[Let's Play] Virtual Reality Adventure Book: Heart of Ice

Stories about games that you run and/or have played in.

Moderator: Moderators

SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

angelfromanotherpin wrote:Research! Our skillset does more with information than weapons.
Well......thus far, from previous encounters in this book, we've actually been lacking most of the fundamental skills that gain us extra information (LORE & STREETWISE).
The hovering platform conveys you to a circular landing marked ‘Research Level’. You step off and conduct a quick exploration of the rooms on this floor. In a long hall you find lockers containing cold-weather clothing, food packs and medical kits – many more than any one person would ever need. You rip open one of the food packs. The contents are still fresh.

Take whatever you want from here, amending your list of possessions to show how many cold-weather suits, food packs and medical kits you now have. (Remember you are limited to a total of eight items in all.)

If you have activated Little Gaia, turn to 14. If not, turn to 36.
Turns out that we could have picked up most of the stuff for free here. Our slots are full, but if any of you want to drop anything for the coat or for extra food packs or med kits, shout out!
A laboratory extends from the far end of the hall. A bank of computers lines one wall. The benches are strewn with electronic equipment whose function you cannot even guess at, most of it only half-constructed. On one bench, next to a metal box, you notice an empty coffee cup. It seems as though this base was evacuated in a hurry.

You stoop to inspect the metal box. It looks something like a communicator, with a screen and speaker on one side next to an array of buttons. You guess that the prominent red button on the side will power it up... whatever it is.

If you try using the computers to put through a message to Gaia, turn to 12.

If you power up the metal box, turn to 57.

If you spend time on a more thorough search of the laboratory, turn to 80.

Otherwise you can descend to the military level or leave the pyramid.
What do we do here?
Thaluikhain
King
Posts: 6153
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:30 pm

Post by Thaluikhain »

That is very annoying.

Hmmm...message Gaia?
User avatar
SlyJohnny
Duke
Posts: 1418
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:35 pm

Post by SlyJohnny »

Image
Mr Shine
Knight-Baron
Posts: 740
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:02 pm

Post by Mr Shine »

Talk to Gaia.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'd search further.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Even after a century or more of disuse, the computers still work. The screen glimmers to life and you key in a connection to Gaia. A stream of meaningless gibberish runs onto the screen, followed by a sequence which seems ominously meaningful.

If you have CYBERNETICS, turn to 34. If not, turn to 55.


Remember, guys, we're NOT computer-literate in this world!
The computer locks you out. You try rebooting, to no avail. With a shrug, you turn to exploring the rest of the pyramid, idly wondering what Gaia was up to when she entered the stream of inexplicable commands into the computer system here.

The answer comes so suddenly that you never know it. Gaia was in the throes of her periodic madness when you contacted her this time. She located the nuclear reactor supplying power to the pyramid and ordered it to go critical. Without warning a blossom of plasma erupts from the earth. For a brief incandescent second it is as though time has turned back to before the Ice Age, and the Pyramid of Cheops once more sits on hot sands in blazing light. Then the blast spreads - sweeping away the pyramids that have stood here for fifty centuries, vaporizing the snow and ice covering the desert, turning the rock to lava and the river to steam, and making of Kahira a cinderous ruin. In the midst of such a holocaust, your on death goes unnoticed.
Contacting the mad computer here is definitely a bad choice....even if we do have CYBERNETICS, while it it'll save us from insta-gib as we realize what Gaia was trying to do and immediately kill off the computers by ripping out the cables, it still means we have to leave the pyramid without getting anything because all the systems in the pyramid shut down and we have to leave before we get trapped.
Rewind back......there's one other vote for powering up the small box and one vote for searching. Do we want to go with either of those now?
Last edited by SGamerz on Thu Nov 17, 2016 3:04 am, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
Judging__Eagle
Prince
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Lake Ontario is in my backyard; Canada

Post by Judging__Eagle »

Can we search the military level? Maybe there's an abandoned vehicle?
The Gaming Den; where Mathematics are rigorously applied to Mythology.

