[LP] DestinyQuest: The Legion of Shadow

[Omegonthesane]

I am genuinely not sure what my attempts to read the writer's mind should be telling me to do about the ooze.

My sense of our Speed cheese tells me we should attack it.

[SGamerz]

Attack the ooze.

[angelfromanotherpin]

I'm not going to have a chance to continue this until after the 25th, just FYI. Back in a few days.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'd jump the ooze, personally. It's probably a Speed test and we have a Speed of +10.

[angelfromanotherpin]

You ready yourself for combat as the ooze slithers into the cave. Clearly the creature has some sentient intelligence, as the moment it comes close to you, it suddenly spreads out, forming a slimy net to swallow you up. This ooze could prove to be deadlier than it first appeared:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Giant ooze	6	6	6	40

Special Abilities
- Glutinous maximus: Every time you win a combat round, you are reduced to using one speed die for the next round of combat while you pull your weapons free from the slime. You can't use abilities to avoid this.

Round 1: Us 7+10+2, It 7+6; 5+5-6 damage, it's at 36. *DOTs* It's at 34.
Round 2: Us 1+10, It 11+6 (trickster'd) Us 6+10, It 6+6; 3+5-6 damage, it's at 32. *DOTs* It's at 29.
Round 3: Us 4+10, It 10+6; (slam'd) *DOTs* It's at 26.
Round 4: Us 7+10, It 3+6-1; 6+5-6 damage, it's at 21. *DOTs* It's at 17.
Round 5: Us 5+10, It 12+6; 2+6-5 damage, we're at 37. *DOTs* It's at 13.
Round 6: Us 9+10, It 3+6; 1+5-6 damage. *DOTs* It's at 9.
Round 7: Us 3+10, It 8+6; 1+6-5 damage, we're at 35. *DOTs* It's at 5.
Round 8: Us 7+10, It 7+6; 2+5-6 damage, it's at 4. *DOTs* Ooze defeated!

As you deliver the final blow, the ooze collapses - its gloop cascading down around you to form lots of separate puzzles. Floating in these puddles are various items of equipment. You may now take any/all of the following:

Great helm (head) +1 speed, +1 brawn
Sludge waders (feet) +1 speed, +1 armor
Ardent edge (left hand: sword) +1 speed, +2 brawn, Ability: parry (1/combat, prevent damage after losing a round)

With your enemy defeated, you now have more time to examine the cavern. If you have Lorinwold's Field Guide to Roots, Herbs, and Leaves then you may pick 2 root grass.

You also notice a high ledge leading around the edge of the cavern. To reach it you will need to try and climb up the rotted roots hanging down from the ceiling.

• Try and reach the ledge?
• Take the north tunnel?
• Take the east tunnel?

[Omegonthesane]

Wow, those items are all useless.
And we miss ouot on part of a health potion.

East tunnel.

[SGamerz]

Ledge

[Darth Rabbitt]

Ledge is the only option given any description. So take that.

[angelfromanotherpin]

As you start to climb, several of the roots that you are holding onto begin to split. You will need to take a speed challenge in order to avoid falling:

Root climb (Speed 10)

Oh, look who can't fail.

You expertly swing yourself to the side, grabbing hold of stronger roots as the previous ones crumble to rotted dust. With a final burst of speed, you clamber up the tangle of roots and pull yourself up onto the ledge.

The first thing that hits you is the stench - a sickly aroma of death and decay. All along the ledge, the dirt is littered with human bones. In alarm, you spy a cave opening. Outside, there are more gnawed bones and the rotting carcasses of several animals.

• Enter the cave?
• Climb back down to the main cavern?

We didn't climb up here just to not explore.

You have barely set foot in the cave before you hear something moving towards you from the fetid darkness. It is impossibly large, its chitinous sides scraping along the walls. As it nears, you catch a glimpse of spider-like legs and a head of squirming translucent tentacles. Quickly, you back out of the cave, the stench and the size of the creature overwhelming your senses. But there is no escape. The mutated insect follows you out onto the ledge, its massive bloated body squeezing out of the hole. Every inch of its skin is covered in thick black plates, each one giving off a green smoky hue. As it raises its tentacled head, the insect opens its mucus-filled mouth and gives a knee-trembling wail, soaking you in spit and the half-digested remains of its last meal.

