Page 330: Karvas suggests that you use the rope he found in the dungeon cell below. Taking one end, you tie a slip knot and make it into a lasso. Then you cast the loop of rope at the lever it the hope of catching it and pulling it down. Your aim is true. Yet, upon the instant that the rope touches the lever there is a tremendous flash of yellow light, and a searing wave of energy hits you in the chest and knocks you backwards down the stairs.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 0, 2, 4, 6, 8), deduct 1 ENDURANCE point from your current total. If the number is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 69.
We rolled evens. Endurance -1.
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Page 69: Carefully Prince Karvas takes hold of you under the arms and helps you to stand on your feet. As soon as the pain of your wounding has receded, you approach the door once more. Your senses detect that the spell protecting this door has now discharged, and the portal is open and unguarded.
Gingerly you push the door with the toe of your boot and silently it swings open to reveal a sumptuous chamber. Tapestries adorn the walls and golden ornaments gleam in lacquered shelves and sculptured wooded cabinets. You cross the carpeted floor and look out of a tall window to see a panoramic view of Cavalia, its roofs and spires gleaming in the afternoon sun. Below you can see a troop of citadel cavalry, their white pennants trailing from their lances as they ride across the drawbridge and canter away from the citadel along a broad, shop-lined avenue.
The evil that you detected from outside the iron door is stronger now, but it does not originate from this chamber. You sense that it comes from an adjoining room which is separated from this chamber by velvet draperies.
If you wish to pull the draperies aside and investigate the source of this evil, turn to 178.
If you choose to search the chamber that you are in more thoroughly, turn to 288.
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Page 288: While you are examining the valuable items that fill the shelves of this luxurious apartment, you become aware that this is Baron Sadanzo's personal chamber. Karvas inspects the golden ornaments and tapestries with a critical eye. He informs you that most of this treasure has been ill-gotten, either looted from the estates of the Baron's enemies, or purchased abroad with tax money extorted from the citizens of Cavalia. From among the vast array of treasures hoarded here, there are only three items that catch your eye: a Golden Hunting Horn, a Jewelled Tankard, and Sadanzo's Seal. If you decide to take any of these three treasures, you must carry them in your Backpack.
Having satisfied yourself that you have examined every item of interest in this chamber, you motion Karvas to follow as you draw aside the draperies and explore the adjoining chamber.
Turn to 178.
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Page 178: Beyond the draperies you find a circular chamber with a polished wooden floor. The dark oak surface is inlaid with lighter woods which form intricate pentagrams and other mystical patterns. The walls are lined with shelves which store a vast number of books, scrolls, and parchments. Your Kai senses warn you that these are works of great evil; it is a library of sorcerous manuals and tomes of worship dedicated to Naar. Prince Karvas is repulsed by the sight of this evil repository. It confirms the suspicion he has held for many years, that Baron Sadanzo is a secret disciple of the Dark God.
You scan the walls and your Kai senses reel in the face of the evil that festers here. Your instincts tell you to destroy these vile works, to put them to the torch, yet to do so could jeopardise your chances of making a successful escape from the citadel. Rather than take that risk you decide to leave this evil library at once, but as you are retreating towards the archway you notice a square plate of steel sandwiched among the books on a middle shelf. A closer look reveals it to be the door of a wall safe. There is a dial at its centre, similar to the cylinder lock which secured the door to your prison cell. Your Sixth Sense reveals that only two digits are required to open this safe.
The first number in the sequence is equal to the number of bonus points added to COMBAT SKILL when the Kai Weapon ‘Alema’ is used against undead enemies. The second is equivalent to half of the Starstrider's full complement of crewmen (not including Acraban).
When you think you know the two-digit answer, note down the figures in order and turn to the section of the book which is the same as your answer.
If you are unable to determine the correct solution, turn instead to 258.
Trivial riddle again. To avoid the issue I'm just gonna skip it to the answer: 75.
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Page 75: The second tumbler clicks into position and the door of the safe swings open9 to reveal a single scroll of vellum, embossed with a ribbon and a wax imprint of Sadanzo's seal. You unfurl the scroll and you are shocked to the core when you read its contents.
The scroll is a contract between Baron Sadanzo and the Assassins' Guild of Avalar. It states that the Guild will undertake the murder of King Oridon in return for 20,000 Orla. Half of this sum is to be paid in advance, with the balance due for payment upon successful completion of the assassination. The seal of the Assassins' Guild is attached beside Sadanzo's mark to show that the full sum has since been received.
You show the scroll to Karvas and he is outraged; here is proof beyond doubt that Sadanzo was responsible for the murder of his father, and clearly his act of foul treachery was part of his plan to seize the throne of Siyen. This shocking revelation fills Karvas with a renewed loathing for the Baron. He reaffirms his pledge to thwart Sadanzo's scheme and he vows, in memory of his father, that he will bring the traitor to justice.
You take Sadanzo's Scroll and place it inside your tunic. Record this on your Action Chart as a Special Item—you need not discard another item in its favour if you already possess the maximum number permissible.
To continue, turn to 198.
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Page 198: Karvas suggests that perhaps you should destroy the safe in order to hide the fact that you have taken Sadanzo's scroll. You ponder his suggestion and agree that this could be advantageous to you.
If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Elementalism, and you have attained the rank of Kai Grand Sentinel, turn to 23.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 188.
If you possess neither of these skills, have yet to attain the required Kai rank, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn to 232.
Choices lead to each other, picked the more awesome one :P
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Page 23: You close the safe and call upon your advanced Kai Mastery to electrically charge the surface layer of air that is in contact with its steel door. Karvas watches you preparing this booby trap with a mix of curiosity and fascination. You tell him that in future, if any person or object should touch the door, then the power will discharge itself with an explosive force sufficient to destroy the safe and ignite the surrounding books. Your explanation makes Karvas smile. Clearly he relishes the thought of Sadanzo falling foul of this trap at some later date.
Your work done, you turn away from the safe and hurry to leave this evil library. But, as you approach the arch which leads to the adjoining chamber, you suddenly hear a noise which makes you stop dead in your tracks.
Turn to 86.
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Page 86: You can hear the sound of metal scraping on stone above your head. When you look up at the ceiling, you see a pair of crossed swords cocooned by pale amber tongues of flame. These flames give off no heat and you recognize at once that they are magical. The swords are slowly rotating, their shiny steel blades skimming the ceiling stones as they gather speed. Sparks fly, and then the blades separate and come whirling towards you with frightening speed. Swiftly you raise your Kai Weapon and fend off a stunning blow as one of the magical blades flashes past your head in a scything arc. Karvas unsheathes his sword and parries the other blade as it sweeps around the room and strikes at him from behind. Having failed to draw blood with their initial attack, the blades return to the ceiling where they hover menacingly above your heads. But you sense the threat has not passed. Their magical power is recharging itself, increasing its intensity in readiness for a second, swifter attack.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 217.
If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you choose not to use it, turn to 244.
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Page 217: You speak the words of the Brotherhood Spell Counterspell and direct its power at the whirling swords. The blades are slowed by the effects of your spell, but the magic that animates them is far stronger than your own. You have slowed them but this will not prevent them from attacking again.
Once more the deadly blades draw sparks from the stone ceiling, and then they come whirling down towards your head.
These blades are immune to all forms of psychic attack. If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Valiance’, you may add the additional COMBAT SKILL bonus (versus magicians) to your score when calculating your Combat Ratio.
If you win the fight, turn to 106.
CR is 33 + 5 (Grand Weaponmastery) + 5 (Kai Sword) + 2 Amulet = 45
Your Random Number is: 5
Your Enemy took 10 damage -
and now has 10 Endurance Points.
Stormheart took 2 damage -
and now has 40 Endurance Points.
Your Random Number is: 2
Your Enemy took 7 damage -
and now has 3 Endurance Points.
Stormheart took 3 damage -
and now has 37 Endurance Points/
Your Combat Ratio is: 5.
The combat lasted 3 round(s).
Stormheart took 6 total damage -
and now has 36 Endurance Points.
Silly weak swords.
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Page 106: As your final blow shatters the second blade and breaks the spell that brought it to life, you hear the sound of a bell tolling in a lower level of the citadel. Your Sixth Sense warns you that it is an alarm bell; your escape from the dungeons has been detected.
You leave the library and hurry across the sumptuous chamber to the shiny steel door by which you first entered this apartment. Soldiers are ascending the stairs towards it. You catch a glimpse of them and quickly you retreat into the chamber, slamming the door shut behind you. An attempt to secure the door is unsuccessful for the lock is jammed and the dial refuses to turn. Hastily you and Karvas barricade the door with furniture and then you look about for another way to escape. You see only one—through the window. The soldiers are pounding on the door and the barricade is shifting and collapsing as you and Karvas climb out onto a stone ledge. The barricade gives way and you hear the soldiers shouting as they force their way into the chamber. Then an arrow shatters against the surface of the ledge, only a few inches from your left boot. You look up and see Citadel Guardsmen with loaded bows leaning over the battlements above. Alerted by the tolling bell, they have spotted you on the ledge outside Sadanzo's chamber. When a second arrow pierces Karvas' cloak, you take hold of the Prince's forearm and pull him with you as you step off the ledge and plummet towards the moat, 30 feet below.
You hit the stagnant water with a mighty splash and immediately strike out for the surface. You break through the scummy film that floats on top of the water and, seconds later, you see Karvas emerge from the depths to gasp a lungful of clean air. Arrows are falling all about you. They drop from the battlements above, and they streak past your head, fired by archers who are running across the drawbridge.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–1, turn to 312.
If it is 2–6, turn to 15.
If it is 7–9, turn to 224.
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Page 15: An arrow, fired from the battlements, grazes your skull: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
Make the necessary adjustment to your current ENDURANCE score and then continue by turning to 342.
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Page 342: You swim to the edge of the moat and drag yourself out of the stinking water. As you take hold of the Prince's hand and haul him out onto the bank, you see a group of horsemen riding across the drawbridge. Most are armed with lances bearing Sadanzo's eagle's-head pennant, and their red-faced leader is shouting and pointing at you with his sword.
Arrows continue to fall. They thud into the muddy rim of the moat and splinter on the paved road that encircles the citadel. You grab Karvas by his cloak and pull him to his feet. It is too dangerous to stay here a moment longer. On the far side of the paved road you can see a row of boarded-up houses, an alleyway, and a baker's shop.
If you wish to attempt to escape from the deadly hail of arrows by running into the alleyway, turn to 157.
If you wish to try to escape by entering the baker's shop, turn to 30.
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Sorry, I'm traveling and its a real pain to check the status from a phone (esp. since the spoilers never play nice). I'll take stock of our status next week when I'm home.
Page 30: ou rush into the small bakery and your sudden appearance startles the baker's wife. She gasps when she sees your soaked and slime-smeared features, and nervously she snatches up a knife and threatens to use it if either of you come a step closer. You can understand her reaction; after your dip in the citadel moat, you and Karvas look more reptilian than human.
‘Calm yourself, good lady,’ you say, in as soothing a tone as you are able to muster. ‘My companion and I may appear a little wretched but we mean you no harm.’ The woman is not convinced. She raises the knife in her trembling hand and begins shouting hysterically for her husband. Moments later, a portly man in a white smock and cloth hat emerges from an open doorway at the rear of the shop. He is brandishing an iron skillet and comes at you like a charging bull.
‘Hold there, Barwick!’ shouts Karvas, and to your astonishment the baker skids to a halt and drops his iron pot to the floor.
‘Prince Karvas … is it you?’ he stammers. Karvas uses his sleeve to wipe some of the slime from his face, and then he gives the baker a broad smile.
‘Yes, Barwick, it is I.’
‘Thank Ishir,’ gasps the baker, and he falls to his knees. ‘We have prayed that you would return home and save us from Sadanzo. We of Cavalia have suffered his tyranny for too long. He is an evil man and we fear that he will bring ruin to Siyen when he is crowned king. But now our Prince has returned to stop him. Ishir be praised!’
The sound of horses galloping to a halt outside the bakery alerts you to the fact that you and the Prince are still in great danger. The baker bolts the door and then urges you and Karvas to follow him as he hurries out of the shop, past his baking ovens, and through a rear door that leads to a walled yard scattered with chickens. He pulls open the door of an outbuilding and he offers you and Karvas the two young horses that are stabled inside. They are his most valuable animals and Karvas is impressed by the man's generosity.
‘I'll not forget this, Barwick,’ says Karvas, as you and he quickly saddle the two colts. The baker pulls open one of a pair of gates at the rear of his yard. Proudly he salutes you as you steer your horses through the gap and gallop away along a passageway that leads to one of Cavalia's city streets.
Turn to 67.
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Page 67: It has been a long time since Prince Karvas last visited Cavalia, but he is still able to remember the swiftest route from the citadel to the east gate. You ride fast and you are able to avoid the patrols of Citadel Guards that have been dispatched to hunt you down. You are anxious that your escape will be short-lived if the east gate is closed, yet fortune swings in your favour, for upon your arrival you discover a wagon has shed a wheel. Its broken axle is jammed in the threshold of the gate and a dozen guards are struggling to move it so that the portcullis can be lowered fully.
With an exuberant shout to the incredulous guards, Prince Karvas presses his head to his horse's neck and gallops under the spikes of the portcullis. You copy the Prince's actions and follow closely in his wake as he rides out of Cavalia along the straight road that heads due east to Varedo.