While everyone's Philosophy is not in accord, that doesn't mean we're not on board.
Thaluikhain
King
Posts: 6153
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:30 pm

Post by Thaluikhain »

Can probably go to military level later (assuming no more insta-kills or whatever), so...Metal Bawks (the cowards the fools).
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Since we already have a prior vote to power up the box, this option wins:
You touch the red button. The box produces a prolonged hum which rises in tone and then ends with a bleep. ‘Ready,’ says a synthetic feminine voice from the speaker. Taken aback for a moment, you lean closer and gingerly speak to the box. ‘Er... ready for what?’

‘Explain,’ says the box crisply. ‘Your query was unspecific.’

‘Is this a radio? Who am I talking to?’

‘I am a miniature facsimile of the Global Artificial Intelligence Array,’ replies the box.

‘Gaia? But Gaia is crazy.’

‘I was loaded with Gaia’s program prior to virus infection. I am able to model the thinking of the Gaia system at a reduced rate owing to my limited memory capacity, which now stands at 512 gigabytes.’

‘What can you tell me about the Heart of Violent?’

‘Nothing. No such information has been loaded into my memory.’ The device has an annoyingly smug little voice. All the same, if it has even a fraction of Gaia’s intelligence then it may be useful.

Record on your Character Sheet that you now possess Little Gaia. You can now search the lab for other equipment, descend to the bottom level of the pyramid, or leave.
Bottom level = military level, in case it wasn't clear.

1) What do we want to drop in order to pick up Little Gaia (unless you want to leave it behind)?

2) Search now or proceed to the military level....or leave entirely (again, I'm counting the previous votes for searching and military level, so both of those option already got 1 vote each)?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: ??
Skills: AGILITY, CUNNING, PARADOXING and ROGUERY
Life Points: 10
Possessions:
1) Psionic focus
2) Flashlight
3) Polarized goggles
4) Fur coat
5) Gas mask
6) Medical Kit
7) Rope
8) Food pack
9) *Burrek
Money: 20 scads
Thaluikhain
King
Posts: 6153
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:30 pm

Post by Thaluikhain »

I'd recommend searching the lab, in the hope that going to the military level is possible afterwards anyway.
User avatar
Judging__Eagle
Prince
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Lake Ontario is in my backyard; Canada

Post by Judging__Eagle »

Yeah, search the lab; military level after.
The Gaming Den; where Mathematics are rigorously applied to Mythology.

While everyone's Philosophy is not in accord, that doesn't mean we're not on board.
User avatar
SlyJohnny
Duke
Posts: 1418
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:35 pm

Post by SlyJohnny »

Let's ditch the flashlight for our little Siri box.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Oh, definitely take Little Gaia.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Since only one person actually stated what to drop for Little Gaia, we drop the flashlight for it.

Searching the rest of the room:
You find several items scattered across a bench at the back of the laboratory. These include a flashlight, a pair of binoculars, a set of polarized goggles, and a barysal gun. The gun has been opened for inspection, but it is a simple matter to secure the butt and replace the screws. You check the power unit, finding two charges remaining.

Note any items that you wish to take, and also note the number of charges in the gun if you take it. Now you can descend the shaft to the bottom level, or ascend and leave the pyramid.
We already have the goggles and we just dropped our own flashlight. If we want the gun or the binoculars, we need to drop something else for each of these.

Do we want to exchange anything for these?

Meanwhile, we can access the military level:
You step onto the hovering platform, surprised and relieved that it remains steady under your weight and does not go plummeting to the bottom of the shaft. Once again, as so often in the past, you have cause to marvel at the technology of your ancestors. Touching the lowest button, you activate the elevator and the platform glides gently down the shaft, depositing you in a circular chamber from which several doors lead off. All are closed. As you stand pondering which way to go, an automatic circuit engages and a synthesized voice speaks from a slot in the wall, enquiring your reason for being here.

What will you answer:

‘Gaia’
‘Gilgamesh’
‘Du-En’
or ‘the Heart of Volent’?
1) What do we answer here?
2) Do we want to drop any stuff to pick up the binoculars or the gun?
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

Probably should've clarified but I was good with the flashlight too.

