The Captives of Kaag posted:

You enter the nearest building through a stable door in the north wall. Inside, you narrowly avoid colliding with a Drakkarim warrior who is carrying two buckets of water, one in either hand. Your speedy reflexes, and your Kai camouflage skills, prevent this. They also prevent him from seeing you enter. You follow him and soon find yourself in a cavernous hall which is divided into scores of small pens. Each pen is barred with iron gates which keep secure the Doomwolves that are stabled within. You use your Magnakai skill of Animal Control to mask your scent, but even so, some of the larger Doomwolves are becoming noticeably restless in your presence.

You leave the hall by an archway which leads to a long, narrow passage. You have taken less than a dozen steps when you see a group of Drakkarim approaching in the distance. The passage is dark, but it is too narrow to risk hiding here; the Drakkarim would likely brush against you as they passed.

Looking around for a way to avoid them, you notice two doors, one on either side of the passageway.

nelson posted:

nelson posted:

Maugrim posted:

Not terribly fond of these choices where there is absolutely no information to go on.

Maugrim posted:

Go left I guess.

The Captives of Kaag posted:

Beyond the door you find a small chamber, its wood-panelled walls hung with bridles and saddlery. You push the door closed and hold your breath as the footfalls of the Drakkarim steadily grow louder. To your relief, they pass by the door and continue without slowing down. When you can detect no sounds in the passageway, you leave this tack room and hurry away.

The passage ends at an open door which leads to a covered courtyard. You wait for a group of Drakkarim stablehands to leave the yard; then you cross to the far side, climb over a low wall, and make your way into the ruins beyond.

For over a mile you wend your way through derelict buildings before you happen upon an avenue which is surprisingly clear of debris and obstructions. You are conscious that perhaps it is too clear, offering you no cover at all from the tall buildings which line this route to the centre of Kaag.

You decide to trust to the ruins rather than run the risk of being detected out in the open. However, within a matter of minutes you are confronted by a new hazard. The ground in this section of the city is unsafe. It is riddled with pot-holes and concealed cellars, covered by rotten wooden beams and slabs of paper-thin plaster. Suddenly one such section gives way beneath your feet and you find yourself falling headlong into coal-black darkness.

We roll: 9 +2 (G. Huntmastery) = 11.

As you fall, you throw out your hands and manage to grab hold of a thick timber which lies across the gaping hole. Splinters of rotten wood dig deeply into your hands, causing you to cry out in pain (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), but the discomfort does not cause you to lose your grip. With grim determination, you haul yourself out of the hole and continue across these perilous ruins, taking more care than before as to where you tread.

Eventually you clear this section of the city and find yourself in the midst of a once-grand building which now lies derelict. Through one of its shattered windows you look out upon a concourse littered with more than a dozen Giak dead. Their posture, and the nature of their wounds, tell of a savage street battle fought here within the last few hours. Perched on nearby rooftops are a flock of vulture-like birds, cawing delightedly, their bellies distended by a surfeit of Giak meat.

The distant clang and clash of steel tell you that the fighting is not over; it has simply moved on. The noise prompts you to stay crouched in the ruins whilst you consider your next course of action. From this position you survey the street and notice a narrow stairway, directly opposite, which leads down to a crypt door. You focus on the dark portal and sense at once that it is open and unguarded.

Endurance: 33/35.

Maugrim posted:

Loot that crypt that we've probably just avoided arriving in from above.

Tiggum posted:

Splinters of rotten wood dig deeply into your hands, causing you to cry out in pain (lose 2 ENDURANCE points)

Runcible Cat posted:

What could go wrong! Let’s find some Crypt Spawn to make friends with.

The_White_Crane posted:

Sometimes these books really do seem inconsistent about how badass Lone Wolf actually is.

Maugrim posted:

Loot that crypt that we've probably just avoided arriving in from above.

Tiggum posted:

Like a lot of things, it's much better in the earlier books. Like, in books one and two you're basically a normal dude with a few tricks up his sleeve and you're in constant danger. But by this stage you're supposedly so tough you can kill more dudes than you can count without even rolling once - until you get to a plot-critical fight and have to do it manually.

A better way to handle it at this level would be to only have actual fights for major bad guys and powerful monsters, but Dever sometimes seemed to think "Hmm, haven't had a fight in a while, how about a couple of Drakkarim?" ignoring the fact that we should be able to dispatch a couple of drakkarim with one hand tied behind our back.

quote:

Your teacher, the Kai Grandmaster Lone Wolf looks at the scroll. "Plague druids," he grunts. "All of Magnamund in peril, blah blah blah, dark forces massing, terrible danger..." He tosses the scroll onto the table with disgust. "I'm retired, he says. "Hell, I can't reach my chamberpot without using Grand Nexus these days." He looks at you. "Bold Marmot, you're probably the least useless of my pupils." Rummaging through a battered chest, he produces a tarnished bronze orb and a sackful of small glass bottles filled with suspiciously murky-looking fluid. "Here, take my firesphere and these twenty year-old laumspur potions, and go kill those druids. Try not to let your life and your quest end there."

