Let's Play: Challenge of the Magi: Mage3

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

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Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

I think it's some sort of character reading ruby that know what you think of attractive jewels or something.

Oh, and there's a picture that was on the page after the previous passage.

As you step towards the pedestal the crystal warriors attack you, for you would wantonly, for you would wantonly despoil the cavern of its treasure for no reason. Each time you strike one of the crystal warriors it dissolves into shards and then two more of the glass golems rise up from the debris. Their glass arms pummel you repeatedly. Lose 4 LPs.

WAIT(4)

You realise you cannot win so you try to Invoke the Portals. Mercifully they appear. Where will you escape to,: the Tower of Immutable Paradox, the Palace of Flames, the Silvered Spires or the Rainbow Inn?

(That really doesn't seem right. If it is on no interest, surely you'd go away again rather than fight over it?)
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Though, before you can travel to another realm:

372
You stand amidst the ordered greenery of the Garden of Contemplation. You opponent stands opposite you, beneath a tree, glaring at you. (You may describe yourself to your opponent, exchange insults such as "Prepare to die, insignificant worm." In any case, you must tell him your class of mage and what you are carrying.) Then prepare for spell combat. You may only use blue or green spells in this region.

Your opponent has gotten a fancy magic sword since last you met. you will go first, decided randomly.

DECISIONS
You may try to escape by fleeing and Invoking the Portals

If you have no spells, you can charge forwards, hope to withstand your enemy's spells and close for physical combat.

Or you may cast one of these spells:
Phantasm 2CP
Creeping Doom 1CP
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

Hmmmm, I'm still not really in fighting shape. I'll invoke the portal to Palace of Flames.
HP: 13/20 . CP: 12/14
Greaters: The Blight of Desponde (3cp, BLK), Holy Fires of Judgement (3cp, WHT), Creeping Doom (2cp, GRE), Immolation (3cp, RED), Spirit of Flame (1cp, RED), Phantasm (2cp, BLUE)
Counters: The Chalice of Incorruptible Life, Banishes the Deathknight to its rightful resting place., Dissolves the Juggernaut., Tower of Indomitable Will, Absorption, Wall of Ice
Lessers: PLATO (Abuscade in Forest of Arden), Dispel Trap, 2* Focus, 1* Bless

Notes about enemy mage: Has blue spell, has counterspell to Creeping Doom.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

"You run, preparing to Invoke the Portals, but in you haste you blunder into a nearby bush, giving me time to dash forwards and slash at you with my dagger before you disappear into the Nexus. You lose 3LPs. From the Nexus you can go to the Palace of Flames, the Shrine of the Martyrs or the Desolation of Ilexmanana the Aggrieved. WAIT(5) for me first."
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

There's a picture of the Palace of Flames here

Your opponent has also gone to the Palace of Flames

You stand upon the first floor of the Palace Hall. The brass walls almost glow with heat. Braziers line the walls. Your opponent stands before you. (You may describe yourself to your opponent, and exchange insults such as "Disgusting beard! I will arrange your features to render you less ugly, but also unfortunately dead.") You may only use red spells in this region.

They will go first (decided randomly)
Last edited by Thaluikhain on Wed Feb 08, 2017 3:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

"My hands flash through the air in a complicated arcane gesture. A few feet in front of me, a flaring fireball begins to coalesce. Two black shifting spots at its centre seem to denote eyes. The Spirit of Flame, for that is what it is, rushes towards you intent on engulfing you."

You can do nothing to resist the Spirit of Flame. Lose 5LPs. Read this to your opponent:

"I stagger back in horror and a howl of pain echoes around the Palace as the living fireball does its work. Moments later, it disappears back to its plane of fire, leaving me charred and burnt."

There's also a chance of having items destroyed, but you've not found any yet. Your starting equipment seemingly doesn't count, the book doesn't check if you have them.

(You may say something like "You think that such a trifling assault could affect me? Prepare to suffer real pain, you stunted, demented dwarf!")

DECISIONS
You may try to escape by fleeing and Invoking the Portals.
If you have no spells you can charge forward, hope to withstand your enemy's spells and close for physical combat.

Or you may cast:
Immolation (3cp)
Spirit of Flame (1cp)
Last edited by Thaluikhain on Fri Feb 10, 2017 2:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

Whelp, running doesn't seem to work. Does the game provide him with information which direction I go sometimes? He's 2 for 3 following me.

