[LUPO SOLITARIO] Libro XVIII: Dawn of the Dragons

[Sturm]

170 "Buonuomo sono Lupo "Ariano" Solitario,posso questionarle il prepuzio due minuti?

[Kaluisurrr]

mabbasta con questi encounter random, abbiamo una patria da proteggere

[Jesper]

Question time!

The young man gets up off his knees and greets you with a friendly smile. He is unusually talkative for a guildsman and you soon learn that his name is Frello, and that he is a journeyman from the Silversmiths’ Guild of Vanamor. He has stopped here to offer up a prayer to Ishir to protect him from ‘bad strangers on the trail’. It appears that he was robbed yesterday by some Eldenorans on the road out of Vanamor. He offers to share half a loaf of bread with you, but you decline his generosity, thanking him nonetheless. You sense that it is all the food he has. Mindful of wasting time, you bid him good luck and then continue your journey east.

Turn to 19.

Bah <.<

Beyond the valley lies an expanse of coarse and thorny vegetation which is alive with wild game. You stop to catch yourself an evening meal and then make camp beneath an old twisted oak (restore 3 ENDURANCE points). The night passes uneventfully and at first light you resume your ride east. Shortly before midday, you arrive at the ruins of an ancient church where a signpost, pointing to the east, says:
Vanamor—42 miles

You allow yourself a smile; with luck you could be inside the city walls by nightfall.

Later in the day you see a dust cloud approaching along the road. You magnify your vision and see a dozen armed horsemen clad in ragged uniforms of green and black. A sense of unease pervades your mind; these are the colours most often worn by Eldenoran soldiers. Trusting to your Kai instincts, you steer your horse off the trail and take cover among the trees of a nearby copse.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–6, turn to 81.

If it is 7–9, turn to 229.

Random!

Roll...8!

As the riders approach, your initial suspicions are confirmed: these are unquestionably Eldenoran brigands. Their saddle-cloths bear the emblem of their realm, and their steeds are laden with sacks and pouches that bulge with ill-gotten gains. You remain hidden until they have passed by, and then, to be doubly sure you wait until the dust of their horses’ hooves disappears beyond the horizon.

During your wait, unless your possess Grand Huntmastery, you must eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

To continue, turn to 340.

Disappointing z.z

You reach the city of Vanamor late in the evening, long after the sun has set beyond the western horizon. The guards at the west gate do not, at first, look kindly upon a travel-stained rider of unknown origin, but when you show them the Star of Palmyrion—the medal that their leader, the Elector Manatine, awarded you for your victory over the evil druids of Ruel—their cold attitude undergoes a dramatic change. The guard sergeant apologizes profusely and escorts you personally through the capital’s streets, past a well-ordered collection of dwellings and public buildings, to a grand palatial edifice in the city’s northern quarter. It is the Elector’s Hall—the seat of the Palmyrion republic.

Trumpets announce your arrival as you stride through the hall’s great arched doors. Senators and officials stop momentarily to stare; then their attentions return to their affairs of state which strike you as unusually urgent. It is almost midnight, yet the Elector’s Hall is a buzzing hive of activity. You meet with Elector Manatine in his War Room where he and his generals are poring over maps and battle reports. He welcomes you with a warm handshake but his countenance seems unusually dour and agitated. You are soon to learn why.

Turn to 121.

‘It is good to see you again, Grand Master,’ he says, forcing a smile. ‘I was expecting you. I received word yesterday from Queen Evaine telling me of your urgent journey. Yet it is unfortunate that your visit should come at this time; I would have hoped to have given you the kind of welcome you truly deserve.’ The Elector then introduces you to his generals who acknowledge you with soldierly salutes.

