[Let's Play] Blood Sword III - The Demon's Claw

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:03 pm

The man, who now introduces himself as Galor the tomb-robber, leads you away from the mausoleums and points up a steep hillside path. 'Recently, while sitting here one afternoon, I was taken by an urge to have gulls' eggs for my supper. There is none to be found in the necropolis, of course, so I went up this path to see if any gulls were nesting in the hillside. I found none - but I discovered a great marvel, for I stumbled upon a cave where the fabled Roc has its nest.

'Now, if you know your legends, then you will need no telling that the Roc is a giant bird which the mariner Simbar encountered on one of his voyages. You will also be aware of how Simbar made use of the bird to enter the inviolable citadel of Shazireh the witch: he tied himself to the Roc's claw while the bird was asleep, and when it took to the air it bore him aloft with it.'

If the Sage is here, he or she should turn to 9. If not, you must decide whether to go along with that Galor is suggesting (turn to 320 if so) or to bid him good afternoon and continue on your way (in which case turn to 314).

Well....he's not actually asking us to rob any graves for him.....but Starmaker did make an accurate guess about his profession.

Let's see what the Sage has:

SAGE:

[The legend Galor has related is just as you have read it in various ancient books. However, the version you know also includes the secret word that Simbar used to make the Roc land when he reached his destination. This word was 'Tawi'.]

If you want to try Galor's plan, turn to 320. If you simply bid him farewell and go on your way, turn to 314.

Well, he's not asking for any actual favours, just a suggestion. Do we fancy flying to the island on a giant bird?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 12:55 pm

Try it. Judging by the recent spoiler, it looks like we missed a whole lot of sidequests with the associated possible rewards, and roc-climbing apparently only has this one blue option requirement.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:04 pm

Hell yeah we ride the Roc

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 2:42 pm

Galor leads you up into the hills, then along a tortuous ledge to a cave entrance. Motioning you to keep quiet, he points within. It is indeed the eyrie of the Roc. The huge bird lies sleeping, waiting for the cool of nighttime before it flies out from its lair. Its breathing ruffles feathers the size of a ship's sails. Its claws are like copses of fir trees.

Nodding your thanks to Galor, you edge stealthily over to the Roc and tether yourself (or selves) to its claws. Galor waves goodbye and departs down the hillside. You wait for dusk, when the Roc will awaken.

.....that makes it sound so easy.

At last it does. Strutting to the cave mouth, the bird peers to and fro into the dusk before launching itself out into space. You plummet sickeningly for an instant before it spreads its wings, then with languid beats it rises high up into the heavens. Breath-takingly, you are suspended between the stars and the glittering lights of Crescentium. Then the giant bird soars out over the ocean. The water far below is like a sheet of black onyx split by a smear of phosphor from the rising moon. You find the air cool and thin, but each breath is exhilarating. The Roc sweeps on across the skies, unaware of the tiny burden it carries tied to its claw, and in barely an hour you are above the point where Susurrien's chart says Hunguk's ship will appear. A small island is visible, washed by moonlit surf.

Did you hear the tale told by the ghoul on the charnel tower? If so, or if the Sage is in the party, turn to 237. If neither of those applies, turn to 68.

Yeah, one of the possible side-paths we missed from picking one of the other contacts involve an encounter with a ghoul which would have allowed a Sage-less party to find out the necessary info to ride the Roc.

Blue option...

What was the secret word that causes the Roc to descend? You rack your brains to remember, then pronounce: 'Tathi'; or 'Tshaba'; or 'Tawi'.

I think I'll just save Darth the trouble.....

The Roc descends rapidly and alights on the island. Perched atop the highest pinnacle, it surveys the sea for food. What kind of fish would a bird the size of the Roc need for sustenance? The very thought gives you a shudder.

It seems the Roc is too stupid to realise that it only landed here because of the magic word you spoke. But then, as you loosen the ropes and creep away, another thought strikes you. Perhaps the Roc was going to land here anyway, and the word you uttered was not magical at all. The truth is unknowable.