For more than an hour you ride without stopping until your horses refuse to take another step. They are young and lack the muscle and stamina of your Bhanarian steeds, yet they are healthy colts and will serve you better than most. After they have recovered, you press on across the plain until dusk. With darkness closing, you leave the road and take shelter for the night in a small wood. During your overnight stop, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery).
To continue, turn to 171.
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Page 171: ‘Normally one could expect to reach Varedo in three days by horse,’ says Karvas, ‘but if we use every hour of daylight and rest our mounts briefly, every hour, we may be able to cover the distance in half the time.’ Mindful that you now have only nine days in which to reach Seroa to be in time for the crowning, and wary that a pursuit party could still be sent from Cavalia to hunt you down, you spend this day in the saddle riding as far and as fast as your horses are able. By nightfall, you have made excellent progress and you are confident that the threat from Cavalia is no more. You camp for the night beside a stream and, before you sleep, you use your Magnakai skills to assist the horses to recover fully from their hard day's ride.
The following day is spent crossing the seemingly endless Lucien Plain, the monotony of the grasslands broken only occasionally by an isolated hamlet or farmstead. You have no need to approach these settlements for the rich prairie yields enough game to keep you well fed while you are on the move. It also provides surplus food equivalent to 2 Meals (adjust your Action Chart accordingly if you wish to keep one or both of these Meals).
During the afternoon, you see a group of riders approaching from the north, from out of the wooded foothills of the Ioma Range. You magnify your vision and your stomach churns when you see that they are carrying spears which display the black eagle's-head pennant of Baron Sadanzo. You focus your Kai senses upon this distant group of riders and detect that they are not soldiers. They are a hunting party seeking wild deer. The open plain offers no place to hide from these approaching horsemen and the lack of cover makes you feel especially vulnerable. You remain stationary for a few minutes while you watch them draw closer. You are hoping that they are too preoccupied with their hunt to pay you any attention. However, you soon realize that they have lost the trail of their wild deer and have decided to track new quarry—you and Karvas.
If you wish to stand and face this hunting party, turn to 93.
If you wish to attempt to evade them, turn to 277.
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Page 93:Prince Karvas does not relish the prospect of having to face these riders, yet he goes along with your decision and patiently you sit and wait as they draw closer. Their leader is a broad-shouldered man with a ginger beard and long wavy hair. His hair fans out from around the edges of a conical helm that is topped by a pair of polished antlers. He brings his horse to a halt before you and regards your mounts with an appraising eye.
‘I see you ride Cavalian colts,’ he says, and he points to the eagle brands that mark your horses' hindquarters. You nod in acknowledgement but you do not offer any explanation. The man narrows his blue eyes and strokes his beard thoughtfully. ‘You do not know who I am, do you?’
You shake your head dumbly, hoping that he will take you for a simpleton and return to his deer hunting. ‘I am Halx—the Inquisitor-major of Cavalia. Among my many duties is the regulation and taxation of horses, mules, and oxen. You both ride Cavalian steeds, yet I do not recall seeing either of you in the city before. I trust your saddle taxes have been paid? Perhaps you would be kind enough to furnish your names and places of lodging so that, upon my return to Cavalia, I am able to confirm that this is so?’
You sense that your continued silence is beginning to irritate the Inquisitor-major. His followers are also growing impatient.
If you wish to say that you are special emissaries on your way to Seroa to witness the crowning of Baron Sadanzo, turn to 116.
If you wish to say that you are new recruits to the Cavalian Citadel Guard, turn to 123.
If you decide not to say anything at all, turn to 44.
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Page 116: The Inquisitor-major regards you with a sneering look that conveys his disbelief of your explanation.
‘Special emissaries, eh?’ he spits. ‘Pah! Deserters or horse-thieves, more like! What proof do you carry to show that you speak the truth?’
If you possess Sadanzo's Seal, turn to 264.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 73.
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Page 264: You retrieve the seal from your Backpack and offer it to the Inquisitor-major. The man blanches when he recognizes the object.
‘Please, accept my apology,’ he says, in a quiet and humble tone. ‘I did not know that you were travelling with the Baron's Seal. Your mission must be of great importance. I … I trust I have not caused you too great a delay.’
You return the seal to your Backpack and watch as the Inquisitor-major and his hunting party make a hasty departure. As they gallop away across the plain towards the distant foothills, you and Karvas breathe a sigh of relief before you continue your ride east towards Varedo.
Turn to 55.
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Page 55: It has been dark for more than two hours and your horses are close to exhaustion when finally you glimpse the city of Varedo, standing like a beacon of hope upon the northern edge of the Lucien Plain. Its towers and turrets and strong perimeter wall are constructed of a bleached white stone that glimmers eerily in the moonlight. Prince Karvas is glad to have left the province of Cavalia behind and he is hopeful that your reception in Varedo will be a more cordial one. The city, and its surrounding region, have always been loyal to the House of Oridon. Its ruler, Baron Lodamos, was a friend and martial advisor to his father, King Oridon. Karvas cannot imagine that Lodamos would ever join forces with Sadanzo whom he has always openly despised.
As you approach the city gate, you see that the blue flags of Varedo are flying at half-mast. This sight reassures Karvas, for it tells him that the city is still mourning the passing of his father. If Lodamos had joined with Sadanzo there would be no such display of respect for the memory of the king. At first the guards refuse you entry for the gates of Varedo are kept secure during the hours of nightfall. But when Karvas demands to see Guard Captain Dunwayne, the matter is quickly resolved. Karvas and Dunwayne both attended the military academy of Seroa, where they spent seven years together learning the art of soldiering. During this time they became the best of friends. Only when Karvas was forced into exile in distant Sheasu did their friendship lapse. The Prince is delighted to hear that Dunwayne still commands the city guard of Varedo and he awaits his arrival with keen anticipation. When eventually Dunwayne arrives at the gatehouse, theirs is a heart-warming reunion. Karvas quickly tells the guard captain of your need to reach Seroa as swiftly as you are able, and Dunwayne pledges to do all he can to help you. He provides you with fresh horses and escorts you personally through the lamplit streets of the city of the citadel where Baron Lodamos resides. Using his rank and influence, Dunwayne is able to rouse Chamberlain Gant, the Baron's aide. Gant can scarcely believe his eyes when he comes to meet Karvas. He has his guards escort you to the main hall of the citadel while he goes to wake the Baron and tell him the news. Karvas bids Dunwayne goodnight, for the guard captain must now return to his duties at the perimeter wall, but they agree to meet again soon, once Karvas has been crowned King.
The Chamberlain's guards leave you to wait for Baron Lodamos in the main hall. You spend the passing minutes admiring the many regal portraits which hang around its marble walls. They depict the kings of Siyen, and Karvas muses aloud that one day his own portrait will hang there. Then you hear the tramp of marching feet approaching the closed doors of the hall, and you and Karvas stand to attention in readiness to meet Baron Lodamos. But when the great doors swing open, it is not Lodamos who stands before you. It is a unit of armoured soldiers led by a grim-faced Marshal of the Guard.
‘Drop your weapons!’ he commands, as he and his men rush into the hall and quickly surround you. Shocked by this unexpectedly hostile reception, you comply with the Marshal's order and lay your Weapons on the floor.
If you possess a Stone Dagger, turn to 36.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 247.
Pretty sure we don't have that...
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Page 247: The Marshal of the Guard has his men confiscate your Weapons, your Kai Weapon, your Backpack, and all of your Special Items. (They leave only your Belt Pouch and its contents. On your Action Chart mark each of the confiscated items with an asterisk [*] to indicate that they are no longer in your possession, but do not erase them at this time.) Then he marches you and Karvas under close escort to the cells below the main hall, where you are shackled to the wall in irons. Karvas is shocked by this brutal treatment and he cannot reason why Lodamos would treat you both this way.
An hour passes before the door to the cell is thrown open and in strides Baron Lodamos, escorted by a bodyguard of his toughest fighting men. Prince Karvas pleads for your immediate release, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.
‘Do you not recognize me, my lord?’ he asks. ‘Do you not remember the days we spent hunting wild boar in the Ioma Forest?’
Cautiously the Baron approaches the Prince. He has one of his bodyguards come forward with a torch so that he may look at his face. The elderly Baron scrutinizes the Prince's every feature, including the birthmark on his wrist.
‘The resemblance is uncanny, I grant you that,’ he says, ‘but you are most likely another impostor, another of Sadanzo's sorcerous creations sent here to assassinate me. No, I refuse to believe that you are Prince Karvas.’
The Baron turns to leave the cell and signals to his bodyguard to follow, but Karvas begs him to stay. Hurriedly he recalls some of the visits he made to Varedo when he was a young boy, and he recounts the summer Lodamos spent teaching him to hunt and ride. Some of the details he recalls would only be known by the real Prince Karvas, and this is enough to make Baron Lodamos stop and hesitate.
‘You have a persuasive tongue,’ he says, ‘but I am not convinced. Sadanzo is a cunning foe. Yet there is one way I can be sure.’
Baron Lodamos turns to the sergeant of his bodyguard and says: ‘Very well, Guntor. Take them both to the chapel. Only there will their true identities be revealed.’
To continue, turn to 300.
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Page 300: The sergeant has his men unchain you from the wall and march you at spear-point along the lower corridors and passages of the citadel, to a small chapel of worship that is dedicated to the Goddess Ishir. You and Karvas are pushed into this chapel and its heavy door is slammed shut and bolted behind you. Moonlight filters into this place of worship through leaded stained glass set into star-shaped alcoves near its vaulted ceiling. It casts a pale rainbow of colour upon a marble tomb which occupies the centre of the chapel floor. Its heavy stone lid is carved in the likeness of a recumbent knight whose hands are folded around the hilt of a broadsword.
Karvas is about to beat his fist on the bolted door and demand that he be allowed to speak to Dunwayne, but you stay his hand. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination warns you that you and Karvas are not alone in this chapel. You detect a strong psychic presence that is centred upon the tomb. A sudden gust of wind sweeps through the chapel and you feel the air temperature plummet to near-freezing. Ice crystallises on the sides of the tomb and a ghostly plume of vapour seeps from cracks in the stone. This translucent mist swirls and condenses, and gradually it adopts the recognisable form of a knight in armour clutching the hilt of a broadsword. It is the ghost of the warrior whose remains are entombed here. He is a paladin knight, and his ghost has arisen to test your true purpose. The ghostly warrior raises his mighty sword and rays of eerie blue light flood out from the slits in the visor of his spectral helm. As this light washes over you and Karvas, you feel pulses of psychic energy assaulting your mind. The Prince lets out a scream and then he falls unconscious to the floor as the waves of energy increase in intensity.
If you possess Kai-screen, turn to 218.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, turn to 196.
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Page 196: You draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to protect your mind from these powerful pulses of psychic energy. The physical pain of this attack builds rapidly and you fear that your mental defences will not prove strong enough to withstand this terrific onslaught: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
If you have survived this mental wounding, you may continue by turning to 237.
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Page 237: The pain fades as you feel your mental defences strengthening and locking together to form an impenetrable wall. The attacking pulses break like waves smashing themselves against a rocky shore, and then abruptly their energy dissipates and the attack ceases.
Turn to 327.
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Page 327: The air temperature begins to rise and you sense a benign aura of tranquillity radiating from this spirit. The ghostly knight lowers his broadsword and bows at the waist; you have passed a great test and clearly you have won its respect. Your Sixth Sense tells you that it has looked into the depths of your soul and it approves of what it has discovered there.
As the temperature approaches normal, the apparition shrinks and its vapours are drawn back into the tomb. You hear the bolts being pulled on the chapel door, and then it bursts open and in rushes Baron Lodamos with his Marshal and a dozen of his armed guards. He sees Karvas lying on the floor and he pulls to a halt. ‘Aha! Just as I thought. Another of Sadanzo's assassins.’ Then he notices you standing before the tomb and a look of puzzlement creases his noble brow. The Marshal of the Guard kneels beside Karvas and touches his fingers to the side of his neck, seeking a pulse. ‘He's alive, my liege,’ he says, incredulously.
‘Then it's true,’ retorts the Baron. ‘He really is our Prince returned from exile. Quickly, Guntor, take him to my chambers at once.’
To continue, turn to 131.
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Page 327: With care, Baron Lodamos' men lift and carry Prince Karvas out of the chapel. You follow in the company of the Baron and his Marshal as they bear him along the corridors of the citadel and up a grand staircase to Lodamos' personal chamber. Here they rest the Prince upon a divan and the Baron's physician comes to examine him.
Lodamos offers you his sincere apologies for the harsh treatment you have endured since your arrival at his citadel. He explains that Sadanzo has made several attempts to murder him during the past year and he dare not lower his guard. The Baron is impressed that you survived your encounter in the chapel with the ghost of his ancestor—the paladin knight Ranald. ‘No mortal creature born of evil has ever survived the judgement of Ranald,’ he says, ‘and no goodly mortals have ever maintained their consciousness in his presence. I judge you to be no ordinary man. Pray tell, sir, who are you?’ You confide in the Baron that you are a Kai Grand Master and you tell him of your purpose here in Siyen. When you recount the events that have led you to his citadel, the Baron praises your courage and determination. You learn that he is a great admirer of the Kai and it is his ambition, one day, to journey to the monastery and meet with your illustrious leader, Lone Wolf.
