[Let's Play] Fighting Fantazine Adventure 11: Ascent of Darkness

[pragma]

Half vote to spare.

[Beroli]

Executing the Prince of Salamonis wins 1 to 0.5.

Without hesitation, you thrust your sword into the whining brat’s neck. His pleas and threats are replaced with a gurgling sound as blood fills his windpipe. When he is lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood, you realise that he is sleeping in your father’s old room. What is worse, the bag that he was packing included some of your father’s possessions. Then you notice a letter amongst them with your father’s personal seal. You take the letter and read it.

My child,

As I write this, I do not have long. I have
discovered a terrible secret that may ravage
the city and indeed all of Titan. For years
now, the cults of the Old Gods, Ashra,
bringer of light, and Vuh, bringer of life,
have been dwindling. The worship of Elim
the bringer of darkness has always been
outlawed in this city, but it seems that
there is a powerful cult of Elim in the city
which has been the quiet power behind the
throne for many years now. Doing what,
I have yet to find out, but it cannot be
good for any of us. If I should be killed by
the Elimites, then you must carry on this
cause for me and save Carsepolis from this
evil. There is one clue that I can give you.
I caught an Elimite who was going to try
to break into the Wizards’ Guild archives
in search of some lost object, but he had
no idea what it was. There is something in
there that they want. Find out what it is
and either destroy it or make sure that it is
beyond their grasp.

Agamemnon

Your father’s letter shakes you to the core. You may have to ask around the city about this. You also notice your father’s ring, bearing the insignia of your house. You may also take this.

Now that the courtiers have been dealt with, you return to your mother.

Your mother is in the dining room, ordering the servants to clear up the mess that both the courtiers and yourself have made. When she sees you, she runs to embrace you. As she does, she cries with joy.

‘I am so glad to see you again. I cannot thank you enough for ridding me of those disgusting men,’ she says. ‘But now you must avenge your father. Search the city, find those responsible and kill them.’

You swear that you will not rest until your father’s murderers are dead. Once your house has been cleaned up, you and your mother enjoy a fine meal, and healers tend to your wounds. You feel blessed for ridding your house of a poisonous element. Restore your Stamina to its Initial level and restore 1 Luck point. Your mother also gives you part of your inheritance – several hundred gold pieces in coins, gems and jewellery. Note that you have 1000 Gold Pieces. You also have a trireme which is moored at the docks, but you must find a new crew as your mother dismissed the old one when your father died. Also, if you lost your spear, you may take a new one (you didn't).

Once you have finished, you set out into the city to find out who killed your father. Where will you enquire first?

The markets?
The docks?
The taverns?
The Wizards’ Guild?
The palace?
The temple of Pangara?
The temple of Telak?
The temple of Logaan?
The temple of Ashra?
The temple of Vuh?

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 26/26
Luck: 13/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 50 Gold Pieces, food, 5 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

Okay, I vote to get the warhammer, do everything that we did before heading off to the docks, and check out the temple of Telak afterwards instead of heading to the docks straightaway.

[pragma]

Maybe the temple of Vuh has something for us that the temple of Ashrah doesn't? I'm unsure where else to look. If we still had a bronze apple left we could try running the archer down, but no such luck.

Any rate, I think other items are more exciting than the Warhammer, but I'm not sure what. Spending down the gold seems like a good idea.

[Beroli]

Maybe the temple of Vuh has something for us that the temple of Ashrah doesn't? I'm unsure where else to look. If we still had a bronze apple left we could try running the archer down, but no such luck.

Any rate, I think other items are more exciting than the Warhammer, but I'm not sure what. Spending down the gold seems like a good idea.

I need concrete votes. Nothing there can I act on.

(I will say that if you absolutely needed a bronze apple at the docks, I would have rewound you to the race and had you roll for at least one of the checks, not rewound you to getting your spear back.

Which does not in any way indicate that you will not find yourself looking at a Speed of Pangara/Strength of Telak check and regret not having the apples at some point in the rest of the gamebook, just that I did not rewind you into a walking dead state.)

[pragma]

Yeah fair enough. Vote to repeat everything but (1) try Vuh instead of Ashrah and (2) visit the temple of telak before heading to ducks per Noobs suggestion

[Beroli]

The warhammer is enchanted and can be used to crush rocks with ease. However, you cannot carry both it and your sword.

