The Last of the Kai?

[Arandur]

Okay, in preparation for running my LW campaign I thought it would be a good idea to read over the gamebooks once again and jot down a few notes and ideas for a more 'Magnumund' feel.

But the first passage under the section headed 'The Story so Far...' surprised me a little, it states the following passage:

In the northern land of Sommerlund, it has been the custom for many centuries to send the children of the Warrior Lords to the monastery of Kai. There they are taught the skills and disciplines of their noble fathers.

The Kai monks are masters of their art, and the children in their charge love and respect them in spite of the hardships of their training. For one day when they have finally learnt the secret skills of the Kai, they will return to their homes equipped in mind and body to defend themselves against the constant threat of war from the Darklords of the west.

OK, now this passage states that once they have learned the disciplines of the Kai they will return home. Wouldn't this mean that there are more Kai trained folk out there amongst the people of Sommerlund? Has anyone else noticed this? Why couldn't have little Silent (Lone) Wolf learned from them instead of doing it alone?

Arandur

 

[August]

One answer:

Because the Feast of Fenmarn was the perfect time for Zagarna to strike. It is the one day of the year when all the living Kai, lords and apprentices alike, gather at the Monastery. Thus, in one fell swoop, his black armies crushed the entire gathering of Kai's champions... expect Silent Wolf.

-August

 

[wayward_sage]

But here was my problem with the Fest of Fehnmarn thing. How could every single possible Kai Lord be there? Weren't there some that were in other countries gathering intel or on missions? How could they all drop everything to show up en masse to one location. And, how smart would this be?

 

[adgramaine]

Its a religous holiday for the Kai, who I have always envisioned as warrior-monks from traditional DnD type settings.
So what you have is now, IMO, a question asking why are Clerics adhering to a holy day? For them it is a matter of fellowship, strengthening their ties with their lord (Kai) and each other. No Kai Lord would miss such a holy day - it would be sacrelidge (sp?)
Now of course, such things are not in any way strategically sound by any stretch of the imagination... but religion is never supposed to make sense ALL the time, esp. in an RPG

Of course, this begs the question, WHAT IF, somewhere one Kai was performing some deep undercover mission, lost within enemy territory... unable to return to the Monastery. What if one was captured by an enemy who didn't recognize the value of the prisoner? What if a game centered around THESE FEW remaining Kai Lords, how they escaped their prisons and from behind enemy lines, and how they returned home to find their lands razed and their people dead?

Hmm... maybe I should move this thread to my "campaign ideas" topic I replied to....

Food for thought, food for thought....

 

[Arandur]

Yes but what I meant was that the passage seems to mention that Sommerlending nobility went to the Kai Monks to learn their skills, it never mentions them becoming Kai, just training with them and learning their formidable skills to help when they return to their lands. It is these Kai-trained nobility that I have begun wondering about. Surely Lone Wolf could have learned from some of these Nobility?

You would think that not ALL nobility would leave thier lands and lives to return to the Monastery. No doubt there would be those close to the King whose duties excluded them from dropping their duites to return for this feast.

Still that also seems like another potential class too...THe Sommerlending Nobility trained by the Kai Lords...

Arandur

 

[Paido]

I always took "when they have finally learnt the secret skills of the Kai" to mean "when they have become full-fledged Kai". (After all, most Kai lords are children of Sommerlendig noble families.) Just a more poetic way to say it.

As for all the Kai returning to the monastery: It is only for one day every year, after all. Each noble should have a seneschall (or whatever) capable of looking after the estate - they'll probably leave their homes for the King's birthday or tournaments as well, and those would probably take longer than that.

And not all of Sommerlund's nobles are Kai lords ... Especially those nobles who are very bound up with duties probably shouldn't be Kai; probably a bit like in the Star Wars universe: A Jedi shouldn't be a senator as well, because his ability to fulfill his main (Jedi) duties would be compromised.


Paido

 

[adgramaine]

probably a bit like in the Star Wars universe: A Jedi shouldn't be a senator as well, because his ability to fulfill his main (Jedi) duties would be compromised.

an excellent comparison to the Starwars universe, Paido. I wonder how right you really are on that fact... August, can you lend any credence to this, or must we continue our salivations...?

I think that your conclusion is indeed what is the intended "image" of the Kai Lord. At least, I know that's how I always chose to interpret the whole "sons/daughters of Sommerlund's nobility" shpiel....

 

[Kinai]

Now that we are talking about the books I want mention one thing. It is ironic that the future Supreme Master, the one that defeated the Darklords of Helgedad escaped because he was punished by his lacking of attention in class

Kinai.