I'd drop the fur coat for the gun. Then answer "Gilgamesh."
Last edited by Darth Rabbitt on Fri Nov 18, 2016 5:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
Omegonthesane
Prince
Posts: 3680
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm

Post by Omegonthesane »

Agreed.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Coat dropped for the gun (w/ 2 charges remaining).

Now, Open Sesame Gilgamesh!
Do you have the codeword Enkidu? If so, turn to 340. If not, turn to 425.
No.....
A door opens, admitting you to a short passage that gives onto a dimly lit room. On a podium in the centre stands a bulky humanoid figure whose violet-and-black armoured body gleams with a dull lustre. At your approach, the eye-slit of the figure’s visor illuminates, and for an instant you falter as you sense the scrutiny of an unhuman intelligence. Then the figure speaks in resonant mechanical tones: ‘I am Gilgamesh. Identify yourself.’

‘Gaia has sent me for you,’ you answer. ‘We are to voyage to Du-En.’

Despite your uncertainty, the automaton seems to accept this. With clanking steps he descends from the podium. Your every instinct is to turn and run, but you force yourself to wait calmly as you watch Gilgamesh approach. The heavy armoured plates of his body leave you in no doubt that he was designed for battle. Along the back of his forearm is a blaster tube connected by cables to a power pack across his wide shoulders.

He stops a metre away, staring into space above your head. ‘I am ready to serve you,’ comes the harsh electronic voice.

‘Then come,’ you tell him. Note the codeword Enkidu. You can now either ascend to the next level or leave the pyramid.
A robot bodyguard! Awesome!
As mentioned in the text Gaia would have been the one who first tells the PC to seek out Giza and Gilgamesh to help him in his quest. There are a few ways we could have contacted Her back in Venis, and she'll probably have told us the password too.
We've already looked at the research level (and if we go back there, it just checks if w have activated Little Gaia and kicks us out if we did), so it's time to leave.
You return down the ramp. The feeble low-slanting rays of the sun make you feel colder than if it were night.

If you have a Manta sky-car, turn to 289. If you came here on foot, turn to 393.
Yeah, we could have found a vehicle earlier.....but we'd need PILOTING to use it anyway.
A fierce wind with teeth of ice thunders relentlessly across the land, pushing billows of powdery snow ahead of it. You hunch behind each step as though pushing a heavy cart, at times having to crouch down to avoid being blown off your feet. By day you are surrounded by a painful white glare. At night, moonlight turns the snowscape into a scene of unearthly mystery. You trudge wearily on, feet numb with cold, eyebrows bristling with icicles.

Do you have either a fur coat or a cold-weather suit? If not, lose 2 Life Points. Even if you do have such clothing, the cold is so severe that you still lose 1 Life Point (exception: lose none if you also have SURVIVAL). You lose 1 less Life Point if you possess a burrek, as you can huddle close to it and share its body warmth.

If you possess polarized goggles, turn to 403. If not but you have SURVIVAL, turn to 443. Otherwise turn to 13.
Alas, we dropped our coat earlier! Thankfully, our cuddly burrek protects us from some of the damage.

We do still have the goggles.
Without both goggles and skill, we suffer from snow-blindness, forcing us to stop and wait until we regain vision....and take more damage from the cold.
You pass on through a plain of ice tors – baroque crags which glint with a metallic sheen against the delicate blue sky. The wind, blasting between the tors, makes a desolate keening sound. You see no signs of life. Cold gnaws at you from outside, hunger from within.

If you have some food packs, cross two off your list of possessions and turn to 100.

