[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 52 - Night Dragon

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:21 am

The Mirror Demon has one goal - to drag you through a mirror and into the Demonic Planes, where you will be lost for ever! Combat with this monster is highly unusual. Blows from weapons (or from the Demon's fists) cause normal damage (deduct 2 points from your Stamina), but each time the Demon strikes you it will try to drag you into the Demonic Planes; if the Demon Tests its Skill successfully, you will be dragged towards the mirror! However, because this is Dreamtime, you can use your willpower to resist: you may then Test your Skill and, if you are successful, you can resist the pull of the Demon. If you fail, however, you wake immediately as the Demon drags you down; turn to 361. Also, instead of striking the Demon, you may try to smash its mirror; this is difficult because there are so many mirrors here. If you want to try this in an Attack Round, the Mirror Demon will automatically strike (you lose 2 Stamina points) and you must Test your Skill, adding 3 to the number rolled. If you are successful, you smash the mirror and the Demon is drawn, shrieking, back into the realms of nightmares!

MIRROR DEMON Skill 10 Stamina 10

If you win, by slaying the Mirror Demon or by banishing it, turn to 174.

Let's go for a smash right off the bat.

9

Pwnt.

The Demon is gone and the Mirror it emerged from is now shattered; but something has been left behind. Lying at the base of the broken mirror's frame is a silver Magic Mirror with a hundred bloodstones winking at you from its filigree rim (make a note of the number of gems as the Mirror Number). This Magic Mirror is a very valuable find (gain 1 Luck point): it can perform many functions. It has three charges of magic left inside it, and you may use a charge at any time, except during combat, for one of the following purposes. You may command the Mirror either to show your reflection as a strong, powerful warrior (when you do this, your Skill will be restored to its full, Initial level) or to show you in the best of health (this will either cure any disease you may acquire or restore your Stamina to its Initial value, as you choose. Finally, as long as the Mirror has at least one charge left, you can command it to fly at an opponent in combat and explode in a vortex of flying glass and metal shards; if you do this, it will inflict 6 points of damage to the Stamina of your opponent, but it is then destroyed. You may do this during any Attack Round, in addition to your normal weapon blow. When the Mirror has no charges left it will be useless, so you must keep a record of the charges you have used. ow, there are passageways to be explored. Will it be:

The white passage? (turn to 218)
The red passage? (turn to 123)
The silver passage? (turn to 146)
The yellow passage? (turn to 292)

As a matter of fact...

Had we listened to the green dragon's offer of advice, he would have specifically told us to seek out this Magic Mirror.

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11 (+1 from Magic Shield)
Stamina 12/22
Luck 12/12

Honour 2
Nemesis 1
Time Track 42

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Magic Shield
Lantern
Backpack
0/17 Provisions
4 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
Smoke powder
Bag of Holding
Tattooing ink and needle
Potion of Stamina
Tome of the Reaches
Magic Mirror

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.
Shield Number: 70
Scalmagzaprin might be someone important, probably in the towers of Carnex was the High Priest of the dragon cult and is now a corpse.
Tome of the Reaches: Ward Runes section starts on page 44
Tome of the Reaches: Riddling section starts on page 191
Tome of the Reaches: Dragon Runes section starts on page 229
Cannot return to Carnex, what a loss.
Mirror Number: 100

Death count: 6
- Eating rohypnol biscuits and being sacrificed to the nameless cult of evil
- Slain by the High Priest and his OP panoply x5

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:22 am

Choosing the first option listed worked well for us. Let's continue that policy.

White.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:34 am

White sounds good to me.

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 6:38 am

Snow white.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:55 am

You stride along what looks like a long, dark tunnel; a point of white light at the end grows larger and larger as you feel yourself being drawn towards it. You feel almost weightless and distinctly disorientated; and you must subtract 1 from youyr Attack Strength until you enter a different-coloured passageway. Yo uache to take something of this warm, wonderful light with you; the airy, immense chamber you are now in seems welcoming and comforting indeed. You are hardly surprised at all when you see the ghostly dhapes of friends and members of your family emerging from the paler glow at the corners of the room - but then the scene changes! The people's faces are snarling and filled with hatred for you, and they rush at you with arms outstretched to rake you with taloned hands, eager to tear you limb from limb! You can stay and fight them if you wish (turn to 235) or you can flee toward a ruby-colored glow you now see faintly in the distance (turn to 123)

.

