Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

Keep the Sommerswerd and a jeweled mace, and search the room for further valuables.

I've never understood why the Mace was worth describing as a special item, when it's only power is to be covered in bling.

# ? Nov 11, 2017 07:25

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 6, 2024 12:19

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Comstar posted:

Keep the Sommerswerd and a jeweled mace, and search the room for further valuables.

I've never understood why the Mace was worth describing as a special item, when it's only power is to be covered in bling.

It's useful in some specific situations, and Dever tends to give Special Item status to such weapons (like the Magic Spear back in Book 2).

# ? Nov 11, 2017 09:48

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

You sift through the vast number of items that litter the dais, separating the following articles, which may or may not be of use:
Silver Comb

Hourglass

Dagger

Healing Potion of Laumspur (restores 4 ENDURANCE points if swallowed after combat)

Prism

Enough food for 3 Meals (each Meal counts as 1 Backpack Item)
Remember to make the necessary changes to your Action Chart before leaving the chamber.

Healing: +1 EP (26/32).

You follow a straight passage of pale, rose-coloured stone, which soon ends at an empty vestibule. In its north wall is set a great wooden door, covered with engraved bronze plaques and studded with bronze nails. There is a curious lock set into the middle of this door, encircled by a beautiful carving of a long-tailed scorpion. A closer look at the lock reveals a series of Vassagonian numerals, numbered 1 to 200, engraved in the lock. You recognize the design: it is a Cloeasian combination lock.

Healing: +1 EP (27/32).

After concentrating on the lock for several minutes, you realize that it is connected to an alarm. If you turn the lock to the wrong number, the alarm will be triggered, alerting the entire palace guard.

Healing: +1 EP (28/32).

You channel all your Kai skill into detecting the number that will open the door; it is a strenuous task, and one that demands great concentration. Gradually, the image of two numbers�six and seven�begin to form in your mind. The image is hazy, and you�re not sure if the number is sixty-seven or seventy-six. You are exhausted by your efforts, and they have cost you 2 ENDURANCE points. Deduct these from your current ENDURANCE points total before choosing between the two possibilities.

Endurance: 26/32.

OK, first up is the stuff we found. Oddly, we're not told how to carry most of it, so I'm gong to rule that the comb and prism will fit in our pockets and are therefore Special Items, but the hourglass is larger and must go in our Backpack. So we can take the comb and prism without dropping anything, but for the rest we'll need to choose something to get rid of if we want to take it.

And second is the combination lock. Do we pick 67 or 76?

If we'd looked at that book back in the armoury we'd have the combination for this door. If we didn't have both Sixth Sense and Mind Over Matter then we'd have to fight at least one guard to get the combination here.

# ? Nov 11, 2017 15:15

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Since we're not at full health, I vote to drink the Laumspur we just got.

Keep the prism, the comb seems like a useless item. Dont't take anything else, our current stash of potions is more valuable than this lot.

Let's go with 67.

# ? Nov 11, 2017 15:49

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Take Prism, 67. I�d wager the alarm sounds like 76 trombones in a big parade.

# ? Nov 11, 2017 16:47

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Drink the Laumspur,
keep the prism,
67.

# ? Nov 11, 2017 17:10

The_White_Crane: May 10, 2008

Drink the Laumspur
Take the Prism and the Comb (Seriously, why not take it? Maybe it has sentimental value to someone and we can trade it for loot later.)
67

# ? Nov 11, 2017 17:58

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Avalerion posted:

Drink the Laumspur,
keep the prism,
67.

Endurance: 30/32.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

You hear a faint click followed by a soft whirring sound; the bronze door slides open. As you hurry through, the door clicks shut behind your back, as softly as it had opened.

Instinct tells you that you have entered the chambers of the upper palace, the sumptuous private enclave of the Zakhan. You walk upon glistening tiles of opal and platinum, past sculptures and statues of pure gold. The door of solid amethyst ahead seems plain in comparison to the breathtaking splendour of this private world. Beyond the door lies another unique and startlingly beautiful world: the arboretum. A circular, cathedral-like arena spreads out below you, the green velvet canopy alive with the sound of bird song. Trees of every colour, shape, and size flourish in the deep, dark soil of the floor. The Zakhan�s arboretum houses a specimen of every tree that grows in Magnamund, and many species that are now extinct elsewhere. As you walk the wrought iron balcony which encircles the arboretum, you recognize the leaves of a Sommlending oak. You feel a sudden wave of homesickness, but it does not make you despair; rather it renews your determination to escape from this hostile, sun-bleached land.

