[LP] Fighting Fantasy: Creature of Havoc

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Starmaker
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Post by Starmaker »

there's more to him than we've seen...
I''l hazard a guess:
Th fevbp pvru p fomb gjcijsijnit hbtabp x.
I give about a 25% chance of the brigands finishing him before turning their attention to us. So, help.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Help the elf
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Help the dude out. Helping people being attacked in this book has been good to us so far (Hannicus and the late Grog come to mind). Also this guy is almost certainly Weaseltongue, since our dope-ass steed that brought us here has been revealed to be the Ophidiotaur, which we know is Weaseltongue's BFF.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

As you crash out of the bushes into the clearing, the battle halts temporarily and all three combatants stare incredulously at you. You must resolve your battle with the Brigands, who will fight you together. The thin creature is too badly beaten to be of any help and drops to the ground moaning.

First BRIGAND: SKILL 8, STAMINA 9
Second BRIGAND: SKILL 8, STAMINA 7
Creature 15, 1B 12, 2B 18; Creature is at 16
Creature double 6s instant death for Second Brigand!
Creature 17, 1B 15; 1B at 7
Creature 19, 1B 15; 1B at 5
Creature 20, 1B 18; 1B at 3
Creature 19, 1B 18; 1B at 1
Creature 16, 1B 13; 1B defeated!
Exhausted from your battle, your attentions turn to the white-haired creature lying moaning on the ground. Seeing that the battle is over and that you mean him no harm, he turns towards you. As he speaks to you, he winces in pain from his beating: 'I offer you – aaaaah! – my thanks for your aid. My name is – oooh! – is Whiteleaf. I am – unnngh! – an Elf. Home for me is the village of Ethelle Amaene. He turns over on to his back and continues: 'Aaahhhh, that's better... I know these woods well. Perhaps I can be of service to you in return?' What would you like him to tell you:

• Anything he knows about Stittle Woad?
• What he knows of the Galleykeep?
• More about himself?
SKILL: 10
STAMINA: 16/17
LUCK: 11

marked piece of hide
crystal club
message for legionnaire 29
Grog's knapsack w/box
potion of fortune
ring of truth
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Post by MisterDee »

Deduct the fifty from the Ring of Truth?
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Results in nonsense.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Galleykeep.

Stittle Woad is a Maguffin tht doesn't interest us, and himself interests us even less.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Women of Dree wrote:But we can offer you one more ally. In Knot Oak Wood you must meet the white-haired Elf, Daga Weaseltongue. He can tell you how to enter the Galleykeep, for he has been there himself.
Ask about the Galleykeep.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Whiteleaf spits in contempt. 'The ground is cursed where that Ogre-breathed spirit Zharradan Marr treads!' he snarls. 'It is my wish that the wind drops suddenly and he drops with it – to his death! Marr has sailed the accursed Galleykeep all his life, with its foul crew of blood-lusting beast-men. Someone should sabotage the floating hellpit, by holing its hull. I know how to get aboard. The Galleykeep comes to ground not far from here – just off to the west – when the wind dies down. Nothing would please me more than to see the accursed vessel plummet from the sky and crash to the ground, killing all on board.' The Elf finally picks himself up off the ground and dusts down his roes. He thanks you again and leaves.
Somewhere in there of course, we ring him.
You hold up your Ring of Truth before him and his tone changes. He shifts nervously from side to side. 'Er, perhaps I have not remembered things quite accurately,' he stammers. 'It is not true that the Galleykeep comes to ground near here. It hardly ever comes to ground, for then it is too vulnerable. There are only two ways that I know of to get on board the Galleykeep. Every day, the ship goes gathering food for the crew. I have seen their catapult traps, which are scattered all around these woods. If you get yourself caught in a trap, you will be hoisted on board. All over the forest, they are. Alternatively, you can search for Thugruff's Testing Grounds and have yourself recruited into the crew.'

Weaseltongue backs away from you across the clearing. 'Ermm, I... ah... suspect,' he stammers, 'that you wish to find Zharradan Marr and you wish me to help. That I cannot...' His face makes a grimace as he glances at the ring. 'Of course. I must tell you what I know. For the Ring of Truth was forged by Elven smiths. If meet Zharradan Marr you must, you will find him on the Galleykeep in a room with a certain symbol on the door. I know not this symbol, but I do have a clue as to its nature, contained in the words of this rhyme:
'When fire meets ice, who ends the fight?
Who stands between the two?
His symbol keeps them both apart,
Not red, nor white, but blue.