You do not go to the wizards' guild or the docks as those accomplished nothing previously.

You approach the large doors of the palace and request to see the king on a matter of the utmost urgency. The guards let you in with a salute.

Upon seeing your father’s personal seal, he immediately runs to tell the king in person. A few minutes later, the king arrives to the antechamber. He reads the letter. ‘My condolences for your loss, young one. He was a great warrior and a skilled diplomat. I could not have asked for a better advisor. It seems that he was helping me to his last breath. As you have taken it upon yourself to complete his work, what is mine is yours. I can offer you my men to help you with anything you may wish to do.' You now have a crew for your ship. ‘Between you and me, I have been suspicious of insidious goings on for some time. Powerful priests have sprung up from nowhere and have integrated themselves amongst the rich and powerful. There is one in this palace who I am suspicious of, but I have found nothing out yet. I keep him close so that I can keep an eye on him. I have sent spies to investigate him but they have been murdered. If you can find out anything, please tell me. Now you must go for I have the affairs of state to attend to.’ You thank the king, bow and return to the city.

Having seen that having the letter might make some areas play out differently, do you still wish to do all and only the same things you did previously up until you went to the docks?

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 26/26
Luck: 13/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 550 Gold Pieces, food, 5 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote yes, with the exception of also visiting the temples of Telak and Vuh in that order.

[pragma]

I back Noob's plan

[Beroli]

You do not go to the taverns as that accomplished nothing previously.

The temple of Logaan looks like any other building, but all know of the strange goings on within its walls. Priests wearing multi-coloured robes enter and leave the building by the front door. You enter the building and are approached by the high priest. ‘Welcome to the temple of the tricksters my lord. How may we help you?’

You do have Cunning of Logann and used it to defeat the Caarth.

Upon seeing you, the priest’s jovial face turns serious. ‘I see you have undergone great trials, my lord, and I am glad that the cunning of the tricksters helped you. However, I still see that the balance has swung in the favour of chaos, and for this we must help you in order to restore the balance.’ The priest takes you to a room containing an Elvin hovering over a pool of water glowing with many colours. The priest whispers to the Elvin who dives into the water. After a few minutes, the Elvin surfaces and whispers to the priest. ‘There is a powerful and evil artefact of the Old Gods buried and forgotten in the Wizards’ Guild Archives. Those who upset the balance are searching for it. Find it first to save us.’

The priest gives you the blessing of the tricksters. Restore your Luck to its Initial level. You go on your way.

You approach the large doors of the Wizards’ Guild and knock on the brass knocker. A young apprentice in blue robes answers the door and welcomes you to the guild. The apprentice asks you how he may be of help.

You have a letter from your father.

You show the apprentice your father’s letter. Upon seeing the seal, he immediately runs to fetch Platonus the guildmaster. He greets you warmly and offers his condolences for the death of your father. He reads the letter with great worry. ‘We must search the archives.’ Platonus leads you down several winding stairs into a huge cavernous room with shelves stretching for as far as you can see. Upon the shelves are scrolls, books and artefacts of all descriptions. You are looking for a needle in a haystack. However, Platonus mumbles something and a small glowing orb flies out of his hand and between the shelves. ‘It is a spell of finding,’ he explains. ‘It will find the oldest thing here.’ You follow the wizard to where the glow is. It is hovering over a plain looking box made of a metal with a blue sheen. It sticks out from the other artefacts because it is not decorated. If it were not for the strange colour of the metal, it would look like any other battered metal box. Cautiously, you open the box. As soon as you do, it seems that the lights dim. There is a dagger inside, made of black steel and surrounded by an aura of evil and darkness. You look upon it for barely a moment before there is a crash and you are engulfed in dust and smoke. When the dust clears, you see that a huge EARTH ELEMENTAL has broken its way through the floor and now faces you, ready to crush you under its giant fists.

If you did not have a magic weapon Platonus would temporarily enchant your weapon, but you have an enchanted warhammer.

