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

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:21 am

Stick the young, beautiful, and scared woman with our magic trident.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:41 am

The illusionist Senyakhaz is an accomplished knife-fighter.

SENYAKHAZ SKILL 9 STAMINA 8

Combat Log:

Senyakhaz 18, Holden 21. Senyakhaz is at 4.
Senyakhaz 16, Holden 17. Senyakhaz is dead.

If you defeat her, you have earned the thanks of the Margrave and the people of Neuburg. The beautiful Zagoulan had enthralled Baron Tholdur and was the leader of the southern soldiery. However, you have still to discover and destroy the source of the evil and unnatural creatures that plague the town. The tall, metal-framed mirror seemed important to Senyakhaz; so did the small black box that you now pry from her lifeless fingers. It is hollow and rattles, but is sealed.

If you smash it open
If you inspect its surfaces

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:49 am

Inspect it first, we should be able to smash it later. Hopefully. Maybe.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:23 am

Definitely inspect first.

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:59 am

Smash it. Inspecting may lead us to putting something unsafe in our mouth.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:47 pm

(2 for inspecting vs. one for smashing. Inspecting wins.)

Buried in one face of the cubical box is a small metal rod. Etched above and below it are two letters: 'Z' and 'X'. The rod can be moved forwards and backwards. You decide to experiment. Will you push the rod towards 'Z' or towards 'X'?

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:54 pm

X marks spot!

-Username17

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:20 pm

X for Xakhaz and Z for Zagoula? X.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 4:56 pm

You move the rod towards 'X' and watch the mirror. Cloudy shapes form in the glass, and within seconds the mirror's frame contains a swirling mass of colors. You walk up to it, take a deep breath and step into the rainbow maelstrom.

You step out of a mirror set into a wall of an empty room. The swirling colors behind you are the only source of light, and as the room is large you can barely make out the only exit—an open doorway in the opposite wall. When the mirror's surface returns to normal you are left in complete darkness, and you gain the impression that this stone-walled chamber must be deep underground. Straining your eyes, you see that the open doorway is now visible, touched by a pale luminescence, and then through it moves the source of the light—a huge warrior in a complete suit of plate-armor and an enclosed helmet. The ghostly light is emanating from his body: it is gleaming through the cracks between the metal plates and streaming through the slats in his visor. His voluminous surcoat reaches to the floor and trails after him. He addresses you in a flat, dull voice: 'I am Skarlos. Be gone or die.'

If you have the Talisman of Loth and want to reveal it
Otherwise

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:09 pm

Since we seem to have no option to stab first and our only choices are reveal amulet or not, I suggest revealing it.

-Username17

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:13 pm

Show him the shiny!

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:27 pm

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 5:31 pm

The dazzling radiance from the Talisman floods over the warrior, but it seems to have no effect on him. Far from recoiling in shock, he advances, swinging his broadsword. You leave the Talisman exposed—at least its light helps you to see—and prepare for combat. (Holden has the Trident of Skarlos.)

As the bearer of the Trident of Skarlos, you know a little about the legendary hero, and you do not think that your bulky opponent resembles him. The real Skarlos would in any case recognize his own weapon, would he not? The Trident, meanwhile, is pulsing with energy and is thrusting forward of its own accord, apparently keen to get to grips with the strange warrior.

If you decide to evade the warrior's advance and taunt him in the hope of obtaining more information
Otherwise, you fight.

EDIT: fixed typo.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:10 pm

Taunt! Taunt!

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:19 pm

Just murder this fool, our trident is fucking magic.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:29 pm

Taunt. If it's Xakhaz, let's fight his final form right away.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:43 pm

Prancing around the slow-moving warrior, evading his broadsword and waving the crackling Trident above your head, you attempt to goad the luminous warrior into incautious speech. He says nothing but 'Be gone or die!', and continues to slide towards you. You have just yelled, 'What's this then? If you're Skarlos, how is it I have your Trident?', when the warrior shudders and halts, and another voice, shrill and eerie, cuts through the darkness. 'My poor little joke Skarlos will be no match for you, it seems. Come through into my workroom. Xakhaz welcomes spirited new slaves.'

If you want to peer through the doorway
If you decide to pause to inspect the motionless warrior

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 6:44 pm

Inspect.

Mr Shine · Post by **Mr Shine** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:27 pm

Doorway

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 8:51 pm

Inspect.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:18 pm

(Technically from a different section but it's the same exact creature.)

Intrigued by the pale luminescence exuded by the warrior, you inspect his still body. When you experimentally kick him through his surcoat, you find a strangely solid mass where his legs should be. With a growing sense of fear, you grasp his helmet. You pull it off—and drop it in horror. He has no head. Instead, there is a glistening, featureless, rubbery protuberance which, as you watch, begins to distend and ooze towards you. Test your Willpower. (6,1=7; success!) You tear yourself away from the appalling sight and make for the open doorway.

You look through the open doorway and stare at a slaughterhouse scene that revolts all your senses. The overpowering stench of blood and decaying flesh washes over you. The cavernous chamber is lit by lurid blobs of luminous slime that crawl across the walls. Everywhere there are piles of corpses and bits of corpses. Some half-dismembered creatures are moving; others are not only unidentifiable, they are also wrong—blasphemous, unnatural abominations. And all the time you stand staring in horror, a shrill, tittering voice taunts you. You try to force yourself to listen and to discover the source of the infuriating voice.

