</quote> he says, <quote>I have been expecting you.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect348">If you have ever visited a hut on Raider<ch.apos/>s Road, the city of Tahou, or Lake Vorndarol (in previous Lone Wolf adventures), <link-text>turn to 348</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>After the dangers of Eldenora, the plains of peaceful Slovia seem like a tranquil paradise. The grasslands are rich arid fertile, and an abundance of game keeps you well fed during the five days it takes you to ride north to the walled city of Tekaro. Here, at an inn close by the city<ch.apos/>s cathedral, where, years ago, you discovered one of the Lorestones of Nyxator during your quest for Kai knowledge, you spend a fortunate evening in the company of a band of Salonese mercenaries. Aided by your Kai skills, you fleece them of 30 Gold Crowns while playing cards, and with your gain you purchase a fresh horse (or your continuing journey home. (Your new horse and a night<ch.apos/>s lodging at the inn cost you 25 Cold Crowns; you may add the balance of 5 Cold Crowns to your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>, maximum allowances permitting.)</p>
- <p>Early the following day you leave Tekaro and set out on the highway hound for Tido. You plan to reach Casiorn by means of the North Pass through the Slovarian Range, but during your second day on the road you are forced to revise your plans drastically. During a chance meeting at a wayside inn with a merchant who has journeyed from Casiorn, you learn that an avalanche has blocked the North Pass and travel by that route is now impossible. It will be several months before the pass is cleared and the mountain road rebuilt. You resolve instead to reach Casiorn by way of Varetta, the ancient city of crossed swords, and the following day you resume your ride north.</p>
+ <p>Early the following day you leave Tekaro and set out on the highway bound for Tido. You plan to reach Casiorn by means of the North Pass through the Slovarian Range, but during your second day on the road you are forced to revise your plans drastically. During a chance meeting at a wayside inn with a merchant who has journeyed from Casiorn, you learn that an avalanche has blocked the North Pass and travel by that route is now impossible. It will be several months before the pass is cleared and the mountain road rebuilt. You resolve instead to reach Casiorn by way of Varetta, the ancient city of crossed swords, and the following day you resume your ride north.</p>
<p>During your ride, you stop to assist a farmer whose cart has shed a wheel. In return for your help, he offers the services of his brother who operates a raft ferry across the river Quarl. Gladly the brother transports you and your horse across the river to Salony, where you enter the great forest by way of a timberland trail. After a full day<ch.apos/>s ride along this lonely track, you find yourself approaching the outskirts of a town called Ellio.</p>
- <p>During your long day<ch.apos/>s ride through the forest of Salony, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>During your long day<ch.apos/>s ride through the forest of Salony, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect138"><link-text>Turn to 138</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>95</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You focus your Magnakai powers of psi-surge and launch a pulse of energy at the prisoner<ch.apos/>s mind in an attempt to weaken his resolve. Unexpectedly, you discover that his memory is protected by a magical shield and it takes a great effort for you to break through this defence (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> score by 4 points).</p>
+ <p>You focus your Magnakai powers of psi-surge and launch a pulse of energy at the prisoner<ch.apos/>s mind in an attempt to weaken his resolve. Unexpectedly, you discover that his memory is protected by a magical shield and it takes a great effort for you to break through this defence (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score by 4 points).</p>
<p>Suddenly the man<ch.apos/>s mind shield crumbles. He shrieks with fear and his body is racked by uncontrollable tremors. You command the prisoner to reveal the identity of the person who sent him here to Garthen to murder you, and a mass of images begin to swirl and solidify in your mind<ch.apos/>s eye. They are the images of a past meeting in a far-off place which you recognize to be Duadon, the capital city of Eldenora. You see a shadowy figure, sheathed in ornate chainmail, handing a bulging pouch of gold to the prisoner in a dimly-lit alleyway. The figure speaks your name before melting away into the shadows.</p>
<p><quote>Who is this person?</quote> you say, commanding the trembling prisoner to answer. He parts his bruised lips and tries to utter a name but no sound emerges. You sense that he is fighting to overcome the remnants of the shielding spell placed upon his mind. Moving closer, you try to make out the name be is struggling hard to whisper.</p>
<choice idref="sect326"><link-text>Turn to 326</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>98</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>As if in answer to your prayer to the Goddess Ishir, the blade of your divine sword suddenly radiates a blinding halo of golden light. You sense that you hold in your hands a weapon capable of destroying the dragon and this realization greatly lifts your spirits (restore any <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points lost so far).</p>
+ <p>As if in answer to your prayer to the Goddess Ishir, the blade of your divine sword suddenly radiates a blinding halo of golden light. You sense that you hold in your hands a weapon capable of destroying the dragon and this realization greatly lifts your spirits (restore any <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points lost so far).</p>
<p>The dragon growls with disdain as the light of your sword washes over his scaly hide. He raises a claw-tipped forepaw and lashes out in an attempt to swat the Sommerswerd from your grasp, but you duck the blow and thrust the blade into his side. He roars with pain, but then he caps at you with frightening speed.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Vaxagore</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">56</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">52</enemy-attribute></combat>
- <p>This creature is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast. Due to the increased power of your sword while upon the Plane of Darkness, you may add 4 to your <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> for the duration of this fight.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Vaxagore</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">56</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">52</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>This creature is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast. Due to the increased power of your sword while upon the Plane of Darkness, you may add 4 to your <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> for the duration of this fight.</p>
<choice idref="sect288">If you win the fight, <link-text>turn to 288</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>From a secret drawer beneath the stone table, Gwynian brings forth a golden crystal the size of an apple. Its multi-faceted surface radiates a myriad tiny beams which shimmer and sparkle with the fiery energy that is locked within its core.</p>
- <p><quote>This is a Sun-Crystal, Grand Master,<,quote> he says, placing the object into the palm of your hand. Its surface feels pleasantly warm, inviting your touch. <quote>If you are to save your brethren, you must close the Shadow Gate for good. This crystal can achieve this aim. It contains power sufficient to destroy the Shadow Gate and prevent its return.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>This is a Sun-Crystal, Grand Master,</quote> he says, placing the object into the palm of your hand. Its surface feels pleasantly warm, inviting your touch. <quote>If you are to save your brethren, you must close the Shadow Gate for good. This crystal can achieve this aim. It contains power sufficient to destroy the Shadow Gate and prevent its return.</quote></p>
<p>You look down at the glowing crystal with fearful respect. Gwynian notes your concern and smiles.</p>
<p><quote>You need not fear the crystal<ch.apos/>s power for it cannot cause harm in our world. Only if it is cast into another plane of existence will its powers be released. Grand Master, you must cast it into the Shadow Gate that Naar has created.</quote></p>
<p><quote>So this is how I can save my brethren,</quote> you whisper, as you peer into the glittering head of the crystal.</p>
<p>Suddenly there is a low, concussive boom and a spiral of blue flame shoots the length of the hall, fired from the tip of the figure<ch.apos/>s iron stave. It connects with the blade of your divine sword and rebounds, shattering one of the tall windows into a thousand glittering shards.</p>
<p><quote>Take him!</quote> shouts Nathor, and his men rush forward, but a second blast from the stave puts an end to their brave advance. All three are cut down by an arc of blue fire that leaves their corpses heaped and smouldering in the middle of the hall.</p>
<p>Nathor curses the sinister figure and it responds by uttering a chilling, inhuman laugh. Now you sense a new danger approaching<ch.emdash/>the being<ch.apos/>s sickly laughter is summoning its minions to the hall.</p>
- <p><quote>Lord Nathor!</quote> you cry, <quote>we cannot prevail here. We must escape <ch.ellips/> Follow me!</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Lord Nathor!</quote> you cry, <quote>we cannot prevail here. We must escape<ch.ellips/> Follow me!</quote></p>
<p>And with these words, you race to the window and leap feet first through the shattered pane.</p>
<p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</p>
<choice idref="sect219">If the number you have picked is 0<ch.endash/>4, <link-text>turn to 219</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>You dismount and toss your horse<ch.apos/>s reins to a sniffing stable-boy before entering the dry and welcome warmth of the inn. The innkeeper is a burly, ginger-bearded man with an incongruous lisp, who attends to his small group of patrons with an air of bored indifference. You hand him 2 Cold Crowns and in return you receive a small and draughty room over the stables.</p>
- <p>You sleep well (restore 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points) and wake at dawn. The innkeeper offers you breakfast, but the unsavoury plate of stale cheese and bacon rind that he produces from under the taproom counter does little to excite your appetite. You decline his offer, collect your horse, and set off on the trail which heads east out of Ellio.</p>
+ <p>You sleep well (restore 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points) and wake at dawn. The innkeeper offers you breakfast, but the unsavoury plate of stale cheese and bacon rind that he produces from under the taproom counter does little to excite your appetite. You decline his offer, collect your horse, and set off on the trail which heads east out of Ellio.</p>
<choice idref="sect176"><link-text>Turn to 176</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>Quickly you rise from the river and cough out a mouthful of cold water. The dust of the explosion is settling and you can see D<ch.apos/>Val bringing the regiment forward.</p>
<p><quote>Are you badly injured, Grand Master?</quote> he shouts, as he comes riding through the water.</p>
<p><quote>I<ch.apos/>ll live,</quote> you reply, sardonically, and hurry to remount your skittish horse.</p>
- <p><quote>Thank Ishir you<ch.apos/>re with us,</quote> says the Captain, as together you return to the regiment and lead kern across the ford. <quote>Without you, this wicked sorcery would have cost us dear.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Thank Ishir you<ch.apos/>re with us,</quote> says the Captain, as together you return to the regiment and lead them across the ford. <quote>Without you, this wicked sorcery would have cost us dear.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect253"><link-text>Turn to 253</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The tip of the swirling vortex is drawn to the Platinum Amulet you wear around your neck, like lightning to a conductor, and upon the instant it touches there is a blinding flash. An electrifying jolt runs through your body and a deafening screech splits the air.</p>
- <p>For a terrifying moment the amulet becomes red hot (lose 4 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points), then there is another flash, and the power of the ring rebounds from the amulet and returns towards its source. For an instant you glimpse the Prince<ch.apos/>s face<ch.emdash/>it is a mask of abject terror. Then the vortex reaches him and, in a blink of an eye, he is swallowed up by a whirlwind of supernatural fire.</p>
+ <p>For a terrifying moment the amulet becomes red hot (lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points), then there is another flash, and the power of the ring rebounds from the amulet and returns towards its source. For an instant you glimpse the Prince<ch.apos/>s face<ch.emdash/>it is a mask of abject terror. Then the vortex reaches him and, in a blink of an eye, he is swallowed up by a whirlwind of supernatural fire.</p>
<p><quote>So perish all who serve the Dark God!</quote> you scream, elated by your unexpected victory over the evil Prince Lutha.</p>
<p>High above you can hear the distant sound of running feet. A troop of the Prince<ch.apos/>s guards are rushing to his aid, although you sense that it is too late to save him now. Rather than stay to face their wrath when they discover their leader has been incinerated, you use the edge of the amulet to prise open the circular panel in the wail of the pit. As it falls away, you discover a chute which leads to an underground river. Quickly you crawl along this slime-smeared chute and slip into the cold waters, where you are carried swiftly away by the strong undercurrent.</p>
<choice idref="sect150"><link-text>Turn to 150</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>Your horse crashes lifelessly to the ground and you are thrown forwards through the air. With cat-like grace, you land on your feet among the boulders and bracken which border this hill road, and regain your balance almost immediately. Seconds later, you see a yelling horde of leather-clad men, each brandishing a sword or a spear, come rushing from hiding places among the surrounding pines. As they close in upon you, you unsheathe your weapon and prepare to fight for your life.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran ambushers</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">38</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran ambushers</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">38</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect285">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 285</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>110</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You focus a blast of psychic energy at the trooper (deduct 1 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> point) and he collapses in the doorway, clasping his head and screaming in agony.</p>
+ <p>You focus a blast of psychic energy at the trooper (deduct 1 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point) and he collapses in the doorway, clasping his head and screaming in agony.</p>
<p>His cries of pain alert his fellow horsemen, but by the time they come to his aid, you and the shocked trooper<ch.apos/>s horse are nowhere to be seen. You keep to the trees and head south in a wide arc around the Eldenoran settlement at Fabri. During your ride trough the woodland, you discover the following items in the bags and blanket roll which are attached to the horse<ch.apos/>s saddle:</p>
<p>Sword</p>
<p>Rope</p>
<p>Spyglass</p>
<p>If you decide to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<p>Shortly before sunset, you emerge from the trees at a place where three trails meet. A wooden signpost propped against a boulder indicates three directions, destinations, and distances:</p>
- <p>North-Chod-250 miles West-Holona-SO miles South-Tenzha--20 miles</p>
- <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your map, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
- <p>During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>North<ch.endash/>Chod<ch.endash/>250 miles</p>
+ <p>West<ch.endash/>Holona<ch.endash/>50 miles</p>
+ <p>South<ch.endash/>Tenzha<ch.endash/>20 miles</p>
+ <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your <a idref="map">map</a>, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
+ <p>During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect343">To continue, <link-text>turn to 343</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You spend the night at the Royal Citadel as the guest of Queen Evaine, and enjoy a fine feast and the hospitality of her court. Then, shortly after dawn of the following day, you bid her majesty, and your companion<ch.emdash/>Lord Ardan<ch.emdash/>a fond farewell before beginning the next stage of your long journey home.</p>
<p>The Queen has given her Lord Constable a Royal Seal and placed him, along with a troop of ten court cavalrymen, at your disposal. Lord Nathor and his men are to act as your guides and bodyguards on the road to Vanamor, the capital city of neighbouring Palmyrion. This republic is closely allied to Talestria and lies along its eastern border. Palmyrion also has close ties with your homeland and you look forward to the chance of renewing your friendship with its leader, Elector Manatine.</p>
- <p>Mounted on fine Talestrian steeds, your party leaves the walled city of Garthen by is East Gate and sets off towards the outlying village of Sharr. Here you cross the mighty River Phoen by way of a great stone bridge. On the far side of this bridge you notice a signpost which points to the east. It reads: VANAMOR 280 miles.</p>
+ <p>Mounted on fine Talestrian steeds, your party leaves the walled city of Garthen by is East Gate and sets off towards the outlying village of Sharr. Here you cross the mighty River Phoen by way of a great stone bridge. On the far side of this bridge you notice a signpost which points to the east. It reads: <signpost>VANAMOR 280 miles</signpost>.</p>
<choice idref="sect210"><link-text>Turn to 210</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You ride across this busy square and enter Ladder Way, a thoroughfare which heads towards the very heart of Varetta. Apothecaries and candle-makers<ch.apos/> shops flank this wide street until it opens upon an ornate park that is filled with rare and beautiful flowers.</p>
- <p>To the west of the park you notice a fortified tower, by far the tallest in the city. You feel inexplicably drawn towards this tower; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems. You leave the park by its west sate and enter a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand budding whose brick and marble facade is adorned with the words: HALLS OF LEARNING.</p>