Lodamos orders his Marshal to return your confiscated Weapons and equipment (you may erase the asterisks from your Action Chart). He also sends to the kitchens for food and wine. While the physician is attending to the Prince, you enjoy a reviving meal (you may restore 3 ENDURANCE points).
To continue, turn to 293.
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Page 293: When the Prince recovers consciousness he can hardly believe his eyes. The chill, spartan surroundings of the chapel have somehow transformed into the warm, rich opulence of Lodamos' personal chamber. The fearsome ghost of Knight Ranald has disappeared, yet he is now confronted by a sight he finds equally difficult to reconcile: Baron Lodamos happily conversing with you over a plate of roasted pheasant and sweet potatoes! The Baron, upon seeing that the Prince has regained consciousness, goes and kneels at the side of his divan. Carefully he explains all that has occurred since Karvas lost consciousness, and he begs the Prince to forgive him for the ordeal he has been made to suffer. To redress his conduct, the Baron pledges that he will do all he can to help you both reach Seroa in time for the crowning ceremony on Harvestmas Day.
If you possess Sadanzo's Scroll, turn to 126.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 317.
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Page 126: You show Lodamos the scroll that you found in Sadanzo's library, and his face turns red with rage when he reads its damning contents. ‘The murdering traitor!’ he exclaims. ‘By Ishir, he'll be made to pay for this treachery with his life, mark my words.’
Struggling hard to suppress his anger and sense of outrage, Lodamos hands back the scroll and then asks that you and Karvas accompany him to the citadel's main hall. ‘If you are to reach Seroa in time to foil Sadanzo, you must set off without delay. The ascendance ceremony will take place one week from today, and you still have far to travel. Time is against you, my lords, but I will do all I can to help your vital mission.’
Turn to 70.
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Page 70: Lodamos sends an urgent order to the commander of the cavalry, Guard Captain Sneida, to muster a troop of his best men and horses and have them ready to ride within the hour.
‘Sneida is a most accomplished horseman, and he knows the road to Seroa better than any man in this city or province,’ says Lodamos. ‘He and his troop will act as your escort to ensure that nothing delays your journey to the capital.’
The sleeping citadel of Varedo comes alive as preparations are made for your speedy departure. Lodamos takes you and Karvas to the stables where you are given the pick of his personal steeds. Karvas chooses a young black stallion and you settle for a dark bay mare. Lodamos approves of your choice: these horses possess speed and stamina, qualities that may prove essential if you are to reach Seroa in time. As your mounts are being saddled, you meet with Guard Captain Sneida and the men of your escort. You are impressed by their eager readiness to carry out this unexpected duty, and by the quiet professionalism with which they go about their preparations.
Baron Lodamos wishes you godspeed and bids you farewell as you climb into the saddle and get ready to set off from the citadel. It is still dark when you and your escort ride out of Varedo and head east across the plain, along a wagon-worn road that leads to Oberra. When darkness gives way to the golden light of the rising sun, the troop unfurls Lodamos' personal banner which they carry proudly at the head of their column. It is a pale blue flag, trimmed with gold braids, and it depicts an owl clutching the blade of a sword. Karvas tell you that these symbols represent Lodamos' motto—Wisdom and Strength. His flag serves you well, for as the day unfolds, all the fellow travellers you encounter on the road hurriedly move aside to allow you to pass unhindered when they see Lodamos' banner approaching.
You ride all day and put more than a hundred miles behind you. It is dusk when Sneida brings the troop to the fortified chateau of Lord Jopas, Baron Lodamos' younger brother. You stay there overnight, and in the morning the troop are furnished with fresh mounts for the coming day's ride across the Lucien Hills. This region of Siyen is one of great natural beauty and you enjoy the panoply of castles, chateaux, and richly wooded valleys which unfolds as you traverse the hill trail to Oberra. When night falls you find yourselves still within the boundaries of this hilly timberland. Captain Sneida is loath to make camp in the forest for it harbours packs of wild wolves that may be tempted to attack by the scent of the horses. He urges the troop to continue for several moonlit miles further until you reach the chateau of Baron Jayde. He is commander of the Lucien Province and a trusted friend of Baron Lodamos.
The troop ride through a pair of open, torchlit gates and come to a halt inside a walled courtyard at the front of Baron Jayde's grand estate. Adjacent to the gates are a stables block and a paddock. Captain Sneida orders his men to put the horses in the paddock while he goes to inform Baron Jayde of your arrival. You are leading your horses into the paddock by the reins when your Kai Sixth Sense warns you of hidden danger. You look around the courtyard and suddenly you realize that something is amiss. Ever since you arrived at the chateau you have seen no sign of Baron Jayde's staff or guards. The estate is seemingly deserted. Then you hear Captain Sneida call out a welcome, and when you look to the chateau, you see the figure of a stout man standing in a doorway at the head of a grand flight of stone steps. ‘Well met, Baron Jayde,’ calls Sneida, but his friendly greeting elicits no response. The man in the doorway is utterly immobile; not a flicker of emotion stirs his pale round face. Sneida approaches and quickens his pace. He is halfway up the steps when suddenly the rotund figure of Baron Jayde topples stiffly forwards and falls, face down, upon the flagstones. Fear chills your blood when you see the polished handle of a stiletto dagger protruding from between his shoulder blades.
In that instant the trap is sprung. Suddenly the top of the courtyard is ringed by grim-faced soldiers armed with crossbows. ‘Ambush!’ shouts Captain Sneida. It is the last word he will ever utter. In response to his shout of warning, the soldiers let loose a deadly volley of bolts that claim his life, and the lives of four of his men. As the dead and wounded scream and fall, you drag Prince Karvas to the ground in a desperate effort to save him from being hit.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess Assimilance, add 1.
If your total score is now 4 or less, turn to 261.
If it is 5 or higher, turn to 6.
We got a 5 +3 = 8
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Page 6: Your swift action saves the Prince from being struck by a crossbow bolt. It also saves you from being hit when one of these deadly iron missiles ricochets off the paddock gate and whistles by your head.
Turn to 159.
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Page 159: The pitiful shrieks and groans of fallen men echo in your ears as you struggle to get back on your feet. ‘Stay with me, sire,’ you say to Karvas, as you scurry across the paddock and take cover behind a fence post. There is a lull in the carnage when your cowardly attackers pause to reload their crossbows, and you take full advantage of this momentary respite. You signal to Karvas to follow as you leap up and sprint from the paddock to the open doorway of the stables close by.
As you rush through the doorway you are brought skidding to a halt when you are confronted by seven armoured knights. Your stomach churns when you see that they wear the eagle's head emblem of Sadanzo upon their surcoats. Their presence here makes you realize that they have been following your trail ever since your daring escape from Cavalia. The delay that you experienced at Varedo bought them the few hours they needed in order to get ahead of you and set up their deadly ambush.
‘Farewell, Prince Karvas!’ growls a knight, his guttural voice partially muffled by the iron strips that criss-cross the visor of his iron helm. He raises his gleaming axe and all seven warriors rush forward and attack you simultaneously.
Sadanzo's knights: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 38
You cannot evade this combat, but you may add 5 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight as Prince Karvas is fighting at your side. If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Kaistar’ you may add the appropriate COMBAT SKILL bonus for fighting at night.
Your Enemy took 14 damage -
and now has 24 Endurance Points.
Stormheart took 1 damage -
and now has 37 Endurance Points.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED YOUR ENEMY!!
The combat lasted 2 round(s).
Stormheart took 1 total damage -
and now has 37 Endurance Points.
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Page 108: As the last of Sadanzo's knights crashes dead at your feet, you leap over his crumpled body and rush towards the rear of the stables where the slain knights' horses are tethered to a rail. You and Karvas cut free the two sturdiest mounts and pull yourselves into their saddles. Prince Karvas wheels his horse about and rides him out into the courtyard. When you emerge from the stables, you are following close behind the Prince and struggling hard to keep your jittery horse from losing its footing on the smooth flagstones. Strewn around the walled yard and paddock are the bodies of slain and wounded troopers. Your heart goes out to these brave men, but you dare not stop to help them. To do so would be suicidal. Karvas gallops his horse towards the open gates and you hear shouts of alarm from the Cavalians positioned around the courtyard wall. They have recognized you and they are bringing their loaded crossbows to bear on your fleeing backs.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 234.
If you possess Magi-magic, and wish to use it, turn to 337.
If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn to 273.
Coin flip since they lead to the same conclusion.
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Page 234: Hastily you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Invisible Shield and sweep your hand in a circle behind your head. The spell materializes barely moments before a speeding crossbow bolt hits it and is deflected away from your neck. Its buckled point trails a line of sparks as it gouges a furrow in the flagstones.
Turn to 174.
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Page 174: You gallop out of the courtyard amid a hail of bolts, and race east along the forested hill trail. The Cavalian crossbowmen have hidden their horses in the woods surrounding Baron Jayde's chateau, and when they see you escaping, they quickly abandon their positions around the courtyard wall and mount up to give chase. Your daring escape puts you more than a mile ahead of your ruthless pursuers, but this trail is difficult to ride at night for you are guided only by the light of the moon. You have little difficulty keeping your horse to the twisting trail for you are aided by your Kai night vision, but Karvas is not so fortunate. Some parts of the trail are covered by a thick canopy of branches which shut out the ashen moonlight. Whenever you pass through these sections, Prince Karvas is plunged into darkness and he is forced to slow his pace dramatically. Rather than risk having him lose the trail completely and crash headlong into the trees, you call to him to leave the trail at a place where it passes over a wooden bridge. You hide with your horses beneath this bridge and wait for the Cavalians to pass. You hear their horses' hooves thunder across, but you do not emerge when they have gone. Patiently you wait, and within the hour you hear them returning. They have lost your trail and they are going back to Baron Jayde's chateau in the belief that you have slipped past them and doubled-back to rescue the few wounded troopers who survived the ambush.
The Cavalians return across the bridge, and when you can no longer hear their horses, you emerge from your hiding place and continue east along the trail. During your night ride to Oberra, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Shortly after daybreak, you emerge from the dense timberland and pass through a region where the hills are given over to the cultivation of grapes and vines. During the day, you and Karvas take it in turns to sleep in the saddle. While one is asleep, the other leads his companion's horse by the reins. By this method you are able to overcome the fatigue of your recent ordeals and still make good progress along the trail to Oberra.
It is early in the morning, four days before Harvestmas, when you crest a ridge of high ground and see Oberra in the distance. This populous city nestles in a bowl-shaped valley at the eastern edge of the Lucien Hills, where the uplands meet the softly undulating flood plains of the River Seroa. Prince Karvas tells you that his old tutor, Florin Sainus, resides in Oberra. He proposes that you ride to the city and visit his house in the northern quarter. Karvas is confident that Sainus will help you reach Seroa in time for the crowning. Your spirits are lifted by this welcome news, and you ride with renewed vigour until you reach the gates of Oberra late in the afternoon.
Turn to 280.
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Page 280: The city of Oberra is still mourning the death of King Oridon. Its scarlet-and-yellow flags hang at half-mast, and many of its citizens wear black armbands and shawls as visible marks of their respect for the memory of Prince Karvas' father. As you ride along its paved streets, you see that many of its shops and public buildings bear proclamations announcing the forthcoming crowning of Baron Sadanzo on Harvestmas Day. Most of these notices have either been torn or defaced with black paint, and this cheers Karvas, for it shows that the citizens of this wealthy city do not welcome the prospect of having Baron Sadanzo as their future king.
It is nearing darkness when you find the residence of Florin Sainus. It is a well-appointed townhouse built on three levels with its own walled garden and stables. You dismount and pull a bell rope that hangs beside its arched door. The Prince's aged tutor is overwhelmed with surprise and delight when he opens the door and sees his former pupil standing on the steps before him. The old man ushers you both inside and orders his servants to attend to your horses. Over a reviving meal of steamed fish and oatmeal bread, Karvas recounts the perilous events of the past few weeks which have brought you here to seek his help. Gladly he pledges his assistance, but he cautions you that your time has nearly run out. Carefully he considers the ways by which you could still reach Seroa in time for the crowning, and at length he tells you of two routes. Both offer an equal chance of success.
The first is the most direct route: the King's Highway from Oberra to Seroa. Normally this road would take four days to travel, but there are now only three full days left before Harvestmas, and so you would have to ride hard to make up for the missing day. The second route is partly by road and partly by river. Seventy-five miles due east of Oberra is the hamlet of Xaia. It lies on a bend of the River Seroa and is a boarding point for the boats that carry cargo and travellers along this major waterway. By this route the journey to Seroa can be completed in three days, ‘assuming that the riverboats are running to schedule,’ warns Sainus. ‘They are the swiftest means of reaching the capital, yet they can be unreliable during spells of bad weather.’
Karvas proposes that you decide which route to take and then leave Oberra at once. ‘If we commence our journey this night, we may gain a few precious hours that could ensure our success.’ You agree with the Prince that you should go at once, but Sainus informs you that it will not be possible for you to leave Oberra until dawn. He tells you that the city council have imposed a curfew during the hours of darkness, following an outbreak of thefts and murders among its prominent citizens. Sainus believes that Baron Sadanzo's robber knights are responsible for the crimes, for many have become residents of the city since King Oridon passed away. He fears that they are plotting to overthrow the council and will act as soon as Sadanzo is crowned king.
In light of the situation, you decide to stay here and rest, and then leave the city at first light. Before you retire, Karvas asks you to decide which route you should use to travel to Seroa.
