[LP] DestinyQuest 2: The Heart of Fire

[Darth Rabbitt]

The dwarf gives an impatient sigh, then starts gesturing frantically at the stacked shelves.
'Look! Look at it! Isn't it obvious? This is my section, mine, but they're missing—I can't risk it, I can't go and get them. The librarian...and the creature. The big creature. Oh, what am I to do?'
He resumes his agitated pacing.
'We could go get them,' you state hopefully, giving Virgil a sideways glance. The witchfinder rolls his eyes and looks away. 'What exactly are you looking for?'
'The shame. The shame.' The dwarf drifts over to the opposite wall, looking despondently at an empty space in the row of books. 'Pondicut's Beneficiary Substitutionary Perambulations, volume fifty-seven! It's missing! And here...' He gestures to another space, then scratches furiously at his beard. 'Impractical Lyrical Alchemical Diologies, book thirty-seven, part six. Irreplaceable. The only copy! Master will be furious!' The dwarf continues to reel off a list of books as he floats down the aisle way.
Virgil clucks his tongue in annoyance. 'Okay, we get the picture—I think we need to clear the library of its...resident wildlife.' He gives you a wearisome look. 'Then this ghostly servant can finish his task.' He strides past the ghost, tipping his hat.
The ghost doesn't acknowledge him, too busy rambling through another list of titles with far too many consonants. '...Episkeletal Supracostal Dichotomies of a Curmudgeon. Gone! It's a fright!' (Make a note of the keyword spooks on your hero sheet.)

You enter what appears to be a reading room, with a dozen stone tables arranged on various levels. Each table is lit by a central cluster of crystals, glimmering with a pale-blue luminescence.
There are two corridors leading from the room, one to the east and one to the south. As you approach it, you suddenly get the uneasy feeling that you are being followed. You glance down at the ground, noticing an unexplained shadow edging closer to your own. It can't be Virgil, who is several steps ahead...
You spin around, giving a cry of alarm when you catch a thief with their hands in your backpack!
The creature stands no taller than your waist, with purple skin, pointed ears and a bristly fuzz of green hair. A number of pouches and bags hang from its leather clothing, all bulging with items. The thief responds with a tittering laughter, then turns and runs—making for the east passage. You notice that one of your backpack items is clutched in the thief's hands. (You must choose one backpack item to remove from your hero sheet. Keep a note of its description as it may be returned to you at a later time.)

Will you:
Chase after the thief?
Stay and examine the crystal door?
Take the south exit?

Name: Mr. Patio
Path: Rogue
Career: Venommancer
Speed: +15, Brawn: +14, Magic: +0, Armor: +3
Health: 48

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Health	Ability
Head	Troll Tusks	+2			+2		Charge
Necklace	Corroded Pendant	+1					Rust
Cloak	Cloak of the Undying	+2				+3	Greater Heal
Main Hand	Ancestral Blade	+2	+3				Piercing, Bleed
Left Hand	Black Taipan	+2	+3				Convulsions
Gloves	Prickle Pair	+1	+2				Barbs
Chest	Brace of Fury	+2	+3				Critical Strike
Feet	Death Blades	+2	+3				Fatal Blow
Talisman	Kaala's Scale	+1					Venommancer, Heal, Charm
Ring 1	Pins 'N' Needles						Thorns
Ring 2	Grieving Soul				+1		Fire Aura, Charm

Backpack	Item
1	Flask of Healing
2	Onyx Blade
3	Elixir of Swiftness
4	Saint's Blessing
5	Rubrica's Cube

Locker	Item
1	Dreamcatcher
2	Spider Grips
3	Monarch Viper
4	Untamed Will

Prophecy
Demon claws
Demon spines
prevail
blood debt
tower
Ghiera's paw
Kaala's fang
Anansi's eye
Broken trust
Wind breaker (350)
fire quencher (350)
Rune forge at 755
spooks
Money Pouch: 541 Crowns

[Omegonthesane]

Scumbag took our saint's blessing. After it!

[SGamerz]

Chase the thief!

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'm kind of surprised you picked the better of our two healing items. Saint's Blessing restores health to full while the flask only restores 10 health.

Determined not to let the imp escape you sprint after it, beating your wings to give you added momentum.
'Wait! Let it go!' shouts Virgil. 'It's a shadow scamp. You'll never catch it!'
Ignoring the witchfinder's protests, you continue your dogged pursuit of the thief. Just as you are about to finally grab a hold of it, there is a loud popping sound and it vanishes—only to reappear several meters ahead of you. The imp glances over its shoulder, giving another titter of laughter. You realize that this wily rogue will be harder to catch than you first thought.
To catch up with the thief, you will need to complete a speed challenge:

To catch a thief (Speed 20)
12+15=successful!

You manage to snatch one of the thief's pouches, ripping it free from its cord. (You have regained your stolen backpack items as well as 50 gold crowns.) As you tumble into a dive, you make a grab for the thief's legs. There is another popping sound...
You crash down onto your stomach with a pained cry. Looking up, you see no sign of the imp. It has simply vanished.
Then you hear a peal of laughter, coming from behind you.
You twist around, to see the thief hurrying back down the passage. Cursing with frustration, you push off in pursuit once more.

The thief turns down a side aisle, its mocking laughter taunting you to follow. As you skid round the corner, you hear the imp's merriment turn to a screech of pain. The thief is lying on its back, shaking its head as if stunned. In front of it the passage ends in an iron portcullis, barring access to the room beyond. Runes have been carved into the black metal, several of which are still glowing with a soft red light.
'Nowhere to run?' you grin, brandishing your weapons.
The imp flips back to its feet. With an angry hiss it lunger forward, a black curved dagger spinning into each of its palms. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Brawn/Magic	Armor	Health
Imp	*	*	9	60

Special abilities
Steal your glory: The imp's speed, brawn and magic match your own. The imp will use the highest damage attribute (brawn or magic) when rolling for damage score.
Vanishing trick: The protective runes have weakened the imp, stopping it from using its teleport ability. However, if the imp is still alive at the start of the sixth combat round it will have regained its power and will use it to escape—automatically losing you the combat.

So this guy either matches or exceeds us in every stat, but doesn't have any of our abilities. This should be manageable.
*Snake strike* Imp takes 9 damage (critical strike'd, 12 damage) and is afflicted with bleed and convulsions. It's at 48.
Patio 2+15+2 (demon claws'd, imp is at 44, charm'd, 3+15+2, charm'd, 7+15+2, charge'd), Imp 5+15. Damage 5+14-0 (piercing'd)=19, Imp is at 25. *DoTs* It's at 21.
Round 2: Patio 11+15, Imp 6+15. Damage 4+14-4 (fatal blow'd)=14, Imp is at 7. *DoTs* It's at 3.
Round 3: Patio 8+15 (demon claws'd, Imp is dead.)

Killed the fool in 3 rounds.

If it survived 5 rounds, or if we earlier failed the speed test, we'd be required to pick one of the other two doors.

You grab the wounded creature and hurl it against the metal bars. The dark runes flash with magic, sending bolts of lightning crackling over its scrawny body. You cover your nose, backing away, as the imp slumps to the ground—its purple skin blackened to charcoal.
Virgil joins you, holstering his pistols. 'And I thought revenge was best served cold.'
You kneel beside the creature's smoking remains, cutting its bags and pouches loose with your weapon. Amongst its possessions you find 50 gold crowns and the following items, which you may take:

Flask of healing (1 use) (backpack) Use any time in combat to restore 10 health
Elixir of swiftness (1 use) (backpack) Increase your speed by 4 for 1 combat round
Deft hands (gloves) +1 speed +2 brawn ability: stun, steal (requirement: thief)

If you left any items in the hollow of the travelers' shelter whilst exploring the dark interior (act 2), then you discover these inside the imp's bags. You may now retrieve these items, if you wish, and add them to your backpack.

We didn't find that shelter, but there's still loots to pick before we can proceed. And Virgil's really at it with the action movie puns now.

