[LP] Double Game - Glade of Dreams: Darian, Master Magician

[SGamerz]

As of now, only angelfromanotherpin has chosen to play as Darian the Magician in this game, but new players are welcome to join in at any point! However, once you have chosen to play as this character, please remember NOT to read the thread that will be created for the other PC (Issel, Warrior King) as long as you are still in this game!



The Journey Begins:

The Glade of Dreams is well known in Raithan folklore. It lies somewhere in the Wailing Forest, far from civilization. It is built on, and draws its power from, the sleeping body of the great dragon, Bel-Gath. within the glade, it is said, a dreamer may sleep and awake to the fulfillment of his dreams. Anything - treasure, truth, knowledge, fame, power - can be attained by he who can survive the world of his dreams. Many have tried; few have returned. And of those whose dreams came true none will speak of what they experienced in the glade.

You are Darian - brave, quick and clever - an apprentice mage of the sorcerer, Gorechin. Your master has labored for decades to discover the secret of transmuting lead into gold. Faced with the prospect of spending the rest of your life working on this one problem you delve deeply into the magical tomes for a quick answer. There you read of the Glade of dDreams and its powers and determine to find it. Realizing that your quest will not be without peril, you prepare yourself in secrecy and leave the wizard to his meandering thoughts and half-brained theories of alchemy.

Your journey across the country is not without danger. Al that hear of your quest shuns you, some even try to kill you. The power and dread of the glade strikes fear far and wide and many speak of the nameless horrors that stalk deep in the Wailing Forest. Is what they tell fact of fiction? Soon you will discover the truth.

As you draw closer to your goal you meet fewer and fewer people: they take the threat of the glade very seriously. Few live near the forest, and none will venture into it. Soon, completely alone, you stand atop a hill, overlooking the vast sprawling mass of trees that extends for miles in every direction: the Wailing Forest. Spurring yourself onwards, as the heavens open with a lashing rain, you descend towards your destiny.

Before we proceed to section one, we need to assign Darian's skill points to his 5 skills. That's really all the preparatory work we need to do. While the book tells us to keep track of new items we pick up, we are not told to write down any kind of starting equipment, implying that whatever Darian may have on his person in the beginning won't be checked and can't be lost. It's also assumed that he fights with a sword (hence Swordsmanship being one of his 5 skills).

So, just a quick run through: Darian starts with 50 skill points to assign. All skills are between 2-12 (so we need to assign at least 2 points to every stat, and at least 4 points to Swordsmanship). The 5 skills that he can assign the points to are:

Strength: Equivalent to "hit points". If it goes down to 0, Darian is dead. We must also spend Strength if he wants to cast spells.

Agility: Required for climbing, dodging and other athletic feats, and probably will be tested by 2D6 dice rolls when we attempt such feats.

Luck: Probably similar to Luck tests in FF, except we don't need to deduct Luck points when we test it in this book.

Magic: Determines what kind of spells are available to us.

Swordsmanship: We will be rolling against this skill to hit enemies in combat. Note that Darian must spend 2 skill points for every 1 point he wants to raise for this skill.

Spells were described in the main thread, but I'll repost that here for convenience:

1. Sense Danger

Reveals hidden danger to the player. Can be from an object or from another person. This is the spell with the lowest requirement, needing a minimum Magic stat of 4 and costing 1 Strength point each time it's cast.

2. Fire Hand

Requires Magic skill of at least 6, and burns 4 Strength off enemies when used. Costs 2 Strength to cast.

3. Death Blow

Requires Magic skill of at least 8, and deals an auto-kill to one enemy. Costs 3 Strength.

4. Mind Over Matter

Allows caster to move objects without touching. Can lift objects for up to 30 seconds. Requires Magic to be at least 10. Costs 4 Strength.

And that's it for the introduction! Once angel (and anyone else who wishes to join the game and play as Darian) has finished assigning skill points, we will proceed to section 1.

