[Let's Play] Virtual Reality Gamebooks: Twist of Fate

[angelfromanotherpin]

I mean, they all look useful, but those are the ones we can afford and dinars don't seem to be tagged for game-loss events, so buy everything we can afford.

[Omegonthesane]

Agreed wrt buying the things we can afford.

[Darth Rabbitt]

(We do not have a black jewel.)

(We are bound for the Scarlet Isle.)

You set sail the next morning, riding the tide out of the docks, under the broad sweep of the triumphal arch at the harbour mouth and onto the open sea. Other ships surround you in the blazing sunshine – vessels as proud as desert hawks, with prows the shape of upcurved daggers and triangular sails as white as the wings of a hundred doves. Each is bound for a distant port. Each captain hopes to return with his hold full of pearls or ivory, spices or silks.
You ask Captain Ibrahim what cargo he will buy from the people of the Scarlet Isle. He fixes you with a sidelong look as he stands gazing out to sea with one hand on the bowsprit. ‘Ivory,’ he says. ‘Now, be about your chores.’
Three days out from Suhar, you run into a bank of dense fog which seems to rise up in minutes off a clear calm sea. Sun, sky and horizon are all swallowed up by a pearly haze. The sails sag, limp and wet with no breeze to fill them, and the ship begins to drift. (We do not possess SEAFARING.)

(We do not possess a prayer-mat.)

We could have potentially gotten one if we had waited and watched the barque instead of getting the captain.

If you have MAGIC (and a ring) and wish to summon your jinni...
Otherwise...

Do we want to use magic here?

Adventure Sheet:

Name: ??
Gender: Female
Skills: CUNNING, LUCK, MAGIC and SWORDPLAY
Life Points: 10
Possessions:
1) Ring
2) Sword
3) Water Bottle
4) Whistle
5) Gloves
6)
7)
8)
Money: 5 dinars

[angelfromanotherpin]

Seems like a silly question. Magic it up!

[Darth Rabbitt]

A thick vapour, darker than the mist, pours from your ring and congeals into a broad figure with eyes like hissing coals. The sailors fall flat on the deck in terror. Captain Ibrahim draws his sword and takes a step forward, but you place your hand on his wrist. ‘Be calm. This grotesque ogre is my servant.’
The jinni eyes you blackly. ‘What service may I perform for you, O fount of one thousand virtues?’ he grates.
‘Fill our sails with wind,’ you tell him. ‘Carry us far out of this fog bank.’
‘I exist only to do your bidding,’ he replies, but you do not like the vicious smile on his gnarled features as he says this. Your worries are confirmed a moment later when, blowing hard into the lank sails, he propels the ship directly upwards out of the water. The sailors cling on to the rail for dear life. It is a miracle that no one falls to his death.
Coming to rest with a soft jolt, you think that the ordeal is over. You have landed, indeed – but not back on the waves. Beneath you is a swirling mass of white. Your ship is suspended in the clouds!
The jinni swirls back into your ring. You exert your magic, brandishing the ring and sternly crying out, ‘Jinni! I summon you to reappear!’
‘There is no jinni here,’ says a sullen voice from the ring. ‘Just a grotesque ogre.’

You take stock of your surroundings with growing astonishment. The ship is caught in the branches of a large tree whose roots lie in the clouds. Cliffs like puffs of foam loom above a sheer drop of hundreds of feet to the sea below.
Slowly, like a sleepwalker, Captain Ibrahim reaches out and plucks a violet flower from the bough of the tree. He sniffs at it, then drops it into your hand. ‘It is real,’ he says, his gruff voice softened by awe.
‘Look!’ cries one of the sailors. He is pointing at gleaming towers that are visible on the other side of a hillock of cloud.
‘It is a city,’ says Captain Ibrahim, gradually recovering his wits. He turns to you. ‘Go and investigate. The city’s inhabitants may know of a way for us to reach the ground.’
You cannot argue. It was you who got everyone into this mess. You dangle your legs over the side, surprised to find the cloud surface is solid and springy. It reminds you of moss. With a last forlorn look at the others, you trudge off towards the mysterious city.
You have gone only a few hundred yards when you hear the sound of a child crying. It seems to come from beyond a fleecy white bank.

