[Let's Play] Legendary Kingdoms: The Valley of Bones

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for calling out peacefully.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to call out and approach them peacefully.

[angelfromanotherpin]

187

The rogues react with surprise and alarm as you stand up and make your way down the ladder that links the balcony to the ground floor. Evidently they have never received visitors before. You attempt to calm them, letting them know that you mean them no harm.
     Calm the thieves (Team check)
     Skill and DC: Charisma (4+)
     Successes Required: 3
If you succeed, turn to 430. If you fail, turn to 266.

Our best talkers are Jessica and Tasha, so (4+3=7) 7d v 4+: 2,3,3,2,4,5 = 2. Unlucky.

266

You have only just begun your negotiations when one of the thieves shouts out, “They’re agents of the Iron King! Slay them before they get away!” The thieves draw their weapons, the Everchild rising with her allies to lend you aid. Turn to 889.

889

This will not be an easy battle. The Everchild and her followers will handle half the thieves, whilst you handle the others.

Opponent	Attack	Def	Health
Thieves	10(5+)	3+	20
Brekken	5(4+)	4+	9

     If you win, turn to 328.

The math here is less cut-and-dry than in other fights, but I believe it slightly supports ganking Brekken first so that's what I'm going to do.

Round 1:
Sar Jessica attacks Brekken, 6d v 4+: 1,1,3,4,4,5 = 3 damage, Brekken at 6/9.
Tasha attacks Brekken, 4d v 4+: 3,4,3,6 = 2 damage, Brekken at 4/9.
Amelia attacks Brekken, 3d v 4+: 1,5,4 = 2 damage, Brekken at 2/9.
Ti'quon attacks Brekken, 1d v 4+: 4 = 1 damage, Brekken at 1/9. Shoot, almost got 'im.
Thieves attack, 10 v 5+: 5,5,5,6,1,6,4,3,6,4 = 6 damage! Assigned to Tasha (Armor 3: 2,6,2), Tasha at 3/8.
Brekken attacks, 5d v 4+: 2,3,2,1,6 = 1 damage, assigned to Ti'quon, now at 5/6.

Round 2:
Ti'quon attacks Brekken, 1d v 4+: 2 = 0 damage.
Amelia attacks Brekken, 3d v 4+: 2,1,5 = 1 damage, down he goes!
Sar Jessica and Tasha attack Thieves, 10d v 3+: 1,6,5,5,6,1,5,5,6,4 = 8 damage, Thieves at 12/20.
Thieves attack, 10 v 5+: 1,3,2,2,3,1,4,6,5,5 = 3 damage, assigned to Sar Jessica, now at 4/8.

Round 3:
Sar Jessica and Tasha attack Thieves, 10d v 3+: 6,1,2,3,2,3,4,6,1,6 = 6 damage, Thieves at 6/20.
Ti'quon casts Ice Bolt at the Thieves, 8d v 3+: 5,5,5,4,4,5,1,6 = 7 damage, Thieves defeated!

328

The aftermath of the battle is bloody indeed. A dozen thieves, as well as one of the Everchild’s men, lie dead. Reasoning that you might as well take the thieves’ illgotten gains, you open the chests and crates to examine what kind of goods they had stolen. You count 75 silver coins, a reference book (Lore +1), an engagement ring, as well as large amounts of clothes. Thinking quickly, you strip off your slave rags and change into more common garb, the Everchild and her followers doing the same.
     You slip out of the thieves’ hideaway and into the storm drains beneath the city. After an hour’s wandering you eventually come to a ladder, leading up to a drain cover. You cautiously make your way upwards.
     Turn to 41.

41

Dazzling sunlight almost blinds you as you emerge into daylight. You are in a sandy, secluded alleyway, the sounds of marketplace hawkers reaching your ears.
You quickly help the Everchild out of the drains, hiding her behind some tall baskets as you check for the guards.
     “We are free!” she gasps. “I feared I might die in that terrible place.”
     “What will you do now?” you ask. “You cannot stay in the city…”
     “No – here we shall divide for safety,” she agrees. “Che Long can look after me from here on in. I cannot thank you enough for your safe delivery of myself and my followers. I can give you no reward, and you owe me nothing, but…”
     You silence her as you duck behind the baskets. A guard patrol of men in gleaming bronze armour clank past, wickedly shaped halberds in their grasp. “The Bronzeguard,” hisses Che Long. “The elite warriors and boot lickers of the Iron King. Their armour is supposedly enchanted, dug up from the palace vaults by the Iron King’s servants.”
     “They are still men underneath,” you growl.
     “If you hate tyranny and would see justice restored, come and find me in the Cold River Inn, in Luutanesh,” implores the Everchild. “The path to freedom is long and difficult, but together we can find a way to end the bloody reign of the Iron King forever.”
     The coast is clear, and Che Long quickly bows to you. “We must go before the general alarm is raised. You have my thanks. Come, majesty.” At that the Everchild covers her head with a cowl and slips into the crowds with her followers.
     Gain the code A6. Your experiences in the arena have taught you much. If this is the first Legendary Kingdoms book your party members have played, you may raise one skill (Fighting, Stealth, Lore, etc) by one point for each of your characters. If you have explored other books first, your party members can instead increase their maximum Health scores by 1 point each.
Now turn to 313.

