Let's Play The Gates of Death: Fighting Fantasy (Sch#12)

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 3:03 pm

So back to the fishy portal, to try to jump over it:

(Colin is not wearing any magical boots.)

You're going to need luck to jump over such a wide gap. Test your Luck. 1,3=4; Lucky!

You fly over the portal and land on solid ground on the far side. You quickly move away from the pulsating purple pit, hurry down some steps and go through a door into another room. The fishy smell is even stronger in here and you find you are standing in water up to your knees. The strangest thing, though, is a person with the head of a catfish sitting at a table.

'Have you come to save me?' says the fish-thing. 'I've been trapped in here by that blasted demon portal outside. My name is Piscis Austrinus, but most call me the Fish with a Thousand Voices. Others just call me Fish Face, but we won't go into that. I speak all known languages...I speak them but I don't always understand them. So forgive me if I sometimes seem to babble, dabble, double, apple, trouble. I work here in the temple translating ancient gnomes, sorry, tomes. Yes, tomes. Have you brought me a book from the library? (Colin has a book from the Library of Throff.)

You pass Piscis your book and he studies it.

'Ah, yes,' he says. 'Hither Chaos Angel Died. Marvelous book, marvelous, barbarous, bibulous, bibliophile. You found it. Very clever. To protect our library we disguised every book using magic, and gave them all the same title. We hoped it would fool our enemies and stop them from stealing our knowledge. Do you want to know what this book is really called? Hmm. I'll translate it for you...'

Piscis mutters some words over the book and sprinkles some drops of silver liquid on it. When he hands it back to you the title has changed. You see that it is really called The Book of the Dead.

'This was written after the traitor Ulrakaah turned against us,' says Piscis. 'It contains much useful knowledge, if you know where to cook, sorry, look. I have used my skills on it and you should be able to easily read it now. But you do not have time to read the whole thing. It's over a thousand pages long...'

(There's an option to ask him which part of the book we should read before leaving, which I know we'll take.)

'I can translate books, but I rarely read them,' says Piscis. 'I'm afraid I don't know which part of the book will help you. You need to find Sinna the Sly, a freebooter who came here recently. He knew which pages you need to read, but could never find the right book. Whereas you have found the book but don't know the page! That would be funny if the whole world wasn't about to end.'

If you want nothing more then you should go,' says Piscis. 'There is no time to lose. I am too old to go jumping about, and forgive me if I have said this before, but I have a pair of magical Flea Boots if you need them. Wear them and you, at least, should be able to get easily over the portal, even if I can't.'

(If you don't already have a pair of magical boots, put on the Flea Boots and add them to your Equipment List.)

You leave the wet room, climb the steps, leap over the portal without any trouble and go back into the Walkway of the Dawn.

Where to now?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 9/18
LUCK: 4/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles, Flea Boots
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 18
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons), Temple Guard's Axe (+1 Attack Strength, +1 damage on doubles rolled in combat), Fire Iron (-1 Attack Strength)
Items: Fishhook, Jar of Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA when used), Poison Antidote, Silver Trowel, Map of Trolltooth Pass, Flask of Firewater, Bronze-Colored Jewel, Cold Sausage, Cookbook, The Book of the Dead
Compasses: Brass Compass, Silver Compass, Bronze Compass
Provisions: 2 meals (+4 STAMINA when eaten each), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Collywobbles', 'Dragon's Breath,' 2 bottles of 'Nostalgia' Perfume, 'Pretty as a Picture,' 'Thick as Thieves'
Magic Seeds: 3 Seeds of Mastery, Seed of Doubt, Seed of Treachery, Seed of Destruction, Seed of Change
Running Total of Bad Puns: 2
Bum-Faced Monster: Bum-Faced Monster.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:46 pm

I think we now have everything we need, except the other khopesh, which we'll get from passing through the portal? So head back to Sinna and have him translate I guess.

As we have the flea boots, maybe we should try the other jump before we enter the portal, though.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:13 am

Oh, yes, try the other jump, forgot about that.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:07 am

Make the other jump

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:44 pm

First we try to jump the other portal:
You jump across the portal—but not far enough, and you tumble into the pool of purple light, which sucks you deeper and deeper into the demonic realm.

You learnt a spell to escape from a danger such as this. Will you get it right? (Exitus, exodus, excitus...)

You remembered the spell correctly. The portal spits you out and you find yourself in the Temple Gardens.

And now we go show Sinna The Book of the Dead:
'The book,' Sinna gasps. 'You have it...Perhaps you are true of heart, though I doubted there was anyone in all Allansia who really was. Quickly, turn to page 122; that is where you will find the answers you seek...'

