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

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 3:33 pm

Agh, what the hell? No chance to blind her with a fire-hardened stake? Well, now we know how much damage such a giant does. It's a lot, but I can actually take a few of those thanks to magic upgrades. More annoying is my not starting in melee for reasons.

Okay, I'm going to engage, then defend. Two Nembolts average not quite dropping this beast, but other people's plinking should make up the difference.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 5:01 pm

I will shoot her.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 8:40 pm

I'll Defend and gtfo if hit and somehow still alive.

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Sat Jul 04, 2015 9:15 pm

Hmm... Enthrallment seems like it autofails, since it directs us back to the page of the fight. Nemesis Bolt, rinse and repeat.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 2:51 am

Although we still have to fight the giant, biding our time means that she gets 2 points taken off her FP and Damage rolls due to fighting without a weapon. An FP of 6 means that she's extremely unlikely to hit a defending opponent.

COMBAT LOG:

Round 1 ... FIGHT!

Awareness 8 acts...

Trickster defends.

Warrior Moves to engage Giantess

Awareness 7 acts...

Sage shoots Giantess. Roll = 2. (Hits!) Damage = 6+1-1 = 6. Giantess has 59 END left.

Enchanter attempts to cast Nemesis Bolt. Roll = 5+5 = 10. Success! Damage = 22+7-1 = 28. Giantess has 31 END left.

Giantess fights Trickster. Roll = 11+1 (Miss).

Quick Thinking bonus:

Trickster fights Giantess. Roll = 5. (Hits!) Damage = 4+2-1 = 5. Giantess has 26 END left.

Round 2

Awareness 8 acts ...

Trickster defends.

Warrior defends.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage shoots Giantess. Roll = 6. (Hits!) Damage = 3+1-1 = 3. Giantess has 23 END left.

Enchanter prepares Nemesis Bolt.

Giantess fights Trickster. Roll = 12+1. Miss.

Round 3:

Awareness 8 acts...

Trickster defends.

Warrior defends.

Awareness 7 acts...

Sage shoots Giantess. Roll = 3. (Hits!) Damage = 2. Giantess has 21 END left.

Enchanter attempts to cast Nemesis Bolt. Roll = 8+5 = 13. Success! Damage = 25+7-1 = 31. Giantess is killed.

Giantess fights Trickster. Roll = 13+1 (Miss).

None of the party was hit in this fight. (Well, her FP was subpar anyway, so her dice rolls on average wouldn't have hit even if her opponents hadn't been defending)

Overcome at last by the wounds you have inflicted on her, the cyclops sinks to the floor. As she breathes her last, the baleful eye clouds over and goes dark. You notice with distaste that, in place of blood, her cuts ooze a greenish-black foam.

The old man is beside himself with excitement and simple relief as you release him. With tears running down his face he takes hold of your robes and kisses them, thanking you over and over again. 'She ate every one of my twenty-three companions,' he sobs. 'When she ate Epicurus she gave a great belch of satisfaction! Ah, me! Ah, my! If you had come a few hours later, I would have been a stew in yonder pot. How can I ever repay you?'

Give us all your loot an cash or we feed you to our genie instead!

After you have calmed him down a little, the old man is able to tell you his story. 'In the north of Kurland, set among the Drakken foothills, is the Monastery of Reawakening. My companions, who were all eaten by that pitiless cyclops, were the senior monks. I was their abbot.

'Our mission was one of great importance to all mankind, and we had been preparing ourselves for it for many years. As you may be aware, at the dawn of the new millennium it will be time for the Author of All to set aside His work - this earth - and begin anew. Evil will be pulled from the world like a weed; the Devil and his followers will be forever expunged; our descendants will find the coming millennium to be the era of God's kingdom on earth.'

You nod. It is also said that the year 1000 will be a time of storms and bloody battle. It is then that the gates of Spyte will open, and the True Magi are fated to return to the world ... 'This heaven-on-earth will not come about without a struggle,' you say.

'Quite so!' replies the abbot. 'You understand precisely! Many imagine that heaven is their birthright, but in fact God will judge Man's worthiness for such a state by the vigour with which we are prepared to fight for it. God can provide guidance, but it falls to mortal men to destroy the evil that has plagued us since the world began. If we cannot do that for ourselves, we can never inherit Paradise.'

'Peace,' you say, putting a hand on his shoulder to calm him. 'You are still distraught after your ordeal.'