Hmm... fight or flight?

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11 (+1 from Magic Shield)
Stamina 12/22
Luck 12/12

Honour 2
Nemesis 1
Time Track 42

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Magic Shield
Lantern
Backpack
0/17 Provisions
4 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
Smoke powder
Bag of Holding
Tattooing ink and needle
Potion of Stamina
Tome of the Reaches
Magic Mirror

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.
Shield Number: 70
Scalmagzaprin might be someone important, probably in the towers of Carnex was the High Priest of the dragon cult and is now a corpse.
Tome of the Reaches: Ward Runes section starts on page 44
Tome of the Reaches: Riddling section starts on page 191
Tome of the Reaches: Dragon Runes section starts on page 229
Cannot return to Carnex, what a loss.
Mirror Number: 100

Death count: 6
- Eating rohypnol biscuits and being sacrificed to the nameless cult of evil
- Slain by the High Priest and his OP panoply x5

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:27 am

Fight!

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:14 am

Fight.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 9:33 am

This combat will be grim indeed. Each time you are struck by the Wraith Horde, you must Test your Skill. If you fail, yo uwill lose 1 point of Skill in addition to the damage to your Stamina caused by the blows; your lost Skill will return to you only when you awaken!

WRAITH HORDE Skill 9 Stamina 14

If you win, the bright glow in this chamber flares so intensely that yo uare forced to close your eyes for an instant; when you re-open them, you see that a small glass sphere has appeard out of nowhere and is bobbing in mid-air in front of you. Looking at it closely, you see that it is a multifaceted gem - it has 244 facets, to be exact (make a note of this as the Sphere Number). The Sphere of Light will glow gently when you so command; if you lose your lantern, the Sphere will light your way in darkened places. It also has power against the Night Dragon itself. You will be instructed as yo the Sphere's use when you meet th Ancient! Now, it is time to follow one of the passageways which you can see in the distance; will it be:

The red passage? (turn to 123)
The silver passage? (turn to 146)
The blue passage? (turn to 156)

I'm going to use Luck to speed this battle up.

Dirk 21 (12/22) Wraith Horde 16 (10/14) Luck Test 11 (success)
Dirk 17 (10/22) Wraith Horde 18 (10/14) Skill Test 11 (success)
Dirk 21 (10/22) Wraith Horde 16 (6/14) Luck Test 5 (success)
Dirk 18 (10/22) Wraith Horde 17 (4/14)
Dirk 22 (10/22) Wraith Horde 16 (2/14)
Dirk 21 (10/22) Wraith Horde 14 (0/14)

And we get a shiny (literally)! Normally I would let you choose, since technically you can still pick from 2 of the three options, but we've been to the silver passage already and the red passage can be traversed multiple times too; might as well show you where it goes (also, it is of no consequence in the big scheme of things).

You feel yourself being sucked along the pulsating length of the endless red passage until you find yourself back in the chamber you first arrived in. Turn to 20.

See?

You stand in a misty chamber with six different passageways leading away from it. Within the Dreamtime you should always select a passageway of a color you have not previously explored, save for the red and silver passages, which you can explore at any time (keep track of the color of the passages you have already travelled along). Everything here seems part-illusion, part-real, strangely substantial and intangible at the same time; but you soon get used to this. Each of the passages is tinted with a particular hue; the blue one also has reflective qualities which are rather unnerving for some reason you aren't sure of. Each time you return to this chamber, you must roll one die and subtract 1 from the number rolled (to get a total between 0 and 5); add this total to your Time Track. When you wish to end your adventures in Dreamtime by waking, turn to 31 (you may do this only when you return to this chamber!) Now,which of the passageways will you follow?

The blue passage? (turn to 56)
The green passage? (turn to 318)
The white passage? (turn to 218)
The yellow passage? (turn to 292)
The grey passage? (turn to 95)
The black passage? (turn to 395)
The silver passage? (turn to 146)

Also, we add 1 to our Time Track. I've also struck out places we've been to before and cannot go to again.

