## The Story So Far …

You are a Grand Master of the New Order of the Kai—the warrior élite of Sommerlund.

It is the year MS 5083, thirty-three years after the First Order of the Kai was almost wiped out by the Darklords of Helgedad. These champions of evil, who were sent by the Dark God Naar to destroy your fertile world of Magnamund, have since been destroyed. Lone Wolf, the leader of your illustrious fighting order, was the sole survivor of the massacre. As a young Kai initiate he stood amidst the burning wreckage of the old Kai Monastery and vowed to avenge the slaughter of his comrades. In the year MS 5070 he kept his pledge when alone he infiltrated the foul domain of the Darklords and destroyed the infernal city of Helgedad, the base of their evil power.

With the fall of Helgedad, chaos befell the Darkland armies who had, until then, been poised to conquer all Magnamund. Quickly their disorder escalated into a mutinous civil war which allowed the Freeland Alliance armies of Magnamund time in which to recover and launch a successful counter-offensive. Against all odds, a swift and total victory was secured over the feuding armies of evil.

Following the demise of the Darklords, peace reigned in your homeland of Sommerlund. Under the direction of Lone Wolf the ruined Monastery of the Kai was rebuilt and restored to its former glory, and the raising of a New Order of Kai warriors was swiftly established. You are one of this new generation of Kai recruits. You were born in Sommerlund in the year MS 5063, during the time of the war against the Darklords. When you were seven years old you were sent by your father to the Kai Monastery. There, under the tutelage of Lone Wolf, you developed your martial skills and honed the special Kai abilities which lay dormant within you. During the years that followed, your skills were nurtured and sharpened to perfection by long hours of study and rigorous training. Your exceptional talent helped you master all of the Kai and Magnakai Disciplines, and you rose swiftly through the ranks of the New Order to become one of only five who now hold the high rank of Kai Grand Master. It is an achievement which has brought great honour upon you and your family.

In the year MS 5077 your skill and courage were put to the test when an attack was launched upon the Kai Monastery during Lone Wolf’s absence. By means of a Shadow Gate (an astral corridor between the physical world of Magnamund and the many ethereal domains which lie beyond it), Naar sent forth a host of dragon-creatures to besiege the monastery and lay waste to all Sommerlund. He had chosen his time well, yet his evil plan was thwarted by the tenacious defence that you and your brethren maintained until the siege was raised by Lone Wolf and the King’s Army of Sommerlund.

During the six years that have elapsed since the defeat of his minions, Naar has endeavoured to enact his vengeance upon the Kai. He commands many agents of evil upon Magnamund, and quietly they wait in the shadows for the day when they can serve their fell master. One such agent was Baron Sadanzo of Siyen. The Kingdom of Siyen is one of the richest countries in the continent of Southern Magnamund, and it is also one of Sommerlund’s oldest allies. Sadanzo had its ruler, King Oridon, brutally assassinated so that he could lay claim to the throne in the absence of Prince Karvas, Oridon’s only son, who lived in exile upon the remote Isle of Sheasu. The Baron was a disciple of Naar and he possessed a sorcerous power that had turned the minds of the Siyenese Court to his will. By use of sorcery he made them support his ascendance to the throne. It was a dangerous threat to Siyen, yet all was not lost. The constitution of Siyen decreed that Prince Karvas had, upon the death of his father, 60 days in which to lay claim to his rightful heritage. Only if he failed to return in time would Sadanzo be elected the new King.

Lone Wolf promised to prevent Baron Sadanzo from usurping the throne, but it was a pledge that only you could fulfil. At the time of King Oridon’s assassination, you were engaged upon a mission in Southern Magnamund and were closer to the Isle of Sheasu than any other Kai. Upon successful completion of your mission, Lone Wolf ordered you to forgo your return to the Kai Monastery and journey instead to Sheasu to seek out the exiled Prince. Your new mission was to find Karvas and escort him safely home in time to claim his throne and thwart Sadanzo’s plan. Despite great adversity you succeeded; Prince Karvas was duly elected King and the evil Baron Sadanzo and his followers were put to the sword. In recognition of your courage and your invaluable help in saving his realm from Sadanzo’s tyranny, the newly-crowned King Karvas made you an honourable Knight of Siyen. He also placed Golden Star, his royal sailing ship, at your disposal to help speed your return home to Holmgard—the Sommlending capital.

Shortly after dawn on a cool mid-autumn morning, the sleek royal Siyenese clipper glided into Holmgard harbour. Despite the early hour, an escort of the King’s Guard were standing by in readiness to convey you by carriage directly to the Kai Monastery where you were greeted and warmly congratulated by your fellow Grand Masters. You also received glowing praise from Supreme Master Lone Wolf for successfully completing your missions and for upholding the finest traditions of the Kai. It felt good to be home after so many months abroad and you were looking forward to settling back into the routine of the monastery. But your hopes were soon dashed when, later that day, you were summoned by Lone Wolf to a private audience with him in his chambers. The news he had to impart came as an unexpected shock.

‘We must prepare for a crusade, Grand Master,’ he said, as he unfurled a large vellum map of central Magnamund and spread it upon the granite floor of his vaulted chamber. ‘War rages anew in the Stornlands, and its ravenous flames threaten to devour our allies within the Freeland Alliance.’

