Let's Play - The Lord of Shadow Keep (Golden Dragon Fantasy Gamebook 3)

[Thaluikhain]

Hmm...same section as if we started without it? Half vote for retracing our steps.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to continue without it.

[deaddmwalking]

Continuing wins 2 to one-half.

91

You walk a long way down the tunnel until you feel a breeze on your face coming from in front of you. There is another tunnel on your left which you think leads back into the labyrinth, so you ignore it. A bit further on the tunnel turns into a normal corridor which ends with a locked grille. Past the grille you can dimly see a vast dark hall lined with thousands of books. Do you have the Ogre's key? If you do, turn to 233. If not, turn to 5.

233

You insert the key in the lock and turn it; there is a faint click and the grille swings open noiselessly. You creep forward into the hall, keeping to the shadows of the enormous drapes that hang down from the walls. Looking round the corner of one of the immense bookcases, you see in the light cast by a chandelier immediately above his head, a horrible misshapen Dwarf. He is stroking a large wart on his bulbous nose with one hand and writing something with the other. The desk he's writing at is quite a distance away. Would you like to use a Throwing Dagger (if you have one)? Turn to 90. If you'd prefer not to (or don't have it), turn to 66.

***************************
You do not have a throwing dagger. You may recognize this as the Dwarf you killed in another life. I thought we had a glitch in the Matrix for a moment, but realized now that you have not retraced your steps to the witch's bedroom.
***************************

66

You rush across the library towards the Dwarf. He looks up from his ledger and makes a gesture with his pudgy little hands. An aura of sparkling blue light envelopes you and you feel wracking pins-and-needles in all your limbs. Roll two dice and try to score less than or equal to your current PSI. If you succeed, turn to 12. If you fail, turn to 280.

Roll: 8 (4,4) PSI is 10, success!

12

You manage to shrug off the effects of the spell and the tingling in your limbs begins to recede. You swipe at the Dwarf, preparing to remove the smirk from his face forever. Turn to 101.

101

You think it will be an easy job to finish off the little man. As you carve down at him with your sword, however, he steps to one side nimbly and delivers a mighty kick on your shin. Deduct 2 VIGOUR points. If you are still alive, turn to 296.

(Vigour 30)

296

The Dwarf has now pulled out a small rapier which he waves in front of your face.

DWARF VIGOUR 9

Roll two dice:
Score 2 to 6: The Dwarf hits you; lose 3 VIGOUR
Score 7 to 12: The Dwarf loses 3 VIGOUR

If you win, turn to 74.

Round 1: 10 (6,4) The Dwarf loses 3 VIGOUR (6 VIGOUR)
Round 2: 6 (5,1) Saristin loses 3 VIGOUR (27 VIGOUR)
Round 3: 7 (4,3) The Dwarf loses 3 VIGOUR (3 VIGOUR)
Round 4: 2 (1,1) Saristin loses 3 VIGOUR (24 VIGOUR)
Round 5: 9 (5,4) The Dwarf loses 3 VIGOUR (Dead)

That was a surprisingly feisty little fellow!

74

You look at the yellowing paper of the ledger. It is open at a page that bears today's date and seems to itemize the bizarre bill of fare offered up for supper tonight at Shadow Keep:

'Item: Two country maids for the Ghouls' dinner.
Item: Two gallons of peasants' blood left in pails for the Vampires.
Item: Bats' wings garnished with beetles for the Lord.
The tray left outside his door as he was occupied in magical arts.'

There are many similar entries on previous pages. You realize there must be legions of undead creatures lurking in the cellars and dungeons underneath the castle! Turn to 84.

84

There are three exits at the north end of the library. All are stairways leading down into the darkness. There is a fragment of red ribbon by the left-hand exit and a small splash of blood on the floor by the right-hand stairs. The central stairway has no distinguishing marks by it. Which staircase will you take:

The central stairway? Turn to 205
The left-hand stairs? Turn to 148
The right-hand stairs? Turn to 256

Character Name: Saristin
VIGOUR: 32 24
AGILITY: 8 11 (+3 from Boots of Elven Awesome)
PSI: 10
Items:
-sword
-armour
-Gold [8]
-Backpack
-Silver Ring (blue gem)
-Parchment w/ rune for opening portals
-Shambol's Staff
-Bag of Acorns
-Locket w/ Golden Hair
-Elven Boots of +3 AGILITY
-Rat Poison Antidote
-Ball of String
-Gnawed Human Thigh Bone
-Copper Key
-Minotaur's Horns

Deaths: Trapdoor, Banshee's Scream, 1/2 Death by floating helplessly

[Beroli]

Central stairs, and proceed thus to the room the ghost stopped us from entering before. Wonder where we would have gotten the throwing dagger.

[deaddmwalking]

I won't tell you where, but I will show you who.

[JourneymanN00b]

Sure, I also vote for the central stairway.

[deaddmwalking]

205

You pass along a corridor lined with sinister black drapes. There is a small hall at the end, with a solitary torch burning in a bracket on the wall. There are doorways to your left and in front of you. There is a covered dish lying on a small table by the doorway ahead. Lifting up the lid, you see a bizarre dinner of fried bats' wings garnished with beetles.