At one of the exits from the arboretum, you discover a Quarterstaff propped against the wall. (If you wish to take this, remember to mark it on your Action Chart.) The desire to escape urges you on as you leave the arboretum and hurry through a network of lavish corridors and empty, deserted vestibules. You reach a landing where a broad staircase descends to a massive room that occupies most of the lower palace.

From the top of the staircase, hidden by the shadow of a pilaster, you stare down on a sight that freezes your blood with terror.

Healing: +1 EP (31/32).

Upon a raised platform, carpeted with scarlet fur, sits the Vassagonian Emperor, Zakhan Kimah. He is robed in gold but devoid of all ornamentation. In his hand is an orb of black metal, and in his eye an ice-cold cruelty that chills your spine. The Zakhan is a man of awesome countenance, but he pales in the shadow of his companion.

Before him stands the cause of your terror. A helm as black as death itself hides the face, but the stench of decay and a hideous sepulchral voice betray the identity.

�Give me Lone Wolf!�

It is the fell voice of a mortal enemy�a Darklord of Helgedad. As the Zakhan rises to his feet, you notice a flicker of doubt, or perhaps of fear, dim his cruel gaze, but he is quick to mask it. �He will be brought to you at sunset in exchange for the Orb of Death. It is agreed.�

�You have the Orb,� echoes the chilling voice. �Give me Lone Wolf!�

The Zakhan hides his fear well, but time is not on his side. The game of bluff he is playing is deadly. However, the fact that he has not yet been discovered is evidence of his powerful will, for you sense the Darklord is persistently clawing and probing at his mind.

�You will get your Northlander, Lord Haakon,� says the Zakhan, his voice curt with anger, �when you tell me why your servants defile the Tomb of the Majhan. You claim to have no need for gold and jewels�why then do you plunder the graves of our ancestors?�

A deathly quiet fills the hall; only the unnatural hiss of the Darklord�s breath disturbs the silence. �This land, this insignificant speck of sand, harbours two small thorns that prick our skin. We seek to remove them both�forever. The fledgling Kai, Lone Wolf, is the thorn that denies us Sommerlund. The Tomb of the Majhan hides the other thorn that threatens us�the accursed Book of the Magnakai.�

Your heart pounds as the words echo in your head. The Book of the Magnakai! Suddenly, the reason why you have been enticed into a deadly trap becomes clear, and the sinister truth is revealed.

The Book of the Magnakai is one of the oldest legends of Sommerlund. With the wisdom of the Magnakai, Sun Eagle, the first Kai Grand Master, instilled the disciplines into the warriors of the House of Ulnar, the bloodline of your king, that were to save your land from devastation at the hands of the Darklords. The Book of the Magnakai was lost hundreds of years ago, but its wisdom was kept alive, handed down through generations of Sommlending warriors so that they could share the strength to resist their eternal enemies, the Darklords of Helgedad.

If the Darklords discover and destroy the Book of the Magnakai, the secrets will be lost forever, and when you die, the Kai will become extinct. However, if you discover the Book of the Magnakai first and deny the Darklords their prize, all the wisdom of the Magnakai will be revealed to you. Through its wisdom you will become strong, strong enough to reach the ultimate achievement for a Sommlending warrior�to become a Kai Grand Master.

However, the peril and the glory of the quest that lies ahead are distracting you from more immediate danger. To discover this danger and to begin the quest for the Book of the Magnakai, turn to Part Two of Shadow on the Sand.

Healing: +1 EP (32/32).