'No!' he declares passionately. 'I am troubled by a greater worry - a danger that still exists. You see, we travelled so far in order to recover something that will be needed in the battle of doomsday: a sapling ash, nurtured through many generations by the monks of our monastery. It was grown from a key taken from Yggdrasil - the Tree of Life.'

'And where is this sapling now?' you ask.

'Stolen. Taken from under our noses by cultists of the ancient Magian Sect of Opalar. They used witchery to penetrate our defences, then flew off with the sapling on a bridge of flame. We thought to pursue them using an Astral Gateway which was opened by my colleague Pereus, who had once been a pagan and practised sorcery. Unfortunately he must have miscast the spell: because, instead of leading to Opalar, the Gateway opened into this very hall. The moment we emerged, we were seized and imprisoned by that elephantine fiend! I might have been eaten - our quest doomed to failure - if God had not sent you to rescue me. Now I must ask one more favour of you. The sapling must be recovered. It is to stand for the new era just as Yggdrasil, which was the first tree in the Garden of Eden, stood for the era that is past. Help me retrieve it from the faithless Magians!'

Wait, hold on a second.....I thought you were supposed to repay us for saving your ass, not burden us with another mega world-saving quest! We already have one of those ourselves, thank you very much!

You walk back out to the terrace with the abbot while considering his request. It seems from what he has told you that his venture is as important as your own. But should you give priority to helping him recover the sapling, or to travelling on to Hakbad and finding the last segment of the Blood Sword?

You are brought out of your reverie by the abbot's gasp on seeing the jinni. 'It is a Ta'ashim demon!' he shouts. 'Get back, before it sees us!'

'Ah, you have returned at last,' says the jinni, completely ignoring him. 'And you have a new companion. He appears to be a very excitable old man ...'

'Show some respect,' you reply. 'He is an abbot.'

The abbot is dazed. 'You ... you know this creature? You control it? By the hallows -'

The jinni stretches out his hand to the marble balustrade. 'Are you now ready to resume the journey?' he asks you. 'Say farewell to the lord abbot and we shall be on our way.'

If you have a gold mirror, turn to 367. If not, turn to 19.

No...

If you have used up all your wishes, turn to 307. If you still have one wish left, turn to 509. If you still have two wishes left, turn to 343.

We used up all of them. What, we're supposed to save them for another save-the-world quest? We already used one of those for a quest like that! Can't a hero get something for him/herself once in a while?

You explain to the abbot that it is impossible for you to help him. 'The jinni could have transported us to the stronghold of the Magian sect,' you say. 'But all three wishes have been expended.'

The abbot looks up at the jinni and speaks imploringly: 'Aid us out of self-interest, if nothing else. The sapling must be recovered as it represents hope, and without hope the next millennium will be blacker than the last.'

'Not for me!' says the jinni. 'I have spent seven-tenths of this millennium in a copper bottle not much bigger than your hand. Whatever the next thousand years have in store, I welcome them as a glorious new adventure.'

'Are you mad? It will be an era of such fearsome things - I know not what, but they will be the terrors of the earth!'

'As a "Ta'ashim demon" (in fact I was still imprisoned when the Ta'ashim religion was founded) I rejoice at these tidings. If the new millennium is one
where mortals grovel in blood-soaked mud and howl as flames char their flesh, so much the better. Do not expect me to show kindness, as the race of mortal men has never shown kindness to me!'

'Of course, that is because you're a creature of irredeemable wickedness,' you feel obliged to point out. But the jinni refuses to argue further.

You shake hands with the abbot. 'Good luck with your own quest,' he calls as the jinni raises you aloft. 'And do not worry about mine. I'll return
home through the Astral Gateway and recruit a new band of helpers. Five years still remain to us before the End; I may yet recover the sapling.'

'May God reward your courage with success!' you shout back. You watch until he is just a dwindling speck in the distance, then you turn your gaze
east, towards Hakbad . . .

Yeah, sorry, at least you still have 5 years. I'm pretty sure Susurrien isn't going to wait that long for us. Sucks to be you.

You arrive at Hakbad in the early hours of the morning. From the air you can see the great palaces and peak-domed temples, separated by tracts of orchard, necropolis or dusty scrub. You, who are accustomed to the crowding of northern cities, can understand why some Coradian merchants find these sprawling cities of the Ta'ashim world so agoraphobic. Hakbad has more than a million inhabitants, you have heard - four times the population of Ferromaine, but covering an area nearly ten times as big. The idea is breathtaking.