Go closer?
Ignore the child and continue on to the city?

[SGamerz]

Approach the creepy child.

[Omegonthesane]

Approach child. CPS doesnt exist here.

[Darth Rabbitt]

It is indeed a child – a pretty little girl whose olive-black eyes are bejewelled with tears. She looks up and gives a woeful sniff when she sees you come in sight. You notice she is clutching a broken garland of violet flowers in her hands. Then you remember that you are still holding the flower the captain plucked.

Give it to the child?
Or not?

[SGamerz]

I suspect this is a trap option and we need to keep that flower. Don't give it to the child.

[SlyJohnny]

The violet flower wasn't hard to get, let's give it to the sad child.

[Omegonthesane]

Hand out the flower. We died once already, may as well see some content through.

[Shrapnel]

Our name must D’Arcy Windblade. The “D” is silent, and we look like this:



And we must give the flower because D’Arcy Gamerablade is friend to all children and turtle loving children.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Our name must D’Arcy Windblade. The “D” is silent, and we look like this:

I'm 100% fine with the name and overall look but I'm pretty sure D'Arcy doesn't have functional wings. If she did this next part wouldn't happen.

(D'Arcy does not have FOLKLORE.)

On the very instant that she takes the flower from your fingers, the cloud underfoot becomes no more solid than a wisp of mist. You give a scream, which the child matches with a peal of malevolent laughter as she watches you sink through the cloud. For less than a heartbeat you are surrounded in white haze, then you break through the bottom of the cloud and go plunging down to strike the water with numbing force.
Lose 6 Life Points, and if you survive...

You might have guessed it already, but Folklore would have warned us not to give the flower to the child. We actually missed out on a pretty neat little area here. More on that later.

The surf pounds an accompaniment to your throbbing head. There is wet sand under your face. A crab is pinching your finger with its claws. You shake it off and sit up. You are on a lonely beach backed by high cliffs that shine with veins of blue and green rock. You realize you must have passed out. Getting shakily to your feet, you stagger along the beach.
Sick and dazed as you are, your first glimpse of the palace seems like a hallucination. It rises from a tumble of rocks at the end of the beach. Needle-thin spires of white marble rise around domes crusted with pastel mosaic. You stand in awe as figures emerge from the buildings and come to greet you. They are men and women with faces like angels. You swoon into their arms and feel them carry you to the palace, where you are laid on a soft silken bed. Gratefully, you sleep.
The next time you awaken, it is to see the faces of ordinary men – honest sailors, by the look of them. They are clustered around your bed. ‘What happened to the others?’ you say, sitting up. One of the sailors steps forward. His accent tells you he is from Basra. ‘The wizard’s beautiful servants, you mean? I saw them once. We all did, when we first arrived here.’ You swing your legs to the floor and test your strength. You feel fully recovered. Restore any Life Points lost earlier in the adventure. ‘What wizard?’ you ask as you get to your feet. ‘Are we his prisoners?’ They all laugh at this. ‘No, we’re his guests!’ says the man from Basra. ‘He saved us all when a giant fish swallowed our ship. He even gave us a new ship to journey home, but he told us we had to wait a week because he had seen in the future that another castaway would be swept up on the shore. We’ve been waiting for you.’ You notice that all your belongings are neatly piled beside the bed. Your money is there too. Your mysterious benefactor apparently has only the best of intentions – unlike most of the wizards you’ve heard of. ‘Now that you’re fully recovered,’ says one of the The surf pounds an accompaniment to your throbbing head. There is wet sand under your face. A crab is pinching your finger with its claws. You shake it off and sit up. You are on a lonely beach backed by high cliffs that shine with veins of blue and green rock. You realize you must have passed out. Getting shakily to your feet, you stagger along the beach. Sick and dazed as you are, your first glimpse of the palace seems like a hallucination. It rises from a tumble of rocks at the end of the beach. Needle-thin spires of white marble rise around domes crusted with pastel mosaic. You stand in awe as figures emerge from the buildings and come to greet you. They are men and women with faces like angels. You swoon into their arms and feel them carry you to the palace, where you are laid on a soft silken bed. Gratefully, you sleep.
The next time you awaken, it is to see the faces of ordinary men – honest sailors, by the look of them. They are clustered around your bed. ‘What happened to the others?’ you say, sitting up.
One of the sailors steps forward. His accent tells you he is from Basra. ‘The wizard’s beautiful servants, you mean? I saw them once. We all did, when we first arrived here.’
You swing your legs to the floor and test your strength. You feel fully recovered. Restore any Life Points lost earlier in the adventure. ‘What wizard?’ you ask as you get to your feet. ‘Are we his prisoners?’
They all laugh at this. ‘No, we’re his guests!’ says the man from Basra. ‘He saved us all when a giant fish swallowed our ship. He even gave us a new ship to journey home, but he told us we had to wait a week because he had seen in the future that another castaway would be swept up on the shore. We’ve been waiting for you.’
You notice that all your belongings are neatly piled beside the bed. Your money is there too. Your mysterious benefactor apparently has only the best of intentions – unlike most of the wizards you’ve heard of.
‘Now that you’re fully recovered,’ says one of the other sailors, ‘why delay any longer? Let’s set sail.’

