[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy #54 - Legend of Zagor!

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Which of the below meatgrinders do you prefer to play first?

FF9: Caverns of the Snow Witch
0
No votes
FF21: Trial of Champions
1
11%
FF26: Crypt of the Sorcerer
1
11%
FF46: Tower of Destruction
0
No votes
FF51: Island of the Undead
0
No votes
FF53: Spellbreaker
1
11%
FF54: Legend of Zagor
4
44%
FF58: Revenge of the Vampire
0
No votes
FF59: Curse of the Mummy
2
22%
 
Total votes: 9

SGamerz
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[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy #54 - Legend of Zagor!

Post by SGamerz »

The below books listed have one thing in common: we will almost definitely need high starting stats for our PC to even have a glimpse of hope to completing it. Some of them might not even be winnable even with maximum stats! Be prepared for lots of restarts! Do you possess the determination/masochism to last through any of the below books? One way to find out!

Just a very brief recap of the books' plot for any of you not familiar with any of these titles:

FF9: Caverns of the Snow Witch

PC was hired to kill a yeti in the icy parts of northern Allansia,, but upon completion of his quest was warned by the yeti's dying victim about the Snow Witch's plans to bring on a new Ice Age to the world. PC must brave lair of the Snow Witch on this impromptu mission to save the world from Ice Age. Can you defeat the witch and escape with your life after that?

FF21: Trial of Champions (sequel to FF6)

After someone finally won the Trial of Champions by escaping from Baron Sukumvit's Deathtrap Dungeon, the Baron spent years re-designing his labyrinth and has now re-opened the Trial, for double the reward as the last one! The Baron's hated brother and rival, Lord Carnuss has captured YOU as one of his slaves, and is determined to pick out the strongest one of you to represent him in the Trial, hoping to win it just to spite his brother. Can you survive Carnuss' brutal tests AND go on to survive the new and improved Deathtrap Dungeaon?

FF26: Crypt of the Sorcerer

Razaak the Necromancer has returned to life after being dead for one hundred years. And like all evil undead wizards who refuse to stay dead, he wants to rule the world. The PC must first recover the one and only magic-but-cursed weapon capable of killing Razaak, and then hopefully go on to finish the job of killing Razaak, this time permanently.

FF46: Tower of Destruction

Upon returning to his home village in icy northern Allansia, the PC finds the village devastated by a magical flame-throwing flying sphere. Eager to seek out the source of his home's destruction so that he can achieve vengeance, the PC proceeds to track down the sphere to find its mastermind or creator. He soon learns that the sphere is nothing more than an experiment and prelude to something much bigger and deadlier to the world.....

FF51: Island of the Undead

The PC starts off as a simple lad in a fishing village that supplies a group of elemental wizards who have shut themselves away in studies on the nearby island with food in exchange for the good weather those wizards help to maintain with their magic. Something strange and bad has happened on the island, the weather turns bad, and the villagers lose contact with the wizards. A party was sent to the island to find out what happened, got shipwrecked, and the PC is a lone survivor who must continue in his mission to find out what happened (partly because he's now marooned on the island).

FF53: Spellbreaker

Upon taking shelter in an abbey one night, the PC inadvertently helps an evil creature steal a powerful magical tome, the Black Grimoire, that the monks have been guarding. Now he must pursue the thief to make up for his error, and also to prevent the evil people from using the tome to unleash the ever-present Infernal Beast into the world.

FF54: Legend of Zagor (sequel to FF1 & 50)

The Warlock Zagor has been defeated twice in the world of Titan, but now he has taken up residence in another world called Amarillia. The player gets to choose between for pre-generated characters (a warrior, a barbarian, a dwarf or a wizard) before he enters the undead Warlock's domain to put him down....again.

FF58: Revenge of the Vampire (sequel to FF38)

The vampire lord Count Reiner Heydrich has returned to life...or rather un-life. Like all evil creatures who refuse to stay dead, he's now much harder to kill. None of the conventional ways that work against vampire can harm him. Can the PC (not the same as the one in FF38) find his weakness and put another end to him?