Name: Mr. Patio
Path: Rogue
Career: Venommancer
Speed: +15, Brawn: +14, Magic: +0, Armor: +3
Health: 48

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Health	Ability
Head	Troll Tusks	+2			+2		Charge
Necklace	Corroded Pendant	+1					Rust
Cloak	Cloak of the Undying	+2				+3	Greater Heal
Main Hand	Ancestral Blade	+2	+3				Piercing, Bleed
Left Hand	Black Taipan	+2	+3				Convulsions
Gloves	Prickle Pair	+1	+2				Barbs
Chest	Brace of Fury	+2	+3				Critical Strike
Feet	Death Blades	+2	+3				Fatal Blow
Talisman	Kaala's Scale	+1					Venommancer, Heal, Charm
Ring 1	Pins 'N' Needles						Thorns
Ring 2	Grieving Soul				+1		Fire Aura, Charm

Backpack	Item
1	Flask of Healing
2	Onyx Blade
3	Elixir of Swiftness
4	Saint's Blessing
5	Rubrica's Cube

Locker	Item
1	Dreamcatcher
2	Spider Grips
3	Monarch Viper
4	Untamed Will

Prophecy
Demon claws
Demon spines
prevail
blood debt
tower
Ghiera's paw
Kaala's fang
Anansi's eye
Broken trust
Wind breaker (350)
fire quencher (350)
Rune forge at 755
spooks
Money Pouch: 641 Crowns

[Omegonthesane]

None of that shit seems worth the bother.

Crystal door.

[SGamerz]

Crystal door.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Oh, we can't go back to the crystal door from here. I was just pausing so you could pick loots.

You walk over to the bars, being careful not to get too close to the humming runes carved into the black iron. Peering past them you can see a small rectangular store room, stacked high with stone tablets. There is also a podium, fashioned from a complex weave of red and black granite, cradling a carved idol.
Sadly, there is no obvious mechanism or means to raise the barrier. Virgil pats you on the shoulder, sensing your obvious frustration. 'Some things are best left alone...' He touches one of the bars with the tip of a blade, eliciting an angry flicker of magic from the runes.
Admitting defeat, you give the room a last covetous glare, before following Virgil back to the main aisle. You continue to head east, until you reach another large chamber.

You emerge in a rectangular room, piled high with rubble. A space has been cleared at its center, where a series of runes have been marked out in congealed blood. They spiral like a coiled serpent, ending in a heap of gore and blackened bones at the center.
'I don't need to be an expert to know this is bad,' you muse grimly.
Virgil has stopped, his one eye lifted to the ceiling. You follow his gaze, shrinking back in horror when you see the fleshy growth spread across the stonework.
'A magic anomaly,' says Virgil, dropping his voice to almost a whisper. 'Keep moving...'
He motions to the steps opposite, leading down into a vaulted hall. Nodding, you quickly cross the room, with one eye on the creature and the other on the strange runes. Evidently this chamber was used for some dark ritual, perhaps the one that summoned the blood demons you fought earlier.
At the foot of the stairs, a two-tiered hall stretches for several hundred meters, both levels lined with shelves of books and scrolls. Ghostly spirits are moving back and forth along the stacks, their bodies glowing with a sickly yellow light. At the far end of the hall, past heaps of rubble and several broken statues, is a large square table—and seated at it is a dwarf.
He is clad in moldy white robes, embroidered with purple-glowing runes. The collar is flared, jutting out either side of his thin beardless face. You notice the dwarf's skin is green with rot, exposing dark hollows and bare bone.
'Yes...yes.' The dwarf is turning pages in a tome, his rheumy eyes roving back and forth behind a pair of iron-rimmed spectacles.
The rest of the table is a jumbled array of open books, stone tablets, bubbling potions and alchemical equipment. One of the ghosts flits over to the table, placing another book on an already teetering pile.
'Good, good! Out of my sight!' snaps the dwarf, ushering the ghost away with a rotted hand.
You notice that the only exit stands directly behind the undead librarian—a pair of obsidian doors, barred from the inside. With no other choice you make your way along the hall, wincing as your footfalls echo noisily in the chamber.
The dwarf looks up, his emaciated face cracking into a sneer. 'Silence in my library!' He slams his fists on the table, knocking over several bottles in the process. Their contents fizzle and hiss, the sound mirroring the seething snarl coming from his lips. 'They were too weak. Too stupid! But my loyal demons will succeed where they failed. You'll see!'
Virgil is at your side, his swords glowing bright with holy magic. 'A trapped spirit—undead. He probably thinks this is Tartarus, two thousand years ago.'
'I said SILENCE!' shrieks the dwarf. 'Back from whence you came, or be punished!'
Virgil takes a step forward, spinning his blades in his hands. 'We wish to leave, dwarf—but we're taking the door behind you. I suggest you comply with our wishes. Or else this will end...messily.'
The librarian jumps out of his seat, black magic sparking around him. 'What insolence! Spirits! To me! It seems we must rid ourselves of another nuisance from our library!'
One by one the ghostly spirits raise their arms. Motes of green light streak from their fingertips, surrounding the dwarf in a halo of swirling magic. 'Yes! YES! THE POWER!'
The dwarf rises up on the streaming currents, his frayed robes dancing around his thin body. 'The power of the Illumanti is mine!' He blurs forward, bolts of magic lancing from his rotted fingers. You leap over the deadly barrage, wings stretched taut as you sweep in to meet his attack. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Magic	Armor	Health
Molech	13	11	10	100
Spectres	-	-	4	40

Special abilities
Spectral synergy: While the specters remain alive, they boost Molech's power. At the end of each combat round, Molech heals 6 health (this cannot take him above his starting health of 100).
Also, Molech's attacks drain your strength. Each time you take health damage from Molech's damage score/damage dice, you must lower your brawn and magic by 1 for the duration of the combat.

In this combat, you roll against Molech's speed. If you win a combat round, you can choose to apply your damage to Molech or the specters. Once Molech is reduced to zero health, the combat is automatically won.

There's an achievement for beating this guy without killing his specters, and I think we can do that, so I'm going to shoot for it.
*Snake Strike* Molech takes 7 damage (critical strike'd, 12 damage) and is afflicted with bleed and convulsions. He's at 88.
Round 1: Patio 5+15+2 (charge'd), Molech 6+13. Damage 6+14-0 (piercing'd)=20, Molech is at 68. *DoTs* He's at 64. *Spectral synergy* He's at 70.
Round 2: Patio 6+15, Molech 7+13. Damage 1+14-10=5, Molech is at 65. (Rust'd, his armor is at 8.) *DoTs* He's at 61. *Spectral synergy* He's at 67.
Round 3: Patio 10+15, Molech 8+13. Damage 6+14-4 (fatal blow'd)=16, Molech is at 51. *DoTs* He's at 47. *Spectral synergy* He's at 53.
Round 4: Patio 6+15, Molech 7+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 1, ability fails. Damage 2+14-8=8, Molech is at 45. *DoTs* He's at 41. *Spectral synergy* He's at 47.
Round 5: Patio 6+15 (charm'd, 11+15), Molech 10+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 1, ability fails. Damage 5+14-8=11, Molech is at 36. *DoTs* He's at 32. *Spectral synergy* He's at 38.
Round 6: Patio 10+15, Molech 7+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 4, ability fails. Damage 1+14-8=7, Molech is at 31. *DoTs* He's at 27. *Spectral synergy* He's at 33.
Round 7: Patio 7+15, Molech 5+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 6, success. Damage 1,5,6=12, Molech is at 21, and his speed is at 12 for the next round. *DoTs* He's at 17. *Spectral synergy* He's at 23.
Round 8: Patio 8+15, Molech 8+12. Damage 1+14-8=7, Molech is at 16. *DoTs* He's at 12. *Spectral synergy* He's at 18.
Round 9: Patio 6+15 (charm'd, 7+15), Molech 8+13. Damage 3+14-8=9, Molech is at 9. *DoTs* He's at 5. *Spectral synergy* He's at 11.
Round 10: Patio 5+15, Molech 10+13 (convulsions'd, he loses the round.) Damage 5+14-8=11, Molech is dead!