I'm assuming we're probably not going to bother taking that quarterstaff.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 01:35

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Nah, we don't need the Quarterstaff. And either the new Zakhan, his Darth Vader clone Darklord buddy, or both will soon feel the wrath of our Holy Swerd.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 01:59

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

OK, so here's a good point to pause for a moment and talk about the adventure so far. Like how many times we avoided capture and how we could have continued to avoid capture right to the end. Yes, it's possible to not get caught, but its pretty difficult.

For a start, surrendering at any point leads straight to gaol. That's pretty obvious. But we could also have ended up there by choosing to fight the "overwhelming odds" right at the start. There's actually not even combat there, the book just tells you that you killed six guys before being captured.

But we didn't do that, we ran away and fought a horseman. The correct course of action is actually to dive straight into the sea (which we ended up doing eventually anyway) because if you fight then there's a chance you'll be caught even if you win the fight.

After getting out of the water we used Mind Over Matter to create a distraction. If you don't have that discipline then you find a bow and arrow (just one so you can't keep using it) and use it instead, but in that case there's another chance of being caught.

Then we came to the alley, gate and archway. The alley's a dead end and will get you caught. The gate, as we saw, leads to the house of the guy who wants to sell you out to the guards. You can get caught there if you decide to stay. You also get caught if you choose to go back to the harbour from there.

In the marketplace we chose not to buy a sash and to visit the monks. We didn't need the sash with them, but if we'd chosen the tavern instead then they'd have helped us out if we'd shown appropriate respect to the dead Zakhan by wearing the sash, but otherwise handed us over to the guards. The monks are willing to help either way, but you have to trust them and go into the cellar.

The guards follow you in and we chose to keep running, but you can also stand and fight. If you do, losing gets you captured and winning maybe gets you captured.

If you make it this far you're into the sewer, where the guards are still chasing you and can still capture you. There are a lot of branches here, but if you manage to escape the guards then, whichever way you go, you'll come to a place where you may or may not be infected with a deadly disease called "limbdeath". For the path we took it was the room where we used the rope to swing across. If we'd swum we'd have caught it. The only cure for this disease is a herb called oede, which we'd have asked after at that potion shop, but unfortunately it's very rare in Vassagonia and only the Zakhan is rich enough to have any on hand. So instead of being caught and brought to the palace we'd have had to go there and sneak in. This eventually leads (after finding the oede) to the same scene where we witnessed the Zakhan talking to Darklord Haakon.

Oh, and if you are captured then it is possible to get out without finding your equipment, but it's not easy. First, it doesn't matter which way you go after escaping your cell. Either way you'll end up at the same place eventually - unless you go north from the smithy. If you go that way and you don't have Sixth Sense then you'll leave without your equipment. If you do have Sixth Sense then you'll find a secret passage. You can choose not to go through it (in which case you'll leave without your equipment), but if you follow it then it leads to the room with your equipment in it.

And finally, there's the jewelled maces. They are magic and do have occasional effects on combat, but like the Dagger of Vashna we're unlikely to see those effects while we're carrying the Sommerswerd since it takes precedence.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 02:08

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Part 2

Shadow on the Sand posted:

Suddenly, you catch sight of two warriors creeping towards you from a passage to your right. They are clad in jet-black armour and scarlet robes, and their hideous death-masks identify them as Drakkarim warriors. They are men, but they are evil men, as evil as the Darklords whom they serve.

One of them holds a razor-fanged Akataz, a creeping leathery war-dog, straining on a chain leash. The Drakkar hisses and the Akataz springs towards your throat.

Do we fight, or do we run?

# ? Nov 12, 2017 02:09

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

The jig is up! Fight!

# ? Nov 12, 2017 02:14

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

So the only way to avoid getting captured is getting the limbdeath?

Dang.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 02:22

Materant: Jul 22, 2010; see, what you don't understand is he now has

THE MANLIEST MUSTACHE

_{_{_{_{it defies physics}}}}

Fun fact about Limbdeath: while it seems serious at first (a permanent -4 CS if I don't find the Oede herb? holy poo poo), it's actually literally impossible to make it to the scene with the Zakhan and the Darklord without finding the Oede herb. It takes a solid and conscious effort to not get it, and every route ends in death if you don't.

Fight!