FF59: Curse of the Mummy

The survival of a shipwreck, the PC hired by a well-known archaeologist cum adventurer as a companion to explore an ancient temple in the desert recently uncovered and believed to be rich in treasure. It quickly becomes apparent that the temple contains more than that, a mysterious and deadly cult is determined to stop them to reaching their goal while they work to restore an ancient evil pharaoh to life.

Once the choice has been made, I'll edit the topic title and use this thread as the LP!

Hope you're all looking forward to dying many horrible deaths completing one of the hardest books in the series!
Last edited by SGamerz on Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by SGamerz »

Looks like Legend of Zagor is winning at the moment! I'll be starting the LP tomorrow, but just a note about my last post mention the 4 pre-gen characters. It was my mistake: they are not pre-generated. We do have to roll for their stats, but each character has different modifiers to their stats and different advantages/disadvantages. For example, the wizard has less SKILL and STAMINA, but has high Magic points which gives him access to more spells, etc.
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Post by SlyJohnny »

If we're going for max stats, the wizard might actually be fun, rather than suicide, with a respectable skill of 9. He was pretty much unwinnable before as I recall. Having access to all spells without needing to find scrolls didn't really help when magic points were just as rare and expensive for him as for any other character.
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Post by ashimbabbar »

I would oppose the wizard on ethical grounds.

3 of the characters have been reused from the Zagor Chronicles novels, but in the said novels Sallazar was dead, his sister Jallarial was the magic-user.

So, tjis smacks of a "no FF player would ever want to play a CHICK" editorial decision.
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Post by SGamerz »

ashimbabbar wrote:I would oppose the wizard on ethical grounds.

3 of the characters have been reused from the Zagor Chronicles novels, but in the said novels Sallazar was dead, his sister Jallarial was the magic-user.

So, tjis smacks of a "no FF player would ever want to play a CHICK" editorial decision.
If you're not too stringent about following the rules to the letter we can always take the Wizard's stats but pretend that we're playing as Jallarial instead of Sallazar. :tongue: I don't recall any of the text referring specifically to the PC as male.

But I may be wrong....this is one of the FF books that I actually DON'T know inside out. I never read the original publication, and only got the Wizard edition much later.
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Post by ashimbabbar »

Sounds all right to me ( one victory for social justice ! :thumb: )
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Post by SGamerz »

Alright, Legend of Zagor remains firmly in the lead, so let's start!

Image

Here's the back cover blurp:
"Zagor! The very name of the Warlock of Firetop Mountain strikes terror into all who hear it. Banished from the world of Titan, the sorcerer is slowly but surely regaining his strength. Within Castle Argent, in the kingdom of Amarillia, Zagor has been transformed into a demon.

Such is his power, he must be destroyed. There are several adventurers willing to volunteer - mighty Anvar the barbarian, the warrior Braxus, Stubble the dwarf, Sallazar the wizard - but only one will be chosen. Are YOU that hero?"
I believe this is the only FF gamebook that names the PC(s) on the back cover. There are a few other books where the PC is given a name (FF17 & 28), but they're not listed on the back cover.

Now, an overview of the player characters:
Anvar the Barbarian: As a Barbarian you are immensely tough and resilient. Hardened by years of living, hunting and travelling in hills and mountains, you are as skilful a fighter as any in the land of Amarillia and you are proud of yow skill. You know almost nothing of the ways of magic, though - and, in all truth you don't much care for it. Magic is the affair of book-reading milksops! You prefer a good, clean fight and you fear nothing and no man.
A few notes about each character in relation to the novel which this books is based on - a 4-volume novel series by Livingstone and Carl Sargent, who's also rumoured to be the Keith Martin who wrote FF gamebooks) named the "Zagor Chronicles" - to give some additional background:

Although Anvar did distrust magic and probably never truly grow to like it, he actually becomes a very powerful shaman towards the end of the novels, as he was "chosen" by the Spirit of the Red Wolf (the barbarian tribes worship the animal spirits, Anvar was originally from the Bear Clan, but was forced to switch to Wolf after he was chosen.) He tends to stick to stuff that enhances combat abilities rather than the more flashy magic done by real wizards but if we were to go by the novel, his Magic stat probably should be higher than Braaxus and Stubble....but in the gamebook his is the lowest. He also sometimes turn into a wolf, though that's not usually within his control (and it's not lycanthropy, it's the Red Wolf's magic). That does not happen in this book, of course.
Braxus the Warrior: Your name bespeaks your honour; it is the name of a long-dead Amarillian king and, who knows, noble blood may flow in your veins, too You are as skilful a warrior as any Barbarian and, while you are slightly less resilient, you are better able to use magic. Perhaps the most versatile of any type of adventurer, you are skilled with sword and
bow, and able to use magical weapons to best effect.
Braxus in the novel is in fact descended from royalty, although he had no wish to lay any claim to the throne and swore his loyalty to the current queen (the king was dead and his successor was still a baby). Again, the remark about him "better able to use magic" is slightly amusing since the closest he actually comes to using magic is picking up a magic sword that flies and allows him to remote-control it in combat (while still wielding his normal sword at the same time). If I recall rightly, it's possible to find that in this gamebook!
Stubble the Dwarf: Grumpy and tetchy you may be ('Stubble trouble' is a common warning among those who know you), but a tough warrior you certainly are. You have that native streak of good luck which many Dwarfs from Grundia possess, and when exploring dungeons and mines you have some special advantages mere hurmans do not possess. You'll use magic if you have to, but you prefer to put your faith in your trusty axe.
"Stubble" isn't actually his real dwarfish name. It's more of a nickname. What is not mentioned in this book is that Stubble was possibly the only dwarf who chose to shave off his own beard (hence the name). His explanation was that he believes the dwarfs have been too ghampered by their proud dwarfish traditions that they "forgot how to fight properly", it was a gesture to prove that he has no time for traditions that don't mean anything.

Despite that, his character is still pretty much that of a typical dwarf: the love for gold and fighting, the love heroic stories (especially of telling his own to other people), the love for alcohol....they're all there. And even without his beard, he still has a well-groomed moustache that he's very proud of (and was devastated when he got struck in the face by acid in one of the novels which burnt off most of his moustache).
Sallazar the Wizard: No bard will ever sing epic tales of your prowess with weapons but what does that matter? You are a master of magic: you can command spells to avoid, confuse, weaken or defeat enemies, and you know how to use magical items in ways mere warriors could not. You are an adventurer of guile and stealth and, if you are forced to fight - well, you will not die easily at the hands of any enemy! By a quirk of fate, you have the same name as the one-time Grand Wizard of Amarillia, and you immodestly aspire to his rank, if not his tragic fate.
As already mentioned, Sallazar was not in fact one of the 4 heroes of the novel. He was actually one of the apprentices of the afore-mentioned grand wizard (apparently it was common for these to be named after their mentors)....and the Grand Wizard and all his apprentices were all dead by the time of the beginning of the first novel. Jallarial is Sallazar's (the apprentice) sister and the main heroine of the novels, and took up his quest after his death. She's also one of the 2 major protagonists who actually survived at the end of series (the other 2 were killed in the last book). I'm not too sure how powerful Sallazar was supposed to be, but Jallarial was little more than apprentice level at the beginning (which makes sense, considering she learnt from another apprentice, her brother). Still, this book is supposedly taking place at the time of the second novel, by which time she has gained considerable knowledge and powers. She's also touched by the Spirit of the Red Wolf (but in a different way from Anvar....she did turn into wolf-form at one point though) and by the final novel was also marked by the god of Death in Amarillia.

Now, to the actual rules.....

The Stats: SKILL, STAMINA, LUCK and MAGIC:

Other than MAGIC, which is a fixed score for each character, we're supposed to roll for the other stats like other books....but each character has different modifiers.