I'll fire off Immolation, but I think I've probably lost this, unless he is hopefully wounded.
HP: 5/20 . CP: 9/14
Greaters: The Blight of Desponde (3cp, BLK), Holy Fires of Judgement (3cp, WHT), Creeping Doom (2cp, GRE), Immolation (3cp, RED), Spirit of Flame (1cp, RED), Phantasm (2cp, BLUE)
Counters: The Chalice of Incorruptible Life, Banishes the Deathknight to its rightful resting place., Dissolves the Juggernaut., Tower of Indomitable Will, Absorption, Wall of Ice
Lessers: PLATO (Abuscade in Forest of Arden), Dispel Trap, 2* Focus, 1* Bless

Notes about enemy mage: Has blue spell, has counterspell to Creeping Doom.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Ikeren wrote:Whelp, running doesn't seem to work. Does the game provide him with information which direction I go sometimes? He's 2 for 3 following me.
No, it's down to lucky guesses or both wanting to explore the same realm.

You cross of 3 CPs. Read this to your opponent:

"My finger points at you and suddenly, you are bathed in flames. It is as if you had spontaneously caught fire. The agony is unbearable as the fire rages for several seconds. All your body hair has been burnt away but, oddly, your clothes and equipment remain untouched. Lose three life points."

You may also add such lines as "Suffer the flame of torment, you mindless amoeba." Now WAIT for your opponent's instructions.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

"I begin to charge forward, magic sword at the ready, intent on hand-to-hand combat. You have the opportunity to hurl a spell at me. Or you may flee or run to meet me"

You may cast
Spirit of Flame (1cp)

Or run away or run towards him and fight in hand-to-hand combat
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

I'll toss Spirit of Flame at him.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You cast the Spirit of Flame - cross off 1 CP. Read this to your opponent:

"My hands flash through the air in a complicated arcane gesture. A few feet in front of me, a flaring fireball begins to coalesce. Two black shifting spots at its centre seem to denote eyes. The Spirit of Flame, for that is what it is, rushes towards you intent on engulfing you."

You opponent cannot counter.

"I stagger back in horror and a howl of pain echoes around the Palace as the living fireball does its work. Moments later, it disappears back to its plane of fire, leaving me charred and burnt."

Casting a spell successful stops them charging. Also, if you were wondering what their fancy magic sword would do, you won't find out because the spell has just destroyed it (1 in 3 chance of destroying items).

DECISIONS
You may try to escape by fleeing and Invoking the Portals.
If you have no spells you can charge forward, hope to withstand your enemy's spells and close for physical combat.
Ikeren
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Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:07 pm

Post by Ikeren »

Alright, I'll accept this duel to the death. Hopefully those spells dealt lots of damage. CHARGE!
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

Explosive wand 5, Mage the Redundant Magician 3. Redundant Mage takes 5. And was at 5 LPs so is slain.

Explosive Wand has won the duel and taken control of the council, or at least until another mage challenges them
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

Alright, new mage;

Wizard, the Wizard.
Greaters; Holy Fires of Judgement (W) Archangel* (W), Hallowed Word (W), Tanglevines (G), Juggernaut* (G), Feeblemind (B)

Zones, note for me Sacred Grove (3+2), Forest of Arden (1+1), Gardens of Contemplation (2+1)

Counters: The Chalice of Incorruptible Life, Tower of Indomitable Will, Absorption, Fireskin, Extinguish, Iron Maiden.

Lessers: Bless 1, Heal 3, Focus 2

Start in Sacred Grove.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

The Sacred Grove is a large area of lightly-wooded meadows in the valley of the river Azurain. As you step from the portals the sun is about to set, throwing a warm blush of crimson and flame-orange over the trees and the grass. The great waterfall is turned pink in the evening light. Beyond the waterfall is a circle of oak trees and within them two concentric rings of standing stones. The Sacred Grove is a place of both white and green magic but it is here, within the standing stones, that the druids meet to perform the Rituals of Rebirth.

WAIT

A large group of druids are walking towards the standing stones. Will you walk towards them, or investigate the waterfall?

If you prefer to move on from this place immediately you may Invoke the Portals. Where will you reappear next: the Scorched Sands of Akhneton, the Desolation of Ilexmanan the Aggrieved, or the Citadel of the Skull?
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

I'll walk towards the druids and say hai!
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

478
The druids are closing in around the circles of standing stones and they are joining the outer circle of stones with mistletoe in preparation for the great Rite of Rebirth. The sun sinks low above the two largest of the stones. When they are lined up with the setting sun the ceremony will begin. There is a heap of corn ears on the central stone, a symbol of fertility. Record the codeword AMETHYST.

There is a picture here

You may threaten to break the all-important ring as the sun hovers over the stones, link arms with two of them and join in or just wait until the moment comes and tear down some of the mistletoe.
Last edited by Thaluikhain on Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ikeren
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Joined: Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:07 pm

Post by Ikeren »

Wow, lots of evil options. I'll link arms with two of them and join in.

