Lone Wolf: Extended Edition

He is a mountain of a man, completely bald and with large gold rings hanging from each ear. He looks at you suspiciously and says, 'Ale is one Gold Crown, a bed for the night is two. Which do you want?'

If you wish to buy some ale, pay the innkeeper 1 Gold Crown and turn to 72.

If you wish to stay here for the night, pay the man 2 Gold Crowns and turn to 56.

If you want neither, but merely wish to ask him a little bit about Ragadorn, turn to 226.

I say we just start with a drink and see what happens...

The innkeeper speaks with the gruff tone of a native Ragadornian. You discover from him that this seaport is ruled by Lachlan, son of Killean the Overlord who died three years ago of the dreadful Red Death plague. The innkeeper does not speak highly of Lachlan, whom he calls the 'Prince of Thieves'.

'He and his mercenaries bleed the people dry with heavy taxes, and if y'complain, you end up in the harbour with a dagger in your back.' The big man shakes his head and pours another round of ale for the drunken sailors.

If you wish to buy a room for the night pay the innkeeper 2 Gold Crowns and turn to 56.

If you wish to try your luck at winning some Gold Crowns at arm-wrestling, turn to 276.

Wait, where's the 'If you'd like to go and murder those fuckers over their buying booze with YOUR money, turn to page blahblahblah' option? Um, I guess we'll go the Over the Top route here.

A grim-looking sailor is challenging all-comers to an arm-wrestling contest. He is so confident of winning that he will pay 5 Gold Crowns to anyone who beats him. As you approach his table, a serving girl whispers in your ear, 'Be careful stranger, he is an evil man. He breaks the arms of those who lose, and murders any who beat him.'

As you face the sailor across the table, bets are made throughout the tavern.

If you have the Kai Discipline of Mindblast, turn to 14.

Now we're talking!

As the contest begins, you use your Kai Discipline to weaken your opponent's concentration. Beads of sweat stand out on his forehead and his eyes gradually close as he withers under your relentless Mindblast. In less than a minute he has collapsed to the floor completely unconscious. His head also explodes.

Turn to 305.

There is a shocked silence as you scoop up the 5 Gold Crowns from the table and turn to leave, but as you reach the tavern door, an ugly thug draws his sword and blocks your exit. Just as you are wondering what to do, there is a loud thud, and the man keels over onto the floor. Behind him, to your surprise stands the serving girl with a large wooden club in her hand. You thank her politely and race out of the door into the darkened street beyond. You also decide to denouce your gayity from the last book and make mad, passionate love to her, making every combat skill check and every endurance check along the way.

After running for ten minutes in the dark, you spot a large stable and coach station through the gloom ahead. With the shouts of angry sailors still ringing in your ears, you quickly enter the building and spend the night safely hidden in the hay-loft.

I'm disappointed that we were denied the chance to retrieve Big Gem that Burned Us back from those asshats, but I guess nailing the barmaid is a good consolation prize.

Turn to 32.

You awake at dawn to the sound of a shrill cockcrow. You can see the crooked streets of Ragadorn through a veil of heavy rain beating down on the cobblestones outside. It has been six days since you left Holmgard and you are still 200 miles from Port Bax.

You are in the loft of a very large coach station. A group of green-clad men have arrived and have started to clean out one of the coaches. You overhear one of them say that the coach leaves for Port Bax at one o'clock this afternoon and that the journey will take seven days.

You are hungry and must eat a Meal here or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

Again with the meals? We've been through a book and a half, and I don't think we've encountered a single meal. We are indeed a tough Cheeseburger.

After the Meal, if you decide to approach the coachmen and ask to buy a ticket for the journey to Port Bax, turn to 136.

If you would rather descend the ladder to the street outside,turn to 238.

Buy the ticket, take the ride.

'The fare to Port Bax is 20 Gold Crowns,' says the coachman in a gruff Ragadornian accent.

If you have 20 Gold Crowns and wish to purchase a ticket,turn to 10.

If you do not have enough money for the fare, turn to 238.

Pisshole! We're about 12 gold crowns shy.

Opposite the coach station is a narrow street leading to a gaming-house with a sign outside.

No Weapons Allowed Inside

You are excited by the chance of being able to win some gold and you quickly enter. Any Weapons you may have must be left with a guard at the door. You can recover your Weapons when you decide to leave. You are given a silver token worth 1 Gold Crown, that can only be used in this gaming-house

The entrance hall opens out into a huge room where many gambling games are in progress. One that catches your eye is called 'Cartwheel'. At one end of a long table, an attractive young woman spins a black dish divided into ten sections marked 0-9. As the dish spins, she drops a small silver ball into it which eventually comes to rest in one of the numbered sections. Several merchants are seated around the table and they are betting heavily on the fall of the silver ball.