The most screwed-up part about this is the fact that EVERY character has a lower LUCK modifier compared to normal FF PCs, even the dwarf who gets the highest modifiers! I guess Amarillia's Luck deities are just bigger pricks than the Titan ones!

SKILL:

Anvar and Braxus: 1d6 +6 (standard FF)

Stubble: 1d6 +5

Sallazar/Jallarial: 1d6 +4

STAMINA:

Anvar: 1d6 +18

Braxus and Stubble: 2d6 +12 (standard FF)

Sallazar/Jallarial: 3d6 + 6

Yes, they all have the same STAMINA if we were to use the "maximum stat" rules instead of rolling individually. The fighters just have a higher "lowest possible" baseline.

LUCK:

Anvar: 1d6 +4

Stubble: 1d6 +5

Braxus/Wizard: 1d6 +3!

Amarillia's heroes are naturally Unlucky. Maybe this is why Zagor decided to leave Titan and come here instead!

MAGIC:

Anvar has 1 MAGIC point.

Braxus has 3.

Stubble has 2.

Sallazar/Jallarial has 7.

Magic points (like the other stats) cannot go above it's Initial value, so the higher-level spells that cost more points will only be available to the Wizard (more on the spell list later).

Other Character Advantages & Disadvantages:

Anvar has a strong sixth sense, and therefore cannot be surprised by ambush attacks. When the book tells us to take damage from surprise attacks, Anvar can ignore that instruction.

However, he cannot wear platemail. He can wear chainmail, but doesn't get any special attack bonuses from them. He also suffers from a -2 penalty if he tries to use a crossbow.

Braxus has the most versatility when it comes to weapon and armour, and has no restrictions about reaping full benefits from any that he can find. He doesn't have any specific disadvantages (other than the fact that he doesn't get any advantages not related to weapons and armour like the others do).

Stubble has special knowledge about underground monster, and also gets +2 bonus when fighting anything with "Stone" in its name.

However, he cannot wield two-handed swords because they're too big, and cannot use a longbow. He can only wear platemail if they are said to be tailor-made to fit dwarfs.

Sallazar/Jallarial has the most weapon/armour restrictions: no platemail, chainmail, two-handed swords or any kind of bows for him! His additional advantage is that he can read magical runes and tomes, and he gets a -2 bonus when rolling to "Test his Spot Skill", which is thet same as testing your SKILL/LUCK, except it's specifically meant for detecting/spotting/finding stuff.

Special Treasures:

Other than the usual loot in the form of gold/equipment/plot token, there are 2 (or 3, depending on how you see it) kinds of standard Loot Items that we will be collecting.

First there's Magic Rings, which are used to restore MAGIC points. Each ring is used to restore 1 point. That will be our primary way of replenishing these stats.

Then there's the Tower Chests. Each one we find will need to be unlocked in some way. We can use an Open spell (which costs magic points, and scrolls if we're not a Wizard), or it can be opened manually, in which case we must do a Luck Test. If Unlucky, we will trigger a trap and take 3 STAMINA damage. Either way we will open the chest and find either a Golden Talisman or Silver Dagger (depending on whether we roll an odd or even number on one die). Each one we find will allow us to regain 1 LUCK point (so we don't have to worry about draining our LUCK to open the chests, since we will regain them....we just have to worry about taking damage if we're Unlucky).

It's not clear from the start exactly what those Talismans and Daggers are supposed to do, but apparently it's good to collect as many of them as possible throughout the game.

Starting Equipment:

Everyone start with the following: leather armour, a small shield, a lantern, a backpack with enough Provisions for 12 meals, and a small knife we can use as a spare weapon if we lose our main one. If we are forced to fight with it, we can only do 1 STAMINA damage per attack!

For main weapons, Braxus starts with a sword, Anvar and Stubble with battleaxes, and the Wizard a staff. Every character also starts with 3d6 +2 gold pieces, except the dwarf, who gets 3d6 +7.

