LONE WOLF

WEAPONSKILL - The Kai Lords are trained to master weapons. There are ten weapons used by the Kai Lords, and each Kai Lord shows exceptional talent for one such weapon. If you choose this Discipline, roll me a d10 to see which weapon Lone Wolf specializes in. When wielding that weapon, you gain +2 COMBAT SKILL.

MINDSHIELD - The Darklords and some of their minions can use their minds as deadly weapons, breaking the wills of their opponents and causing great pain. Mindshield protects you from psychic attack.

MINDBLAST - Kai Lords can learn to use their mind as a weapon, striking down foes with deadly psychic attack as surely as with a blade. Mindblast grants +2 to Combat Skill, but many deadly foes can shield themselves from this skill, so beware!

ANIMAL KINSHIP - Kai Lords can understand the minds of animals to a limited degree, having an easier time earning the friendship and understanding of animals, who can be useful allies.

MIND OVER MATTER - As well as being a weapon, the psychic powers of a Kai Lord can be used to move small objects at a distance, which can sometimes be very useful.

Let voting begin!

HEALING

ALWAYS TAKE HEALING

Combat 11 endurance 18

Mindshield

Sixth Sense

WE JEDI NOW

Animal Kinship! I want a pet squirrel!

Rolled 1 (1d10)

Weaponskill, fuck it

That can't be good.

It's just picking the weapon we have training in, it's not that bad.

though rolling something that doesn't have 'sword' in the name is basically a wasted discipline

Our Disciplines are Healing, Mindshield, Sixth Sense, Animal Kinship, and Weaponskill: Spear.

Right now you don't necessarily have a spear, just the axe you took with you to chop wood, but there will be chances to find these weapons on your journey.

Currently, your inventory is your AXE and a BACKPACK containing 1 MEAL. You also have a MAP of the Lastlands (Sommerlund and its ally, Durenor), posted alongside this message.

You can carry up to two weapons, eight items in your Backpack (each Meal counts as one item), up to 50 Gold Crowns (the currency of the realm), and a number of Special Items that don't fit into any of these slots, like shields, armor, and useful trinkets.

You also find some Gold Crowns and one other useful item - go ahead and roll me two more d10, one at a time, Veeky Forums. The first will be how many Gold Crowns you find (10+the number, 10 counts as 0) and the second will tell us what else you recover from the ruins of the monastery.

...

Money money honey

Rolled 4 (1d10)

Let's try that again, shall we?

Rolled 8 (1d10)

Money!

You find a pouch with 14 Gold Crowns and... Well, isn't that fortunate? A SPEAR. That +2 Combat Skill certainly doesn't hurt!

Your mastery of five Kai Disciplines makes you an Initiate. You have a long way to go before you become a Kai Master, but first you need to survive your harrying flight and warn the king of the approach of war.

You must set out for the Sommlending capital of Holmgard and tell the King the terrible news of the massacre: that the whole élite of Kai warriors, save yourself, have been slaughtered. Without the Kai Lords to lead her armies, Sommerlund will be at the mercy of their ancient enemy, the Darklords.

At the foot of the hill, the path splits in two directions, both leading into a large wood. Fortunately, your Sixth Sense warns you that these paths are being patrolled by servants of the Darklords, but you can cut your way through the undergrowth.

Which way will you proceed?
>SOUTH
>NORTHEAST, cutting through heavy foliage

For now, I'm taking the first answer I get. If we end up with a large number of posters, I might move to first to three.

NE

Ne

>Northeast, cutting through heavy foliage

If only camouflage worked more often, we could do fun things like be sneaky.

As you proceed through the foliage, a foul creature with dark wings swoops overhead. It is a Kraan, one of the creatures that laid waste to the Kai Monastery. On its back ride two gray-skinned creatures wielding savage spears - Mountain Giaks, servants of the Darklords. Fortunately, you are hidden by the trees, and the Kraan swoops onward, disappearing to the south.

You have covered about a quarter mile through the woods when a sudden sound like a thunderclap erupts. Edging nearer, you recognize the ruins of Raumas, an ancient forest temple. A war party of twenty-five Giaks are attacking the temple from all sides, with more lying dead around the ruins. A bolt of blue lightning rips through the ranks of the Giaks and sends them tumbling in all directions. Their leader curses and whips the cowards back towards the ruins with a cruel flail.