If you wish to travel the King's Highway, the road that leads directly from Oberra to Seroa, turn to 227.
If you decide to travel to Seroa by way of road and riverboat, turn instead to 59.
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Page 59:Early next morning, shortly before dawn, you meet with Karvas and Sainus and go to collect your horses from the stable. As you mount them, the old man bids you good luck and he gives the Prince a pouch containing 50 Orla, a sum that could prove useful during the journey to Seroa.
Dawn breaks as you leave Sainus' house, and you hear a bell which signifies that the night curfew has now come to an end. You ride along the waking streets of the north quarter and enter a broad avenue that leads directly to the east gatehouse. The guards posted here are opening the great east gate as you approach, and you gallop through the widening gap and out onto the plain beyond.
The sun shines brightly all day and you make good progress along the trail that heads due east towards the River Sero. By nightfall you have covered more than 75 miles and have reached the tiny village of Xaia. Moored at its wooden jetty is a large riverboat. This grand vessel is brightly illuminated by hundreds of coloured lanterns that are fixed to its masts and deck rails. You tether your horses to a post and then hurry along the jetty to where a thin man in a long black coat is seated at a table. He is counting out Orla and stacking them neatly in piles of twenty. Karvas asks if he may purchase two tickets to Seroa, but the man shakes his head and tells you that all the tickets have been sold. The riverboat sails within the hour and every place aboard has been purchased.
‘If you're lucky, you may be able persuade a couple o' passengers to sell you their tickets,’ he says, cheerlessly. ‘Them that's not already aboard are over there, drinking their fill at the Crown & Bugle Inn.’ He scratches his stubby chin and then points a bony finger towards a ramshackle tavern perched on the riverfront.
If you wish to go to the Crown & Bugle Inn, turn to 256.
If you wish to try to bribe the ticket seller to let you go aboard the riverboat, turn to 202.
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You leave the jetty and hurry to the tavern. This riverside inn is in urgent need of some paint and repair, yet for all its shabby outward appearance, its taproom is filled to overflowing with customers. The sound of lyre and pipe music mingles with the chatter and raucous laughter of its patrons, many of whom are river travellers bound for Seroa within the hour. You push your way through the noisy crowd and climb a flight of stairs that gives access to rooms on the upper floor. From the top of the stairs you are able to get a better view of the crowded bar room. Karvas points out two men who are standing at the tavern counter. They are dressed in dandified court costumes and they wear Sadanzo's eagle's-head emblem pinned to velvet berets that are resting on their coiffured heads.
‘I'd wager those two dandies have tickets for the riverboat,’ says Karvas, conspiratorially. You focus your concentration on the two men and your Kai Sixth Sense confirms that the Prince's assumption is correct.
If you wish to approach them and offer to buy their riverboat tickets, turn to 17.
If you wish to wait outside the tavern and approach the men when they leave, turn to 111.
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
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Hrm double post, not sure how to delete these things anymore.
Tag on
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
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Page 111: You walk from the tavern and wait in the shadows of a nearby alleyway for the two Cavalians to leave. Soon you hear the clang of the riverboat's bell echoing through the village. The captain is calling all passengers aboard; his boat is due to set off for Seroa in fifteen minutes' time. You watch a steady stream of people leaving the tavern and walking to the jetty to board the boat, but you do not see the Cavalians. You are beginning to fear that you have missed them in the crowd when suddenly they emerge from the tavern. They are the last ones to leave.
If you wish to approach them and offer to buy their riverboat tickets to Seroa, turn to 222.
If you choose to approach them and simply demand that they hand you their tickets, turn to 320.
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Page 320: You cross the narrow village street and approach the two Cavalian lordlings as they stroll leisurely towards the jetty. ‘Good evening, my lords. We meet again,’ says Karvas, in a deep and menacing tone. ‘My friend and I still wish to acquire your tickets. Kindly hand them over.’ The Prince pulls his sword a few inches from its scabbard to reinforce his demand.16
Normally these two fops would blanch and faint in the face of such a threat, but a night spent drinking at the tavern has filled them with liquid courage. The taller man stares Karvas defiantly in the eye and then he begins to shout at the top of his voice: ‘Robbers! Footpads! Cut-throats!’
Karvas reacts instinctively. He punches the dandy squarely on the jaw and leaves him sprawled unconscious on the ground. His stout companion freezes and his mouth opens wide with shock. Before he, too, can scream out in alarm, you knock him out with a sharp blow to the nape of his neck.
Quickly you drag their bodies into the alleyway and rifle their pockets in a search for their tickets. Karvas finds both of them in the jacket pocket of the stout lordling, and he hands one to you. (Record the Riverboat Ticket on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you keep in the pocket of your breeches. You need not discard another item in its favour if you already possess the maximum number of Special Items permissible.)
Having now obtained what you need, you leave the alleyway and hurry back to the jetty.
Turn to 2.
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Page 2: You return to the jetty and show your tickets to the ticket seller. He grunts his approval and waves you aboard the riverboat. The number of your berth is written on your ticket, and you discover that you are both sharing cabin number 12 which is located at the stern. You are pleased to discover that it is one of the better cabins aboard. It has a cupboard stocked with food and wine, a washing bowl and a jug of water, and twin bunk beds with mattresses and feather pillows.
After a short while you hear the clang of the riverboat's bell. It is a signal that the boat is about to set off for Seroa in five minutes' time and a last call for passengers who are still in Xaia. Through the porthole of your cabin you can see the jetty and a queue of people boarding the boat. Fortunately, you do not see any Cavalians among them.
Once everyone is aboard, the gangplank is raised and the riverboat's waterwheel begins to turn. As the boat gets underway, you lock the cabin door and settle down to a good night's sleep.
To continue, turn to 46.
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Page 46: It is early morning when you awaken. Your sleep has revived your strength (restore 3 ENDURANCE points) and left you feeling in good spirits. You wake Karvas and then you both go up on deck to enjoy the warm sunshine and watch the passing countryside. To the west, the left bank is backed by farmsteads and orchards; to the east, the ground gently rises to low, rolling, vine-clad hills. The Sero is deep, and its fast-flowing current helps propel the boat downstream at a quicker rate than could be maintained by a horse. On reflection, you are glad that you decided to travel to Seroa by this route.
The riverboat is crowded with passengers bound for the capital. From snatches of conversations that you overhear on deck, you learn that most of them are going there to see the crowning of Sadanzo. Many of your fellow travellers stand to gain in some way from his ascendance, and when you discover this fact, you and Karvas take care to avoid them as much as possible.
As darkness falls, the passengers congregate on a lower deck of the boat which serves as a gambling hall. You and Karvas remain at the rail and enjoy the sight of a waxing moon that dominates the clear night sky. ‘Tomorrow will be Harvestmas Day and the moon will be at its fullest,’ says Karvas, wistfully.
‘Yes,’ you reply, ‘and you, my lord, shall by then be rightful king of this realm.’
You leave the rail and retire to sleep, waking early the following morning with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension. The riverboat comes within sight of Seroa by mid-morning and docks at the city's wharf one hour before noon. You and Karvas are jostled by the other passengers as you wait on deck, for everyone is eager to disembark and hurry to Palace Square in time to see the crowning ceremony. When your turn comes to leave the riverboat, you see that the passengers ahead of you are being stopped at the end of the gangplank by two Seroan City Guardsmen. They are collecting their riverboat tickets.
If you possess a Riverboat Ticket, turn to 153.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 27.
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Page 153: You and Karvas retrieve your tickets and present them to the guardsmen. As one guard takes them from you, the other tells you to leave the docking area as quickly as you can. ‘Keep this line moving,’ he bellows, and hurriedly you obey his command.
Turn to 12.
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Page 12: You follow Karvas through the teeming streets of the capital towards Palace Square, the grand plaza where the crowning ceremony is set to take place in less than an hour. A wide avenue of marbled stone leads towards the square, and as you hurry along it, you marvel at the aristocratic mansions and embassies that march past on either side. The sound of a fanfare echoes in the distance and you increase your pace when Karvas tells you that it signifies the arrival of Baron Sadanzo. The approach to the square itself is blocked by the crowd, but the Prince knows of another way by which you may reach it. You leave the avenue and he takes you along a narrow lane that winds through a maze of buildings in the Merchants' Quarter. This area has been closed for the Ascendance and Harvestmas ceremonies, but you are able to climb over the barricades that have been erected to prevent entry by the crowd, and you reach the square unchallenged.
On a raised platform in the centre of Palace Square, Baron Sadanzo is preparing to kneel before Phedros, the Marshal of the Realm, the highest ranking officer in the kingdom of Siyen. He is flanked by the High Chancellor, the High Chamberlain, the Mayor of Seroa, and other Siyenese noblemen. Under the Constitution of Siyen, following the death of Oridon and the absence of Karvas, the Marshal of the Realm is empowered to bestow kingship upon the Baron.
Frantically, you and the Prince struggle through the crowd that encircles the platform. Phedros is about to place the State Crown of Siyen upon Sadanzo's head when you leap onto the platform and bring the ceremony to an abrupt halt.
‘I am Karvas, Crown Prince of Siyen, and I demand my birthright!’ shouts the Prince to the assembled nobles. The crowd gives a gasp of astonishment which is followed by a deathly hush.
‘You are an impostor,’ screams Sadanzo. ‘The real Prince Karvas is exiled in Sheasu. I demand this man be executed for his insolence!’
Marshal Phedros approaches Karvas and takes hold of his right arm. He pulls back the sleeve of his tunic and examines the birthmark on his wrist. Phedros has known Karvas since he was a baby, and you sense that he is convinced that the mark is genuine. He raises the Prince's arm so that the other Siyenese nobles gathered on the platform can see the crescent-shaped mark. Murmurs of dissent can be heard among the crowd, and whispers that Karvas has returned filter back to Sadanzo's ears. The evil Baron narrows his coal-black eyes and slips a glowing green gem from the pocket of his ermine robes. Your Sixth Sense warns you that this stone is radiating strong psychic energies. Through its use, Sadanzo is able to exert a powerful control over the noblemen of Siyen who are gathered here on the platform. If you are to break the Baron's mental hold over them, you must destroy the evil gem that is clenched in his bony fist.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 97.
If you possess Magi-magic, and wish to use it, turn to 205.
If you possess a Bow, and wish to use it, turn to 135.
If you possess neither of these Disciplines, nor a Bow, or if you choose not to use any of them, turn to 314.
Randomed since they all lead to the same result.
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Page 205: You utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell Invisible Fist as slowly you clench the fingers of your right hand. Upon the final word, you thrust your clenched fist at the gem in Sadanzo's hand and the Baron screams with fear. The brute power of your spell hits the gem and smashes it to dust.
Turn to 250.
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Page 250: Sadanzo clutches his injured hand to his chest and falls to his knees exhausted. You sense that the destruction of his gem has greatly weakened him. It has also freed the Siyenese nobles from his evil influence, an influence that robbed them of their free will.
If you possess Sadanzo's Scroll, turn to 61.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 296.
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Page 61: Prince Karvas denounces Sadanzo as a murderer and a traitor, and you show the scroll that you discovered in the Baron's safe to Phedros as proof of his treachery. The Marshal gasps when he reads the damning contract and he orders the Royal Guard to arrest Sadanzo immediately. ‘Take the traitor to the palace dungeons,’ he commands. Upon hearing this, a vast section of the stunned crowd roar their approval, and sporadic fighting breaks out as followers of Sadanzo attempt to battle their way out of the square. Marshal Phedros orders that the city gates be sealed, and then he commands the Royal Court Cavalry to hunt down Sadanzo's robber knights in every quarter of Seroa, and bring them to justice. As these noble troopers eagerly set about their task, Phedros turns to Prince Karvas and hugs him to his chest. ‘Welcome home at last,’ he says, his voice wavering with emotion. ‘Welcome home … King Karvas.’
Turn to 270.
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Page 270: News of Karvas' return spreads like wildfire through the capital. Hundreds of cheering citizens enter the square and surround the platform on all sides, weeping and shouting with joy that they are to be spared the tyranny of Sadanzo's rule. With the blessing of the gathered nobles, Marshal Phedros proclaims Karvas the King of Siyen and he places the State Crown upon his head. Gladly Karvas accepts his birthright and he rises to receive the adulation of the excited crowd. As the cheering gradually subsides, he turns to you and bids you kneel before him. You obey his command and Karvas unsheathes his sword. He dabs its blade lightly upon your head and smiles:
‘Arise, Sir Kai, for I proclaim that you are now a Knight of Siyen.’ The crowd cheer loudly, though not for their king. This time their cheers are for the Kai Grand Master of Sommerlund without whom their beloved Prince would never have claimed his throne.
You accompany King Karvas and his noble entourage to the Royal Palace where the celebration of his ascendance to the throne begins with a banquet, and concludes with a procession of royal coaches that visits every quarter of the city. The citizens of Seroa shower their new king with flowers. They also call for the swift execution of the traitor Sadanzo. The following day you learn that Karvas has granted his citizens their request for justice. Baron Sadanzo is sentenced to death, the execution to be carried out at noon in the Palace Square. Upon the platform on which he sought to be crowned king, the Baron loses his head to the executioner's axe.
Turn to 350.
