[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 52 - Night Dragon

[SGamerz]

Go buy the plot token in the emporium.

[Silent Wayfarer]

You ask the eager, squinting gnome about the many potent bottles of dubious spirits you sew around the shop. "Best of them all, sir, is Larssen's Firewater. Five Gold Pieces a bottle, sir, and you'll find no better in all the north, that's the truth." Now this is a steep price, so you haggle with the Gnome, who reluctantly agrees to part with this fine spirit for only 4 Gold Pieces a bottle, as long as you buy at least two bottles (you cannot carry more than four; if you buy only one, you must pay 5 Gold Pieces for it. An empty, corked bottle will cost you 1 Gold Piece. After making any purchase you fancy, you can try the shop with the "EVIL" sign, if you haven't yet entered there (turn to 238). Alternatively, will you:

Buy some supplies? (Turn to 373)
Relax in the taverns, if you haven't already done so? (Turn to 207)
Leave Ismater? (Turn to 268)

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11
Stamina 16/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 1
Nemesis 1
Time Track 21

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Shield
Lantern
Backpack
4/12 Provisions
10 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Bottle
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'd buy two bottles, and then check out the EVIL shop.

[SGamerz]

If we buy 2, it's unlikely we'll have enough gold to buy anything from the EVIL shop. But then, since the book explicitly tells us we can buy up to 4, it'll probably be useful on more than one occasion. Buy 2, I guess.

And looks like we've lost the opprtunity to look for work and earn some gold. Enter the EVIL shop after that, I guess, though it's unlikely we'll be able to afford anything.

[Silent Wayfarer]

You push open the creaking green door of the ship with some trepidation. There's a confusion of rubbish inside: stuffed animal heads and rugs hang from the walls, sacks of grubby grain are stacked haphazardly against one another, and shelves are packed with glass bottles containing rather disgusting things in coloured fluids. it looks, and smells, as if no one has cleaned the place in a decade or two.A shuffling sound comes from behind the counter, and a wizened, little, middle-aged man with lank, greasy hair and a pair of pince-nez glasses perched on top of his huge beaky nose peers anxiously up at you from his perch on a five-legged footstool. "Erm, Nevill's the name. Can I possibly be of some assistance?" You mutter something about his shop sign, still trying to take in the contents of this weird shop. "Ah, erm, yes, well, it's Nevill, that's my name. Oh yes. Says "evil", does it? Letters flake off, you know, must get it repainted sometime." The little man's demeanour suddenly changes to one of alertness. "I've got no time to spare, young fellow," he says testily. "Got any gold, eh? Got some things might interest an adventurer like yourself!" The curious little man brings out trays of bizarre ornaments and rubbish and rummages in sackfuls of detritus, but most of what he has is useless. However, there are some exceptions. Turn to 106.

Well, that was a pretty lame joke.

Nevill has the following useful items for sale:

Potion of Stamina (7 Gold Pieces)
Potion of Luck (4 Gold Pieces)
Potion of Invisibility (6 Gold Pieces)
Bottle of Catstink (3 Gold Pieces)
Vial of smoke powder (2 Gold Pieces)
Tattooing ink and needle (3 Gold Pieces)
Poison Antidote (1 Gold Piece per dose)
Poison Salve (3 Gold Pieces per vial)

The Potion of Invisibility has a self-explanatory effect. Evil-smelling, green, gluey Catstink is a valuable item: it throws off your scent any pursuing wolves or dogs; sprayed on the ground, it confuses them hopelessly. Smoke powder (Nevill will give you a flint and taper to make a fuse for it) may be a useful decoy, camouflage or obscurement, and who knows when this may be vital to you? The Poison Antidote can be used after a combat to cure all damage to your Stamina due to poison suffered in that combat. Poison Salve can be smeared on at any time: it negates all damage caused by poison during the next combat when a poisoned weapon is used against you. Nevill has only one of each item, save for Poison Antidote and Salve. Make any purchases you wish, and adjust your Adventure Sheet accordingly. When you're done, you can chat casually to Nevill to find out whether he knows anything helpful to you (turn to 92); alternatively, will you now:

Shop at the Firewater Emporium? (turn to 37)
Buy other supplies? (turn to 373)
Relax at the taverns of Ismater if you haven't done so? (turn to 207)
Leave Ismater? (turn to 268)

Sadly, the chance for work does seem to have been lost forever. Still!

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11
Stamina 16/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 1
Nemesis 1
Time Track 21

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Shield
Lantern
Backpack
4/12 Provisions
2 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Bottle
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
2 bottles of Larssen's Firewater

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Since the Antidote only cures STAMINA loss from poison, and not insta-death, we should probably buy the Smoke Powder.

[Silent Wayfarer]

Poison in this game does extra damage instead of instadeath, though.

[SGamerz]

Well, out of the three that look like quest item/plot token (tattooing tools, smoke powder and Catstink) smoke powder is the only one we can afford.

I'malso kind of leaning towards saving the gold to chill out in the tavern though (who knows, there may be gambling and chance to bet and increase our gold).

I'll go with either of the above, depending on which has the most votes at the end.

[Silent Wayfarer]

I'm supposed to be an impartial arbiter, but I think it's important that we had to make a note of a tattoo design...

Not that we can afford it.

[SGamerz]

Well, unless we cheat and retcon the earlier parts and pretend we didn't buy some of the other stuff, I don't see what we can do about that.