'See how it sits at the confluence of several rivers,' remarks the jinni. 'Originally there were a number of smaller settlements here but, as they grew and merged, the city of Hakbad took shape.'

'You are well informed, it would seem ...'

The jinni begins to glide down towards a swathe of parkland situated between two canals. In olden times I would occasionally take the form of a dog or a merchant in order to stroll these very avenues.' He shrinks as he sets you down on the ground, and soon is no taller than the palm tree which stands behind him. 'I might amuse myself in such a way tonight, once all our business is concluded.'

If you have used up all your wishes, turn to 432. If you still have one or more wishes left, turn to 556.

Yes, our business is done with the genie.

Yeah, even if we didn't take the abbot's side-quest, we could still have waited on the wishes. The genie would grant us whatever remaining wishes we have left before he leaves (same options, riches, stat-enhancements, restoration, etc), but we'll need to make the final choice once we reach Hakbad since he won't stick around after that.

The jinni transforms himself into a large black hound with glowing coals for eyes. As he runs off across the park, he barks back over his shoulder: 'You can keep the copper bottle, by the way, if you picked it up. It might be worth something as an antiquity. I shan't be needing it again, that's for sure!'

You soon lose sight of the hound among the trees. Susurrien said that he would wait for you at the House of the Desert Breeze. You have no idea where that is, so you set off at random and eventually come to a gravel path which seems to lead towards the centre of the city. After a few minutes it brings you to a wide tree-lined avenue, and you see an old dervish coming towards you carrying a heavy pack.

If the Trickster is here and has a wooden doll, he or she should turn to 228. If not, turn to 134.

What, doll? Benedict is surely too old to be playing with dolls!

'It is late to be on the streets,' you say as the dervish draws level with you.

'Or early,' he replies. He stops, but says nothing further by way of conversation.

'What do you have in your pack?' you ask, pointing to the obviously heavy burden on his shoulders.

'Books. Here I have the apocryphal sayings of the Illuminate; the ruba'i of the Five Perceptives; a number of treatises on ethics, law and arithmancy; volumes of Nascerine and Opalarian literature; some manuscripts out of a Kaikuhuran tomb ...'

'They must be of great value. Are you intending to sell them?'

He gives you a gap-toothed grin. 'Not at all! A fine dervish I would be with my pockets full of gold! No, I am going to make a fire with them to keep me warm until daybreak.'

This is madness! 'Surely you jest?' you say to him. 'The act would be nothing short of criminal.'

'It is better to live the Illuminate's teaching than to read it,' he replies, still smiling broadly. 'In every sense, action is superior to intellection. But if you wish, here is one manuscript you may save from the fire.' He draws a scroll at random from his pack and hands it to you. Record it on your Character Sheet if you wish to keep it.

Baffled by the dervish's oblique logic, you ask him if he knows the way to the House of the Desert Breeze.

'It is close by. Follow this avenue to the end, then look to your left. You will know the House of the Desert Breeze, as you will see its tower framed within the constellation called the Spider.'

Ominous. You thank him and set off in the direction he has indicated.

If you took the scroll he offered and want to look at it at any time (including now), turn to 518. Remember to write down the number of the entry you are at when you do this, as 518 will not direct you back there.

If anybody wants to take the scroll, you'd have to drop something....well, I guess you don't have to take it if you read it now, but yeah, if you want to know the contents without sacrificing an equipment slot, please vote than you want to read the scroll immediately.

You readily identify the House of the Desert Breeze from the dervish's description. It is a low building faced in grey-green marble, enclosing a pair of courtyards. Stabling and dormitories occupy the outer wings of the enclosure, while the central building separating the two courtyards comprises the luxury accommodation. It is from this central building that the tower the dervish mentioned rises - a thin talon of a spire, covered with relief carvings and ending in a bronze-clad turret. The constellation known in Ta'ashim astronomy as the Spider does indeed seem to halo the tower. You have a nasty suspicion that Susurrien will be up there.

He is. You are kept waiting in the stairwell for several minutes, then a servant comes with a lamp to escort you up. Susurrien's chambers are at the very top of the tower, beyond a red-lacquered door carved with leering demon-faces. Dozens of thick candles cast a disturbingly uneven light around the room. A mural covering one wall depicts scenes of sybaritic abandon among the pre-Ta'ashim gods of Marazid. It appears almost alive in the flickering glow.

Susurrien flicks a curtain aside and steps into the room. He is dressed in a beige gown and a white satin overrobe bordered with gold and emerald green. A cabochon sapphire the size of a duck's egg glints in the centre of his turban.