HP: 16/20 . CP: 14/14
Greaters; Holy Fires of Judgement (W) Archangel* (W), Hallowed Word (W), Tanglevines (G), Juggernaut* (G), Feeblemind (B)
Counters: The Chalice of Incorruptible Life, Tower of Indomitable Will, Absorption, Fireskin, Extinguish, Iron Maiden.
Lessers: Bless 1, Heal 3, Focus 2
Codeword: AMYTHEST
Zones, note for me Sacred Grove (3+2), Forest of Arden (1+1), Gardens of Contemplation (2+1)
Scrolls of Deathknight (Blk) and Spirit of Flame (R).

Spells have double CP cost until fountain of life.
Last edited by Ikeren on Fri Feb 24, 2017 7:54 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You join in the ceremony, aping their gestures and mimicking their chants. They seem pleased that a strange spellwielder is taking part on their ceremony, though its effects are lost on you, while they all appear to be rejuvenated as if years had suddenly dropped off them. They sympathize with you that you were unable to share on the ceremony of rebirth and its beneficial effects fully but they give you a scroll as a token of their esteem.

To your surprise you see that it is a scroll containing the spells Deathknight and Spirit of Flame. This means you can case these spells when you are in a region with the corresponding colour of magic, once each, without spending any CPs.

WAIT (your second wait)

You are so surprised that you decide to Invoke the Portals and leave before they change their minds. Where will you venture next: the Scorched Sands of Akhneton, the Desolation of Ilexmanan the Aggrieved or the Citadel of the Skull?
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

Huh, that's kinda cool. What happens if I leave and immediately return? Can I investigate the waterfall?

I'll go with the Desolation of Ilexmanan the Aggrieved.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

382
You step through the portal into bright sunlight. The air is crisp and cold. Everywhere around you stretches a vast expanse of barren, grey rock, the Desolation of Ilexmanan the Aggrieved. You sense this is an area of the Rainbow Land where the greater magics do not function.

Not a single living creature disturbs the silence, save you and the moaning wind. Two things stand out like blazing beacons in the bleak waste. Some way ahead lies a green copse and to the left crumbles an ancient ruin of some castle.

Will you investigate the ruins or the copse? Alternatively you may Invoke the Portals and travel either to the Garden of Contemplation or the Sacred Grove. WAIT(3) beforehand

You could go back before doing anything and then see the waterfall, though when going to a realm you have to wait, so it's not quite immediate.
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

I'll be daring and investigate the copse. Forests are my friend, even if magic is limited here. Do my scrolls of greater magic also not function?
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You can't use your scrolls except in places with the relevant colour of magic, so no.

402
After a short journey, you enter the cope, a green peaceful place yet it fills you with unease. At the centre of the copse is a small clearing. A mummified corpse lies on the briar at its centre. the body looks as if it has been dead for millenia. In its hands, clasped at its chest, is a crystal, pulsating with a soft blue light. You recognise the fabled Crystal of Power, one of the greatest magic items of the druid Ilexmanan the Aggrieved, who was corrupted and consumed by his lust for power. You may take the Crystal, or leave it and Invoke the Portals, in which case you can go to the Sacred Grove or the Garden of Contemplation. But you must WAIT(4) first before you do so.

There is a picture here
Ikeren
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Post by Ikeren »

Whooops, right.


A great druid's most powerful item, corrupted and consumed by his lust for power? Ugh, I'm almost extremely tempted to leave it, except the game generally seems to reward you for interacting. I'll take it and fight the zombie corspe that attacks me for picking it up.
Thaluikhain
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Post by Thaluikhain »

You reach forward and hurriedly snatch at the crystal, but as you do so. the corpse jerks and its grip tightens. You step back in stupefied horror as the undead creature sits up and turns its head towards you, dry parchment-like skin drawn tightly over the grinning skull. Two pinpricks of light lie deep within the empty eye sockets.
"Who dares disturb the sleep of Ilexmanan?" The creature points at you and, to your surprise, it casts a spell, supposedly impossible in this area. Perhaps it is drawing power from the planes of the undead. It is casting a form of Creeping Doom. Suddenly a horde of cockroaches engulf you, crawling all over you. They begin to bite painfully. Lose 4 LPs. You can barely focus your thoughts as they swam over you. All your spells will be at double CP from now on, until you find the Fountain of Life, which you know to be the only remedy once you have been inflicted with Creeping Doom. Will you invoke the Portals now, in which case you can go to the Garden of Contemplation, or the Sacred Grove, or you can attack the living corpse in front of you. However you must WAIT(5) until your opponent is ready to go on before doing so.
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