[Let's Play] Virtual Reality Adventure Book: Heart of Ice

Stories about games that you run and/or have played in.

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

The baron is cloistered in his tent. A couple of servants are hunkered down in the snow outside next to a glimmering fire, but they pay you no heed. Glancing into the tent as you pass, you notice that the baron is intently studying a video screen which he has set up on a low table next to the cushions on which he is propped. He seems to be muttering something quietly to himself.

If you want to eavesdrop, turn to 364. If you just boldly enter the tent uninvited, turn to 386. Alternatively, you could go and talk to Golgoth, Boche or Gaunt.
How do we want to approach him? Or do we switch to someone else?
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Eavesdropping seems a good idea.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Drop those eaves.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Given a choice of "eavesdrop", "waste our trip", or "show our hand", gonna have to go with eavesdrop.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

If you utilize ESP and a psionic focus to delve into the baron's mind, turn to 407. If you sneak closer using ROGUERY or chameleon skin, turn to 428. If you possess Little Gaia and want to leave her to record what the baron says, turn to 446. Otherwise you must slope away and either retire for the night or try talking to one of the others: Boche, Golgoth or Gaunt.
We have ROGUERY and Little Gaia. Do we want to use the skill, or the item?
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Post by Thaluikhain »

I don't see why those should be mutually exclusive.

But a recording does sound useful.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

You stroll casually past the tent and drop Little Gaia in the snow. A few minutes later you come back past. The baron's servants glance at you without curiosity. Retrieving Little Gaia, you take her off to a secluded corner of the square and ask her what she overheard.

'Baron Siriasis has a communication link to Gaia,' she says. 'They discussed the Heart of Volent.'

'What did she tell him?'

'Gaia advised him that the Heart is unstable. It will give its user ultimate power, but only by sweeping away our universe and creating a new universe and creating a new universe in its place.'

'And the baron's reply to this?'

'He does not care. He is bitter because he is old and crippled. He would be happy to rule over a new universe.' Little Gaia goes on to tell how the Heart could be destroyed: by bombarding it with two barysal beams at right angles, causing a resonance in the crystal lattice that would split it apart. Note the codeword Nemesis if you do not have it already. Now you can go and talk to

Golgoth
Boche

or Gaunt.
Well, seems like there might be a use for that barysal gun after all.....that is, of course, if we're thinking about destroying the Heart...? Or maybe we agree with the baron? Hmmmm.......

Who do we talk to now?
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Know nothing about Gaunt, so maybe speak to him next.

(Also, that's a good reason for roguery and recording being mutually exclusive)
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Good thing we kept the gun (even though I'll admit that I was more in favor of dropping it).

Talk to Gaunt.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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Post by SGamerz »

Gaunt walks with you to the outskirts of Du-En to show you the night sky. His undead xoms stalk silently alongside bearing glow-lamps. At the city gates, they dim the lamps and you are left with the light of ten thousand glittering stars. The snows of the Sahara are swallowed by darkness, but you get the impression of standing at the hub of infinity.

For a long period neither of you speaks. Then Gaunt recites softly, ‘Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who favour fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that ice is also great, and would suffice.’

‘What’s that?’

‘The words of a poet of long ago.’ He gazes to the north. ‘My home city lies under a shield of ice a kilometre thick. Soon the world will slip into a coma, like a man frozen at the point of death. The polar caps will meet and everything will end.’

‘Unless we find the Heart and use its power to set things right.’

He turns with a smile almost of delight. ‘Is that why you’ve come here? I fear you’ll be disappointed. The Heart must inevitably fall into the hands of the one who is most ruthless. To seize true power, a man must have a heart of ice. When the powerful do good deeds – I speak of Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, Mao – they do so inadvertently. The good and honest of the world are always the most impotent.’

It suddenly occurs to you that Gaunt hasn’t a chance of surviving here. He is too intellectual to vie with the others for the Heart. If you tell him that, turn to 279. If you ask what he thinks of the others, turn to 258. Otherwise, you can return to the main square and seek out Kyle Boche or turn in for the night.
The option to seek out Golgoth has disappeared for some reason.....

What do we say to him?
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

I don't think this wanker has any piercing insight, but let's get his take anyway.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Yeah, we might as well hit him up for as much information as possible.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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Post by Starmaker »

Lol, he's basically the king of wrong.
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Post by SGamerz »

When he folds his hands across his chest and speaks in his mild whimsical way, Janus Gaunt puts you in mind of a priest. ‘Vajra Singh is the lion among us,’ he says; ‘proud, brave and noble – but cross him, and you’ll measure your remaining span in seconds. So, if Singh is a lion, Golgoth is a fox, agile and crafty. For Baron Siriasis’s totem I would suggest the spider: a brooding, spiteful, sinister creature, always ready to cast its net.’