'Congratulations! You have found Xakhaz, the immortal, the invincible, lord of this miserable ant-hill and soon to be lord of all Khul. Do you like my little workroom? Come in, come in, you look a healthy specimen and I can always use an extra pair of hands . . .' The voice trails off into demented giggling. You are sure it comes from near the enormous heap of limbs, some of which are twitching. You step towards the towering pile. 'I have slept for many centuries, but have forgotten nothing. The descendants of those who imprisoned me here will all die—quickly, if they grovel for mercy. All will make a useful contribution, however—they are the raw material for my army of conquest. You have probably met some of my creations. Ingenious, are they not? Practice makes perfect! And ever since Senyakhaz woke me I have followed a program of intensive self-improvement!' You have found Xakhaz at last—his wild-eyed head is nodding at you over the huge pile of limbs. Or can it be . . . ? You groan and cover your eyes as you realize that the heap of twitching limbs is Xakhaz. It begins to scuttle towards you on an assortment of legs. Test your Willpower. The Talisman of Loth, if you have it, helps you in your hour of need. Its pure light gives you courage—add 2 points to your WILLPOWER for this test only. (Snake eyes, success!)

You bump into tables and trip over unidentifiable bloody fragments—some of which clutch at you as you pass—but you can move faster than Xakhaz's mountainous body of wriggling limbs. You will have to fight, however—unless you have both the Talisman of Loth and a green glass globe.

If you have both of these items, and want to try to use them
If not, you must fight Xakhaz as best you can

Adventure Sheet
Holden McGroin, a.k.a Fukkerjack
SKILL 11/11 (13/13 in combat)
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 9/9
WILLPOWER 9/11
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

Username17 · Post by **Username17** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:26 pm

I'm guessing we should use both items.

Honestly, considering that he just said we probably already met his creations... shouldn't we have fought some of his weird demon hybrids by now? I can't recall that happening.

-Username17

OgreBattle · Post by **OgreBattle** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:01 am

Maybe those killer orphans were his creation too.

Use the items

Dr_Noface · Post by **Dr_Noface** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:03 am

use both items

also are we supposed to know what the green globe is/does? we found it in a pile of shit in a basement

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 5:23 am

(For the most part, we missed Xakhaz's monsters. The Skarlos Slug was created by him, and so were presumably the thing that was controlling that the Ogre in the gardener's tower, the Vitriol Essence and the skeleton in the dungeons. He also created the weapons in the armory. Most of the other creatures are found around town, or in the few parts of the dungeons we passed by. I'll go over that later. And compared to the Talisman of Loth or the Trident of Skarlos, or even the weapons in the armory, the globe isn't explained well. Who made it, or how it got beneath the compost heap, is unclear. But what is clear is that it heats up super fast, and possibly explodes, when exposed to bright light.)

You are hoping that the intense light of the Talisman will cause the green globe to glow and heat up so rapidly that it inflicts serious damage on Xakhaz. Your first task is to lodge the globe somewhere in the nest of wriggling limbs. You pull it from your backpack and carefully toss it towards the writhing mountain. Even as if flies across the room, the glove seems to absorb light from the Talisman's dazzling ray, and becomes too bright to look at. Roll two dice. (1,3=4; the result is lower than Holden's current SKILL.)

You have thrown well: the globe thuds into Xakhaz near the top of the motely pyramid of flesh, and disappears among a tangle of thrashing limbs. Almost immediately it explodes. An ear-numbing crash signals the end of Xakhaz.

Among the blood-soaked remains you find Xakhaz's head. At close quarters it is clear that even this part of the creature is a mongrel creation, welded together from parts of several men and women and at least two animals. It is still alive, and hurls slurred insults at you until you cleave it in two. Inside the monstrous cranium you find a jumble of several brains and a tiny metal box. You pull out the box and keep it in your backpack. You pace slowly and unsteadily to the magical mirror, which you find has a single lever set into the frame. You pull it, watch the colors swirl across the mirror's surface, and then step through.

You step out into the chamber of the sorceress Senyakhaz. This room and the others in the suite are deserted, and you take the opportunity to rest, eat and recover your strength. Then you make your way through the corridors of the dungeons and cellars to the main floor of the Keep, where you find Baron Tholdur, no longer under an enchantment, energetically ejecting the demoralized southern soldiers from his castle. Between tears and laughter he overwhelms you with praise and thanks, and insists on escorting you to the Temple of Oiden so that the old priest Huw can share in the good news. When you have recounted your story, Huw merely smiles. He asks for the small metal box, which he says contains the immortal part of Xakhaz. You hand it over with alacrity, and Huw assures the Margrave that this time Xakhaz will be imprisoned in a place from which he will never escape. Whether or not you found it during the course of your adventure, Huw tells you that the Trident of Skarlos is now yours by right. And at a public celebration attended by all the townsfolk of Neuburg, Baron Tholdur announces to terrific cheers that he appoints you to be his heir in all things; on his death you will inherit the Keep, the freehold of the town, most of the surrounding farmland, forests and hunting estates in the hills to the east, and the title of Margrave.

At last you have your chance to enjoy the comforts of town living. But, of course, after only a few days of banquets and soft beds, you find yourself getting bored. It's time to set off on another adventure...

(So that's Peter Darvill-Evans' first FF book. Comments, questions, concerns? I'll post stuff we missed and my own thoughts on the book later, probably tomorrow.)

The Gaming Den

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

Which book should I run first?