[Let's Play] Blood Sword V - The Walls of Spyte

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SGamerz
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Post by SGamerz »

Do you have the codeword WONDERLAND? If so, turn to 128. If not, turn to 514.
Nope.
Record the codeword WONDERLAND on your Character Sheet(s).

You push your way through the buffeting wind by the edge of the air shaft, and roll over the body. You start back when you see that the body is in fact the skeleton of a man and only the grinning skull confronts you as you look down on the long dead corpse. Swallowing your revulsion, you start to search the pockets of the man's cloak. In one of them you find six phials of liquid. You unstopper one and dip your finger into the green water inside. It tastes bitter and immediately you sense a change in your body. It seems to have shrunk to a small degree. You try a bit more and again your body contracts. You have picked up six potions of Diminution: note them on your character sheet.
6 potions, 6 slots needed. Let me know who's carrying them.
You can now enter the garden of dry plants, search the body beside the air shaft, look at the shaft itself, go up the wooden trelliswork stairs or take the wide ceremonial stairway.
Which way to go now?

Adventure Sheets:

WARRIOR:
NAME: Dame Caecilia Wither-Stoat
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 1

Fighting Prowess: 12
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 45/45
Damage: 2 Dice +2

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

Items:
1 Sword
2 Sword
3 Plate Armour (Armour Rating four)
4 Money pouch (empty)
5-10 Empty slot
TRICKSTER:
NAME: Benedict of the Crimson Spires, Honourable Duelist
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 2

Fighting Prowess: 10
Psychic Ability: 7
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 37/37
Damage: 4 Dice +1 (+2d6 Damage from Blood Sword)

Items:
1 Blood Sword (+3 FP, +2d6 Damage)
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating 2)
3 Money Pouch (empty)
4 Bow
5 Quiver (6 arrows)
6 Quiver (6 arrows)
7-10 Empty Slot
SAGE:
NAME: "Pepito" Cascadero, Master of the Mystic Way
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 3

Fighting Prowess: 7
Psychic Ability: 8
Awareness: 7
Endurance: 31/31
Damage: 2 Dice +1

Items:
1 Quarterstaff
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating 2)
3 Money Pouch (empty)
4 Bow
5 Quiver (6 arrows)
6 Quiver (6 arrows)
7-10 Empty Slot
ENCHANTER:
NAME: Enchanter Reed, Ninth of the Inverted Tower
RANK: 6th

Battle Order: 4

Fighting Prowess: 1
Psychic Ability: 14
Awareness: 8
Endurance: 31/31
Damage: 1 Die +3

Items:
1 Sword
2 Studded Leather Armour (Armour Rating 2)
3 Money Pouch (empty)
4 Quiver (6 arrows)
5-10 Empty Slot
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Garden!
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

My thought for the potions would be that Benedict and Pepito each take 1, and Kiki and Reed each take 2.

Check out the garden.
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Shiritai
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Post by Shiritai »

Agreed on the potions, and sure, let's check on the garden. Maybe we'll find some growth potions now.
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Post by SGamerz »

Normally, I'd wait to see if the individual players agree to split the loot as suggested, but this update is late enough as it is. If Kiki or Benedict don't want to share the burden of carrying these potions, let me know later. For now they're split as Pepito suggested.
You enter the garden through the crumbling gate. The rustling of the brittle desiccated leaves seems to grow in intensity as you do so. Broad pathways lead off in various directions, and they are overhung by trellises of the same brown, dead leaves. You notice spores, not unlike dandelion heads being blown round in circles on the floor by the wind. Do you want to back out now and take another route from the chamber? If so, turn to 276. If you want to penetrate further into the garden, turn to 71.
Go for penetration?
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

It's probably a bad idea but I can't resist going back to the FF days of dick jokes. Penetrate away!
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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Post by Shiritai »

Hmm.... I vote for the wooden stairs first; this path might be one-way.
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Post by Starmaker »

Check the stairs.
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Post by SGamerz »

Starmaker wrote:Check the stairs.
I'll assume you meant the trellis stairs (there're 2 sets of stairs).
You make your way up through shadows that hang like drapes from the cavern roof. Looking up, you see that there are landings at erratic intervals up the staircase. The walls show signs of carving as you ascend - in contrast to the unworked rock of the cavern floor - and sometimes you pass archways that lead off the stairway. The top of the staircase is completely enveloped in gloom, though.

The further you go up, the more the wooden structure seems to heave in the air currents howling up from the depths below. On one of the landings you stumble into a dead body. It is lying with its arm twisted beneath it at an angle which gives the impression that it fell from high above.

If you want to inspect the body, turn to 351. If you step over it and continue to ascend, turn to 260. If you go back down and try another route, turn to 276.
That' seems to be the standard for all their landmarks here, one dead body per location.

