In my last posting, Lone Wolf had arrived as a peace envoy to sign a treaty. As we arrived in Vassagonia, we learn that the Zakhan (king) has died and that the new one is not at all well liked. He’s off my Christmas list on page 1, when he has me arrested.

I don’t put up a fight against 30 swordsmen and crossbow archers, and am bundled off to a jail cell minus my stuff. Fortunately, the guards aren’t very bright and when they come to check on me I kick both their butts, take their swords and their keys, and prowl around looking for my loot.

Luck is with me. I take the correct turn and find the armory, and collect my stuff, only needing to subdue one additional guard. I even find the combination to the door up to the next level.

The next level is an overlook of the throne room (seriously, an assassination balcony overlooking the throne?) where I see the Zakhan talking with… a Darklord! Aw, geez, this just took a turn for the weird.

After a hiatus for other studies and duties, I don my green cloak and re-enter the world of Magnamund. In our last Lone Wolf adventure, The Chasm of Doom, an army from Vassagonia was in Sommerlund fighting for Lord Vashna.

The Zakhan (king) of Vassagonia was horrified to discover that a rogue warlord had done such a thing, and to make amends he wants to sign a formal treaty of peace and cooperation. So I hop a ship, a peace envoy to sign the treaty on behalf of the king.

Didn’t Battlestar Galactica start with a peace envoy?

After four weeks at sea, we get to Barrakeesh, the capital city of Vassagonia… and the Zakhan has died. We knew he was in poor health, but he timing just stinks. The new Zakhan immediately has me arrested. And that’s on page 1.

After nearly a month, I picked up the book to get back to mapping the rest of it. This is four times in a row, out of four books, that I’ve been surprised and impressed with the amount of detail and the complexity of pathways which Joe managed to cram into each of these books. After over a dozen playthroughs and two victories, I have two cramped pages of notes and maps, and still see pathways I haven’t explored yet. The previous books’ mapping, occupied 3 to 4 pages apiece as well. Nicely done, Joe!

So even though I haven’t been posting about every play through, I have been at it off and on, and I expect to have Chasm of Doom mapped out and written up in the next few days.

In last night’s episode, our party was overwhelmed by a small army of bandits and driven into a mine. My companions were wiped out by some vicious attack cats, and I eventually found my way out of the mine and to the surface.

The city of Ruanon is destroyed. Some soldiers are defending the last tower, and I make a desperate run to the tower with bandits and hounds behind me. I’m saved by Captain D’Val, leader of the previous search party that we were trying to find. However, I was rescued with only 4 endurance left, so this may be a very short reprieve.

I meet the baron, whose mind has snapped in the awfulness of the last month of siege. Unfortunately, the story he tells is entirely believable: he tells me that the bandits are being led by a warlord, who intends to sacrifice the baron’s daughter to call up an army of undead soldiers. Yeah, this just got REALLY ugly.

There’s another attack on the tower, however this time it’s not bandits but soldiers. I only had 4 endurance points, and I’m killed a couple of pages later in the first fight.

Tough book so far. Multiple bandit ambushes whittled us down, but some bad luck when fighting the wildcats really cut me down. I went through 3 laumspur potions but just couldn’t recuperate quickly enough. I may need to pick up the healing skill next time; it’s so overpowered it feels like cheating, though. Hmmm…

Another run through Chasm Of Doom.  I reused my character from previously: 17 combat, 24 endurance, the usual ranger skills, short sword and mind blast.

Again, the strange man with the poem, but this time we decide to skip out on the performers and just stay on mission. Same for the tavern that gets rated by bandits: I know it’s our job to protect our subjects, but right now we’re busy. Come to think of it, I’m not sure that’s even our job; that’s the militia and we’re more special forces types…

The weather turned foul,  and a few of my scouts went missing when I told him to look around for signs of bandits. Not a good sign. We went looking for them, and found the entrance to a mine…  As well as a force of bandits that overwhelmed us, forcing us to retreat into the mine.

We do indeed find the bodies of the previous scouts, having fall into a pit to their deaths. Sad! We continue forward however, and find an underground river with a boat. It’s just myself and two men now, and we take the boat and head down river. We find a landing and stop to take a look. We subdue some guards in a convenient cut scene, then I open a door into a shelter for feral cats. Doesn’t sound too awful, but it kills both of my companions and knocks me down to 9 endurance. Bad kitty!

At this point, I stop to take my breath. I was forced into the mine by an army of bandits, not just a small band. I’m next to a spiral staircase that goes up and down, so that’s a minimum of three stories of underground structure. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but this is well beyond even a lucky or well-organized bandit party.

I decided I need to get out of here, so I take the stairs upward which I hope is towards the surface.  I climb for several minutes, then find a tunnel that goes on for several miles. Aside from avoiding one guard, not very eventful… Until I run into a crew of slaves and their driver. I make a run for it, and escape from the mine and into the trees.

What I see is not pretty. The city of Ruanon is burned to the ground, notwithstanding a small force defending one tower. I’m spotted by guards and I make a run for it.  Thanks to a few lucky dice rolls, I’m only lightly injured… And am rescued by Captain D’Val!

I have played through this one many more times over the last few days, in the process of mapping it all out for the website. As with the first two, Joe and Gary managed to put a lot of complexity into this book.

There are four distinct entrances to the Cavern. The glacier path really is more dangerous, but may give more loot. There are at least four places to pick up a blue triangle keycard, some of which don’t involve a kolkath. And the quickest path to the Vonotar means missing almost half of what’s there, there are so many paths that work.

It’s all basically one castle and some ice, and not an epic quest like Fire and Flight were, but once I dedicated myself to playing more combinations to get it mapped out, I am quite impressed with the scope of what is in here.

My brave Kai warrior has survived the first two books now, in the meantime having met the king, liberated the Sommerswerd, and been given land and title. With a 19 combat and a +8 sword, he’s destined to go far.

As far as the north freakin’ pole, it would seem.

A wizard I’ve never heard of before (Vonotar, who was passingly mentioned in Flight From The Dark and easily missed in Fire on the Water, despite being on the cover) is a long-hated enemy of the people, and one of those who was responsible for the surprise attack back in Book 1. He has fled to The Great White North and taken command of a tribe of native northerners, and it’s my job to bring him back here for trial.

After landing in Kalte, we have a long trip across the glacier to get to the fortress. We choose the easier route along the plains, and are beset by non-copyrighted versions of Wumpas. I knock them off without much difficulty and a few scratches. The next day, we’re attacked by a native scouting party. I get away from them after some more fighting and taking some damage, but my companions are killed in action.

Again, a 19 combat and a +8 sword is really… overpowered.

I find my way to a cave. The cave opens up into the famous Caverns of Kalte, the underground route to the fortress which I seek. I’m finally on my way!

After some uneventful spelunking, I find the door into the fortress but it is guarded by a lion with a poisonous tongue. (yes really; I did not have a stroke while typing, that’s in the book) I dispatch it easily but do take 1 point of damage, … and find out that kolkath venom is instantly and infinitely poisonous. Brutal! One point of damage and it’s insta-death!

And thus dies my hero of two gamebooks in a row.