# ? Nov 12, 2017 02:33

Snorb: Nov 19, 2010

You know what? No. We didn't watch all our friends die, get the ancient weapon of ancient weapons, kick an Arch-Darklord's rear end all the way back to the hellhole he crawled from, chase a guy through Magnamund's north pole and tear him apart in alphabetical order, ruin an attempt to summon Magnamund Satan, and endure the worst boat trip since the Beach Boys sang about the Sloop John B just to run away from a goddamn Klingon rat-dog-thing instead of recovering the ancient text of our monk order.

We have a Sommerswerd and god drat do we wish to use it.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 03:41

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Snorb posted:

We have a Sommerswerd and god drat do we wish to use it.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 04:26

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Fight!. :black101:

# ? Nov 12, 2017 08:37

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

The Akataz leaps through the air at your face. You fall backwards, kicking with both feet, but you are winded as the war-dog jolts the air from your lungs. It slashes your shoulder (lose 1 ENDURANCE point), before cartwheeling over the edge of the stairs, its howl cut short as it smashes into the marble floor of the lower palace.

Endurance: 31/32.

You spring to your feet and draw your weapon, for the Drakkarim are running towards you. A terrible roar of hate and rage fills the hall: �Kill him!� The Drakkarim unsheathe their black swords, eager to obey their master�s command. They attack you simultaneously.

Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 35

You can evade the combat at any time by running into the adjoining passage.

Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 31
Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 35
Combat Ratio: 11+

Given the unanimous vote for fighting and the best possible combat ratio, I don't think I need to bother calling for a vote to evade, right? Let's just do this.

We roll: 1
Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 28
Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 26

We roll: 6
Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 27
Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 10

We roll: 1
Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 24
Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 1

We roll: 9
Lone Wolf: COMBAT SKILL 29 ENDURANCE 24
Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 0

Well, that could have gone better, but we do still have four healing potions in our backpack so I don't think we need to panic.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

You glimpse the silhouette of Darklord Haakon in the hall below, his spiked fist raised. There is a deafening crack as a bolt of blue lightning streaks from a stone in the Darklord�s hand and hurtles towards you. You dive for cover behind the body of the Drakkar as the bolt explodes. In a flash of light, the Drakkar is gone. Only cinders and the rotten odour of scorched flesh remain.

You scramble to your feet and sprint along the passage. Another bolt hurtles from the hall, tearing into the ceiling with shattering effect. Splinters of razor-sharp marble whistle down, slashing your cloak and tunic. You race down some stairs, through a silver archway and along a balcony that overlooks the lower palace. A peal of bells and the crunch of iron-shod boots echo in your ears�the Zakhan has sounded the alarm, his guards close in on every side.

At the end of the balcony are another arch and a staircase: both look deserted.

Healing: +1 EP (25/32)

So do we take the archway or the stairs?

And don't forget that if you want to use a healing potion/meal at any time, specify whether you mean a +3, +4 or +5 one.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 13:04

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

No healing for now. Take the stairs.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 13:33

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

Take the stairs. Its goes down right? It dosn't mention it for some reason?

# ? Nov 12, 2017 13:41

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

It is odd that it doesn't say, so I checked and the stairs go up. :shrug:

# ? Nov 12, 2017 14:00

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Archway

# ? Nov 12, 2017 14:16

WhiskeyWhiskers: Oct 14, 2013; "هذا ليس عادلاً."
"هذا ليس عادلاً على الإطلاق."
"كان هناك وقت الآن."
(السياق الخفي: للقراءة)

Stairs They'll never expect it!

# ? Nov 12, 2017 14:35

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

And we're climbing a stairway to heaven

# ? Nov 12, 2017 17:33

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

In a normal pursuit situation it is unadvisable to run upward, the rik is to be stranded on a rooftop without passage toward other places.

In this case there is nothing normal, so take the stairs.

# ? Nov 12, 2017 20:32

Jackard: Oct 28, 2007; We Have A Bow And We Wish To Use It

Make way for the archway!

# ? Nov 12, 2017 22:04

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

achtungnight posted:

Archway

Running upstairs does seem like it would be a bad idea.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

You run through the arch and straight into a black-robed palace guard. You bruise your ribs and the impact throws you off balance, but you manage to grab the wall to stop yourself from falling over. The guard lies sprawled upon the floor, but with incredible swiftness he draws a shining steel axe and lashes out at your legs.