‘As you can see, we are at war, Grand Master,’ he says, sweeping a hand over the maps which lie strewn across his state table. ‘The new ruler of Eldenora, a low-born blackguard by the name of Lutha who dares to adorn himself with the title “Prince of Duadon”, is attempting to seize our northern territories. We are locked in battle with his army of cut-throats near Holona and, though it pains me to have to admit this, we’re hard-pressed to contain his advance. This war has come without warning and we were ill-prepared. We have few reserves, insufficient to support the Holona garrison and to counter the many small units of Eldenoran horsemen who are ravaging our plains. This is a dark and testing time for us, Grand Master, but e’en so, I shall aid you all I can.’
[illustration]

You learn that the Elector has already elicited, on your behalf, the help of High-Mayor Cordas of Casiorn. Cordas is reputedly the richest man in all of Magnamund. Manatine tells you that Cordas has ordered the construction of a sky-vessel to transport you swiftly to Sommerlund.

‘This craft is presently being built in Casiorn, and the High-Mayor has sent word that you should go there as quickly as you can. His teams of skilled artisans are working on the craft day and night, and he is confident that it will be completed in fifteen days’ time.’

In times of peace, you would expect the 850-mile ride to Casiorn to take little more than two weeks to complete. But peace, always a fragile state in the Stornlands, has been shattered by Prince Lutha’s unprovoked attack on Holona, a town through which you had hoped to travel. Anxiously, you ask the Elector how the war against Eldenora will affect your chances of reaching Casiorn swiftly.

‘Sadly, I cannot predict the future, Grand Master,’ he replies. ‘The war bodes ill for both our causes. However, I shall do what I am able to speed your journey onwards.’

The Elector motions to one of his guardsmen who turns and leaves the War Room. He soon returns with another soldier who wears the uniform of a captain.

If you have ever visited the Palmyrion military post at Stonewatch in a previous Lone Wolf adventure, turn to 204.

If you have not, turn to 84.

Mi pare che non abbiamo incontrato sto tipo, quindi 84! (nel caso ditemelo che metto l'altro paragrafo)

‘Grand Master, let me introduce you to Captain Cearmaine,’ says Elector Manatine, formally presenting the tough-looking officer to you. ‘I have chosen him to see you safely to Holona. He will do all he can to help you through the battle zone so that you may press on with your urgent journey to Casiorn.’

You recognize the captain’s name and recall having heard tales of his bravery during the Darklands War. His acts of heroism turned many battles to the favour of the Freeland Armies and earned him a respected reputation throughout Northern Magnamund. You could not have asked for a better man to escort you on the next, difficult stage of your vital journey.

He offers you his hand in friendship and you are mildly shocked when your fingers close around a palm crafted from cold steel.

‘A keepsake from the Battle of Vellino,’ he says, smiling at his metal hand. ‘Sadly, the first was stole away by a Drakkar’s axe.’

Turn to 130.

Vellino E la mano metallica

Elector Manatine permits you the use of his private chambers, which adjoin the War Room, where you are able to get a few hours’ sleep before dawn. Then, shortly after sunrise, you bid the Elector and his generals farewell and leave the city, with Captain Cearmaine, in a military coach bound for Holona. An escort of cavalry outriders accompany this armoured carriage in case you should meet unexpectedly with a unit of roving Eldenorans during your journey east. Thankfully, the journey proves swift and uneventful and, as the day is turning to dusk, you find yourself approaching the military outpost of Stonewatch.

You stay at this fort overnight and then continue on to Holona in the morning. For most of the journey you experience a sense of unease, a premonition that something is wrong, but it is not until you catch sight of the city, shortly before noon, that your fears are realized.

Turn to 157.

Holona is in turmoil. The approach roads and outlying fields are littered with scores of broken wagons, dead horses, and the ruined impediments of war. Palmyrion soldiers sit dejectedly on the frost-hardened earth, their glazed eyes and bandaged limbs bearing grim testimony to the bitter fighting that is taking place just a few miles to the north. Battle-weary officers ride among these exhausted men, cursing and coaxing them in a half-hearted attempt to rally them to arms. Few heed their call.

Illustration IX—The approach roads and outlying fields of Holona are littered with the ruins of war.

Inside the city walls the situation is tense. Every available dwelling is packed to overflowing with wounded soldiers, and the civilian populace, displaced from their homes by the army’s needs, wander the streets and alleyways in a state of shocked confusion, greatly adding to the chaos.

