Let's Play Fighting Fantasy #25: Beneath Nightmare Castle

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:59 am

angelfromanotherpin wrote:He seems legit. Let him go.

This.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:00 pm

A short corridor leads you to a landing, lit by a single cresset. You lean over the balustrade and see the staircase wind steeply down from the corridor and disappear into darkness. From the landing, the corridor continues featurelessly, and also disappears into gloom.

If you decide to go down the stairs
If you would rather continue straight along the corridor

(And Cernic's apparently disappeared. Probably because you can get to this area without him.)

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:05 pm

Well, we got the weapon we needed before we went down. Let's go down.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:07 pm

Plot coupon talisman: check. God-killing weapon: check. Let's go kill a god. Down.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:27 pm

Your descent of the stairway is long but uneventful. You emerge at the end of a wide corridor, where several other dark flights of steps descend to the same point. Ahead of you the corridor is a little less dim, since it is illuminated by occasional cressets on the stone walls. You walk along the corridor. It bends to the left, then straightens again, and you see that ahead of you it forks into two passages of similar sizes. You draw closer and peer along each one.

The left-hand passage is featureless, apart from the double doors that you can just make out at its far end. The doors appear to be open; light is streaming out, and you think you can see a table laden with colored objects—perhaps food?—in the room beyond. The right-hand passage is equally featureless and equally long. It too terminates in a pair of doors, which are closed. Two robed warriors stand on guard. Will you slink down the left passage or the right one?

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 5:36 pm

Step one should be to kill the guards, so we should go down the passage where the guards are and kill them. It wouldn't do to have them still be alive when we start making noise with the colored objects.

-Username17

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 6:41 pm

@Frank: There are two of them, they can raise the alarm and we're fucked. Skill 13 is only good when your opponent has stats. I recently died from hunger edit thirst in a gamebook despite being "literally immortal, no exceptions, cross out your HP score", edit and it was explicitly established just a paragraph earlier that thirst deals HP damage.

Right, because food(?) means more people.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:17 pm

(Right it is.)

This corridor has many natural recesses in its rock walls. You are able to get quite close to the guards outside the double doors from flitting from cover to cover. However, you are unable to gain much more information. The guards look bored and impatient. It would be impossible to rush the guards and dispose of them before they could raise the alarm. You can think of only four courses of action.

If you decide to emerge from hiding and charge the two guardsmen
If you want to march up to them, claim to be acting on instructions from the Margrave, and order them to leave their post
If you prefer to slip away to the entrance to this corridor and await developments
If you want to leave this corridor and instead explore the left-hand passage

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:46 pm

I don't think they'll believe us if we say we're from the Margrave. (I doubt these guys are in any doubt who the real power is anyway.) I reckon we can probably subdue them both before they can raise the alarm.

CHAAAAARRGE!!!!!!

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 7:48 pm

The only real options are fighting and waiting. These guys don't follow the Margrave's orders, and there isn't much point in going to the other passage and I note that it didn't ask if we'd already been there. So far, I think waiting has been the right course of action throughout this book, and we'll probably be able to charge into battle afterwards if nothing happens.

-Username17

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:00 pm

They take orders from the robed dude (or dudette for that matter) we saw earlier, plus we aren't even dressed as a southern warrior. And if the book sets a reasonable limit in rounds of how fast we should kill them, I don't doubt we'll make it - but it probably doesn't since it says "impossible".

Wait, hope these guys are relieved soon ("impatient") and something helpful happens.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:35 pm

Standing in a shadowed nook of the corridor, you have a view towards the guarded double doors and along the wide corridor that leads back to the stairways. It is from this latter direction that you eventually hear the sound of footsteps. You listen intently. Two people are approaching, you are sure: one is marching quickly and is much nearer now than the other, who is dragging his feet. You dart from cover and race towards the stairways, looking for another recess from which to spring an ambush. You find one and pull yourself behind a rock outcrop just as the first marcher—a brisk southern swordsman—comes into sight. When he draws level with you, you attack.

SOUTHERN SWORDSMAN SKILL 8 6 STAMINA 8

If you have the Talisman of Loth, its dazzling brilliance will reduce your opponent's SKILL by 2 points.

Combat Log:

Swordsman 10, Holden 20. Swordsman is at 4.
Swordsman 12, Holden 18. Swordsman is dead.

You are standing over the corpse of the first swordsman when the second comes into sight, pauses and then charges at you.

SOUTHERN SWORDSMAN SKILL 11 9 STAMINA 6

If you are using the Talisman of Loth, his SKILL is reduced by 2 points.

Combat Log:

Swordsman 13, Holden 17. Swordsman is at 2.
Swordsman 18, Holden 18. Tie.
Swordsman 14, Holden 21. Swordsman is dead.