- <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: LIBRARY. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite mowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
+ <p>To the west of the park you notice a fortified tower, by far the tallest in the city. You feel inexplicably drawn towards this tower; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems. You leave the park by its west sate and enter a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand budding whose brick and marble facade is adorned with the words: <signpost>HALLS OF LEARNING</signpost>.</p>
+ <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: <signpost>LIBRARY</signpost>. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
<p>Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of his magnificent library. Your eyes travel along them until they reach another door at the far end of the hall. There, standing framed in its archway, is an old man clad in plain brown robes. He looks at you and smiles knowingly.</p>
<p><quote>Welcome. Grand Master,</quote> he says, <quote>I have been expecting you.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect348">If you have ever visited a hut on Raider<ch.apos/>s Road, the city of Tahou, or Lake Vorndarol (in previous Lone Wolf adventures), <link-text>turn to 348</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>113</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The swelling in your throat is choking your oesophagus, making it difficult for you to swallow: lose 6 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points. Fighting back the pain, you force yourself to swallow hard and, within seconds, you feel the terrible plague symptoms begin to subside.</p>
+ <p>The swelling in your throat is choking your oesophagus, making it difficult for you to swallow: lose 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points. Fighting back the pain, you force yourself to swallow hard and, within seconds, you feel the terrible plague symptoms begin to subside.</p>
<choice idref="sect193"><link-text>Turn to 193</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>117</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Suddenly there is a tremendous Crack! and a gaping chasm splits the ground wide open. With the hellish laughter of the Dark God Naar ringing in your ears, you are consumed by this fiery crevasse.</p>
+ <p>Suddenly there is a tremendous <onomatopoeia>Crack!</onomatopoeia> and a gaping chasm splits the ground wide open. With the hellish laughter of the Dark God Naar ringing in your ears, you are consumed by this fiery crevasse.</p>
<p>Tragically, on the threshold of victory, your life and pour quest end here on the Plane of Darkness.</p>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The hall is lit by a hundred spluttering candies and the light of a log fire which blazes in the chamber<ch.apos/>s imposing stone hearth. Three tall arched windows, each glazed with stained glass panels, are set into the south wall, and an impressive collection of books and fine tapestries line the others. Clearly, Knight Tranius is a refined man whose tastes extend beyond hunting the occasional boar.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, a concealed panel beside the fireplace slides open and a broad-shouldered man clad in a wolfskin coat and a silver helm steps into the hall.</p>
- <p><quote>Hail Tranius!</quote> says Nathor, <quote>It<ch.apos/>s good to <ch.ellips/></quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Hail Tranius!</quote> says Nathor, <quote>It<ch.apos/>s good to<ch.ellips/></quote></p>
<p>The Lord Constable<ch.apos/>s words of greeting die in his throat and immediately you sense that something is very wrong. You hear a bolt slide shut outside the door to the hall, sealing it closed, and your Kai senses suddenly scream a warning of impending danger.</p>
<p><quote>You<ch.apos/>re not Tranius,</quote> shouts Nathor at the shadowy figure at the far end of the hall. <quote>By the gods! Who are you?</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect101">If you possess the Sommerswerd, <link-text>turn to 101</link-text>.</choice>
- <p>If you do not possess this Special Item, turn 72.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect72">If you do not possess this Special Item, <link-text>turn to 72</link-text></choice>
</data>
</section>
<p><quote>This craft is presently being built in Casiorn, and the High-Mayor has sent word that you should go there as quickly as you can. His teams of skilled artisans are working on the craft day and night, and he is confident that it will be completed in fifteen days<ch.apos/> time.</quote></p>
<p>In times of peace, you would expect the 850-mile ride to Casiorn to take little more than two weeks to complete. But peace, always a fragile state in the Stornlands, has been shattered by Prince Lutha<ch.apos/>s unprovoked attack on Holona, a town through which you had hoped to travel. Anxiously, you ask the Elector how the wax against Eldenora will affect your chances of reaching Casiorn swiftly.</p>
<p><quote>Sadly, I cannot predict the future, Grand Master,</quote> he replies, <quote>the war bodes ill for both our causes. However, I shall do what I am able to speed your journey onwards.</quote></p>
- <p>The Elector motions to one of his guardsmen who ms and leaves the War Room. He soon returns with another soldier who wears the uniform of a captain.</p>
+ <p>The Elector motions to one of his guardsmen who turns and leaves the War Room. He soon returns with another soldier who wears the uniform of a captain.</p>
<choice idref="sect204">If you have ever visited the Palmyrion military post at Stonewatch, in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, <link-text>turn to 204</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect84">If you have not, <link-text>turn to 84</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>124</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You dare not allow yourself to believe that Guildmaster Banedon and the others are dead. You ask the King to be allowed to travel immediately to the Kai Monastery aboard your flying ship Cloud-dancer so that you may be sure of their fate. King Ulnar considers your request, but he refuses his permission for you to fly to the monastery. He fears that Cloud-dancer could be destroyed in the same manner that Skyrider was felled from the skies. He reasons that if Naar<ch.apos/>s minions were capable of wrecking a skyship that was protected by twelve powerful magicians, they would have little difficulty in destroying a skyship with no magical defences whatsoever. And, furthermore, he can ill afford to risk losing you in this fashion. You embody Sommerlund<ch.apos/>s only hope of victory against the forces of Naar in this dark hour.</p>
+ <p>You dare not allow yourself to believe that Guildmaster Banedon and the others are dead. You ask the King to be allowed to travel immediately to the Kai Monastery aboard your flying ship <cite>Cloud-dancer</cite> so that you may be sure of their fate. King Ulnar considers your request, but he refuses his permission for you to fly to the monastery. He fears that <cite>Cloud-dancer</cite> could be destroyed in the same manner that <cite>Skyrider</cite> was felled from the skies. He reasons that if Naar<ch.apos/>s minions were capable of wrecking a skyship that was protected by twelve powerful magicians, they would have little difficulty in destroying a skyship with no magical defences whatsoever. And, furthermore, he can ill afford to risk losing you in this fashion. You embody Sommerlund<ch.apos/>s only hope of victory against the forces of Naar in this dark hour.</p>
<choice idref="sect8"><link-text>Turn to 8</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You try to drag yourself up from the roadway, but your strength rapidly deserts you and you tumble, unconscious, back into the mud.</p>
<p>Several hours later you regain consciousness and are able to muster sufficient strength to stand. Your innate Kai healing skills have saved you from the deadly plague virus which infects this town, but you have paid a grievous price.</p>
- <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4. 6, 8), deduct 10 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points from your current total. If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 6 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4. 6, 8), deduct 10 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points from your current total. If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect193">If you are still alive, <link-text>turn to 193</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>131</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The severe heat and poisonous atmosphere is beginning to take its toll: lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
- <p>You sense that your Magnakai skill of Nexus is shielding your body from the worse effects of this hellish environment, but you cannot rely on it to protect you indefinitely. Already your tunic is smouldering and the so1es of your boots are giving off wisps of blue smoke. You must escape from here soon, before you succumb to the heat and the toxic atmosphere.</p>
+ <p>The severe heat and poisonous atmosphere is beginning to take its toll: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>You sense that your Magnakai skill of Nexus is shielding your body from the worse effects of this hellish environment, but you cannot rely on it to protect you indefinitely. Already your tunic is smouldering and the soles of your boots are giving off wisps of blue smoke. You must escape from here soon, before you succumb to the heat and the toxic atmosphere.</p>
<p>However, for the moment there is a more pressing danger to be faced. The dragon-creatures that you saw earlier are now advancing rapidly towards the Shadow Gate.</p>
<choice idref="sect80"><link-text>Turn to 80</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>You give the gruff-looking fellow a slight bow and he nods his head in response, albeit begrudgingly.</p>
<p><quote>We are returning from a visit to my cousin<ch.apos/>s estate. We were hoping to reach Kalma by sunset, but we were delayed by bandits,</quote> she says, almost apologetically.</p>
<p><quote>We made <ch.apos/>em pay dearly for wastin<ch.apos/> our time, though,</quote> adds Dorst, with quiet menace.</p>
- <p><quote>It appears that we shall now have to encamp here in the hills this night,</quote> says the Baroness. <quote>Perhaps you would care lo join us, my Lord? I would feel so much safer if you did.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>It appears that we shall now have to encamp here in the hills this night,</quote> says the Baroness. <quote>Perhaps you would care to join us, my Lord? I would feel so much safer if you did.</quote></p>
<p>Despite Dorst<ch.apos/>s cutting glances, you agree to the Baroness<ch.apos/>s proposal. Then you produce the six trout that you caught earlier and offer them to her as a gift.</p>
- <p><quote>Why, thank you,</quote> she says, with a wide smile, <quote>they look <ch.ellips/> delicious.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Why, thank you,</quote> she says, with a wide smile, <quote>they look<ch.ellips/> delicious.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect59"><link-text>Turn to 59</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>137</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You steel yourself for the impact, but you hit the flagstones with such numbing force that your preparation does little to lessen the injuries you receive to your legs and body (lose 12 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points). Moments later, you are hit by Nathor who comes crashing down upon your prone form. Your body softens his fall, but even so, the impact leaves him with a broken left ankle and severe cuts to his face and hands. Despite his obvious pain he manages to smile when he realizes that you are both still alive, revealing gaps where he is now missing two of his front teeth.</p>
- <p>Using your natural Kai curing skills, you repair your internal injuries sufficiently for you to be able to stand and assist your companion. Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your hands to his injured foot (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> score by a further 4 points). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from out of the gatehouse with their swords drawn. Cursing your luck, you unsheathe your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Castle guardsmen (imposters)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">48</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>You steel yourself for the impact, but you hit the flagstones with such numbing force that your preparation does little to lessen the injuries you receive to your legs and body (lose 12 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points). Moments later, you are hit by Nathor who comes crashing down upon your prone form. Your body softens his fall, but even so, the impact leaves him with a broken left ankle and severe cuts to his face and hands. Despite his obvious pain he manages to smile when he realizes that you are both still alive, revealing gaps where he is now missing two of his front teeth.</p>
+ <p>Using your natural Kai curing skills, you repair your internal injuries sufficiently for you to be able to stand and assist your companion. Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your hands to his injured foot (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score by a further 4 points). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from out of the gatehouse with their swords drawn. Cursing your luck, you unsheathe your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Castle guardsmen (imposters)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">48</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect93">If you win this fight, <link-text>turn to 93</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The leading wolf-creatures swarm around you and then attack with chilling ferocity. As they leap at you from all sides, desperately you lash out, left and right, in an attempt to cut your way free from their deadly circle.</p>
- <p>Hounds of Vikkak <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 50 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> 50</p>
+ <p>Hounds of Vikkak <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> 50 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> 50</p>
<p>These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect45">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 45</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>Upon the instant you defeat the spirit of Roark, the whirlwind ceases and all the airborne debris drops harmlessly to the ground. Roark<ch.apos/>s ghostly apparition mouths a silent scream before it, and its hideous mount, melt into the shadows of the night. You sense that the evil which pervaded this sad city has, at last, been banished for good.</p>
- <p>You s
1eep easily this night, and you awake the following morning to the sound of birdsong. It brings a smile to your face to hear that life is already returning to Amory. You gather your equipment and, as you are leaving, you are blessed by an unexpected stroke of luck. By accident you step on a rotten board, and, when you pull your foot free, you discover 10 Gold Crowns hidden in the hollow beneath the floorboards. (You may record these on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>, maximum allowances permitting.)</p>
+ <p>You s
leep easily this night, and you awake the following morning to the sound of birdsong. It brings a smile to your face to hear that life is already returning to Amory. You gather your equipment and, as you are leaving, you are blessed by an unexpected stroke of luck. By accident you step on a rotten board, and, when you pull your foot free, you discover 10 Gold Crowns hidden in the hollow beneath the floorboards. (You may record these on your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>, maximum allowances permitting.)</p>
<choice idref="sect83"><link-text>Turn to 83</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You recoil from the insidious green cloud and fall back towards the cell door. Your mastery of Nexus protects you from this highly poisonous gas, but the gaoler and Lord Nathor are not so fortunate: both are vulnerable to its deadly effect. Choking and retching, they collapse to the floor, their fingers scrabbling at their swelling throats as they fight desperately for breath. You grab hold of their tunics, one in each hand, and drag their bodies me of the cell into the cleaner air of the corridor beyond. Here you use your Magnakai healing disciplines to ease the effects of the poison gas; your skill and the swiftness of your actions save them from a painful, suffocating death.</p>
- <p><quote>Wh <ch.ellips/> what happened?</quote> wheezes Nathor, as he slowly recovers from the deadly gas.</p>
+ <p><quote>Wh<ch.ellips/> what happened?</quote> wheezes Nathor, as he slowly recovers from the deadly gas.</p>
<p>You peer into the cell at he man now hanging limply in chains, then you turn to Nathor and say: <quote>Suicide. A suicide and an attempted murder. The prisoner has just killed himself with a poison pellet and it seems his last wish was to take all three of us with him.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect309"><link-text>Turn to 309</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You lead the regiment across the ford, keeping an eye peeled on the sky above In case the enemy should appear without warning from over the treeline. But the danger to the regiment comes not from above; it is at ground level.</p>
- <p>As you are leaving the ford and ascending the slope of the river bank, suddenly there is a tremendous explosion. Unwittingly, you have ridden your horse through an invisible beam, a beam which has triggered a device hidden earlier among the rocks by Naar<ch.apos/>s minions. The explosion sends sharp splinters of rock tearing into horses and men with deadly effect. The blast knocks you from your saddle and, as you fall backwards into the cold water, a splinter of rock slices through your left arm and another tears open your upper left thigh: lose 6 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>As you are leaving the ford and ascending the slope of the river bank, suddenly there is a tremendous explosion. Unwittingly, you have ridden your horse through an invisible beam, a beam which has triggered a device hidden earlier among the rocks by Naar<ch.apos/>s minions. The explosion sends sharp splinters of rock tearing into horses and men with deadly effect. The blast knocks you from your saddle and, as you fall backwards into the cold water, a splinter of rock slices through your left arm and another tears open your upper left thigh: lose 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Gritting your teeth against the stinging pain you struggle to your feet and use your Kai healing skills to staunch the bleeding. As the dust of the explosion clears, you count two horses and two men lying dead in the water. Captain D<ch.apos/>Val has lost his horse, but miraculously he has survived with no more than scratches to his face and legs, Quickly you attend to the wounded, using your healing skills to ease their suffering. D<ch.apos/>Val, wary of the vulnerability of his regiment, orders his men to abandon the dead and cross the ford as quickly as they can.</p>