If you have only one food pack, cross it off and turn to 35. If you brought no food, turn to 56.
Boche presumably brought his own food.....which he doesn't share with us. The bastard.
You gnaw wretchedly at your meagre provisions, trying to ration out what remains to last as long as possible. If you have SURVIVAL, you manage to trap a migrating bird which pauses to rest on one of the spurs of ice, and you need lose no Life Points. If you do not have SURVIVAL, the bird escapes and you lose 1 Life Point while hunger continues to weaken you. Assuming you can still go on, turn to 100.
We're down to 8 Life Points without SURVIVAL.
You continue on, watching the sun slide dankly down into the west. A silvery afterglow rims the skyline. Pale humps of snow extend to the murky horizon, divided by hollows brimming with violet shadow. Catching a movement out of the corner of your eye you freeze, slowly turning to see a huge sabre-fanged bometh standing on a rise not fifty metres away. You slink back behind an ice boulder, not certain if the creature saw you.

If you have the codeword Enkidu, turn to 123. If not but you have SURVIVAL, turn to 256. Otherwise, you could attack the bometh with SHOOTING and a charged barysal gun or with a stun grenade. Alternatively, you can close with it, track it using binoculars if you have them, or creep off before it spots you.
Seems like the gun would have been no good here without the proper skill. And yes, there's mention of a stun grenade.
The ID Card could have gained us access to a ton of stuff...including some cool weapons.
Fortunately, we have something that's BETTER than all those stuff:
‘Target identification: bometh,’ grates Gilgamesh. ‘Mutant wolf/bear hybrid. Predator. It presents a danger. Immediate elimination is called for.’

He raises his arm, ejecting a crackling blast of energy that turns the dusk to day. The swirling snowflakes hiss into steam. On the crest of the rise, the giant beast shudders and falls, rolling down into the deep snow. With Gilgamesh clanking along behind, you hurry over to make sure the bometh is dead, as you would not want a wounded predator stalking you through the night.
And just like that our robot companion is already a thousand times more useful than that baggage named Kyle Boche.
You look down at the huge carcass stretched out in the pale moonlight. If you have either a knife or shortsword with which to cut it up, turn to 362. If not but you have CUNNING, turn to 384.

Failing either of those options, you cannot make any use of your kill: turn to 298.
I believe this is the first time CUNNING has seen any use.
Working one of the giant sabre-teeth loose from the jaw, you use it to cut through the thick leathery hide so that you can disjoint the bometh’s carcass. You need only string the haunches of meat across your backpack – they will keep fresh enough in this wintry clime.

Add as many food packs as you can carry to your list of possessions, then turn to 298.
Well, I'm going to replenish the one empty slot in our possession with another food pack. Let me know if you want to grab more food (and drop something else in the process).
The next day, with the snow glittering like diamond dust under pale gold sunshine, you see a shimmering haze in the middle distance. Approaching, at first you think the oasis ahead is a trick of your imagination. Dwarf conifers surround a steaming pool fringed with moss-covered rocks. Long-beaked birds peck at the ground for grubs. Then you catch a sulphuric tang on the air and realize that the warm updraught here must be rising from fissures deep underground. It feels as unreal as a dream when you pass between the foliage and settle yourself on a slab of rock, pulling off your clothing to enjoy your first experience of warmth in many days.

If you think it might be worth resting up here to recover your strength, turn to 405. If you are keen to press on without delay, turn to 426.


1) Do we want to stop and rest here?
2) Do we want to drop anything for more food?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: ??
Skills: AGILITY, CUNNING, PARADOXING and ROGUERY
Life Points: 8
Possessions:
1) Psionic focus
2) Little Gaia
3) Polarized goggles
4) Barysal Gun (2 charges)
5) Gas mask
6) Medical Kit
7) Rope
8) Food pack
9) *Burrek
Money: 20 scads
Last edited by SGamerz on Sat Nov 19, 2016 3:32 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
SlyJohnny
Duke
Posts: 1418
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2012 4:35 pm

Post by SlyJohnny »

Maybe drop the goggles now they've been checked. And sure, let's rest.
User avatar
Darth Rabbitt
Overlord
Posts: 8869
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: In "In The Trenches," mostly.
Contact:

Post by Darth Rabbitt »

I'm actually considering dropping the gun, since it appears to only be of use with the Shooting skill and we have Gilgamesh to fucking kill things dead for us. I could be persuaded to drop the goggles instead of or in addition to the gun though, in both cases for more food.