Let me know where you want each character's upgrade to go, if you'd like to cast any Soothing Touch spells, and if you'd like to distribute the spoils other than I have.

Name	Fighting	Survival	Stealth	Charisma	Lore	Health	Caster?	Gear	Notes
Sar Jessica Dayne	5(6)	2	1	4	3	4/8	x	Maul (Fighting +1)*	for Tasha
Lord Ti'quon	1	1	2	2	5(6)	5/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0), Reference Book (Lore +1)
Tasha	3(4)	3	5	3	1	3/8	x	Iron Shortsword (Fighting +1), Shield (Armour +2), Hide Armour (Armour+1), Engagement Ring	for Jessica
Amelia Pass-Dayne	3	3	2	1	2	5/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)

Money: 75 silver coins.
Spellbook (Amelia): Animal Speech, Poison Stream, Soothing Touch, Wolf Spirit (75)
Spellbook (Ti'quon): Ice Bolt (50), Magic Cabinet, Soothing Touch, Unfailing Strike
Codes: A2, A6

[JourneymanN00b]

I only count 6 numbers for the 7d v 4+ Charisma check. Would the seventh number allow the group to pass the check?

[angelfromanotherpin]

It was a leading 2, so no.

[Beroli]

Have Lord Ti'quon Soothing Touch Tasha.

Increase Jessica's Fighting, Ti'quon's Lore, Tasha's Stealth and Amelia's Survival.

Give the book to Amelia; not having Lord Ti'quon available for a Lore check will then be less of a weakness.

Edited to add giving the book to Jessica as a second choice.

[SGamerz]

For stats raise, I vote to raise the second or third strongest member of each stat so that, similar to what Beroli said about Lore, I'd like to make it so that the party can roll with at least 6D6 for most areas even when the strongest or second-strongest member isn't available.

So my vote is:

Jessica raise Survival, so that we have the same chances even if Tasha or Amelia aren't around.
Ti'quon raise Stealth. It's either him or Amelia here, and I want Amelia to raise Lore. Sadly, either will only raise our odds to 5D6 if Tasha isn't around, but at least we're slightly less over-reliant on her.
Tasha raise Charisma, again we have the same odds when either her or Jessica aren't around.
Amelia raise Lore. Jessica gets the book. This way we take advantage of the book's buff whether Ti'quon is around or not, and we get a minimum of 7D6 whichever combination or the 3 is used.

Fighting isn't raised because we already have decent odds in that area due to the weapon buffs.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to have Lord Ti'quon cast Soothing Touch on Tasha, and to raise Fighting for Sar Jessica Dayne, Lore for Lord Ti'quon, Stealth for Tasha, and Survival for Amelia Pass-Dayne. I also vote to have angelfromanotherpin's spoils distribution stand.

My order of preference on who gets the reference book is Lord Ti'quon, Sar Jessica Dayne, and Amelia Pass-Dayne.

[angelfromanotherpin]

313

You stumble through the busy streets of Saltdad, pushed hither and thither by the bustling crowds. By accident you crash into a merchant carrying a box of nails and bolts, spilling his inventory across the dusty ground. Fortunately, he is a merry fellow and laughs the incident off. His name is Hammon, and once you have finished scrabbling in the dirt to retrieve his spilt goods, he insists you join him for a coffee at a local parlour to show there are no hard feelings.
     Drinking down the oddly bitter liquid you ask if there is any opportunity to earn money in the valley. “Why, Saltdad itself is a city of boundless adventure and opportunity!” exclaims Hammon. “Try exploring the many streets and alleys of the city. There are plenty of people who need help these days. I’ve heard that the master of the salt mines to the north-east is looking for muscular sorts to help him with a few problems, so you might consider heading east if you’d like to avoid the city. If you’re after a real adventure, I’ve heard tell that some crazy foreigners have set up an Expeditionary Guild in the city of Lhasbreath. Apparently, they are searching the jungle for something, although what could be found in that green hell I cannot imagine!”
     It is getting late. You thank Hammon for his courtesy and head into the centre of the city. Turn to 75.