<p>Cursing your ill luck, you hurriedly remount and join him at the head of the column.</p>
<choice idref="sect235"><link-text>Turn to 235</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>Dorst spreads out an oilskin blanket and you all gather round, seating yourself cross-legged on the ground. He then deals five cards to each man and opens the betting with a stake of five Lune. The game is Taluka<ch.emdash/>common in the inns of Palmyrion and especially popular among professional gamblers. With your Kai abilities it is easy for you to know every card that is being played, and so, rather than risk being called a cheat, you simply go through the motions of playing the game, maintaining exactly the same amount of money you begin with.</p>
<p>After half an hour or so, you suddenly realize that Dorst is cheating.</p>
- <choice idref="sect9">If you wish to expose his cheating, <link-text>turn to 9</link-text>l.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect91">If you wish to expose his cheating, <link-text>turn to 91</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect25">If you decide to quit the game, <link-text>turn instead to 25</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You feel the searing heat of the dragon<ch.apos/>s breath blister your legs as you dive headlong to avoid its deadly jet of flame.</p>
- <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If your current <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score is 12 or less, deduct 1 from the number you have picked. If your current <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score is 13 or more, add 1.</p>
+ <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If your current <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score is 12 or less, deduct 1 from the number you have picked. If your current <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score is 13 or more, add 1.</p>
<choice idref="sect34">If your total score is now 2 or lower, <link-text>turn to 34</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect213">If it is 3 or higher, <link-text>turn to 213</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>154</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>For hours the sound of the Kraan<ch.apos/>s incessant cry echoes among the surrounding hills, making it difficult for you to sleep at all this night. As you lie awake listening to its ghastly caw, a sense of foreboding invades your mind and, despite your strong will, you feel powerless to overcome it. Restless and agitated, you get up and pace around the cellar until, at last, the cawing ceases and a chorus of birdsong ushers in the dawn (lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points because of lack of rest).</p>
+ <p>For hours the sound of the Kraan<ch.apos/>s incessant cry echoes among the surrounding hills, making it difficult for you to sleep at all this night. As you lie awake listening to its ghastly caw, a sense of foreboding invades your mind and, despite your strong will, you feel powerless to overcome it. Restless and agitated, you get up and pace around the cellar until, at last, the cawing ceases and a chorus of birdsong ushers in the dawn (lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points because of lack of rest).</p>
<p>You join the troop for breakfast with Rasbarin and his brothers. During this meal, the elderly monk offers you a Flask of Aquas to fortify you on the road ahead, and a Talisman of Ishir to ward off hostile creatures (these are both Backpack Items). After breakfast, Nathor thanks Rasbarin for his hospitality and makes a donation of 50 Lune to his monastery. (If, before leaving, you too would like to make a donation, erase from your Anion Chart the number of Gold Crowns you decide to give to the holy Vaderish brethren.)</p>
<choice idref="sect16">To continue, <link-text>turn to 16</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>After your long ride to Varetta, the youth<ch.apos/>s offer of rest and assistance sounds inviting. You dismount and approach the door, but as you are about to enter, your Kai sixth sense screams a warning.</p>
<p>Suddenly, a gang of scurrilous rogues emerge from the shadows and come creeping towards your back. Swiftly you unsheathe your weapon and spin around to face them as they launch their cowardly attack.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Thieves of Varetta</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">36</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">40</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Thieves of Varetta</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">36</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">40</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect222">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 222</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>From the top of the Tower of the Sun you survey the mountainous northern approaches with growing trepidation. Banedon is by your side, so too are Kai Masters Black Hawk and Wild Weasel and a score of Kai warmarns and savants. You sense the lower ranks of the Kai are proud and excited to be stationed here with their Grand Master. Your presence inspires their courage and you feel confident that they will fight exceptionally well in the coming battle.</p>
- <p>You look down at the shattered wreck of the Skyrider lying in the monastery grounds far below, and I reminds you of your sky journey from Casiorn to Holmgard. You tell Banedon about the Cloud-dancer and you promise him that, if your mission to destroy the Shadow Gate is successful, you will make a gift of it to him in recognition of the help he has given the Kai in your absence.</p>
+ <p>You look down at the shattered wreck of the <cite>Skyrider</cite> lying in the monastery grounds far below, and I reminds you of your sky journey from Casiorn to Holmgard. You tell Banedon about the <cite>Cloud-dancer</cite> and you promise him that, if your mission to destroy the Shadow Gate is successful, you will make a gift of it to him in recognition of the help he has given the Kai in your absence.</p>
<p><quote>Thank you, Grand Master,</quote> he says, <quote>yours is a most gracious gesture,</quote></p>
<p>Then the first of the lavas horde are seen, their burnished wings glinting in the moonlight.</p>
<p><quote>Here they come!</quote> shouts Black Hawk, from the far end of the tower.</p>
<data>
<p>After bidding a hurried farewell to the Lord Constable and his men, you take a fresh horse and leave the inn by a door at the rear of the stables. Some of the mob have gathered in an adjoining alleyway, but aided by your Kai camouflage skills, you evade these bloodthirsty thugs with ease.</p>
<p>Keeping to the smaller alleys and passages, you make your way across Scade unseen and then head north towards the open plains. You ride all night, using your infra-vision to help guide your horse trough the lush grasslands and keep watch for potential dangers. As the hours slip past you cannot help but think about Nathor and the men of his troop; they are risking their lives by staying behind as bait for the mob. You admire their courage and it strengthens your resolve to return home to Sommerlund. Should the Lord Constable and his men have to pay or your escape with their lives, then you are determined that their sacrifice shall not be a wasted one.</p>
- <p>During your long night ride, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>During your long night ride, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect75">To continue, <link-text>turn to 75</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>164</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You focus your advanced Kai healing powers on the young man<ch.apos/>s wound and cause the punctured tissues to knit together (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> score by 3 points). Your treatment deadens his pain and revives him, but you know that this remission is but temporary; the poison in his blood is too strong and too well-established to be neutralized by your Kai powers.</p>
+ <p>You focus your advanced Kai healing powers on the young man<ch.apos/>s wound and cause the punctured tissues to knit together (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score by 3 points). Your treatment deadens his pain and revives him, but you know that this remission is but temporary; the poison in his blood is too strong and too well-established to be neutralized by your Kai powers.</p>
<p>Through clenched teeth, he forces himself to speak. You hear him tell his father that Prince Lutha<ch.apos/>s army is being aided by a sinister group of Cener Druids and renegade nadziranim magicians. Lutha himself possesses a ring of power, which bestows upon him an invulnerability to weapons. The boy says this ring must be taken from him if he is to be slain.</p>
<p>Gradually, the effects of your healing powers wear off and the brave young man slips into a sleep from which he will not awaken.</p>
<choice idref="sect255"><link-text>Turn to 255</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>Suddenly you are confronted by one of these beasts who attempts to strike you from the battlements with its horny tail. You leap to avoid its scything attack, draw your weapon in mid-air, and swing your first blow the moment your feet return to the flagstones of the North Watch.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">46</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">46</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect282">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 282</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>Moments before you reach him, he throws the young woman and her child to the ground and spins around to face you, his dagger held poised to slash at your throat. He strikes and you dodge his first clumsy blow with ease. As he is about to strike out for a second time, you raise your weapon and aim a scything blow at his head.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran thug (drunk)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">30</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">30</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran thug (drunk)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">30</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">30</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect333">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 333</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You ask a street trader the way to the Halls of Learning and he points impatiently to an avenue on the west side of the square. A rusty plate fixed to the corner building says: Quill Street.</p>
- <p>You ride along this narrow avenue, which is flanked by aromatic ala houses and perfumeries, until it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. A smile cracks your travel-grimy face when you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building. It has changed much since you were last here, but despite its new brick and marble façade you recognise Varetta<ch.apos/>s Halls of Learning.</p>
- <p>You ride along a gravelled path to a fountain where you stop to ask a brown-robed scholar if he mows where Gwynian can be found. Without speaking, he points to a nearby hall. A sign hanging over its richly-carved oak door says: LIBRARY. You thank the robed man and dismount from your horse, leaving him tied to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
+ <p>You ride along this narrow avenue, which is flanked by aromatic jala houses and perfumeries, until it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. A smile cracks your travel-grimy face when you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building. It has changed much since you were last here, but despite its new brick and marble fa<ch.ccedil/>ade you recognise Varetta<ch.apos/>s Halls of Learning.</p>
+ <p>You ride along a gravelled path to a fountain where you stop to ask a brown-robed scholar if he mows where Gwynian can be found. Without speaking, he points to a nearby hall. A sign hanging over its richly-carved oak door says: <signpost>LIBRARY</signpost>. You thank the robed man and dismount from your horse, leaving him tied to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
<p>Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library. Your eyes travel along them until they reach another door at the far end of the hall. There, standing Framed in the arch, is the man whose help you seek.</p>
<p><quote>Welcome, Grand Master,</quote> says Gwynian the Sage, <quote>I have been expecting you.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect268"><link-text>Turn to 268</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>172</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You draw on your Kai mastery to conjure up a dense fog which fills the pit. You hear Lutha cursing you vehemently, for he can no longer see where you are. In frustration, he causes a whirling blast of power to surge from the ring and sweep down the shaft of the pit. You are buffeted by a wave of evil psychic energy (lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points) but this power is unfocused and you quickly recover.</p>
+ <p>You draw on your Kai mastery to conjure up a dense fog which fills the pit. You hear Lutha cursing you vehemently, for he can no longer see where you are. In frustration, he causes a whirling blast of power to surge from the ring and sweep down the shaft of the pit. You are buffeted by a wave of evil psychic energy (lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points) but this power is unfocused and you quickly recover.</p>
<p>Seizing the advantage, you call on your Magnakai skills of Pathsmanship to aid you as you begin the difficult climb out of the pit. The ascent becomes a race against time; you must reach the open trapdoor before the mist clears.</p>
<p>You are pulling yourself through the opening when Lutha sees you. He attempts to kick you with his right foot, but you twist away in time to avoid the vicious attack and you tug his left leg, pulling him off balance. This move buys you the few seconds you need to get to your feet. As you rise he comes at you again, this time with a dagger in his hand.</p>
- <p>Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power) <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 54 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> 39</p>
+ <p>Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power) <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> 54 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> 39</p>
<p>While wearing the Ring of Power, Lutha is immune to all fonts of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect89">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 89</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>Spyglass</p>
<p>If you decide to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<p>Shortly before sunset, you emerge from the trees at a place where three trails meet. A wooden signpost propped against a boulder indicates three directions, destinations, and distances:</p>
- <p>North-Chod-250 miles West-Holona-50 miles South-Tenzha-20 miles</p>
- <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your map, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
- <p>During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>North<ch.endash/>Chod<ch.endash/>250 miles</p>
+ <p>West<ch.endash/>Holona<ch.endash/>50 miles</p>
+ <p>South<ch.endash/>Tenzha<ch.endash/>20 miles</p>
+ <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your <a idref="map">map</a>, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
+ <p>During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect343">To continue, <link-text>turn to 343</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>175</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Ten days after leaving Vadera, the Saxin drops anchor in Varnos harbour in Garthen<ch.emdash/>the crown capital of Talestria. The sleek and elegant lines of the Lencian craft contrast starkly with the drab, functional hulls of the merchant ships and dhows which crowd this city-port<ch.apos/>s jetties and wharfs. Lencian craft are a rare sight in Garthen, and the Saxin is the rarest of Lencian craft; it is no wonder that its arrival stirs a frenzy of interest and speculation among the citizens of this capital.</p>
+ <p>Ten days after leaving Vadera, the <cite>Saxin</cite> drops anchor in Varnos harbour in Garthen<ch.emdash/>the crown capital of Talestria. The sleek and elegant lines of the Lencian craft contrast starkly with the drab, functional hulls of the merchant ships and dhows which crowd this city-port<ch.apos/>s jetties and wharfs. Lencian craft are a rare sight in Garthen, and the <cite>Saxin</cite> is the rarest of Lencian craft; it is no wonder that its arrival stirs a frenzy of interest and speculation among the citizens of this capital.</p>
<p>Word of your arrival travels quickly to the Royal Citadel and a troop of Queen Evaine<ch.apos/>s court cavalry are dispatched to the harbour. They are led by a stern-faced man who wears the uniform and gold insignia of the Lord Constable, the highest military rank in the Talestrian army. He brings his column of regal horsemen to a halt at the quayside, then he dismounts and strides forward to welcome you in person as you disembark from the ship.</p>
- <choice idref="sect292">If you have ever visited Garthen or Torgar in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, <link-text>turn to 292</link-text>.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect292">If you have ever visited Garthen or Torgar in a previous <cite>Lone Wolf</cite> adventure, <link-text>turn to 292</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect48">If you have not, <link-text>turn to 48</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You draw an arrow and take careful aim at one of the leading lavas. As it dips its head and opens its jaw, you release your straining bowstring and send your shaft whistling towards its head. The fire-hardened tip penetrates its eye and, with a hideous shriek, it spins end over end before crashing into the parapet of the Tower.</p>