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Page 350: Congratulations, Grand Master. Your mission is complete. In the face of great adversity you have met the challenge and you have triumphed. You have upheld the highest traditions of the Kai with honour and dignity, and you have displayed exceptional strength and bravery throughout your ordeal. The succession of Karvas is an important victory in the war against Evil, for it has prevented the throne of Siyen, Sommerlund's richest ally, from falling into the hands of an agent of Naar. You have earned the respect of the Siyenese people and they will never forget the debt of gratitude they owe you.
Following the celebration of his succession, King Karvas arranges for you to return home to Sommerlund by sea aboard his royal caravel. The voyage is swift and uneventful, yet upon reaching Holmgard you learn of a new and deadly threat that has arisen to challenge the Kai. If you wish to confront this threat, the nature of the challenge will be revealed in the next exciting Lone Wolf adventure, entitled:
Rune War
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Congrats Wolf Pack! I'll try to get the starter material in place tomorrow so we can plan the next book.
Overwatch: TomFoolery#1388 Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Posts
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If the number you have picked is even (i.e. 0, 2, 4, 6, 8), deduct 1 ENDURANCE point from your current total. If the number is odd (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9), deduct 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 69.
We rolled evens. Endurance -1.
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Page 69: Carefully Prince Karvas takes hold of you under the arms and helps you to stand on your feet. As soon as the pain of your wounding has receded, you approach the door once more. Your senses detect that the spell protecting this door has now discharged, and the portal is open and unguarded.
Gingerly you push the door with the toe of your boot and silently it swings open to reveal a sumptuous chamber. Tapestries adorn the walls and golden ornaments gleam in lacquered shelves and sculptured wooded cabinets. You cross the carpeted floor and look out of a tall window to see a panoramic view of Cavalia, its roofs and spires gleaming in the afternoon sun. Below you can see a troop of citadel cavalry, their white pennants trailing from their lances as they ride across the drawbridge and canter away from the citadel along a broad, shop-lined avenue.
The evil that you detected from outside the iron door is stronger now, but it does not originate from this chamber. You sense that it comes from an adjoining room which is separated from this chamber by velvet draperies.
If you wish to pull the draperies aside and investigate the source of this evil, turn to 178.
If you choose to search the chamber that you are in more thoroughly, turn to 288.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
LoL EU West nickname: Irridan
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Thirded
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
Having satisfied yourself that you have examined every item of interest in this chamber, you motion Karvas to follow as you draw aside the draperies and explore the adjoining chamber.
Turn to 178.
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Page 178: Beyond the draperies you find a circular chamber with a polished wooden floor. The dark oak surface is inlaid with lighter woods which form intricate pentagrams and other mystical patterns. The walls are lined with shelves which store a vast number of books, scrolls, and parchments. Your Kai senses warn you that these are works of great evil; it is a library of sorcerous manuals and tomes of worship dedicated to Naar. Prince Karvas is repulsed by the sight of this evil repository. It confirms the suspicion he has held for many years, that Baron Sadanzo is a secret disciple of the Dark God.
You scan the walls and your Kai senses reel in the face of the evil that festers here. Your instincts tell you to destroy these vile works, to put them to the torch, yet to do so could jeopardise your chances of making a successful escape from the citadel. Rather than take that risk you decide to leave this evil library at once, but as you are retreating towards the archway you notice a square plate of steel sandwiched among the books on a middle shelf. A closer look reveals it to be the door of a wall safe. There is a dial at its centre, similar to the cylinder lock which secured the door to your prison cell. Your Sixth Sense reveals that only two digits are required to open this safe.
The first number in the sequence is equal to the number of bonus points added to COMBAT SKILL when the Kai Weapon ‘Alema’ is used against undead enemies. The second is equivalent to half of the Starstrider's full complement of crewmen (not including Acraban).
When you think you know the two-digit answer, note down the figures in order and turn to the section of the book which is the same as your answer.
If you are unable to determine the correct solution, turn instead to 258.
Trivial riddle again. To avoid the issue I'm just gonna skip it to the answer: 75.
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Page 75: The second tumbler clicks into position and the door of the safe swings open9 to reveal a single scroll of vellum, embossed with a ribbon and a wax imprint of Sadanzo's seal. You unfurl the scroll and you are shocked to the core when you read its contents.
The scroll is a contract between Baron Sadanzo and the Assassins' Guild of Avalar. It states that the Guild will undertake the murder of King Oridon in return for 20,000 Orla. Half of this sum is to be paid in advance, with the balance due for payment upon successful completion of the assassination. The seal of the Assassins' Guild is attached beside Sadanzo's mark to show that the full sum has since been received.
You show the scroll to Karvas and he is outraged; here is proof beyond doubt that Sadanzo was responsible for the murder of his father, and clearly his act of foul treachery was part of his plan to seize the throne of Siyen. This shocking revelation fills Karvas with a renewed loathing for the Baron. He reaffirms his pledge to thwart Sadanzo's scheme and he vows, in memory of his father, that he will bring the traitor to justice.
You take Sadanzo's Scroll and place it inside your tunic. Record this on your Action Chart as a Special Item—you need not discard another item in its favour if you already possess the maximum number permissible.
To continue, turn to 198.
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Page 198: Karvas suggests that perhaps you should destroy the safe in order to hide the fact that you have taken Sadanzo's scroll. You ponder his suggestion and agree that this could be advantageous to you.
If you possess the Grand Master Discipline of Elementalism, and you have attained the rank of Kai Grand Sentinel, turn to 23.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 188.
If you possess neither of these skills, have yet to attain the required Kai rank, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn to 232.
Choices lead to each other, picked the more awesome one :P
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Page 23: You close the safe and call upon your advanced Kai Mastery to electrically charge the surface layer of air that is in contact with its steel door. Karvas watches you preparing this booby trap with a mix of curiosity and fascination. You tell him that in future, if any person or object should touch the door, then the power will discharge itself with an explosive force sufficient to destroy the safe and ignite the surrounding books. Your explanation makes Karvas smile. Clearly he relishes the thought of Sadanzo falling foul of this trap at some later date.
Your work done, you turn away from the safe and hurry to leave this evil library. But, as you approach the arch which leads to the adjoining chamber, you suddenly hear a noise which makes you stop dead in your tracks.
Turn to 86.
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Page 86: You can hear the sound of metal scraping on stone above your head. When you look up at the ceiling, you see a pair of crossed swords cocooned by pale amber tongues of flame. These flames give off no heat and you recognize at once that they are magical. The swords are slowly rotating, their shiny steel blades skimming the ceiling stones as they gather speed. Sparks fly, and then the blades separate and come whirling towards you with frightening speed. Swiftly you raise your Kai Weapon and fend off a stunning blow as one of the magical blades flashes past your head in a scything arc. Karvas unsheathes his sword and parries the other blade as it sweeps around the room and strikes at him from behind. Having failed to draw blood with their initial attack, the blades return to the ceiling where they hover menacingly above your heads. But you sense the threat has not passed. Their magical power is recharging itself, increasing its intensity in readiness for a second, swifter attack.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 217.
If you do not possess this Discipline, or if you choose not to use it, turn to 244.
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Page 217: You speak the words of the Brotherhood Spell Counterspell and direct its power at the whirling swords. The blades are slowed by the effects of your spell, but the magic that animates them is far stronger than your own. You have slowed them but this will not prevent them from attacking again.
Once more the deadly blades draw sparks from the stone ceiling, and then they come whirling down towards your head.
Sadanzo's sorcerous blades: COMBAT SKILL 40 ENDURANCE 20
These blades are immune to all forms of psychic attack. If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Valiance’, you may add the additional COMBAT SKILL bonus (versus magicians) to your score when calculating your Combat Ratio.
If you win the fight, turn to 106.
CR is 33 + 5 (Grand Weaponmastery) + 5 (Kai Sword) + 2 Amulet = 45
Your Enemy took 10 damage -
and now has 10 Endurance Points.
Stormheart took 2 damage -
and now has 40 Endurance Points.
Your Random Number is: 2
Your Enemy took 7 damage -
and now has 3 Endurance Points.
Stormheart took 3 damage -
and now has 37 Endurance Points/
Your Combat Ratio is: 5.
The combat lasted 3 round(s).
Stormheart took 6 total damage -
and now has 36 Endurance Points.
Silly weak swords.
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Page 106: As your final blow shatters the second blade and breaks the spell that brought it to life, you hear the sound of a bell tolling in a lower level of the citadel. Your Sixth Sense warns you that it is an alarm bell; your escape from the dungeons has been detected.
You leave the library and hurry across the sumptuous chamber to the shiny steel door by which you first entered this apartment. Soldiers are ascending the stairs towards it. You catch a glimpse of them and quickly you retreat into the chamber, slamming the door shut behind you. An attempt to secure the door is unsuccessful for the lock is jammed and the dial refuses to turn. Hastily you and Karvas barricade the door with furniture and then you look about for another way to escape. You see only one—through the window. The soldiers are pounding on the door and the barricade is shifting and collapsing as you and Karvas climb out onto a stone ledge. The barricade gives way and you hear the soldiers shouting as they force their way into the chamber. Then an arrow shatters against the surface of the ledge, only a few inches from your left boot. You look up and see Citadel Guardsmen with loaded bows leaning over the battlements above. Alerted by the tolling bell, they have spotted you on the ledge outside Sadanzo's chamber. When a second arrow pierces Karvas' cloak, you take hold of the Prince's forearm and pull him with you as you step off the ledge and plummet towards the moat, 30 feet below.
You hit the stagnant water with a mighty splash and immediately strike out for the surface. You break through the scummy film that floats on top of the water and, seconds later, you see Karvas emerge from the depths to gasp a lungful of clean air. Arrows are falling all about you. They drop from the battlements above, and they streak past your head, fired by archers who are running across the drawbridge.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–1, turn to 312.
If it is 2–6, turn to 15.
If it is 7–9, turn to 224.
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Page 15: An arrow, fired from the battlements, grazes your skull: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.
Make the necessary adjustment to your current ENDURANCE score and then continue by turning to 342.
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Page 342: You swim to the edge of the moat and drag yourself out of the stinking water. As you take hold of the Prince's hand and haul him out onto the bank, you see a group of horsemen riding across the drawbridge. Most are armed with lances bearing Sadanzo's eagle's-head pennant, and their red-faced leader is shouting and pointing at you with his sword.
Arrows continue to fall. They thud into the muddy rim of the moat and splinter on the paved road that encircles the citadel. You grab Karvas by his cloak and pull him to his feet. It is too dangerous to stay here a moment longer. On the far side of the paved road you can see a row of boarded-up houses, an alleyway, and a baker's shop.
If you wish to attempt to escape from the deadly hail of arrows by running into the alleyway, turn to 157.
If you wish to try to escape by entering the baker's shop, turn to 30.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Let's grab some of the baker's bread while we leave
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
Page 30: ou rush into the small bakery and your sudden appearance startles the baker's wife. She gasps when she sees your soaked and slime-smeared features, and nervously she snatches up a knife and threatens to use it if either of you come a step closer. You can understand her reaction; after your dip in the citadel moat, you and Karvas look more reptilian than human.
‘Calm yourself, good lady,’ you say, in as soothing a tone as you are able to muster. ‘My companion and I may appear a little wretched but we mean you no harm.’ The woman is not convinced. She raises the knife in her trembling hand and begins shouting hysterically for her husband. Moments later, a portly man in a white smock and cloth hat emerges from an open doorway at the rear of the shop. He is brandishing an iron skillet and comes at you like a charging bull.
‘Hold there, Barwick!’ shouts Karvas, and to your astonishment the baker skids to a halt and drops his iron pot to the floor.
‘Prince Karvas … is it you?’ he stammers. Karvas uses his sleeve to wipe some of the slime from his face, and then he gives the baker a broad smile.
‘Yes, Barwick, it is I.’
‘Thank Ishir,’ gasps the baker, and he falls to his knees. ‘We have prayed that you would return home and save us from Sadanzo. We of Cavalia have suffered his tyranny for too long. He is an evil man and we fear that he will bring ruin to Siyen when he is crowned king. But now our Prince has returned to stop him. Ishir be praised!’
The sound of horses galloping to a halt outside the bakery alerts you to the fact that you and the Prince are still in great danger. The baker bolts the door and then urges you and Karvas to follow him as he hurries out of the shop, past his baking ovens, and through a rear door that leads to a walled yard scattered with chickens. He pulls open the door of an outbuilding and he offers you and Karvas the two young horses that are stabled inside. They are his most valuable animals and Karvas is impressed by the man's generosity.
‘I'll not forget this, Barwick,’ says Karvas, as you and he quickly saddle the two colts. The baker pulls open one of a pair of gates at the rear of his yard. Proudly he salutes you as you steer your horses through the gap and gallop away along a passageway that leads to one of Cavalia's city streets.
Turn to 67.
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Page 67: It has been a long time since Prince Karvas last visited Cavalia, but he is still able to remember the swiftest route from the citadel to the east gate. You ride fast and you are able to avoid the patrols of Citadel Guards that have been dispatched to hunt you down. You are anxious that your escape will be short-lived if the east gate is closed, yet fortune swings in your favour, for upon your arrival you discover a wagon has shed a wheel. Its broken axle is jammed in the threshold of the gate and a dozen guards are struggling to move it so that the portcullis can be lowered fully.
With an exuberant shout to the incredulous guards, Prince Karvas presses his head to his horse's neck and gallops under the spikes of the portcullis. You copy the Prince's actions and follow closely in his wake as he rides out of Cavalia along the straight road that heads due east to Varedo.