You have no choice but to fight this deadly adversary:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Wormwood	7	7	4	50

Special Abilities
- Soft spot: If you win a combat round, you must roll a die: on a 1 or 2, your blow glances off the creature's armored exoskeleton and you cannot roll for damage.

Hm, the miss chance is a neat mechanic, but I wish it wasn't fluffed as armor, since there's already an armor mechanic.
Round 1: Us 10+10+2, It 7+7; 4+5-4 damage, it's at 45. *DOTs* It's at 43.
Round 2: Us 7+10, It 4+7; (glanc'd) (charm'd) 6+5-4 damage, it's at 36. *DOTs* It's at 33.
Round 3: Us 7+10, It 7+7; 4+5-4 damage, it's at 28. *DOTs* It's at 24.
Round 4: Us 6+10, It 6+7; 3+5-4 damage, it's at 20. *DOTs* It's at 15.
Round 5: Us 12+10, It 6+7; (glanc'd)(charm'd) 5+5-4 damage, it's at 9. *DOTs* It's at 3.
Round 6: Us 5+10, It 7+6; (glanc'd). *DOTs* Wormwood defeated.

There's an achievement if you defeat it in 5 rounds, but alas, we didn't quite make it.

The creature gives a wet gurgling cry as its bloated body crashes to the ground. Its legs kick and squirm for several seconds, then with a final trembling shudder, they curl up and lie still.

Congratulations - you have defeated Wormwood. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

Ridgeback (left hand: shield) +1 speed, +2 armor, Ability: slam (requirement: Warrior)
Black fang (main hand: sword) +1 speed, +2 brawn, Ability: parry
Wyrm crest (head) +1 magic, +2 armor

You contemplate searching the creature's cave, but the smell is so overpowering that you are forced back out onto the ledge. Keen to get away from the foul reek of decay, you clamber back down the trailing roots, to the cavern below.

• Take the tunnel north?
• Take the tunnel east?

[Omegonthesane]

More bad equipment that is bad, plus apparently our shield is so great that to get it in later areas we need to be a different class.

East I said before, east I say again.

[SGamerz]

East

[angelfromanotherpin]

You make your way down the tunnel that the giant ooze appeared from. After several minutes, the tunnel ends on a ledge overlooking a deep pit. At the other side of the pit, the wall is honey-combed with natural-looking holes and undulations.

The air hums with a relentless buzzing sound. Scanning the ceiling, you see several tunnels leading out into daylight. A number of giant-sized bees are using these to fly into and out of the cave. You realize that the wall opposite must be a hive.

• Try jumping across the pit to reach the hive?
• Head back to the cave and take the north tunnel?

[Omegonthesane]

We didn't go down this tunnel just to not explore. Jump into the honey.

[angelfromanotherpin]

This will be a difficult jump. To make it across the pit you will need to pass a speed challenge.

Pit jump (Speed 14)

9+10, success. It's actually a slight shame that we succeeded, because failing here is, AFAIK, the only opportunity to discover that your shadowy mark works to heal you, and is probably responsible for your inter-battle full heals and MMO respawn after falling in battle. It's such a weird deviation from the gamebook norms, and it's even stranger that they bury the narrative justification.

You take a long run up, sprinting towards the edge of the ledge. At the last possible second you launch yourself into the air, kicking your legs to power yourself across the yawning chasm. It is a miracle, but you make it to the other side, grabbing hold of the hive wall to stop your fall. After taking a moment to catch your breath, you begin to explore the strange hive. You discover that the honey-combed holes are actually narrow tunnels that lead deeper into the structure. You duck down into the nearest tunnel and begin crawling in the clammy darkness.