Go with them to their ship right away?
Ask them to wait while you go to speak with the wizard?

Adventure Sheet:

Name: D'Arcy Windblade
Gender: Female
Skills: CUNNING, LUCK, MAGIC and SWORDPLAY
Life Points: 10
Possessions:
1) Ring
2) Sword
3) Water Bottle
4) Whistle
5) Gloves
6)
7)
8)
Money: 5 dinars

[angelfromanotherpin]

Magician seems helpful, as a fellow magician we may be in a good position to gain his interest.

[SGamerz]

That's twice we've lost out for not picking Folklore like I wanted. I feel vindicated.

Talk to our fellow magician.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, we're off to see the wizard.

[SlyJohnny]

That's twice we've lost out for not picking Folklore like I wanted. I feel vindicated.

Talk to our fellow magician.

Yeah, you totally called it. I remember it being useless in Heart of Ice, but this land is apparently awash with weird creatures that need to be handled in specific ways. If we die again, we should take it.

[Darth Rabbitt]

You find him in the highest chamber of the palace. He is younger than you imagined, and much less sinister in bearing than the fearsome wizards of folklore. He is clad all in blue, with an azure cloak over sky-coloured robes, rings of indigo and cobalt, sapphire-hued turban clasped by an actinic jewel. His eyes also are blue, though he is not pale-complexioned like a Christian.
You bow to him. ‘I have you to thank for my health – and perhaps for my life. May I know my benefactor’s name?’
Instead of answering directly, he says, ‘I am only an apprentice. Not the master of this palace, but its custodian.’ The blue eyes crinkle in a smile. ‘You interest me. It’s rare I can see into the future. The weave of Fate’s tapestry is intricate and richly-dyed where it surrounds you.’
‘As to that, I cannot say. I have had my share of interesting adventures, certainly.’
‘And you have more to come. The curtain of time, opaque to other men, sometimes seems as a gauze veil to my eyes. I see you the victim of injustice. You will have sinister friends and unwitting foes. I see you ascending to the nest of the great rokh, the bird that lays eggs with diamond shells. You’ll ride on horseback through the air. Those are robes of honour that you wear. Or...’
‘Go on.’
He shakes his head. ‘I cannot tell if you will live. But I can give you a single gift that may help you.’ He brings forth a pair of embroidered slippers. ‘Whoever wears these becomes weightless. You can use them to ascend to the rokh’s lair.’
Add the magic slippers to your Character Sheet. Thanking the wizard, you rejoin the others. It is only after you’ve set sail that you realize you never found out his name.

In time, fair winds and fate carry you to safe berth in the port of Zeila. Here you bid your shipmates farewell, for their travels will take them back to Basra, while you have yet to find your fortune.  
Nearby are carts loaded with a variety of goods. They are bound for the market, and you know that you have a good chance of a bargain if you buy anything here. You find the following items for sale:  
Water bottle 1 dinar
Antidote 60 dinars
Sword 15 dinars
Veil 2 dinars
Candle 3 dinars
Note anything you buy on your list of possessions, remembering to deduct the money you spend.