To play 'Cartwheel', you must first decide the number you would like to bet on and just how many Gold Crowns you would like to stake. Make a note of these numbers and then roll that greed d10 on your desk. If you pick exactly the same number, you win 8 Gold Crowns for every 1 Gold Crown that you gamble. If the number you pick is immediately before or after the correct choice, you win 5 Gold Crowns for every 1 Gold Crown that you stake. There is a limit to how much you can win on this table: 40 Gold Crowns.

You may play as many rounds of 'Cartwheel' as you wish until either you lose all your Gold Crowns or you decide to pick up your winnings (maximum of 40 Gold Crowns).

If you have lost all your Gold Crowns, turn to 169.

If you have winnings to collect, or if you wish to withdraw with what money you have left, leave the building and turn to 186.

Let's take our 9 gold crowns and do some gambling. Feel free to picture it in your head.

After a few rolls, we're up to 21 gold. The smart move is to walk away. After all, you can't lose what you don't bet. But you can't win much either.

A few rolls later we're at 35 gold. Time to catch that bus to Port Bax.

You pocket the ticket and the man takes you to a coach that is waiting near the east gate of the seaport. It is empty and you take a seat near one of its circular windows. You are relieved to find that the seat is quite comfortable, for the journey to Port Bax will take seven days.

Stowing your equipment beneath the seat, you settle back in comfort and doze off.

When you awake, there are five other passengers and the journey to Durenor has already begun.

Roll a d10.

If the number you have picked is 0-3, turn to 51.

If the number you have picked is 4-6, turn to 195.

If the number you have picked is 7-9, turn to 339.

I roll a 1.

After nearly an hour, the coach stops at the shrine of Kalanane. It is said that this shrine is built upon the grave of King Alin, the first ruler of Durenor, and all around the shrine grow clumps of Laumspur.

If you wish to pick some of this herb, turn to 103.

If you do not, return to the coach by turning to 249.

Laumspur growing wild.

Laumspur? Gee, maybe it's a healing herb. Or a hallucinogenic. Let's get some!

Laumspur is a delicious herb, much sought after in the Lastlands for its healing properties. You have picked enough for one Meal. Eating this meal will restore 3 ENDURANCE points to your total. You wrap the herb up, and return to the coach with the other passengers.

Turn to 249.

During the course of the afternoon's journey, you chat with your fellow travellers and learn about their backgrounds.

Sitting opposite are two brothers named Ganon and Dorier. They are knights in the Order of the White Mountain, warrior lords of Durenor who have pledged allegiance to protect the country from raids by the bandits of the Wildlands. They own a castle and land near Port Bax. Next to them sits Halvorc the merchant. His nose is swollen and his face is badly bruised thanks to Lachlan, the Overlord of Ragadorn. A little misunderstanding about port taxes lost him his cargo and most of his gold. Seated by the far door is a priest called Parsion. Like you, he is a Sommlending who has journeyed across the Wildlands by coach on his way to Port Bax. Beside you sits a young woman called Viveka. She is a mercenary adventuress who earns her gold by fighting for it, and sells her services to the highest bidder. She is returning to Port Bax having collected payment for a successful adventure in Ragadorn.

Not wishing to reveal your true identity, you have pretended to be a simple peasant. The travellers seem unaware of the war that now rages in Sommerlund.

Turn to 39.

At dusk the coach stops at an inn on the coast road to Port Bax. The cost of a room for the night is 1 Gold Crown for coach passengers and 3 Gold Crowns for anyone else. As you are about to enter, the coach driver demands to see your ticket.

If you have a ticket for the journey to Port Bax,turn to 346.

If you do not have a ticket, turn to 156.

The driver nods and hands back the ticket. The inn is warm but poorly furnished. You must eat a Meal here which will cost you 1 Gold Crown unless you have a Meal in your Backpack.

The Kai Discipline of Hunting cannot be used on your journey through the Wildlands, as it is a barren wasteland inhabited only by creatures called Szalls, a weak and cowardly breed of Giak.

If you can afford the 1 Gold Crown for the room, turn to 280.

If you have no money, turn to 205.

You sleep deeply without being disturbed before rising at dawn, gathering your equipment and joining the others as they board the coach.

For two days and nights, the coach follows the trade route across the flat, treeless Wildlands. It stops only to allow the driver to sleep. But on the morning of the ninth day of your quest, there is an unfortunate accident.

Roll a d10. Preferably a green one.

If the number you have picked is 0-4,turn to 2.

If the number you have picked is 5-9, turn to 108.

It's a 4.

What does that mean? What happens now? Seriously, this is getting to be simply too much information to put into one post. This is one of my favorite sections of the Lone Wolf books, but there aren't a lot of choices to be made at the moment. So feel free to read this, comment as you see fit, and emotionally prepare yourself for the make-believe trials that lie ahead. I'll post the follow up in a couple of days.