After several minutes you find yourself entering a large chamber, lined on all sides with glowing green eggs. At the center of the chamber is a gigantic bee, with immense diaphanous wings that glitter with magic. You guess that this is the queen - and she isn't happy that you have invaded her hive. The queen beats her wings and immediately, as if in answer to her unspoken command, a swarm of drones sweep towards you from out of one of the tunnels. You must fight this deadly swarm as a single enemy:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Drones	7	3	4	40

Special Abilities
- Stingers: The bees' stingers can punch through anything. Your armor is useless in this fight.

Round 1: We 4+10+2, They 6+7; 5+5-4 damage, they're at 34. *DOTs* They're at 32.
Round 2: We 9+10, They 11+7; 4+5-4 damage, they're at 27. *DOTs* They're at 24.
Round 3: We 9+10, They 11+7; 6+5-4 damage, they're at 17. *DOTs* They're at 13.
Round 4: We 6+10, They 9+7 (trickster'd) We 7+10, They 5+7; 1+5-4 damage, they're at 11. *DOTs* They're at 6.
Round 5: We 10+10, They 5+7; 4+5-4 damage, they're at 1. *DOTs* Drones defeated!
Turns out their armor-bypassing never came up.

You barely have a moment to recover before the giant queen is upon you, the thunderous beat of her immense wings whipping up a tornado:

	Speed	Magic	Armor	Health
Hive queen	6	6	4	35

Special Abilities
- Wing buffet: You must reduce your speed by 1 for the duration of this combat.
- Venom sting: Once you have taken health damage from the queen, at the end of every combat round you must automatically lose 2 health.

Wing buffet isn't fooling anyone, it's not a real special ability.
Round 1: Us 10+9+2, Her 9+6; 4+5-4 damage, she's at 30. *DOTs* She's at 28.
Round 2: Us 5+9, Her 9+6 (trickster'd) Us 9+9, her 5+6; 5+5-4 damage, she's at 22. *DOTs* She's at 19.
Round 3: Us 11+9, Her 7+6; 3+5-4 damage, she's at 15. *DOTs* She's at 11.
Round 4: Us 6+9, Her 9+6; draw. *DOTs* She's at 7.
Round 5: Us 9+9, Her 6+6; 5+5-4 damage, she's at 1. *DOTs* Hive queen defeated!

The hive queen and her bodyguards lie in curled heaps around you. However, there is little time to celebrate your victory as you can hear the frenzied hum of angry bees approaching. You make a quick search of the queen's lair and discover the following items, which you may take:

Amber-coated collar (necklace) +1 armor, Ability: heal (1/combat, restore 4 health)
Bees' wax (backpack) This might come in useful one day
Diaphanous wings (cloak) +1 speed, +1 magic, Ability: haste (1/combat, roll +1d for attack speed)

You squeeze out of the tunnels and crawl back out of the hive, thankfully avoiding any encounters. As you cling onto the side of the wall, you realize that you will have to make the jump again - to cross the pit. This will be a much harder challenge, as you don't have the benefit of a run up beforehand.

Pit jump (Speed 15)

I guess +1 TN on a 2d6 RNG is harder than it might seem, but I feel like to qualify for 'much' harder it should have been at least +2. Otherwise there's no room for just regular harder. 8+10, success! We return to the main cave and take the other tunnel north.

But before I proceed with that, let me know if you want any of the queen's treasures (and what you want to dump if we take the wax).

Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Alchemist
Speed: +10, Brawn: +1, Magic: +5, Armor: +5
Health: 40

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Ability
Head	Horns of the Bull	+1			+2	Charge
Necklace	Beetle-shell Garland	+1				Charm
Cloak	Bat Cape	+1			+1
Main Hand	Ancient Sword	+1				Bleed
Left Hand	Stone Shield	+1			+2	Slam
Gloves	Embroidered Gloves	+1		+1
Chest	Hellfire Robes	+1		+1		Trickster
Feet	Rune-Forged Greaves	+2		+2
Talisman	Spindle's Eye	+1				Charm
Ring 1	Traveler's Ring		+1	+1		Charm
Ring 2	Circle of Thorns					Thorns

Backpack	Item
1	Pot of Healing (1 use) Use any time in combat to restore 4 health.
2	Gourd of Healing (1 use) Use any time in combat to restore 6 health.
3	Spider's Leg
4	Ghoul Hair
5	Ragged Boots

Fine Silver Key
Money Pouch: 126 Crowns

[Darth Rabbitt]

Alchemize batman cape for bee wings, throw out boots for beeswax.