What (if anything) do we want to buy?

Adventure Sheet:

Name: D'Arcy Windblade
Gender: Female
Skills: CUNNING, LUCK, MAGIC and SWORDPLAY
Life Points: 10
Possessions:
1) Ring
2) Sword
3) Water Bottle
4) Whistle
5) Gloves
6) Magic slippers
7)
8)
Money: 5 dinars

[angelfromanotherpin]

I support swapping dinars for potentially useful things. We have two slots left, fill them with veil and candle. It's possible we'll need money for further travel, but 5 probably won't be enough anyway.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for just the veil, to keep a slot open and some change left.

[Shrapnel]

Our name must D’Arcy Windblade. The “D” is silent, and we look like this:

I'm 100% fine with the name and overall look but I'm pretty sure D'Arcy doesn't have functional wings.

The wings exist in a way that is visually unconfirmable by the player.

[Omegonthesane]

Both veil and candle.

Clearly D'arcy Windblade has *non*functional wings.

[Darth Rabbitt]

So that's a majority vote for buying all the things:

The streets of the city are tiered thoroughfares that snake up between the clustered houses to the palace at the top of the hill. As you ascend the steps of one such street, you are shouldered aside by a patrol of stern-faced soldiers. Affronted at their rudeness, you give them a glowering look as they descend towards the docks.
A passing barber notices the incident and says to you: ‘The palace guards are looking for a thief who stole a ruby from the treasury. The Sultan is furious, and he has decreed that if the thief is not caught by the time the moon rises tonight, the captain of the palace guard will be crucified.’
Your pride is still ruffled. ‘I can understand their urgency, then. All the same, there is no excuse for manhandling an honest traveller in that way.’
He peers at you in the dusk. ‘Ah, you are a stranger to the city?’
‘Yes,’ you say, nodding. ‘What of it?’
He suddenly leaps back and cries: ‘Here is the thief! Here!’ Before you can react, the soldiers turn and race back up the street. As you start to raise your hands, the barber leaps on your back, bearing you to the ground.
The soldiers grab you. ‘Well done, friend,’ their officer says to the barber. ‘You’ll be rewarded for this.’
‘My reward awaits me in heaven,’ he says.
‘I’ll give it to you myself,’ you growl at him, ‘once I’ve explained there’s been a mistake.’

Despite your protests, you are dragged in front of the palace gates. The Sultan’s executioner was already preparing to execute the captain of the guard, who is relieved to see his men arriving in the nick of time.
The Sultan looks down from his palanquin. ‘Is this the thief?’
The captain barely glances at you. ‘Yes, O master of justice,’ he says.
The Sultan orders you to be thrown into prison while he decides your eventual punishment. You are too stunned by the sudden wretched twist of fate to react. Hauled away by guards, you are stripped of your bow if you have one. They also take any money you are carrying, although they leave your other belongings.
They lower you into an oubliette. The grating drops into place with a harsh clang. You listen in shock as the heavy iron padlock is sealed. You can hear rats rustling through the dank straw carpeting the cell. ‘So you’re the jewel thief, then,’ says a voice in the gloom. ‘Doesn’t look like much to us, eh, Shahrazad?’
As your eyes adjust, you make out a figure crouching beside you. He is an old man with limbs as thin and gnarled as twigs. On his lap he has a mangy cat which he is cosseting as though it were a princess.

Talk to him?
Ignore him and sit in silence?

Yup, our path just converged with the last playthrough.

Adventure Sheet:

Name: D'Arcy Windblade
Gender: Female
Skills: CUNNING, LUCK, MAGIC and SWORDPLAY
Life Points: 10
Possessions:
1) Ring
2) Sword
3) Water Bottle
4) Whistle
5) Gloves
6) Magic slippers
7) Veil
8) Candle
Money: 0 dinars

[Shrapnel]

We got slippers this time, so SOMETHING must be different, right? Talk to the man stroking his pussy.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, as long as we have the magic slippers we should be able to get home, seconding talking.