Not only did we unlock the achievement, we got a Flawless Victory!

Actually looking ahead, this achievement gives us nothing. We get the same pick of loot and the same choices. It literally just gives a different description of Molech's death. Fuck that shit. I'm going to give us something for doing that, because that's what achievements do in literally every other instance.

Your weapons and magic smash through the spectres' shield, hurling the dwarf against the stone shelves. He clutches at his wounds, black slime oozing between his rotted fingers.
'You betray me...' spits the dwarf. 'Let Barahar take you and be damned!'
He dives past you, looking to grab one of the potion bottles from the table. But you are faster—your weapons swinging around to catch him mid-step. The dwarf gives a shriek, then his body explodes in a black shower of ash and slime. All around you the ghostly specters flicker like candle-flames, then fade to wisps of smoke.
'A death long overdue...' Virgil picks a string of gloop from his coat, flicking his fingers in an attempt to get rid of it. 'Told you it'd be messy.'
You walk over to the bottles, intrigued to discover what the dwarf was after. You may now take one any/all of the following items:

Spectral syllabub (1 use) (backpack) Use any time in combat to restore your health to full
Molech Tov's volatile cocktail (1 use) (backpack) Use instead of rolling for a damage score to inflict 10 damage, ignoring armor, to all opponents

(Mr. Patio does not have the keyword clean up on his hero sheet.)

We'd need to have gone to the non-crystal door in the reading room to get it. If you win a fight there and have spooks then the ghost librarian finds some of his books in that area and we get the keyword. If you have it, he finally finishes gathering his books and with nothing left to do decides to serve you, becoming a magic porter that gives you access to your locker again. Speaking of, there are some unused/obsolete keywords and otherwise that I should probably edit out of the hero sheet.

The iron doors have been barred from the inside. Together you lift the metal blocks and shove them aside, before pushing open the doors. They grate and squeal against thousands of years of grime, slowly opening out onto a narrow bridge. Across the other side you can see a projection of volcanic rock, crowned by four tower-like chimneys. Each one is belching a steady stream of smoke into the air, forming a dark pall above the nightmarish city. (Return to the quest map to continue your journey.)

Pick a destination and loot(s). The whole map is open to us now.

Also, in an upcoming quest there's the payoff to the blood debt keyword, which we got all the way back in Act 1. Want me to nudge towards it (as with the glaive of souls subquest)?

Name: Mr. Patio
Path: Rogue
Career: Venommancer
Speed: +15, Brawn: +14, Magic: +0, Armor: +3
Health: 48

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Health	Ability
Head	Troll Tusks	+2			+2		Charge
Necklace	Corroded Pendant	+1					Rust
Cloak	Cloak of the Undying	+2				+3	Greater Heal
Main Hand	Ancestral Blade	+2	+3				Piercing, Bleed
Left Hand	Black Taipan	+2	+3				Convulsions
Gloves	Prickle Pair	+1	+2				Barbs
Chest	Brace of Fury	+2	+3				Critical Strike
Feet	Death Blades	+2	+3				Fatal Blow
Talisman	Kaala's Scale	+1					Venommancer, Heal, Charm
Ring 1	Pins 'N' Needles						Thorns
Ring 2	Grieving Soul				+1		Fire Aura, Charm

Backpack	Item
1	Flask of Healing
2	Onyx Blade
3	Elixir of Swiftness
4	Saint's Blessing
5	Rubrica's Cube

Prophecy
Demon claws
Demon spines
blood debt
Broken trust
Rune forge at 755
Money Pouch: 641 Crowns

[Omegonthesane]

I like payoff, blood debt nudges plox.

Ditch flask of healing for spectral syllabub and elixir of swiftness for diesel firebomb.

Then blue quest.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Quest: The Crematorium

(Note: You must have completed the orange quest The Abussos before you can access this location. I think this is a case of bad copypasta and is supposed to say you must have completed the blue quest The Black Library.)

Bile splatters against the wall, eating through the rock in a hissing cloud of steam. You grab Virgil and push him ahead, aware that the giant centipede is closing in fast. The cavern rings with the endless tapping of its many chitinous legs.
'I need to heal,' Virgil staggers dizzily. He cradles his burnt arm to his chest, the shreds of cloth mingling with the blood and seared flesh.
'Keep going!' you urge, shoving him forward. 'We'll make it!'
Across the cave, a row of stalagmites block the face of the wall. They spear upwards to meet the stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, together forming a colonnade of crystal-glowing rock. A natural barrier.
You push Virgil between the columns. As you move to follow, you risk a look over your shoulder—and wish you hadn't. Your vision is filled with a nightmarish mishmash of spines and mandibles. The creature shows no signs of slowing, its hundreds of legs driving it forward at an alarming speed...
There is a loud crack.
The centipede's spiked head smashes into the columns, crumpling through the stone and filling the air with dust. You reel behind Virgil, who is already half-running and half-stumbling along the makeshift corridor. Ahead you spy a narrow opening in the wall, little more than a jagged crevice. The witchfinder has also seen it, quickening his pace. Behind you the giant monster shrieks with rage, knocking through the columns like a ball through skittles.
Just as the ensuing dust cloud is about to engulf you, your hands find the opening. Cloth and scales rip on the gnarled rock as you push yourself into the claustrophobic space. A second later and the black body of the insect hurtles past, its immensity filling your narrow view with shell and spines. Then it is gone, skittering away with a angry screech.
The crevice brings you out into another cavern, lit by pillars of multi-colored crystals. Virgil is gasping for breath as he struggles one-handed to pull a gourd from his coat.
'Need...tonic.' He lifts the gourd to his mouth, clamping his gold teeth around the cork and yanking it free. You glance down at his burnt arm, wincing at the sight of the terrible wound. For once, the injury was not the work of demons, but Virgil's own pistol—the heated powder having exploded in its chamber.
He starts to raise the gourd to his lips, then gives a dismissive grunt. 'Ah, to Allam with it.' He tips the contents over his ravaged arm. The flesh smokes and sizzles, dragging a sobbing cry from his cracked lips. He staggers back as the skin continues to cauterize, becoming an ugly stretch of scarred tissue. 'Never did like taking medicine,' he gasps between gritted teeth.
'At least we lost the bug.' You look back towards the crevice, wondering if the creature will try and pummel its way through. Since first encountering the oversized centipede, it has proved a persistent foe, chasing you through nearly a mile of tunnels and caves.
'It will find us again, have no doubt.' Virgil rests his back against the wall, clenching and unclenching his maimed hand. 'Let's just be grateful for this reprieve.'
'I wouldn't get too settled...'
Virgil looks up, following your gaze.
Carved into the opposite wall is a colossal throne of black obsidian—and seated on it is a stone giant, its body patched with shards of bright-glowing crystal.
The witchfinder slides a pistol from his coat. When he catches your look he returns a guilty smile. 'Don't worry. It's my last one. Explosions are rare, mostly...'
Before you can deliver a reprimand, you hear a dull rumbling coming from the far wall. The throne is shaking, releasing thick currents of stone and dust.
'That doesn't look good,' you grimace.
Through the thickening haze, you can make out movement—the giant's hands are pushing down on the throne, heaving its immense body forward. Then, with a grating sigh, the giant rises up, its gem-encrusted crown scraping the cavernous ceiling, nearly a hundred feet above you.
The witchfinder glances at his pistol. 'We're going to need a bigger gun.'
Slowly, the giant's head tilts forward, angling its stone gaze at the floor of the cave. 'Tourmalus protect. Tourmalus obey.' The voice seems to come from everywhere at once, amplified by the smooth, curved walls of the chamber.
Virgil moves to your side, grunting with pain as he draws his sword from its scabbard. You follow his lead, your enchanted weapons spinning into your hands. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Tourmalus	14/12(*)	9	-	-
Blue agate	-	-	9	30
Red calcite	-	-	4	50
Dark citrine	-	-	9	30

Special abilities
Blue agate: At the end of every combat round, each crystal cluster is healed for 4 health. This cannot take each crystal above their starting health. (Once a cluster is reduced to zero health, it can no longer heal.)
Red calcite: Tourmalus' attacks have the piercing ability, ignoring your armor.
Dark citrine: Tourmalus has a speed of 14 (this is reduced to 12 once the citrine is destroyed.)
Body of crystal: The crystal clusters are immune to bleed, disease, lightning, and venom.