We built the Gates of Death to protect us all from the demons that were banished to the Realm of the Dead, and only one who is pure of heart and skilled in the ways of magic can pass through without opening them. To open them would bring certain doom, which is why, if anyone so much as touches the iron rings that hold them closed, they will summon the two immortal Obsidian Giants that guard them.

A word of warning. To pass through the gates without opening them requires the ultimate sacrifice. One who would travel to the Realm of the Dead must first be slain by the Obsidian Giants. It is only when the spirit is severed from the body that it can pass over to the other side. But remember, you can carry nothing with you except something that belongs to Ulrakaah herself...

Sinna grips your arm with a trembling hand. He has a look of horror on his face.

'If I had known the price that must be paid,' he gasps, 'I don't think I would have had the courage to do what needs to be done. If you truly wish to be killed by the giants then I have something that will help you. It is called Weakwater...'

He struggles to pull something from a pouch and gives it to you. It is a small vial of colorless liquid.

'I use it on my enemies,' he explains. 'I slip it in their drink and it makes them lose all fighting skill. Take it...Use it if you must...'

You may drink the Weakwater now or later. If you do so it will reduce your SKILL score to 2 points.

You stand up and bid Sinna farewell. There is nothing you can do for him now.

Grab one of the rings?
Leave the cavern and return to the refectory?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 9/18
LUCK: 4/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles, Flea Boots
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 18
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons), Temple Guard's Axe (+1 Attack Strength, +1 damage on doubles rolled in combat), Fire Iron (-1 Attack Strength)
Items: Fishhook, Jar of Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA when used), Poison Antidote, Silver Trowel, Map of Trolltooth Pass, Flask of Firewater, Bronze-Colored Jewel, Cold Sausage, Cookbook, The Book of the Dead, Vial of Weakwater (reduces SKILL to 2)
Compasses: Brass Compass, Silver Compass, Bronze Compass
Provisions: 2 meals (+4 STAMINA when eaten each), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Collywobbles', 'Dragon's Breath,' 2 bottles of 'Nostalgia' Perfume, 'Pretty as a Picture,' 'Thick as Thieves'
Magic Seeds: 3 Seeds of Mastery, Seed of Doubt, Seed of Treachery, Seed of Destruction, Seed of Change
Running Total of Bad Puns: 2
Bum-Faced Monster: Bum-Faced Monster.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:32 am

Wait, so like, what's the plan here? Suicide and then fight the boss with no items, including "first of only two existing weapons that can hurt the boss"? It therefore must be possible to fight her after opening the gate, but maybe that gets us the bad end.

Let's go to that viewing chamber the fish mentioned and see if a plan presents itself.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Sat Apr 06, 2019 5:11 pm

The khopeshes were hers I believe? That's what the Holy Man said anyways.

So we can take them with us.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Sun Apr 07, 2019 12:57 am

Oh, that's true. And we can't get the other one until we're through the gate, right? When are we supposed to douse it with the beauty potion, if we lose that on entry?

I vote to check out the viewing platform just to be sure there's nothing we missed.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Apr 08, 2019 9:53 pm

Yeah, the swords used to be Ulrakaah's so they can be brought through the Gates without trouble. So we head to the viewing platform:

You are in a long narrow passageway, lined with more bookshelves. At one end is the door to the Wooden Scribe's study, at the other is a window through which purple light is entering. More purple light is coming from under a slatted doorway halfway along the passage. Opposite the doorway are some steps leading downwards.

(Looking through the window.)

You walk up to the window. It is made of very thick glass and sits in an iron frame overlooking a huge cavern. You look down to see several purple portals in the rock floor from which gas is rising and making it hard to see anything else. But you think you can just make out the shapes of two massive gates on the far side. You can't get to the cave from here, so you have to go back.

Go down the steps?
Go through the slatted doorway?
Go back to the cave and grab one of the rings?
Go through the moon door in the guardroom?

And I think that's all that's left to do in this temple.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:55 pm

Steps.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:51 am

You walk down the steps and find that they lead to a bathhouse. There are jars of oils and salts and scented herbs. Steam is rising from a big bath of water fed by a hot spring.

Take a bath?
Go back to the passageway and go through the slatted doorway?
Go back to the cave and grab one of the rings?
Go through the moon door in the guardroom?

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:26 pm

Moon door.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:45 pm

Half vote for random bathing.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:25 pm

No reason we can't do both. First the bath:

You undress, slip into the warm, soothing water and feel instantly revived. This is no ordinary bath. (Restore your STAMINA score to its Initial level and add 1 to your SKILL score.) Afterwards, you quickly dress and return to the passageway.