Special Hazards:

There's a column for recording this, although we don't start with any. They're similar to "Afflictions" in Vault of the Vampire, including things like infection, poison or sickness.

Spells:

All spells will cost MAGIC points, but for non-Wizards, they can only be cast if we find the right scroll for them. Only Sallazar/Jallarial can cast them any time as long as he/she has enough MAGIC points. Spell scrolls can be found throughout the game, and non-Wizards who cast spells using scrolls will need to spend the same amount of MAGIC points as Wizards do without them. Also, for spells that can be used right before combat, we're only allowed to cast ONE such spell per combat

Here are the spells (MAGIC point cost listed in brackets):

Create Food (1-3): Creates extra meals in your Provisions. Spending 1 MAGIC creates 1 meal, spending 2 creates 3 meals, spending 3 creates 5.

Jump (1): Allows caster to cover up to 6 metres.

Light (1): To be used as substitute for a lantern. Cannot be cast during combat.

Luck Spell (1): Restore 1 LUCK. Cannot be cast during combat.

Skill Spell (1): +1 SKIL temporarily for one combat or SKILL test, which means it can be cast before combat.

Open (1): Opens locked doors or Tower Chests. Cannot use in combat.

Fast Hands (2): Can be cast before combat and allows us to roll twice for our Attack Strength and pick the higher one during the first 3 rounds of combat.

Fireball (2): Can be cast during combat, but needs to be executed like a normal combat round: if we win the Attack Round, the fireball does 5 damage to the opponent.

Magic Screen (2): Negates a spell targeted at you by enemy, but must be cast before the enemy casts his own spell. Cannot use during combat.

Death Spell (3): Can be cast during combat similar to the Fireball spell. If you win the attack round, the spell insta-kills any enemy with 9 or less SKILL. Does not work on undead or on Zagor (for obvious reasons).

Thunderbolt (3): Like Fireball, but does 7 damage instead of 5.

Teleport (4): Travel long distances. The one spell that can only be cast when we're actually given the option in the text.

Steal Treasure (5): Auto-summon a Golden Talisman or Silver Dagger to add to our collection. We don't get LUCK bonus for treasure gained like this, though!

An that's it for the special rules!

Before we start, let's pick our characters and stats:

1) Which character do we play?

2) If you pick the Wizard, please vote whether you prefer to play as Sallazar or Jallarial.

3) Do we want to use the "maximum stat" house rule? If we do here're what we'll have:

Anvar: 12/24/10
Braxus: 12/24/9
Stubble: 11/24/11
Sallazar/Jallarial: 10/24/9

4) And one more minor point: do we roll for starting gold or start with max possible gold?
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Post by ashimbabbar »

My former attempts on this book ( which never got far :mrgreen: ) were by rolling according to the rules, with Braxus. I still think if you roll he's the best choice.

Here my choice is

. We play as Jallarial, Jallarial, Jallarial !

. With max stats

. And while we're at it, max gold.


If the majority chooses to roll the stats, I'll switch my vote to Braxus ( also if the majority of pro-wizard choose Sallazar, because social justice
:mrgreen: )
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Jallarial at max everything.
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Post by MisterDee »

If the number-difficulty is as high as Tower of Destruction, let's go for max stats (and gold) using Jallarial.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'd go with max numbers Jallarial. Braxus looks like he'll have an easier time but playing a spellcaster looks more fun.

Also I can't help but imagine that "Zagor" is just Old Man Henderson Jr gone full evil given that the original Warlock was a pushover whose most heinous crime was living in a cave.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Jallarial to the Max.
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Post by Sirocco »

What they said.
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Post by SGamerz »

And so by unanimous decision, we'll be playing as Jallarial the Wizard!