He smiles languidly. 'I expected you sooner. You have the Hatuli's eyes?'

If you hand them to him, turn to 347. If you show them to him but demand some assurance before handing them over, turn to 194. If you don't have them, turn to 384.

Again, to save time, I'll show what happens if we ask for assurances, because:

'Assurance?' He spreads his hands. 'What assurance can I give you? We are allies. I have the Hatuli and you have its eyes, and only by co-operating can we hope to achieve what we desire. Our interests do not conflict in any way. I have no use for the Sword of Life, any more than you have for the Sword of Death. Our goals are diametric, and there is surely no better guarantee against treachery than that.'

You must decide now: do you give him the emeralds (turn to 347) or not (turn to 384)?

As you can see, choosing not to give him the Hatuli just leads to the same section as not having it, so that was a meaningless section.

Give him the eyes or not?

Adventure Sheet:

WARRIOR:

NAME: Dame Caecilia Wither-Stoat
RANK: 4th

Battle Order: 1

Fighting Prowess: 12
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 32/33
Damage: 2 Dice +3 (+3 from Enchanted Sword)

*Extra Notes: Takes no FP/damage penalty when fighting unarmed, +1 Armour Rating from Potentiation on top of normal armour bonus

Items:
1 Enchanted Sword (+3 Damage)
2 Enchanted Chainmail armour (Armour Rating five)
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

TRICKSTER:

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

Battle Order: 2

Fighting Prowess: 8 (+1 from Enchanted Sword)
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 25/25
Damage: 1 Die+2

Items:
1 Enchanted Sword (+1 FP)
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating two)
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)
3 Seafaring Charts from Hunguk's ship
4 Bedroll
5 Magic Bow (Damage 1 Die+1)
6 Quiver (3 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)
3 Bedroll
4 Magical Bread Crust of Infinity
5 Fur Cloak
6 Money pouch (88 gold pieces)
7 Ring of Sorcery (+1 PA)
8 Copper Bottle
9 Amber Tinderbox
10 Iron rations (7 days)

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 6:34 am

No.
(I drop the jug of milk and take the scroll.)

angelfromanotherpin · Sun Jul 05, 2015 11:35 am

I'm pretty sure not having the eyes is a game over; so not giving them to him will be the same.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 1:07 pm

I suspect the same as angel so give Susurrien the emeralds.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 1:26 pm

Yeah, I think the section number is a pretty clear hint that we need to hand over our half of the plot token for the plot to advance.

The emeralds reflect bright slashes of green light across his face as he stoops to peer at them. 'Excellent, excellent,' he breathes. 'They are still redolent of Sa'aknathur's sorcery even after so long.' He takes the Hatuli from a cabinet and places the emeralds in its empty eye-sockets, then sets it down in the centre of a small table. You watch, apparently forgotten, as he next produces a brush and paints a gold spiral around the Hatuli. Lastly he arranges twelve engraved onyx counters in a pattern at the edge of the spiral and intones: 'Didan, jostan, peidaan, aavardan!'

You could almost swear you saw the thing stand to attention.

Susurrien beams at it, then glances up. 'It is activated. In a few minutes it will have drawn the necessary energy from the cosmic flux to be able to move. Then it will find the Demon's Claw for me.'

If the Trickster is here, he or she should turn to 482. If not, turn to 86.

Yep, still here.

TRICKSTER:

Have you got a wooden doll that you bought from Wuraq the fisherman? If so, turn to 219. If you never met Wuraq, turn to 86.

Who?

Susurrien suddenly turns and points to the mural. 'This is particularly fine,' he declares. 'It was found in a temple buried under volcanic ash. It predates the Ta'ashim faith, as you can see; half a millennium ago, many of the people who live in what is now western Zhenir and Outremer worshipped the gods you see here.'

You try to repress a shudder. 'On close inspection, the graphic technique used to depict these demons' activities becomes almost too much for the stomach to bear. Did people really ever worship such vile and unclean monsters?'

He laughs delightedly. 'You Coradians are so prudish! But, no, they did not quite worship these deities in the sense that you use the word. The beings shown here were objects not of supreme veneration, but of supreme abomination; they were the devils of the old myths. When I said that they were worshipped - well, in a way you worship the Devil of your own faith, don't you? His power is real because you believe in it. It is the strength of the myth that counts ...'