Regardless, let's rest.
Pseudo Stupidity wrote:This Applebees fucking sucks, much like all Applebees. I wanted to go to Femboy Hooters (communism).
Mr Shine
Knight-Baron
Posts: 740
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2014 9:02 pm

Post by Mr Shine »

Keep the gun: I can easily see a combat situation where gun+SHOOTING is optimal, gun only is sub optimal, no gun+CLOSE COMBAT is worse and neither skill or gun is fatal.

Edit: drop the goggles and rest.
Last edited by Mr Shine on Mon Nov 21, 2016 6:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Sorry, lost my internet access for the past 3 days.

Dropping the goggles so we now have 2 units of food.....
If you have SURVIVAL, turn to 58. If not but you have the codeword Enkidu, turn to 81.

Otherwise, turn to 103.
Gilgamesh to save the day again!
Gilgamesh stands rock-still beside you. You hear the soft whirr of a fan sucking air into his chest-plate. Then he announces that the air here is toxic.

‘How toxic? The trees seem to survive well enough.’ You brush midges away from your face. ‘And the insects.’

‘They are adapted to the conditions here,’ replies Gilgamesh in his abrupt mechanical voice. ‘Trace elements may cause cancer in higher life forms.’

‘After how long?’

‘Unknown. Even one day’s exposure is potentially hazardous. Recommend you take precautions to filter your air supply or leave the vicinity.’

If you have a gas mask, turn to 169. Otherwise, choose whether to stay and rest for a few days or depart as Gilgamesh suggests.
More blue options!
The air here is tolerable once filtered of volcanic fumes. You build a lean-to beside the bubbling pool in the shelter of the dwarf conifers. Although the water of the pool is undrinkable, you can easily collect snow from beyond the edge of the oasis and bring it back to camp to melt. For food, you catch insects and grubs and bake them on the hot rocks.

Recover 4 Life Points, then turn to 426 when you are ready to move on.
Back to full LP!
Surrounded by a limitless expanse of snow, you slog wearily towards your goal. The sun slides low in the sky, wavering like a blob of flame-orange oil against a sky of swirling violet. As it disappears in a scud of cloud lying along the horizon, you feel the dreary chill of day begin to yield to the frigid tyranny of night.

If you lack either a fur coat or a cold-weather suit, lose 4 Life Points. If you possess either of those items, lose only 2 Life Points. (Lose 1 less Life Point if you have SURVIVAL, and 1 less if you possess a burrek.)

Assuming you survive, turn to 444.
Back down to 7 LP (no coat/suit but we got our huggable burrek).
Hunger is a knot of ice inside your belly; weariness turns your feet to lead weights. Each daybreak you find it harder to shrug off the lassitude of sleep. Every effort costs intense concentration.

How do your rations stand? If you have two food packs, cross them off your Character Sheet and turn to 125.

If you have only one food pack, cross it off and turn to 37.

If you have no food left, turn to 147.
Can we just tell Gilgamesh to shoot Boche so we can eat him steal his food too?

Whatever, we got our new bometh steak provided by our robot pal....and no, Boche, you're not getting any!
If we had no food earlier, we use the burrek's blood as the slave trader suggested......if we still don't have any for this last check, we slaughter the poor animal for meat out of desperation....and we still lose 2 LP.
At last you see a streak of dark rubble against the dazzling skyline. You fear it might just be a line of hills or even a trick of the light, but as you approach on quickened footsteps it is possible to make out the details of brooding towers, empty palaces and gargantuan snow-bound walls. You have arrived at the lost city of Du-En.

If you have the codeword Diamond, delete it and turn to 191. Otherwise, turn to 213.
Yes our useless human companion is still around.
The gates of Du-En stand open to the elements, leaving the wide avenues piled under deep snow-dunes. The buildings are monoliths of dark stone, desolate remnants of a civilization long gone. Their vast scale and pitiless geometric decoration make them seem out of proportion to the human soul. You find them tyrannical and depressing.