Let's proceed to the Background section:
It is five long and weary years since the armies of the Bone Demon laid waste so much of the beautiful perilous land of Amarillia- The Zombies and Orcs which infested the plains of the land were foul enough, but the Demon's War Dragons slew thousands of men, Dwarfs, Elves and Centaurs before the Demon itself was finally trapped inside the Casket of Souls. Victory was had at last, but at what a cost! Zombies and worse still stalk the land, for there are few warriors left Lo destroy them. The court of the boy-king, Irian, is said to be riven by petty squabbles and scheming advisers. Most folk live behind shuttered windows and bolted doors these days. Hospitality to a traveller such as yourself is but a memory now.

Many days of foot-wearying travel have brought you to Sanctuary, the royal court within the island known as the Cauldron, the furthest island of Icecap range. You are ushered swiftly into an audience with the king. You are startled by his appearance: most people still call him 'boy-king', but Irian has grown almost to full stature now and, while he is still very young and surely inexperienced in the arts of kingship, his voice is commanding and his manner assured.

'Greetings,' he says as you kneel before his throne. 'Oh, do please stand up. I already have all the grovelers I need here in Sanctuary. I can scarcely do with another one. Come.' He rises and leaves the throne room and marches along a narrow corridor to his personal chambers. Somewhat startled by his informality, you follow him.

'Look,' he says as he strides across to a table, picks up a black cloth embroidered with golden runes and gently polishes a large chunk of blue-white crystal. The crystal hums slightly and a ghostly scene appears in the midst of the room. A white-haired old man is sitting in the most cluttered study you have ever seen: papers, crystal balls, bundles of bats' wings, bottles of herbs, and a jumble of other articles are scattered all over the floor and walls.

Irritably, the old man looks up at you 'Eh? What is it?' he snaps.

'Gereth, the hero I spoke of is here. Relate once more what you told me - and perhaps you have learnt even more?'

'Oh, yes, hmmm. Well, I suppose you've told him about the Demon Throne and explained the Laws of Fractured Resonance and -'

The king interrupts the ghostly apparition. Time grows so short. You can explain much better than I .'

The old man's gaze tums upon you. He looks faintly disapproving. 'Harrumph. Very well, then listen closely, young whippersnapper. I take it that at least you know about King Kraal and the defeat of the Bone Demon of the Bottomless Pit?'

You shudder slightly. Everyone knows how the armies of the Bone Demon were finally confronted and the Bone Demon was imprisoned in the Casket of Soul, in the barren expanse of the Plains of Peril, where the Bottomless Pit still smokes and chums to this day. This was some years past, but the scars of that terrible war mark Amarillia still.

'And you know of the Casket of Souls?' You nod. 'Well, when it was made, magic was woven into it to enable the Demon's banishment to the outer planes. Unfortunately, however, there was a slight flaw in the way the magic was woven. Since that magic allowed a magical creature to be drawn out of your world, it also created a resonance allowing certain magical creatures into your world as well. I'm rather afraid,' the old man says in a schoolmasterish tone as he adjusts the slightly ridiculous lenses perched on his nose,' that a definitely magical creature has done just that. Appeared in your world, that is. Out of mine. I can't say we're sorry to see him leave us, but our gain is going to be your loss unless you can stop him emerging in his full power. Worse still, he is entering your world where the Casket of Souls was taken after the Demon was banished At Castle Argent.' The old man pauses for breath 'He is named Zagor and he is a great wizard, one of the most powerful my world has ever seen. My world is called Titan, I suppose you've heard your scholars mention it, hmmm? Great Allansia with its wicked Port Blacksand ruled by the wretched Lord Azzur and his corrupt cronies, the great civilizations of the Old World, the crawling chaos of Khul ... you have heard of it? Well, anyway, I won't ramble on about my home, I'll become sentimental and waste time. Let's get back to Zagor.

Twice we have believed him slain but twice he has resurrected himself. All that was left of his original form is a skeletal arm, but that is enough. When he was drawn into your world his being became fused with the trapped Demon, and now a demonic form of Zagor grows even as I speak. Although I am powerless to prevent it happening, from the seclusion of my world I detected Zagor being drawn into yours, and I was able to send some magic after him: some talismans of gold and daggers of silver. They will be scattered around the lair within which Zagor is now growing. Each of them will weaken him, so, when you get there, be sure to collect as many as you can.'