<p><quote>Fire at their eyes!</quote> you shout, and a cloud of Kai arrows are sent screaming through the sky to seek their elusive mark. More than half find their target, decimating the first wave of the lavas attack at a single stroke, yet those winged creatures who do survive this deadly volley are quickly among the defenders on the tower. Suddenly you are confronted by one of these beasts who attempts to bat you over the parapet with its horny tail. You leap to avoid its scything attack, draw your weapon in mid-air, and strike your first blow the moment your feet return to the Tower<ch.apos/>s flagstones.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">46</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">46</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect49">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 49</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>183</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Your slain horse crashes to the ground and you are thrown through the air. You land among the boulders and bracken which border the hill road, but your swift Kai reflexes prevent you from sustaining serious injury: lose 2 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Your slain horse crashes to the ground and you are thrown through the air. You land among the boulders and bracken which border the hill road, but your swift Kai reflexes prevent you from sustaining serious injury: lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Bruised but unshaken, you spring to your feet in time to see a yelling horde of leather-clad men, each brandishing a sword or a spear, come rushing from hiding places among the surrounding trees. As they close in upon you, you draw your weapon and prepare to fight for your life.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran ambushers</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">38</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran ambushers</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">38</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect285">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 285</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>191</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Beyond the ravine the land becomes increasingly barren. You press on, following a dried watercourse to a plateau which is dotted with scrub and stunted pines. Here, beneath the twisted boughs of a dead tree, you make camp for the night and settle down to sleep. Before you rest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal and lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Beyond the ravine the land becomes increasingly barren. You press on, following a dried watercourse to a plateau which is dotted with scrub and stunted pines. Here, beneath the twisted boughs of a dead tree, you make camp for the night and settle down to sleep. Before you rest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal and lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect313">To continue, <link-text>turn to 313</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You draw an arrow and take careful aim at one of the leading lavas. As it dips its head and opens its jaw, you release your straining bowstring and send your shaft whistling towards its face. The fire-hardened tip penetrates its eye and, with a hideous shriek, it spins end over end before crashing into the parapet of the North Watch.</p>
<p><quote>Fire at their eyes!</quote> you shout, and a cloud of fifty Kai arrows are sent screaming through the sky to seek their elusive mark. More than half find their target, decimating the first wave of the lavas attack at a single stroke, yet those winged creatures who do survive this deadly volley are quickly among the defenders on the wall. Suddenly you are confronted by one of these beasts who attempts to bat you from the battlements with its horny tail. You leap to avoid its scything attack, draw your weapon in mid-air, and strike your first blow the moment your feet return to the flagstones of the North Watch.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">46</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">46</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect282">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 282</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>194</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Before the angry thieves of Spur Lane can catch you, you cross the square and enter Quill Street. This narrow avenue is flanked by aromatic jala houses and perfumeries, until at length it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building whose brick and marble façade is adorned with the words: HALLS OF LEARNING. Suddenly you feel inexplicably drawn towards this building; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems.</p>
- <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: LIBRARY. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
+ <p>Before the angry thieves of Spur Lane can catch you, you cross the square and enter Quill Street. This narrow avenue is flanked by aromatic jala houses and perfumeries, until at length it turns abruptly right into a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building whose brick and marble façade is adorned with the words: <signpost>HALLS OF LEARNING</signpost>. Suddenly you feel inexplicably drawn towards this building; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems.</p>
+ <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a building where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: <signpost>LIBRARY</signpost>. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
<p>Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library. Your eyes travel along them until they reach another door at the far end of the hall. There, standing framed in its archway, is an old man clad in plain brown robes. He looks at you and smiles knowingly.</p>
<p><quote>Welcome, Grand Master,</quote> he says, <quote>I have been expecting you.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect348">If you have ever visited a hut on Raider<ch.apos/>s Road, the city of Tahou, or Lake Vorndarol (in previous Lone Wolf adventures), <link-text>turn to 348</link-text>.</choice>
<p>Once you are over the stream, you spur your horse up the grassy rise towards the top of the ridge, now no more than a hundred yards distant. You are within seconds of reaching the crest of the ridge when suddenly one of the creatures comes swooping out of the sky. It flies you with its glowing eyes and extends its talons as it comes screaming down towards your face.</p>
<choice idref="sect129">If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, <link-text>turn to 129</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect37">If you possess Magi-magic, and wish to use it, <link-text>turn to 37</link-text>.</choice>
- <p>If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them, turn in 303.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect303">If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use them, <link-text>turn to 303</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The brigand leader mounts his horse, but before he can make good his escape, you take a running leap over the abbey wail and drag him out of the saddle. Together you crash to the frost-hardened ground and desperately he kicks and struggles to break free from your steely grip. Out of his boot he snatches a stiletto blade and thrusts it viciously at your throat. You dodge your head aside, avoiding its razor-sharp tip, but in doing so you let the brigand slip out of your hands. He rolls away and begins to rise to his feet, but then he freezes, his eyes wide with fearful recognition, as he stares at your face.</p>
- <p><quote>L <ch.ellips/> Lone Wolf!</quote> he gasps, mortified, as if he is confronting a ghost.</p>
+ <p><quote>L<ch.ellips/> Lone Wolf!</quote> he gasps, mortified, as if he is confronting a ghost.</p>
<p><quote>Drop the dagger and surrender!</quote> you order, levelling your weapon at his head to reinforce your command. Swiftly the brigand<ch.apos/>s expression changes from one of shock to one of sneering defiance.</p>
<p><quote>You<ch.apos/>ll never take me alive!</quote> he spits, and to your shocked surprise he thrusts his danger deep into his chest.</p>
<choice idref="sect337">If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Deliverance, and have attained the Kai rank of Sun Knight or higher, <link-text>turn to 337</link-text>.</choice>
<p>After a brief rest at a village on the road, you continue your ride across the open plains and descend into a wide valley where a shallow stream winds its way through a mass of reed-beds and willow copses. Beyond this valley, the land becomes increasingly hilly. The sun is almost touching the horizon when you come to a small wayside shrine dedicated to the Goddess Ishir. Here a track leads off to the north and, a mile distant, you can make out the walls and tall bell-tower of a chateau high in the hills.</p>
<p><quote>That<ch.apos/>s the monastery of the Vaderish Brethren,</quote> says Nathor. <quote>They<ch.apos/>re a holy order devoted to the worship of the Goddess Ishir. We will find safe shelter with them this night.</quote></p>
<p>The sun has set and dusk is quickly turning to darkness by the time the troop reaches the gates of the Vaderish monastery. The brothers of this holy order are led by an elderly monk called Rasbarin whom Nathor has met once before. The old cleric welcomes him warmly, as if he was his son, then he invites you to stay here overnight.</p>
- <p>The monk<ch.apos/>s evening meal is simple fare but well-prepared and wholesome nonetheless (restore any <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points you may have lost during your adventure so far). Afterwards, Rasbarin invites you and Nathor to his chambers to sample some of the monks<ch.apos/> speciality<ch.emdash/>a fine liqueur called Aquas. You are raising a glass of this golden liquid to your lips when suddenly the peace is shattered by a loud, cawing shriek which echoes through the surrounding hills.</p>
+ <p>The monk<ch.apos/>s evening meal is simple fare but well-prepared and wholesome nonetheless (restore any <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points you may have lost during your adventure so far). Afterwards, Rasbarin invites you and Nathor to his chambers to sample some of the monks<ch.apos/> speciality<ch.emdash/>a fine liqueur called Aquas. You are raising a glass of this golden liquid to your lips when suddenly the peace is shattered by a loud, cawing shriek which echoes through the surrounding hills.</p>
<choice idref="sect61">If you possess the Discipline of Telegnosis, <link-text>turn to 61</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect198">If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, <link-text>turn to 198</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>Your quick reactions have saved you from being burnt alive, but this feat does not impress the dragon. Your escape from his incinerating breath serves to make him even angrier. In a fit of pique, he stomps his massive forefoot down on to the black soil and sends a splash of molten mud and flame soaring into the sulphurous sky.</p>
<p>You use this opportunity to retreat towards the Shadow Gate, but you do not get very far before the great beast sees you and comes lumbering forwards with his jaw agape.</p>
- <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
- <p>Turo to 316</p>
+ <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect316"><link-text>Turn to 316</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>With a terrifying howl, the war-dog pack launch a simultaneous attack and come leaping at you from all sides.</p>
-Eldenoran war-dogs (in blood-frenzy): <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 42 ENOURANCE 47
- <p>Due to their frenzied state, these war-dogs are imniune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran war-dogs (in blood-frenzy):</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">42</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">47</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>Due to their frenzied state, these war-dogs are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect295">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 295</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>For a few moments you hurtle through the cold night air, oblivious to your surroundings. Then you glimpse the flagstones of the keep and the roof of the castle stables, more than a hundred feet below, and your stomach churns with fear.</p>
- <p>Steeling yourself for impact, you smash through the thatched roof of the stables and land amidst a tangle of hay and broken timbers. Moments later, Nathor comes crashing through the roof and lands just a few yards from where you are lying. You are badly bruised but you have survived the fall (lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points). Nathor, too, is alive, but his injuries are more severe. His left ankle is badly broken and his face is a mess of cuts and contusions. Despite his obvious pain he manages a smile, revealing gaps where he is missing two of his teeth.</p>
- <choice idref="sect269">If you wish to use your kai healing skills on the Lord Constable, <link-text>turn to 269</link-text>.</choice>
+ <p>Steeling yourself for impact, you smash through the thatched roof of the stables and land amidst a tangle of hay and broken timbers. Moments later, Nathor comes crashing through the roof and lands just a few yards from where you are lying. You are badly bruised but you have survived the fall (lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points). Nathor, too, is alive, but his injuries are more severe. His left ankle is badly broken and his face is a mess of cuts and contusions. Despite his obvious pain he manages a smile, revealing gaps where he is missing two of his teeth.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect269">If you wish to use your Kai healing skills on the Lord Constable, <link-text>turn to 269</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect41">If you decide to concentrate on escaping from the castle as quickly as possible, <link-text>turn to 41</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You press on through the trees, your senses alert to the slightest sound. After an hour or so, you stumble across a stream where you stop briefly to gulp a mouthful of icy fresh water. Beyond this stream the trees become far denser, offering you better cover from the wandering groups of Eldenorans who seem to be positioned all over this vast timberland. It is not until later that you realize that they have not been posted here; they are deserters, hiding out in the forest to avoid a certain death at the Reloni Bridge.</p>
- <p>By morning, you have covered several miles of forest and avoided all contact with the Eldenorans. Then, shortly before midday, you come across the outlying huts of a fortified town which sits astride a busy woodland trail. A glance at your map reveals this to be Fabri, an Eldenoran outpost close to the Slovian border. From the top of a pine tree you look down on this settlement which is ringed by a palisade. Five cavalry regiments are camped within its perimeter wail of sharpened logs, and you note several Cener Druids conversing with the regimental commanders. It would seem that Prince Lutha is in league with the evil plague-lords of Ruel.</p>
+ <p>By morning, you have covered several miles of forest and avoided all contact with the Eldenorans. Then, shortly before midday, you come across the outlying huts of a fortified town which sits astride a busy woodland trail. A glance at your <a idref="map">map</a> reveals this to be Fabri, an Eldenoran outpost close to the Slovian border. From the top of a pine tree you look down on this settlement which is ringed by a palisade. Five cavalry regiments are camped within its perimeter wail of sharpened logs, and you note several Cener Druids conversing with the regimental commanders. It would seem that Prince Lutha is in league with the evil plague-lords of Ruel.</p>
<p>While you are observing Fabri from your vantage point high above, you notice a patrol of horsemen wending their way through the trees towards one of the outlying huts. On arriving, they dismount and enter, leaving their horses tied to a split rail but otherwise unattended. Tempted by the opportunity, you descend the tree and make your way towards the hut.</p>
<choice idref="sect260">If you possess Animal Mastery, <link-text>turn to 260</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect189">If you do not possess this Discipline, <link-text>turn to 189</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>225</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Using your Discipline, you launch a concentrated burst of psychic energy at the drunken thug. The bolt penetrates his mind and stuns him, causing him to freeze like a stone statue (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 1).</p>
+ <p>Using your Discipline, you launch a concentrated burst of psychic energy at the drunken thug. The bolt penetrates his mind and stuns him, causing him to freeze like a stone statue (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 1).</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this temporary paralysis also prevents the young woman and her child from breaking free from his grasp. After a few moments the thug emerges from his state of psychic shock in a murderous mood, and you are forced to draw your weapon and rush towards him in an effort to stop him before he can enact his revenge on his innocent captive<ch.apos/>s child.</p>
<choice idref="sect167"><link-text>Turn to 167</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>As the riders approach, your initial suspicions are confirmed: these are unquestionably Eldenoran brigands. Their saddle-cloths bear the emblem of their realm, and their steeds are laden with sacks and pouches that bulge with ill-gotten gains. You remain hidden until they have passed by, and then, to be doubly sure you wait until the dust of their horses<ch.apos/> hooves disappears beyond the horizon.</p>
- <p>During your wait, unless your possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>During your wait, unless your possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect340">To continue, <link-text>turn to 340</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>231</title></meta>
<data>
- <p><quote>Sommerlund?</quote> answers the innkeeper, quizically. <quote>Im afraid not, kind Sir. Your home must be mor<ch.apos/>n six hundred miles from <ch.apos/>ere. It<ch.apos/>s rare we gets to hear what<ch.apos/>s goin<ch.apos/> on in Varetta and that<ch.apos/>s only twenty five miles t<ch.apos/>north.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Sommerlund?</quote> answers the innkeeper, quizzically. <quote>I<ch.apos/>m afraid not, kind Sir. Your home must be mor<ch.apos/>n six hundred miles from <ch.apos/>ere. It<ch.apos/>s rare we gets to hear what<ch.apos/>s goin<ch.apos/> on in Varetta and that<ch.apos/>s only twenty five miles t<ch.apos/>north.</quote></p>
<p>Hearing the inkeeper mention how far it is to Sommerlund brings a leaden feeling to your stomach. You still have far to go and so little time in which to accomplish your urgent journey. Feeling chastened by the daunting number of miles you must ride, you bid the innkeeper and his daughter goodnight and retire quietly to your room.</p>