'Preposterous.' You are beginning to find Susurrien's company annoying. 'When can we get going? Is the Hatuli ready yet?'

'- And so impatient.' He laughs again. 'Look here: this serpentine creature with the three human heads. It is Azidahaka, the demon of destruction.' He points to another image, showing what seems to be a wizened man with the roots of a tree growing out of the top of his head. 'This is the Yazir, demon of deception and trickery. The legends show him to be a master of magic. And here - here is Nasu -' He indicates a bloated female corpse with the head of a giant fly. 'She is the demoness of decay. If a man died from eating rotten food, the chances are that Nasu would be behind it.'

'Prince Susurrien,' you say. 'Your mural is distasteful and the gods shown in it are rank fiends. You yourself are sinister, if not openly depraved. If the Hatuli is ready yet, let's take it and find the swords - and then we can bring this odious alliance to an end.'

He turns to look at you. There is still an unruffled smile on his lips, but his eyes flash with menace. 'I had not realised you held me in such distaste.'

'The fact that you have been exiled from every country in which you've lived rather speaks for itself. But we are poles apart - our goals diametrical, as you said. There is no reason for us to quarrel.'

He nods. 'In fact you are right. I have no real argument with you, beyond the dislike I have for all your race and my scornful abhorrence of all righteous prigs. My motive at the moment is curiosity rather than malice.'

'What on earth are you talking about, Susurrien? Your motive for what?'

He gestures again at the mural. 'I have certain theories about the nature of myth and reality. I believe that just as it is possible to form images of distant objects through the use of lenses, it should be possible by magic to form images of mythical entities. A shadow cast from the myth plane onto our own, so to speak. Do you find these concepts difficult to understand? Ah, you Coradians are so feeble-minded! Allow me to demonstrate.'

He utters something in a sibilant tongue. The air immediately becomes stifling, laden with menace, like the heavy atmosphere before a storm. The candles gutter, threatening to plunge the room into darkness. Something is wrong, but it takes you a few seconds to realise what it is. The demon-figures have vanished from the mural.

The candles flare up, casting three huge shadows on the wall.

I'm not sure why, but the authors decided really start to put emphasis on the PCs being the pseudo-Christians of Legend around this book. Religious backgrounds and beliefs were barely mentioned in the previous two.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most ridiculous battle of the entire series:

You face the simulacra, or mimomyths, of three of the gods of ancient times.

Azidahaka
Fighting Prowess: 11 Psychic Ability: 10
Awareness: 7 Damage per blow: 12 Dice
Armour Rating: 6
Endurance: 100

Nasu
Fighting Prowess: 10 Psychic Ability: 11
Awareness: 8 Damage per blow: 8 Dice*
Armour Rating: 3
Endurance: 140

*Nasu's touch is the touch of decay. A player whom she wounds must attempt to resist a Psychic spell. Failure to resist means that the player rots away and dies.

The Yazir
Fighting Prowess: 9 Psychic Ability: 18
Awareness: 9 Damage per blow: 5 Dice+1
Armour Rating: 3
Endurance: 85

Note: The Yazir will call spells to mind and cast them on alternate Rounds. Roll a Die to see which spell he is using: 1=Nemesis Bolt, 2=Sheet Lightning, 3=The Vampire Spell, 4=Mists of Death, 5=Swordthrust, 6=Nighthowl. Once he has called the spell to mind, he casts it automatically on the following Round. (His Psychic Ability is high enough that he always succeeds with his casting roll.)

If you flee, turn to 278. If you manage by some miracle to win, turn to 325.

So guys, how are we going to win.....wait who am I kidding?

How are we going to survive long enough to GTFO?

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 2:16 pm

I notice that Sassafras is conveniently not on the field, despite never having been described as leaving.

I don't think there's much plan to be had besides run. Fortunately, the sitch isn't as bad as it could be. The melee monsters start unengaged and don't have the best Awareness, and The Yazir has to spend its first turn spell-prepping, so it's not even going to get to cast once.

I think this is how it goes down:
1.9: Yazir preps a spell.
1.8: Trickster and Warrior move to exit, Nasu moves to engage... someone.
1.7: Mystic and Sage move to exit, Azidaka moves to engage... someone.
1.0: Trickster does a little dance or something.
2.First: Party flees, pre-empting enemy action.