‘And Thadra Bey is evidently a tigress,’ you say, ‘for I have never seen a woman so sleek and fierce. And Kyle Boche?’

‘Boche?’ He gives a snort of contempt. ‘He is a jackal... no, an albatross around your neck, I think.’

‘And what about you, Janus Gaunt?’ breaks in a voice abruptly. You turn to see Kyle Boche sauntering out across the snow. He casts a hooded glance around the throng of silent xoms. ‘Perhaps you’re the worm of the group? The maggot that eats from within?’

Gaunt turns on his heel and stalks away without reply, his xoms clustering along behind like sleepwalkers. Boche takes your arm and leads you back to the main square. You should be more careful,’ he chides. ‘Gaunt might have murdered you out there and turned you into one of his undead. You’re lucky I came along when I did.’
If we'd opted to tell Gaunt the truth about his weakness, he'd actually contemplate killing us.....not because we offended him or anything, but because he agrees with us and wants to make himself more ruthless by going for murder. But Gilgamesh's presence would have put him off.....so, no, Boche, we still don't need you!
Boche struts around the fire under the colonnade while outlining his plans for how you will share the power of the Heart. Lost in your own deep reverie, you hardly hear his words. Finally you look up and ask him, ‘Why do you want ultimate power, Boche?’

He stops short and looks at you sharply. For a moment you think he is about to give you a straight answer, but no. ‘What are you saying? Are you having doubts? Surely not, when we are on the verge of triumph. You must not be so timid!’

If you have the codeword Nemesis and want to suggest an alliance, turn to 236. If you would rather get some sleep, turn to 192.
We have the codeword, but we're not obligated make an alliance here. Do we think we can trust him as an ally (and just as importantly, do we think he'll be any good)?
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Suggest an alliance, can always arrange an accident when necessary.
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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Maybe we should wait and ally with one of the others? It's not like he'll actually destroy the Heart.
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Looks like we're out of time to talk to anyone else. Make the alliance now and break it if we get to the heart first.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

We've put up with Boche for this long, so we might as well keep him.
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Post by SGamerz »

He listens with interest as you explain how the Heart can be destroyed by two people working together. 'A fitting use for that fine barysal pistol of yours,' you conclude with a grim smile.

He nods and then leans close, putting an arm across your shoulders. 'You're right, of course. I'm glad you confided all this to me. We must keep it secret from the others. They're mad dogs, who care nothing for whether the world lives or dies.'

Record the codeword Yellow and turn to 192.
Let's just hope he doesn't beat us to the "we'll just turn on him after we get what we want" plan.
You return to your campsite in the shelter of a ruined building and settle down for the night. The flames of the fire throw long capering shadows across the walls. The ground is so cold that it seems to suck the vitality out of you. How long has it been since you ate? If you have a food pack, you can regain 1 Life Point. You can regain another 1 Life Point if you have a medical kit. (Note that if you possess a Manta sky-car, its storage locker contains a medical kit and several food packs.)

If you have the codeword Hourglass, you lose 1 Life Point while you sleep. Once you have made the necessary adjustments to your Character Sheet, if still alive to see the dawn you can turn to 83.
With our medical kit, our LP is back to max!
The sky is clear and blue, with high wisps of grey cloud. The snow crunches underfoot as you walk across the square to join Kyle Boche. Floating out of his tent comes the legless Baron Siriasis. You look around but the square is otherwise deserted apart from clumps of servants waiting beside the tents.

‘The others have already descended,’ Boche tells you and the baron. ‘Vajra Singh went with Golgoth, down through the main temple complex. Thadra Bey took herself alone into the adjoining subway tunnels. Janus Gaunt was gone before I woke.’

‘I suggest we three team up, then,’ says the baron briskly.

Boche nods. ‘Agreed. If we find the Heart, our alliance holds until the other teams are dealt with. Where shall we descend?’

Last night you noticed an icy crevice beside the building that Singh levelled with his mantramukta cannon. You point it out to the others. ‘It looks to give onto the cellars, and there may be a way through to the temple catacombs below.’

The baron gazes down into the crevice, then gives a curt nod. ‘I sense it is a favourable route. It will lead us to the Heart.’

If you have a Manta sky-car, turn to 17. If not, turn to 39.
There's a simple reason why Gaunt's disappeared: depending on the options you made last night, it's possible that he may be dead.
You ease yourselves down into the crevice. The walls are slick with frost and you have to brace your back against sharp rocks to keep from slipping. At last you see a glimmer of light below and you emerge onto a ledge overlooking a large underground cavern. A distant howl of rushing air reaches your ears, magnified by the vast space surrounding you. The light is a dull grey phosphorescence from deep in the rock. Climbing down to the floor of the cavern, you advance through a forest of slender stalagmites which glisten like old candles.