[angelfromanotherpin]

So the obvious question is: if Swordsmanship costs double, is it worth putting anything into it at all? (Beyond the minimum of 2, of course.) And that really depends on how many battles we're going to wind up getting into that we can't (or can't afford to) solve with spells #2 or #3, which of course we have no way of knowing in advance. So I submit that, all else being equal, the correct course is to be a malicious min-maxer.

Strength: 12, Agility: 11, Luck: 11, Magic: 12, Swordsmanship: 2

Yeah, if there's some sort of magic-immune enemy we somehow can't escape from, this will go... badly. Still, I look forward to laughing at most challenges, and plying my wits against combat threats.

[SGamerz]

Any new players can still vote on skill assignment before we run across a section with skill checks, but meanwhile, I will proceed to start the adventure:

As the pale morning light creeps through the shutters of your room in the inn that stands on the edge of the Wailing Forest, you are already awake. After eating a large breakfast and filling your pack with rations, you are ready to leave. You have been told that there is a track about 100 yards into the forest that parallels the Great East Road, and sure enough this is what you find. The track runs from east to west, along the border of the forest, and no one is quite sure where it leads to or who or what made it. Somewhere in this mighty, sprawling forest is the Glad of Dreams, but you have no clue as to its location.

Will you follow the track east?
Will you follow the track west?
Or will you plunge directly into the dense undergrowth and head straight for the heart of the forest?

Which direction does Darian start?

[angelfromanotherpin]

West is best.

[SGamerz]

Turning west, you march along the forest trail for several hours without encountering anything more frightening than a few rabbits and birds. The trails seem never-ending, and it is not until you pause to eat that you realize it is no longer heading west but north. Puzzled, you look at the sun and heck your bearings again. When you started into the woods, the trail ran east to west, and the bulk of the forest lay to the south. Now it appears that you have walked to the opposite side of it and are still walking parallel to its edge. But you are sure that you have not walked that far! To top it all, you cannot escape the feeling of being watched, which is encouraged by the overhanging trees and the dank, oppressive atmosphere of the forest.

Will you ignore the feeling and continue down the trail?
Will you use the Sense Danger spell before continuing?
Or will you leave the trail and head into the heart of the forest?

Already an option to use a spell! It costs only 1 Strength, but for someone to intends to resolve most combat encounters with magic every choice of whether to spend or conserve Strength needs to be carefully considered....

[angelfromanotherpin]

Welp, this road is useless. Time to ditch it. Walk into the woods.

[SGamerz]

You carve and hack your way past rough creepers and thorny bushes until you emerge into a small, isolated clearing. Here and amazing sight greets your eyes. Almost filling the clearing is the corpse of a giant armoured worm! Green blood runs from several wounds on its body: a gigantic battle must have taken place here not too long ago. What could have killed a creature of such enormous size?

To your amazement, even as you watch, the dead worm shimmers and its outline becomes pale and indistinct. Finally, it fades completely and in its place you are shocked to see a small human skeleton! Long dead, the greying bones lie face down on the grass in the centre of the clearing. There is clearly some magic at work here. It is not a healthy place to hang around in and you leave at once, continuing your course for the centre of the forest, where you hope to find the Glade of Dreams.

There's no choice to be made here, but the other player does have some choices to make, so pausing here for now as both PCs need to proceed at the same pace.

(There's no clear instructions to WAIT in the individual sections like the Duel Masters series, unfortunately, but the text instructions at the front it to always wait for the next player to call out the next section he's turning to before proceeding at every turn.)

[SGamerz]

You are deep in the forest by the time evening is upon you. The trail is miles beyond you and the trees have grown strange and deformed. As you pass one, twisted and bent almost into a circle, a loud, crazed laugh brings you up short and you hand flashes to your sword hilt. Atop the tree sits an enormous black raven at least 2 feet tall. Its beady eyes fix you with an unblinking stare and its beak opens to repeat the unnerving cackle before it speaks the following rhyme:

"Gold and silver, gold and lead,
For these small things you risk your head?
But which is real and which a dream?
Nothing is truly what it seems."