EARTH ELEMENTAL Skill 12 Stamina 18

Your warhammer does 4 damage to it (plus 1 for your pebble). It does 4 damage. Stunt damage remains unchanged. Platonus will automatically do 2 damage to it each round.

Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 16, EARTH ELEMENTAL Attack Strength: 20. Stunt result 1, failure. Hermes Conrad's Stamina is 20. Earth Elemental's Stamina is 16.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 21, EARTH ELEMENTAL Attack Strength: 24. Stunt result 2, failure. Hermes Conrad's Stamina is 14. Earth Elemental's Stamina is 14.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 17, EARTH ELEMENTAL Attack Strength: 14. Stunt result 6, success. Damage to Earth Elemental: 4+1 from pebble+4 from bat amulet+2 from Platonus+1 from bleed. EARTH ELEMENTAL's Stamina is 2.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 19, EARTH ELEMENTAL Attack Strength: 16. Earth Elemental is dead.

Your last blow reduces the elemental to rubble. You have just enough time to see a blue robed wizard holding the dagger before he disappears into thin air. ‘That was Erishum, a newly promoted wizard and social climber. I never trusted him,’ says Platonus. ‘We must discover exactly what he has stolen and what the consequences might be.’

You, Platonus and several other wizards pore through books for several hours. Eventually, Platonus finds what he is looking for, but he is not happy. Rather, he is very worried. ‘I’m afraid what Erishum stole was the dagger of Elim, a powerful weapon of the Old God of Darkness. If the church of Elim is regaining power, then we are all in grave danger. They will want to see the world returned to chaos and darkness.’

‘But where did he go? Do you know that?’ you ask.

‘Yes,’ replies Platonus, ‘my scryers have traced the teleport spell. It seems that Erishum is on Fire Island, off the Allansia coast. Maybe they are building a base there. You will have to go there to stop them. I’m afraid our resources will be spent protecting the city and detecting other magical spies, so we cannot help you. You will have to sail there. Good luck.’

You thank the wizards and continue your investigations.

You go to the temple of Ashra.

The temple of Ashra is large, but it is starting to show the wear of age. The inside of the temple is almost empty. It seems that the Old Gods have fallen out of favour with the people. An old priest in white robes carrying a crystal-topped staff approaches you. ‘Welcome to the temple of Ashra, the light of the world. How may I help?’

You say you wish to become an acolyte.

‘We are always looking for new acolytes, but only those who are close to the gods already.’

You have Cunning of Logann and did use it to defeat the Caarth.

‘It is good that you wish to become an acolyte of the god of light for few wish to follow the old gods nowadays. However, those who wish to become acolytes must still pass dangerous and gruelling tests.’

You say you still wish to become an acolyte.

‘If you wish to become an acolyte of light, then you must face the darkness,’ says the priest as he beckons you to follow him down some stairs into the depths of the temple and below the city. ‘Much darkness is buried but a true acolyte of Ashra must bring it forward and banish it.’ As he finishes speaking, he comes to the end of a corridor where he lifts up a flagstone to reveal darkness. ‘You must face the creatures of darkness down there,’ he says. You descend the steps into the inky blackness. The scant light from the surface is extinguished as the priest moves the flagstone back into place.

You cannot see a thing. The warm damp air gradually gets colder but you cannot see why the temperature should decrease. Then you feel something cold on your arm. The cold spreads through your body. In one fluid motion, you pull away from the cold feeling and draw your weapon, lashing out in its direction. You hear an unearthly scream as your weapon connects with the thing.

You do have a torch.

Your light source banishes the darkness except for a patch in front of you. Your enemy is the darkness itself! The shadow monster momentarily shrinks from the light but then starts to advance upon you. You fight it and try to avoid its chilling touch.

SHADOW Skill 10 Stamina 12

Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 21, SHADOW Attack Strength: 21. Stunt result 3, success. Shadow bleeds for 1. Shadow's Stamina is 11.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 24, SHADOW Attack Strength: 16. Stunt result 4, success. 4 extra damage from bat amulet. SHADOW's Stamina is 2.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 17, SHADOW Attack Strength: 13. Shadow is dead.