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11 (+1 from Magic Shield)
Stamina 10/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 2
Nemesis 1
Time Track 43

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Magic Shield
Lantern
Backpack
0/17 Provisions
4 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
Smoke powder
Bag of Holding
Tattooing ink and needle
Potion of Stamina
Tome of the Reaches
Magic Mirror
Sphere of Light

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.
Shield Number: 70
Scalmagzaprin might be someone important, probably in the towers of Carnex was the High Priest of the dragon cult and is now a corpse.
Tome of the Reaches: Ward Runes section starts on page 44
Tome of the Reaches: Riddling section starts on page 191
Tome of the Reaches: Dragon Runes section starts on page 229
Cannot return to Carnex, what a loss.
Mirror Number: 100
Sphere Number: 244

Death count: 6
- Eating rohypnol biscuits and being sacrificed to the nameless cult of evil
- Slain by the High Priest and his OP panoply x5

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:04 am

Hum... Green?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:27 am

Yeah, let's stick to the "first option available" policy. Green

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:54 am

The green passage is damp and moss-coated. You walk over heavy, peaty soil until you emerge into a bower where ferns, shrubs and flowers grow in a riot of greenery. At the base of the trunk of each of two trees is a door, one red and one yellow, both open and leading to a passageway of the same colour. An owl eyes you quizzically from a tree branch and hoots derisively. You see a huge trailing vine hanging from a tree canopy so tall you cannot make out its upper reaches, and at the top of the vine is a cluster of purple-striped green seedpods. ln the distance you can hear a booming sound which is getting louder, as if something extremely large.was crashing through the woodland. Animals around here are growing skittish and fleeing into the distance. Will you:

Run down the red passage? (turn to 123)
Enter the yellow passage? (turn to 292)
Climb the vine? (turn to 386)
Wait and see what happens? (turn to 338)

I doubt we'll exit this encounter so soon...

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11 (+1 from Magic Shield)
Stamina 10/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 2
Nemesis 1
Time Track 43

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Magic Shield
Lantern
Backpack
0/17 Provisions
4 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
Smoke powder
Bag of Holding
Tattooing ink and needle
Potion of Stamina
Tome of the Reaches
Magic Mirror
Sphere of Light

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.
Shield Number: 70
Scalmagzaprin might be someone important, probably in the towers of Carnex was the High Priest of the dragon cult and is now a corpse.
Tome of the Reaches: Ward Runes section starts on page 44
Tome of the Reaches: Riddling section starts on page 191
Tome of the Reaches: Dragon Runes section starts on page 229
Cannot return to Carnex, what a loss.
Mirror Number: 100
Sphere Number: 244

Death count: 6
- Eating rohypnol biscuits and being sacrificed to the nameless cult of evil
- Slain by the High Priest and his OP panoply x5

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 12:05 pm

Hm. My guess is that something is coming for those seedpods. Let's get there first!

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:31 pm

Wait for the giant to arrive and climb the beanstalk tree so that we can cut it down.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 11:55 pm

So, climbing, or waiting?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:42 am

I said "wait for the giant (arrive and) to climb", nothing about climbing it ourselves, although I can see how my sentence can be misinterpreted. My bad.

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 6:36 am

My vote was for climbing, so let's wait for a tiebreaker.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:15 am

It sounds like whatever's booming around is on the same floor we are, so let's climb.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:58 am

The Ogre advances on you! Test your Skill. If you are successful, turn to 139. If you fail, tum to 158.

We get a 10 and pass.

You are beyond the reach of the angry Ogre when he tries to swat you out of the vine - but now the huge brute hugs the base of the large vine and is trying to shake you out of it! Test your Skill once more, if you are successful, turn to 348; but if you fail, turn to 158.

We pass with a 9.

You reach the top of the vine safely and take two of the seed pods. They are bulky things, heavily striped with sixteen stripes along their melon-shaped mass (make a note of this). Now, if you have slain the Ogre, turn to 227. If you have not done so, turn to 255.

We evaded the hell out of him.