In this combat you roll against Tourmalus' speed. If you win a round, you can choose to apply your damage against one of the golem's crystal clusters. When a cluster is reduced to zero health, its ability no longer applies. You must destroy all three clusters to defeat the golem.

I think the optimal order is dark citrine, blue agate, red calcite.
*Snake Strike* Dark citrine takes 7 damage and is afflicted with convulsions. It's at 23.
Round 1: Patio 8+15+2 (charge'd), Tourmalus 10+14 (convulsions'd, Tourmalus loses the round.) Attacking Dark Citrine. Damage 1(critical strike'd, 6)+14-0 (piercing'd)=20, Dark Citrine is at 3. *DoTs* It's destroyed, Blue is at 27, Red is at 47. *Blue Agate* they're at max.
Round 2: Patio 8+15, Tourmalus 5+12. Attacking Blue Agate. Damage 2+14-9=7, Blue is at 23. (Rust'd, Blue's armor is at 7.) *DoTs* It's at 20, Red is at 47. *Blue Agate* Blue is at 24, Red is at max.
Round 3: Patio 4+15, Tourmalus 5+12. Attacking Blue Agate. Damage 1+14-3 (fatal blow'd)=12, Blue is at 12. *DoTs* It's at 9. *Blue Agate* It's at 13.
Round 4: Patio 10+15, Tourmalus 6+12. Attacking Blue Agate. (Blessed Bullets'd, broken trust'd, 2, ability fails.) Damage 2+14-7=9, Blue Agate is at 4. *DoTs* It's at 1. *Blue Agate* It's at 5.
Round 5: Patio 8+15, Tourmalus 2+12. Attacking Blue Agate. Damage 5+14-7=12, Blue Agate is destroyed. *DoTs* Red is at 47.
Round 6: Patio 6+15, Tourmalus 6+12. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 5, ability fails. Damage 2+14-4=12, Red is at 35. *DoTs* It's at 32.
Round 7: Patio 8+15 (demon claws'd, Red Calcite is at 28), Tourmalus 3+12. (Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 6, success. Damage 6+5+4=15, Red is at 13 and Tourmalus' speed is 11 for the next round. *DoTs* It's at 9.
Round 8: Patio 8+15, Tourmalus 10+11. Damage 1+14-4=11, Tourmalus is down!

Between being a mostly useless companion that delivers the occasional glib remark and having his gun explode on him, Virgil might just be the new Kyle Boche. But I do rather like that this opening is playing up the PC's badassery again; that's too rare in this book.

The crystals are the key to Tourmalus' power. Once the last cluster is destroyed the giant freezes in mid-step, the sole of one enormous foot raised to stomp on Virgil. The witchfinder dashes to safety as the giant topples forward, smashing through the obsidian throne in a dusty explosion of boulders and crystal.
You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Crystal hammer (main hand: hammer) +2 speed +5 brawn ability: stagger (requirement: warrior)
Energized crystal (backpack) A shard of crystal glowing with magic
Calcite claw (left hand: fist weapon) +2 speed +4 brawn ability: piercing (co: Use piercing to ignore your opponent’s armor and apply your full damage score to their health. This ability can only be used once per combat.)

Virgil removes his hat, shaking the dust from its brim. 'For once, just once, it'd be nice if something didn't want to kill us.' He plants his hat back onto his head. 'It could give a guy a complex.'
'Actually, it might have done us a favor.' You point through the swirling dust to the remains of the black throne. Part of its seat has broken away, revealing a torch-lined corridor snaking away into the rock.
'I'd rather avoid any more caves,' says Virgil. He lifts his blade, gesturing to a narrow opening in the south wall. It appears to lead out onto an exterior ledge, its edges gleaming with firelight.

Will you:
Take the secret passage?
Head out onto the ledge?

Also pick a loot.

Name: Mr. Patio
Path: Rogue
Career: Venommancer
Speed: +15, Brawn: +14, Magic: +0, Armor: +3
Health: 48

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Health	Ability
Head	Troll Tusks	+2			+2		Charge
Necklace	Corroded Pendant	+1					Rust
Cloak	Cloak of the Undying	+2				+3	Greater Heal
Main Hand	Ancestral Blade	+2	+3				Piercing, Bleed
Left Hand	Black Taipan	+2	+3				Convulsions
Gloves	Prickle Pair	+1	+2				Barbs
Chest	Brace of Fury	+2	+3				Critical Strike
Feet	Death Blades	+2	+3				Fatal Blow
Talisman	Kaala's Scale	+1					Venommancer, Heal, Charm
Ring 1	Pins 'N' Needles						Thorns
Ring 2	Grieving Soul				+1		Fire Aura, Charm

Backpack	Item
1	Spectral Syllabub
2	Onyx Blade
3	Molech Tov's Cocktail
4	Saint's Blessing
5	Rubrica's Cube

Prophecy
Demon claws
Demon spines
blood debt
Broken trust
Rune forge at 755
Money Pouch: 641 Crowns

[Omegonthesane]

Half a vote to ditch onyx blade for energised crystal since they're selling onyx blades over at the hat and gloves.

Then ledge.

[SGamerz]

Ledge

[Darth Rabbitt]

The ledge overlooks the main chamber of the volcano. Below you, through the sulfurous haze, you see bright tracks of lava cascading down into the lake.
The air here feels thin, as if the heat has seared it of all oxygen. You struggle for breath, putting a hand to the wall to steady yourself.
'Riven,' says Virgil, hoarsely. 'The curtain here is thin...'
You notice the witchfinder's haggard demeanor, his scarred face glistening with sweat. Other than a shortness of breath, you don't seem to be suffering as badly as your companion.
'Is it your wounds?' You look to his arm, where the ugly welts coil like red serpents.
He shakes his head, waiting out a dry, hacking cough. He wipes the spittle from his mouth with a shaking hand. 'The space between...our world and the shroud...' he rasps. 'Dangerous. Possible anomaly...'
You turn your attention back to the ledge. It climbs steeply around the face of the rock, leading up to the building on its summit. Black smoke plumes from the four chimneys, jutting from its domed roof.
'What is that place?' you ask. 'We saw it from the bridge.'
'The crematorium,' Virgil wheezes. 'A sacred place to the dwarves.'
'Would they have put the sword there?'
Virgil looks doubtful. 'Ragnarok...is cursed. They'd give it greater protect—'
Suddenly the air bends and distorts above you, sending rippling waves washing against the rock. At the center of the disturbance, a black hole rips open—rapidly getting wider and wider. A howling, freezing gale blasts you to your knees, deafening you with its dirge-like scream.
But that is nothing compared to the staggering roar that follows, an air-shredding landslide of elemental fury. You manage to raise your head, eyes watering from the chill wind, to see a ruined tower of black stone spinning out of the hole. Its walls and crenellations are frosted with ice, trailing white smoke as it careers straight into the side of the outcropping.,..
The explosion hurls you high into the air, sending you tumbling and spinning through a hailstorm of ice and rock. You try and open your wings, to slow your descent, but something slams into your stomach, flipping you over through the dust. A rock perhaps, or a body. You have lost all sense of direction, of whether you are facing up or down. There is only the wind, tearing at your body with its icy fingers, and the thunderous din of rocks breaking and smashing against each other.
The cold rapidly turns to heat, engulfing you in a stinging cloud of steam. In alarm, you realize you must be dropping towards the lake. All around you, there is a dull thud of debris hitting into something soft, viscous...like lava.
Then the mist clears and for the briefest of seconds you see an expanse of charred rubble racing up to meet you. Somehow, you manage to spread your wings, feeling the air push hard into the stretched membranes. But it is too little, too late. You slam into the ground, the sudden shock of pain dragging you straight into unconsciousness.