[Silent Wayfarer]

If I were cheating, I would instead say that we have the chance to go working instead of the option being inexplicably lost forever. That said, I think it's probably best if we play it straight.

[SGamerz]

If I were cheating, I would instead say that we have the chance to go working instead of the option being inexplicably lost forever. That said, I think it's probably best if we play it straight.

Oh, sure, if we haven't screwed up our chances completely by missing a vital item, I'm all for playing it straight.

Oh, and I missed the choice to talk to talk to the shop-keeper earlier, so I change my second vote from tavern to that. Half a vote to buy the smoke powder and half to save the gold.....whichever gets more votes to come.

[Silent Wayfarer]

So I think people want to buy the smoke bomb; but how about talking to Nevill?

[Sirocco]

Sure, talk to him.

[Silent Wayfarer]

Nevill looks like the kind of fellow who might know almost anything, thought you can;t afford to give anything away about your quest. Will you ask him about:

Grey- or black-robed men? (turn to 160)
Frost Giants to the east? (turn to 129)
The Dragon Conclave? (turn to 198)

At least we don't have to pay for info...

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11
Stamina 16/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 1
Nemesis 1
Time Track 21

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Shield
Lantern
Backpack
4/12 Provisions
0 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Bottle
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
2 bottles of Larssen's Firewater
Smoke bomb

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Ask more about the Frost Giants.

[Sirocco]

Ask about the Giants and then about the men.

[Silent Wayfarer]

You casually mention the Frost Giants to Nevill and he grins knowingly. "Ah, well now. There's an easy way of impressing them. Neat little trick if one of them gets nasty and you have to accept a challenge. Get yourself a bottle of firewater from old Benskens the Gnome, and an empty one spare. Fill the empty one up with water - no-one'll know in that dark green bottle - and seal the cork again. Then, if a Giant gets nasty, challenge him to a fight - after you've had a bottle of firewater each. They never say no to that, you know. Give the Giant the real stuff while you drink the water. Actually, buy as many bottles as you've got the gold for. If you're heading that way, you'll need all the firewater you can get." Now, will you:

Ask Nevill about grey- and black-robed men? (turn to 160)
Ask Nevill about the Dragon Conclave? (turn to 198)
Leave and shop at the Firewater Emporium? (turn to 37)
Shop elsewhere for supplies? (turn to 373)
Relax in Ismater's taverns, if you haven't already done so? (turn to 207)
Leave Ismater? (turn to 268)

Fitting that a dragoncocker would know how to spike a drink. I count one vote for asking about those men. Any others?

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11
Stamina 16/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 1
Nemesis 1
Time Track 21

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Shield
Lantern
Backpack
4/12 Provisions
0 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Bottle
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
2 bottles of Larssen's Firewater
Smoke powder

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Ask about the men.

[SGamerz]

I'd like to find out more about the Dragon Conclave first. If the questions aren't mutually exclusive, then ask both.

[Silent Wayfarer]

They are, actually. So... grey and black-robed men it is!

Nevill's demeanour changes abruptly; he looks filled with fear. "Walls have ears," he hisses. "never mention those men! They come from Carnex, so they say, and they brew ale there, and they do deliver it here, but they're bad, vile, blackhearted scum. Don't speak of them here!" He ushers you out of his shop. Now, will you:

Shop at the Firewater Emporium? (turn to 37)
Buy some supplies? (turn to 373)
Relax at the taverns, if you haven't done so? (turn to 207)
Leave Ismater? (turn to 268)

They're bad men... huh.

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11
Stamina 16/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 1
Nemesis 1
Time Track 21

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Shield
Lantern
Backpack
4/12 Provisions
0 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Bottle
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
2 bottles of Larssen's Firewater
Smoke powder

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Since we have no gold, we should probably leave town.

[SGamerz]

There's no way we can buy anything, but just take a look at the tavern in case there's anything to do there that doesn't involve paying (unlikely). At worst, it's a wasted trip.

[Silent Wayfarer]

It's usually my policy to wait for two replies pointed at the same choice before updating, but fuck it, let's keep this moving.

Ismater's taverns are much like those anywhere else; rough, none too clean, with a clientele somewhere between disreputable and repulsive. You sip your ale slowly and eat some good home-made pie, meanwhile listening for any interesting bits of gossip. You don't overhear anything of note, but a grey-robed man sitting in the corner of the tavern seems to be keeping a watchful eye on you. Looking out of the corner of your eye, you see that he is lean and dark-haired and has a scar on his face and a tattoo on one of his forearms. Will you:

Go over and challenge the robed man? (Turn to 257)
Go over and talk to the robed man? (Turn to 293)
Leave and buy some supplies? (Turn to 373)
Leave and explore Ismater, if you haven't done so? (Turn to 10)
Leave Ismater and head elsewhere? (Turn to 268)

Since we have no money, options 3 and 4 are essentially out of the question...

Dirk el Dragoncock

Skill 11
Stamina 16/22
Luck 10/12

Honour 1
Nemesis 1
Time Track 21

Gear:
Sword
Leather armor
Shield
Lantern
Backpack
4/12 Provisions
0 golds
Silver key
Rope
Longbow and arrows
Spiked boots
Ice pick
Viewing lens
Carved ivory polar bear
Steel mirror
Bottle
Flask of Walrus Oil
Silver plaque with "Endimion" carved onto it
2 bottles of Larssen's Firewater
Smoke powder

Special:
20-stranded spider's web tattoo with a dragon's skull in it, seen on paragraph 55.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Play it cool and talk to the robed man.