'I know no more that will help you,' he adds hastily. 'And now I must be going!' He holds up his hand as a parting gesture and turns into the woods. You watch him go. Ahead, the path continues to the north, but you can see through the trees that it splits, one path heading to the east and the other to the west.

• Head north and then turn east?
• Head north and then turn west?
• Ignore the path and set off through the undergrowth?
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Post by Starmaker »

Through the undergrowth, because it's qualitatively different.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Undergrowth, to look for a trap.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Undergrowth.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

You leave the clearing and stomp off through the undergrowth. Birds twitter excitedly as you crash through the woods and you turn your head up to watch them. Far in the distance you see a black shape, hovering in the sky. It is two large to be a bird and has none of the familiar shapes of a flying creature. The Galleykeep! You remember Weaseltongue's words. But how will you ever be able to find a hidden trap among all the trees? Test Your Luck.
9 is lucky.
As you search through the woods on your seemingly hopeless task, the ship in the sky is becoming larger. It is coming your way! You begin to thrash about in frustration, but just then you see what you are looking for. Ahead of you – appearing much too obvious now you have spotted it – is a tall, slender tree, bent back on itself – a Galleykeep hunting trap! You pick yourself up and stare at the device. The tree, a Whipwood, has been shaved of its branches. Its tip is held taut by a rope which ends in a ring. You study it until you are sure that you can understand how it works.

You wait, watching the slow arrival of the Galleykeep. At a suitable time, you spring the trap. The tree snaps upwards and you are hoisted through the air until you hang loosely at tree-top level. You are helpless! Your only hope is that the Galleykeep crew see you and pull you on board. The ship gets nearer. As the dark shape looms above you, a long pole reaches out over the side and pulls you up through the air. Your plan is working!

Sharp claws scratch at your scales as the hands of dark, foul-smelling creatures pull you up and over the side of the boat and drop you in a heap on the deck. Playing dead, you gather your strength and wait for a suitable moment to spring into action. Two pairs of rough hands grasp your shoulders and hoist you along the deck towards a guillotine, whose blade is poised and ready to drop. At that moment you make your move! You pull yourself to your feet and fling your two guards over the side of the ship. Two burly Goblins step forward with shortswords. You must resolve this battle. The creatures attack together.

First GOBLIN: SKILL 6, STAMINA 5
Second Goblin: SKILL 5, STAMINA 5
Creature rolls double 3s, instant death for 1st Goblin!
Creature rolls double 3s, instant death for 2nd Goblin!

Badass.
The commotion on deck has attracted the attention of other creatures. You can hear the sounds of footsteps and a cacophany of growling voices getting closer. You had better hide! Ahead of you is a door leading from the deck and you step through and close it behind you. You find yourself at the top of a staircase leading down into the ship. You carefully descend until you find yourself in a circular hallway with five doors leading from it. Behind you, the voices are shouting angrily on the deck above. They will soon be following you down the stairs so you had better choose a safer hiding place than the hallway! Each of the doors has a symbol on it.
Image
To your immediate left, the symbol is a jug from which water is pouring. The symbol on the next door is a burning fire. The next door has the symbol of a crown; the next a delicate snowflake; and finally the door to your right has a battle symbol on it: two crossed swords, painted in blue. Which will you choose:

• The jug of water?
• The fire?
• The crown?
• The snowflake?
• The crossed swords?
• None of these?

Image
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Post by Username17 »

The crown is literally between the fire and the ice. When fire meets ice it turns into water. The double swords are the only symbol that is specifically stated to be blue. Fuck this "riddle." It could be any of them, let's start from the left. Jug of Water it is.