You aren't sure you like the way the old man just assumes you're going to march straight into the desolate, evil ruins of Castle Argent! It's hundreds of kilometres away, across the Frozen Wastes and the dangerous monster-infested icy seas. But he goes on talking anyway.

'This time, Zagor simply has to be destroyed. It's not enough to kill him. You'll have to make sure his body is burned to nothingness in the Heartfires below Castle Argent Where the Grand Wizards of your world centred the conjuring of the Great Fire Wall from the outermost points of Amarillia - though you'll know all about that, of course.'

'l thought this was merely a tale or a deception,' murmurs the king sadly, 'until Gereth told me about certain changes made at Castle Argent. My own spies were able Lo verify those details.'

The old man's eyes look bright now. 'Ah yea, the castle. It is metamorphosing, changing form, drawing Zagor's old magic and servants into it, strengthening him as he grows. Not all of that magic may be dark and evil; you may be able to find help there. But I'm afraid that one of the mightiest and most dangerous of the Demon's War Dragons, one which escaped destruction in the final battle ten years ago, has something to do with the magical changes in the castle. It has learnt something of the ways of magic, and it seeks revenge for its defeat by allying with Zagor to wreak havoc on all Amarillia. Perhaps in its madness, it thinks of him as the Demon it once served. Which, of course, Zagor is - in part.' The ghostly scene begins to fade and tremble. Faint white sparks crackle at the edge of the crystal. The old man's voice rises in surprise and annoyance. 'Not yet! I should tell you about the-'

The crystal explodes into a thousand fragments. You and King Irian look down, stunned, at the smoking remains of the table it stood upon. You do not know where the magic, which banished the old man back to his world, came from, but a feeling of evil and menace hangs in the air around you.

'Brave adventurer, ' the king beseeches you. 'l have no one else to send. My wizards give all they can, preserving the Fire Wall which guards all Amarillia; my loyal knights and the few nobles I can trust have more work than they can perform, simply preventing this kingdom from tearing itself apart. I beg you, go to Castle Argent. A ship is readied for you. Destroy the wizard-fiend who comes to ravish our land. Return to me after carrying out deeds worthy of the knighthood I shall then grant you!'

With the weight of a world's fate resting on your shoulders - or so it feels - you cannot refuse the quest.
Diehard followers of FF will no doubt recognize the old man as Gereth Yaztromo of Darkwood, who also appears in multiple other books written by Livingstone. The reference to the Bone Demon and its banishment are actually the events in Volume 1 of the novels (in which Zagor is actually not featured until the very end, when he's sensed by Yaztromo to enter the world using the path by which the Demon was banished by Jallarial using the Casket of Souls).

There are a number of differences in the plot between this book and the novel: Yaztromo didn't manage to contact Amarillia and warn the king. Jallarial and her friend had no idea who or what Zagor was when they started on the mission. In fact, this was originally an exploring party rather than a demon-killing one. They knew that there's something magical happening in Castle Argent but they weren't certain what it was. They were looking to find out more and see if it's possible for the Queen to reclaim the castle, which used to be the original capital (Sanctuary, the current capital, was exactly what its name is: the Queen and Irian fled there when King Kraal was defeated by the Demon).

And in the novel, Irian really was just a child-king, and the Queen still ran the court. And Braxus was already knighted after his accomplishments in the first book. And last but not least, while Zagor was indeed part-demon, I don't recall there being nay reference of him having merged with the Bone Demon. His demonic nature actually comes from his mother, who was revealed to be a demoness in Book 3 of the novels.