‘Impressive architecture, eh?’ says Boche, looking to a high black tower whose fretwork dome shows like a fleshless head against the bleak white sky.

You see a thin swirl of smoke rising from a campfire in the main plaza of the city. ‘It seems we’re not the only ones to heed Gaia’s message,’ you say dourly. ‘Come on, let’s introduce ourselves.’
Finally found your tongue, huh? What have you been doing this whole time? And I don't recall ever telling you that we came because of Gaia's message....
Passing under a broken arch, you enter the central plaza. This is a broad area of snowcovered flagstones, roughly three hundred metres across, enclosed by ruined palaces that gleam like lead in the white haze.

There are several campfires built up against a fallen colonnade. As you get closer you see antique furniture and splintered doors crackling in the flames: plunder from the once great city of Du-En, lost art treasures beyond price. In this desolate place, their only value is the warmth they give.

A man steps forward from the fireside and pulls off his glove to shake hands.

‘Greetings. I am Janus Gaunt.’

While Boche makes the introductions, you take stock of Gaunt. He is younger than his grey hair would suggest, with an open friendly manner. His servants stumble along behind him in the snow, but they wear only thin clothes and you guess they are past feeling the cold. Gaunt sees you looking at them and nods. ‘These are my xoms – reanimated cadavers, loyal and tireless.’

Others are now emerging from their tents along the colonnade. A wizened old man with no legs who comes drifting through the air like a ghost is introduced as Baron Siriasis, a psionic from Bezant. Next comes a woman who walks with long feline strides, eyes glittering like jade in the wan afternoon light. She gives you a single guarded look and then turns away. ‘That is Thadra Bey of al-Lat,’ says Gaunt. ‘And here is Commander Chaim Golgoth, an agent of United States Intelligence. The two strapping bronzed ladies behind him are Gargan XIII and Gargan XIV, sole survivors of a clone superwarrior group.’

Golgoth smiles and shakes hands. The Gargan twins watch you with a glare like Medusa’s sisters. ‘There’s also Vajra Singh,’ adds Golgoth, nodding towards a large scarlet-and-black pavilion across the plaza. ‘You’ll meet him soon enough.’

If you have the codeword Scythe, delete it and turn to 89. Otherwise turn to 111.
We've met Golgoth and the psychic baron before. It's also possible to either meet or at least hear about all the others during our journey (but not within the same playthrough/path).
And yes, if we reached here without Boche, he shows up here anyway.
After a cursory greeting, the others start to disperse back to their tents. Janus Gaunt tells you he has just brewed a pot of tea and invites you to join him. You are pleased enough to share the warmth of his fire, but when a xom hands you a teacup in its bloodless fingers you cannot suppress a shiver of dread.

‘Don’t bother about them,’ he says with a laugh. ‘They’re just robots, really, except that they’re made out of once-living tissue instead of plastic and metal. They’re powered by a small electrochemical implant in the chest cavity.’

‘They are an abomination against nature,’ says Boche flatly, draining his tea. ‘Where do we get firewood?’

Gaunt is taken aback by Boche’s rudeness, but replies courteously: ‘Take it from the buildings around the square. The mulberry window-shutters you are warming your hands over, for instance, date from tenth-century Persia. It is a pity to burn such artifacts as these, but the former owners have no more use for them.’

Boche rises with a grunt and trudges off, entering a narrow doorway. You follow to find him flashing his torch around. ‘Ah, here is some firewood already broken up for our convenience,’ he says.

‘It is mine,’ purrs a voice of menace from the doorway. Thadra Bey stands there, muscles coiled taut in pantherish grace, a lethal dart-projector in her hand.

‘Down!’ roars Boche, cannoning into you from behind and sending you flying into Thadra Bey. You and she go rolling out into the snow, her dart singing through the air and narrowly missing Chaim Golgoth, who responds at once by drawing his barysal gun. In seconds all hell has broken loose, as the uneasy truce splinters apart. Thadra Bey rakes her fingers across your face and leaps away, levelling her dart-projector, and you hear Gaunt yelling to his xoms, ‘Defend me! Slay any who attack!’