You awaken to dust. It billows everywhere, throwing a hazy veil over your bleak surroundings. A grim silence hangs as heavily, with only the occasional skitter of rocks to unsettle it.
Tentatively, you push yourself to your feet, surprised that you feel no pain, save for a dull ache from your ribs and shoulders. It appears that the demon blood has healed you once again.
As you stagger through the fog you glimpse bright rivers of lava, lapping between the islands of debris. The strange tower must have crashed down into the lake or on one of the many rock shelves jutting from the cavern wall.
The going is slow and treacherous, the precarious mounds of rock constantly shifting beneath your weight. With patience, you manage to reach the top of one of the higher peaks, affording you a better view of the mist-shrouded wasteland. (Mr. Patio has the word blood debt on his hero sheet.)

A streak of crimson flashes through the air, blowing a fist-sized crater in the ground ahead of you. A woman's angry curse follows. You spin around, to discover a slender figure watching you from amongst the rubble, her scarlet cloak and armor dazzling against the soot-grey backdrop. Beneath the woman's raised hood you glimpse a narrow face, framed by short copper-red hair.
The woman draws back her bow, a crackling arrow of fire forming in its arch.
'Wait!'
The shaft leaps from her bow with a sizzling roar. Its aim is true and would have taken you straight in the chest—were it not for your preternatural foresight. You twist aside, letting the bolt punch another hole in the charred debris.
'Well, if that's how it's going to be!' You start forward, hands reaching for your weapons...but then you hesitate. There is something familiar about the woman's face, the way she holds herself, the ring gleaming on the chain at her neck.
'Joss...?'
The woman answers with a bitter scowl. 'I know you, betrayer. You're the one who murdered my Adam!'
Another bolt streaks through the air. You leap out of its path, feeling the heat of its passing against your face.
'He was not your husband,' you implore angrily, remembering back to your fight with the metal golem. 'The toymaker had taken him—turned him into a monster!'
For a moment there is silence. You realize that the woman is sobbing, her shoulders quivering. 'You left me. Left me...if only you knew what you did, what I had to endure...' She stops abruptly, her face hardening once again. As she raises her bow, her eyes blossom into orbs of crimson fire. 'You made me into this. YOU!'
'Joss! You have demon blood, I see it. We both do. But don't give into the rage. You can fight it.'
She throws back her head with a wild, hysterical laughter. 'Rage is all I have, fool. It's all you left me with!'
The ranger looses another arrow, then another—her hand moving blindingly fast. Left with no other choice, you throw yourself into a charge, dragging your weapons free with a sharp hiss of magic. Whatever happened to Joss in the shroud, it is clear she has now become a vessel for something darker and more powerful. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Magic	Armor	Health
Joss	13	11	11	80

Special abilities
Blood hail: For each double that you roll for Joss's attack speed, you must automatically take 10 damage from the archer's arrows.
Blood thief: Each time you take health damage from Joss (including from her blood hail ability), she heals 4 health. This ability cannot take Joss above her starting health of 80.

I was trying to find a place to insert a reference to the final Takumi fight from Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest (what with the whole "demonically possessed archer fueled by supernatural rage over your perceived betrayal" thing going on here) but failed.
As for the fight itself, it seems that the shroud has really juiced her stats up. Convulsions interacts interestingly with her blood hail: we take 10 damage but automatically win the round.
*Snake strike* Joss takes 6 damage (critical strike'd, 12 damage) and is afflicted with bleed and convulsions. She's at 68.
Round 1: Patio 10+15+2 (charge'd), Joss 7+13. Damage 1+14-0 (piercing'd)=15, Joss is at 53. *DoTs* She's at 49.
Round 2: Patio 4+15 (charm'd, 6+15, demon claws'd, Joss is at 45, Joss 6+13. Damage 6+14-11=9, Joss is at 36. (Rust'd, her armor is at 9.) *DoTs* She's at 32.
Round 3: Patio 7+15, Joss 8+13. Damage 3+14-4 (fatal blow'd)=13, Joss is at 29. *DoTs* She's at 25.
Round 4: Patio 3+15 (charm'd, 4+15, demon claws'd, Joss is at 21), Joss 8+13. (Prophecy'd, no damage.) *DoTs* Joss is at 17.
Round 5: Patio 5+15, Joss 5+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 6, ability succeeds. Damage 4,4,5=13, Joss is at 4 and her speed is at 12 for the next round. *DoTs* She's dead.

Virgil actually wins us a fight for once, although Joss would have died in a round or two after that anyways. It's noticeable that the one time Virgil is of use to us is also the one time that he keeps his mouth shut.

You withdraw your weapons, watching as thick welts of blood soak through the archer's tunic, staining it a deeper shade of red. A soft whimpering comes from her lips, then she slides to the ground, her accusing stare forever frozen in death.
You kneel beside the woman's corpse, your eyes flicking to the wedding band glittering around her neck. Whatever demon of rage had finally consumed Joss, you pray that she can now find peace.
You may now help yourself to one of the following special rewards:

Sanguine surcoat (chest) +2 speed +4 magic ability: dark pact (requirement: mage)
Crimson cover (head) +2 speed +2 brawn ability: bleed (requirement: rogue)
Scarlet sabatons (feet) +2 speed +3 brawn ability: haste (requirement: warrior)

(Mr. Patio is a rogue).

Your eyes stray to the demonic bow. It is fashioned from lengths of wood and iron, twisted together to form a tangled arch of thorns. Even the grip is bladed and sharp, capable of drawing blood from one brave enough, or foolish enough, to want to hold it.
If you wish, you may now take:

Agilax, the string of tears
(left hand: bow)
+2 speed +3 brawn
Ability: blood archer career

While this item is equipped, the blood archer has the following special abilities:

Blood hail (co): Instead of rolling for a damage score after winning a round, you can use blood hail to shower your enemies with arrows. Roll 2 damage dice and apply the result to each of your opponents, ignoring their armor. If any opponent is already inflicted with bleed from a previous round, then they take an extra 4 damage.
Blood thief (pa): For every [6] you roll for your damage score/damage dice, you may instantly restore 4 health. This cannot take you above your starting health.

Now (co) abilities normally indicate that they're only usable 1/combat, but blood hail doesn't. I'd say that it was just a typo but the wording is the same in the abilities glossary. My personal take on gamebook ambiguities is generally to put them in the player's favor (especially since this is competing with Patio's patented Snake to the Face™), but you are the players here, so you get to choose. Of course, this is all assuming that we take the bow.

Pick loot(s) to proceed.

Name: Mr. Patio
Path: Rogue
Career: Venommancer
Speed: +15, Brawn: +14, Magic: +0, Armor: +3
Health: 48

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Health	Ability
Head	Troll Tusks	+2			+2		Charge
Necklace	Corroded Pendant	+1					Rust
Cloak	Cloak of the Undying	+2				+3	Greater Heal
Main Hand	Ancestral Blade	+2	+3				Piercing, Bleed
Left Hand	Black Taipan	+2	+3				Convulsions
Gloves	Prickle Pair	+1	+2				Barbs
Chest	Brace of Fury	+2	+3				Critical Strike
Feet	Death Blades	+2	+3				Fatal Blow
Talisman	Kaala's Scale	+1					Venommancer, Heal, Charm
Ring 1	Pins 'N' Needles						Thorns
Ring 2	Grieving Soul				+1		Fire Aura, Charm

Backpack	Item
1	Spectral Syllabub
2	Energized Crystal
3	Molech Tov's Cocktail
4	Saint's Blessing
5	Rubrica's Cube

Prophecy
Demon claws
Demon spines
Broken trust
Rune forge at 755
Money Pouch: 641 Crowns

[Omegonthesane]

Half a vote to take the crimson cover. May as well commit to "armour is for wusses".