Actually, without the right word it's mostly Game Over as the Roc flies to the other end of the world. Ironically, the book allows the Sage (alone) to save the quest by levitating down to safety, after he screws up by forgetting the word.

You spend two days on the island. The climate is comfortable and the air is invigorating: each wounded player recovers Endurance points equal to his or her rank. (You cannot go above your starting Endurance, of course.)

You are not able to catch any fish - you see none in the sea around the island - but you do find a trickle of a stream which provides you with fresh water. You also collect some fruit, despite your first impression that the island was barren, and it proves most nourishing. Any player who is still suffering from wounds can restore one additional Endurance point for this meal.

Who needs fruits? Infinite bread crust FTW!

The Trickster is back to full END, and the Warrior is up to 19/23.

Mist rolls in around the island as the sun sets. Almost choking on the dank air, you peer out from the shore trying to catch a glimpse of Hunguk's ship. If Susurrien's astrology is right, it should be very near. A rumbling vibration judders through the rocks at your feet. It is a sound too low for human hearing, and it heralds the arrival of the Pirate-King's ship. Against the backdrop of fog, The Devil's Runner looms as big as a castle and slides slowly past.

If you have the flying horse, turn to 407. If you have a boat, turn to 210. If you have neither of those, turn to 454.

Yeah, as you can see, there were quite a number of ways to get here. The horse would have needed a plot token to work, so that wasn't available to us. The boat, as that Tomb robber guy hinted, would involve a certain amount of hazards on the journey. Another possible option is Augustus' flying carpet from the last book.

You will have to swim out to the vast ship. This means taking off your armour (if you have any armour), which you must leave here on the island. Wading out into the chilling water, you swim towards The Devil's Runner and seize hold of a mooring chain by means of which you climb up onto the deck.

Take note, if you get into any fights on the ship, you'll be doing it without armour!

In its perpetual shroud of fog, The Devil's Runner seems to hang in a space between worlds. Dazed by a sense of disorientation and timelessness, you stare down from the rail. You can no longer make out the surface of the ocean, or even hear the waves lapping against the hull. Intermittent moans come from far away, like the lost cries of all the sailors who have ever been lost at sea ...

You shake off such thoughts and begin to explore the deck. The ship is big - larger than the largest Crusader vessels, which can hold a thousand men. You estimate it to be thirty paces across at the beam, standing perhaps twelve metres out of the water. It has several stout copper-clad masts, but the sails look useless: just tattered cobweb sheets of mouldered canvas.

Finding a companion-way decorated with daemonic carvings, you are about to go below deck when you spot a figure lingering by the wheel. Wreathed in the eldritch fog, his long cape gives him the appearance of a tall black bat.

If you wish to talk to him, turn to 296. If you wish to go below deck, turn to 576.

Chat to the spooky guy?

Adventure Sheets:

WARRIOR:

NAME: Dame Caecilia Wither-Stoat
RANK: 4th

Battle Order: 1

Fighting Prowess: 12 (+1 from Enchanted Sword)
Psychic Ability: 6
Awareness: 7
Endurance: 19/23
Damage: 2 Dice

Items:
1 Enchanted Sword (+1 FP)
2 Chainmail armour (Armour Rating three) (left on the beach)
3 Money pouch (98 gold pieces)
4 Silver crucifix (with finger-bone of St Ashanax)
5 Iron Bell
6 Bedroll
7 Shielding Charm (+1 AR)
8 Blood Sword Scabbard
9 Blood Sword Hilt
10 Empty slots

TRICKSTER:

NAME: Benedict of the Crimson Spires, Honourable Duelist
RANK: 4th

Battle Order: 2

Fighting Prowess: 7
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 25/25
Damage: 1 Die+2

Items:
1 Sword
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating two) (left on the beach)
3 Golden Snuffbox
4 Jug of Milk
5 Gloves
6 Bow
7 Harp
8 Quiver (6 arrow)
9 Fur Cloak
10 Gilt-edged scroll
*11 Screebo the Raven

SAGE:

NAME: "Pepito" Cascadero, Master of the Mystic Way
RANK: 4th

Battle Order: 3

Fighting Prowess: 7
Psychic Ability: 8
Awareness: 7
Endurance: 21/21
Damage: 1 Die+1

Items:
1 Quarterstaff
2 Ringmail Armour (Armour Rating two) (left on the beach)
3 Fur Cloak
4 Bedroll
5 Magic Bow (Damage 1 Die+1)
6 Quiver (4 arrow)
7 Skull Amulet
8 Blue Crystal Eyes
9 Money pouch (100 gold pieces)
10 Silver key to Fatima's garden

ENCHANTER:

NAME: Enchanter Reed, Ninth of the Inverted Tower
RANK: 4th

Battle Order: 4

Fighting Prowess: 1
Psychic Ability: 15 (+1 from Ring of Sorcery)
Awareness: 7
Endurance: 21/21
Damage: 1 Die +1

Items:
1 Brazier
2 Silver armour (Armour Rating two) (left on the beach)
3 Bedroll
4 Magical Bread Crust of Infinity
5 Fur Cloak
6 Money pouch (88 gold pieces)
7 Ring of Sorcery (+1 PA)
8 Gloves
9 Amber Tinderbox
10 Iron rations (7 days)

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:03 pm

I sure hope we get the armor back. Talk.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 3:39 pm

Eh, the armor never made much difference anyway, especially as Endurance continues to inflate.

Talk. We're the friendliest.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 4:10 pm

Talk to Batman.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 01, 2015 11:38 pm

You draw near to the strange figure, but leave enough distance between you so that the fog spares you the details of his face. His cheeks are hard and sallow, and he seems to wear a disquietingly fixed grin.

'Do you know who I am?' His voice suggests a gusty grey storm. Your gorge rises as you smell his rank breath.

'Hunguk the Pirate-King ...' you reply.

'Hunguk?' he chuckles. 'Not I! I'm Shambeer, Hunguk's trusty steersman. See this wheel? My old hands haven't left this wheel in seven mortal lifetimes. "Outlived his own flesh in the service of Hunguk" - that's what they'll say of old Shambeer.' Under his long cape, thin shoulders twitch as he gives a wan laugh.

You start to ask him a question, but he snaps his jaws and stares intently into the fog dead ahead. 'Caligosums and luridors all about us!' he yells. 'No peace for the wicked, eh? Now ask your question and be quick about it, for if I'm distracted from my job then Satan's hounds will have all our bones to gnaw!'

If you are only going to get the chance for one question, you had better make it count. What will it be?

'Where are the emeralds Hunguk stole from Sa'aknathur?';
'Where is Hunguk?'; or
'Where is the ship bound?'?

What do we ask the nice ghost?

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 12:21 am

Ask for the emeralds, and hope he doesn't reply "With Hunguk".

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:16 am

I'm more worried he'll raise he alarm, but ask about the emeralds anyway. He already knows we're here uninvited to the point we don't even know what the captain looks like.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:47 am

Of course we ask about the bling!

'So that's what you're after,' cackles Shambeer. 'They're in his cabin, I suppose. Go below and head towards the stern - but don't drag your feet!' His skeletal frame is racked with silent laughter as you step down into the gloomy companion-way.

That was easy, Hunguk's trusty follower is surprisingly free with the information of his captain's treasure!

If there is an Enchanter in the party who wishes to act, he or she should turn to 14. If not, turn to 576.

Blue option FTW!

ENCHANTER:

Shambeer has warned you that time is of the essence. You call the Prediction spell to mind and cast it, obtaining glimpses of the near future. This spell will enable you to explore the ship more efficiently, eliminating wrong turnings and delays before they occur.

Put a tick on a piece of paper and write the number 422 above it. As you turn to successive paragraphs you will be told to record more ticks. These ticks are keeping track of the time you spend searching the ship, and once you have a total of ten ticks you should turn immediately to 422.

After recording your first tick, turn to 487.

Without Reed's Prediction, we'd be limited to just 8 ticks.

That was one tick......