Oo, adventure hooks. If you're wondering where some of those places are, check the map.

75

Saltdad is a city of tumbledown mud-brick houses clustered into claustrophobic alleyways. Above these ragtag structures stands a half-collapsed palace, a
minareted masterpiece that has seen better days. Amidst the squalor there is wealth to be found, for Saltdad produces the major export of the valley – rock salt, chiselled out of winding mines to the east of the city. The Great Westroad runs through the heart of the city, once a paved highway, now a poorly maintained tumble of stones which nonetheless allows wagons and carts to drag themselves above the desert sands. Where the road cuts through the city stand the marketplaces, inns, slave markets and other services the city is famed for. A constant chatter of voices is heard at all times, for Saltdad never closes its places of business, even in the dead of night.
     • Find an inn (turn to 172)?
     • Go to the marketplace (turn to 798)?
     • Go to the slave market (turn to 326)?
     • Visit the palace (turn to 633)?
     • Head to the barracks of the Bronzeguard (turn to 390)?
     • Track down the local thieves guild (turn to 179)?
     • Visit the temple of Cursus (turn to 770)?
     • Visit the temple of Kalu (turn to 382)?
     • Explore the city (turn to 471)?
     • Head west along the road (turn to 511)?
     • Head east along the road (turn to 177)?
     • Head south into the desert (turn to 858)?

What an embarassment of riches of choices.

Name	Fighting	Survival	Stealth	Charisma	Lore	Health	Caster?	Gear	Notes
Sar Jessica Dayne	6(7)	2	1	4	3(4)	4/8	x	Maul (Fighting +1)*, Reference Book (Lore +1)	for Tasha
Lord Ti'quon	1	1	2	2	6	5/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)
Tasha	3(4)	3	6	3	1	8/8	x	Iron Shortsword (Fighting +1), Shield (Armour +2), Hide Armour (Armour+1), Engagement Ring	for Jessica
Amelia Pass-Dayne	3	4	2	1	2	5/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)

Money: 75 silver coins.
Spellbook (Amelia): Animal Speech, Poison Stream, Soothing Touch, Wolf Spirit (75)
Spellbook (Ti'quon): Ice Bolt (50), Magic Cabinet, Soothing Touch (50), Unfailing Strike
Codes: A2, A6

[Beroli]

The temple of Kalu sounds the most interesting to me. (Or rather, the temples do, and that one sounds less likely to turn out to be an evil god.)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to find an inn, as our party members could use the health boost.

[SGamerz]

I vote to find an inn, as our party members could use the health boost.

Yeah, this was why I didn't vote for Ti'quon to use his Soothing Touch earlier. I thought there might be opportunities like this once we get to safety, and inns probably cost less than having to restock the spell.

If this was designed similarly to Fabled Lands, I think we'd get to visit all the places as long as we stay in this city, so I see no downside in just visiting all the places in top-down sequence.

[Beroli]

Well, that's a good question. Is it a simple matter of "you can visit all of them as long as you stay in this city," or does it matter to how sane or insane certain choices are that, e.g., the fourth option on the list is to stroll into the palace of the guy who recently enslaved us?

[SGamerz]

Valid point, we certainly can leave the palace for later to avoid the risk. But the inn should be a harmless enough place to start (and as mentioned, the team can certainly do with some more health).

[angelfromanotherpin]

172

You find lodging at a large inn, The Iron Crown, which serves coffee and warm beer in a courtyard surrounded by rentable rooms. For every 5 silver coins you spend, each party member can recover 1 Health point. Spellcasters can also spend silver here to recharge their spells, purchasing components in the nearby marketplace and going into meditation in the privacy of their rooms.
     During your stay you ask about the nearby landmarks. “The Blackwall is a place of ill reputation,” confides a serving wench. “No one knows why it was built, or what it is walling off, since it is easy to go around it. Still, those who become obsessed with it tend to disappear, never to be seen again!” Frightening stuff! Turn to 75.