Full vote to discard the bow and remain a venomancer, but I can see why someone else might full vote the other way.

[Whiysper]

Agreed on taking the cover. Especially if Bleed stacks . Worst case, we have more flexibility on future drops.

Bow does look nice... but it can't bite fools. In the face. So I'd also agree with staying Venomancer, but I'd not stop someone who wanted to swap to being a Blood archer - no vote either way on that one .

[SGamerz]

Sure, take the cover.

Those troll tusks look silly anyway.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Agreed on taking the cover. Especially if Bleed stacks .

Abilities don't stack unless mentioned otherwise, and Bleed doesn't mention otherwise.

Sure, take the cover.

Those troll tusks look silly anyway.

Any opinion on the bow?

That's 2 1/2 votes on taking the cover, so that seems guaranteed. I'll edit it in to Patio's hero sheet.

Name: Mr. Patio
Path: Rogue
Career: Venommancer
Speed: +15, Brawn: +16, Magic: +0, Armor: +1
Health: 48

Slot	Item	Speed	Brawn	Magic	Armor	Health	Ability
Head	Crimson Cover	+2	+2				Bleed
Necklace	Corroded Pendant	+1					Rust
Cloak	Cloak of the Undying	+2				+3	Greater Heal
Main Hand	Ancestral Blade	+2	+3				Piercing, Bleed
Left Hand	Black Taipan	+2	+3				Convulsions
Gloves	Prickle Pair	+1	+2				Barbs
Chest	Brace of Fury	+2	+3				Critical Strike
Feet	Death Blades	+2	+3				Fatal Blow
Talisman	Kaala's Scale	+1					Venommancer, Heal, Charm
Ring 1	Pins 'N' Needles						Thorns
Ring 2	Grieving Soul				+1		Fire Aura, Charm

Backpack	Item
1	Spectral Syllabub
2	Energized Crystal
3	Molech Tov's Cocktail
4	Saint's Blessing
5	Rubrica's Cube

Prophecy
Demon claws
Demon spines
Broken trust
Rune forge at 755
Money Pouch: 641 Crowns

[SGamerz]

Sure, take the cover.

Those troll tusks look silly anyway.

Any opinion on the bow?

No to bow, keep the snake.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'd probably keep the snake too. Blood hail is better against groups of opponents but there aren't too many of those.

That was the last rogue career in the book.

The sound of battle draws you to the edge of a wide, smoking crater. Twisted lengths of iron and steel poke out of the debris like stark winter trees, forming a tight forest with Virgil at its center. The witchfinder is facing off against some metal contraption, which seems intent on slicing him to ribbons with its brutal assortment of knives and saws. With each lurching movement, lightning flashes between the crystals protruding from the golem's head, sending flickering veins of light coursing over its rusted body.
Grabbing one of the metal bars, you hurl it like a spear. The dull end bounces uselessly off the golem's thick plated armor, leaving little more than a shallow dent. But it has served its purpose—gaining the golem's attention. The contraption turns to face you, its grilled mouthpiece belching a furious cloud of steam. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Sparkacus	14	11	11	90

Special abilities
Chaotic current: Each time your damage score/damage dice causes health damage to Sparkacus, your hero must take 4 damage in return, ignoring armor. If you have the insulate ability, you can ignore this damage.
Body of metal: The automaton is immune to bleed, disease, piercing and venom.

Not much to say here, other than its name is a truly bad pun. The usual strategy will scrap it in no time, even with its damaging ability.
*Snake Strike* Sparkacus takes 9 damage and is afflicted with convulsions. It's at 81.
Round 1: Patio 7+15, Sparkacus 6+14. Damage 4+16-11=9, Sparkacus is at 72. *Chaotic Current* Patio is at 44. (Rust'd, its armor is at 9.) *DoTs* It's at 69.
Round 2: Patio 7+15, Sparkacus 3+14. Damage 5+16-4 (fatal blow'd)=17, Sparkacus is at 52. *Chaotic Current* Patio is at 40. *DoTs* It's at 49.
Round 3: Patio 7+15, Sparkacus 8+14. Tie. *DoTs* Sparkacus is at 46.
Round 4: Patio 10+15, Sparkacus 7+14. Damage 3+16-9=10, Sparkacus is at 36. *Chaotic Current* Patio is at 36. *DoTs* It's at 33.
Round 5: Patio 7+15, Sparkacus 2+14. Damage 6+16-9=13, Sparkacus is at 20. *Chaotic Current* Patio is at 32. *DoTs* It's at 17.
Round 6: Patio 10+15, Sparkacus 9+14. Damage 3+16-9=10, Sparkacus is at 7. *Chaotic Current* Patio is at 28. *DoTs* It's at 4.
Round 7: Patio 7+15, Sparkacus 11+14. (Prophecy'd, no damage.) *DoTs* Sparkacus is at 1.
Round 8: Patio 12+15 (demon claws'd, Sparkacus is dead!)

Your weapons shatter the golem's crystals, causing it to stagger drunkenly. Seizing his chance Virgil darts behind it, his blades crossing in a bright blur. A moment later and the golem's head hangs loose from its shoulders, bouncing up and down on a half-mangled spring. There is a dull clang from somewhere inside the rusted body, then the monster grinds to a halt, hissing jets of steam.
The witchfinder sheathes his blades, offering you a lazy half-smile. 'Battling tin pots. There's one for the ballads.'
You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

Golem oil (2 uses) (backpack) Increase your speed by 4 for one combat round
Spark plugs (1 use) (backpack) Ability: shock treatment (pa: If an ally falls in battle, you can use shock treatment to restore them back to 10 health. This also removes all passive effects on that hero. This ability can only be used once per combat.)
Dull gladius (left hand: club) +2 speed +3 brawn ability: slam (co: Use this ability to stop your opponent rolling for damage when they have won a round. In the next combat round only, your opponent’s speed is reduced by 1. You can only use this ability once per combat.)

You notice that the golem's belly is fashioned from two plates of hinged metal, with a large keyhole at its center. (Mr. Patio is not a thief, nor does he have a black iron key.) The panels remain locked and you are unable to pry them open.

There's a golem core in there, which are also for sale in the shop (although they are expensive at 750 gold a pop, so a free one isn't actually bad. Still, nothing we'll miss.

Pick a loot to proceed.

[Omegonthesane]

Do we expect Trellorcan/Lorellis to fall in combat in the duo fights?

Drop diesel firebomb for spark plugs if so.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Patio has worse health and armor than Trellorcan, so he's probably in more danger than they are.

[Darth Rabbitt]

So I'm just going to go ahead and assume we don't take anything but if anyone thinks otherwise then I'm glad to change it to trade the diesel firebomb for spark plugs. I'll leave that question open until the end of this quest (or until someone votes for/against), and not use the firebomb until that point.

The mist has started to recede, revealing the full scale of the devastation. As you suspected, there is little left of the tower save for the rubble-strewn islands dotting the lava shelf.
Above you a huge chunk has been ripped out of the rock, where the tower collided with the dwarven outcropping. Thankfully, a section of the bridge remains intact, winding up to the dark building perched on its summit. You flex your wings, hoping they are strong enough to carry you and Virgil back to the ledge.
You will need to take a speed test:

Wing and a prayer (Speed 18)
6+15=21; success!

Failing here ends the quest early.

You successfully reach the ledge. After taking a moment to recover from your ordeal, you proceed to follow the path to the top of the rock face. As you near its summit, the path widens into a set of worn stairs, leading to an open doorway in the side of the building. Warily, you follow Virgil inside.