Anyway, enough about that, let's proceed to section 1:
A ship has been readied to carry you westwards to the coastline of Tower Island, where the forbidden majesty of ruined Castle Argent lies. If you decide to set off immediately, turn to 220. If you want to spend
some Gold Pieces purchasing equipment, turn to 56. If you want to try acquiring some extra gold for buying equipment, turn to 206. If you want to consult one of the king's sages for advice or help before you set sail turn to 154.
All the usual adventuring options: money, equipment, information, or immediate departure?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: Jallarial
SKILL 10/10
STAMINA 24/24
LUCK 9/9
MAGIC: 7/7
Equipment: Staff, Leather Armor, Shield, Lantern, , knife
Provisions: 12 Meals
Gold: 20
Last edited by SGamerz on Sun Apr 03, 2016 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mr Shine
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Post by Mr Shine »

Talk to the sage, he's bound to have some key information that wasn't automatically provided us for unexplained reasons.
ashimbabbar
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Post by ashimbabbar »

Buy interesting things ( there it goes again, we're this world's savior and we have to pay for everything out of our own pocket :mad: )
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'd favor visiting the sage, myself.
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Sirocco
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Post by Sirocco »

Information first, then shopping.
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Post by SGamerz »

Sanctuary has its fair share of dubious fortune-tellers and charlatans, but the king's querulous old sage Yondale is said to have the Sight, so you make your way to his chambers. When you enter, the ancient-looking wizard-sage is in animated discussion with a merchant who is bearing a small wooden casket. He asks you what you want and, when you ask for his help, he snaps at you, 'This wretch wants 5 Gold Pieces for a mere grumnet of Barrabangian shimmerlizard tails! It's an outrage! Pay him for me, and I 'll tell you something of use to you.' If you are willing to pay the 5 Gold Pieces, turn to 382. If you won't (or can't) pay, you can buy some equipment, try to make some extra money, or make for the ship to take you out of Sanctuary.
Do we pay for his stuff like the sucker generous girl that we are? If not, what do we do next?
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Pay up.
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Post by Mr Shine »

You know we're off to save the world, right? The world that includes you?

Pay for the asshole's spell component/dinner/whatever
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Post by ashimbabbar »

pay for the plot token
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Post by Sirocco »

Don't be stingy.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I find it hard to believe that the king's most trusted sage is strapped for cash, but pay him anyways.
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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Darth Rabbitt wrote:I find it hard to believe that the king's most trusted sage is strapped for cash, but pay him anyways.
To be fair, this is a kingdom still recovering from the ravages of a war that almost destroyed he kingdom, and a lot of the lands are still not paying taxes due to either the devastation of war or local tyrants seizing independent control. The king himself might be short on cash at the moment. That's one of the reasons (in the novel, at least) they're so eager to reclaim Castle Argent. Regaining the old capital will be a necessary show of strength for the monarchy.
You pay the merchant and he hands the casket to the old man. Dumping it carelessly in a bronze dish, the sage turns his attention to you. 'Hmmm. Heading for Castle Argent, eh?' You look startled at his prescience, knowing where you are headed; perhaps he has the Sight indeed! 'No, actually the king told me. But, in fact, I did have one of my visions about the place only the other day. Now, did I write it down?' He scrambles up a rickety stepladder with an agility unusual in one so old, and drags a thick, leather-bound tome covered in dust from one of the topmost shelves. He fumbles with the pages then, with a shriek of triumph, he recites a verse of riddles to you:
The Knight can be detroyed by the lions within the green;
The Hellhorn Champion falls to the chevrons in the white;
The War Dragon falls to the yellow-cloistered stars,
The Ogre Mutants falls to the goblets in the blue.
The Onyx Staff empowers you lo use these symbols true.

'Well, that's it,' he says.' I've no idea what it means, of course. But it is important.' Rather disappointedly, you leave. Will you now:

Buy some equipment?
Try to acquire some extra money, if you haven't already tried?
Wait for the ship to tale you to Tower Island?
Sometimes I suspect most of these clairvoyant people know exactly what they saw and what those mean, but they deliberately make the effort to wrap them up in vague rhyme just to look 'mystical' to the public eye.

Anyway, I know there were votes for shopping before this....but do we want to make more cash first?
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