<choice idref="sect56"><link-text>Turn to 56</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>233</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The lavas veers away from you and uses its wings to deflect the Sun-Crystal. With dismay you watch as the glowing crystal drops harmlessly among the rocks, below the entrance to the Shadow Gate. Hurriedly you scramble over the jagged granite in a desperate attempt to retrieve the Sun-Crystal, but in doing so you lose your footing and fall heavily among the rocks: lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>The lavas veers away from you and uses its wings to deflect the Sun-Crystal. With dismay you watch as the glowing crystal drops harmlessly among the rocks, below the entrance to the Shadow Gate. Hurriedly you scramble over the jagged granite in a desperate attempt to retrieve the Sun-Crystal, but in doing so you lose your footing and fall heavily among the rocks: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>The shrieking lavas snatches you off the mountainside and soars into the air. At first you struggle to free yourself from its mighty claws, but then you see the creature is carrying you directly towards the yawning black maw of the Shadow Gate and you freeze with shock.</p>
<p>Moments before entering this hellish abyss, you look down and get a passing glimpse of the Sun-Crystal lying among the rocks, no more than thirty feet from the entrance to the Gate.</p>
<choice idref="sect247">If you possess Grand Nexus, and have reached the Kai rank of Grand Thane, <link-text>turn to 247</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>As soon as your feet touch the ground, the sergeant and his men swarm around you and force you to your knees. Quickly they bind your hands with cord and confiscate your weapons, money pouch, backpack and cape (delete these from your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>; you need not erase your Special Items however as none of these are taken).</p>
- <p>Then the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horsedrawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes his horses and steers his rickety cart through the dark streets of Duadon. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon<ch.apos/>s long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you with staves (lose 3 ENOURANCE points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.</p>
+ <p>Then the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horsedrawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes his horses and steers his rickety cart through the dark streets of Duadon. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon<ch.apos/>s long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you with staves (lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.</p>
<choice idref="sect300"><link-text>Turn to 300</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>238</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You accept Lord Constable Nathor<ch.apos/>s offer of an escort to Queen Evaine<ch.apos/>s citadel and call to Lord Ardan, who has been watching from the deck of the Saxin, to come and join you. As Ardan disembarks, Nathor gives a signal to his men who are busy keeping an inquisitive crowd of citizens at bay. Hurriedly they clear a gap in the pressing wall of curious, wide-eyed Garthanians, and moments later the horse-drawn coach comes trundling through towards the quay.</p>
+ <p>You accept Lord Constable Nathor<ch.apos/>s offer of an escort to Queen Evaine<ch.apos/>s citadel and call to Lord Ardan, who has been watching from the deck of the <cite>Saxin</cite>, to come and join you. As Ardan disembarks, Nathor gives a signal to his men who are busy keeping an inquisitive crowd of citizens at bay. Hurriedly they clear a gap in the pressing wall of curious, wide-eyed Garthanians, and moments later the horse-drawn coach comes trundling through towards the quay.</p>
<p>Once you and Ardan are safely aboard, Lord Constable Nathor shouts a terse command to the driver and the coach speeds away from the harbour, escorted by the troop of court cavalry. A swervingly swift journey through Garthen<ch.apos/>s steeply narrow streets ends when the coachman reins in his horses in the courtyard of the Royal Citadel. Everywhere you look you see soldiers of the Royal Household in uniforms bedecked with glittering braid. A fanfare of trumpets announces your arrival and, with minimal delay, Nathor escorts you personally to the State Hall where Queen Evaine of Talestria, seated upon a throne and surrounded by a dozen of her court advisors, is waiting patiently for you to appear.</p>
<p><quote>Welcome, Grand Master.</quote> she says, graciously, <quote>we have been expecting you. King Sarnac sent word of your arrival by message-hawk and we have made arrangements to help speed your passage homewards,</quote></p>
<p>Respectfully you bow to the queen and voice your thanks for the cooperation she has seen fit to offer you.</p>
<p><quote>Not at all. Grand Master, for Talestria is in your debt. Were it not for you, our land would be in the thrall of the Darklords.</quote></p>
<p>With this, Queen Evaine dismisses her advisors and motions for you, Ardan, and Lord Constable Nathor to approach to the foot of her throne.</p>
- <p><quote>I understand the urgency of your jourmey, Grand Master,</quote> she says, her voice hushed as if she fears being overheard, <quote>but I must caution you to be on guard. The Dark God Naar<ch.apos/>s agents are abroad with plans to thwart your homecoming. I have received word from my garrisons in the north that Zlanbeast and Kraan riders have been sighted in the night skies. They venture forth from the ruins of the Darklord cities of Nadgazad and Cragmantle, sent by the express command of Naar himself. They know now that you triumphed in Ixia and they are watching expectantly for your coming.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>I understand the urgency of your journey, Grand Master,</quote> she says, her voice hushed as if she fears being overheard, <quote>but I must caution you to be on guard. The Dark God Naar<ch.apos/>s agents are abroad with plans to thwart your homecoming. I have received word from my garrisons in the north that Zlanbeast and Kraan riders have been sighted in the night skies. They venture forth from the ruins of the Darklord cities of Nadgazad and Cragmantle, sent by the express command of Naar himself. They know now that you triumphed in Ixia and they are watching expectantly for your coming.</quote></p>
<p><quote>I thank you for this information, your majesty, but I am sure that I can avoid these night-riders,</quote> you reply confidently.</p>
<p><quote>I have no doubt of this, Grand Master,</quote> she says, <quote>but they are not the only agents in Naar<ch.apos/>s employ. Word of your coming has spread like wildfire throughout the shadowy underworld of thieves and assassins. Great rewards of gold and dark magic have been offered for your death.</quote></p>
<p><quote>With respect, your majesty,</quote> you reply, tactfully masking your scepticism, <quote>how do you know this to be true?</quote></p>
<data>
<p>The dragon growls with disdain as you threaten him with your weapon. He raises a claw-tipped forepaw and lashes out in an attempt to swat it from your grasp, but you duck he blow and thrust it into his side. He roars with pain, but then he leaps at you with frightening speed.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Vaxagore</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">52</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">50</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Vaxagore</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">52</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">50</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>This creature is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect288">If you win the fight, <link-text>turn to 288</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>At close quarters, the city of Amory gives off an odour of disease and decay. Its flagstoned streets are cracked and broken open by plants, the roofs of its once-fine houses have long since caved in, and every surface is damp and mildewed. It is also completely deserted; even the rats have left.</p>
- <p>You seek shelter in one of the few buildings with a roof still intact. The furnishings that you discover here are made of the finest Durenese oak and Salonese leather, but none withstand your weight. Everything has rotted and falls to shreds at a touch. You are clearing debris from the floor to make a place to sleep when suddenly you hear hoofbeats in the street outside. You rush to the open door and see, to your shocked surprise, a ghostly rider astride a black horse come galloping down the narrow avenue. Tongues of red flame shoot from the horse<ch.apos/>s nostrils and it leaves in its wake a trail of yreen mist.</p>
+ <p>You seek shelter in one of the few buildings with a roof still intact. The furnishings that you discover here are made of the finest Durenese oak and Salonese leather, but none withstand your weight. Everything has rotted and falls to shreds at a touch. You are clearing debris from the floor to make a place to sleep when suddenly you hear hoofbeats in the street outside. You rush to the open door and see, to your shocked surprise, a ghostly rider astride a black horse come galloping down the narrow avenue. Tongues of red flame shoot from the horse<ch.apos/>s nostrils and it leaves in its wake a trail of green mist.</p>
<choice idref="sect279">If you have ever visited the town of Quarlen, or the Isle of Ghosts, in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, <link-text>turn to 279</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect205">If you have visited neither of these places, <link-text>turn to 205</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>Expertly you guide your horse through the densely packed trees at the centre of this copse. The brigands attempt to follow, but they are poor riders by comparison and they find it impossible to penetrate this wood on horseback.</p>
<p>After a few minutes you hear their leader command them to return to the road. He has lost patience with his men and cannot be bothered to pursue the chase any further. You remain hidden at the middle of the copse and do not emerge until the dust of their horses<ch.apos/> hooves has disappeared beyond the horizon.</p>
- <p>During your wait, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>During your wait, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect340">To continue, <link-text>turn to 340</link-text>.</choice>
<data>
<p>Your arrow penetrates the dragon<ch.apos/>s skull, but the only effect it has is to make him angrier than he already is. He stomps his massive forefoot down on to the black soil and sends a splash of molten mud and flame into the air.</p>
<p>You discard your bow and reach for your weapon as the great beast comes lumbering slowly towards you with his jaw agape.</p>
- <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Dilscipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
+ <p>Unless you possess a Platinum Amulet, a Talisman of Ishir, or the Discipline of Grand Nexus, you must now deduct 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points due to the debilitating effects of the heat and atmosphere.</p>
<choice idref="sect316"><link-text>Turn to 316</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>You ride out of Rhem by its east gate and head off along a wide road that is bordered by hovels and farmsteads. Shortly you come to a signpost where the road ends and a track begins. It marks the entrance to the forest of Salony, and indicates the distances to two Salonese towns:</p>
<p>Ellio<ch.emdash/>50 miles Amory<ch.emdash/>100 miles</p>
<p>You follow the track deep into the forest and spend your first night in Salony here, surrounded by the leafy comfort of this rich timberland. At dawn, you resume your ride and, by nightfall, you find yourself approaching the outskirts of the forest town of Ellio.</p>
- <p>During your long day<ch.apos/>s ride through the forest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>During your long day<ch.apos/>s ride through the forest, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect138"><link-text>Turn to 138</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>In the warm comfort of the inn, you use your Kai healing skills to mend the Lord Constable<ch.apos/>s injuries. He is carefully testing his weight on his newly-mended ankle when suddenly there is a commotion outside in the street. An angry mob of hard-faced men, many clutching torches, staves, and coils of rope, are marching down the cobbled avenue towards the inn.</p>
<p><quote>Hang the Talestrian thieves!</quote> they shout. <quote>String up the murdering swine!</quote></p>
<p><quote>What<ch.apos/>s going on? Who are these men?</quote> asks Nathor. The innkeeper<ch.apos/>s face turns white and he begins to tremble with fear.</p>
- <p><quote>I <ch.ellips/> I don<ch.apos/>t rightly know,</quote> he stammers, <quote>I ain<ch.apos/>t never seen <ch.apos/>em before. They<ch.apos/>s not from these parts. We<ch.apos/>ve never had no quarrel with Talestria. You<ch.apos/>ve always been our friends.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>I<ch.ellips/> I don<ch.apos/>t rightly know,</quote> he stammers, <quote>I ain<ch.apos/>t never seen <ch.apos/>em before. They<ch.apos/>s not from these parts. We<ch.apos/>ve never had no quarrel with Talestria. You<ch.apos/>ve always been our friends.</quote></p>
<p>Suddenly a chunk of cobblestone smashes through a window and an angry cry arises from the mob:</p>
<p><quote>Come out, you Talestrian dogs. Come out or we<ch.apos/>ll burn you out!</quote></p>
<p>Nathor calls everyone to the rear of the inn where a passage leads directly to the stables.</p>
- <p></quote>I fear this is some kind of crude ploy to murder you, Grand Master,</quote> he says. <quote>If you are to stand any chance of reaching your homeland, you must continue your journey at once. I and my men will do what we can to hold this mob at bay, but you must leave now and you must go alone.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>I fear this is some kind of crude ploy to murder you, Grand Master,</quote> he says. <quote>If you are to stand any chance of reaching your homeland, you must continue your journey at once. I and my men will do what we can to hold this mob at bay, but you must leave now and you must go alone.</quote></p>
<p>Another window shatters and a burning brand is hurled into the inn.</p>
<p><quote>Very well,</quote> you reply, uneasily, <quote>I shall leave at once.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect161"><link-text>Turn to 161</link-text>.</choice>
<p>As they draw closer, you see one of the leading horsemen raise his hand to bring the column to a halt. Your heart sinks when you realize that he has seen your horse. Rather than take the risk of losing your mount, you call out to the horseman, commanding him to continue on his way.</p>
<p><quote>Show y<ch.apos/>self,</quote> he shouts in reply, and draws his sabre. <quote>Unless you be a brigand, you have no need to fear us.</quote></p>
<p>You remain hidden for a few moments longer, using your Kai skills to determine their purpose. When you can detect no aura of evil about them, you rise from behind the bush so that you can be seen. A pale hand parts the carriage curtains and you glimpse the face of a handsome young woman with jet-black hair. Judging by the finery of her dress and the elegance of her demeanour, you assess her to be of noble birth.</p>
- <p><quote>You, Sir!</quote> she calls, with a refined Palmyrion accent, <quote>I <ch.ellips/> I know you. Please, won<ch.apos/>t you approach my coach so that I can be sure?</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>You, Sir!</quote> she calls, with a refined Palmyrion accent, <quote>I<ch.ellips/> I know you. Please, won<ch.apos/>t you approach my coach so that I can be sure?</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect201">If you wish to do as she requests, <link-text>turn to 201</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect123">If you decide to ignore her request and stay where you are, <link-text>turn to 123</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You crest the ridge and your spirits soar when you see the Kai monastery two miles distant. The chequered battle banner of the Kai flutters atop the Tower of he Sun, proudly defiant in the face of the hordes of winged lavas circling overhead. The monastery is largely intact, though much of its surrounding wall has been damaged and plumes of smoke rise from the inner keep and training park. Yet, even at this distance, you sense that it is still being held secure from Naar<ch.apos/>s loathsome minions.</p>
- <p>The new order have indeed proved themselves worthy in your absence. However, the pride you feel for your young acolytes is tempered by the price that has been paid. At the base of the Tower of the Sun you can see the blackened wreckage of the Skyrider, Banedon<ch.apos/>s skyship, twisted and gutted where it fell to earth. There are bodies strewn about it, but at this distance, even with your magnified vision, you cannot tell if they are friend or foe.</p>
+ <p>The new order have indeed proved themselves worthy in your absence. However, the pride you feel for your young acolytes is tempered by the price that has been paid. At the base of the Tower of the Sun you can see the blackened wreckage of the <cite>Skyrider</cite>, Banedon<ch.apos/>s skyship, twisted and gutted where it fell to earth. There are bodies strewn about it, but at this distance, even with your magnified vision, you cannot tell if they are friend or foe.</p>
<p>Dusk is already upon the land and darkness will be total within the hour. Mindful of the circling lavas who command the skies, you decide to abandon your horse and continue from here on foot. It will be harder for the enemy to spot you moving through the forest on foot than if you were to continue on horseback.</p>
<choice idref="sect96">If you possess Kai-screen, and have reached the Kai rank of Grand Guardian or higher, <link-text>turn to 96</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect328">If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai mastery, <link-text>turn to 328</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>253</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You draw on your Magnakai skill of Psi-screen to protect your mind from Roark<ch.apos/>s assault, but before it can deflect his attack, you suffer the numbing effects of psychic shock: lose 5 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>You draw on your Magnakai skill of Psi-screen to protect your mind from Roark<ch.apos/>s assault, but before it can deflect his attack, you suffer the numbing effects of psychic shock: lose 5 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>As you recover your senses, you see his ghastly apparition galloping past. It stirs in its wake a whirling maelstrom that is filled with rocks, broken glass and other city debris. This whirlwind assails you physically and knocks you to the ground.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Ghost of Roark</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">30</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Ghost of Roark</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">30</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>You conduct this combat in the normal way. While attacking the ghost of Roark using your psychic Kai abilities, you must defend yourself from the injurious effects of the debris-storm. Only by defeating Roark<ch.apos/>s ghost in combat will you cause the maelstrom to cease.</p>