Before you can do anything the bird takes wing and circles your head, making you duck and draw your sword. But it flies off into the trees, calling aloud: "Don't think, can't think, never think!:

When the bird has disappeared from sight, you sheathe your sword and, bemused, continue on your way on your trek, mulling over the words of the riddle. Nothing is truly what it seems. Did the bird mean that it is impossible to change lead to gold? Or did it mean that it doesn't matter?

Puzzled, confused and more than a little worried, turn to 262.

As night falls, you begin o search for somewhere to camp. Two options are open to you. Set into an overgrown rock cliff in the middle of the woods is a small cave. A little way away from it lies a wide, grassy clearing with good visibility all round.

Will you camp in the cave?
Or will you sleep beneath the stars in the clearing?

[angelfromanotherpin]

Caves have inhabitants, and the study of the stars is the province of the learned. Sleep in the clearing.

[SGamerz]

Deciding to set up camp in the middle of the grassy clearing, you lay out your cloak and takes out some rations from your pack. It would be nice to eat a warm meal after your exhausting trek through the woods but dare you risk a fire?

If you want to risk making a fire, turn to 226.
If not, turn to 189.

Light a fire?

[angelfromanotherpin]

Fire's for weaklings. Darian chews his meat raw, in the dark.

[SGamerz]

Eating a cold meal, you huddle for warmth within your cloak and settle down to an uneasy sleep.

At about midnight your sleep is broken by a sudden sense of unease. Sitting up groggily, you reach for your sword and look around. At first you cannot understand what could have woken around you. But the sense of foreboding increases and you are tempted to use a Sense Danger spell. Before you can do so, however, a high-pitched, almost inaudible squeaking noise reaches your ears, and with it comes the sound of leathery wings. From the trees to one side of the clearing comes a dark flapping shape, almost half your size. A giant bat is out hunting prey.

The bat is heading directly towards you, its jaw wide open. Even in the darkness you can see the gleam of its pale fangs. You must meet the bat's first attack with only your sword as defence. On the second and subsequent attacks you may use magic if you wish.

Giant bat: Fangs 8 Strength 8

If you survive the attack, turn to 216.

Yikes, we can't use spells in the first round, so that potentially mean we may take more damage. Let's hope we get lucky and roll a double-2 in the first round for an auto-kill.

And if we have to use spell, it's obvious that Death Blow is the more economical choice here, since it'll take 2 Fire hand spells to kill the bat, which will cost even more.

COMBAT LOG:

Round 1:
Darian rolls 6 and misses with his sword.
Giant Bat rolls 8 and (just) manages to hit. Darian is at 10 Strength.
Round 2:
Darian casts Death Blow, and his Strength is down to 7. Giant Bat is dead!

The animal lies dead. But even as you watch, its outline shimmers and changes to that of a man lying face down. You check the surrounding area carefully for other dangers, but there are none to be seen and you return to your bedroll, worried and puzzled. Are all the denizens of this forest shape changers? Or is there a mad wizard lurking somewhere, who turns all travelers into wild beasts? Either possibility is frightening and it takes you a long time to get back to sleep.

Considering how much one fight cost us in terms of Strength this is a legitimate concern....

When morning comes, you awaken slowly. The rigours of the night are still with you and your body aches from the unaccustomed exercise. if you have sustained any wounds during the previous day, you may restore 2 Strength points.

Striking out from your camp, you head deeper into the forest, aiming towards the centre, the place where legend says that the Glade of Dreams lies hidden. As you walk, your eyes are constantly scanning the surrounding undergrowth for possible attack.