Do you want to go through the doorway in front of you (turn to 270)? If you'd like to investigate the left-hand door, turn to 13.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go through the doorway in front of our hero this time.

[Beroli]

Go through the doorway, agree to take the glove once, but refuse utterly to take it if she says she needs anything in return.

[deaddmwalking]

270

You find yourself in the reception room of a sumptuous apartment. Rich tapestries hang down the walls, and expensive-looking bronze urns stand on plush carpets. Down one corridor you can see a series of well-executed portraits. You decide to go straight on towards an iron-girded door which stands in a stone archway, just as you get to it, however, a woman's voice calls out to you. Turn to 287.

287

You whirl around and see a tall, raven-haired woman dressed in a sheer red dress appear from behind one of the curtains and come over to you. She seems to walk with an odd, gliding motion. She looks around furtively as she does so as if she thought you were being watched. You see she is holding a tray with a black, studded leather gauntlet on it. She bows before you: 'Hail, noble champion' she says, 'Arkayn Darkrobe, the Lord of Shadow Keep waits beyond that door.' She indicates the doorway you were about to go through with a nod of her head. To overcome him you will need all the skill of a Paladin Knight of Lalassa, and this.' She holds up the tray. 'It's a gauntlet of strength.'

Will you accept the lady's gift? If so, turn to 210. If you refuse it, turn to 30.

**********
One vote for accepting the gift (but refusing to pay if asked). Do I have another?

[JourneymanN00b]

Yes, I will second the rest of Beroli’s votes.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, second that.

[deaddmwalking]

210

Tm so glad you want my gauntlet/ she says sweetly, 'but before you can take it, I must have something valuable in return, otherwise the cruel, magical spell that protects the gauntlet will disband my ghost forever. That ring, for example, seems to have no magical power but is made of a precious stone.' She elegantly points out the ring the peasant woman gave you in King Valafor's hut.

Will you take it off and exchange it for the gauntlet (turn to 180)? If you refuse to part with it, turn to 217.

You have already voted to refuse payment.

217

All of a sudden, the lady drops the tray, throws back her head and lets out a hideous shriek. Your hair stands on end and a terrible chill seizes your chest. Roll two dice and try to score less than or equal to your current PSI. If you succeed, turn to 112. If you fail, turn to 68.

Roll: 7 (6,1) I'll admit I was worried when I saw the 6 first.

112

You manage to recover your wits and strike out at the lady with your sword; it passes clean through her and she vanishes into thin air with a low moan.

You turn again to the iron-bound door. Turn to 267.

267

You pass through the door into a vast, vaulted hall. Moonlight streams through an arched window set high up on the wall, casting a pool of light on a thick pall of mist that completely cloaks the floor. You see a cowled figure standing by the edge of the pool of light; all that is visible of a face under the cowl is a dead white cheek puckered with ugly scars. Light glints off the tip of the blade of a scythe held in the cowled figure's gauntleted hand. The silence is broken by Darkrobe's hollow voice:

'So, Paladin knight, you are to be congratulated; for you have come as far as your king came, into the presence of Arkayn Darkrobe, now Lord of Shadow Keep, but soon Lord of all Lalassa! You will bow before my sorcery like your king and do me obeisance!' You are filled with fury at his vain, mocking words.

Do you want to rush in on him immediately? Turn to 61. If you'd prefer to use one of the items you have collected first, turn to 224.

**************
As is usually the case, if you opt to use an item but don't have the right one or decide not to try it, you'll have the option to turn to page 61 again. For that reason, the choose an item option is shown below:
**************

224

If you have them, which of the following would you like to use?

A Potion of Invisibility? Turn to 277
A Throwing Dagger? Turn to 21
The ring that King Valafor's servant gave you? Turn to 232

If you have none of these items, or don't want to use one of them, you rush at Darkrobe, trying to catch him off guard. Turn to 61.

[Beroli]

Use the ring, which is the only one we have.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to use the ring.

[Thaluikhain]

Use the ring.

[deaddmwalking]

232

You hold up the ring on your finger. Suddenly a blue light seems to explode into the hall from the ring, illuminating the farthest recesses, and highlighting every stone. The mists on the floor are driven away like smoke in a strong breeze, and you see an awful yawning pit just in front of Darkrobe. He clutches his eyes in pain and you rush at him, yelling the battle-cry of the knights of Lalassa. Turn to 281.

281

Just before you reach him, he swings his scythe through the air and there is a sudden clap of thunder. Black lightning bolts fork out from the tip of the scythe towards you.

Roll two dice and try to score less than or equal to your current AGILITY. If you succeed, turn to 272. If you fail, turn to 99.

Roll: 6 (5,1) Success (no surprise).

272

You leap out of the way, deflecting the bolt of lightning with your sword. As you get to your feet you see that some strange energy has passed into the Sword from the lightning; blue light seems to burn up and down its blade. A look of panic passes over Darkrobe's face as you close on him, holding out the sword.