If you kill him, you can think of no better plan than to dress yourself in the flowing white robes of your slain adversaries and then attempt to bluff your way past the guards in front of the closed double doors at the end of the right-hand branch of the corridor. Moments later, looking far more confident than you feel, you march towards the two guards. To your surprise, they leave their post as soon as they see you approaching. They pass you with the merest grunt of greeting, apparently in a hurry to return to their barracks now that someone has turned up to relieve them. You are glad you had the forethought to conceal the carnage in the corridor. They disappear from view, leaving you in possession of the guard-post outside the closed double doors. You have to choose whether you will knock on the doors or try to sneak through.

Adventure Sheet
Holden McGroin, a.k.a Fukkerjack
SKILL 11/11 (13/13 in combat)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 9/9
WILLPOWER 11/11
Equipment: White Robes, Armor, Trident of Skarlos (+2 SKILL in combat; +2 damage vs. humanoids, +4 damage vs monsters), Green Glass Globe, Talisman of Loth
Keys: 3 Keys to Armory, Key to Underground Chamber
Provisions: 3 (+4 STAMINA each)
Gold Pieces: 0
Running Total of Deaths: 1

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:46 pm

Half a vote for sneaking through. The disguise already worked once, if we specifically draw theb attention of the guards/monsters inside and ask to be let through, they might ask what for.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:27 am

We are the Sneak King.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:16 am

(If we're this guy then we're the real evil in this keep.)

You push one of the doors and it opens. You step cautiously into a small anteroom. It is sparsely furnished, and there is a door on your right and another on your left. You think you can hear voices from beyond the right-hand door. Which door will you try to go through, the left or the right?

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:56 am

(Damn, did I seriously post two half-votes? I was pretty sure there was only one post when I went to sleep.)

This isn't a Steve Jackson book, so left.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:36 pm

(It's not a problem. It's also been almost 12 hours so I'm going with your vote.)

The door swings open and you are looking into a long storeroom. Boxes and barrels are stacked along the walls, and there are quantities of foodstuffs lying on a wooden table. There is another door, alongside the one you are looking through. You enter and examine the contents of the room. Most of the boxes and barrels contain food, and there are also some bundles of cloth. If you want to eat some of the available provisions, you find that the food is of excellent quality. Restore up to 4 points of STAMINA, if you need to.

If you now decide to try to go through the other door from this room
If you would rather go back out to the anteroom and try the right-hand door from there

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 3:45 pm

Choice 1, keep sneaking.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:45 pm

Yes, proceed.

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 9:13 pm

how lucky have we been to get the nicest stuff

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:31 pm

(Pretty damn lucky. We've made pretty much every 'one true path' choice so far, barring the beginning, trying to run from the guards and like one other thing.)

You have found the inner sanctum of the Zagoulan wizard who has enchanted Baron Tholdur and called up unspeakable horrors from the depths below Neuburg Keep. The wizard is standing at the far end of the large room, and the thrown-back cowl of the deep red robe reveals the features of a regally beautiful young woman. She is standing in front of a tall mirror, staring at her reflection as she manipulates a small black box. She turns to face you and speaks: 'You have found me, then. No matter. I am Senyakhaz of Zagoula; I will escape from you now, and return to finish my work here at a more propitious time. Passing years mean little to me. Take care! Beware of my little pet! You suddenly realize that a massive cobweb spans the room. Squatting in it, near the ceiling, is a spider as large as a horse. Do you walk into the web, in the hope that you can force your way through? Or would you rather cut a way through with your weapon?

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:16 pm

Our weapon actually doesn't cut, so I doubt that would work. I guess we walk into the web. Which seems retarded, but it's the only option that isn't going to take our precious stabby trident away.

-Username17

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:11 am

(Actually, we could have waited for rescue as soon as we got to prison and might have not even had a weapon at this point. The paragraphs where we fought swordsmen don't provide weapons. Fighting that skill 11 guy with effective skill 5 could've been tons of fun. Wtf editing.)

Try to communicate "disregard distractions, don't let the villain escape" to the book by walking through.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:31 am

(Using any weapon here has the same result. And I always assumed if you killed a swordsman in this book while unarmed you could take his sword afterwards; while in most FF books it's explicitly spelled out when you can do that, this book has a lot of stuff that isn't explicitly spelled out.)

Arms over your face, you push through the silvery filaments. You feel them clinging to your skin, and then they disappear. You look around: the web and the spider—both illusions—have gone, and Senyakhaz has turned to face you. She is angry and fearful, and pulls a long knife from the sleeve of her robe.

If you have the Talisman of Loth and want to reveal it
If you decide to try to talk to the sorceress
If you want to attack her immediately

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:57 am

We need the talisman to weaken the physical form of Xakhaz, it reducing the effective skill of random swordsmen was just gravy. She's going to steal it / destroy it / throw it into the portal to be lost in spacetime, and then we'll have to settle for stabbing her and proceeding to get our face melted by the main boss. Stab her right away.

The Gaming Den

Let's Play Fighting Fantasy #25: Beneath Nightmare Castle

Which book should I run first?