Okay, so the upcharge for healing in the field is +100%, which doesn't seem unreasonable given that it can be done in combat.
edit: oops, I missed the 'each'. The spell has a much larger upcharge than I thought.

75

Saltdad is a city of tumbledown mud-brick houses clustered into claustrophobic alleyways. Above these ragtag structures stands a half-collapsed palace, a
minareted masterpiece that has seen better days. Amidst the squalor there is wealth to be found, for Saltdad produces the major export of the valley – rock salt, chiselled out of winding mines to the east of the city. The Great Westroad runs through the heart of the city, once a paved highway, now a poorly maintained tumble of stones which nonetheless allows wagons and carts to drag themselves above the desert sands. Where the road cuts through the city stand the marketplaces, inns, slave markets and other services the city is famed for. A constant chatter of voices is heard at all times, for Saltdad never closes its places of business, even in the dead of night.
     • Find an inn (turn to 172)?
     • Go to the marketplace (turn to 798)?
     • Go to the slave market (turn to 326)?
     • Visit the palace (turn to 633)?
     • Head to the barracks of the Bronzeguard (turn to 390)?
     • Track down the local thieves guild (turn to 179)?
     • Visit the temple of Cursus (turn to 770)?
     • Visit the temple of Kalu (turn to 382)?
     • Explore the city (turn to 471)?
     • Head west along the road (turn to 511)?
     • Head east along the road (turn to 177)?
     • Head south into the desert (turn to 858)?

Let me know if you want to buy any health or spell refresh, and then the next destination.

Name	Fighting	Survival	Stealth	Charisma	Lore	Health	Caster?	Gear	Notes
Sar Jessica Dayne	6(7)	2	1	4	3(4)	4/8	x	Maul (Fighting +1)*, Reference Book (Lore +1)	for Tasha
Lord Ti'quon	1	1	2	2	6	5/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)
Tasha	3(4)	3	6	3	1	8/8	x	Iron Shortsword (Fighting +1), Shield (Armour +2), Hide Armour (Armour+1), Engagement Ring	for Jessica
Amelia Pass-Dayne	3	4	2	1	2	5/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)

Money: 75 silver coins.
Spellbook (Amelia): Animal Speech, Poison Stream, Soothing Touch, Wolf Spirit (75)
Spellbook (Ti'quon): Ice Bolt (50), Magic Cabinet, Soothing Touch (50), Unfailing Strike
Codes: A2, A6

[JourneymanN00b]

My vote will be to reload Ice Bolt, fully recover everyone's health, and head to the following places in the following order of preference:

Thieves Guild
Temple of Kalu
Temple of Cursus
Explore the City
Bronzeguard barracks

EDIT: Made a correction in order to be more clear of my intentions.

[SGamerz]

If Ti'quon spends 55 silver, does he get to both recover the spell AND his health? Or does he need to spend 60 for that?

[angelfromanotherpin]

If Ti'quon spends 55 silver, does he get to both recover the spell AND his health? Or does he need to spend 60 for that?

I think I don't fully understand the question, but I'll try to answer.

If you spend 50 to refresh a spell, it's refreshed.
If you spend 5 on healing, that will give 1 health back to each injured party member, so the first 5 spent will raise Jessica to 5/8 and both Amelia and Ti'quon to full.
If you want both effects, you have to spend 55.

Since at that point everyone but Jessica is at full health, further 5-point healing spends will only raise Jessica's health, by 1 point each.

[SGamerz]

If Ti'quon spends 55 silver, does he get to both recover the spell AND his health? Or does he need to spend 60 for that?

I think I don't fully understand the question, but I'll try to answer.

If you spend 50 to refresh a spell, it's refreshed.
If you spend 5 on healing, that will give 1 health back to each injured party member, so the first 5 spent will raise Jessica to 5/8 and both Amelia and Ti'quon to full.
If you want both effects, you have to spend 55.

Since at that point everyone but Jessica is at full health, further 5-point healing spends will only raise Jessica's health, by 1 point each.

I was wondering whether Ti'quon has to spend extra days to recover spells and can't heal on those days. Of course, if we're spending enough silver for Jessica to heal to full health, then it doesn't matter in this case, since he has more than enough days and room costs are shared by all. I do still wonder if nobody else needed the heal, then does Ti'quon needs to spend extra days at the inn for every spell he wants to recover (for example, if he wants to recover 3 spells, does he need to pay for the room 3 more times and spend 15 silver in addition to the spell cost?)