Healing: +1 EP (26/32).

You whirl your feet away from the shining steel and narrowly escape being wounded as the axe bites inches deep into the polished stone floor. However, before the guard can strike another blow, you lash out and send the axe spinning from his hand. He screams, clutching broken fingers to his chest.

You turn and run towards an open door. The air is filled with the sound of pounding feet, for the palace guard are on full alert; together with the Drakkarim, they are now bent on finding and killing you as quickly as possible.

Beyond the door, a bridge rises at a slanted angle over an enclosed garden, joining this part of the palace to a needle-like tower of white marble. At the entrance to the bridge, a narrow stair disappears into the garden below.

Healing: +1 EP (27/32).

OK, so do we go down the stairs into the garden, or go into the tower?

# ? Nov 13, 2017 02:29

anakha: Sep 16, 2009

Heading up the tower is just begging to get us trapped, so down to the garden we go.

# ? Nov 13, 2017 02:45

WhiskeyWhiskers: Oct 14, 2013; "هذا ليس عادلاً."
"هذا ليس عادلاً على الإطلاق."
"كان هناك وقت الآن."
(السياق الخفي: للقراءة)

In to the tower! They'll never expect it.

# ? Nov 13, 2017 03:30

Avalerion: Oct 19, 2012

Garden.

# ? Nov 13, 2017 08:24

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

The garden is overgrown with weeds....

# ? Nov 13, 2017 09:31

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

The answer is obvious in this sort of situation - we need to find the Harem and disguise ourselves. Head to the garden.

# ? Nov 13, 2017 09:40

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

In to the tower! They'll never expect it.

They probably don't need to anticipate our actions since they're chasing us and can see where we go, but OK.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

Inside the cool marble tower, two flights of spiral stairs meet at a landing. You detect the sound of distant running feet, gradually growing louder. It is coming from one of the spiral staircases, but which one? Suddenly, a band of Drakkarim warriors appear; they are crossing the bridge that leads to the tower. You must escape.

Healing: +1 EP (28/32).

Your Sixth Sense warns you that two palace guards are running up the spiral stairs from their guardroom in the base of the tower. Quickly, you ascend the stairs before the Drakkarim enter and see in which direction you have gone.

Healing: +1 EP (29/32).

The stairs are high and steep. You gasp for breath and force your aching legs to climb, for the Drakkarim are less than a dozen steps behind you. At the top of the tower, an open arch leads out onto a platform where a huge kettledrum stands. This is used by the tower guard to send messages to the other palace towers. A bleached hide is stretched across its surface and a black wooden beater hangs from the side.

Healing: +1 EP (30/32).

Do we keep running out onto the platform, or take a moment to push the drum down the stairs?

# ? Nov 13, 2017 13:05

Mikl: Nov 8, 2009; Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!

Drum solo!

# ? Nov 13, 2017 13:28

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

push the drum

# ? Nov 13, 2017 14:12

WhiskeyWhiskers: Oct 14, 2013; "هذا ليس عادلاً."
"هذا ليس عادلاً على الإطلاق."
"كان هناك وقت الآن."
(السياق الخفي: للقراءة)

# ? Nov 13, 2017 14:30

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

Concert for drum and stairs!

# ? Nov 13, 2017 22:09

Kangra: May 7, 2012

More running, less drumming.

# ? Nov 13, 2017 23:15

Snorb: Nov 19, 2010

Drumroll, please!

# ? Nov 13, 2017 23:50

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Jun 6, 2024 12:19

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Kangra posted:

More running, less drumming.

Some people just don't appreciate comedy, I guess.

Shadow on the Sand posted:

Your heart sinks; there are no other stairs down from the platform�you are trapped. Before you can think of a plan, the Drakkarim burst from the arch and attack.

Drakkarim: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 35

The only way you can evade combat is by leaping from the tower to the gardens below, a drop of over one hundred feet.

Do we fight or jump?

# ? Nov 14, 2017 01:02

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

«‹›404 »