[Omegonthesane]

Agreed on both counts.

[angelfromanotherpin]

The tunnel spirals upwards, eventually widening out into a wedge-shaped cave. Long, spindly roots hang down from the ceiling, forming a dense curtain that stretches the full length of the cavern. As you push your way through the roots, you hear a cry and the scrape of metal as a weapon is drawn.

Quickly, you hurry towards the noise, pulling back the roots to reveal a woman dressed in dirt-stained robes. She has her back to the cave wall, defending herself from the snapping jaws of a giant purple worm. Clutched in her hands is a rusty-looking short sword, which she clearly doesn't know how to use, as she makes ineffectual stabs at the beast.

Without a moment's hesitation, you race to the woman's defense, your first attack drawing the beast's attention:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Purple Worm	5	5	5	40

Special Abilities
- Split personality: For every 10 health that the worm loses, its severed body splits into another worm, increasing its speed and brawn by 1.

Round 1: Us 5+10+2, It 10+5; 1+6-5 damage, it's at 38. *DOTs* It's at 36.
Round 2: Us 8+10, It 8+5; 2+6-5 damage, it's at 33. *DOTs* It's at 30 (split'd)
Round 3: We 4+10, They 5+6; 4+6-5 damage, they're at 25. *DOTs* They're at 21.
Round 4: We 2+10, They 7+6 (trickster'd) We 7+10, They 2+6; 3+6-5 damage, they're at 17 (split'd). *DOTs* They're at 12.
Round 5: We 4+10 (charm'd) 5+10, They 8+7; draw. *DOTs* They're at 7 (split'd).
Round 6: We 7+10, They 3+8; 3+6-5 damage, they're at 3. *DOTs* Purple Worm defeated!

You chop up the purple worm until there is nothing remaining but a heap of sliced-up worm meat. The woman lowers her short sword, stil trembling from her ordeal.

'Thank you,' she says, sheathing her blade. 'I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along. I am Shay Blackwell, a researcher from the Botany Society.' She walks over and retrieves her pack, which you notice has several glass bottles and vials attached to it.

Shay takes a small knife from her belt and cuts a chunk out of the nearest tree root. She turns it around thoughtfully in her hands. 'I really don't understand it. These are elder roots, and as such they should be positively full of magic. Look, it isn't healing at all.' She puts her fingers in the fresh cut that she has made. 'Something has just simply sucked all the life out of it. But what...?'

Her eyes settle on the worm remains. 'The creatures here seem changed. My tutor, Totsvig Hellen, thinks it is the sky rock. It dropped down in the forest just over a month ago. Since then, very peculiar things have been happening. The wildlife has been mutating... becoming much more aggressive.'

She deposits the root sample into one of her bottles, then straps on her pack. When your eyes finally meet again, the woman gives you an awkward smile. 'I don't suppose... well, now that you're here, you would mind accompanying me deeper into the caves? As you can see, I am no fighter. I could use your protection.'

• Accept the offer?
• Demand a fee for your service?