The ground rises slightly beneath your feet and a rock face rises steeply ahead of you. Set into it at ground level is the entrance to a cave, which shines with a strange, glittering light. Attracted by the light, you feel your legs carrying you towards it and you have to force yourself to halt.

Will you enter the Glittering Cave?
Or will you bypass it and look for a way around the rock face?

Strength is back up to 9.

We avoided caves and potential inhabitants last night, but what about now?

Darian's Character Sheet:

Skills
Strength: 9/12
Agility: 11/11
Luck: 11/11
Magic: 12/12
Swordsmanship: 2/2
Spells:
Sense Danger (Str cost: 1)
Fire Hand (Str cost: 2)
Death Blow (Str cost: 3)
Mind Over Matter (Str cost: 4)
Adventure Items
Sword, rations

[angelfromanotherpin]

Yeah, I'm going to try to skip the Cave of Hypnosis. Bypass.

[SGamerz]

Working your way through the trees that fringe the rock face, turn your way through the trees that fringe the rock face, you turn your back on the cave. But your surroundings take on a mysterious chill. Each tree trunk, even each blade of grass, has turned to the coldest ice you have ever encountered. When you take a sliding step forward, the cold eats through the thick sole of your boot and chills you to the bone. Shivering, you turn to see that only the route back towards the cave seems free of this magical chill. It is obvious that someone within the cave wants to meet you.

It is possible that a Fire Hand spell could restore the surrounding forest to normality and break the icy grip of this magic.

If you possess this spell and wish to use it, turn to 3.
If you do not have the spell, or wish to see who it is that wants to meet you so badly, turn to 136.

Do we want to use the spell?

[angelfromanotherpin]

No, fine, if it means that much to them, I'll go cave.

[SGamerz]

Drawn deeper into the cave, you encounter a wizened, bowed old man. He does not appear to have seen you, but he speaks without turning. "Those who seek the Glade of Dreams always come to me." he says. "But few possess the power which I feel within you, Darian. You could become a great wizard in time. Why waste that time in the search for an impossible dream? If lead could be turned into gold, the spell would have been discovered long ago. But it has not. Your quest is doomed to failure.

Not wanting to believe the hermit, you ask if he has proof that what you seek does not exist. "No," he sighs, turning, and you can see that he is bling. His empty eye sockets stare blankly in your direction, seeming to weigh your soul in the balance. "Then I will go on my quest," you say firmly.

He shrugs. "I had little hope of changing your purpose. But I had to try. Very well, I have a small gift for you here. It is an amulet which contains a matrix of energy." He snaps his dry old fingers, and a golden disc, hung from a silver chain, floats through the air and into your waiting hands. "The energy within this amulet will power your spells from now on," he says. "You need no longer drain your own strength to protect yourself."

Thanking him, will you hang the amulet reverently around your neck?
Or will you reject this possibly dangerous gift?

Do we trust this gift?

[angelfromanotherpin]

Rejected!

[SGamerz]

You look doubtfully at the amulet which the hermit has given you. Would it be polite to use a Sense Danger spell on it here and now? Probably not. And you cannot just put the thing in your pocket and walk off. You must either wear it or return it.

Regretfully you hand back the amulet. The blind old man's fingers close around it unerringly. "You are suspicious," he says, "I supposed you have good reason. But the gift will not be offered again. Goodbye Darian." He turns his back and you feel the grip of magic once more, forcing you out of the cave and into the sunlit forest.

For a moment you pause, wondering if you should go back and apologize, and take the gift that he offered you. But it is too late. Turning your back on the cave, you start to make your way around the rock wall.

Alas, the amulet was actually what the blind man said it was, and would have given you an additional 20 Strength points to use on spells.

At the top of the low hill, which you have climbed in skirting the rock face, you pause, unsure in which direction to continue. The forest seems to stretch an equal distance on all sides.

Will you navigate by the sun?
Or will you climb a tree to see if you can spot any distinctive landmarks?

How does Darian find his direction from here?