With weapon in hand, you creep forward to get a glimpse of the defenders. To your shock, the defender is a single man not much older than you yourself! You recognize the sky-blue robes he wears - he is a theurgist of the Magicians' Guild in Toran, certainly an apprentice. Giaks rush forward again, and he retreats, scorching them with a bolt of blue flame. But your eyes catch a Giak creeping onto the pillars of the temple, a long curved dagger in his mouth.

Will you:
>SHOUT A WARNING
>RUSH FORWARD TO ATTACK THE GIAK
>THROW A CHUNK OF TEMPLE STONE AT THE GIAK (d10 roll)
>LEAVE THE BATTLE BEHIND AND HEAD BACK TO THE WOODS

>SHOUT A WARNING

Rush forward to attack

Can we go with
>THROW A CHUNK OF TEMPLE STONE AT THE GIAK

instead?

Rolled 9 (1d10)

forgot dice roll

Sticking with the first choice posted for now. If there's a significant desire, we can change that up.
(Incoming huge chunk of text)
The wizard heeds your cry and spins around just in time to loose a searing bolt of energy at the Giak. The creature’s head disintegrates in flames and its twitching body falls in a heap at the foot of the pillar. The Giak officer sees you and shouts, ‘Ogot…Ogot!’ to his cowering troops, who quickly run away from the ruins to the safety of the forest beyond.

The young wizard wipes his brow, and walks towards you, his hand extended in gratitude and friendship.

He is a young blond-haired youth with deep brooding eyes. His face is lined with exhaustion and the grime of battle, and his long sky-blue robes bear evidence of living rough in the wilds. He shakes your hand and bows. ‘My eternal thanks, Kai Lord. My powers are nearly drained. Had you not come to my aid, I fear I would have ended my days atop a Giak lance.’

He is weak and unsteady on his feet. You take his arm and sit him down upon a fallen pillar where you listen intently to what he has to say.

‘My name is Banedon. I am journeyman to the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, which is the Magicians’ Guild of Toran. My Guildmaster has sent me to your monastery with this urgent message.’ He removes a vellum envelope from inside his robes and hands it to you.

‘As you see, I have opened the letter and read its contents. When the war started, I was on the highway with two travelling companions. The Kraan attacked us and we lost each other in the forest during our escape.’

The letter is a warning to the Kai Lords that the Darklords have mustered a vast army beyond the Durncrag Range. The Guildmaster urges the Kai to cancel the celebrations of Fehmarn and prepare for war.
[c]

In the future you might wanna summarize big walls of text like this.

‘I fear we were betrayed,’ says Banedon, his head bowed in sorrow.

‘One of my order, a brother called Vonotar, had explored the forbidden mysteries of the Black Art. Ten days ago he denounced the Brotherhood and killed one of our Elders. He has since disappeared. It is rumoured that he now aids the Darklords.’

You tell Banedon what has happened at the monastery, and of your mission to warn the King. Silently, he removes a gold chain from around his neck and hands it to you. On the chain is a small Crystal Star Pendant. ‘It is the symbol of my Brotherhood, and we are both truly brothers in this hour of darkness. It is a talisman of good fortune—may it protect you on your road ahead.’

(You gain a CRYSTAL STAR PENDANT. This is a Special Item, so it doesn't use up any of your backpack slots)

Banedon bids you farewell. ‘We must leave this place lest the Giaks return with more of their loathsome kind to put an end to us. I must return to my Guild. I bid you farewell, my brother. May the luck of the gods go with you.’

Not long after you part with Banedon, your senses alert you to yellow eyes peering at you from the undergrowth. Suddenly, a black arrow skims by your head! It is an ambush by the Giaks! You flee into the forest, the giaks cackling behind you. You must find a way to escape this ambush! A rocky hillside lies ahead.

>BREAK COVER AND RUN FOR THE HILL
>CHANGE DIRECTION AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE FOREST

Yeah, probably. This is a pretty significant scene for later plots, and it was mostly copy-paste.

Change direction

If you pretend it's a quest-thread-lite, the walls of text are much more tolerable.

>CHANGE DIRECTION AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE FOREST

Change direction!

Personally I don't mind much (I've read these books WAY TOO FUCKING MUCH as is (did you know you can play Lone Wolf on a smartphone)) but I dunno, thought I'd suggest it. I remember the last time someone did this, he mostly summarized. In capslock.

