Reborn Krakalla Flying Fortress (and Naarvakim crew)

The Reborn Krakalla Flying Fortress (and Naarvakim crew) is an optional battle encounter in The Dusk of Eternal Night. Through combat statistics alone, it is an extremely difficult fight (Combat Skill 58, Endurance 90, with immunity to Mindblast and Kai-surge). However, without certain items or skills, Grand Master faces rolls of death every round of combat.

Appearance

An illustration of Reborn Krakalla Flying Fortress (and Naarvakim crew) is available at The Dusk of Eternal Night: §137.

This encounter is effectively a fight against a flying battleship, on board a Krakalla, manned by a Naarvakim crew armed with a myriad of magical weapons. It appears to be the flagship of the attacking forces.

Its wingspan alone is larger than the Starstrider, with talons longer than a human. It is clad in Black Steel, and equiped with Borese cannons on each corner, harpoon guns on each side, a bombardment cannon in front, countless arrow slits for archers and spellcasters, and a squad of shock troopers inside.

In the gamebooks

In The Dusk of Eternal Night, the Starstrider will come under attack by the Naarvakim. A running subquest in this book is to reinforce the Starstrider with powerful artifacts and weapons to mitigate the effects of this attack, so it is able to defend itself more-readily.

If the Starstrider was reinforced with a Scarlet Fire Rod, Sun-stone Shard or Bronin Steam-Spear, this combat is avoided altogether. If not, the Reborn Krakalla Flying Fortress (and Naarvakim crew) is fought.

To start the combat, Grand Master first makes a brave decision: They throw themselves towards the fortress, aided by Grey Star's Magick of Sorcery to lift them further. Firstly, a volley of arrows and fireballs is aimed towards them, with the following possible bonuses:

• With Assimilance at Kai Grand Guardian or higher, or Elementalism at Kai Grand Defender or higher, summon a mist and add 3
• With Kai-alchemy or Magi-magic, erect a magical shield and add 2
• With Grand Huntmastery, add 2
• If Grand Master still has Jigidanak or Kurzazuk, add 2
• If Grand Master is wearing Cynxa or Zaaryxa, add 2

Then, depending on the roll:

• 0-1: Instant death
• 2-4: Lose 6 Endurance points, and 2 Combat Skill for the fight
• 5-7: Lose 5 Endurance points (3 with Cynxa)
• 8-9: Lose 2 Endurance points
• 10 or more: Nothing

The encounter is then fought:

Reborn Krakalla Flying Fortress (and Naarvakim crew)
Combat Skill 58, Endurance 90
Immune to: Mindblast, Kai-surge
↪The Dusk of Eternal Night: §320

This encounter is immune to all psychic attacks except Kai-blast and Kai-ray. The Naarvakim attack with their combined Mindforces: Without a Grey Crystal Ring or Kai-screen, the player's Combat Skill is reduced by 2. This encounter is vulnerable to the effects of Star-Ska, Sunstrike, Valiance and Raumas. Alternatively, if Grand Master possesses both Sesketera's Naarvakim Spear and a Medallion of Weaponskill, 3 bonus Combat Skill points can be added as Grand Master can inflict damage on the Krakalla's vulnerable parts from less exposed positions.

Additionally, every round of combat, if a 1 or 2 is rolled, the Naarvakim crew succeed in dislodging Grand Master from the Krakalla. If Grand Master possesses both Sesketera's Naarvakim Spear and a Medallion of Weaponskill, it can be used as a harpoon to haul themselves to safety. If Grand Master possesses Kai-alchemy, they can also cast Levitation to the same effect. If Grand Master possesses none of these, however, they fall to their doom.

If Grand Master wins this combat, they climb to the creature's head and drive their weapon through its eye to the brain, and leap to safety, where they are guided back onboard the Starstrider with Grey Star's help.

This encounter has the second-highest number of Endurance points of any encounter in any Lone Wolf book, after the Xargath (100) in The Masters of Darkness.