‘You have that divine light within you,’ says the priest. He lowers the crystal tip of the staff to your forehead and starts to mumble. As he does, the crystal starts to glow. The glow gets brighter until there is an almost blinding flash of light. ‘It has never done that before,’ says the priest, shocked. ‘It appears that Ashra has chosen you for something great and wants you to use her staff to fight a great darkness in this world. If you were to strike a follower of the Old God of darkness, Elim, with this staff they would be obliterated forever.’ You return to the city.

The temple of Telak is a simple stone building in the centre of the city. The temple has few worshippers in it, but you see several priests wearing gold engraved armour and carrying maces. The high priest approaches you. ‘Welcome to our temple, my lord. How may we be of service?’

You do not have the Strength of Telak.

The priest can offer you two blessings. He will bless your spear to seek the heart of anyone who has bathed it in blood for 100 gold. He will bless you with strength of arms in battle for 50 gold (this will add 1 to your Attack Strength in your next battle). Choose what Blessings, if any, to purchase, then choose your next destination.

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 20/26
Luck: 14/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 550 Gold Pieces, food, 4 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring, Staff of Ashra.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to pay for the spear blessing, since this is apparently necessary to continue beyond the docks, and to head to the temple of Vuh next.

[pragma]

Vote to pay for spear blessing.

Vote to visit temple of Vuh.

Since blessings are for sale, vote to check out the temple of Pangara after.

[Beroli]

The temple of Vuh has seen better days. A headless, armless statue to Vuh stands before what was once a spotless white marble building. You enter through the wooden doors to find a hall devoid of worshippers. It’s only occupant an old priest in white robes approaches you. ‘Welcome to the temple of Vuh, the life of the world. How may I help?’

You do not have a golden chalice.

You are already an acolyte of the Temple of Ashra and thus cannot join the Temple of Vuh.

You leave.

The temple of Pangara is a large beautiful building near the docks. Pangara is one of the gods that sailors pray to for a safe journey at sea. You enter to find the temple filled with sailors, worshippers, and priests in grey robes. One of the priests approaches you. ‘My lord,’ he says. ‘How might we be of service to you?’

You do not have the Speed of Pangara.

You may pay 50 gold for a blessing that will allow you safe passage at sea. After doing so, or not, you must go elsewhere.

Will you next go to:

The docks?
The temple of Telak?
The temple of Logaan?

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 20/26
Luck: 14/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 450 Gold Pieces, food, 4 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring, Staff of Ashra.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to pay for the blessing and then head to the docks.

[Thaluikhain]

Seconded.

[Beroli]

You go down to the docks where you see your trireme, a fine ship, ready to sail. All she needs is a crew and a destination.

You have both.

You head down to the docks to meet your crew. Then you hear a whistling sound and an arrow hits you in the chest. Lose 4 Stamina points. You look around to see that the archer from outside Carsepolis is now on a boat some way down the harbour, and he is firing arrows at you at an alarming speed. Another arrow grazes your shoulder (lose 2 Stamina points).

Throw your spear at him?
Run to meet him in hand-to-hand combat?

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 14/26
Luck: 14/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 450 Gold Pieces, food, 4 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring, Staff of Ashra.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to throw the spear at him so he can finally die (hopefully).

[pragma]

Seconded, here's hoping this blessing is the one we need.

[Thaluikhain]

Give it a try, yeah.

[Beroli]

Your spear is blessed...

...specifically against this man.

As the spear flies through the air, another arrow strikes you (lose 2 stamina points). However, the spear guided by Telak’s blessing strikes the archer in the chest. He topples over and does not get up. You run to the boat containing the archer’s body to confirm that he is definitely dead. You retrieve your spear and head to your trireme.

You order your men to weigh anchor, set a course for Fire Island and take this opportunity to rest. Soon, your trireme is out in the open sea and you can spy the smoke of Fire Island’s volcano in the distance. As the hours go by, the island gets bigger. Looking at it through a telescope, you can see figures on the beach moving around, though doing what, you cannot tell. You are about an hour from Fire Island when the boat starts to rock. You look at the skipper, who is puzzled as to where the waves are coming from on such a calm, clear day. Then you see five giant snakelike heads emerge from the water to tower above you. They stare down at the trireme in rage, poised to strike at your fragile vessel. The sailors are rooted to the spot in terror. You are facing a giant HYDRA!