For more than an hour you ride without stopping until your horses refuse to take another step. They are young and lack the muscle and stamina of your Bhanarian steeds, yet they are healthy colts and will serve you better than most. After they have recovered, you press on across the plain until dusk. With darkness closing, you leave the road and take shelter for the night in a small wood. During your overnight stop, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points (unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery).
To continue, turn to 171.
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Page 171: ‘Normally one could expect to reach Varedo in three days by horse,’ says Karvas, ‘but if we use every hour of daylight and rest our mounts briefly, every hour, we may be able to cover the distance in half the time.’ Mindful that you now have only nine days in which to reach Seroa to be in time for the crowning, and wary that a pursuit party could still be sent from Cavalia to hunt you down, you spend this day in the saddle riding as far and as fast as your horses are able. By nightfall, you have made excellent progress and you are confident that the threat from Cavalia is no more. You camp for the night beside a stream and, before you sleep, you use your Magnakai skills to assist the horses to recover fully from their hard day's ride.
The following day is spent crossing the seemingly endless Lucien Plain, the monotony of the grasslands broken only occasionally by an isolated hamlet or farmstead. You have no need to approach these settlements for the rich prairie yields enough game to keep you well fed while you are on the move. It also provides surplus food equivalent to 2 Meals (adjust your Action Chart accordingly if you wish to keep one or both of these Meals).
During the afternoon, you see a group of riders approaching from the north, from out of the wooded foothills of the Ioma Range. You magnify your vision and your stomach churns when you see that they are carrying spears which display the black eagle's-head pennant of Baron Sadanzo. You focus your Kai senses upon this distant group of riders and detect that they are not soldiers. They are a hunting party seeking wild deer. The open plain offers no place to hide from these approaching horsemen and the lack of cover makes you feel especially vulnerable. You remain stationary for a few minutes while you watch them draw closer. You are hoping that they are too preoccupied with their hunt to pay you any attention. However, you soon realize that they have lost the trail of their wild deer and have decided to track new quarry—you and Karvas.
If you wish to stand and face this hunting party, turn to 93.
If you wish to attempt to evade them, turn to 277.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
‘I see you ride Cavalian colts,’ he says, and he points to the eagle brands that mark your horses' hindquarters. You nod in acknowledgement but you do not offer any explanation. The man narrows his blue eyes and strokes his beard thoughtfully. ‘You do not know who I am, do you?’
You shake your head dumbly, hoping that he will take you for a simpleton and return to his deer hunting. ‘I am Halx—the Inquisitor-major of Cavalia. Among my many duties is the regulation and taxation of horses, mules, and oxen. You both ride Cavalian steeds, yet I do not recall seeing either of you in the city before. I trust your saddle taxes have been paid? Perhaps you would be kind enough to furnish your names and places of lodging so that, upon my return to Cavalia, I am able to confirm that this is so?’
You sense that your continued silence is beginning to irritate the Inquisitor-major. His followers are also growing impatient.
If you wish to say that you are special emissaries on your way to Seroa to witness the crowning of Baron Sadanzo, turn to 116.
If you wish to say that you are new recruits to the Cavalian Citadel Guard, turn to 123.
If you decide not to say anything at all, turn to 44.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Sure, sounds good.
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Thirded.
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
‘Special emissaries, eh?’ he spits. ‘Pah! Deserters or horse-thieves, more like! What proof do you carry to show that you speak the truth?’
If you possess Sadanzo's Seal, turn to 264.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 73.
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Page 264: You retrieve the seal from your Backpack and offer it to the Inquisitor-major. The man blanches when he recognizes the object.
‘Please, accept my apology,’ he says, in a quiet and humble tone. ‘I did not know that you were travelling with the Baron's Seal. Your mission must be of great importance. I … I trust I have not caused you too great a delay.’
You return the seal to your Backpack and watch as the Inquisitor-major and his hunting party make a hasty departure. As they gallop away across the plain towards the distant foothills, you and Karvas breathe a sigh of relief before you continue your ride east towards Varedo.
Turn to 55.
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Page 55: It has been dark for more than two hours and your horses are close to exhaustion when finally you glimpse the city of Varedo, standing like a beacon of hope upon the northern edge of the Lucien Plain. Its towers and turrets and strong perimeter wall are constructed of a bleached white stone that glimmers eerily in the moonlight. Prince Karvas is glad to have left the province of Cavalia behind and he is hopeful that your reception in Varedo will be a more cordial one. The city, and its surrounding region, have always been loyal to the House of Oridon. Its ruler, Baron Lodamos, was a friend and martial advisor to his father, King Oridon. Karvas cannot imagine that Lodamos would ever join forces with Sadanzo whom he has always openly despised.
As you approach the city gate, you see that the blue flags of Varedo are flying at half-mast. This sight reassures Karvas, for it tells him that the city is still mourning the passing of his father. If Lodamos had joined with Sadanzo there would be no such display of respect for the memory of the king. At first the guards refuse you entry for the gates of Varedo are kept secure during the hours of nightfall. But when Karvas demands to see Guard Captain Dunwayne, the matter is quickly resolved. Karvas and Dunwayne both attended the military academy of Seroa, where they spent seven years together learning the art of soldiering. During this time they became the best of friends. Only when Karvas was forced into exile in distant Sheasu did their friendship lapse. The Prince is delighted to hear that Dunwayne still commands the city guard of Varedo and he awaits his arrival with keen anticipation. When eventually Dunwayne arrives at the gatehouse, theirs is a heart-warming reunion. Karvas quickly tells the guard captain of your need to reach Seroa as swiftly as you are able, and Dunwayne pledges to do all he can to help you. He provides you with fresh horses and escorts you personally through the lamplit streets of the city of the citadel where Baron Lodamos resides. Using his rank and influence, Dunwayne is able to rouse Chamberlain Gant, the Baron's aide. Gant can scarcely believe his eyes when he comes to meet Karvas. He has his guards escort you to the main hall of the citadel while he goes to wake the Baron and tell him the news. Karvas bids Dunwayne goodnight, for the guard captain must now return to his duties at the perimeter wall, but they agree to meet again soon, once Karvas has been crowned King.
The Chamberlain's guards leave you to wait for Baron Lodamos in the main hall. You spend the passing minutes admiring the many regal portraits which hang around its marble walls. They depict the kings of Siyen, and Karvas muses aloud that one day his own portrait will hang there. Then you hear the tramp of marching feet approaching the closed doors of the hall, and you and Karvas stand to attention in readiness to meet Baron Lodamos. But when the great doors swing open, it is not Lodamos who stands before you. It is a unit of armoured soldiers led by a grim-faced Marshal of the Guard.
‘Drop your weapons!’ he commands, as he and his men rush into the hall and quickly surround you. Shocked by this unexpectedly hostile reception, you comply with the Marshal's order and lay your Weapons on the floor.
If you possess a Stone Dagger, turn to 36.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 247.
Pretty sure we don't have that...
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Page 247: The Marshal of the Guard has his men confiscate your Weapons, your Kai Weapon, your Backpack, and all of your Special Items. (They leave only your Belt Pouch and its contents. On your Action Chart mark each of the confiscated items with an asterisk [*] to indicate that they are no longer in your possession, but do not erase them at this time.) Then he marches you and Karvas under close escort to the cells below the main hall, where you are shackled to the wall in irons. Karvas is shocked by this brutal treatment and he cannot reason why Lodamos would treat you both this way.
An hour passes before the door to the cell is thrown open and in strides Baron Lodamos, escorted by a bodyguard of his toughest fighting men. Prince Karvas pleads for your immediate release, but his pleas fall on deaf ears.
‘Do you not recognize me, my lord?’ he asks. ‘Do you not remember the days we spent hunting wild boar in the Ioma Forest?’
Cautiously the Baron approaches the Prince. He has one of his bodyguards come forward with a torch so that he may look at his face. The elderly Baron scrutinizes the Prince's every feature, including the birthmark on his wrist.
‘The resemblance is uncanny, I grant you that,’ he says, ‘but you are most likely another impostor, another of Sadanzo's sorcerous creations sent here to assassinate me. No, I refuse to believe that you are Prince Karvas.’
The Baron turns to leave the cell and signals to his bodyguard to follow, but Karvas begs him to stay. Hurriedly he recalls some of the visits he made to Varedo when he was a young boy, and he recounts the summer Lodamos spent teaching him to hunt and ride. Some of the details he recalls would only be known by the real Prince Karvas, and this is enough to make Baron Lodamos stop and hesitate.
‘You have a persuasive tongue,’ he says, ‘but I am not convinced. Sadanzo is a cunning foe. Yet there is one way I can be sure.’
Baron Lodamos turns to the sergeant of his bodyguard and says: ‘Very well, Guntor. Take them both to the chapel. Only there will their true identities be revealed.’
To continue, turn to 300.
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Page 300: The sergeant has his men unchain you from the wall and march you at spear-point along the lower corridors and passages of the citadel, to a small chapel of worship that is dedicated to the Goddess Ishir. You and Karvas are pushed into this chapel and its heavy door is slammed shut and bolted behind you. Moonlight filters into this place of worship through leaded stained glass set into star-shaped alcoves near its vaulted ceiling. It casts a pale rainbow of colour upon a marble tomb which occupies the centre of the chapel floor. Its heavy stone lid is carved in the likeness of a recumbent knight whose hands are folded around the hilt of a broadsword.
Karvas is about to beat his fist on the bolted door and demand that he be allowed to speak to Dunwayne, but you stay his hand. Your Magnakai Discipline of Divination warns you that you and Karvas are not alone in this chapel. You detect a strong psychic presence that is centred upon the tomb. A sudden gust of wind sweeps through the chapel and you feel the air temperature plummet to near-freezing. Ice crystallises on the sides of the tomb and a ghostly plume of vapour seeps from cracks in the stone. This translucent mist swirls and condenses, and gradually it adopts the recognisable form of a knight in armour clutching the hilt of a broadsword. It is the ghost of the warrior whose remains are entombed here. He is a paladin knight, and his ghost has arisen to test your true purpose. The ghostly warrior raises his mighty sword and rays of eerie blue light flood out from the slits in the visor of his spectral helm. As this light washes over you and Karvas, you feel pulses of psychic energy assaulting your mind. The Prince lets out a scream and then he falls unconscious to the floor as the waves of energy increase in intensity.
If you possess Kai-screen, turn to 218.
If you do not possess this Grand Master Discipline, turn to 196.
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Page 196: You draw upon your Magnakai Discipline of Psi-screen to protect your mind from these powerful pulses of psychic energy. The physical pain of this attack builds rapidly and you fear that your mental defences will not prove strong enough to withstand this terrific onslaught: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
If you have survived this mental wounding, you may continue by turning to 237.
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Page 237: The pain fades as you feel your mental defences strengthening and locking together to form an impenetrable wall. The attacking pulses break like waves smashing themselves against a rocky shore, and then abruptly their energy dissipates and the attack ceases.
Turn to 327.
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Page 327: The air temperature begins to rise and you sense a benign aura of tranquillity radiating from this spirit. The ghostly knight lowers his broadsword and bows at the waist; you have passed a great test and clearly you have won its respect. Your Sixth Sense tells you that it has looked into the depths of your soul and it approves of what it has discovered there.
As the temperature approaches normal, the apparition shrinks and its vapours are drawn back into the tomb. You hear the bolts being pulled on the chapel door, and then it bursts open and in rushes Baron Lodamos with his Marshal and a dozen of his armed guards. He sees Karvas lying on the floor and he pulls to a halt. ‘Aha! Just as I thought. Another of Sadanzo's assassins.’ Then he notices you standing before the tomb and a look of puzzlement creases his noble brow. The Marshal of the Guard kneels beside Karvas and touches his fingers to the side of his neck, seeking a pulse. ‘He's alive, my liege,’ he says, incredulously.
‘Then it's true,’ retorts the Baron. ‘He really is our Prince returned from exile. Quickly, Guntor, take him to my chambers at once.’
To continue, turn to 131.
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Page 327: With care, Baron Lodamos' men lift and carry Prince Karvas out of the chapel. You follow in the company of the Baron and his Marshal as they bear him along the corridors of the citadel and up a grand staircase to Lodamos' personal chamber. Here they rest the Prince upon a divan and the Baron's physician comes to examine him.
Lodamos offers you his sincere apologies for the harsh treatment you have endured since your arrival at his citadel. He explains that Sadanzo has made several attempts to murder him during the past year and he dare not lower his guard. The Baron is impressed that you survived your encounter in the chapel with the ghost of his ancestor—the paladin knight Ranald. ‘No mortal creature born of evil has ever survived the judgement of Ranald,’ he says, ‘and no goodly mortals have ever maintained their consciousness in his presence. I judge you to be no ordinary man. Pray tell, sir, who are you?’ You confide in the Baron that you are a Kai Grand Master and you tell him of your purpose here in Siyen. When you recount the events that have led you to his citadel, the Baron praises your courage and determination. You learn that he is a great admirer of the Kai and it is his ambition, one day, to journey to the monastery and meet with your illustrious leader, Lone Wolf.
Lodamos orders his Marshal to return your confiscated Weapons and equipment (you may erase the asterisks from your Action Chart). He also sends to the kitchens for food and wine. While the physician is attending to the Prince, you enjoy a reviving meal (you may restore 3 ENDURANCE points).