For a moment it seems that the struggle for power will be decided here and now. Then a voice rips like thunder across the square: ‘Stop this senseless fighting now!’ and, turning, you have your first view of the mighty Vajra Singh.
Image
Vajra Singh stands like a demon in the snow, a great slab of a man with a darkly saturnine face and eyes like a lion’s. His silver anti-laser armour gleams in the weak sunshine. He watches you all for a moment, scanning you as he might size up a pack of hyenas. Then he raises his huge hand-cannon and touches the fire button. The air is riven by a sound like a volcano erupting as a torrent of blistering white plasma streams from the cannon, juddering across the walls above and scattering chunks of smouldering masonry far out into the square. Everyone dives for cover. Still unleashing the barrage of crackling energy, Vajra Singh turns and directs it at the foundations of a building across the square. The heavy stone walls burst apart, and slowly the whole façade collapses to leave only a burntout shell.

Vajra Singh touches a button on the side of the cannon and the blast cuts out. The roar dies to a low hum. You notice a small red light start to glow as the cannon powers down.

‘That weapon is the mantramukta,’ Janus Gaunt whispers in your ear.

‘This squabbling must cease!’ snarls Vajra Singh as the others come out from hiding.

‘We must work together in the short term or we stand little chance of penetrating as far as the Heart. Is that clear?’

On the side of the mantramukta cannon, a green light winks on. Now you know that it takes a few seconds to rebuild its power after each blast. You see that Chaim Golgoth has noticed this too.

Seeing that the only reply is sullen silence, Vajra Singh goes on, ‘Here in the main square we shall remain in a state of truce. While exploring beneath the ruins, this truce is not in force. Also, no underlings or servants are to be taken on expeditions. This is a contest to see which of us deserves the ultimate power, not who is able to hire the most bodyguards.’

Janus Gaunt glances from face to face, then takes it on himself to answer. ‘We agree to these terms.’

With a swirl of his majestic robes, Vajra Singh turns and strides off to his tent, where his three servants stand waiting.

If you have the codeword Hourglass, turn to 235. If not but you do possess a medical kit, turn to 257. (If you have a Manta sky-car, you will find a medical kit in the storage locker.) If you have neither Hourglass nor a medical kit, turn to 278.
We have the medkit....
Your fingers show signs of frostbite and you have a dozen small bruises and sores. You dose yourself with antibiotics and apply ointments and dressings from the medical kit. If injured, you can restore 1 Life Point.
That brings us up to 8 Life Points.
The sun lurches into view above the city walls – a disk as pale as watered milk. Out in the main square, the others are preparing to set off into the ruins. You see Golgoth clipping on his weapon-belt as he chats to the Gargan sisters. Apparently they have agreed to explore as a team. Surprisingly, Gaunt and Thadra Bey have also formed a group. Baron Siriasis and Vajra Singh both opt to search for the Heart alone.

Vajra Singh oversees the drawing of lots. ‘We shall set off into the ruins at fifteen minute intervals determined by the lots,’ he tells the others. ‘You can explore individually or in groups, as you prefer. Remember that the truce applies only here in the open. If groups encounter each other while in the catacombs below the city, they must negotiate or else do battle.’

If you wish to descend into the catacombs, turn to 385. If you think a day’s rest is in order, turn to 363.


Do we want to explore today?

Adventure Sheet:
Name: ??
Skills: AGILITY, CUNNING, PARADOXING and ROGUERY
Life Points: 8
Possessions:
1) Psionic focus
2) Little Gaia
3) Rope
4) Barysal Gun (2 charges)
5) Gas mask
6) Medical Kit
7)
8)
9) *Burrek
Money: 20 scads
Thaluikhain
King
Posts: 6153
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:30 pm

Post by Thaluikhain »

Ok, I agree about Boche now. That's gone from useless companion to suspiciously worse than useless.

I like the idea of a hostile environment, but if you have to wear a gas mask to keep carcinogenic particles out of your system, your burrek probably needs one as well, and don't eat local insects and grubs (especially when you are carrying uncontaminated food) and don't drink melted snow from nearby.