So the big problem is Nasu. If he moves to engage either or both of the casters before they move to leave, he can wtfpwn them. The best bet may be for the Trickster to try to lure Nasu on his first action, and Quick Thinking to the exit right before we flee. The Trickster is still likely to get wtfpwned, but slightly less likely than the casters.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Sun Jul 05, 2015 6:10 pm

SGamerz wrote:Yeah, I think the section number is a pretty clear hint that we need to hand over our half of the plot token for the plot to advance.

Actually, nope, with plaintext conditionals and code words around, section numbers don't mean much. It might have merged these two options into a single "Susurrien cuts the villain monologue and sics his goons on you straight away" and then featured a "Do you have the emeralds? Yes/No" down the road.

The Demon's Claw wrote:Have you got a wooden doll that you bought from Wuraq the fisherman? If so, turn to 219. If you never met Wuraq, turn to 86.

This right here is bullshit. Apparently, the book suggests that if we had a doll, we could've swapped it with the real deal. But the damn thing is clearly magical; if swapping is a valid option, so is simply nabbing the magic doll and running while Susurrien shows us his weird porn.

SGamerz wrote:I'm not sure why, but the authors decided really start to put emphasis on the PCs being the pseudo-Christians of Legend around this book. Religious backgrounds and beliefs were barely mentioned in the previous two.

For what it's worth, Benedict believes in the old Magi of Krarth. This is not to say he worships them, he just has evidence those fuckers actually exist. Which sucks, in retrospect, since he's got no one to pray to.

Keep good care of Screebo for me, folks.

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:53 am

Ugh, that's a fine mess. Short of engaging someone I can't think of a way of baiting Nasu away. I guess we all make a run for the door, and if we get an AoO we just hope for the best.

Though, having Benedict run using his bonus action at least gives Pepito and I better odds.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 3:48 am

I vote that we read the scroll.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 9:06 am

The problem is that if I don't move, Nasu will step southeast to threaten both me and Pepito. So I have to move 1 square west to reliably aggro her. If I can do it and read the scroll, I will. (If we had retroactively read it earlier, that's fine, too.)

Oh and prep Expeditious Retreat next section.

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 12:22 pm

Ah, right. Yeah, Immediate Deliverance would've been a huge help here; but it's not like I can see into the future to get clues of what to prepare for.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 3:37 pm

Starmaker wrote:This right here is bullshit. Apparently, the book suggests that if we had a doll, we could've swapped it with the real deal. But the damn thing is clearly magical; if swapping is a valid option, so is simply nabbing the magic doll and running while Susurrien shows us his weird porn.

Gotta disagree here. I'm not sure I comprehend how snatching and running would be as safe as secretly swapping the item without his knowledge. The guy knows we want to use the Hatuli as much as he does. Running off suddenly would immediately tell him that something is wrong, even if he didn't actually spot us taking the doll.

Yes, the thing is magical, but he doesn't activate it on the spot, he'll only find out later, after we're gone. After he fits the emeralds to the doll and proves that it's real (we do the swapping after he's done fitting the eyes, obviously, and the Trickster fitted fake eyes to his own doll about the time we met the dervish), he got busy playing with the god-things and didn't look at it until after we're gone. Obviously there's still a risk to it realistically, but I highly doubt it'll be as easily spotted as just swiping the doll and running off without leaving a substitute to buy time.

Starmaker wrote:If I can do it and read the scroll, I will. (If we had retroactively read it earlier, that's fine, too.)

I assume you mean the dervish's scroll. In case you've forgotten, Benedict's carrying 2 scrolls that can be read anytime, the other one was looted from Augustus' castle.

Now, Susurrien, kindly hold your pet gods back for a second while we read this scroll we get off some random dervish:

Make sure you have a note of the last entry you were reading. If the Sage is not here, you cannot make head or tail of the scroll. Return to the previous entry. If the Sage is here, he or she should turn to 141.

Wait...what? Oh sorry, Mr Susurrien, give us another couple minutes while my pal Pepito here translates this weird script....

SAGE:

It is one page from a longer story:

[... that a long life had been written for me. Faced with the moving idol, however, my wits took flight and my bowels shook like a jellyfish. I fell to my knees and called upon God to deliver me, but the idol picked me up and carried me to a bamboo cage in the centre of the island. In its arms I had no more weight than a bag of dates. There were three other unfortunates in the cage, and when the creature had gone I asked them how they had come to be captured.

'In the same manner as yourself,' said the first. 'Do you not know that this is the island of the Seven-in-One? This is the name given to the malignant idol that seized you, and it has this name because it is actually seven idols one inside the next. You may wonder how such a thing could be, and in fact we three - who by happy chance are the wisest sages of all Khitai - have spent our time in this cage pondering just this question. My own view is that it is like the tale of the three ifrits who tried to enter Paradise.'