You wait for some time until you hear the footsteps of a frustrated and angry Ogre receding into the distance. Add 1 to your Time Track, then you descend. You can now enter the red passage through the tree door (turn to 123) or the yellow passage (turn to 292).

I'll assume we're going yellow, since we've gone red before.

You feel yourself flying along the passageway, and soon you are soaring above pale clouds, gleaming in the sun, far away from any passage A cloud island lies ahead of you, so you ascend to it and land in a perfumed garden. Drinking the pure spring water here, listening to the faint drone of insects, breathing in the heady fragrances of flowers and herbs, you don't see the Harlequin until he sits down on a mossy rock and grins playfully at you. He's dressed in an extraordinarily odd fashion, in quartered yellow-and lilac pantaloons and jerkin; and the strange young man is fiddling with the shoelaces of a very fine pair of heavy, grey, calfskin boots he is wearing. "I think these are what you want, if you enjoy flying," he says as a tiny pair of wings sprouts from the heels of the boots. "But you must answer my riddles first!" If you have the Tome of the Reaches, turn to the paragraph with the same number as the first page of the chapter on Riddles. If you don't have this book, tum to 251.

That would be 191.

The Harlequin tests you with puns, conundrums and puzzles galore, but you're equal to the task. Oddly enough, he doesn't seem to care that you're using a book to counter his word games. Well, I suppose you win. Never liked these things anyway,' he says as he takes off his boots and throws them to you. You now own the Harlequin's Winged Boots; to be more accurate, they are gliding boots that allow you to descend safely through the air in a gentle glide. The Harlequin snaps his fingers and dismisses you; the cloud castle vanishes in a yellow haze and you are back where you started. Tum to 20.

More loot!

You stand in a misty chamber with six different passageways leading away from it. Within the Dreamtime you should always select a passageway of a color you have not previously explored, save for the red and silver passages, which you can explore at any time (keep track of the color of the passages you have already travelled along). Everything here seems part-illusion, part-real, strangely substantial and intangible at the same time; but you soon get used to this. Each of the passages is tinted with a particular hue; the blue one also has reflective qualities which are rather unnerving for some reason you aren't sure of. Each time you return to this chamber, you must roll one die and subtract 1 from the number rolled (to get a total between 0 and 5); add this total to your Time Track. When you wish to end your adventures in Dreamtime by waking, turn to 31 (you may do this only when you return to this chamber!) Now,which of the passageways will you follow?

The blue passage? (turn to 56)
The green passage? (turn to 318)
The white passage? (turn to 218)
The yellow passage? (turn to 292)
The grey passage? (turn to 95)
The black passage? (turn to 395)
The silver passage? (turn to 146)

+5 to our Time Track, and I've also struck out places we've been to before.

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11 (+1 from Magic Shield)
Stamina 10/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 2
Nemesis 1
Time Track 49

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Magic Shield
Lantern
Backpack
0/17 Provisions
4 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
Smoke powder
Bag of Holding
Tattooing ink and needle
Potion of Stamina
Tome of the Reaches
Magic Mirror
Sphere of Light
2 Striped Seed Pods
Harlequin's winged Boots of Gliding

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.
Shield Number: 70
Scalmagzaprin might be someone important, probably in the towers of Carnex was the High Priest of the dragon cult and is now a corpse.
Tome of the Reaches: Ward Runes section starts on page 44
Tome of the Reaches: Riddling section starts on page 191
Tome of the Reaches: Dragon Runes section starts on page 229
Cannot return to Carnex, what a loss.
Mirror Number: 100
Sphere Number: 244
Pod Number: 16

Death count: 6
- Eating rohypnol biscuits and being sacrificed to the nameless cult of evil
- Slain by the High Priest and his OP panoply x5

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 10:20 am

Wasn't the silver passage the very first one we took?

Let's try the grey one.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 11:34 am

I'm guessing the silver passage can be revisited because we were missing something the last time we were there?

But yeah, grey. Again, taking first option has worked for us so far.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 3:29 pm

Grey sounds good.