...

Oh right, a decision to be made. Drawing lots and going through the dungeon presumably full of deathtraps? Yeah, that's another adventure set in Thailand. So I'm going to say rest.
SGamerz
King
Posts: 6293
Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 11:45 am

Post by SGamerz »

Thaluikhain wrote:I like the idea of a hostile environment, but if you have to wear a gas mask to keep carcinogenic particles out of your system, your burrek probably needs one as well, and don't eat local insects and grubs (especially when you are carrying uncontaminated food) and don't drink melted snow from nearby.
The burrek is a fictional animal, so for all we know it may have natural immunity against things like that.

I find it more curious that Boche managed to survive it without any mention of having his own protection against the hazards.

It's been 3 days and there's only 1 vote to rest, so our PC stays behind.
You rest throughout the morning, recovering 1 Life Point. (Exception: if you have the codeword Hourglass, you begin to feel feverish and recover no Life Points.)

The others start to return around midday, beginning with Janus Gaunt and Thadra Bey. They explored a warren of tunnels under the plaza but found no clue as to the location of the Heart. Next comes Chaim Golgoth, emerging from a military bunker which he investigated in company with the Gargan twins. There is no sign of the twins, and when you ask Golgoth about them he merely replies with a wink.

The ruins are bathed in the long light of sunset by the time Vajra Singh and the baron reappear. You soon learn that they met up underground, and are obviously excited by what they discovered. ‘We have identified the temple precincts,’ announces Vajra Singh, gesturing to a cluster of buildings across the square. ‘The Heart of Volent lies somewhere below. Tomorrow may be the last day of the search.’
We're now up to 9 Life Points.
If you have the codeword Uruk, delete it and note Enkidu again.

As night falls, an eerie glitter of lights appears in the sky, like a translucent curtain draped across the cosmos. Janus Gaunt gazes up and tells you it is the aurora cordis, caused by particles from outer space falling into the field of paradox radiation emanating from the Heart of Volent.

You stand in awe, humbled by the magnificent sight. The curtain of light ripples and stirs in the heavens. ‘It seems staggering,’ you remark to Gaunt in a whisper, ‘to think that just a fraction of the Heart’s power could create something on such a scale.’

He laughs. ‘The Heart’s power is much greater than that. Power enough to shape worlds and shift the stars in their courses, if the legend is to be believed.’

‘And do you believe it?’

He gives you an odd, half-frightened look. ‘Believe it? I have studied the scientific records. I know it for a fact.’

If you have the codeword Nemesis, turn to 60. If not, turn to 82.
No codeword here....
The moon rises, wreathed in a haze of frost. In the crisp cold light, the ancient halls and towers look more than half unreal. You watch the others huddled by their campfires. No one has much to say. Each of them is absorbed in private hopes, dreams and fears of what tomorrow will bring. And each knows that their brittle truce is in its final hours. When the Heart is found it will be every man for himself. Who would expect anything else, when the prize at stake is nothing less than the power of a god?

Vajra Singh and Thadra Bey have retreated to their respective tents and scarcely seem to invite conversation. If you wish, you can talk to one of the others – either Chaim Golgoth, Kyle Boche, Janus Gaunt, or Baron Siriasis. Alternatively, you could just turn in for the night.
Do we want to talk to any of our fellow competitors?
Last edited by SGamerz on Sat Nov 26, 2016 4:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thaluikhain
King
Posts: 6153
Joined: Thu Sep 29, 2016 3:30 pm

Post by Thaluikhain »

Don't know much about Baron Siriasis, so talk to them, I guess.
Omegonthesane
Prince
Posts: 3680
Joined: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:55 pm

Post by Omegonthesane »

Siriasis, sure.
Kaelik wrote:Because powerful men get away with terrible shit, and even the public domain ones get ignored, and then, when the floodgates open, it turns out there was a goddam flood behind it.

Zak S, Zak Smith, Dndwithpornstars, Zak Sabbath, Justin Bieber, shitmuffin
Post Reply