again. ‘My name is Loi-Kymar. I am an elder of the Magicians' Guild of Toran,’ he says, slowly removing a small crystal star pendant, the symbol of the guild, from beneath his tattered robes. The guild is known as the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, and the magician shows his pendant as proof of his identity. You ask him how he came to be imprisoned here in Ikaya, many hundreds of miles from his native Toran.
Illustration IV —‘My name is Loi-Kymar. I am an elder of the Magicians' Guild of Toran.’
‘Vonotar, that unspeakable wretch, is responsible for my plight. Days before the Darklord invasion of Sommerlund, he betrayed your Kai masters to win power — the black power of death and darkness. However, he failed to play his part in the war plans his evil masters had laid. The Darklords do not tolerate such weakness — mercy has no place in their brutal minds. In the bitterness of defeat, they sought to destroy Vonotar for his crime of failure. Vonotar knew that I possessed the only means to effect an escape from their vengeance, for my Guildstaff has the power of teleportation. He tried to steal it and flee to the safety of Ikaya by himself, but he learnt that its power is not for all men to share; only I am blessed with its secret. He was angry and would have murdered my kinspeople had I not agreed to bring him here, so I had no choice but to do so.’
‘Ever since, I have been a prisoner in this cell. Vonotar has tortured my body and my mind, but I have not divulged the secret of my Guildstaff, which he now keeps in the Hall of the Brumalmarc. For if I were to tell him, my life would no longer be of any value.’
You tell Loi-Kymar of your mission and of the events that have led to your meeting. He offers to show you a route through Ikaya to the Hall of the Brumalmarc where Vonotar now resides as ruler, and if you can retrieve his Guildstaff, he promises to teleport you to the coast in time to rendezvous with your ship.
For the first time since you fell into the caverns of Kalte, you feel confident that your mission can now succeed.
Turn to 192 .
58
The cone of frost rips into the vines and freezes them in an instant. They become brittle and collapse under your weight. Without hesitation, you sprint across the falling bridge and dive onto the far platform just as the vines completely disintegrate.
You have made it safely across the moat, but you are now lying at Vonotar's feet. He sneers at you and points his crystal rod at your head.
Turn to 252 .
61
You enter a covered balcony running round the perimeter of an open courtyard. Suddenly you hear the dull tone of a stone bell as it tolls in a watchtower high above the fortress — the alarm bell. The balcony and the courtyard below are completely deserted, except for a wind sledge near to the courtyard gate.
You decide to take a chance, and descend a flight of steps to discover that the sledge is loaded with food and equipment from Ljuk. With the whole of Ikaya alerted to your presence, it is now impossible to complete your mission. There is nothing else you can do but make your escape on the wind sledge, while there is still time.
Ten days from now, you will reach your ship the
Cardonal
and regretfully report that you have failed your mission. 4
[4] This peculiar ending is the only time in the entire
Lone Wolf
series where you can fail your mission without actually dying. Despite the fact that it may take quite a bit of effort to get here, it does not count as a completion for this adventure. You still may not use your character in future adventures.
65
The buttons have jammed. No matter how hard you try you cannot make them budge. You have no choice but to abandon the altar and leave the temple by the northern archway.
Turn to 306 .
66
The barb of a Kalkoth's tongue holds a powerful venom, with which it paralyses its victims before devouring them. The venom takes only a few seconds to act. Stung by the barb, you quickly fade into
Illustration IV —‘My name is Loi-Kymar. I am an elder of the Magicians' Guild of Toran.’
‘Vonotar, that unspeakable wretch, is responsible for my plight. Days before the Darklord invasion of Sommerlund, he betrayed your Kai masters to win power — the black power of death and darkness. However, he failed to play his part in the war plans his evil masters had laid. The Darklords do not tolerate such weakness — mercy has no place in their brutal minds. In the bitterness of defeat, they sought to destroy Vonotar for his crime of failure. Vonotar knew that I possessed the only means to effect an escape from their vengeance, for my Guildstaff has the power of teleportation. He tried to steal it and flee to the safety of Ikaya by himself, but he learnt that its power is not for all men to share; only I am blessed with its secret. He was angry and would have murdered my kinspeople had I not agreed to bring him here, so I had no choice but to do so.’
‘Ever since, I have been a prisoner in this cell. Vonotar has tortured my body and my mind, but I have not divulged the secret of my Guildstaff, which he now keeps in the Hall of the Brumalmarc. For if I were to tell him, my life would no longer be of any value.’
You tell Loi-Kymar of your mission and of the events that have led to your meeting. He offers to show you a route through Ikaya to the Hall of the Brumalmarc where Vonotar now resides as ruler, and if you can retrieve his Guildstaff, he promises to teleport you to the coast in time to rendezvous with your ship.
For the first time since you fell into the caverns of Kalte, you feel confident that your mission can now succeed.
Turn to 192 .
58
The cone of frost rips into the vines and freezes them in an instant. They become brittle and collapse under your weight. Without hesitation, you sprint across the falling bridge and dive onto the far platform just as the vines completely disintegrate.
You have made it safely across the moat, but you are now lying at Vonotar's feet. He sneers at you and points his crystal rod at your head.
Turn to 252 .
61
You enter a covered balcony running round the perimeter of an open courtyard. Suddenly you hear the dull tone of a stone bell as it tolls in a watchtower high above the fortress — the alarm bell. The balcony and the courtyard below are completely deserted, except for a wind sledge near to the courtyard gate.
You decide to take a chance, and descend a flight of steps to discover that the sledge is loaded with food and equipment from Ljuk. With the whole of Ikaya alerted to your presence, it is now impossible to complete your mission. There is nothing else you can do but make your escape on the wind sledge, while there is still time.
Ten days from now, you will reach your ship the
Cardonal
and regretfully report that you have failed your mission. 4
[4] This peculiar ending is the only time in the entire
Lone Wolf
series where you can fail your mission without actually dying. Despite the fact that it may take quite a bit of effort to get here, it does not count as a completion for this adventure. You still may not use your character in future adventures.
65
The buttons have jammed. No matter how hard you try you cannot make them budge. You have no choice but to abandon the altar and leave the temple by the northern archway.
Turn to 306 .
66
The barb of a Kalkoth's tongue holds a powerful venom, with which it paralyses its victims before devouring them. The venom takes only a few seconds to act. Stung by the barb, you quickly fade into
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