'What tale is that?' I asked ...]

That is where the scroll ends. Return to the entry you were at before.

...oh, you still there, Susurrien? Yeah, sorry for the wait. Yes, we're done reading. .....ready? Ready for what? Oh crap.....

COMBAT LOG:

Round 1 ... GTFO!!!

Awareness 9 acts ...

The Yazir calls (Roll = 6) Nighthowl to mind.

Awareness 8 acts ...

Warrior moves to the exit.

Trickster moves 1 square to the West.

Nasu moves adjacent to Trickster.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage moves to exit.

Enchanter moves to the exit.

Azidahaka moves adjacent to Trickster.

Quick thinking bonus:

Trickster disengages from melee to move to exit and takes a hit from Nasu. Psychic test roll = 7 (Pass!). Damage = 1+3+3+4++5+2+1+6-2 = 23! Trickster has 2 END left.

Round 2

Party flees.

You burst from the chamber and hurtle frantically down the stairs. A cacophony of shrieks and howls pursues you, echoing down the long stairwell. The god-things have the scent of their prey now; the hunt will not stop until you are caught and slain.

Susurrien steps out onto the landing above. 'You cannot escape!' he jeers. 'My umbracules are tireless. Wherever you flee they will pursue. When your legs are like water and your breath comes in painful gasps, they will rush relentlessly onwards. And when at last they seize you, ripping your frail flesh -'

You emerge into the courtyard. You are out of earshot of Susurrien's ranting, which is something to be thankful for. Risking a glance back, you see that the god-things are halfway down the staircase. Their large bulk and their insensate lust to attack have caused them to get in one another's way, giving you a few seconds' respite.

You scan the courtyard - a tableau of blues and purples in the predawn twilight. You could flee through the main gate, the way you came in; or you could go through a narrow archway at the back of the courtyard. You must decide quickly.

If you choose the main gate, turn to 587. If you try the narrow archway, turn to 58.

Which way do we go?

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 3:51 pm

Well done, Benedict!

Narrow archway seems less likely to admit bulky demon-god-shadow-things.

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 4:35 pm

SGamerz wrote:Gotta disagree here. I'm not sure I comprehend how snatching and running would be as safe as secretly swapping the item without his knowledge. The guy knows we want to use the Hatuli as much as he does. Running off suddenly would immediately tell him that something is wrong, even if he didn't actually spot us taking the doll.

Yes, the thing is magical, but he doesn't activate it on the spot, he'll only find out later, after we're gone.

I don't mind him noticing straight away, it's just that since he sics monsters on us anyway, even if we fully cooperate like we just did, I also want an outcome where we end up with monsters on our tail AND the doll.

Damage = 1+3+3+4++5+2+1+6-2 = 23! Trickster has 2 END left.

Armor ftw.

angelfromanotherpin wrote:Narrow archway seems less likely to admit bulky demon-god-shadow-things.

Agreed, but wait on Reed to prep Immediate Deliverance.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 4:52 pm

Starmaker wrote:I don't mind him noticing straight away, it's just that since he sics monsters on us anyway, even if we fully cooperate like we just did, I also want an outcome where we end up with monsters on our tail AND the doll.

True. I think the difference might be that if Susurrien knows the Hatuli is with us, he would have joined the pursuit himself to make sure we don't escape. As it is he's happy to let his pets to the chasing while he makes off with the prize.

Starmaker wrote:Agreed, but wait on Reed to prep Immediate Deliverance.

I'll wait on that.

Just something to point out to Shiritai: at Reed's current level of PA, he can quite safely walk around carrying 2-3 spells at a time. Normal PA tests won't require him to have a working PA of more than 12. Dismissing a spell from mind does not cost you an extra round in battle, only calling a spell to mind does.

So if you want to be really safe, having Reed carrying Nemesis Bolt AND Immediate Deliverance (and even Sheet Lightning, too, if you want) in mind all the time is perfectly viable. The rules, as far as I can read, doesn't stop him from dismissing Immediate Deliverance and casting Nemesis Bolt within the same round without the PA penalty (although he'll of course need to recall Immediate Deliverance again if he wants to use it in the same combat).