<choice idref="sect146">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 146</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>254</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You focus your psychic powers and launch a pulse of energy at the prisoner<ch.apos/>s mind in an attempt to weaken his resolve (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> score by 1 point). You sense that his memory is protected by a magical shield, but it proves to be ineffective against your psychic probe. The man shrieks with fear as his body is racked by uncontrollable tremors.</p>
+ <p>You focus your psychic powers and launch a pulse of energy at the prisoner<ch.apos/>s mind in an attempt to weaken his resolve (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> score by 1 point). You sense that his memory is protected by a magical shield, but it proves to be ineffective against your psychic probe. The man shrieks with fear as his body is racked by uncontrollable tremors.</p>
<p>You command the prisoner to reveal the identity of the person who sent him here to Garthen to murder you, and a mass of images begin to swirl and solidify in your mind<ch.apos/>s eye. They are the images of a past meeting in a far-off place which you recognize to be Duadon, the capital city of Eldenora. You see a shadowy figure, sheathed in ornate chainmail, handing a bulging pouch of gold to the prisoner in a dimly-lit alleyway. The figure speaks your name before melting away into the shadows.</p>
<p><quote>Who is this person?</quote> you say, commanding the trembling prisoner to answer. He parts his bruised lips and tries to utter a name but no sound emerges. You sense that he is fighting to overcome the remnants of the shielding spell placed upon his mind. Moving closer, you try to make out the name he is struggling hard to whisper.</p>
<choice idref="sect326"><link-text>Turn to 326</link-text>.</choice>
<p>After attending to the burial of his son, the grieving Captain returns to the Canatarium to find out where his son<ch.apos/>s regiment is stationed. He learns they are at he Reloni Bridge, at the very heart of the battle. Before he leaves, he thanks you for trying to save his son<ch.apos/>s life and he suggests two routes by which you can reach the distant city of Casiorn from here.</p>
<p>The first route is the most direct, but it is also the most hazardous. It requires you to pass through the enemy lines at the Reloni Bridge, cross the southern tip of Eldenora, then continue your journey north by way of the Slovarian Plain.</p>
<p>The second route will avoid the fighting at the Reloni Bridge, but it would mean having to pass through the city of Duadon<ch.emdash/>Prince Lutha<ch.apos/>s stronghold.</p>
- <p>(Consult the map at the beginning of this book before making your choice.)</p>
+ <p>(Consult the <a idref="map">map</a> at the beginning of this book before making your choice.)</p>
<choice idref="sect271">If you choose to take the Reloni Bridge/Slovarian Plain route to Casiorn, <link-text>turn to 271</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect38">If you decide to take the Duadon/Rhem route instead, <link-text>turn to 38</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p><quote>Kai scouts sighted it in the foothills of the Durncrag mountains, less than five miles distant, at a place called Raven<ch.apos/>s Eerie,</quote> says Banedon.</p>
<p><quote>I know this place,</quote> you say. <quote>My old tutor, Storm Hawk, and I camped there on a hunting trip when I was an acolyte, before the war with Darklord Zagarna. There is a track that leads there<ch.emdash/>I know it well</quote></p>
<p>You are determined to destroy the Shadow Gate and you resolve to go to Raven<ch.apos/>s Eerie tonight, to carry out the mission. Also you are aware that tomorrow is a very special day. It is Fehmarn<ch.emdash/>the first day of Spring, a holy day in Sommerlund when traditionally all of the Kai gather at the Monastery to reaffirm their fealty to King Ulnar and the God Kai. It is also the anniversary of the First Order, the day upon which all of your warrior caste, save you, were massacred by Darklord Zagarna<ch.apos/>s hordes.</p>
- <p><quote>I will destroy the Shadow Gale tonight,</quote> you vow resolutely, </quote>and tomorrow we shall celebrate Fehmarn, secure in the knowledge that a lasting peace has returned to our land.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>I will destroy the Shadow Gale tonight,</quote> you vow resolutely, <quote>and tomorrow we shall celebrate Fehmarn, secure in the knowledge that a lasting peace has returned to our land.</quote></p>
<p>Moments later, a doleful bell sounds from atop the Durncrag tower: it is the alarm.</p>
<p><quote>Hurry, my lords!</quote> shouts a young Kai savant who comes rushing breathlessly into the Grand Hall, <quote>the enemy are attacking in force!</quote></p>
<p><quote>To your battle positions, my lords!</quote> you command, as you stride towards the door, <quote>the time has come for you to avenge your dead brothers. Fight well! Fight true! The spirit of the sun-god Kai is with us this night!</quote></p>
<meta><title>260</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>From the cover of the trees, you first use your Magnakai Nexus Discipline to cause one of the horse<ch.apos/>s reins to become untied from the rail. Then you summon the steed using your animal mastery. The horse responds without hesitation and soon you are back in the saddle once more, heading sooth in a wide arc around the Eldenoran settlement at Fabri.</p>
+ <p>From the cover of the trees, you first use your Magnakai Nexus Discipline to cause one of the horse<ch.apos/>s reins to become untied from the rail. Then you summon the steed using your animal mastery. The horse responds without hesitation and soon you are back in the saddle once more, heading south in a wide arc around the Eldenoran settlement at Fabri.</p>
<p>During your ride through the woodland, you discover the following items in the bags and blanket roll which are attached to the saddle:</p>
<p>Sword</p>
<p>Rope</p>
<p>Spyglass</p>
<p>If you decide to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a> accordingly.</p>
<p>Shortly before sunset, you emerge from the trees at a place where three trails meet. A wooden signpost propped against a boulder indicates three directions, destinations, and distances:</p>
- <p>North-Chod-250 miles West-Holona-50 miles South-Tenzha-20 miles</p>
- <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your map, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
- <p>During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>North<ch.endash/>Chod<ch.endash/>250 miles</p>
+ <p>West<ch.endash/>Holona<ch.endash/>50 miles</p>
+ <p>South<ch.endash/>Tenzha<ch.endash/>20 miles</p>
+ <p>You are anxious to leave hostile Eldenoran territory as soon as possible and, after checking your <a idref="map">map,</a>, you set off to the south, towards the Slovian border town of Tenzha.</p>
+ <p>During your ride, unless you possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect343">To continue, <link-text>turn to 343</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>261</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You pull away from the bitter green cloud and fall back towards the cell door. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus offers some protection from this highly poisonous gas, but you are not completely safe from its effect: lose 5 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>You pull away from the bitter green cloud and fall back towards the cell door. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus offers some protection from this highly poisonous gas, but you are not completely safe from its effect: lose 5 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>The gaoler and Lord Nathor were standing several paces from the prisoner when he exhaled, yet even so they are affected by the insidious poison. Choking and retching, they collapse to the floor, their fingers scrabbling at their swelling throats as they fight desperately for breath. You grab hold of their tunics, one in each hand, and drag their bodies out of the cell into the cleaner air of the corridor beyond. Here you use your Magnakai healing Disciplines to ease the effects of the poison gas; your skill and the swiftness of your actions undoubtedly save them from a painful, suffocating death.</p>
- <p><quote>Wha <ch.ellips/> what happened?</quote> wheezes Nathor, as he slowly recovers from the gas effects.</p>
+ <p><quote>Wha<ch.ellips/> what happened?</quote> wheezes Nathor, as he slowly recovers from the gas effects.</p>
<p>You peer into the cell at the man now hanging limply in chains, then you turn to Nathor and say: <quote>Suicide. A suicide and an attempted murder, that is. The prisoner has just killed himself with a poison pellet and it seems his last wish was to take all three of us with him.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect309"><link-text>Turn to 309</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>269</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your fingers to his injured foot (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 3). You feel the warmth of your power begin to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bones, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing into the stables with their swords drawn. They see you, and you have barely enough time to draw your weapon before they launch a manic attack.</p>
- <p>Castle guardsmen (imposters) <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 48 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> 48</p>
+ <p>Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your fingers to his injured foot (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 3). You feel the warmth of your power begin to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bones, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing into the stables with their swords drawn. They see you, and you have barely enough time to draw your weapon before they launch a manic attack.</p>
+ <p>Castle guardsmen (imposters) <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> 48 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> 48</p>
<choice idref="sect159">If you win this fight, <link-text>turn to 159</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>272</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You fall backwards and land heavily among the damp, jagged rocks. The hard fall gashes your head and injures your back: lose 6 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>You fall backwards and land heavily among the damp, jagged rocks. The hard fall gashes your head and injures your back: lose 6 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Your sudden movement alerts a lavas to your position on the mountainside and it circles around Raven<ch.apos/>s Eerie until it is sure that what it has seen is human. Once it spots you lying dazed among the rocks, it gives a piercing shriek. Like a predatory bird, it comes diving out of the sky, its claws extended and its beaked jaw open wide.</p>
<choice idref="sect108"><link-text>Turn to 108</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>Using the Brotherhood spell <spell>Slow Fall</spell> you are able to control the rate of your descent. Unfortunately, Lord Constable Nathor does not possess this ability and, as you are beginning to slow down, he comes tumbling past you, his eyes and mouth wide with terror.</p>
<p>You stretch out and make a grab for his cloak as he hurtles past. You manage to get a grip and hold on fast, but as you are nearing the ground, the cloak comes unfastened and he falls the last twenty feet to the flagstoned keep. Upon landing, you discover that Nathor is still alive, but his left ankle is badly broken and his face is cut and bruised. Despite his obvious pain he manages a smile, revealing gaps where he is missing two of his teeth.</p>
- <p>Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your fingers to his injured foot (reduce your <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 3). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from the gatehouse with their swords drawn. You draw your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Castle guardsmen (imposters)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">48</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>Bravely Nathor stifles his urge to scream as you take hold of his shattered ankle. You summon your healing powers and transmit them through your fingers to his injured foot (reduce your <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points score by 3). You feel the warmth of your power start to reduce the swollen tissues and mend the broken bone, but before you can complete the cure, a yelling horde of bogus castle guardsmen come rushing from the gatehouse with their swords drawn. You draw your weapon and crouch in readiness to meet their manic attack.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Castle guardsmen (imposters)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">48</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">48</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect93">If you win this fight, <link-text>turn to 93</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>278</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>Your slain steed crashes to the ground and you are catapulted head over heels through the air. You land heavily among boulders and bracken which border the hill road, hiring your forehead with a sickening crack: lose 4 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Your slain steed crashes to the ground and you are catapulted head over heels through the air. You land heavily among boulders and bracken which border the hill road, hiring your forehead with a sickening crack: lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Nauseous and dizzy from the impact, you struggle to stand up. You are barely back on your feet when suddenly a yelling horde of leather-clad men, each brandishing a sword or a spear, emerge from hiding places among the trees and come rushing at you from all sides. You must fight them.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran ambushers</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">38</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
- <p>Due to the effect of your fall, you must reduce your <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> by 4 for the duration of this fight.</p>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran ambushers</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">38</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">42</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>Due to the effect of your fall, you must reduce your <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> by 4 for the duration of this fight.</p>
<choice idref="sect285">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 285</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>Having slain all of the guardsmen, and their sergeant, with stunning ease, the surrounding crowd of Eldenoran pikemen now look at you with fearful respect. You seize the opportunity to wheel your horse about and then you spur him to the gallop and scatter a score of soldiers as you attempt an escape along the crowded west road. Soon the cry goes up from the city<ch.apos/>s battlements to stop you and, when you are only a few hundred yards away from the gatehouse, your horse is brought crashing to the ground by a volley of arrows.</p>
<p>A mass of angry Eldenorans close in and grab hold of you before you can get to your feet. Roughly they bind your hands with cord, then they confiscate your weapons, money pouch, backpack and cape (delete these from your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>; you need not erase any Special Items however, as none of these are taken).</p>
- <p>Minutes later, the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horse-drawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac, ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes the horses and steers his rickety cart back to the gatehouse and into the dark streets of Duadon beyond. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon<ch.apos/>s long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you mercilessly with staves (lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.</p>
+ <p>Minutes later, the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horse-drawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac, ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes the horses and steers his rickety cart back to the gatehouse and into the dark streets of Duadon beyond. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon<ch.apos/>s long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you mercilessly with staves (lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.</p>
<choice idref="sect300"><link-text>Turn to 300</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You call on your Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, as well as your natural agility and dexterity, to slow your descent into this syrupy mire. After several anxious minutes, with the foul morass lapping at your chest, you feel yourself no longer sinking any deeper into the bog. Now, using your hands and your weapons, you heave your way slowly through this stinking bog until, at last, you feel the welcome sensation of firm ground beneath your feet. Breathless and exhausted, you crawl out of the ooze and collapse on a bank of soft, dark earth.</p>
- <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. The number you have picked equals the number of <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points you have lost in your struggle to free yourself from the mire (0 = 10).</p>
+ <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. The number you have picked equals the number of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points you have lost in your struggle to free yourself from the mire (0 = 10).</p>
<p>As soon as you are able, you get to your feet and hurry away from this foul morass, heading north.</p>
<choice idref="sect43"><link-text>Turn to 43</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>298</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You take a lungful of air and dive once more below the surface, but as you submerge, you feel the stinging kiss of an arrow<ch.apos/>s tip graze the top of your head: lose 3 ENDUNANCE points.</p>
