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

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:54 am

We've penetrated the hole, now we must spread the seeds.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:08 pm

Who he is:
'Greetings,' says the man. 'I am the Holy Man. Like you, I came here to help cleanse Allansia of the demon plague. To defeat Ulrakaah needs both skills in magic and combat. I have magic but I cannot take up arms—it is not in my nature. You, however, have learnt much in your adventures. Are you willing to take the fight to the mother of demons beyond the Gates of Death?'

His seeds:
The Holy Man leans forward and pops a seed out from a hole in the end of one finger...and then another from a hole in his arm, and yet another from his stomach...Soon there are several seeds in front of him: three Seeds of Mastery, three Seeds of Power, one Seed of Knowledge, a Seed of Doubt, a Seed of Treachery, a Seed of Destruction, and one Seed of Change.

Pick up the seeds you want and reduce your STAMINA by 1 point for each one taken. Be careful not to go below 1 STAMINA point, though, or you will die and it will all be over.

Once you have the seeds you want you can use them whenever you wish. Each Seed of Mastery you take from the Holy Man will immediately add 1 to your SKILL score. Each Seed of Strength will add 1 to your STAMINA score, whenever you eat it.

Ask the Holy Man about Ulrakaah?
Ask him about the Gates of Death?
Return to the tunnel?

Also pick what seeds we want. We already have votes for Knowledge; do we want any/all of the other 10?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 17/18
LUCK: 5/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles
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
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,' 'Nostalgia' Perfume, 'Pretty as a Picture,' 'Thick as Thieves'
Magic Seeds: Seed of Knowledge

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Tue Mar 12, 2019 6:05 pm

I kinda want all the seeds (trading the dates for 3 seeds of power seems useful), but maybe the doubt, destruction and treachery seeds won't be good to have around. Let's ask about the other stuff to get more information.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:17 am

What's the point of the Seed of Strength, you lose 1 Stamina to get 1 Stamina later?

Also...is Holy Man a terrible pun?

Anyway, knowledge and power seem like good choices.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 11:37 am

Take all the seeds except strength.

Then get all the exposition.

Whiysper · Post by **Whiysper** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:28 pm

I'll also go with every seed but Strength, and using them to plant an exposition tree, just to break the vague tie.

ETA: If the seeds can literally be used to do undisclosed things, no motion to use them immediately. I was just being punny.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 8:49 pm

Thaluikhain wrote:Also...is Holy Man a terrible pun?

Yes. Yes it is.

The Seeds of Strength and the Seeds of Power appear to be the same thing. Smells like bad editing. So after all's said and done it sounds like we're going to take all the seeds but Strength/Power (leaving Colin at 10 STAMINA) and ask him stuff:

About Ulrakaah:
'Ulrakaah, Queen of Darkness, lives in the realm of death beyond the gates. She can only be defeated by using a combination of magic and one of her enchanted khopesh blades. I can supply you with most of the magic you need, the khopesh you will have to find yourself, if you do not already carry one. I know there is one here somewhere in the temple, however.'

About The Gates of Death:
'The most important thing to remember about the Gates of Death is that you must never try to open them or you will allow Ulrakaah's demonic army back into this realm where they will be ten times stronger than in their own realm. I do not know how to pass safely through the gates to confront them on the other side. There is a book here, in the library, though, that will give you the information you seek, The Book of Death. I can, however, tell you what magic you will need to defeat Ulrakaah.'

(Bonus topic unlocked, I assume we ask it.)

What magic you will need:
'I have brought some magic Seeds of Galana to the temple,' says the Holy Man. 'Each one will give you different abilities. But I warn you now, there is a price. Each seed you take from me will reduce your strength, so choose wisely. I have Seeds of Knowledge that will allow you to speak and understand any language, but not read it. 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. There are also two magic pools. One of them will increase your strength if you need it, and the other will decrease it.'

The description of the Seeds of Mastery here makes it sound like the seeds can increase our Initial SKILL but this isn't mentioned in the section where the Holy Man offered his seeds to us, and the rule of thumb in these books is that if it's not specified, you can't exceed your Initial score. I'm willing to go either way on it. What do you think, and where should we go next? As reference, here's where we haven't been yet:

Window in the secret passageway?
The smaller door in the Walkway of the Dawn?
The Walkway of Night?
South chamber in the Aisle of Guardians?
And, of course, there's the room with the Gates themselves, which we haven't fully explored.

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 10/18
LUCK: 5/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles
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
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,' 'Nostalgia' Perfume, 'Pretty as a Picture,' 'Thick as Thieves'
Magic Seeds: 3 Seeds of Mastery, Seed of Knowledge, Seed of Doubt, Seed of Treachery, Seed of Destruction, Seed of Change
Running Total of Bad Puns: 2

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Mar 15, 2019 11:34 am

Check the window to see if it crashes as much as Bill Gates'.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:33 pm

You walk to the end of the secret passage and come to a large opening cut into the wall. A row of iron bars stops you from going any further, but you can see through them. You see that you are overlooking a vast cavern. Far below you, several purple portals have opened in the cavern floor, and the purple steam rising from them makes it difficult to see anything clearly. You can just make out glowing crystals in the cave walls and, on the far side, what look like two gigantic gates. You can't get to the cave from here, so you have to go back.

Where to now?

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Sat Mar 16, 2019 2:26 am

Let's go back to the gate room and use the seed of knowledge on the guy that was trying to tell us something.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:28 am

Gate room

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:33 am

Going back to the hole in order to re-penetrate:

The hole is just big enough for you to squeeze into. You climb through it and find yourself in a narrow tunnel that has been crudely hacked out of the rock. You hurry down it as fast as you can go. (Colin has a bronze-colored jewel.)