[angelfromanotherpin]

I'm genuinely surprised that the moral of that encounter is that you should totally take candy from strangers who coerce you into their lair. Also, shit, that seems like an insurmountable deficit; if the book is calibrated for the player having the omelette, then flubbing that choice is a soft loss right there.

Anyway, mystically speaking, the sun is the source of truth. Solar navigation!

[SGamerz]

Deciding against climbing a tree, you strike off into the forest once more. After only a few minutes' walk, you come across a narrow trail, snaking its way between the trees in generally the same direction as you were heading.

Will you follow the trail?
Or will you ignore it?

Do we like the look of this new trail?

[angelfromanotherpin]

Trail seems fine.

[SGamerz]

The trail leads you through the overhanging trees downhill towards a stream. Here it forks. Once trail passes over a narrow stone bridge and continues into the forest on the other bank; the other continues beside the river.

Will you cross the stream by the bridge?
Will you swim across the stream?
Or will you simply follow the trail which leads along the bank down-river?

Which way now?

[angelfromanotherpin]

Swim.

[SGamerz]

Slipping gently into the water, you strike out for the opposite bank. As you do so you notice a log drifting towards you in its passage downstream. As it draws closer, however, it moves and you realize that it is not a log at all, but an alligator! Its jaws gape wide as it slips through the water towards you. you must fight the alligator in order to reach the opposite bank.

Alligator: Teeth 8 Strength 8

If you win, turn to 12.

Again, at 8 Strength it'd take 2 Fire Hands to kill it, so back to Death Blow.

Darian spends 3 Strength (down to 6) and kills the Alligator.

(if you prefer to save Strength and gamble on rolling double-2 for the kill, unlikely as it may be, let me know).

We must pause here and wait for Issel to make a choice at his end before proceeding.

Darian's Character Sheet:

Skills
Strength: 6/12
Agility: 11/11
Luck: 11/11
Magic: 12/12
Swordsmanship: 2/2
Spells:
Sense Danger (Str cost: 1)
Fire Hand (Str cost: 2)
Death Blow (Str cost: 3)
Mind Over Matter (Str cost: 4)
Adventure Items
Sword, rations

[SGamerz]

Pulling yourself out of the water, you clamber up on to the opposite bank. But your troubles are only just beginning! There, waiting for you, stands a grinning satyr - half-man, half-goat. Its smile is not a nice thing to see: two fangs just out over its lower lip and, as it moves towards you, its sharp horns are lowered for a charge.

You must fight this strangely angry satyr.

Satyr: Horns 8 Strength 6

If you win, turn to 254.

Man, Darian is running into more fights than his warrior counterpart!

Darian uses another Death Blow to take down the satyr, but his Strength is now down to 3!

Looking down at the body of the satyr, you are strangely saddened by the fate which brought this beautiful creature to such desperate straits. It was almost as if the animal wanted you to kill it!

Bending, you examine the pouch fixed to its belt. Inside the pouch is a brittle, folded piece of parchment. Handling it carefully, you open it out on the ground a little way from the body. To your great surprise and delight, it is a map of the Wailing Forest. it is not a very good map, containing only six landmarks, but one of them is the Glade of Dreams! The other five are: the Sphinx, the Glittering Cave, the Obelisk, the Pool of Mirrors, and the City of the Forest People. With the help of these landmarks, you should be able to find the Glade of Dreams easily.

At least there's something to be gained from this last fight! But before we find out how we can make use of it, we must wait for Issel to make another choice.....

Darian's Character Sheet:

Skills
Strength: 3/12
Agility: 11/11
Luck: 11/11
Magic: 12/12
Swordsmanship: 2/2
Spells:
Sense Danger (Str cost: 1)
Fire Hand (Str cost: 2)
Death Blow (Str cost: 3)
Mind Over Matter (Str cost: 4)
Adventure Items
Sword, rations, Map of the Wailing Forest