You do have a blessing of safe passage at sea.

Out of the blue comes a gust of wind which blows your trireme just out of the hydra’s reach. However, it starts to pursue your boat. ‘Abandon ship!’ you order as one of the hydra’s heads descends onto the bow of the ship, smashing it into two pieces and sending you all flying. You hit the water with a crash and desperately start to swim for Fire Island while the hydra annihilates your boat. At least it has turned its attention away from you.

You swim for an hour before getting to the beach on Fire Island, where you collapse, exhausted. Eventually, you get up to explore the area, ever watchful of giant crabs. You hear shouts from the distance. You follow the sound and round a corner to see lizard men ordering human slaves to move large pieces of marble inland. This must be where they are building the temple of Elim. Confident that none of the slaves or lizard man slavers pose a real threat, you draw your weapons and stride down onto the beach, prepared for combat. The lizard men look at you nervously and about ten of them eventually work up the courage to approach you armed with whips and curved swords. Fight the lizard men as a single opponent. As long as they have 10 or more Stamina, lose 1 Stamina point at the end of every combat round as you cannot fend off all of their blows. If you are using a spear enchanted against reptiles you may deal an extra 2 damage per successful combat round (stunt damage remains the same) (you are not).

LIZARD MEN SLAVERS Skill 10 Stamina 18

Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 18, LIZARD MEN SLAVERS Attack Strength: 20. Stunt result 6, success. Lizard Men Slavers bleed for 1. Hermes Conrad's Stamina is 9. Lizard Men Slavers' Stamina is 17.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 21, LIZARD MEN SLAVERS Attack Strength: 17. Bat amulet does 4 bonus damage. Stunt result 1, failure. Lizard Men Slavers bleed for 1. Hermes Conrad's Stamina is 6. LIZARD MEN SLAVERS's Stamina is 9.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 24, LIZARD MEN SLAVERS Attack Strength: 14. Stunt result 3, success. Lizard Men Slavers bleed for 2. LIZARD MEN SLAVERS's Stamina is 4.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 16, LIZARD MEN SLAVERS Attack Strength: 20. Lizard Men Slavers bleed for 2. Hermes Conrad's Stamina is 4. Lizard Men Slavers' Stamina is 2.
Hermes Conrad Attack Strength: 22, LIZARD MEN SLAVERS Attack Strength: 18. LIZARD MEN SLAVERS is dead.

You slay the last of the lizard men and tell the slaves to take their weapons and fight for their freedom. They do so. They tell you that the temple is inland and that all you have to do is follow the path. You follow the path for an hour without an encounter until you come to a small hut in the jungle.

Investigate it?
Move on?

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 7/26
Luck: 14/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 450 Gold Pieces, food, 4 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring, Staff of Ashra.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate it.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate.

(And I expected our ship and crew to last a little longer than that)

[Beroli]

You stride up to the hut to see an old man in the blue robes of the Wizards’ Guild of Carsepolis sitting at a desk hunched over a book.

Enter the hut and greet him?
Burst into the hut and attack him?
Leave and continue on your journey?

Name: Hermes Conrad
Sex: Male
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 7/26
Luck: 14/14
Cunning of Logann
Hubris
Inventory: Sword, spear, shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength), Steel helmet, 450 Gold Pieces, food, 4 torches, flint and tinder, water skin, silver apple of healing (restore Stamina to Initial score once, not usable in combat), golden apple of the gods (increase Initial Luck by 1 and then restore Luck to Initial score once), obsidian bat amulet (once per combat, you may either increase your Attack Strength by 2 for one round or, when you have hit an opponent, deal an extra 4 damage to them), bracelet of green metal (immune to poison, regain 3 Stamina at the end of each combat), wooden ring (+2 Initial Stamina, +1 damage), father's letter, father's ring, Staff of Ashra.
Deaths: Shot full of arrows by an archer, stabbed in the back by an assassin, shot full of arrows by an archer

[JourneymanN00b]

Blue robes? This is Erishum, the dagger thief, so I vote to burst into the hut and gut the criminal.

[pragma]

Woohoo! Got that archer.

I like Noob's reasoning. Burst in and attack.