Captain Cearmaine orders his driver to the Canatarium, the largest of Holona’s municipal halls, where General Foucharl, the Palmyrion commander, has established his headquarters. On entering this crowded building, a young lieutenant rushes up to Cearmaine and informs him that his son has been wounded in the battle now raging at the Reloni Bridge.

‘I must go to him, Grand Master,’ he says, his voice choked with emotion. ‘I’m told that he has not long to live.’

If you wish to go with Captain Cearmaine to see his wounded son, turn to 289.

If you choose not to accompany him, turn to 307.

Mmm che si fa ?

[Rise-the-Sky]

Attiviamo la Gesù Cristo mode e andiamo a resuscitare Lazzaro.

[Lupoazzurro]

con la sola imposizione delle mani!

[Sturm]

Lazzaro alzati e vaffanculo!

[Jesper]

Lazzarone!

You follow Cearmaine and the young lieutenant out of the Canatarium and along a crowded avenue towards a tented encampment in the city’s main park. Here, under a canvas awning, the captain finds his mortally wounded son being attended to by an army physician.

‘Will he pull through?’ asks Cearmaine, of the physician whose white surgical apron is stained deep crimson with the blood of all those he has attempted to save this day. The weary man does not answer—he simply shakes his head and leaves to attend yet another poor wretch who is crying out for him to end his suffering.

Illustration XVII—‘Will he pull through?’ Cearmaine asks the physician.

Cearmaine’s son has a deep chest wound which, on closer inspection, you determine was made by a poisoned arrow. The physician has removed the shaft but the poison has long since entered the young man’s bloodstream. His life is fast ebbing away and you sense there is very little you can do to save him.

If you possess Deliverance and have reached the rank of Sun Knight or higher, turn to 164.

If you do not possess this skill, or if you have yet to attain this level of Kai Mastery, turn to 13.

Poteri di Giasù!

You focus your advanced Kai healing powers on the young man’s wound and cause the punctured tissues to knit together (reduce your ENDURANCE score by 3 points). Your treatment deadens his pain and revives him, but you know that this remission is but temporary; the poison in his blood is too strong and too well-established to be neutralized by your Kai powers.

Through clenched teeth, he forces himself to speak. You hear him tell his father that Prince Lutha’s army is being aided by a sinister group of Cener Druids and renegade Nadziranim magicians. Lutha himself possesses a ring of power, which bestows upon him an invulnerability to weapons. The boy says this ring must be taken from him if he is to be slain.

Gradually, the effects of your healing powers wear off and the brave young man slips into a sleep from which he will not awaken.

Turn to 255.

NUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOvabbe.

Cearmaine is overcome with grief by his son’s death. With trembling hands he takes the bloodstained tunic from beneath the young man’s head, unfolds it, and drapes it over his lifeless body. To your surprise, you note the insignia on the lapels are similar to those on Cearmaine’s uniform; his son held the rank of captain, the same as his father.

‘I must go to his regiment,’ he says, his voice wavering. ‘It is right and fitting that I take command of them now.’

After attending to the burial of his son, the grieving captain returns to the Canatarium to find out where his son’s regiment is stationed. He learns they are at the Reloni Bridge, at the very heart of the battle. Before he leaves, he thanks you for trying to save his son’s life and he suggests two routes by which you can reach the distant city of Casiorn from here.

The first route is the most direct, but it is also the most hazardous. It requires you to pass through the enemy lines at the Reloni Bridge, cross the southern tip of Eldenora, and then continue your journey north by way of the Slovarian Plain.

The second route will avoid the fighting at the Reloni Bridge, but it would mean having to pass through the city of Duadon—Prince Lutha’s stronghold.

(Consult the map before making your choice.)

If you choose to take the Reloni Bridge/Slovarian Plain route to Casiorn, turn to 271.

If you decide to take the Duadon/Rhem route instead, turn to 38.

Dopo questa disfatta...dove vogliamo andare? Riposto la mappa per praticità

[Ladro di anime]

Cearmaine l'avevamo già incontrato nel 13° libro.