+ <p>You take a lungful of air and dive once more below the surface, but as you submerge, you feel the stinging kiss of an arrow<ch.apos/>s tip graze the top of your head: lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>On reaching the far bank, you use the corpses that litter the shoreline for cover. You wait here, absolutely motionless, for nearly fifteen minutes before crawling from the water and slithering on your stomach into the wood which commands this stretch of the river bank. Your stealth and your Kai camouflage skills keep you hidden from the watchful eyes of the Eldenoran archers who infest these trees, but they do not fool their keen-nosed war-dogs. You have barely reached the treeline when they begin to bark and howl.</p>
<choice idref="sect47">If you possess Animal Mastery, <link-text>turn to 47</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect156">If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, <link-text>turn to 156</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>302</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>You spend a cold and uncomfortable night sheltering beneath a stone bridge near the centre of this forest town (lose 2 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points). The rain which began at dusk, eases off at dawn. In the grey half-light, you gather some nutritious roots and grasses for your mare and allow her to finish them before setting off on the trail which heads east out of Ellio.</p>
+ <p>You spend a cold and uncomfortable night sheltering beneath a stone bridge near the centre of this forest town (lose 2 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points). The rain which began at dusk, eases off at dawn. In the grey half-light, you gather some nutritious roots and grasses for your mare and allow her to finish them before setting off on the trail which heads east out of Ellio.</p>
<choice idref="sect176"><link-text>Turn to 176</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You raise your weapon and brace yourself in the stirrups as the winged horror comes swooping down to rake you with its sword-sharp claws.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">45</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
- <p>The creature is attempting to claw you as it swoops past, therefore fight this combat for one round only.</p>
- <choice idref="sect263">If, in this single round of combat, you lose more <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points than your enemy, <link-text>turn to 263</link-text>.</choice>
- <choice idref="sect226">If your enemy loses more <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points, or if the loss is identical, <link-text>turn to 226</link-text>.</choice>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">45</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <p>The creature is attempting to claw you as it swoops past, therefore fight this combat for <cite>one round only</cite>.</p>
+ <choice idref="sect263">If, in this single round of combat, you lose more <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points than your enemy, <link-text>turn to 263</link-text>.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect226">If your enemy loses more <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points, or if the loss is identical, <link-text>turn to 226</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You unsheathe your weapon and urge your frightened horse along the track. As you reach the perimeter of the conifer coppice, the leading wolf-creatures draw alongside and begin to claw and bite at your steed<ch.apos/>s flanks. Desperately you lash out, left and right, in an attempt to cut them down before they can drag your shrieking horse to the ground.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Hounds of Vikkak</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">45</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">40</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Hounds of Vikkak</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">45</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">40</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>These beings are immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect347">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 347</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>305</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>In desperation you draw upon your psychic Kai defence skills to erect a shield around your mind. This eases the agony coursing through your head, but your body sustains a severe battering before you are able to control the pain that grips your torso and limbs: lose 4 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>In desperation you draw upon your psychic Kai defence skills to erect a shield around your mind. This eases the agony coursing through your head, but your body sustains a severe battering before you are able to control the pain that grips your torso and limbs: lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Gradually, you feel your pain subsiding. Flashing motes of light are now beginning to whirl past you in the inky blackness, and faint sounds are reaching your ears, emanating from a pinpoint of light in the far distance. This speck of light steadily grows until it seems to fill your senses, and, with an abruptness that leaves you gasping for breath, you suddenly find yourself lying face-down on a slab of damp granite.</p>
<choice idref="sect276"><link-text>Turn to 276</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>Hurriedly you recite the words of the Brotherhood spell <spell>Levitation</spell> and, as you feel gravity losing its grip, you leap from the floor of the pit in order to boost the effects of the spell.</p>
<p>Prince Lutha sees you come soaring up the shaft towards him and he is frozen with shock. Your swift action prevents him from activating the evil power of the ring he wears, a power which could spell your doom, but you sense that it is only a matter of seconds before he comes to his senses.</p>
<p>You rise up through the opening and strike a blow with your fist which glances off the side of Lutha<ch.apos/>s face. He reels backwards, but the sudden pain serves to awaken him from his shock, and when he comes back at you he has a needle-sharp dagger clasped in his hand.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">54</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">39</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Prince Lutha (with Ring of Power)</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">54</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">39</enemy-attribute></combat>
<p>While wearing the Ring of Power, Lutha is immune to all forms of psychic attack, except Kai-surge and Kai-blast.</p>
<choice idref="sect89">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 89</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p><quote>I must go to his regiment,</quote> says Cearmaine, his voice full of emotion. <quote>It is right and fitting that I take command of them now.</quote></p>
<p>You learn that his son<ch.apos/>s regiment is stationed at the Reloni Bridge, at the very heart of the battle. Before the Captain leaves, he wishes you good luck and suggests two routes by which you can reach the distant city of Casiorn from here.</p>
<p>The first route is the most direct, but it is also the most hazardous. It requires you to pass through the enemy lines at the Reloni Bridge, cross the southern tip of Eldenora, then continue your journey north by way of the Slovarian Plain.</p>
- <p>The second route will avoid the fighting at the Reloni Bridge, but it would mean having to pass through the city of Duadon<ch.emdash/>Prince Lutha<ch.apos/>s stronghold. (Consult the map at the beginning of this book before making your choice.)</p>
+ <p>The second route will avoid the fighting at the Reloni Bridge, but it would mean having to pass through the city of Duadon<ch.emdash/>Prince Lutha<ch.apos/>s stronghold. (Consult the <a idref="map">map</a> at the beginning of this book before making your choice.)</p>
<choice idref="sect271">If you choose to take the Reloni Bridge/Slovarian Plain route to Casiorn, <link-text>turn to 271</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect38">If you decide to take the Duadon/Rhem route instead, <link-text>turn to 38</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You make your way across this busy square and enter Ladder Way, a thoroughfare which heads towards the very heart of Varetta. Apothecaries and candlemakers<ch.apos/> shops flank this wide street until it opens up on an ornate park filled with rare and beautiful flowers.</p>
- <p>To the west of the park you notice a fortified tower, by far the tallest in the city. You feel inexplicably drawn towards this tower; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems. You leave the park by its west gate and enter a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building whose brick and marble façade is adorned with the words: HALLS OF LEARNING.</p>
- <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a budding where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: LIBRARY. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
+ <p>To the west of the park you notice a fortified tower, by far the tallest in the city. You feel inexplicably drawn towards this tower; it is as if it possesses the solution to all your problems. You leave the park by its west gate and enter a wider thoroughfare called Brass Street. Here you see the courtyard entrance to a grand building whose brick and marble fa<ch.ccedil/>ade is adorned with the words: <signpost>HALLS OF LEARNING</signpost>.</p>
+ <p>You enter and ride along a gravelled path which leads to a budding where a sign, hanging over its richly-carved oak door, simply says: <signpost>LIBRARY</signpost>. You feel compelled to stop here and, without quite knowing why, you dismount from your horse and tie his reins to a ring which is set into the wall. Then you push open the door and enter the library<ch.apos/>s cool interior.</p>
<p>Countless thousands of books and parchments crowd the stone shelves of this magnificent library. Your eyes travel along them until they reach another door at the far end of the hall. There, standing framed in its archway, is an old man clad in plain brown robes. He looks at you and smiles knowingly.</p>
<p><quote>Welcome, Grand Master,</quote> he says, <quote>I have been expecting you.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect348">If you have ever visited a hut on Raider<ch.apos/>s Road, the city of Tahou, or Lake Vorndarol (in previous Lone Wolf adventures), <link-text>turn to 348</link-text>.</choice>
<meta><title>310</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>As you fall backwards into the cold water, a splinter of rock slices through your upper left arm: lose 4 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>As you fall backwards into the cold water, a splinter of rock slices through your upper left arm: lose 4 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<p>Gritting your teeth against the stinging pain, you struggle to your feet and use your Kai healing skills to staunch the bleeding. The dust of the explosion is clearing and you can see D<ch.apos/>Val bringing the regiment forward.</p>
<p><quote>Are you badly injured, Grand Master?</quote> he shouts, as he comes riding through the water.</p>
<p><quote>I<ch.apos/>ll live,</quote> you retort, and hurry to remount your skittish horse.</p>
<data>
<p>Moments before you reach him, he throws the young woman and her child to the ground and spins around to face you, his dagger hold poised to slash at your throat. He strikes and you dodge his first clumsy blow with ease. As he is about to strike out for a second time, you raise your weapon and aim a scything blow at his head.</p>
- <p>Eldenoran thug (drunk) <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> 34 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> 34</p>
+ <p>Eldenoran thug (drunk) <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> 34 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> 34</p>
<choice idref="sect333">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 333</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You sense your psychic powers burrowing through Naar<ch.apos/>s ethereal barrier. You have almost penetrated this shield when suddenly you feel the presence of the Dark God himself; he is pouring the essence of his Evil into the breach, repairing the damage you have inflicted.</p>
- <p>Immediately you cease your telegnosis for fear of allowing Naar the opportunity of locating and attacking your mindforce. If he was to do so, you would risk losing not only your sanity but also your soul! You succeed in severing the telepathic link, but the abrupt cessation leaves you in psychic shock: lose S <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Immediately you cease your telegnosis for fear of allowing Naar the opportunity of locating and attacking your mindforce. If he was to do so, you would risk losing not only your sanity but also your soul! You succeed in severing the telepathic link, but the abrupt cessation leaves you in psychic shock: lose S <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect136">To continue, <link-text>turn to 136</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>You are woken by the clammy sensation of fine cold spray on your face. Reluctantly you prise open your sleep-clogged eyes and see that the sky above is uniformly grey, swaddled by a thick blanket of cloud. A fine drizzle is sweeping down across the plateau, but the darkening clouds above indicate that this is merely the prelude to heavier rain.</p>
<p>Sure enough, within the hour you find yourself trekking north through a torrential downpour. The heavy rain makes the going difficult, but you take some comfort in the fact that it will lessen the odds of a chance encounter with an Eldenoran patrol.</p>
- <p>Later in the day you come to a ridge which overlooks a sizeable town positioned at the centre of a wide valley. A glance at your map confirms your suspicion that this town is Oredal, and, when you magnify your vision, you see that it is swarming with Eldenoran troops and horsemen. You decide to give this town a wide berth and you stay in the hills to avoid the risk of being detected. For two days you live off the land as you make your way steadily northwards. Despite the bad weather, and having to go on foot, you make excellent progress. On the morning of the third day you come to a wood overlooking a small village called Nursha, which sits astride the main Rioma road. In the centre of this town there is a junction where another wide road branches off to the east. A large signpost at the junction says: Abisko<ch.emdash/>40 miles.</p>
+ <p>Later in the day you come to a ridge which overlooks a sizeable town positioned at the centre of a wide valley. A glance at your <a idref="map">map</a> confirms your suspicion that this town is Oredal, and, when you magnify your vision, you see that it is swarming with Eldenoran troops and horsemen. You decide to give this town a wide berth and you stay in the hills to avoid the risk of being detected. For two days you live off the land as you make your way steadily northwards. Despite the bad weather, and having to go on foot, you make excellent progress. On the morning of the third day you come to a wood overlooking a small village called Nursha, which sits astride the main Rioma road. In the centre of this town there is a junction where another wide road branches off to the east. A large signpost at the junction says: Abisko<ch.emdash/>40 miles.</p>
<p>From the dry shelter of the wood you observe the town for nearly an hour, but you detect no movement there whatsoever: the place appears to be completely deserted.</p>
<choice idref="sect169">If you possess the Disciplines of Deliverance and Grand Pathsmanship, <link-text>turn to 169</link-text>.</choice>
- <choice idref="sect212">If you do not possess both of these Grand Master Disciplines, <link-text>turn to 212</link-text>.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect212">If you do not possess <cite>both</cite> of these Grand Master Disciplines, <link-text>turn to 212</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>The lavas turn in mid-air and circle around the place where you lie. They have seen you and are getting ready to attack you with their fearsome claws. As they swoop down, you unsheathe your weapon and spring to your feet, determined to fight them off.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas sky patrol</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">55</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">50</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas sky patrol</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">55</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">50</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect346">If you win this combat, <link-text>turn to 346</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<p>A steep path leads to a turreted gate which marks the entrance to this manor house. The house itself is barred and shuttered as if to withstand a siege. You ring a bell at the door but there is no reply. When you ring a second time, the shutters on an upstairs window creak open and the sneering face of an startlingly ugly woman peers down at you.</p>
<p><quote>Whadya want?</quote> she snaps.</p>
<p><quote>A room for the night and feed for my horse, if you<ch.apos/>d be so kind,</quote> you reply, as politely as you feel able. <quote>I<ch.apos/>d be prepared to pay, of course.</quote></p>
- <p>The wart-faced old woman snorts and retreats from view. Moments later, she suddenly reappears and hurls a rotten cabbage which catches you squarely in the face (lose 1 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> point).</p>
+ <p>The wart-faced old woman snorts and retreats from view. Moments later, she suddenly reappears and hurls a rotten cabbage which catches you squarely in the face (lose 1 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> point).</p>
<p><quote>Be off, y<ch.apos/> scraggin<ch.apos/> Northlander,<ch.apos/> she yells, <ch.apos/>afore I set the dogs on ya!</quote></p>
<p>Wiping a trickle of blood from your nose, you turn your horse about and ride back down the path, cursing the old woman under your breath. As you pass through the turreted gate, she shouts out: <quote>I heard that!</quote></p>
<p>As soon as you rejoin the main road, you urge your horse to a canter and ride into the village that lies a little way beyond.</p>
<data>
<p>Suddenly you feel your throat tighten, and the skin on your face and the backs of your hands begins to itch. With mounting dread you realize that you have been walking into an area which is infested with a virulent plague. Hurriedly, you run from the town as fast as you can, thankful that your Grand Master Discipline affords you some protection from the deadly plague virus which has decimated the population of Nursha, and turned it into a ghost town.</p>
- <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8}, deduct 5 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points from your current total. If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