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Post by Mr Shine »

Jug of Water. ( Idisagree with Frank, the rhyme is not ambiguous to me, if we need any other door, that sucks.)
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Frank is right about the riddle being bullshit, but I think we should enter the room with a crown on it. Since Zharradan Marr wants to be ruler of the world, I suspect he took the room with the most regal symbol. Straight down the middle also happens to be useful in most cases in these books, and left is almost never right unless there's a very specific hint saying you should go that way. But I'll be willing to go to the water room instead.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

The door opens and you step into a dingy room. Dust and cobwebs have begun to settle over the furniture and the curtains over the portholes are drawn. The room itself has an unmade bed against one wall. A wardrobe door yawns half open, rocking as the Galleykeep sways and revealing elegant uniforms, now beginning to look a little dusty. You get a sudden fright when you see a creature staring at you, but relax when you realize it is only your reflection in a full-length mirror which hands to the side of the wardrobe. Further round the room, there is a desk, covered in charts and maps, one of which protrudes from a folder marked 'For Captain's Eyes Only.' A spiral staircase to one side of the desk ascends to another hatchway which is closed. As you are making your way round the room, you get another fright when you bump into a long, thin, brass-trimmed device which stands on three legs and points out the window. There is no one in the room; nor does it look as though it has been used recently. But you might as well investigate the contents. Which will you start with:

• The wardrobe?
• The mirror?
• The desk?
• The spiral staircase?
• The brass-trimmed device?
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

OK, this is probably the captain's quarters, and since Zharradan commandeered this vessel, he probably lives here.

Totally check out the mirror, it's probably magic.
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Post by Mr Shine »

Darth Rabbitt wrote: Totally check out the mirror, it's probably magic.
Agreed
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Post by Starmaker »

Check out that mirror, also, voting in advance to not give Marr the mystery box.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

The mirror has an ornate golden frame, but otherwise appears to be an ordinary full-sized mirror. You consider smashing the mirror, but it is possible that the noise may alert the crew to your whereabouts.
Suddenly, you stop what you are doing and listen. Your ears have picked up a sound outside the door. 'Ssshh!' hisses one voice. 'We must surprise the creature, whatever it is. Remember what it has done to the gatherers. Get ready. Earth... water... fire... and air!' At that moment, the door cracks, bursts from its lock and crashes back against the wall to reveal a sea of ugly faces, straining to lunge forward at you! 'Take the creature!' comes the cry, and they flood forward, bellowing their battle-cries. You have no chance against this horde of Hobgoblins and your adventure has ended here.
Oh, I'm sorry. You were extremely close and your instincts were good, but this playthrough was lost back in the opening dungeon. In fact, literally the first choice made in this second go-round (which, if you recall, was: west or north) was incorrect, costing us the Vapor of Language; although that wasn't enough to doom us to an unwinnable state. In fact, the last piece of the puzzle was in the section we skipped over, between the Cursewitches and the Manic Beast. Specifically, when faced with the quiet north door and the noisy (beast-concealing) east door, the correct choice is to go in the quiet room.

Let's have a flashback.
The door is locked. It may be possible to break it down, but you could damage your shoulder, as the timbers are heavy.
• Try breaking the door? √
• Instead try the door in the east wall?
The door cracks as you charge it and eventually you break into the room, but not before you take 1 STAMINA point of damage for a sore shoulder. The room inside has no occupants. Instead, a single desk is surrounded on three sides by racks of parchments, each rolled up neatly and tied with string. A door in the east wall is half hidden behind the untidy racks.
• Head out through this door?
• Pick up a parchment and see what it says? √
The rolls of parchment are meaningless to you. You step up to the desk and grab one which is open. But as you touch it, a loud noise startles you. You wheel round and your eyes widen as you see a hideous beast taking shape in the corner, materializing out of thin air!
Image
It is taller and bulkier than you, and its rough skin looks to be made, not out of living flesh, but out of the rock itself! Its huge fists are covered in irregular bumps and its eyes glare at you in fury from its wide-mouthed face. The Rock Demon you are facing takes a step towards you and you must quickly decide what to do. The creature looks much more powerful than you are.

• Battle the Demon? √
• Escape through the door in the east wall?
• Escape through the door in the south wall?
As the Demon advances, you stand your ground and prepare to attack. When it is almost upon you, you swing your fist into its chest. Your fist passes right through! You swing again, and the same thing happens. You step forward into the creature and thrash with both hands. Your hands touch nothing, but your foot comes down on a small, soft object which seems to try to pull away but quickly goes still. As this happens, the huge shape of the Rock Demon fades. You lift your foot to reveal a dead mouse, upon which the Illusion spell had been cast.