ARKAYN DARKROBE VIGOUR 18 (less any lost before).

Roll two dice:
Score 2 to 4: His scythe slices through your armour delivering a crippling blow; lose 4 VIGOUR
Score 5 to 7: You are caught a glancing blow by the scythe, lose 2 VIGOUR
Score 8 to 10: You hit Darkrobe; energy bursts from your sword on impact, charring Darkrobe's cloak; he loses 4 VIGOUR
Score 11 to 12: You strike Darkrobe a mighty blow; blue light coruscates off the blade of your sword searing into Darkrobe's diseased body; he loses 10 VIGOUR

If you win, turn to 300.

Round 1: 7 (6,1) You lose 2 VIGOUR (22 VIGOUR)
Round 2: 10 (6,4) Darkrobe loses 4 VIGOUR (14 VIGOUR)
Round 3: 4 (3,1) You lose 4 VIGOUR (18 VIGOUR)
Round 4: 11 (6,5) Darkrobe loses 10 VIGOUR (4 VIGOUR)
Round 5: 3 (2,1) You lose 4 VIGOUR (14 VIGOUR)
Round 6: 4 (2,2) You lose 4 VIGOUR (10 VIGOUR)
Round 7: 5 (3,2) You lose 2 VIGOUR (8 VIGOUR)
Round 8: 11 (6,5) Darkrobe loses 10 VIGOUR (Dead)

300

Your last blow passes right through Darkrobe's chest. He lets out a hoarse cry that seems to make the very foundations of Shadow Keep tremble. He staggers back, his eyes ablaze with hatred, and grabs a metal ring set into the wall behind him. There is a sudden gust of snow and howling wind as he pulls at it, and a secret door opens in the side of the Keep. You are blinded by the blizzard for a minute. When you can see again Darkrobe is gone.

You rush to the door and look down. Your head spins when you see below you a drop of thousands of feet. You pull the door to with a thud. There is a deathly hush over the Keep, as if all its inhabitants had perished with their master.

You find a stairway that leads up to one of the towers and emerge on to its parapet just as the first streak of dawn bars the sky. Soon the golden disc of the sun will rise above the Icewrack Mountains, spreading its warming rays. Somewhere below you, the king will also be rising, his wound healed and his vigour restored. He will ride to the capital with you at his side and reclaim his rightful throne. Only then will righteousness and justice be Lalassa's once more!

***************
Not gonna lie, I feel like Saristin would make a better king. I mean, you personally invested your very life for the kingdom for no other reward than to see it flourish. But I suppose a happy ending that included revolutionary changes to the political and economic ordering of the world exceeds the available page count.

[Thaluikhain]

Thanks for running.

[Beroli]

Thanks for running this!

[deaddmwalking]

My pleasure! Let me know if there are any questions you have or anything you want to see. I'll look to try to run another starting in a few days, probably. School starts back on Monday so things are going to be much busier for a bit. I'll probably look to start something this weekend if I'm not out running errands the whole time.

[JourneymanN00b]

Thank you for running this, deaddmwalking.

[deaddmwalking]

Note for self:

1986 Super Endless Quest 6: Master of Ravenloft
2014 Fabled Lands Quest: Keep of the Lich Lord
2021 ACE Gamebooks 6 Dracula - Curse of the Vampire (note: high chance that JourneymanN00b will run this at some point)
1984 Golden Dragon 1 Crypt of the Vampire (original version, not revised)
1984 Golden Dragon 2 Temple of Flame (warning: it's a meat-grinder, so if you choose this one, I strongly recommend not stopping at the first--or tenth--death) (started 6/20)
1985 Golden Dragon 3 The Lord of Shadow Keep - Started 7/12
1985 Golden Dragon 4 The Eye of the Dragon
1986 Golden Dragon 5 Curse of the Pharaoh
1986 Golden Dragon 6 Castle of Lost Souls
1986 Marvel Super Heroes 1. The Amazing Spider-Man: City in Darkness - Started 8/5
1986 Marvel Super Heroes 4. Doctor Strange: Through Six Dimensions
2025 ACE Gamebooks 8 - Shakespeare Vs. Cthulhu - What Dreams May Come.

[Thaluikhain]

What's with the throwing knife at the were-tiger lady?

[deaddmwalking]

So you can randomly stumble on the weretigress. If you talk to her, you fight. If you kill her, you find the dagger. Rather than talking, you could offer her an item. You can offer her Werewolf wine, a troll's bowling ball, or a locket with a golden hair. If you give her the wine you can slip past her (missing the dagger) or wait for her to get drunk, in which case you fight her just like if you spoke with her. The bowling ball leads either to fighting or trying a different item. The locket kills her instantly and you find the dagger.

The throwing dagger eliminates the dwarf instantly. In some cases you throw it at a chandelier and it crashes down and kills him instantly. If you haven't entered the room, you throw it directly into his chest, killing him instantly.

You can also throw it at Darkrobe, but he reverses it and you take damage.