The_White_Crane posted:

I feel like really, these books should have you playing as one of Lone Wolf's students instead.

The Captives of Kaag posted:

Once the coast is clear, you run across the street and down the short flight of stone steps leading to the crypt door. Hurriedly you press your shoulder to the cold iron and the portal creaks open to reveal a cramped, rough-walled chamber, dominated by a massive wooden chair, its back mostly destroyed by fire. Through the blackened timbers you see a mouldy tapestry covering part of the rear wall. The crypt is otherwise empty.

Curing: +1 EP (34/35).

Your Sixth Sense prickles with the presentiment of danger. You can feel the presence of a hostile magical being who, although not in this chamber, is somewhere very near. Fearful of the risk of being trapped in this dingy crypt, you unsheathe your weapon and back slowly towards the door, your eyes scanning all around for the merest hint of movement. Then, suddenly, the heavy portal slams shut with a mighty crash that reverberates in your ears. Before you have time to take a breath there is another sound, stone grating on stone, which draws your eyes to the fire-blackened chair.

Curing: +1 EP (35/35).

Behind the chair, the tapestry is suddenly torn aside and you find yourself staring at a creature swathed in a hooded orange cloak. It sidesteps the chair and shrieks a defiant curse as it raises a warty, taloned fist. In the next instant you see it hurl a cube of shiny black stone, which comes streaking through the air towards your face.

The_White_Crane posted:

Your teacher, the Kai Grandmaster Lone Wolf looks at the scroll. "Plague druids," he grunts. "All of Magnamund in peril, blah blah blah, dark forces massing, terrible danger..." He tosses the scroll onto the table with disgust. "I'm retired, he says. "Hell, I can't reach my chamberpot without using Grand Nexus these days." He looks at you. "Bold Marmot, you're probably the least useless of my pupils." Rummaging through a battered chest, he produces a tarnished bronze orb and a sackful of small glass bottles filled with suspiciously murky-looking fluid. "Here, take my firesphere and these twenty year-old laumspur potions, and go kill those druids. Try not to let your life and your quest end there."

Tiggum posted:

Do we try to dodge or use the Sommerswerd like a bat to knock it aside?

Slavic Crime Yacht posted:

dodge, those cubes sound very familiar

Leraika posted:

hey batta batta hey batta batta SWING

Leraika posted:

hey batta batta hey batta batta SWING

The Captives of Kaag posted:

You lash out at the cube with unerring accuracy, but the moment your weapon connects with it there is a tremendous flash and explosion. A searing gout of flame hurls you backwards to the floor, leaving you blinded and semi-conscious. Lose 15 ENDURANCE points.

Endurance: 20/35.

Painfully you stagger to your feet and shake your head in a vain attempt to be rid of the loud ringing that now fills your ears. Through the smoke and dust generated by the explosion, you glimpse the hooded creature creeping towards you. He holds a rod before him which radiates a ghostly green light. You snatch up your weapon and prepare to do battle as your robed enemy raises this rod in readiness to strike you down. Then there is a crack of energy and, as the rod whistles towards your chest, the tip transforms itself into a fiery spiked ball.

The Captives of Kaag posted:

Upon the instant of his death, your enemy is consumed by a roaring fire which sprouts from the shaft of his sorcerous weapon. Within the space of a few seconds he is transformed into a heap of red-hot dust.

Shocked by what has occurred here, and fearful of what may yet happen if you stay any longer, you rush to the crypt door and force it open. Grasping for breath, you race up the short flight of steps and run headlong for cover among the neighbouring ruins. There you find an ideal hiding place. It is concealed from the sky by an upper storey, and it commands an unobstructed view of a deserted plaza, its only means of approach. Here you rest while you consider your next course of action. Restore 2 ENDURANCE points.

During your rest, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

Curing: +1 EP (17/35).

Your rest is disturbed by the sudden arrival in the plaza of a score of battle-weary Giaks, some Drakkarim, and a Gourgaz who is nursing a wounded arm. You watch them make camp and notice that they are so fatigued that they neglect to post any sentries.

The pall of smoke which has covered this section of the city begins to thin out, and in the middle distance you can see the base of the great citadel. It is a truly awesome sight, a pyramid of jet-black stone which rises to a needle-sharp peak more than ten thousand feet above the streets of Kaag.