 

[chrono_hal]

But here was my problem with the Fest of Fehnmarn thing. How could every single possible Kai Lord be there?

Of course, this begs the question, WHAT IF, somewhere one Kai was performing some deep undercover mission, lost within enemy territory...

Or more simple : "What if, at the moment of Zagarna's attack, a young kaï lord had been sent in the forest far from the monastery to collect wood ?" Does this sound familiar ?

 

[August]

Correct: Every noble of the Sommlending does not have Kai training. Virtually every child of the noble houses is taken at some point in their early youth to the Monastery for testing, but only those with the talent (and their parent's blessing) are admitted into the ranks of the Kai.

And yes, Kai Lords are not given advanced duties of state. The conflicts (and the waste of a perfectly trained warrior in an administrative role) keep this from being practical or accepted.

-August

 

[Anonymous]

isnt this an excuse to break vows? lone wolf was lazy and it saved his life, he also broke a few vows along the way (most memorable murdering a priest in fire on water, running from the law) the vows are DANGEROUS lol

 

[Smiling Fox]

Well, the priest wasn't exactly a priest was he?

The feast of Fehmarn isn't that the day when all Sommlendings re-swear the oath of fealty to their king?

 

[Anonymous]

my point is that Lone Wolf was a fugitive. according to the rulebook atleast (cant remember anything in the books at top of head) fehmarn was the vow renewal day, makes sense that it'd be on a solar holiday tho

 

[Ghost Bear]

Fehmarn was the first day of spring.

-GB

 

[Wannabe Drakkar]

first day of spring would be solar holiday, solstice i think (or kaistice as it would be in magnamund) magnamundians wouldnt have people like christ to base their calendar around so theyd base it on the heavens much like the celts did

 

[Anonymous]

Regarding the matter of all Kai being at the feast of Fehmann, I've also found it odd that there weren't any away in other countries on official business (diplomacy, intelligence gathering etc.)
Although this does not strictly follow the information given elseware, I'd speculate that most years only those Kai who are not involved in major tasks attend the feast. Every ten years, however, all must attend. Allternativly 5050MS was a special occasion, requiring the prescence of all.
This was the information Vonotar gave to the Darklords.

 

[columbob]

Regarding the matter of all Kai being at the feast of Fehmann, I've also found it odd that there weren't any away in other countries on official business (diplomacy, intelligence gathering etc.)
Although this does not strictly follow the information given elseware, I'd speculate that most years only those Kai who are not involved in major tasks attend the feast. Every ten years, however, all must attend. Allternativly 5050MS was a special occasion, requiring the prescence of all.
This was the information Vonotar gave to the Darklords.

This has already been debated at length before. In the decades prior to MS5050 (note the placement of the MS, before the date means after the creation of the Moonstone, and vice versa), the agents of the Darklords were very busy tracking down every last Kai in Magnamund to exterminate them. Helghasts are a very effective infiltrating force for these purposes.

 

[Anonymous]

Quite right columbob, I can't believe I got the date wrong! I will now go collect firewood as punishment for innattention when posting messages.

I'm not really convinced by the assasination idea however. Whilst the Darklords could (and undoubtably would) assasinate Kai when nessarsary, an ongoing campaign against them would be very costly with no garuantee of success. Attempts to disguise the killings as accidents would be pointless (who'd believe that someone that powerfull could be knocked down by a runaway donkey cart, or fall foul to a bit of under-cooked chicken?)
The Kai would soon realise they were under attack, and take appropiate counter steps. Furthermore, Summerlund would be alerted as to increased Darklord activity, yet we know that the invasion of MS5050 came as a complete suprise.

Thats only my opinion, however, and if anyone has a better idea I look forward to reading it!!


For Summerlund and the Kai!

 

[Sabbak]

I'd speculate that most years only those Kai who are not involved in major tasks attend the feast. Every ten years, however, all must attend. Allternativly 5050MS was a special occasion, requiring the prescence of all.

I'm following the storyline of the gamebooks and that's exactly the mean I have chosen to explain how all Kai Lords can be detroyed.

I'm not very found of the "helgast assassination" theory.
But in my country, there's a huge feast, called the "winegrawer festival", that takes place every "generation" (between 20 and 25 yrs, it depends...). I take this idea and the explanation became more "logical" for me:

Every "generation" (at a date decided by the Kai Grand Master) all Kai Lords MUST attend to the Feast of Femharn for a special, huge and tremendous celebration.

 

[Anonymous]

Yep. Makes sense