The Giaks are unaccustomed to hard pursuit through the forest, and you eventually lose them. You take a moment to gather your wits and your breath and continue on through the forest. After some time proceeding forward, you see something that gives you pause: The briars ahead are red gallowbrush, commonly known as 'Sleeptooth'. They are very sharp and cause weakness and drowsiness in those pierced by them.

>GO AROUND THE GALLOWBRUSH BY RETURNING TO THE TRACK
>ATTEMPT TO PUSH THROUGH

>mostly summarized
>in capslock

Interesting.

>GO AROUND

>People of Sommerlund are a blond haired blue eyed race sent to The planet Magnamund and made in the likeness of the Gods Kai and Ishir to do battle against the forces of evil. Have talents far beyond that of other races.

Thank god these books came out in the eighties. They would never have seen the light of day today.

Please stop.

You return to the track, keeping a careful eye on the skies above. This road leads to Fogwood, a small collection of huts used by a family of charcoal burners. Curiously, the smoke that gives the forest its name is missing, and the huts are quiet. You bring your weapon close to hand and proceed on warily.

Unfortunately, when you reach the huts, it becomes clear the giaks have already struck. The charcoal burners lie dead, murdered with spears, and most of their possessions smashed or burned. You find a giak spear amongst the rubble, and continue onward, your determination renewed.

Ahead, you spy a jet-black raven perched on the branch of an old oak tree.

>USE ANIMAL KINSHIP TO CALL TO THE RAVEN
>DECIDE NOT TO CALL TO THE RAVEN

>USE ANIMAL KINSHIP TO CALL TO THE RAVEN

Might as well ask what happened. What could possibly go wrong?

Agreed

crows are assholes, though

Thank god its a raven than

The bird turns to face you and cries out a foul curse. It takes to the skies, and you realize that this bird must be a scout of your enemy, in service to the Darklords. No doubt it is reporting your presence to its masters. You should move on, before it returns.

>CONTINUE ALONG THE TRACK
>BACK INTO THE FOREST

They're pretty goddamn intelligent, and can be pretty decent not-assholes.

I'm not going to lie, I don't actually know the difference.

Forest

>BACK INTO THE FOREST

Is the New Order Series any good, Veeky Forums?
More importantly, does it have the same awesome wonky art under the covers?

(Wow, a bunch of really short back-to-back choices here)

You decide it's safer to move under the cover of the trees, and plunge back into the forest. You find a cool river, cleaning your face and clearing your head from the stress of the chase thus far. As you cross the river, the sight and scent of wood smoke float towards you from the north.

>INVESTIGATE SMOKE
>FUCK THAT

Investigation

More modern imo. And New Order books suck and focus more on a new Asian type continent that is super boring.

You've killed us

I thought they were pretty fun, but they kind of lose something since they're separated from all the history Lone Wolf himself has.

You follow the scent of the smoke, and find yourself at a terrifying scene. The giaks have captured a man in the uniform of the Border Rangers and lashed him to a stake, and are building a brushwood fire below him. Compelled by rage and honor, you draw your weapon and step forth to defend the man's life! Your first blow fells a surprised giak, and the other two scramble for their weapons. Combat! Roll me some d10s, Veeky Forums, I'll tell you when to stop.

>GIAK 1: CS14, EN11
>GIAK 2: CS13, EN11
>LONE WOLF: CS17, EN27

Rolled 6 (1d10)

Oh shit. Did we equip our spear?

Rolled 8 (1d10)

Thankfully imma spear master

Rolled 2 (1d10)

More d10s for the d10 god

More 0's for the 0 throne

I'm assuming Lone Wolf is smart enough to use the spear he found.

>GIAK 1: SLAIN
>GIAK 2: CS13, EN5
>LONE WOLF: CS17, EN 22

Rolled 10 (1d10)

aw yeeeeeeee

(I saw that, you nerds. I'll let it slide this time)
You finish combat with 22 EN, and your Healing prowess means you're back up to 23 by the end of this post.

Unfortunately, the Ranger is beyond saving. Your Kai discipline of Healing allows you to tend his wounds and see him to a comfortable rest, but he expires wordlessly. You lay him to rest beneath a large oak tree and continue your quest.

The combat and loss of a son of the Sommlending makes you weary, and you find a fallen tree to rest against. Curiously, a small bundle is hidden beneath the trunk.

>INVESTIGATE
>NAH, GOTTA QUEST

CHECK BUNDLE: DOES BUNDLE CONTAIN A CHEESE?

Investigate

Saw what? There's nothing to see.