Name: Trellis
Path: Mage
Career: Alchemist
Speed: +10, Brawn: +1, Magic: +6, Armor: +4
Health: 40

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Ability
Head	Horns of the Bull	+1			+2	Charge
Necklace	Beetle-shell Garland	+1				Charm
Cloak	Diaphanous Wings	+1		+1		Haste
Main Hand	Ancient Sword	+1				Bleed
Left Hand	Stone Shield	+1			+2	Slam
Gloves	Embroidered Gloves	+1		+1
Chest	Hellfire Robes	+1		+1		Trickster
Feet	Rune-Forged Greaves	+2		+2
Talisman	Spindle's Eye	+1				Charm
Ring 1	Traveler's Ring		+1	+1		Charm
Ring 2	Circle of Thorns					Thorns

Backpack	Item
1	Pot of Healing (1 use) Use any time in combat to restore 4 health.
2	Gourd of Healing (1 use) Use any time in combat to restore 6 health.
3	Spider's Leg
4	Ghoul Hair
5	Bees' Wax

Fine Silver Key
Money Pouch: 156 Crowns

[Omegonthesane]

Accept the offer - that guy who taught us alchemy might be grateful.

[SGamerz]

Accept

[angelfromanotherpin]

You lead the way down the tunnel, with Shay following behind. You make slow progress, as the narrow passage is choked with thick roots. They break out of the walls and ceiling, filling the tunnel in crisscrossing patterns. Shay stops several times to take samples.

'These roots seem healthier,' she comments, holding up her latest sample in its glass bottle. 'Interesting.'

As you struggle onwards, weaving between the roots, you finally emerge in a huge bowl-shaped cavern. A narrow ledge leads around the dip to another tunnel opening, covered in more snaking tree roots. However, your attention is drawn instantly to the bottom of the crater-shaped hole, where a series of stone ruins are protruding from out of the soil.

'Dwarf ruins,' gasps Shay, her had going to her mouth. 'I never thought we would stumble on those down here. How utterly fascinating!'

• Investigate the ruins?
• Leave via the tunnel?

[Omegonthesane]

LOOT INVESTIGATE ALL THE THINGS

[SGamerz]

Investigate

[angelfromanotherpin]

You take Shay's hand and help her down into the bowl-shaped depression. 'Look! This is dark age architecture,' she gasps, hurrying over to the nearest ruined pillar. Along its length are a number of strange runes and symbols. 'This must date back to the culling. Yes, these markings here – I think they are Illumanti.' She shakes her head sadly. 'How a people could destroy such beauty.'

• Ask Shay to tell you more?
• Explore the ruins for yourself?

I assume you want the exposition...

'The dwarves were the first born - the oldest race on Dormus,' says Shay, tracing her fingers along the edge of a carved statuette. It depicts a squat bearded humanoid dressed in rune-covered robes. 'They were scholars – experts in science and arithmetic. It allowed them to build great underground cities, sculpturing breathtaking architecture out of the minerals and stone that they mined.'

She gives a heavy sigh... 'But there were those amongst the dwarves who were not content with such feats of intellect and beauty. They were warriors, expansionists - who saw thestones and metals of their land as merely tools to make war with the other races. They wanted to conquer the world - to live in cities above the earth where their strength and power would be seen and admired by all.'

Shay walks over to the crumbling remains of a temple. Along one wall is a mural showing dwarf fighting dwarf. 'There was a war. On one side was the Illumanti, those who were sworn to uphold the original ideals of their society – truth, justice, and enlightenment. And then there were the Dours – the warlike dwarves who had given in to their bloodlust. As you can imagine, the Dours were unstoppable. After all, they were warriors; masters of their craft. Some say they had been tainted... warped by the demonic magics that they sought to master. The few Illumanti who survived the culling, fled to the surface, leaving their underground cities to be pillaged and destroyed by the Dours.'

You look around at the half-buried ruins. This must have been part of one of the dwarf cities, which was destroyed long ago in this great war.

'Few now remain,' says Shay, kicking at the loose dirt and rock. 'It is a sad end for such a great people.'

• Explore the ruins further?
• Leave and take the tunnel north?

I assume you don't want to abandon your exploration yet...

At the center of one of the ruined temples you discover a large flat-topped stone. A number of intricate symbols have been carved into its surface.

(We do not have The Compendium of Dwarven Lore)

You cannot understand the complex markings. Finding little else of interest, you rejoin Shay and together you head out of the cavern, taking the tunnel north.