Soon a rickety wooden cart, drawn by two ugly, ox-like creatures in harness, trundles into the plaza. It halts and its Giak driver pulls back the tarpaulin which is covering its cargo, revealing haunches of grey-green meat stacked in a pile. Unceremoniously, he tosses them to the exhausted soldiers who devour them with obvious relish. It is an unwholesome sight, made even more so when you realize that what they are eating is freshly slaughtered Giak meat.

Curing: +1 EP (18/35).

The troops have almost finished their grisly meal when a figure, clad in flowing grey robes and a helm of brightly polished steel, swoops down from out of the brooding sky upon the back of a Zlanbeast. He screams orders to the Gourgaz who immediately responds by cursing and slapping his tired troops into line. The grey rider berates the sorry-looking squad before finally taking to the skies once more. Stung into action by his harsh words, the Gourgaz officer leads his unit away at the double.

Curiosity prompts you to follow them, although you take care to remain hidden from view. They zigzag through a maze of back streets before arriving at the approach road to a large hall. Here a pitched battle is taking place between two warring factions: one side wearing uniforms of orange cloth, the other clad in blue-green.



For several minutes you observe the carnage taking place as the two groups fight for control of the hall. The fighting soon escalates to the surrounding ruins and wisely you decide it best to leave this area before you, too, become caught up in the fighting.

You notice a road away to your right which leads directly to the citadel. It is virtually deserted and seems to offer the best escape route from the battle zone. However, you have covered barely a hundred yards when you are suddenly confronted by a unit of Drakkarim Death Knights, reinforcements freshly arrived from the citadel itself.

Quickly you dive into a side street and run as fast as you can, but the Death Knights have seen you and, despite their heavy armour, they give chase determinedly.

The street soon ends at a junction where two roads branch away, one to the left, the other to the right.

Curing: +1 EP (19/35).

Your Magnakai senses warn you that the left road leads to a dead end. Without hesitation, you turn right and take off along the street at a steady pace.

Although the Death Knights are hot on your heels, you are confident that you will soon outrun them. However, your confidence is severely shaken when you see that the way ahead is blocked by a hill of rubble, the remains of a collapsed watchtower.

Curing: +1 EP (20/35).

You race across the mound of jagged rubble, barely slowing your stride as your Discipline of Grand Huntmastery allows you to surmount this obstacle easily. The pursuing Death Knights, handicapped by their weighty armour and lack of special skills, can only watch in astonishment as you disappear from view.

The street continues beyond the mound, heading due south towards the great citadel, the shadow of this edifice looming ever larger. Soon the street opens out to a wide concourse which encircles the citadel and offers access to its great northern door. The entire door is made of black iron and streaked with rust. Turrets jut from either side, on top of which you see giant cannon-like weapons, similar to those once employed by the Darklords aboard their ironclad fleets.



From the cover of a ruined house, you watch the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim, all clad in orange uniforms bearing the mark of a bloodied scythe. The more you stare at the citadel, the more you are sure that this is where Banedon is being held prisoner. However, entry into the citadel itself looks to be impossible, until, that is, an opportunity unexpectedly presents itself.

Curing: +1 EP (21/35).

Directly across the street from where you are hiding, you see a square, flat-roofed tower, one of several which encircle the outer edge of the concourse. A flock of screeching Kraan are feeding on slabs of maggoty meat which have been left there by the Drakkarim guards. Once they have eaten their fill, they take to the air and return to their cave-like pens, located high up on the citadel’s outer wall. Some of the returning Kraan are ridden by Drakkarim and other guards who steer their mounts towards landing platforms which jut like great steel tongues from the entrances to the pens.

It occurs to you that if you were able to mount one of the feeding Kraan, you could attempt to enter the citadel by the very same route.

Emboldened by your plan, you resolve to put it into action. Patiently you survey the feeding tower opposite and note that there are two ways to gain access to its roof. You could climb a staircase that runs directly from the street to the roof, or you could attempt to scale its wall.

Curing: +1 EP (22/35).

You move stealthily to a new position, directly opposite the tower, and wait for the traffic of Giaks and Drakkarim to clear. The street is soon empty and you get ready to make your move.

Curing: +1 EP (23/35).

achtungnight posted:

Hey, at least this stupid explosion didn't cost us any CS!

Stairs. Lone Wolf really shouldn't be climbing walls at his advanced age.

achtungnight posted:

Stairs. Lone Wolf really shouldn't be climbing walls at his advanced age.

achtungnight posted:

Hey, at least this stupid explosion didn't cost us any CS!

Stairs. Lone Wolf really shouldn't be climbing walls at his advanced age.

Runcible Cat posted:

Stairs won’t look quite as suspicious if we get spotted halfway up. And they’re quicker.