Silent Wayfarer · Post by **Silent Wayfarer** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 2:30 am

The grey passage is oppressive and gloomy. A dank, cold, stone passage leads down and down, and there seems no end in sight; but finally you come to a very solid wooden door with a whole array of locks. You can pick or force these, but this is going to take you a long time; add 2 to your Time Track (just 1 if you have an ice pick to help you). Forcing the door, you walk into a scene from a nightmare. Across the stark, bloodstained chamber a ghastly parody of a thing sits o na stone throne, clutching a jewelled amulet in one skeletal hand; beneath its rotting robes the monstrosity has a vaguely human shape, but its skull is that of a reptile, and what little remains of its eyes glows with a fiendish intensity. As it rises, flesh drops from its body, and it waves its claws in an arc, directing a shadowy form to attack you. You must fight the Chillshadow here before you can get to grips with the holder of the amulet, and this is a dangerous enemy; during every Attack Round which you fight, you automatically lose 1 Stamina point due to the extreme numbing cold this horror radiates. If you do not have a Magic Sword, turn to 113.

CHILLSHADOW Skill 8 Stamina 7

If you win, you now see red and silver doors in this room; if you want to run to one or the other and try to flee for your life, turn to 377. If you wish to fight the advancing monster that remains here, turn to 185.

Well, we don't have a magic sword... and don't you need magic weapons to strike incorporeal opponents?

Without a Magic sword, you cannot harm the Chillshadow! lts numbing cold freezes you and you become paralyzed. You stand, rooted to the spot, unable to move for what seems like ages. Roll one die, and add the number rolled to your Time Track. Then the Bone Stalker advances on you ... Turn to 361.

We rolled a 4.

You awaken, screaming with the memories of a terrible nightmare, and it takes a long time for your nerves to calm. Add 1 to your Time Track and turn to 281.

"Well, then," the Loremaster says grimly, "There is much for you to do yet!" If you have the Magic Shield, Magic Armour and Magic Sword you sought, or if you have two of these and failed to obtain the other, turn to 301. If you still seek at least one of them, turn to 89.

The Loremaster's cat addresses you. "You could use some help looking for the magic you seek. I can take you where you want to go now." If you have two of the special magical treasures you have been seeking and you feel that you can set off for the Night Dragon's lair straight away, you may wish to go there now; if you do, turn to 255. If you decide to make for a magical treasure which you still seek - sword, armour or shield - the Loremaster gives you an amulet which you can use just once and it will transport you to a place two days' march south of lhe Night Dragon's mountain lair (make a note that you can do this by turning to paragraph 289; the amulet can be activated at any time, except during a combat). So will you now ask the cat to use its teleportation power to take you to:

The Sword? (turn to 21)
The Armour? (turn to 5)
The Shield? (turn to 319)

We already have the shield, but we can go for the Sword or Armour.

Also, should I replenish our Stamina/Luck? It was all a dream, except for the loot, and we could have had another feast in the meantime.

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11 (+1 from Magic Shield)
Stamina 10/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 2
Nemesis 1
Time Track 55

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Magic Shield
Lantern
Backpack
0/17 Provisions
4 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
Smoke powder
Bag of Holding
Tattooing ink and needle
Potion of Stamina
Tome of the Reaches
Magic Mirror
Sphere of Light
2 Striped Seed Pods
Harlequin's winged Boots of Gliding
Amulet of Teleporting

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.
Shield Number: 70
Scalmagzaprin might be someone important, probably in the towers of Carnex was the High Priest of the dragon cult and is now a corpse.
Tome of the Reaches: Ward Runes section starts on page 44
Tome of the Reaches: Riddling section starts on page 191
Tome of the Reaches: Dragon Runes section starts on page 229
Cannot return to Carnex, what a loss.
Mirror Number: 100
Sphere Number: 244
Pod Number: 16
Teleport to Night Dragon's lair by turning to 289.

Death count: 6
- Eating rohypnol biscuits and being sacrificed to the nameless cult of evil
- Slain by the High Priest and his OP panoply x5

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 4:19 am

We were going for the armour before we got sidetracked, weren't we? Continue from there.

And I say save the Mirror charge for now. We still have the Potion of STAMINA we can use if we run into something nasty.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 4:36 am

Agreed on both counts.

Sirocco · Post by **Sirocco** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 8:44 am

Thirded.