What now?
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Post by Starmaker »

Search the body.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Might as well loot the body. It doesn't look it has some disease or anything else that has a chance of hurting us.

Also we shouldn't ascend because I suspect it was killed by a trapped flight of stairs.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

Yes, rob the dead.
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Post by SGamerz »

Darth Rabbitt wrote:Also we shouldn't ascend because I suspect it was killed by a trapped flight of stairs.
Unfortunately, once you decide to loot the body...
Hardened though you are by years of adventuring, you almost cry out in horror when you turn the body over. The flesh of its face is crystallised, retaining an expression of ghastly fear even though the rest of the skin long since dried and turned to dust. The crystalline effect is particularly centred around the eyes, which are wide open. It seems strange to meet the frozen stare of a man who might have died a century ago.

A book is clutched in the corpse's skeletal hand. If you take this, one of the players should note it on his or her Character Sheet. You can open the book and read it at any time except in the middle of a combat. If and when you do so, turn to 493 to find out what's written inside it. First note down the number of the entry you're reading at the time, though, as 493 will not direct you back there.

After making sure there is nothing else of interest on the body, you begin to advance up the stairway.
....yeah, the book automatically assumes you want to keep climbing.

Anybody want to pick up the book? Of course, you can choose to read it now if you want.
Image
You are now climbing into an area of gloom unilluminated by the torch fires burning on the cavern walls below. As you get higher, the metal stanchions that hold the staircase to the wall begin to groan in protest at the unaccustomed burden. Every so often the whole structure shifts sickeningly under you, throwing you against the flimsy banisters. The cavern floor is far below now, but to judge by the worked stone of the walls you have entered one of the towers of Spyte. Peering up, you dimly see black shapes moving to and fro in the gloom of the rafters. They give the impression of being like great bats or cadaverous crows. You see their eyes turn towards you, shining pale yellow in the darkness like guttering oil-lamps. A chill runs through your bones at the sight of those glaring eyes.

If you want to prepare an item, turn to 214. If you advance boldly up the stairs, turn to 284. If you start to retreat, turn to 39.
Please remember also to state whether you wish to read/take the book as well!
Last edited by SGamerz on Tue Sep 01, 2015 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I think that Benedict should take the book. He might be able to trick a foe into reading it and getting crystalized.

Also see what items we can prepare.
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Post by Starmaker »

I'll take the book. And let's see our options.
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Post by Shiritai »

Damn railroading... ah well, see what items we can use.
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Post by SGamerz »

Which of the following will you use now? The Blood Sword, a phial containing the Potion of Diminution or a handful of diamond dust? If you don't have any of these - or decide against using them - turn to 390.
We have 2 of the 3.

Potion, Blood Sword, or neither?
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Post by Starmaker »

Advancing without trying for an item redirected to another section (284 vs 390 here). Since we already lost prep time, I don't think it'd hurt to try to stab one of the bats during the surprise round. Sword.
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Darth Rabbitt
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Sure, sword them.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
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Post by SGamerz »

You hold the Blood Sword up and point it in the direction of the dark rafters above. The end of the blade suddenly blossoms with magical energy, and a crackling light illuminates the furthest crannies of the ceiling. The bat-like creatures that were just about to launch themselves down towards you are blinded and disorientated. Many of them fly off into the darkness, but three of them are left. Cawing with rage, they fly down towards you.

Image

'Angels of Death'
Fighting Prowess: 8 Psychic Ability: 8
Awareness: 10 Damage per blow: 2 Dice
Armour Rating: 0
Endurance: 21

It would be pointless to try to flee. They would have dropped down on your back before you had gone a dozen paces. If you win, turn to 108.
The diamond dust (which we did not have) was the best item to use, but the Blood Sword is useful here, too. Without it, we'd be fighting 6 of them. Also, they would have a power that's similar to the Gorgon: a chance of insta-killing us every round unless we fight with our eyes closed (so that we get a roll penalty and inability to target missiles or spells and restricted to only moving one square per round!)
Two of those creatures are hard to see because they're hovering over the shaded squares (which we can't move on to, because we can't fly). They are below Players 2 & 3 on the map.

Strategies?
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Post by Starmaker »

I attack the one I can reach.
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Post by Shiritai »

Sheet Lightning, then Nemesis Bolt, then Swordthrust.
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Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Pepito will try meleeing for once and attack the nearest bat with his quarterstaff.
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angelfromanotherpin
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

I melee the one only I can reach.
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Post by SGamerz »

angelfromanotherpin wrote:I melee the one only I can reach.
You're actually the only one who can reach 2 of them (there's one to your left, as I mentioned, below the Trickster).
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