The Masters of Darkness: 75

75

The sun-sword spins through the air, its heavy blade pulling it slightly awry. You fear that it will miss the Darklord, yet it catches his outstretched hand and shears it off at the wrist before embedding itself in the chamber wall beyond. The evil lord screams in agony, cradling the severed stump in an attempt to staunch the flow of foul-smelling ichor. Then he shrieks maniacally and raises his sword with his remaining hand. He is badly wounded, but as he staggers forwards you sense that, so long as he wields his black sword, he is a formidable enemy.³

Darklord Kraagenskûl (wounded): COMBAT SKILL 30 ENDURANCE 29

This being is immune to Mindblast (but not Psi-surge). If you survive the first three rounds of combat, you are able to retrieve the Sommerswerd.⁴

If you win the combat, turn to 240.

[3] Lone Wolf Club Newsletter No.12 clarifies: ‘Although the Sommerswerd has been drawn and used within the Darklands, you were able to use it to destroy Kraagenskûl before he could make use of the communicator to inform Gnaag of your presence. The port of Argazad is on the fringe of the Darklands and, because of its remote location, your unsheathing of the Sommerswerd did not directly alert Gnaag in Helgedad. The Sommerswerd combat with Kraagenskûl was true to Rimoah’s warning (Section 282); it did alert him to your presence and betrayed your true identity.’

[4] Unless you are carrying the Dagger of Vashna and choose to use it, you will be unable to inflict damage upon Darklord Kraagenskûl for the three rounds until you can retrieve the Sommerswerd. Should you choose to use the Dagger of Vashna here, remember that ‘you may add 7 points to your COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the fight, owing to the power of the Dagger of Vashna when used against a Darklord of Helgedad’ (cf. Section 171).