Baron Siriasis bobs along beside you like a grotesque broken manikin. He points.

‘Ahead is a chasm. Fortunately for you both, there seems to be a bridge across it.’

As you step out from among the stalagmites, you fail to notice at first that a thick glowing vapour is roiling around your feet. Boche heads towards the chasm, but stumbles and gives a cry of alarm as the vapour begins to creep up around his limbs. With a groan, the baron seems to sag and drift down to the cavern floor. You take another step, then you realize that the mist is draining your strength. It rises across your vision, a luminous fog that seeps into your skin like ice water. You can no longer see your comrades. Then you see a sight that sends a tingle of dread through you. Taking shape within the mist, reaching towards you with ghastly imploring fingers, is a horribly twisted figure that looks like a squashed effigy of white clay.

If you have the codeword Enkidu, turn to 105.

If not but you have the codeword Talos, turn to 127.

If you have neither of those but you do have LORE, turn to 171.

Otherwise, there is nothing you can do to stop the phantom from reaching through your skin and extracting your life-essence, and your adventure is at an end.
Save us, Gilgamesh!
Even though the three of you are helpless, Gilgamesh can still act. Lunging forward through the swirling vapour, he seizes the gnarled phantom in his arms and carries it on stiff strides to the edge of the chasm. It shrieks and twists in his grasp, flowing and distorting like a painting in the rain. Sparks cascade from Gilgamesh’s visor as it sinks its fingers under his armour. For a long instant they both stand there, wreathed in white mist, struggling for the upper hand. Then Gilgamesh steps forward over the edge and he and the creature drop out of sight. You hear its thin bleating cry echo up from the depths and then there is silence. When you run to the chasm and look down, you find no trace of either the phantom or your loyal automaton.

Delete the codeword Enkidu and turn to 149.
NOOOOOOOOOOO........!

I guess it'd have been too easy if we can just rid of all the other competitors and let Gilgamesh help us destroy the Heart. I mean, if an extra barysal gun is all it takes the super-robot can probably use it better than Boche.

R.I.P, brave protector.....
Slowly the chill leaves your bodies. ‘Curious,’ mutters the baron, floating over to peer into the chasm. ‘It seemed to be a genuine ghost, so far as I could tell. I could not read its mind, at any rate.’

‘Just as long as it’s gone now,’ grunts Boche. He gestures at a narrow stone bridge spanning the chasm. On the far side, an archway opens onto a tiled hall. ‘Who wants to go first?’

The baron gives him a scornful look and hovers out across the drop. As you watch him drift to a halt on the far side, it occurs to you that he looks a rather ghostly figure himself.

Boche glances at you, shrugs and strides rapidly across the bridge. ‘It’s not too bad as long as you don’t look down,’ he calls over his shoulder.

They are waiting for you to cross. As you step onto the bridge, you find your gaze drawn downwards in spite of Boche’s advice. The walls of the chasm plunge dizzyingly into feculent darkness. Then you notice something else. Set into the rock walls, about five metres below the level of the bridge, are a row of metal grilles. If you climb down to investigate, turn to 193. If you continue across the bridge, turn to 215.
Do we want to climb down?
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Investigrate!
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Post by SGamerz »

If you have either AGILITY or a length of rope, turn to 237. If not, your footing slips on an icy outcropping as you are making your way down and you fall to your doom in the bowels of the earth.
We have both the skill and the rope.
Reaching the nearest grille, you find it rusted and easy to wrench out of the wall. Narrowing your shoulders, you squeeze through into a small tomb chamber. A body lies on a low carved slab, withered but preserved by the cold dry breeze gusting up from below. The robes suggest this was one of the priests of the Volentine cult. Hearing the others calling you, you make a hurried search of the tomb, finding nothing of interest except for a speculum jacket. This gives some protection from barysal gunhshots.

Note the speculum jacket on your Adventure Sheet. Since the others are anxious to be off, you climb back up to rejoin them without inspecting the other grilles.
We still have empty possession slots, so I'll take the obviously useful jacket.
You reach the far end of the bridge and pass through into the tiled hall beyond. The architecture here is the same oppressive design as on the surface: the heavy harshly chiselled lintels and monumental bulbous columns, the gigantic vaults and grotesque carvings. You have a choice of routes on from here: either of two wide passages directly ahead, or a doorway to your left.

If you go through the door, turn to 259. If you take the left-hand passage, turn to 3. If you take the right-hand passage, turn to 128.
Which way now?
Omegonthesane
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Post by Omegonthesane »

Left.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

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SlyJohnny
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Post by SlyJohnny »

Door.
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Right.

By which I mean I agree with the idea of going through the door.
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