You enter a vaulted hall of smooth black stone. The walls have been draped with faded banners, each one carrying a different symbol—a flame, a mountain, an axe, a hammer. You wonder if they refer to gods or spirits, or perhaps different factions that once existed within the city. A row of stone pews form a silent procession down the center of the hall, their way illuminated by the iron braziers suspended from the ceiling.
The entire left-side of the chamber has caved in, leaving nothing but rubble. To the right, in the direction the pews are facing, there is a chimney shaft descending from the ceiling. At its base the shaft opens out into an octagonal font of glowing black coals, surrounded by magical runes. The only visible exit is a set of stairs either side of the chimney, leading up to a railed balcony.
You move to inspect the font, noticing that there is a black metal dish resting on the coals. Above it, carved into the chimney shaft, is an image of a phoenix, rising up out of an urn of flame. (Mr. Patio does not have the bronze urn.) You decide to head up the stairs.

If we had the urn, we could get a phoenix feather here, which could be used for crafting weapons in the forge. IIRC it's actually the only place you can find one in this book.

The balcony has a single doorway, which takes you through into a domed chamber. This new area is devoid of furnishings or decoration, save for the mosaic floor. You twist your head to try and discern the pattern—it looks like a runed hammer, surrounded by a circle of flames.
At the opposite end of the hall are two enormous stone doors, intricately carved to mirror the same design. They stand slightly ajar, affording a glimpse of a colonnaded platform and an outdoor plaza beyond.
As you head across the room, the ground starts to tremble underfoot. You look urgently to Virgil, then down at the tiles, which are visibly vibrating.
'When was the last time this volcano erupted?' you ask with a nervous frown.
Virgil shakes his head. 'I don't think...'
Suddenly, there is a loud explosion. Broken tiles go sailing through the air as a spiked head pushes up through the rock. Giant mandibles snap hungrily at you then the creature falls back, leaving a gaping hole in the floor. An instant later you hear a skittering sound, moving across the room.
'Persistent, I'll give it that,' grunts Virgil, trying to follow the sound as it sweeps past.
The skittering stops. You exchange concerned glances.
Then the ground beneath your feet explodes upwards. You go tumbling away as the centipede bursts out, its plated legs scrabbling to pull its body through the hole. You manage a futile swing at the monster as it surges past, but your weapons are deflected by its thick carapace.
The bug swarms up the wall, then across the ceiling, its head swinging around to take aim with its bile-coated mandibles. You don't need a sixth sense to know what is coming next. As the first of the slime bombs splatter across the ground, you flex your demon wings then launch yourself into the air. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Brawn	Armor	Health
Chilopoda	13	11	13	150

Special abilities
Bile assault: Create a 6 by 6 grid on a sheet of paper. Number the squares 1 to 6 both horizontally and vertically (see diagram). At the start of each combat round, choose a square for your hero to occupy. (You may want to use a counter or die for this.) Then roll 2 dice for a grid reference; the first result for the horizontal (x axis) and second result for the vertical (y axis). So a roll of [3] and [4] would give you grid reference 3,4. This square has been filled with corrosive bile.

6	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
5	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
4	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
5	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
2	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
1	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
	1	2	3	4	5	6

If your hero was occupying this square then they take 15 damage, ignoring armor. The bile remains in the square for the duration of the combat. Repeat this extra phase at the start of each round, choosing a clear spot for your hero, then rolling for where the next bile will land. If you roll the same grid reference as a previous bile, then roll again. Remember, each bile remains in play until the start of the combat.

Going to just stay in corners unless we get slimed there.
*Snake strike* Chilopoda takes 9 damage and is afflicted with bleed and convulsions. It's at 141.
Round 1: Patio takes square 1, 1. *Bile assault* 2,6. Patio 6+15 (charm'd, 9+15), Chilopoda 9+13. Damage 6+16-0 (piercing'd)=22, Chilopoda is at 119. *DoTs* It's at 115.
Round 2: Patio takes square 1,6. *Bile assault* 5, 1. Patio 9+15, Chilopoda 7+13. Damage 5+16-13=8, Chilopoda is at 107. (Rust'd, its armor is at 11.) *DoTs* It's at 103.
Round 3: Patio takes square 6,6. *Bile assault* 3,6. Patio 3+15 (charm'd, 6+15), Chilopoda 8+13. Tie. *DoTs* Chilopoda is at 99.
Round 4: Patio takes square 6,1. *Bile assault* 1,4. Patio 9+15, Chilopoda 11+13. Tie. *DoTs* Chilopoda is at 96.
Round 5: Patio opts to move back to 6,6. *Bile assault* 4, 1. Patio 10+15 (demon claws'd, Chilopoda is at 92), Chilopoda 9+13. Damage 6+16-5 (fatal blow'd)=17, Chilopoda is at 75. *DoTs* It's at 71.
Round 6: Patio moves to 1,1. *Bile assault* 3,1. Patio 7+15, Chilopoda 4+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 3, ability fails. Damage 2+16-11=7, Chilopoda is at 64. *DoTs* It's at 60.
Round 7: Patio moves back to 6, 6 yet again. *Bile assault* 5,6. Patio 9+15, Chilopoda 7+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 1, ability fails. Damage 3+16-11=8, Chilopoda is at 52. *DoTs* It's at 48.
Round 8: Patio returns back to 1,1. *Bile assault* 1,5. Patio 9+15, Chilopoda 4+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 1, ability fails. Damage 1+16-11=6, Chilopoda is at 42. *DoTs* It's at 38.
Round 9: To mix it up, Patio moves to 6,4. *Bile assault* 6,3. Patio 9+15, Chilopoda 12+13 (convulsions'd, it loses the round.) Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 5, ability fails. Damage 4+16-11=9, Chilopoda is at 29. *DoTs* It's at 25.
Round 10: Patio hops on over to the middle at 4,3. *Bile assault* 2,1. Patio 10+15 (demon claws'd, Chilopoda is at 21), Chilopoda 9+13. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 6, ability succeeds. Damage 5+4+2-0 (critical strike'd, 6+6+6-0=18), Chilopoda is at 3. *DoTs* It's dead.

Flawless and Virgil helped us score the killing blow. Interesting. Here's the final state of the board:

6	[ ]	B	B	[ ]	B	[ ]
5	B	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
4	B	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
3	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	P	[ ]	B
2	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]	[ ]
1	[ ]	B	B	B	B	[ ]
	1	2	3	4	5	6

You leap onto the centipede's back, sinking your weapons between the insect's black carapace. A shudder runs along its enormous body, then the multitude of legs give way beneath it. The centipede skids along on a film of its own bile, before finally crashing into a wall with a satisfying crunch.
You jump down from its crumpled remains. 'Always knew it had a soft spot for me...'
For defeating Chilopoda, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Mucus membrane (chest) +2 speed +2 armor ability: immobilize (requirement: warrior)
Slime skimmers (boots) +2 speed +2 brawn ability: webbed (sp: This ability reduces the number of dice your opponent can roll for attack speed by 1, for one combat round only. You can only use this ability once per combat.)
Mordant shroud (head) +2 speed +3 magic ability: acid (requirement: mage)

You exit the building via the heavy stone doors. Outside you find yourselves at the top of a colonnaded platform, with wide stairs leading down to a courtyard. Several deep craters have been ripped into the ground, branched with fissures. Rubble and ash litter the space. (Mr. Patio does not have the keyword escort on his hero sheet.)

We would have gotten this keyword if we took the secret passage at the beginning of this quest. Basically it's a protect sidequest for a spirit that turns into a slime monster that we'd have to fight here. It drops loot and gold but it's nothing we'd really miss.

