Let's Play Lone Wolf

[Richi 0]

Ice cream! Ask him, Lone Wolf questions the unquestionable!

[pi4t 6]

83

The old man narrows his mousy eyes and looks at you with a cautious

stare. ‘It is but a legend. Some say it contained great power; others

say its power existed only in the minds of those who craved to own it.

Whatever the truth is, the Lorestone has been lost for hundreds of

years.’

You sense that the old magician is not telling you all he knows about the Lorestone.

If you wish to identify yourself and tell him the nature of your quest, turn to 119.

If you choose not to reveal your identity, bid him goodnight and turn to 239.

 

Well, we didn't get any useful information for saving his life, should we reveal our identity as well?

[CowsGoMoo 267]

Let's reveal our identity.

Because, come on. We got the icecream. That was like our main goal throughout this whole book.

I think we can sort of lay back, and enjoy our early victory.

[James Undercroft 129]

Through a muffled mouth of icecream, you mutter: "I'm looewn woolff." You continue to chew with your mouth open, little specks of icecream flying every which way. The old magician looks at you perplexedly and begins to back away. You shake your head and reveal your identity to the old magician. (My vote! :D)

[Αμφίονας 41]

I AM LONE WOLF

TA DA TAAAAAAAAAA!

(omg it's lone wolf! I am your GREATEST FAN! SIGN MY ROBES GOD DAMN IT))

yeah reveal our identity to the mousy man

[pi4t 6]

You know, Αμφίονας, had you made different decisions you could have revealed your identity to the mercenaries back there, and would have pretty much got that response (after which they'd have given the info they gave us the way we went).

 

Also, yes, I have all those characters on my keyboard. I don't really.

 

119

Cyrilus’ eyes open with such surprise that you can see the startled
whites around his mousy-brown pupils. ‘Lone Wolf,’ he whispers,
incredulously, ‘I should have known. Humble apologies, my lord. I
thought that you sought the Lorestone for less than honourable reasons.’

Cyrilus talks at great length about the legend of the Lorestone. You
learn that it remained in Varetta after Sun Eagle’s quest, where it was
set into the throne of Lyris in the Tower of the King. Hundreds of years
ago, during the War of the Lorestone, it was stolen by a Salonese
prince called Kaskor. He set the stone upon a gold sceptre and used it
in battle to inspire his fanatical followers and crush his foes. He
believed it made him invulnerable, but this was not so—he was killed on
his royal barge during a battle at Rhem, and the Lorestone was lost when
the gold sceptre fell from his hand into the depths of the River Storn.
There were many accounts of the sceptre having been found, but they had
always proved to be untrue or simply fanciful. It was said that whoever
wielded the Lorestone was the rightful ruler of all the Stornlands. For
this reason alone it was often sought by evil or unscrupulous warlords,
and many had pursued the quest, all without success.

               

Cyrilus does not know where the Lorestone is, but he does know a man
in Varetta who claims to know its exact whereabouts. ‘Let me ride with
you to Varetta; in return for the privilege I shall take you to this
man.’ Your basic Kai instincts tell you his offer is genuine. You nod
your agreement and arrange to meet him in the tavern courtyard at dawn.

Turn to 5.

 

5

A shrill cockcrow heralds the break of day. By the time you have
dressed and gathered together your equipment, Cyrilus is waiting for you
in the courtyard below.

‘A glorious day,’ he says cheerfully, pointing up at the cloudless
sky with his slender oaken staff. ‘We’ll have no difficulty reaching the
Halfway Inn by nightfall.’

You bid farewell to the innkeeper and his son and urge your horses
out onto the narrow street that leads to the west gatehouse. By
mid-morning you are riding across gentle hills crested with
yellow-leaved trees. The hilltops are shrouded with mist, but occasional
rays of sunshine break through to lighten the lush green fields below.
Time passes swiftly as Cyrilus recounts the histories and legends of the
area. You learn that the rich and fertile kingdoms bordering the River
Storn have a wild and turbulent past, swept by wars, divided by empires,
split by national rivalries and the ambitions of petty princes who prey
upon one another and the rest of the populace. Lyris is embroiled in
war with Magador, Delden with Salony, and Salony with Slovia. Battles
are fought, lives are lost and the land is pillaged with grim
regularity—only the mercenaries and the crows seem to prosper from the
continual conflicts.

               

It is mid-afternoon when you catch sight of a small village on the
road ahead. There are many wagons parked at the side of the highway, and
a crowd has gathered in a field nearby. As you ride past, you notice a
large placard nailed to one of the wagons:

ARCHERY TOURNAMENT
ENTRANCE FEE: 2 GOLD CROWNS
FIRST PRIZE: THE SILVER BOW OF DUADON

If you wish to enter the tournament, turn to 141.

If you do not wish to or cannot afford to enter, continue on your way and turn to 210.

 

So, a chance to show off our skills! Do we take it?

[Richi 0]

Take it. We must receive the bow of silver! We will either use it wisely or sell it for big money! Hooray for win-win situations!

[CowsGoMoo 267]

We need to assert our dominance as the main ice-cream receiving male.