Lone Wolf unsheathed his mighty sword—Sommerswerd—and, using the tip of its golden blade, he pointed to a landlocked realm west of the great River Storn. ‘This is Eldenora, the source of the problems we must face. Since the fall of its former ruler, Prince Lutha, a new lordling has arisen to snatch the reins of this lawless realm. He is not of noble birth, yet he has crushed all royal opposition and taken upon himself the title Lord Vandyan of Eldenora. Earlier this year he swelled the ranks of his army with regiments of Magadorian and Ogian mercenaries. After having falsely accused his peaceful neighbour—Delden—of violating Eldenoran territory, he stationed these mercenaries along his northern border. When Delden mustered its army to counter the threat, Vandyan accused them of aggression and promptly declared war. The campaign was swift and brutal; Delden’s army was broken in battle and its people are now enslaved by this tyrant. Emboldened by his martial success, Vandyan carried the war further afield. Magador, its defences already weakened by the defection to Eldenora of its best mercenary regiments, was the next to crumble. By mid-summer Vandyan’s army had crossed the River Storn and captured Salony. Word reached us from neighbouring Lyris that a steady stream of fresh troops were arriving from Eldenora to bolster the ranks of its occupying armies. Clearly Lyris, with its ancient city of Varetta, was the next jewel to be added to Vandyan’s shameful crown of conquest.’

Lone Wolf interrupted the briefing to open a door to an adjoining antechamber, and through this doorway shuffled an old man clad in a hooded robe of dyed brown linen. ‘May I introduce you to Gwynian the Sage,’ said Lone Wolf, reverently. ‘He has travelled from Varetta to seek our aid.’

The name Gwynian was well known to you, for this wise sage had helped Lone Wolf on many occasions in the past and his name was revered by the Kai. But this was the first time you had met him in person and you felt greatly honoured. In turn, Gwynian praised you for the victories you had achieved since becoming a Kai Grand Master. Upon Lone Wolf’s invitation, he approached the map and took over the briefing.

‘Since my arrival here, sadly I have learned that my beloved city of Varetta is besieged by Vandyan’s horde,’ he said, with quiet solemnity. ‘Lone Wolf has already told you that the Eldenorans are receiving a constant supply of reinforcements. This fact alone would be of grave concern, but it is the nature of these troops that disturbs us more. They are neither human nor mercenaries. They are Vorka, a fighting breed of Agarashi that became extinct following the destruction of their master—Agarash the Damned—several millennia ago … or so we had believed. Now the Vorka have reappeared in great numbers. They are armed, trained, and utterly subservient to the commands of Lord Vandyan.’

As Gwynian continued the briefing, you learned that the war had escalated greatly since the arrival of the Vorka. To the south, Eldenoran armies had seized the city of Tekaro and were marching across the Slovarian Plain, driving the battle-weary Slovians before them. To the west, Vandyan’s armies had invaded Palmyrion and were within reach of Vanamor, the capital. Lone Wolf informed you that Guildmaster Banedon had travelled to Palmyrion by skyship to assist its ruler, Elector Manatine, muster his country’s defences. With his help the Palmyrions were holding the enemy at bay, but with hundreds of Vorka reinforcements arriving unchecked, it was simply a matter of time before Vanamor would be overrun.

‘The Vorka are the key to Vandyan’s military successes,’ said Lone Wolf. ‘If we are to defeat him and save our allies, then we must cut off his reinforcements at the source.’

‘This is so,’ replied Gwynian, ‘and we do know from where the Vorka have sprung.’ The sage stooped and pointed with a gnarled finger at the middle of the vellum map. ‘Our agents have reported they come from here … Duadon. It is the Eldenoran capital. Thousands of Vorka have been observed marching out from this walled city to bolster Vandyan’s armies in the field, yet no Vorka have ever been seen entering the city from elsewhere. This can mean but one thing: the Vorka horde is being created somewhere within Duadon itself.’

‘But how?’ you asked, incredulously. ‘Is Vandyan a great sorcerer?’

‘No, he is not a sorcerer, great or otherwise,’ replied Gwynian, knowingly. ‘But he has discovered an ancient force that was thought to be lost forever. There is only one power in Magnamund capable of creating the Vorka: the power of the runes. Vandyan has discovered the lost Runes of Agarash the Damned.’

Gwynian told of how, millennia ago, Agarash the Damned had battled with the Elder Magi in a war that had lasted for more than a thousand years. Nearing the end of this epic confrontation, as his vitality waned against the goodly magic of the Elder Magi, the evil Agarash encapsulated the essence of his remaining powers into tablets of obsidian and crystals of jet. Agarash knew that he was doomed, but if he were able to preserve some of his powers in this way, so that they could be used by future disciples of Naar upon Magnamund, then the legacy of his terrible rule would survive beyond him. Three obsidian tablets were engraved with marks, or runes, to distinguish their fell origin, while a further seven crystals were fashioned into likenesses of the Kai Lorestones and called Doomstones in mockery of those goodly gems of power.

‘Since the demise of Agarash, some of the Doomstones have surfaced to ensnare and empower Naar’s lowly agents,’ said Gwynian. ‘But the Doomstones cannot create Vorka. Only the runes hold this power. It has long been believed that they perished with Agarash himself in the destruction of Naaros, his legendary stronghold. Now, it seems, they have finally surfaced once more … and have fallen into the hands of Lord Vandyan.’

Lone Wolf vowed that he would help Gwynian raise the siege of Varetta and secure for him the freedom of Lyris. The New Order Kai were told to prepare for a crusade against Eldenora, and valuable help was provided by High-Mayor Kordas of Casiorn. At his own expense, this rich merchant ruler raised an army of mercenaries in Anari, Firalond, and Kakush, and he sent them to the town of Quarlen to prevent the enemy from crossing the River Quarl. These mercenaries are skilled soldiers and have been paid handsomely, but they lack gifted leaders. It was agreed that the Kai would provide this leadership, with Kai Grand Masters and lesser ranks assuming command of mercenary regiments upon their arrival in Quarlen.

‘Three days hence, we begin the ride to Quarlen,’ said Lone Wolf. ‘Armed with our knowledge, our courage, and our Disciplines, I vow we Kai shall turn back the tide of evil that now threatens to consume our allies.’