+ <p>Pick a number from the <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>. If the number you have chosen is even (0, 2, 4, 6, 8}, deduct 5 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points from your current total. If the number you have picked is odd (1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</p>
<choice idref="sect193">If you have survived your visit to Nursha, <link-text>turn to 193</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>Cautiously you place your ear close to the trembling man<ch.apos/>s mouth and try to identify the name he is struggling hard to utter.</p>
- <p><quote>L <ch.ellips/> L <ch.ellips/> Lutha,</quote> he breathes. Then he gives a chilling snigger and you feel the hairs on the nape of your neck begin to rise. Your sixth senses are screaming a warning: you are in danger. With his tongue, the prisoner dislodges a hollow tooth and bites down hard upon it. It releases a vile greenish gas which he exhales directly into your face.</p>
+ <p><quote>L<ch.ellips/> L<ch.ellips/> Lutha,</quote> he breathes. Then he gives a chilling snigger and you feel the hairs on the nape of your neck begin to rise. Your sixth senses are screaming a warning: you are in danger. With his tongue, the prisoner dislodges a hollow tooth and bites down hard upon it. It releases a vile greenish gas which he exhales directly into your face.</p>
<choice idref="sect148">If you possess the Discipline of Grand Nexus, <link-text>turn to 148</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect261">If you do not possess this Discipline, <link-text>turn to 261</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<meta><title>333</title></meta>
<data>
- <p><quote>Thank you, thank you <ch.ellips/></quote> cries the young woman, whose child you have just saved from certain death at the hands of the drunken thug. Sobbing with gratitude, she collapses at your feet. Gently you lift her by the arm and assure her with kind words that her ordeal is over. She smiles, reassured, but her expression quickly changes when she spots something moving behind you.</p>
- <p><quote>There he is, that cur Holkar!</quote> she spits. <quote>He<ch.apos/>s the murdering leader of these bandits. This chaos is his doing.<quote>/</p>
+ <p><quote>Thank you, thank you<ch.ellips/></quote> cries the young woman, whose child you have just saved from certain death at the hands of the drunken thug. Sobbing with gratitude, she collapses at your feet. Gently you lift her by the arm and assure her with kind words that her ordeal is over. She smiles, reassured, but her expression quickly changes when she spots something moving behind you.</p>
+ <p><quote>There he is, that cur Holkar!</quote> she spits. <quote>He<ch.apos/>s the murdering leader of these bandits. This chaos is his doing.</quote></p>
<p>You turn to look at the object of her hatred, and see a swarthy brigand dodging between the gravestones that line the abbey grounds. He has a sack full of loot slung over his shoulder and he is hurrying towards his horse which stands close by the abbey<ch.apos/>s perimeter wall. Determined not to let him escape, you rush across the road and into the grounds of the abbey to give chase.</p>
<choice idref="sect206"><link-text>Turn to 206</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You sheathe your weapon and wheel your horse away from the shouting guardsmen. Spurting him to the gallop, you scatter and trample a score of soldiers as you attempt to escape along the crowded west road. Soon the cry goes up to stop you and, when you are only a few hundred yards away from the gatehouse, your horse is brought crashing to the ground by an arrow in its right foreleg.</p>
<p>A mass of angry Eldenorans close in and hold you firm until the garrison sergeant and his men catch up. Roughly they force you to your knees and quickly bind your hands with cord. Then your weapons, money pouch, backpack and cape are all confiscated (delete these from your <a idref="action">Action Chart</a>; you need not erase any Special Items however, as none of these are taken).</p>
- <p>Minutes later the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horse-drawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac, ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes the horses and steers his rickety cart back to the gatehouse and into the dark streets of Duadon beyond. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon<ch.apos/>s long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you mercilessly with staves (lose 3 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.</p>
+ <p>Minutes later the staff-wielding Cener arrives with a horse-drawn cart into which the soldiers bundle you unceremoniously. The robed druid cackles like a crazed maniac, ecstatic at having identified and captured Lone Wolf<ch.emdash/>the destroyer of so many of his evil brethren. His vile laughter echoes in your ears as he lashes the horses and steers his rickety cart back to the gatehouse and into the dark streets of Duadon beyond. After a short and bruising journey at breakneck speed, you pass beneath the imposing arch of Skull-Tor, the fortified bastion of Duadon<ch.apos/>s long line of past rulers, and descend a stone ramp to an underground gaol. Here you are greeted by a squad of brutal guards who beat you mercilessly with staves (lose 3 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points) before imprisoning you in a circular pit infested with vermin.</p>
<choice idref="sect300"><link-text>Turn to 300</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>With stunning speed and accuracy, you let loose an arrow at the leading Eldenoran rider. The tip punctures his forehead and sends him tumbling backwards, his limbs flailing wildly, to disappear into the tall plains grass. Shocked by your bowskill, the brigand leader shouts a recall to his men. They wheel about and form up in a line behind him, cursing you for the death of their confederate. Then, with a vengeful yell, the brigand chief leads his gang of ruffians in a charge he hopes will trample you into the ground.</p>
<p>You shoulder your bow and draw a hand weapon as the wave of brigands come thundering down upon you. The leader flashes past, his sword blade whistling inches from your scalp, but he does not get very far. You turn in the saddle and strike like lightning, splitting his helmet and his skull with a single mighty blow. He falls before his men, but they prove to be hardy rogues and they press home their attack regardless.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Eldenoran brigands</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">50</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Eldenoran brigands</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">50</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect182">You may evade this combat after four rounds, by <link-text>turning to 182</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect109">If you win this fight, <link-text>turn to 109</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<p>You rush to the brigand<ch.apos/>s side and wrench he dagger from his chest. The wound is deep and you sense that it has penetrated his heart; he has only seconds to live. Calling upon your advanced healing skills, you cause he torn tissues of his heart wall to knit together sufficiently enough to stem the bleeding.</p>
<p><quote>How do you know my name?</quote> you demand. <quote>Who sent you here? What is your purpose?</quote></p>
<p>The brigand tries to smile through his pain and a trickle of crimson blood runs from the corner of his mouth.</p>
- <p><quote>You <ch.ellips/> you are the reason I<ch.apos/>m here,</quote> he whispers, <quote>I came here looking to finish you. I am finished now <ch.ellips/> Lutha will not be pleased.</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>You<ch.ellips/> you are the reason I<ch.apos/>m here,</quote> he whispers, <quote>I came here looking to finish you. I am finished now<ch.ellips/> Lutha will not be pleased.</quote></p>
<p>Then a fit of coughing reopens his punctured heart. With a final gurgling gasp, he expires in your arms. You get to your feet and look around at the devastation he and his men have brought to the sleepy village of Pinepeaks. Leaderless, the remaining brigands abandon their loot and flee to the wooded hills to rejoin their confederates, those who attempted to ambush the troop when first you entered this valley. Nathor<ch.apos/>s men have secured the village and they are helping the villagers to fight the fires which are burning in several of the cottages.</p>
<choice idref="sect126"><link-text>Turn to 126</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>You leave the cell and return to the State Hall where Lord Constable Nathor reports what has happened to the Queen. Concerned for your safety, she suggests that you spend the night at the Royal Citadel as her guest. You accept her gracious invitation and enjoy a fine feast and the hospitality of her court. Then, shortly after dawn of the following day, you bid her majesty, and your companion<ch.emdash/>Lord Ardan<ch.emdash/>a fond farewell before beginning the next stage of your long journey home.</p>
<p>Mindful of the dangers, the Queen gives her Lord Constable a Royal Seal and places him, along with a troop of ten court cavalrymen, at your disposal. Lord Nathor and his men are to act as your guides and bodyguards on the road to Vanamor, the capital city of neighbouring Palmyrion. This republic is closely allied to Talestria and lies along its eastern border. Palmyrion also has close ties with your homeland and you look forward to the chance of renewing your friendship with its leader, Elector Manatine.</p>
- <p>Mounted on fine Talestrian steeds, your party leaves the walled city of Garthen by its East Gate and sets off towards the outlying village of Sharr. Here you cross the mighty River Phoen by way of a great stone bridge. On the far side of this bridge you notice a signpost which points to the east. It reads: VANAMOR 280 miles.</p>
+ <p>Mounted on fine Talestrian steeds, your party leaves the walled city of Garthen by its East Gate and sets off towards the outlying village of Sharr. Here you cross the mighty River Phoen by way of a great stone bridge. On the far side of this bridge you notice a signpost which points to the east. It reads: <signpost>VANAMOR 280 miles</signpost>.</p>
<choice idref="sect210"><link-text>Turn to 210</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<p>Gradually the wounded dragon yields his ground. He twists his head violently back and forth, as if he is trying to cast away the pain, then slowly he turns his back on you and lumbers towards his herd.</p>
<p>You seize this opportunity to make a dash for the Shadow Gate. However, the wraith-like manifestation of Naar senses your intention and sends his lavas swooping down to block your path. Hurriedly they form up in a line at the entrance to the Gate, forcing you to fight or retreat. Knowing that they block your only means of escaping from this nightmare realm, you draw your weapon and hurl yourself against them in a frenzied attempt to break through their line.</p>
- <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">50</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="<typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ>">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
+ <combat><enemy>Lavas</enemy><enemy-attribute class="combatskill">50</enemy-attribute><enemy-attribute class="endurance">45</enemy-attribute></combat>
<choice idref="sect145">If you win the combat, <link-text>turn to 145</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>345</title></meta>
<data>
- <p>The tip of the swirling vortex connects with your chest and, in a moment of terrifying agony, you are lifted into the air and burled against the wall: lose 10 <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points (only 6 if you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-screen).</p>
+ <p>The tip of the swirling vortex connects with your chest and, in a moment of terrifying agony, you are lifted into the air and hurled against the wall: lose 10 <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points (only 6 if you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Kai-screen).</p>
<choice idref="sect149">If you are still alive and you possess Grand Nexus, and have reached the rank of Sun Knight or higher, <link-text>turn to 149</link-text>.</choice>
<choice idref="sect257">If you are still alive and you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai mastery, <link-text>turn to 257</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
<data>
<p>As the last of the winged horrors comes crashing to the ground, slain by your deadly blows, you take off at a run towards the trees. You rush headlong into the forest and glance overhead to make doubly sure that you are not being tracked by more of the winged lavas. The darkening sky is clear of the enemy and confidently you press on through the trees, sure in your ability to remain undetected now that you are in your natural environment of the forest.</p>
- <p>Soon you reach the clearing and hurry to a boulder which bears the imprint of a human hand. You place your right hand upon it and the imprint fits around it like a glove. Silently a hinged stone slab rises up from the ground revealing a stair that leads down into a brick-lined passageway. You enter and hurry along this familiar tunnel, covering a mile before you come to a door that opens automatically at your approach. Beyond lies the Vault of the Sun, your personal stronghold. It radiates a warmly golden light: the rays of the Lorestones of Nyxator. Once safely inside your underground lair, you pause to allow the radiant light of the Lorestones to wash over your tired and aching limbs and, within the space of a few heartbeats, the fatigue of your long journey home is melted away (restore all lost <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points).</p>
+ <p>Soon you reach the clearing and hurry to a boulder which bears the imprint of a human hand. You place your right hand upon it and the imprint fits around it like a glove. Silently a hinged stone slab rises up from the ground revealing a stair that leads down into a brick-lined passageway. You enter and hurry along this familiar tunnel, covering a mile before you come to a door that opens automatically at your approach. Beyond lies the Vault of the Sun, your personal stronghold. It radiates a warmly golden light: the rays of the Lorestones of Nyxator. Once safely inside your underground lair, you pause to allow the radiant light of the Lorestones to wash over your tired and aching limbs and, within the space of a few heartbeats, the fatigue of your long journey home is melted away (restore all lost <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points).</p>
<p>Revived and revitalized, you throw open the door to the vault and see a young Kai Master standing guard at the foot of the tower stairwell. He is Sabre Fox, one of your most gifted students.</p>
- <p><quote>Gr <ch.ellips/> Grand Master!</quote> he stammers, hardly daring to believe his eyes, <quote>you have returned. Praise the Gods!<ch.emdash/>Our prayers have been answered!</quote></p>
+ <p><quote>Gr<ch.ellips/> Grand Master!</quote> he stammers, hardly daring to believe his eyes, <quote>you have returned. Praise the Gods!<ch.emdash/>Our prayers have been answered!</quote></p>
<p>You smile at the young Kai Master who now has tears of joy in his steel-grey eyes.</p>
<p><quote>Yes, Sabre Fox,</quote> you reply, <quote>I have returned. Now let us vanquish this foe and rid our land of their evil shadows.</quote></p>
<choice idref="sect180"><link-text>Turn to 180</link-text>.</choice>
<p><quote>Do not despair, Lone Wolf,</quote> replies Gwynian, reassuringly. <quote>All is not yet lost. You can save your brave order by closing the gate through which Naar sends his Lavas minions.</quote></p>
<p>You are about to ask how you could possibly achieve this, how you could close the Shadow Gate, but your urgent question is forestalled when Gwynian raises his hand.</p>
<p><quote>Patience for just a moment, Lone Wolf,</quote> he says, and he allows himself a smile. <quote>I, humble Gwynian, possess the means by which you can thwart the Dark God<ch.apos/>s murderous plan.</quote></p>
- <choice idref="sect200"><link-text>Turn to 200</link-text>.</choice>
+ <choice idref="sect100"><link-text>Turn to 100</link-text>.</choice>
</data>
</section>
<data>
<ol>
- <li>Add your <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> to any extra points given to you by your Kai Disciplines.</li>
- <li>Subtract the <typ class="attribute>COMBAT SKILL</typ> of your enemy from this total. This number = Combat Ratio.</li>
+ <li>Add your <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> to any extra points given to you by your Kai Disciplines.</li>
+ <li>Subtract the <typ class="attribute">COMBAT SKILL</typ> of your enemy from this total. This number = Combat Ratio.</li>
<li>Pick number from <a idref="random">Random Number Table</a>.</li>
<li>Turn to the <a idref="crtable">Combat Results Table</a>.</li>
- <li>Find your Combat Ratio on the top of the chart and cross-reference to the random number you have picked. (E indicates loss of <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points to Enemy. LW indicates loss of <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points to Lone Wolf.)</li>
- <li>Continue the combat from Stage 3 until one character is dead. This is when <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points of either character fall to 0 or below.</li>
+ <li>Find your Combat Ratio on the top of the chart and cross-reference to the random number you have picked. (E indicates loss of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points to Enemy. LW indicates loss of <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points to Lone Wolf.)</li>
+ <li>Continue the combat from Stage 3 until one character is dead. This is when <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points of either character fall to 0 or below.</li>
</ol>
<section class="backmatter" id="smevazn">
<data>
<ol>
<li>You may only do this when the text of the adventure offers you the opportunity.</li>
- <li>You undertake one round of combat in the usual way. All points lost by the enemy are ignored, only Lone Wolf loses the <typ class="attribute>ENDURANCE</typ> points.</li>
+ <li>You undertake one round of combat in the usual way. All points lost by the enemy are ignored, only Lone Wolf loses the <typ class="attribute">ENDURANCE</typ> points.</li>
<li>If the book offers the chance of taking evasive action in place of combat, it can be taken in the first round of combat or any subsequent round.</li>
</ol>
</data>
<meta><title>Errata</title></meta>
<data>
-
+
</data>
</section>
</data>
<meta><title>Footnotes</title></meta>
<data>
-
+
</data>
</section>
<meta><title>Primary Illustrations</title></meta>
<illustrations>
-
+
<illgroup idref="action" class="visible">
<illustration id="acstats" class="inline">
<meta>
<meta><title>Secondary Illustrations</title></meta>
<illustrations>
-
+
</illustrations>
<data/>
</section>
</data>
</section>
-</gamebook>
+</gamebook>
\ No newline at end of file
Project Aon Git Repositories / project-aon.git / commitdiff