Of course we take a chance at the tournament!

[Αμφίονας 41]

lol. amf or amfionas=the fancy letters

back on the topic

YES, WE MUST EXPAND OUR FANBASE

[pi4t 6]

141

Cyrilus offers to stay and look after the horses while you take part

in the contest. He says that archery holds no interest for him, but you

suspect this is just an excuse to take an afternoon nap. You hand him

the reins of your horse and hurry to join a line of men waiting to enter

the tournament field.

The event reminds you of a Sommlending village pageant and the

jugglers, the dancers, and the numerous sideshows all add to the festive

spirit. Eventually, you reach the gate where a cheerful old lady is

collecting the 2 Gold Crowns entrance fee. You hand over your Crowns

(remember to mark these off on your Action Chart) and enter a large tent where the other competitors are stringing their bows.

If you have a Bow, turn to 340.

If you do not have a Bow, turn to 18.

 

We lose 2GC = 35/50

 

Guess what we don't have?

 

18

 

On a table in the centre of the tent lies a stack of bows that have

been provided by the villagers. Most of them are in very poor condition

but you manage to find three that are not warped, split, or unstrung.

One is a Vassagonian bow called a Jakan; another is a bone bow from

Kalte; and the third is a Durenese hunting bow.

If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Huntmastery, turn to 205.

If you decide to take the Jakan, turn to 298.

If you decide to take the bone bow, turn to 214.

If you decide to take the Durenese hunting bow, turn to 60.

 

Well, we don't have Huntmastery either. Which bow should we take?

 

To remind anyone who's forgotten/wasn't there for that part, Vassagonia (Jakan) is the desert country we were in last book, Kalte (bone) is the icy wasteland to the North, and Durenor is Sommerlund's ally and where we recovered the Sommerswerd from.

[CowsGoMoo 267]

Durenese hunting bow, because... uh.

Why not? I-I guess?

[Richi 0]

Durenor, because why would you need a bow in a desert? To shoot sitting cacti? 

[James Undercroft 129]

I vote Durenor, hunting bows are for hunting! So they must be good! :D Bone bow sounds like its going to break.

[pi4t 6]

60

The quality of the weapons made by Durenese armourers has justly made

them famous throughout the Lastlands. The bow you have chosen is very

old, but unlike the other two bows it is still in excellent working

order.

To begin the tournament, turn to 340.

Well, we chose the right bow. The Jakan (used for hunting fish in the coasts, Richi) might have broken, and the bone bow would have given severe penalties.

340

A small, flat-faced man dressed in a silver-braided jerkin enters the

tent and calls for everyone’s attention. Quickly, he explains the rules

that govern the tournament and then ushers you onto the range. At the

far end of the field is a line of targets, each with ten coloured rings

marked 0–9. Each archer is given 3 arrows with which he must get a

minimum score of 8 in order to qualify for the next round of the

tournament.

Pick three numbers from the Random Number Table and add them together. If you have the Magnakai Discipline of Weaponmastery with Bow, add 3 to your total.

If your total score is now 7 or less, turn to 103.

If your total score is now 8 or higher, turn to 26.

Random Number 1 = 5

Random Number 2 = 6

Random Number 3 = 7

Total = 18

26

Your score qualifies you for a place in the final, for only one other

archer has scored more than eight points. His name is Altan, a tall man

with rugged features, a ranger from the mountains to the north. He

wields a longbow of orange toa wood, and his skill with this weapon is

formidable; it will be a difficult contest.

Altan: COMBAT SKILL 28 ENDURANCE (TARGET points) 50

The tournament final is played out using the normal rules for combat.³ The only difference is that you begin with 50 ENDURANCE or TARGET points. Any ENDURANCE points that you may lose are deducted from these TARGET points (your normal ENDURANCE score remaining unchanged throughout the contest). The first one to lose all 50 of his TARGET points loses the tournament. (You need not erase any Arrows from your Action Chart during this tournament.)

If you are the first to lose all 50 TARGET points, turn to 183.

If Altan is the first to lose all 50 TARGET points, turn to 252.

3

For this combat, you may not gain bonuses from a Shield or any weapon

other than a Bow. In this case, Weaponmastery with Bow grants you the 3 COMBAT SKILL

bonus points that Weaponmastery with mêlée weapons normally grants,

rather than adding 3 to each Random Number pick (which would not work

for the Combat Results Table). Other restrictions may apply, depending

on your interpretation of the rules.

Personally, I've always interpreted the Sommerswerd's bonus as being due to enhancing your abilities mentally, given the mental onslaught we got when we claimed it back in book 2, and so when I played I thought it was perfectly reasonable to use its bonus (especially given Altan's combat skill: you'd need CS 19 and weaponskill in a bow to have a better than 1/2 chance of beating him, and then not by much). Should we do this and (arguably) cheat, or run it with our normal CS of 16?

[CowsGoMoo 267]

I don't care if it's cheating.

Lone Wolf cannot lose, and I want to keep it that way. If we lose this round, any chance of getting any ice cream in the future is ruined.

I will NOT let that happen!