Shiritai · Post by **Shiritai** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:29 pm

Well that changes everything; I'll default to always prepping immediate deliverance, nemesis bolt, sheet lightning, and swordthrust. Also I vote for the alley; hopefully we find Fatima's garden soon. Also also, Benedict's in need of a medic, Pepito.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Jul 06, 2015 11:58 pm

Shiritai wrote:Well that changes everything; I'll default to always prepping immediate deliverance, nemesis bolt, sheet lightning, and swordthrust.

That means you'll have an effective 11 PA most of the time, outside combat.

Also, when posting your strategy before each combat, let me know whether you wish to dismiss some/all the other spells if you want focus on one of them, or keep them all in mind in case you want to use them in the same fight.

Into the archway....

You race through into a smaller courtyard. A dog leaps up and starts to bark - only to curl in a whimpering heap when it sees what is pursuing you. The gate leading from this courtyard is locked. You will have to turn and make your stand here.

Uh oh.....

You have faced giants, demons and jinn. Even the Warlock-King could not overcome you. But these creatures are the shadows of gods.

Azidahaka
Fighting Prowess: 11 Psychic Ability: 10
Awareness: 7 Damage per blow: 12 Dice
Armour Rating: 6
Endurance: 100

Nasu
Fighting Prowess: 10 Psychic Ability: 11
Awareness: 8 Damage per blow: 8 Dice*
Armour Rating: 3
Endurance: 140

*Nasu's touch is the touch of decay. A player whom she wounds must attempt to resist a Psychic spell. Failure to resist means that the player rots away and dies.

The Yazir
Fighting Prowess: 9 Psychic Ability: 18
Awareness: 9 Damage per blow: 5 Dice+1
Armour Rating: 3
Endurance: 85

Note: The Yazir will call spells to mind and cast them on alternate Rounds. Roll a Die to see which spell he is using: 1=Nemesis Bolt, 2=Sheet Lightning, 3=The Vampire Spell, 4=Mists of Death, 5=Swordthrust, 6=Nighthowl. Once he has called the spell to mind, he casts it automatically on the following Round. (His Psychic Ability is high enough that he always succeeds with his casting roll.)

If you flee, turn to 587. If you win, turn to 270.

Yeah, I think that Immediate Deliverance was a great idea. Benedict doesn't have the health to pull that trick again.

COMBAT LOG:

Round 1 ... RUN LIKE HELL!!!

Awareness 9 acts ...

The Yazir calls (Roll = 2) Sheet Lightning to mind.

Awareness 8 acts ...

Warrior moves in front of the Sage (if anybody can survive taking a hit from Azidahaka it's him).

Trickster moves back.

Nasu moves adjacent to Warrior.

Awareness 7 acts ...

Sage waits.

Enchanter attempts to cast Immediate Deliverance. Roll = 8+2 = 10. Success! Party is moved to the exit.

Azidahaka moves adjacent to Trickster.

Round 2

Party flees.

Gasping for breath, you run across the courtyard and out into the street. The three god-things are following you - indistinct shapes in the gloom, like nightmares that spill over into the waking world. You look right and left. The streets are desolate. You shiver in a cool easterly breeze. An hour or so after the sun has risen, the city will bask in blazing heat. But that may be an hour or so after your death.

If you go right, turn to 94. If you go left, turn to 563.

Yay, random choice #26987030!

Which way?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 12:35 am

I spend 6 EP on healing Benedict. The remainder (if any) goes back to me.

And let's go left for no reason. Since it's a blind choice, I literally chose blindly.

angelfromanotherpin · Tue Jul 07, 2015 12:44 am

I actually say right. This author likes his old-timey superstitions, and left is a sinister and unlucky direction. I'm not kidding, he wrote that into a bunch of stuff in Dragon Warriors.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 12:49 am

Good point. Factoring that into account, we'll probably get a "left is the Devil's direction" blurb and some bad stuff if we go that way. Right it is.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Jul 07, 2015 11:43 am

Healing roll = 1! Bad luck, Pepito loses 6 END......

You are running down a wide avenue. In the middle of the avenue is a grove of palms around an ornamental pool, like an island in a river of packed dirt. As you pass, you think you glimpse a tall slender figure standing among the trees. A phrase comes to mind: the Stranger at the Oasis. It is a Badawin name for Death.

Reaching the end of the avenue, you have a choice of routes. To your right is a narrow alley with high walls on either side. A small ape crouches there, watching you, and then turns and lopes off. If you want to go that way, turn to 321.

The alternative is a path tiled with dull green ceramic. If you go that way, turn to 457.

Which way now?