You walk all around the cavern but don't find anything you haven't seen before.

Checking the warrior:
You go over to the fallen warrior. He's clad in blue steel and his face is blackened as from a blast of fire. As you search his body for anything that might be useful, he suddenly grabs you with his left hand, and his eyes spring open. He's not dead at all. His grip is weak, however.

He stares into your eyes and starts to speak in a language you do not understand. (Colin has a Seed of Knowledge).

You pop a Seed of Knowledge into your mouth and swallow it. Now, magically, you can understand what the warrior is saying and he can understand you.

'I am Sinna the Brave,' he says. 'Although some people call me by another name. I have defeated many enemies in my time, but now I have met my last. Lord Azzur sent me here to defeat Ulrakaah and steal the treasures of the temple. I was warned that only the pure of heart could pass through those gates, but I easily defeated the two Obsidian Giants that guard them. Every time you strike them down, however, they come back to life...' He nods over to where the two giants are reforming and then goes on. 'I know that the Gates must never be opened, but there is a book here somewhere that contains the secret of how to pass safely through. Alas, I never could find it, so I tried to cut through the gates with my enchanted khopesh...and the gates themselves have killed me with a blast of hellfire...So, it seems, I am not pure of heart after all.' He laughs darkly. 'Not that that is news...'

(I'm just going to ask him all we can to keep the LP going at a decent pace. Fighting Fantasy books aren't as wordy as DestinyQuest ones so I can actually just do that with some consistency.)

The khopesh:
'The black khopesh is one of only two weapons that can defeat the Queen of Demons, Ulrakaah, who lurks on the other side of the Gates,' whispers Sinna, his voice growing feeble. 'I thought to kill her and steal her treasures...I had done everything I needed to do. I had even washed my blade in a potion that would return Ulrakaah to her normal beautiful form...but I couldn't get to her, and now my blade is embedded in the gates. Perhaps, if you could get through them, you could grab the khopesh from the other side and use it. But you will need to find the book first if you want to get that far...'

About the book:
'I learnt about the book from an adventurer who I...had an argument with,' says Sinna. 'He lost the argument. It is called The Book of the Dead. It's here in the Great Library of Throff somewhere and tells you how to pass safely through the gates. I looked for it, but the library is enchanted and I never found it. Perhaps you will have more luck...' (Colin does not have the Book of the Dead.)

Will you:
Leave and go to the smaller door in the Walkway of the Dawn?
Leave and go to the Walkway of Night?
Leave and go to the south chamber in the Aisle of Guardians?
Try the rings in the Gates of Death?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 10/18
LUCK: 5/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles
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
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,' '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

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 1:18 am

Door in Dawn

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:42 am

You open the smaller door and go through, only to discover that the room you've entered has become one giant demon portal. The floors, the walls, the ceiling...All is glowing purple and there is a noise like wind howling in a tunnel.

You teeter on the brink of the gaping hole in the floor, nearly falling in. You notice a weird fishy smell in here, as if you are under the ocean.

Jump over the portal?
Quickly duck back out into the Walkway of the Dawn?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:46 am

Run away and try somewhere else first, the Walkway of Night perhaps.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 1:38 am

^Agreed.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Mar 20, 2019 2:44 am

To the Walkway of Night:

You are in a large six-sided chamber with a pool of dark water in the middle. The Walkway of Night leads north to the main temple. The red-tiled Walkway of Evening leads south. This is the famous Pool of Miseries, one of two magical pools here in the temple that you learnt about from Brother Tobyn on the voyage from the Crucible Isles. The walls glow and shimmer as if lit by moonlight. You feel suddenly tired and gloomy and you can't remember if it's day or night.

Drink some water from the pool?
Go north down the Walkway of Night?
Go south down the Walkway of Evening?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:58 am

Half vote for avoiding drinking and continuing...was the main temple where we came from, so down the Walkway of Evening?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 11:38 am

Drink it in, man!

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 2:27 pm

Delay that decision and go to the South bit of the aisle of guardians.

Whiysper · Post by **Whiysper** » Fri Mar 22, 2019 3:52 pm

SlyJohnny has my vote

.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 4:07 am

So that looks like a majority for heading to the southern aisle of guardians room:

You walk into the chamber and almost fall headfirst into a glowing purple demon portal in the floor.

Try to jump over the portal?
Leave the chamber? (and presumably head back to the pool, whether we drink from it or not).

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Mar 23, 2019 5:15 am

Back to the pool first in case we can't get back over the portal.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Mar 24, 2019 2:40 am

Then it's back to the pool, where it appears consensus is slightly towards drinking:

You go over to the Pool of Miseries, look into the water and feel suddenly tired. You want to fall into the water, sink into its depths and sleep for ever. Instead, you drink some water from it and suddenly feel weak and ill. (Lose 1 STAMINA point.)

Yeah, there's 1 good pool and 1 bad pool. We got the good one the first time around.

And then going down the Walkway of Evening:

You are in the Walkway of Evening, which runs north to south. An archway at the northern end leads to the Pool of Miseries. There is a doorway at the southern end carved with armor and weapons and a smaller door halfway down on the western side.

Take the smaller doorway?
Go through the doorway carved with weapons?
Go back and try to jump over the fishy portal?
Go back and try to jump over the other portal?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 9/18
LUCK: 5/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles
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
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,' '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

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Mar 26, 2019 11:34 am

Weapons doorway.