the Darklord is persistently clawing and probing at his mind.
‘You will get your Northlander, Lord Haakon,’ says the Zakhan, his voice curt with anger, ‘when you tell me why your servants defile the Tomb of the Majhan. You claim to have no need for gold and jewels — why then do you plunder the graves of our ancestors?’
A deathly quiet fills the hall; only the unnatural hiss of the Darklord's breath disturbs the silence. ‘This land, this insignificant speck of sand, harbours two small thorns that prick our skin. We seek to remove them both — forever. The fledgling Kai, Lone Wolf, is the thorn that denies us Sommerlund. The Tomb of the Majhan hides the other thorn that threatens us — the accursed
Book of the Magnakai
.’
Your heart pounds as the words echo in your head. The
Book of the Magnakai
! Suddenly, the reason why you have been enticed into a deadly trap becomes clear, and the sinister truth is revealed.
The
Book of the Magnakai
is one of the oldest legends of Sommerlund. With the wisdom of the Magnakai, Sun Eagle, the first Kai Grand Master, instilled the disciplines into the warriors of the House of Ulnar, the bloodline of your king, that were to save your land from devastation at the hands of the Darklords. The
Book of the Magnakai
was lost hundreds of years ago, but its wisdom was kept alive, handed down through generations of Sommlending warriors so that they could share the strength to resist their eternal enemies, the Darklords of Helgedad.
If the Darklords discover and destroy the
Book of the Magnakai
, the secrets will be lost forever, and when you die, the Kai will become extinct. However, if you discover the
Book of the Magnakai
first and deny the Darklords their prize, all the wisdom of the Magnakai will be revealed to you. Through its wisdom you will become strong, strong enough to reach the ultimate achievement for a Sommlending warrior — to become a Kai Grand Master.
However, the peril and the glory of the quest that lies ahead are distracting you from more immediate danger. To discover this danger and to begin the quest for the
Book of the Magnakai
, turn to Part Two of
Shadow on the Sand
.
Begin your adventure at 201 .
203
There is a sickening and acidic smell as a great gout of green blood gushes from the Vordak's red robe. The creature screams and topples from view, its mangled corpse spiralling downwards.
Sheathing your weapon, you grab the reins and fight to regain control of your injured mount. You have slain the Vordak, but the battle is not yet won. The Itikar is losing a lot of blood and could lapse into unconsciousness at any moment to drop you like a stone onto hard Lake Inrahim. Suddenly you see something in the distance — something that renews your faith in miracles.
Turn to 221 .
206
There is no reply to your first knock. You are about to knock again when the door opens a few inches and the red-rimmed eyes of an old woman stare out from the darkness. ‘Banedon!’ she exclaims, her voice hoarse and shaky. ‘Thank the gods it is you.’
She ushers you both inside and locks the door. The house is sparsely furnished, and what little is there is either damaged or broken. ‘They have taken him, Banedon, they have taken my husband — the men with the faces of the dead. Ten days ago. They came like shadows in the night.’
She breaks down, her frail body wracked by sobs. Banedon comforts her as best he can, but you sense he shares her bitter loss. The Drakkarim have taken Tipasa, of that there is little doubt. By now they will have made him tell everything he knows about the Tomb of the Majhan.
‘We will find him, I promise,’ says Banedon, wiping the tears from the old woman's face, ‘but you must try to help us if you can. Tipasa always kept a diary of his travels — do you have it still?’
A flicker of hope shines in the old woman's eyes. ‘Yes, it is here. He told me to hide it when the evil men came for him.’
She kneels at an empty
‘You will get your Northlander, Lord Haakon,’ says the Zakhan, his voice curt with anger, ‘when you tell me why your servants defile the Tomb of the Majhan. You claim to have no need for gold and jewels — why then do you plunder the graves of our ancestors?’
A deathly quiet fills the hall; only the unnatural hiss of the Darklord's breath disturbs the silence. ‘This land, this insignificant speck of sand, harbours two small thorns that prick our skin. We seek to remove them both — forever. The fledgling Kai, Lone Wolf, is the thorn that denies us Sommerlund. The Tomb of the Majhan hides the other thorn that threatens us — the accursed
Book of the Magnakai
.’
Your heart pounds as the words echo in your head. The
Book of the Magnakai
! Suddenly, the reason why you have been enticed into a deadly trap becomes clear, and the sinister truth is revealed.
The
Book of the Magnakai
is one of the oldest legends of Sommerlund. With the wisdom of the Magnakai, Sun Eagle, the first Kai Grand Master, instilled the disciplines into the warriors of the House of Ulnar, the bloodline of your king, that were to save your land from devastation at the hands of the Darklords. The
Book of the Magnakai
was lost hundreds of years ago, but its wisdom was kept alive, handed down through generations of Sommlending warriors so that they could share the strength to resist their eternal enemies, the Darklords of Helgedad.
If the Darklords discover and destroy the
Book of the Magnakai
, the secrets will be lost forever, and when you die, the Kai will become extinct. However, if you discover the
Book of the Magnakai
first and deny the Darklords their prize, all the wisdom of the Magnakai will be revealed to you. Through its wisdom you will become strong, strong enough to reach the ultimate achievement for a Sommlending warrior — to become a Kai Grand Master.
However, the peril and the glory of the quest that lies ahead are distracting you from more immediate danger. To discover this danger and to begin the quest for the
Book of the Magnakai
, turn to Part Two of
Shadow on the Sand
.
Begin your adventure at 201 .
203
There is a sickening and acidic smell as a great gout of green blood gushes from the Vordak's red robe. The creature screams and topples from view, its mangled corpse spiralling downwards.
Sheathing your weapon, you grab the reins and fight to regain control of your injured mount. You have slain the Vordak, but the battle is not yet won. The Itikar is losing a lot of blood and could lapse into unconsciousness at any moment to drop you like a stone onto hard Lake Inrahim. Suddenly you see something in the distance — something that renews your faith in miracles.
Turn to 221 .
206
There is no reply to your first knock. You are about to knock again when the door opens a few inches and the red-rimmed eyes of an old woman stare out from the darkness. ‘Banedon!’ she exclaims, her voice hoarse and shaky. ‘Thank the gods it is you.’
She ushers you both inside and locks the door. The house is sparsely furnished, and what little is there is either damaged or broken. ‘They have taken him, Banedon, they have taken my husband — the men with the faces of the dead. Ten days ago. They came like shadows in the night.’
She breaks down, her frail body wracked by sobs. Banedon comforts her as best he can, but you sense he shares her bitter loss. The Drakkarim have taken Tipasa, of that there is little doubt. By now they will have made him tell everything he knows about the Tomb of the Majhan.
‘We will find him, I promise,’ says Banedon, wiping the tears from the old woman's face, ‘but you must try to help us if you can. Tipasa always kept a diary of his travels — do you have it still?’
A flicker of hope shines in the old woman's eyes. ‘Yes, it is here. He told me to hide it when the evil men came for him.’
She kneels at an empty
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