Then the moon door:

You are in a room full of different colored potions, jars, oils, powders and liquids, as well as an array of magical and scientific apparatus, including a bronze crucible.

'Welcome to the Potions Room,' says a young, bald girl, dressed in orange temple robes, and she bows to you. 'My name is Denka Mansell. I am apprentice to the High Priestess and help her create all her magic potions here. I know who you are. We have been waiting for you. Have you brought the smoke-oil? Give me all of what you have so I can get to work. The quicker we can make more of it and cure the demon curse, the better. We don't need the High Priestess, she has deserted us and let us all down.'

Ask about the High Priestess?
Give Denka all your smoke-oil, if you still have any?
Ask Denka what's behind the door that looks like a giant book?
Go back to the passageway and through the slatted doorway?
Go back to the cave and grab one of the rings?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 18/18
LUCK: 4/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles, Flea Boots
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 18
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons), Temple Guard's Axe (+1 Attack Strength, +1 damage on doubles rolled in combat), Fire Iron (-1 Attack Strength)
Items: Fishhook, Jar of Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA when used), Poison Antidote, Silver Trowel, Map of Trolltooth Pass, Flask of Firewater, Bronze-Colored Jewel, Cold Sausage, Cookbook, The Book of the Dead, Vial of Weakwater (reduces SKILL to 2)
Compasses: Brass Compass, Silver Compass, Bronze Compass
Provisions: 2 meals (+4 STAMINA when eaten each), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Collywobbles', 'Dragon's Breath,' 2 bottles of 'Nostalgia' Perfume, 'Pretty as a Picture,' 'Thick as Thieves'
Magic Seeds: 3 Seeds of Mastery, Seed of Doubt, Seed of Treachery, Seed of Destruction, Seed of Change
Running Total of Bad Puns: 2
Bum-Faced Monster: Bum-Faced Monster.

Whiysper · Post by **Whiysper** » Fri Apr 12, 2019 11:18 am

....suspicious. Ask questions, while being fully prepared for this wench to attempt to murder us.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:47 pm

The High Priestess:
'The High Priestess is hiding somewhere in the temple,' says Denka, her eyes glowing with excitement. 'I know not where, as I am trapped in here. Every time I try to get out, a demon appears from the fireplace in the guardroom and stops me. So I am your only hope. I never thought the High Priestess would turn out to be such a coward. You must quickly give me your smoke-oil. Quickly, quickly, quickly!'

What's behind the door:
'The door shaped like a book leads to the Great Library of Throff,' says the bald girl. 'There is a book in the library that can tell you how to pass through the Gates of Death and enter Ulrakaah's realm, but you can't possibly get in there as the way is blocked by a demon. Don't even try. Now, I beg you, give me all your smoke-oil, please. We are running out of time.'

Unfortunately for her, we don't have any smoke-oil to give her.

Which is just as well, because she's actually a demon in human form and would just destroy it all and then try to kill us (if you kill her you can manage to salvage one vial...which is kind of funny if you took the route we did and only had one to begin with.)

So there's nothing else we can do here. Which leaves us with only two options:

Go back to the passageway and through the slatted doorway?
Go back to the cave and grab one of the rings?

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:48 pm

Half a vote to grab the rings I guess? The slatted doorway had a demon portal and is probably just a trap. The only loose end is getting the other, non-shitty khopesh, and it looks like we're supposed to do that on the other side.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Sat Apr 13, 2019 4:58 pm

Also tentatively support grabbing the rings.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:22 am

You step forward and take hold of one of the rings, trying to ignore the hideous screaming faces and skeletal hands that try to grab hold of you. As you lift the ring and turn it, you hear a heavy, thumping, cracking sound, like huge rocks knocking together, and then see two dark shapes rising from the floor. They are giant guards made of black crystal. Bodies, armor, halberds, helmets with closed visors, all are formed from gleaming obsidian. Their heavy crystal boots shake the ground as they stomp towards you.

'We are the Guardians of the Gates,' they say in unison, their voices sounding as if they have come down to you over the years from centuries ago. They raise their halberds.

I assume we fight the OBSIDIAN GIANTS, but the question is how?

The Book of the Dead says that we need to let them kill us, but "throw the fight" isn't an option. Do we want to drink the Weakwater to reduce Colin's SKILL to 2? We could also just go and chug from the Pool of Misery until we're at 1 STAMINA (it's cheesy and kind of metagaming, but honestly so is not being able to just let the giants kill us). If we drop our weapon and fight Colin only does 1 damage/hit and has an effective SKILL of 9. We could do any combination of those tactics; they're not mutually exclusive.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 12:57 pm

I thought the giants regenerated and it wouldn't matter. Maybe they stay down for long enough for the world to end?