To continue, turn to 293.
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Page 293: When the Prince recovers consciousness he can hardly believe his eyes. The chill, spartan surroundings of the chapel have somehow transformed into the warm, rich opulence of Lodamos' personal chamber. The fearsome ghost of Knight Ranald has disappeared, yet he is now confronted by a sight he finds equally difficult to reconcile: Baron Lodamos happily conversing with you over a plate of roasted pheasant and sweet potatoes! The Baron, upon seeing that the Prince has regained consciousness, goes and kneels at the side of his divan. Carefully he explains all that has occurred since Karvas lost consciousness, and he begs the Prince to forgive him for the ordeal he has been made to suffer. To redress his conduct, the Baron pledges that he will do all he can to help you both reach Seroa in time for the crowning ceremony on Harvestmas Day.
If you possess Sadanzo's Scroll, turn to 126.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 317.
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Page 126: You show Lodamos the scroll that you found in Sadanzo's library, and his face turns red with rage when he reads its damning contents. ‘The murdering traitor!’ he exclaims. ‘By Ishir, he'll be made to pay for this treachery with his life, mark my words.’
Struggling hard to suppress his anger and sense of outrage, Lodamos hands back the scroll and then asks that you and Karvas accompany him to the citadel's main hall. ‘If you are to reach Seroa in time to foil Sadanzo, you must set off without delay. The ascendance ceremony will take place one week from today, and you still have far to travel. Time is against you, my lords, but I will do all I can to help your vital mission.’
Turn to 70.
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Page 70: Lodamos sends an urgent order to the commander of the cavalry, Guard Captain Sneida, to muster a troop of his best men and horses and have them ready to ride within the hour.
‘Sneida is a most accomplished horseman, and he knows the road to Seroa better than any man in this city or province,’ says Lodamos. ‘He and his troop will act as your escort to ensure that nothing delays your journey to the capital.’
The sleeping citadel of Varedo comes alive as preparations are made for your speedy departure. Lodamos takes you and Karvas to the stables where you are given the pick of his personal steeds. Karvas chooses a young black stallion and you settle for a dark bay mare. Lodamos approves of your choice: these horses possess speed and stamina, qualities that may prove essential if you are to reach Seroa in time. As your mounts are being saddled, you meet with Guard Captain Sneida and the men of your escort. You are impressed by their eager readiness to carry out this unexpected duty, and by the quiet professionalism with which they go about their preparations.
Baron Lodamos wishes you godspeed and bids you farewell as you climb into the saddle and get ready to set off from the citadel. It is still dark when you and your escort ride out of Varedo and head east across the plain, along a wagon-worn road that leads to Oberra. When darkness gives way to the golden light of the rising sun, the troop unfurls Lodamos' personal banner which they carry proudly at the head of their column. It is a pale blue flag, trimmed with gold braids, and it depicts an owl clutching the blade of a sword. Karvas tell you that these symbols represent Lodamos' motto—Wisdom and Strength. His flag serves you well, for as the day unfolds, all the fellow travellers you encounter on the road hurriedly move aside to allow you to pass unhindered when they see Lodamos' banner approaching.
You ride all day and put more than a hundred miles behind you. It is dusk when Sneida brings the troop to the fortified chateau of Lord Jopas, Baron Lodamos' younger brother. You stay there overnight, and in the morning the troop are furnished with fresh mounts for the coming day's ride across the Lucien Hills. This region of Siyen is one of great natural beauty and you enjoy the panoply of castles, chateaux, and richly wooded valleys which unfolds as you traverse the hill trail to Oberra. When night falls you find yourselves still within the boundaries of this hilly timberland. Captain Sneida is loath to make camp in the forest for it harbours packs of wild wolves that may be tempted to attack by the scent of the horses. He urges the troop to continue for several moonlit miles further until you reach the chateau of Baron Jayde. He is commander of the Lucien Province and a trusted friend of Baron Lodamos.
The troop ride through a pair of open, torchlit gates and come to a halt inside a walled courtyard at the front of Baron Jayde's grand estate. Adjacent to the gates are a stables block and a paddock. Captain Sneida orders his men to put the horses in the paddock while he goes to inform Baron Jayde of your arrival. You are leading your horses into the paddock by the reins when your Kai Sixth Sense warns you of hidden danger. You look around the courtyard and suddenly you realize that something is amiss. Ever since you arrived at the chateau you have seen no sign of Baron Jayde's staff or guards. The estate is seemingly deserted. Then you hear Captain Sneida call out a welcome, and when you look to the chateau, you see the figure of a stout man standing in a doorway at the head of a grand flight of stone steps. ‘Well met, Baron Jayde,’ calls Sneida, but his friendly greeting elicits no response. The man in the doorway is utterly immobile; not a flicker of emotion stirs his pale round face. Sneida approaches and quickens his pace. He is halfway up the steps when suddenly the rotund figure of Baron Jayde topples stiffly forwards and falls, face down, upon the flagstones. Fear chills your blood when you see the polished handle of a stiletto dagger protruding from between his shoulder blades.
In that instant the trap is sprung. Suddenly the top of the courtyard is ringed by grim-faced soldiers armed with crossbows. ‘Ambush!’ shouts Captain Sneida. It is the last word he will ever utter. In response to his shout of warning, the soldiers let loose a deadly volley of bolts that claim his life, and the lives of four of his men. As the dead and wounded scream and fall, you drag Prince Karvas to the ground in a desperate effort to save him from being hit.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If you possess Grand Huntmastery, add 3 to the number you have picked. If you possess Assimilance, add 1.
If your total score is now 4 or less, turn to 261.
If it is 5 or higher, turn to 6.
We got a 5 +3 = 8
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Page 6: Your swift action saves the Prince from being struck by a crossbow bolt. It also saves you from being hit when one of these deadly iron missiles ricochets off the paddock gate and whistles by your head.
Turn to 159.
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Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
As you rush through the doorway you are brought skidding to a halt when you are confronted by seven armoured knights. Your stomach churns when you see that they wear the eagle's head emblem of Sadanzo upon their surcoats. Their presence here makes you realize that they have been following your trail ever since your daring escape from Cavalia. The delay that you experienced at Varedo bought them the few hours they needed in order to get ahead of you and set up their deadly ambush.
‘Farewell, Prince Karvas!’ growls a knight, his guttural voice partially muffled by the iron strips that criss-cross the visor of his iron helm. He raises his gleaming axe and all seven warriors rush forward and attack you simultaneously.
Sadanzo's knights: COMBAT SKILL 45 ENDURANCE 38
You cannot evade this combat, but you may add 5 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of this fight as Prince Karvas is fighting at your side. If you possess the Kai Weapon ‘Kaistar’ you may add the appropriate COMBAT SKILL bonus for fighting at night.
If you win the combat, turn to 108.
Endurance 35
CR is 33 + 5 (Grand Weaponmastery) + 7 (Kai Star) + 2 (Amulet) + 4 (Mindblast) + 5 (Karvas) = 56
Your Enemy took 14 damage -
and now has 24 Endurance Points.
Stormheart took 1 damage -
and now has 37 Endurance Points.
YOU HAVE DEFEATED YOUR ENEMY!!
The combat lasted 2 round(s).
Stormheart took 1 total damage -
and now has 37 Endurance Points.
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Page 108: As the last of Sadanzo's knights crashes dead at your feet, you leap over his crumpled body and rush towards the rear of the stables where the slain knights' horses are tethered to a rail. You and Karvas cut free the two sturdiest mounts and pull yourselves into their saddles. Prince Karvas wheels his horse about and rides him out into the courtyard. When you emerge from the stables, you are following close behind the Prince and struggling hard to keep your jittery horse from losing its footing on the smooth flagstones. Strewn around the walled yard and paddock are the bodies of slain and wounded troopers. Your heart goes out to these brave men, but you dare not stop to help them. To do so would be suicidal. Karvas gallops his horse towards the open gates and you hear shouts of alarm from the Cavalians positioned around the courtyard wall. They have recognized you and they are bringing their loaded crossbows to bear on your fleeing backs.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 234.
If you possess Magi-magic, and wish to use it, turn to 337.
If you possess neither of these skills, or if you choose not to use either of them, turn to 273.
Coin flip since they lead to the same conclusion.
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Page 234: Hastily you recite the words of the Brotherhood Spell Invisible Shield and sweep your hand in a circle behind your head. The spell materializes barely moments before a speeding crossbow bolt hits it and is deflected away from your neck. Its buckled point trails a line of sparks as it gouges a furrow in the flagstones.
Turn to 174.
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Page 174: You gallop out of the courtyard amid a hail of bolts, and race east along the forested hill trail. The Cavalian crossbowmen have hidden their horses in the woods surrounding Baron Jayde's chateau, and when they see you escaping, they quickly abandon their positions around the courtyard wall and mount up to give chase. Your daring escape puts you more than a mile ahead of your ruthless pursuers, but this trail is difficult to ride at night for you are guided only by the light of the moon. You have little difficulty keeping your horse to the twisting trail for you are aided by your Kai night vision, but Karvas is not so fortunate. Some parts of the trail are covered by a thick canopy of branches which shut out the ashen moonlight. Whenever you pass through these sections, Prince Karvas is plunged into darkness and he is forced to slow his pace dramatically. Rather than risk having him lose the trail completely and crash headlong into the trees, you call to him to leave the trail at a place where it passes over a wooden bridge. You hide with your horses beneath this bridge and wait for the Cavalians to pass. You hear their horses' hooves thunder across, but you do not emerge when they have gone. Patiently you wait, and within the hour you hear them returning. They have lost your trail and they are going back to Baron Jayde's chateau in the belief that you have slipped past them and doubled-back to rescue the few wounded troopers who survived the ambush.
The Cavalians return across the bridge, and when you can no longer hear their horses, you emerge from your hiding place and continue east along the trail. During your night ride to Oberra, unless you possess the Discipline of Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Shortly after daybreak, you emerge from the dense timberland and pass through a region where the hills are given over to the cultivation of grapes and vines. During the day, you and Karvas take it in turns to sleep in the saddle. While one is asleep, the other leads his companion's horse by the reins. By this method you are able to overcome the fatigue of your recent ordeals and still make good progress along the trail to Oberra.
It is early in the morning, four days before Harvestmas, when you crest a ridge of high ground and see Oberra in the distance. This populous city nestles in a bowl-shaped valley at the eastern edge of the Lucien Hills, where the uplands meet the softly undulating flood plains of the River Seroa. Prince Karvas tells you that his old tutor, Florin Sainus, resides in Oberra. He proposes that you ride to the city and visit his house in the northern quarter. Karvas is confident that Sainus will help you reach Seroa in time for the crowning. Your spirits are lifted by this welcome news, and you ride with renewed vigour until you reach the gates of Oberra late in the afternoon.
Turn to 280.
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Page 280: The city of Oberra is still mourning the death of King Oridon. Its scarlet-and-yellow flags hang at half-mast, and many of its citizens wear black armbands and shawls as visible marks of their respect for the memory of Prince Karvas' father. As you ride along its paved streets, you see that many of its shops and public buildings bear proclamations announcing the forthcoming crowning of Baron Sadanzo on Harvestmas Day. Most of these notices have either been torn or defaced with black paint, and this cheers Karvas, for it shows that the citizens of this wealthy city do not welcome the prospect of having Baron Sadanzo as their future king.
It is nearing darkness when you find the residence of Florin Sainus. It is a well-appointed townhouse built on three levels with its own walled garden and stables. You dismount and pull a bell rope that hangs beside its arched door. The Prince's aged tutor is overwhelmed with surprise and delight when he opens the door and sees his former pupil standing on the steps before him. The old man ushers you both inside and orders his servants to attend to your horses. Over a reviving meal of steamed fish and oatmeal bread, Karvas recounts the perilous events of the past few weeks which have brought you here to seek his help. Gladly he pledges his assistance, but he cautions you that your time has nearly run out. Carefully he considers the ways by which you could still reach Seroa in time for the crowning, and at length he tells you of two routes. Both offer an equal chance of success.
The first is the most direct route: the King's Highway from Oberra to Seroa. Normally this road would take four days to travel, but there are now only three full days left before Harvestmas, and so you would have to ride hard to make up for the missing day. The second route is partly by road and partly by river. Seventy-five miles due east of Oberra is the hamlet of Xaia. It lies on a bend of the River Seroa and is a boarding point for the boats that carry cargo and travellers along this major waterway. By this route the journey to Seroa can be completed in three days, ‘assuming that the riverboats are running to schedule,’ warns Sainus. ‘They are the swiftest means of reaching the capital, yet they can be unreliable during spells of bad weather.’
Karvas proposes that you decide which route to take and then leave Oberra at once. ‘If we commence our journey this night, we may gain a few precious hours that could ensure our success.’ You agree with the Prince that you should go at once, but Sainus informs you that it will not be possible for you to leave Oberra until dawn. He tells you that the city council have imposed a curfew during the hours of darkness, following an outbreak of thefts and murders among its prominent citizens. Sainus believes that Baron Sadanzo's robber knights are responsible for the crimes, for many have become residents of the city since King Oridon passed away. He fears that they are plotting to overthrow the council and will act as soon as Sadanzo is crowned king.
In light of the situation, you decide to stay here and rest, and then leave the city at first light. Before you retire, Karvas asks you to decide which route you should use to travel to Seroa.