You are still unsure of what has happened, but the danger has now passed and you may:

• Return your attentions to the parchment? √
• Leave through the south door?
• Leave through the east door?
Once more you pick up the parchment and stare at it. The writing is not neat, but you can just about make out the following message:

'Bjp grbp hyapfoz o mbrrap bgfen jnf tyet hrff: ... th vsu cbmf embr rat pobbbn dpn othfephy sjcbla wprld obnd atbk fe rffvgfe jnihj sipwn. Ba strb ngfenfth frwprldowhjc hip ccvp jfsen pospbc fej nit hfew prldo wfe mpr tblsa knpw. Ba wprl dopf ojllvsjpn oj niw hjchiw hfr fehfe bpp fb rse tpo bfe hfej sanpt. Bnda bawp rldo jni whj chith psfesf brc hjngifpr ohjmi wpv ldujnstfb daf jndit hfmsf lvfs. Hfeh bsab vt upn fewfbkn fss ejnihj sin fwew prld obndat hbt ajsibac ry stbla clvbuw hjch imbyab fev sfde tpodfs trp yofprfv fret hfegbtfwb yabf t wffne pvruw pr ldobndahjs.' Jfi btas pmf etjm fejn ithfe fvt vrf eypv ubfl jfvf eypv uhbvf elpcb tf det hf efnt rbnc fet pombrrsan fth frwpr ld odfdvct uth fep bg fe nvmbfrebbpv fef rpmoth ferfffrfn cfe ypvubrf epnobt ath fetj mf eb ndatv rnut poth jsi rfffr fncf. Jfiypv ub r fecp rrf ctey pv uwjl lim f ftet hf enf crpm bncfr. Fproh b vjng it hfegp pdo fpr tvnfe tp ofjn dithjsip br chmfnt eypvumb ya rfstp rfeypvru lvckus cp rfetp ojt sij njtjbl al fvfl.

After you have studied it for some time, you leave the room.
... at which point we move on to the Manic Beast and so on.
So, with that in mind, let's back up a little and try again.
The commotion on deck has attracted the attention of other creatures. You can hear the sounds of footsteps and a cacophany of growling voices getting closer. You had better hide! Ahead of you is a door leading from the deck and you step through and close it behind you. You find yourself at the top of a staircase leading down into the ship. You carefully descend until you find yourself in a circular hallway with five doors leading from it. Behind you, the voices are shouting angrily on the deck above. They will soon be following you down the stairs so you had better choose a safer hiding place than the hallway! Each of the doors has a symbol on it.
Image
To your immediate left, the symbol is a jug from which water is pouring. The symbol on the next door is a burning fire. The next door has the symbol of a crown; the next a delicate snowflake; and finally the door to your right has a battle symbol on it: two crossed swords, painted in blue. Which will you choose:

• The jug of water?
• The fire?
• The crown?
• The snowflake?
• The crossed swords?
• None of these?

Image
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Post by Starmaker »

(holy shit it's an in-universe raid guide)

If there are no additional hidden side references to find, it sure looks like the jug door is the correct door.
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Post by Mr Shine »

jug of water, mirror, deduct reference of the parchment paragraph [e]page number of the parchment (93)[/e] from the mirror paragraph.
Last edited by Mr Shine on Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Mr Shine wrote:jug of water, mirror, deduct reference of the parchment paragraph [e]page number of the parchment (93)[/e] from the mirror paragraph.
This.
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

The door opens and you step into a dingy room. Dust and cobwebs have begun to settle over the furniture and the curtains over the portholes are drawn. The room itself has an unmade bed against one wall. A wardrobe door yawns half open, rocking as the Galleykeep sways and revealing elegant uniforms, now beginning to look a little dusty. You get a sudden fright when you see a creature staring at you, but relax when you realize it is only your reflection in a full-length mirror which hands to the side of the wardrobe. Further round the room, there is a desk, covered in charts and maps, one of which protrudes from a folder marked 'For Captain's Eyes Only.' A spiral staircase to one side of the desk ascends to another hatchway which is closed. As you are making your way round the room, you get another fright when you bump into a long, thin, brass-trimmed device which stands on three legs and points out the window. There is no one in the room; nor does it look as though it has been used recently. But you might as well investigate the contents. Which will you start with:

• The wardrobe?
• The mirror?
• The desk?
• The spiral staircase?
• The brass-trimmed device?
The mirror has an ornate golden frame, but otherwise appears to be an ordinary full-sized mirror. You consider smashing the mirror, but it is possible that the noise may alert the crew to your whereabouts.
At last the pieces of the puzzle fit together. You step up to the mirror and stare into the glass. You are looking not at your own image, but deeper. Within seconds your uncertainty disappears, as the reflection of your own shape begins to fade and something gradually takes its place. From the depths of the misty netherworld which the necromancer now makes his sanctuary, the awesome form of Zharradan Marr takes shape before you!