As you cross the courtyard, Virgil spots something amongst the rubble. He calls a halt, crouching down next to a jagged piece of rock. Blood has been smeared across it.
'What is it?' You notice that there is a deliberate pattern to the stain. 'Another blood ritual?'
Virgil shakes his head. 'This is Avian's mark. A sign he's still alive.'
Your eyes quickly scan the rubble, half-expecting to see a body—or perhaps Cernos, lying in wait. Instead you spot a further trail of blood, winding through the ash and grime. It leads to a stepped walkway, which spirals up to the last tier of the dwarven city.
Angrily, Virgil scuffs the mark into the dirt. 'He knew this place would be the end of him. He knew and still he came...'
You turn in surprise. 'He is a prophet?'
Virgil snorts. 'Hardly. His fate was foretold by another. Jenlar Cornelius. A member of our order. Jenlar saw many deaths for Avian, but each one he has cheated. This one, I am starting to wonder...'
You frown. 'You mean the visions can be wrong?'
'Right, wrong. I don't pretend to know the way of it.'
'But Durnhollow...what I saw...'
He notes your look of bewilderment. 'Look, I live by my wits and my blades. If we're talking destiny now...' He shrugs. 'Avian once told me that destiny was for fools and dreamers. I think he was right. We all have a choice.'
You look past his shoulder to the dark sprawl of the city. Dawn has started to creep over the crater's edge, steadily dressing the towers and minarets in silvery threads of light. For the briefest of moments it is as if time has flowed backwards, and you are gazing upon the true majesty of Tartarus as it once was, all of those thousands of years ago.
You lower your head with a sigh. 'I saw my own death, here—at the foot of the mountain. Cernos will take Ragnarok. We will fail to stop him.'
Virgil rises to stand at your side. 'Then we must cling to a fool's hope. One of us has to change the future.' (Return to the quest map to continue your journey.)

So we've just got the legendaries, team battle, and boss battle left, unless we want to hit up the store again.

Also pick whether or not we want to take the slime skimmers, and last chance on whether or not we take the spark plugs.

[Omegonthesane]

Leave the boots to rot and start playing whack-a-legendary. 727 then 605 then 832 unless there's some hidden reason why another order is superior.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Legendary monster: Ixion, the wheel of pain

The tortured screams carry across the churning waves of the lava sea. You spin around, eyes roving across the floating fragments fo rock. At first, you don't see anything untoward—then, between the banks of steaming mist, you catch what looks like a giant wheel, bouncing and lurching through the lava. As it circles around your island, you realize that your eyes are not deceiving you—it is a wheel, one made of metal, with serrated spikes protruding from its outside edge.
The screams are coming from some poor victim, bound to the wheel's spokes. His arms and legs are manacled, his head held back by a cruel metal collar. He writhes and squirms in pain, his skin already blackened and charred, stretched taut over thin bone. By all reason he should be dead, fried to cinders—and yet some dark magic is keeping him alive, his tormented visage emitting and endless stream of wails and curses.
You glance at Virgil, his gem-studded eyepatch gleaming in the heat.
The witchfinder slides his pistols from his coat. 'Let's put this devil out of his misery.'
The wheel flips up on a viscous wave, spinning through the air towards your island. You scramble aside as it comes crashing down, its jagged spikes ripping deep furrows into the black rock.
'Fools!' The charred man leans forward, pulling against his restraints. 'There is no escape. No escaping the pain!' From his mouth comes a rippling torrent of flame, its edges flickering with ghostly skulls. You cover your face from the heat as the wheel screeches past, missing you by a hair's breadth. As it circles around to make its next pass, you draw your weapons and prepare to take on this hellish wheel of pain. It is time to fight:

	Speed	Magic	Armor	Health
Wheel	14/12	11	12	100
Ixion	-	-	5	35

Special abilities
Rolling, rolling, rolling: The wheel picks up speed when it is charging and then slows down to turn. Its speed alternates between 14 and 12. In the first combat round, the wheel has a speed of 14, in the second, 12—and so on.
Purging flames: While Ixion is alive, you must take 6 damage, ignoring armor, at the end of each combat round. If you have fire shield, this is reduced to 2 damage.

In this combat, you roll against the wheel's speed. If you win a combat round, you can choose to apply your damage to the wheel or Ixion. Once the wheel is reduced to zero health, Ixion is also automatically defeated.

So Ixion is basically the only thing in this entire book that is as metal as Patio. Can't we lose Virgil and have this guy be our companion instead?
The fight itself isn't too interesting (being about as strong as Molech was), except insofar that a metal wheel can bleed and be poisoned. Going to kill Ixion first, since 6 damage/round is nasty.
*Snake strike* The wheel takes 9 damage and is afflicted with bleed and convulsions. It's at 91.
Round 1: Patio 6+15, Wheel 6+14. Attacking Ixion. Damage 5+16-5=16, Ixion is at 19. *DoTs* He's at 15, Wheel is at 87, Patio is at 39.
Round 2: Patio 7+15, Wheel 6+12. Attacking Ixion. Damage 5+16-5=16, Ixion is dead. *DoTs* Wheel is at 83.
Round 3: Patio 9+15, Wheel 4+14. Damage 6+16-0 (piercing'd)=22, Wheel is at 61. *DoTs* It's at 57.
Round 4: Patio 10+15, Wheel 5+12. Damage 6+16-12=10, Wheel is at 47. (Rust'd, its armor is at 10.) *DoTs* It's at 43.
Round 5: Patio 7+15, Wheel 6+14. Damage 3+16-5 (fatal blow'd)=14, Wheel is at 29. *DoTs* It's at 25.
Round 6: Patio 8+15, Wheel 7+12. Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 2, ability fails. Damage 6+16-10=12, Wheel is at 13. *DoTs* It's at 9.
Round 7: Patio 3+15, Wheel 10+14 (convulsions'd, wheel loses the round.) Blessed bullets'd, broken trust'd, 5, ability fails. Damage 4+16-10=10, Wheel is dead!

You break through the demon's manacles, releasing the charred cadaver. It slumps to the ground, hoarse breath rattling from its seared lungs. 'The suffering,' it rasps. 'End the suffering...'
You gladly oblige, watching as the demon's blackened skin starts to burn, consumed by a bright white fire. From the ashes, a wisp of smoke rises up into the steaming mist. Peace, whispers a voice. I find peace.
The wheel continues to rattle across the island, but is gradually losing speed—as if its own black spirit has now been exorcised. Reaching the edge of the rock, it finally grinds to a halt, cutting a grim silhouette against the gleaming red magma. (Mr. Patio is a rogue.)

For defeating Ixion, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

Spoke of the wheel (main hand: sword) +2 speed +4 brawn ability: deep wound (co: You can use this ability to roll an extra die when determining your damage score. You can only use this ability once per combat.)
Crucifixion nail (ring) +1 brawn ability: sweet spot (pa: Before a combat begins, choose a number 1-6. Each time your opponent rolls a die with this result when rolling for attack speed, they automatically take 2 damage.)
Singed footpads (feet) +2 speed +3 brawn ability: sidestep (co: Use this ability when you have lost a combat round, to avoid taking damage from your opponent’s damage score. You can only use sidestep once per combat.)

(Mr. Patio is not hexed.) Return to the quest map to continue your journey.

We get an extra piece of loot from the legendaries if we were still hexed. Nothing we'd really miss.

Pick a loot to proceed, and then unless stated otherwise, I'll continue with Omegonthesane's plan and hit up the stone castle at 605.

[Whiysper]

Ring looks nice... but we'd lose either Thorns or Fire Aura/Charm. Given we rely on DoTs - 33% chance each round of 2 damage sounds worse than a flat 1 damage, although it would let us get around the various Fire immune things we find. Half a vote to swap the Fire Aura ring out for the Crucifixion nail.

Also happy to proceed down the list of legendaries.

[Omegonthesane]

...I kinda want to take the spoke of the wheel, but can't convince myself the brawn upgrade plus the +d6 damage per fight makes up for "plus whatever their armour score was" per fight. Even though we still wouldn't be losing Bleed.

Anyway AnyDice makes it 30.56% chance of 2 damage, albeit inclusive of a 2.78% chance of 4 damage if rolling doubles of the unlucky number counts as two separate times.

So full vote replace pins & needles with crucifixion nail, because at least that way the +1 brawn makes up for the reduction in expected DoT without us losing special abilities. I'll take my chances re: things being immune to fire aura rather than lose a Charm.