>INVESTIGATE

The bundle is tied with women's clothing, and contains 6 Gold Crowns and a tablet of perfumed soap. I'll let you decide if you want to keep the soap.

You return to your walk and wander through the woods for nearly two hours, concerned you may have lost your way. As you descend a rocky hill, however, you spot something intriguing - a tunnel through the hillside beyond. It is seven feet high and about ten wide. A breeze flows from the blackness. Cutting through the tunnel would save significant time and effort climbing this hill, but it is dark and could contain unknown dangers.

>TUNNEL
>CLIMB

(Forgot to mention - this was three book sections, so you regained 3 Endurance. I'll try to post a running count)

TUNNEL
TUNNEL
TUNNEL
TUNNEL
TUNNEL
youtube.com/watch?v=usp9eFi-0Aw

Keep the soap, tunnel

The tunnel is frightfully dark and cool. It's nearly impossible to see without a torch. A foul scent touches your nose, the scent of carrion. A heavy impact sends you to your knees, and you feel tendrils curl for your throat as you reach for your spear! The beast is a burrowcrawler, and it means to strangle and devour you! Animal Kinship is no help here - the beast is mad with hunger.

>COMBAT
>Lone Wolf: CS14 (-3 Darkness), EN25
>Burrowcrawler: CS17, EN7

Rolled 6 (1d10)

Gonna need one more, folks.

>Lone Wolf: CS14, EN22
>Burrowcrawler: CS17, EN1

Rolled 3 (1d10)

gotchu

You triumph over the beast, though not without taking a few licks. You tug at something in the creature's mouth that seems to be your belt - but when you escape, it turns out to be a leather strap from some other hapless victim. It has a dagger attached (You can swap this for your axe or spear) and twenty more Gold Crowns (bringing your total up to 40).

The fresh air relieves you and you press on to the east. The forest thins, revealing the long highway towards the capital. Many people are walking this long road with the look of refugees, dragging their belongings in bags or pushing them on handcarts.

>JOIN THE REFUGEES
>CONTINUE UNDER THE TREES

(Final Endurance: 19)

>JOIN THE REFUGEES

Safety in numbers, or at least a bit of a meat shield for the next encounter.

You join the refugees, many tired and hungry. Their city in the north have been burnt by the forces of the Darklords.

Suddenly you hear the telltale sound of leathery wings on the air. The refugees shout in panic, screaming 'Kraan!' as the beasts swoop in. As they flee, a wagon full of children sinks its wheel into a furrow and topples. The children scream in panic as the beast swoops in.

>BE A HERO
>WUSS OUT AND RUN FOR COVER

Only answer here is to
>WUSS OUT AND RUN FOR COVER

Bitterly, you dive into the trees. The Kraan swoops down, three giaks leaping from its back and drawing their weapons. They advance on the children menacingly.

>GO BE A HERO
>WIMP OUT FOR REAL

(Endurance:21)

Wait, save the children, maybe?

>go be a hero

A Kai Lord is sworn to defense of the Sommerlund. You draw your spear and advance, the giaks turning their spears on you when they realize you pose a true threat. You will have to dispatch the giaks as a group.

>COMBAT
>Lone Wolf: CS17, EN21
>Giaks: CS15, EN13

If you survive, you see two potential avenues of escape
>BARN
>FOREST

Be a hero

Rolled 4 (1d10)

Barn

Barn!

You plan your break from the barn and lash out at the giaks.

>COMBAT
>Lone Wolf: CS17, EN 18
>Giaks: CS15, EN6

Rolled 1 (1d10)

Gonna need one more, folks. As a general rule, if I don't respond, it's not dead.

COMBAT
>Lone Wolf: CS17, EN13
>Giaks: CS15, EN2

Rolled 6 (1d10)

Last post tonight. Hope it goes well

You slay the last of the Giaks as the children escape and flee into the farmhouse, kicking open the door. A warhammer rests against the fireplace (you can swap this for one of your current weapons). Outside, you can hear the shrill cry of the Kraan.

>STAY HERE
>HEAD FOR THE WOODS
>SEARCH THE ROOM

[ENDURANCE: 12]

Searching the room can't be that bad yeah?

Uh, bump?

Still would like to search the room I guess.

I'm running a game in Magnamund now, as it so happens.

Bump read me more

Neat, a paused Lone Wolf quest!

Remember, Veeky Forums: beware of basically anyone in a hood.