For now, I definitely think we should spend the silver to heal everyone back to full, but I'm not sure about spending on spells so early. I don't think an attack spell like Ice Bolt is that vital, since we have other options. I would prefer to reserve our silver until we have enough to recover Wolf Spirit due to our overall crappy Survival skills.

EDIT: As for where to go next, thieves' guild is fine by me, since that sounds like somewhere we can potentially make some money. If we spend any money on spell recovery now, we probably won't have much to spend at the markets or slave market, so leave those for when we have enough to spare.

[angelfromanotherpin]

I was wondering whether Ti'quon has to spend extra days to recover spells and can't heal on those days. Of course, if we're spending enough silver for Jessica to heal to full health, then it doesn't matter in this case, since he has more than enough days and room costs are shared by all. I do still wonder if nobody else needed the heal, then does Ti'quon needs to spend extra days at the inn for every spell he wants to recover (for example, if he wants to recover 3 spells, does he need to pay for the room 3 more times and spend 15 silver in addition to the spell cost?)

There are no 'days.' Paying for heals and paying to refresh are simple money in/benefit out transactions.

[SGamerz]

Ok, so the spellcasters don't need to pay 5 silver for a room if they only want to recover spells despite the text saying that they have to do it in the privacy of their room? Got it.

[angelfromanotherpin]

Well, I don't like breaking ties, but apparently I have to. Ice Bolt is refreshed and all health is recovered for a total of 70 silver, and then we go in search of the thieves' guild.

179

It will be difficult indeed to track down the local thieves’ guild without a contact. If you have the code A5, turn to 216. Otherwise your enquiries are met with nothing but blank stares and snarls. Turn to 75.

Welp, back to the nexus.

75

Saltdad is a city of tumbledown mud-brick houses clustered into claustrophobic alleyways. Above these ragtag structures stands a half-collapsed palace, a minareted masterpiece that has seen better days. Amidst the squalor there is wealth to be found, for Saltdad produces the major export of the valley – rock salt, chiselled out of winding mines to the east of the city. The Great Westroad runs through the heart of the city, once a paved highway, now a poorly maintained tumble of stones which nonetheless allows wagons and carts to drag themselves above the desert sands. Where the road cuts through the city stand the marketplaces, inns, slave markets and other services the city is famed for. A constant chatter of voices is heard at all times, for Saltdad never closes its places of business, even in the dead of night.
     • Find an inn (turn to 172)?
     • Go to the marketplace (turn to 798)?
     • Go to the slave market (turn to 326)?
     • Visit the palace (turn to 633)?
     • Head to the barracks of the Bronzeguard (turn to 390)?
     • Track down the local thieves guild (turn to 179)?
     • Visit the temple of Cursus (turn to 770)?
     • Visit the temple of Kalu (turn to 382)?
     • Explore the city (turn to 471)?
     • Head west along the road (turn to 511)?
     • Head east along the road (turn to 177)?
     • Head south into the desert (turn to 858)?

I think there was enough cumulative interest to visit the Temple of Kalu next, so we will.

382

If you have the code A1, turn to 128. If not, read on.
     The Temple of Kalu is nothing more than a pile of rubble. The religion has been decreed heresy by the patriarch of Cursus, and the temple has been torn down. Mystified at this barbaric zealotry, you return to the city centre. Turn to 75.

What's next?

Name	Fighting	Survival	Stealth	Charisma	Lore	Health	Caster?	Gear	Notes
Sar Jessica Dayne	6(7)	2	1	4	3(4)	8/8	x	Maul (Fighting +1)*, Reference Book (Lore +1)	for Tasha
Lord Ti'quon	1	1	2	2	6	6/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)
Tasha	3(4)	3	6	3	1	8/8	x	Iron Shortsword (Fighting +1), Shield (Armour +2), Hide Armour (Armour+1), Engagement Ring	for Jessica
Amelia Pass-Dayne	3	4	2	1	2	6/6	√	2x Crude Blade (Fighting +0)

Money: 5 silver coins.
Spellbook (Amelia): Animal Speech, Poison Stream, Soothing Touch, Wolf Spirit (75)
Spellbook (Ti'quon): Ice Bolt, Magic Cabinet, Soothing Touch (50), Unfailing Strike
Codes: A2, A6

[SGamerz]

Cursus next, then, since the others were also interested in the temples in general.

[Beroli]

"Explore the city" looks like the best option to me with no contacts.

[JourneymanN00b]

My vote will be the following options in order of preference:

Temple of Cursus
Explore the City
Bronzeguard barracks