[Kaluisurrr]

passiamo per duadon, famo il culo a lutha e andiamo a salvare sommerlund

[Defender]

Abbiamo già perso troppo tempo a cazzeggiare around, via diretta + battaglia della madonna sul ponte is da way!

271

[Bortas]

idem 271

[Lupoazzurro]

Via diretta

[Jesper]

Ok, non mi ricordavo di Cermaine Ecco il paragrafo che avremmo avuto se mi fossi ricordato!

‘Grand Master, let me introduce you to Captain Cearmaine,’ says Elector Manatine, formally presenting the tough-looking officer to you. ‘I have chosen him to see you safely to Holona. He will do all he can to help you through the battle zone so that you may press on with your urgent journey to Casiorn.’

You recognize the captain’s name and recall having heard tales of his bravery during the Darklands War. His acts of heroism turned many battles to the favour of the Freeland Armies and earned him a respected reputation throughout Northern Magnamund. You could not have asked for a better man to escort you on the next, difficult stage of your vital journey.

He offers you his hand in friendship and you are mildly shocked when your fingers close around a palm crafted from cold steel.

‘A keepsake from the Battle of Vellino,’ he says, smiling at his metal hand. ‘Sadly, the first was stole away by a Drakkar’s axe.’

E ora...via al 271!

‘Very well, Grand Master, if this is the way you choose to proceed with your journey, then you are welcome to ride with me.’

You accept Cearmaine’s offer and, within the hour, you and he are on the road once more, this time riding north on horseback towards the battle that is raging at the Reloni Bridge. When you are three miles from the river you can see the night sky lit up by the fires of war. At two miles, the sounds of singing steel and dying men can be heard on the wind. At a mile distant, you see fields littered with the wounded and dying recently evacuated from the front, and regiments of young Palmyrion reserves nervously awaiting their turn to go forward. And when at last you catch sight of the bridge itself, your stomach churns as you witness the carnage being wrought there.

The bridge and the surrounding banks of the river are carpeted with dead and dying men, twisted into impossible shapes. Massive engines of war bombard the soldiers on both sides, raining fiery death and destruction upon their heads. You have seen many battles in your time, but none to rival the savagery of the conflict that is unfolding here.

Cearmaine catches hold of a young lieutenant whose face is covered with dried blood. Part of his scalp has been sliced away but he seems unaware of his gaping wound. Cearmaine barks a question and the man answers him by pointing to a regiment of pikemen stationed on a distant hill.

‘There stand the Black Ravens—my son’s men. I must away now, Grand Master, so I bid you farewell. The enemy have been repulsed this last hour and are gathering themselves for their next attack. If you are determined to cross the water to their side, you should attempt it now, before they advance again.’ Cearmaine turns his horse about and makes ready to ride off. ‘By the gods, Grand Master, you are brave to have chosen this road home!’ he says, saluting you. ‘I wish you luck—may Kai and Ishir keep you safe. Farewell, my friend. Farewell!’

As the captain gallops away, you look with mounting dread at the slaughter. To cross the river by the bridge is impossible; the only ways across are either upstream to the north, or downstream to the south. To the north you see a dense wall of trees on the far bank, which, judging by the number of arrow-struck bodies lying nearby, you hazard is full of enemy archers. To the south, the far shore is a mass of heavily fortified trenches filled to overflowing with Eldenoran assault troops.

If you wish to attempt to cross the river north of the bridge, turn to 70.

If you decide to try a crossing to the south of the bridge, turn to 181.

Dilemma geografico! Nord o Sud ?

[Ladro di anime]

Hai ripostato il paragrafo dove non lo conosciamo, era il 204 quello giusto.

At once you recognize the captain: it is Cearmaine, the brave hero of the Darklands War, who guided you to Stonewatch and the Forest of Ruel during your quest to thwart the Cener Druids, two years previously.

‘Hail, Grand Master!’ he says, his battle-scarred face beaming with delight. ‘I am pleased to have been chosen by the Elector to escort you north to Holona.’

‘Well met, captain,’ you reply, shaking his steel hand. ‘I could not have wished for a better travelling companion.’

Turn to 130.

[Jesper]

Ao non lo volevo postare