I'd chug the pool of misery down to 1 and then fight, rather than mess with the weakwater. And maybe the weakwater will be useful later.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 1:22 pm

SlyJohnny wrote:I thought the giants regenerated and it wouldn't matter. Maybe they stay down for long enough for the world to end?

The giants do regenerate, and as written we could run back and fight them again. But since weakening the player character is explicitly an option suggested at the point the reader is informed that you need to die to go through the gates, and it would speed up the fight considerably, it seems like a reasonable question to ask.

Colin nearly drowns himself in the Pool of Misery and then attacks the giants:

The Obsidian Giants are crunching and creaking towards you. You must prepare yourself for the battle...and what happens afterwards.

If you have any Seeds of Galana, you may swallow them now, and if you have chosen to use a khopesh you can wash its blade in a magic potion to make it more powerful.

Choose a potion from your list, if you have any, and wash the blade. Then battle the Obsidian Giants one by one.

First OBSIDIAN GIANT SKILL 6 STAMINA 12
Second OBSIDIAN GIANT SKILL 6 STAMINA 12

Combat Log:

Colin drops his sword and decides to take on the giants with his fists, giving him an effective SKILL of 9:
Giant 13, Colin 15. Giant is at 11.
Giant 12, Colin 19. Giant is at 10.
Giant 15, Colin 16. Giant is at 9.
Giant 16, Colin 18. Giant is at 8.
Giant 14, Colin 13. Colin is down!

There's a special section to turn to upon losing, but first it's time to eat any/all of our seeds and wash our blade in a potion. Which do we choose?

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Sun Apr 14, 2019 5:28 pm

I can't remember which potion we're supposed to wash a khopesh in to return what's-her-face to her "beautiful" form, nostalgia or pretty as a picture. Sinna didn't specify, though I think one of the other NPCs did. Either way, we want the other khopesh, so maybe we shouldn't wash this one, if the potion is Pretty, as we only have one.

If we can hit with one weapon and then switch mid-fight to the other one, I vote to wash the khopesh in Pretty. If we can't, or someone else can remember what potion is right, I'll... go whatever anyone else votes for I guess.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Apr 16, 2019 3:03 pm

Which seeds do you want to eat before going in?

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Wed Apr 17, 2019 11:28 am

I have Seeds of Doubt that cause any enemy to lose the will to fight. I have Seeds of Treachery that cause enemies to turn against each other. I have Seeds of Mastery that boost your fighting skills, even beyond their normal levels. And I have Seeds of Power that make you stronger. Also, I would advise you to find some of the magic potion called 'Pretty as a Picture' and take it with you if you can. There should be some here in the temple potions room

Seeds of Mastery for sure, I feel like "even beyond their normal levels" must mean above their initial values. I'm not sure about Doubt and Treachery, but I think the implication is that we need to eat them to get the bonus rather than throw them, so maybe pop those all now and hope they don't trigger on the golems?

Save the "pretty" potion for the other khopesh.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Apr 18, 2019 3:08 am

The book is rather vague as to whether or not the bonuses would let you exceed your Initial scores, but the description given by the Holy Man states otherwise so I'll assume that they do.

Colin ATE ALL THE SEEDS before letting the giants kill him:

The Obsidian Giants strike you down with their crystal halberds. You experience a moment of searing pain and then nothing. You have lost all feeling in your body, and as it hits the floor your spirit lifts free. The giants freeze and you can see a black khopesh hanging in the air where it is embedded in one of the gates, which have become transparent and hazy. You can just make out a large open space on the other side. Your spirit drifts over towards the gates, floating in the air, and now it passes through them and you are in the middle of the realm of the dead.

You find yourself in a cavern similar to the one you have just left, with weirdly-colored crystals glowing in its walls. On the ground are heaps of dead warriors. You see disembodied spirits like yourself searching among the bodies, their faces masks of agony and sorrow. You choose a powerful-looking warrior, well clad in armor, and your spirit enters the corpse. It feels strange to be in another's body, but it also feels powerful. You rise up, strong and alive and bursting with energy. (Return your STAMINA score to its Initial level.)

All your senses have returned, and the first thing that hits you is the stink of this place, like a cesspit filled with filth. You try to ignore it as you go over to the gates, which now appear solid again. On this side they are smooth and shiny and you can see your reflection in them. You see the blade of the black khopesh sticking out. You know that without one of these enchanted blades you can never defeat Ulrakaah.

Try to pull the black khopesh through to this side?
Ignore it and move on?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 14/14
STAMINA: 18/18
LUCK: 4/11
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Magic Seeds: All eaten.