The air is thick and musty, but at least it is warmer down here than in the white mist enveloping the deck. Light trickles from morosely flickering globes set into the walls of the passage. The floor seems to be made of amber, while the rest of the passage consists of archaically carved mahogany panels.

Record a second tick. You can head forward, towards the bow of the ship; or aft, towards the stern.

Two ticks....

We've been told that the treasure is in the stern. Do we trust that dead guy?

angelfromanotherpin · Thu Jul 02, 2015 11:59 am

The captain's cabin is always in the stern, and it makes sense that they'd be there. Aft it is.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 12:02 pm

Yes. We're trusting Susurrien for fuck's sake.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 12:05 pm

Add another tick to your list. You are passing a number of cabins on either side of the passage. If you wish to open a door at random and look in, turn to 34. If you just wish to continue towards the stern, turn to 473.

Do we want to go straight there, or risk spending time searching other places?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 12:21 pm

Don't waste time. If two ticks are an important advantage, I'd rather we spent them where it matters.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 1:02 pm

Yeah, getting distracted by side treasures usually doesn't go well.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 1:08 pm

Arriving at a large circular door, you stand in confusion for a moment and then turn the handle in its centre. It opens in sections, unfolding like a flower carved of wine-dark wood, and you step through into a cabin. The furniture here seems to have been made for someone at least two metres tall. There is a bed - draped with antique tapestries - and a table on which several yellowing charts are laid out. Facing you, between two shelves full of curios, there is another door.

Write the codeword MYTHAGO under your list of ticks, then add another tick to the list.

Assuming your time has not yet run out, will you look at the charts; search the shelves for the emeralds; or open the other door?

Ticks: 4.

Well, we're in the cabin. Where do we want to search?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 1:46 pm

Check the shelves.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 2:47 pm

Shelves.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 2:56 pm

Write the codeword SPECULUM alongside any you have already recorded.

In your hasty search you spell dozens of bizarrer artifacts and curios onto the cabin floor. Much as you would like to, there is no time to investigate them now. Pulling the lid off a clay jar, you pour out its contents: two sparkling emeralds. The eyes of the Hatuli. Note these down - the two together count as one item for encumbrance purposes.

Add two more ticks. If time has not yet run out, you can either take a look at the charts or, if you have not done so already, open the other door. If you wish to leave now, turn to 185.

Although technically everyone has "free slots" at the moment due to leaving their armour behind, I assume you'd all want to keep those slots free for the armour when you pick them up again, so the Warrior (being the only one with extra free slot) carries the emeralds for now.

We have 4 ticks remaining. Do you want to look around a bit more before we leave?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:03 pm

Look at the charts.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:08 pm

Sure, read charts.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 02, 2015 3:21 pm

They are like no seafarers' charts that you ever saw. Places from history and fable are mapped on a grid of ellipses and converging lines. Some of the symbols scrawled around the margin are taken from Arcane, the sorcerers' script; others, you cannot identify at all.

Add another tick. If you wish to take some of the charts (several rolled up together count as one item) then record them on your Character Sheet(s).

If you have not already done so, you can now either search for the emeralds or open the other door. If you have done both, you can leave.

If any of you want to take the charts, let me know what you wish to drop for it.....unless you want to sacrifice your armour slot for them.

We're now at 7 ticks. Do we still want to check out the door?

Adventure Sheets:

WARRIOR:

NAME: Dame Caecilia Wither-Stoat
RANK: 4th

Battle Order: 1

Fighting Prowess: 12 (+1 from Enchanted Sword)
Psychic Ability: 6
Awareness: 7
Endurance: 19/23
Damage: 2 Dice

Items:
1 Enchanted Sword (+1 FP)
2 Chainmail armour (Armour Rating three) (left on the beach)
3 Money pouch (98 gold pieces)
4 Silver crucifix (with finger-bone of St Ashanax)
5 Iron Bell
6 Bedroll
7 Shielding Charm (+1 AR)
8 Blood Sword Scabbard
9 Blood Sword Hilt
10 Eyes of the Hatuli