If you wish to travel the King's Highway, the road that leads directly from Oberra to Seroa, turn to 227.
If you decide to travel to Seroa by way of road and riverboat, turn instead to 59.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Podcast WHORING: Episodes 2-8 (Thanks Zonghui)
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Yeah let's try the boat
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
Dawn breaks as you leave Sainus' house, and you hear a bell which signifies that the night curfew has now come to an end. You ride along the waking streets of the north quarter and enter a broad avenue that leads directly to the east gatehouse. The guards posted here are opening the great east gate as you approach, and you gallop through the widening gap and out onto the plain beyond.
The sun shines brightly all day and you make good progress along the trail that heads due east towards the River Sero. By nightfall you have covered more than 75 miles and have reached the tiny village of Xaia. Moored at its wooden jetty is a large riverboat. This grand vessel is brightly illuminated by hundreds of coloured lanterns that are fixed to its masts and deck rails. You tether your horses to a post and then hurry along the jetty to where a thin man in a long black coat is seated at a table. He is counting out Orla and stacking them neatly in piles of twenty. Karvas asks if he may purchase two tickets to Seroa, but the man shakes his head and tells you that all the tickets have been sold. The riverboat sails within the hour and every place aboard has been purchased.
‘If you're lucky, you may be able persuade a couple o' passengers to sell you their tickets,’ he says, cheerlessly. ‘Them that's not already aboard are over there, drinking their fill at the Crown & Bugle Inn.’ He scratches his stubby chin and then points a bony finger towards a ramshackle tavern perched on the riverfront.
If you wish to go to the Crown & Bugle Inn, turn to 256.
If you wish to try to bribe the ticket seller to let you go aboard the riverboat, turn to 202.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
‘I'd wager those two dandies have tickets for the riverboat,’ says Karvas, conspiratorially. You focus your concentration on the two men and your Kai Sixth Sense confirms that the Prince's assumption is correct.
If you wish to approach them and offer to buy their riverboat tickets, turn to 17.
If you wish to wait outside the tavern and approach the men when they leave, turn to 111.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
I'll be waiting.
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
3DS FC: 0817-3759-2788
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Page 111: You walk from the tavern and wait in the shadows of a nearby alleyway for the two Cavalians to leave. Soon you hear the clang of the riverboat's bell echoing through the village. The captain is calling all passengers aboard; his boat is due to set off for Seroa in fifteen minutes' time. You watch a steady stream of people leaving the tavern and walking to the jetty to board the boat, but you do not see the Cavalians. You are beginning to fear that you have missed them in the crowd when suddenly they emerge from the tavern. They are the last ones to leave.
If you wish to approach them and offer to buy their riverboat tickets to Seroa, turn to 222.
If you choose to approach them and simply demand that they hand you their tickets, turn to 320.
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
Podcast WHORING: Episodes 2-8 (Thanks Zonghui)
Normally these two fops would blanch and faint in the face of such a threat, but a night spent drinking at the tavern has filled them with liquid courage. The taller man stares Karvas defiantly in the eye and then he begins to shout at the top of his voice: ‘Robbers! Footpads! Cut-throats!’
Karvas reacts instinctively. He punches the dandy squarely on the jaw and leaves him sprawled unconscious on the ground. His stout companion freezes and his mouth opens wide with shock. Before he, too, can scream out in alarm, you knock him out with a sharp blow to the nape of his neck.
Quickly you drag their bodies into the alleyway and rifle their pockets in a search for their tickets. Karvas finds both of them in the jacket pocket of the stout lordling, and he hands one to you. (Record the Riverboat Ticket on your Action Chart as a Special Item which you keep in the pocket of your breeches. You need not discard another item in its favour if you already possess the maximum number of Special Items permissible.)
Having now obtained what you need, you leave the alleyway and hurry back to the jetty.
Turn to 2.
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Page 2: You return to the jetty and show your tickets to the ticket seller. He grunts his approval and waves you aboard the riverboat. The number of your berth is written on your ticket, and you discover that you are both sharing cabin number 12 which is located at the stern. You are pleased to discover that it is one of the better cabins aboard. It has a cupboard stocked with food and wine, a washing bowl and a jug of water, and twin bunk beds with mattresses and feather pillows.
After a short while you hear the clang of the riverboat's bell. It is a signal that the boat is about to set off for Seroa in five minutes' time and a last call for passengers who are still in Xaia. Through the porthole of your cabin you can see the jetty and a queue of people boarding the boat. Fortunately, you do not see any Cavalians among them.
Once everyone is aboard, the gangplank is raised and the riverboat's waterwheel begins to turn. As the boat gets underway, you lock the cabin door and settle down to a good night's sleep.
To continue, turn to 46.
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Page 46: It is early morning when you awaken. Your sleep has revived your strength (restore 3 ENDURANCE points) and left you feeling in good spirits. You wake Karvas and then you both go up on deck to enjoy the warm sunshine and watch the passing countryside. To the west, the left bank is backed by farmsteads and orchards; to the east, the ground gently rises to low, rolling, vine-clad hills. The Sero is deep, and its fast-flowing current helps propel the boat downstream at a quicker rate than could be maintained by a horse. On reflection, you are glad that you decided to travel to Seroa by this route.
The riverboat is crowded with passengers bound for the capital. From snatches of conversations that you overhear on deck, you learn that most of them are going there to see the crowning of Sadanzo. Many of your fellow travellers stand to gain in some way from his ascendance, and when you discover this fact, you and Karvas take care to avoid them as much as possible.
As darkness falls, the passengers congregate on a lower deck of the boat which serves as a gambling hall. You and Karvas remain at the rail and enjoy the sight of a waxing moon that dominates the clear night sky. ‘Tomorrow will be Harvestmas Day and the moon will be at its fullest,’ says Karvas, wistfully.
‘Yes,’ you reply, ‘and you, my lord, shall by then be rightful king of this realm.’
You leave the rail and retire to sleep, waking early the following morning with mixed feelings of excitement and apprehension. The riverboat comes within sight of Seroa by mid-morning and docks at the city's wharf one hour before noon. You and Karvas are jostled by the other passengers as you wait on deck, for everyone is eager to disembark and hurry to Palace Square in time to see the crowning ceremony. When your turn comes to leave the riverboat, you see that the passengers ahead of you are being stopped at the end of the gangplank by two Seroan City Guardsmen. They are collecting their riverboat tickets.
If you possess a Riverboat Ticket, turn to 153.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 27.
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Page 153: You and Karvas retrieve your tickets and present them to the guardsmen. As one guard takes them from you, the other tells you to leave the docking area as quickly as you can. ‘Keep this line moving,’ he bellows, and hurriedly you obey his command.
Turn to 12.
______________________________
Page 12: You follow Karvas through the teeming streets of the capital towards Palace Square, the grand plaza where the crowning ceremony is set to take place in less than an hour. A wide avenue of marbled stone leads towards the square, and as you hurry along it, you marvel at the aristocratic mansions and embassies that march past on either side. The sound of a fanfare echoes in the distance and you increase your pace when Karvas tells you that it signifies the arrival of Baron Sadanzo. The approach to the square itself is blocked by the crowd, but the Prince knows of another way by which you may reach it. You leave the avenue and he takes you along a narrow lane that winds through a maze of buildings in the Merchants' Quarter. This area has been closed for the Ascendance and Harvestmas ceremonies, but you are able to climb over the barricades that have been erected to prevent entry by the crowd, and you reach the square unchallenged.
On a raised platform in the centre of Palace Square, Baron Sadanzo is preparing to kneel before Phedros, the Marshal of the Realm, the highest ranking officer in the kingdom of Siyen. He is flanked by the High Chancellor, the High Chamberlain, the Mayor of Seroa, and other Siyenese noblemen. Under the Constitution of Siyen, following the death of Oridon and the absence of Karvas, the Marshal of the Realm is empowered to bestow kingship upon the Baron.
Frantically, you and the Prince struggle through the crowd that encircles the platform. Phedros is about to place the State Crown of Siyen upon Sadanzo's head when you leap onto the platform and bring the ceremony to an abrupt halt.
‘I am Karvas, Crown Prince of Siyen, and I demand my birthright!’ shouts the Prince to the assembled nobles. The crowd gives a gasp of astonishment which is followed by a deathly hush.
‘You are an impostor,’ screams Sadanzo. ‘The real Prince Karvas is exiled in Sheasu. I demand this man be executed for his insolence!’
Marshal Phedros approaches Karvas and takes hold of his right arm. He pulls back the sleeve of his tunic and examines the birthmark on his wrist. Phedros has known Karvas since he was a baby, and you sense that he is convinced that the mark is genuine. He raises the Prince's arm so that the other Siyenese nobles gathered on the platform can see the crescent-shaped mark. Murmurs of dissent can be heard among the crowd, and whispers that Karvas has returned filter back to Sadanzo's ears. The evil Baron narrows his coal-black eyes and slips a glowing green gem from the pocket of his ermine robes. Your Sixth Sense warns you that this stone is radiating strong psychic energies. Through its use, Sadanzo is able to exert a powerful control over the noblemen of Siyen who are gathered here on the platform. If you are to break the Baron's mental hold over them, you must destroy the evil gem that is clenched in his bony fist.
If you possess Kai-alchemy, and wish to use it, turn to 97.
If you possess Magi-magic, and wish to use it, turn to 205.
If you possess a Bow, and wish to use it, turn to 135.
If you possess neither of these Disciplines, nor a Bow, or if you choose not to use any of them, turn to 314.
Randomed since they all lead to the same result.
______________________________
Page 205: You utter the words of the Old Kingdom Spell Invisible Fist as slowly you clench the fingers of your right hand. Upon the final word, you thrust your clenched fist at the gem in Sadanzo's hand and the Baron screams with fear. The brute power of your spell hits the gem and smashes it to dust.
Turn to 250.
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Page 250: Sadanzo clutches his injured hand to his chest and falls to his knees exhausted. You sense that the destruction of his gem has greatly weakened him. It has also freed the Siyenese nobles from his evil influence, an influence that robbed them of their free will.
If you possess Sadanzo's Scroll, turn to 61.
If you do not possess this Special Item, turn to 296.
______________________________
Page 61: Prince Karvas denounces Sadanzo as a murderer and a traitor, and you show the scroll that you discovered in the Baron's safe to Phedros as proof of his treachery. The Marshal gasps when he reads the damning contract and he orders the Royal Guard to arrest Sadanzo immediately. ‘Take the traitor to the palace dungeons,’ he commands. Upon hearing this, a vast section of the stunned crowd roar their approval, and sporadic fighting breaks out as followers of Sadanzo attempt to battle their way out of the square. Marshal Phedros orders that the city gates be sealed, and then he commands the Royal Court Cavalry to hunt down Sadanzo's robber knights in every quarter of Seroa, and bring them to justice. As these noble troopers eagerly set about their task, Phedros turns to Prince Karvas and hugs him to his chest. ‘Welcome home at last,’ he says, his voice wavering with emotion. ‘Welcome home … King Karvas.’
Turn to 270.
______________________________
Page 270: News of Karvas' return spreads like wildfire through the capital. Hundreds of cheering citizens enter the square and surround the platform on all sides, weeping and shouting with joy that they are to be spared the tyranny of Sadanzo's rule. With the blessing of the gathered nobles, Marshal Phedros proclaims Karvas the King of Siyen and he places the State Crown upon his head. Gladly Karvas accepts his birthright and he rises to receive the adulation of the excited crowd. As the cheering gradually subsides, he turns to you and bids you kneel before him. You obey his command and Karvas unsheathes his sword. He dabs its blade lightly upon your head and smiles:
‘Arise, Sir Kai, for I proclaim that you are now a Knight of Siyen.’ The crowd cheer loudly, though not for their king. This time their cheers are for the Kai Grand Master of Sommerlund without whom their beloved Prince would never have claimed his throne.
You accompany King Karvas and his noble entourage to the Royal Palace where the celebration of his ascendance to the throne begins with a banquet, and concludes with a procession of royal coaches that visits every quarter of the city. The citizens of Seroa shower their new king with flowers. They also call for the swift execution of the traitor Sadanzo. The following day you learn that Karvas has granted his citizens their request for justice. Baron Sadanzo is sentenced to death, the execution to be carried out at noon in the Palace Square. Upon the platform on which he sought to be crowned king, the Baron loses his head to the executioner's axe.
Turn to 350.
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Page 350: Congratulations, Grand Master. Your mission is complete. In the face of great adversity you have met the challenge and you have triumphed. You have upheld the highest traditions of the Kai with honour and dignity, and you have displayed exceptional strength and bravery throughout your ordeal. The succession of Karvas is an important victory in the war against Evil, for it has prevented the throne of Siyen, Sommerlund's richest ally, from falling into the hands of an agent of Naar. You have earned the respect of the Siyenese people and they will never forget the debt of gratitude they owe you.
Following the celebration of his succession, King Karvas arranges for you to return home to Sommerlund by sea aboard his royal caravel. The voyage is swift and uneventful, yet upon reaching Holmgard you learn of a new and deadly threat that has arisen to challenge the Kai. If you wish to confront this threat, the nature of the challenge will be revealed in the next exciting Lone Wolf adventure, entitled:
Rune War
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf
Black Desert: Family Name: Foolery. Characters: Tome & Beerserk.
(Retired) GW2 Characters (Fort Aspenwood): Roy Gee Biv
(Retired) Let's Play: Lone Wolf