The tunnel ends abruptly in a large rough-hewn chamber. Knotted roots hang down from the ceiling, glowing with a bright yellow light. Beneath them, chewing at the ends of the roots is the largest beetle you have ever seen. The moment you enter the cave, the insect stops feeding and turns to face you. Between a pair of stag-like antlers, its enormous mandibles click back and forth, dripping with glowing tree sap.

'That's it!' gasps Shay in horror. 'That is what has been feeding on all the trees. It has been absorbing their magic... growing bigger and stronger, while the trees wither away.'

You realize that the roots hanging above you must belong to Woad - the only tree left standing in the withered glade. To save Woad you will have to defeat this monstrous bug.

The creature's wing cases snap open, revealing pale translucent wings. As they hum into life, the giant beetle flies towards you, its razor-sharp antlers looking to run you through. You push Shay to safety, then prepare to take on this mighty mutated insect:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
KerKlick	7	5	7	40

Special Abilities
- Pincer movement: If you roll a 1 when rolling for your hero's attack speed, you are immediately caught in KerKlick's pincers and must lose 2 health. This ability ignores armor, and can be avoided if you have an ability that allows re-rolls.
- Unnatural growth: At the end of every combat round, KerKlick raises its brawn by 1, to a maximum of 10.

Ugh, the armor.
Round 1: Us 5+10+2 (pinc'd), It 9+7; 1+6-7 damage, it's fine, we're at 38. *Thorns* It's at 39.
Round 2: Us 6+10 (pinc'd), It 3+7; 5+6-7 damage, it's at 35, we're at 36. *DOTs* It's at 33.
Round 3: Us 9+10, It 11+7; 1+6-7 damage. *DOTs* It's at 31.
Round 4: Us 5+10 (pinc'd) (charm'd) 6+10, It 9+7; draw. *DOTs* It's at 29.
Round 5: Us 6+10, It 4+7; 6+6-7 damage, it's at 24. *DOTs* It's at 21.
Round 6: Us 9+10, It 7+7; 4+6-7 damage, it's at 18. *DOTs* It's at 14.
Round 7: Us 6+10, It 9+7; draw. *DOTs* It's at 10.
Round 8: Us 7+10, It 4+7; 6+6-7 damage, it's at 5. *DOTs* KerKlick defeated!

You slice open the beetle's stomach, hopping away as its gooey entrails pour out of the wound. Hobbling on its spindly legs, the beetle attempts to reach the glowing tree roots, seeking to draw more of the magic into its shattered body.

'Stop it!' shouts Shay. 'If it feeds it will heal!'

You have no intention of letting that happen. Springing onto the beast's back, you look for a soft spot between the creature's armored wing cases. Then you drive your weapon deep into its fleshy skin. The beetle jerks backwards onto its hind legs, then, with a deafening screech, it collapses to the ground, sending a shockwave of dust and soil billowing out across the chamber.

The beetle has finally been defeated. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

Bone scythe (main hand: sword) +1 speed, +2 brawn, Ability: retaliation (1/combat, when an enemy hits you, deal 1d6 armor-ignoring damage to them)
Chitinous carapace (chest) +1 speed, +2 armor, Ability: charm
Sap-filled gland (talisman) +1 speed, Ability: heal

If you have Lorinwold's Field Guide to Roots, Herbs, and Leaves then you may also pick 4 root grass from this cavern.

I'm just going to summarize the next section because it's much longer than it warrants. You take Shay to meet Woad, he thanks you, Shay promises to have the botany society remove the mutation stone, Woad blesses you both (worth +1 Magic in our next fight).

Let me know if you want one of the loots, then decide where to go next. One of the orange quests? Back to one of the towns? Take the next arena fight? Lots of options.

[Omegonthesane]

Half a vote to alchemise spindle's eye for sap-filled gland.

I only see one orange quest. Let's go eat the one orange quest (321).

[angelfromanotherpin]

Poor image quality, the black tower-lookin' thing at 326 is also orange.