As the mist clears, you can make out that Marr is sitting behind a desk in what seems to be a library of some kind. Books are scattered across the desk, along with mystical artefacts and demonic idols, which also decorate the tall chair he is seated in. Zharradan Marr himself appears to be either deep in thought or asleep. A shiver of fear runs down your spine. A feeling of danger sets your heart pounding and you cannot help but just stare at the necromancer. His very form seems to exude a power which is so strong you can almost feel it.
If you look back to the first page of this thread, you'll see Marr, because he's on the cover of the book. I always hear his voice as sounding like the Emperor from RotJ.
At once his eyes flick open! You jump back as his fiery pupils, like two burning coals, pierce your soul with their stare. His lower lip curls down to reveal sharp, biting teeth and a sinister hissing sound comes from his mouth. 'So!' speaks Marr, with a voice that resounds in your ears. 'Like the salmon fish, my creation returns to its home, drawn by the forces of nature! Ha! You have done well. And you have brought my prize.' You look puzzled. 'Ah yes, my fearsome friend,' he chuckles. 'It is no accident that you stand before me on the Galleykeep.Yours was my finest marrangha and it has been a complete success. Not only have you proved to be a perfect creature to replicate as my personal legionnaires, but your mind is as sharp as your muscles are strong. You have passed every test, from escaping my dungeons to finding your way into the Galleykeep. And you have safely returned to me the Vapour!' Marr seems to delight in revealing his plan, rather as a father would to his son...

'When we first met, you were my captive. Though you deserved no charity, I was merciful. Rather than have you slaughtered, I offered you a choice. Either you were to serve me, or you were to become a subject for my own marrangha experiments. You chose never to serve under me and thus your fate was decided. As a token of respect I reserved for you my most ambitious experiment.' You dwell on his words. You cannot remember ever having met Zharradan Marr before. And why should he have respect for you?
The necromancer continues: 'I have been developing marrangha for many years now. Previously, my successes have been limited to vermin – rats to Jib-Jibs, mice to Graunies, and the like. You and your colleagues were my first success with higher animals. Never before had I manages to transmute a human. And into such a fine creature, as you will doubtless agree.' You are shocked into a stunned silence. A human! And what of these colleagues that Marr is speaking of?

'My experiments, at least the ones which survive, are carefully studied and then preserved in the dungeon beneath the village of Coven. All my creations are sent there so that we can assess their abilities. You and your crew were transported there.' Your crew? What does he mean? Thoughts are racing through your mind. Some are vague and others are being sparked off as your memory is jolted by his words. Your eyes dart round the room, at the desk, the bed, the wardrobe. It is all starting to come back! Marr smiles slyly.

'I see it is coming back to you now,' he continues. 'You recognize this room. A little dusty now, and a little untidy, but it is as you left it.' Your head is spinning. Everything around you is now so familiar. 'I regret that your officers have not fared so well. Remember Ligge, the first mate? He took the form of a Blood Orc and was placed in charge of that blind fool, Hannicus. And Burgon the cook? You ran into him soon enough. the fat man was transformed into a Hobbit. He joined up with a Shaman and a Strongarm. I think you will remember running into them.' By now you are in a state of utter confusion as your own past comes back to you. And after all this time you are back in your own private quarters.
Marr's eyes open wider and he leans forward. His head protrudes from the mirror as if it were a pool of water, held on to the wall by magic. 'Now I can help you, but you must give me the Half-Orc's knapsack!' What can he want with Grog's knapsack? It contains only a few of the creature's possessions and a box... Of course! The box! You now remember that you have seen similar boxes twice once before. Once just before you found you were developing control of your destiny and again just before you started to be able to understand the languages of other creatures. Perhaps this box is what he is after. Marr holds his hand out and it too emerges from the mirror into the room.

'Vallaska Roue has failed me,' he says. 'For the Galleykeep has not enabled us to find the Elf village. There was only one way to test the powers of the Vapours: to use them on a living creature. I care little for the "power of reason" or the "power of languages," as these are skills I already have. It was much more profitable to allow you to use these Vapours. But the Vapour of Life is mine. Give it to me!'

• Give him the box?
• Refuse him?
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