[LP] Double Game - Glade of Dreams: Issel, Warrior King

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Mar 30, 2020 12:12 pm

Deciding to ignore this strange subterranean entrance, together you move as far away from it as you can, before lying down once more. But any thoughts you might have had of trying to dream are thrown completely by the sound which emanates from the tunnel mouth: the mighty roar of a dragon. It is not a challenging roar, instead it seems filled with pain!

What will you do? this should be a joint decision.

Will you follow the tunnel underground to investigate the source of this noise?
Or will you wait above ground and see what happens next?

Are you still sure you want to ignore the underground tunnel?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon May 04, 2020 10:15 pm

Oh wow, I really forgot this subforum existed. Anyhow, call the book's bluff and continue to try to dream.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue May 05, 2020 4:33 am

Even though Omegonthesane voted in the wrong thread this round, his vote contradicts yours, and since angel's vote agrees with his, the end result is that the PCs have decided to investigate the noise this time!

Cautiously you approach the tunnel entrance together. A flight of shallow stone steps leads into the darkness below, curving out of sight. Side by side, you descend the steps, picking your way carefully. As you descend further, you detect a faint glimmer of flickering light ahead. It grows stronger and stronger until finally you emerge into a vast underground cavern. Here a peculiar sight greets your eyes.

The cavern is lit by flickering torches. At one end of it you recognize the monstrous form of the dragon, which you met when entering the glade. He is the Guardian of the glade, and you find it strange to see him here, especially in these circumstances.

You can see no physical bonds but Darian assures you in whispers that mighty fetters of magic prevent the dragon from moving. It crouches in the corner of the chamber, flinching and occasionally roaring loudly in pain as a group of six men, half armed with a mighty broadsword and half with the staff and cloak of a wizard, assail it from all sides. Flashes of magical fire and the gleam of swinging blades follow one another in swift succession as the men attack the trapped beast. The dragon is bleeding from several deep wounds and is scorched along almost the entire length of its body - something you had thought to be impossible as dragons are supposed to be immune to fire. But these burns have been caused by the blasts of energy that the wizards throw at the ancient Guardian.

Although obviously in pain, the dragon seems unable to fight back. Darian tells you that this is because of the magical shield of protection which surrounds each of the men. Although you cannot see anything of this, you take his word for it, fascinated and puzzled by what is going on before you. You step forward together for a better view, wincing as another ball of flame strikes the dragon and it roars in pain.

If you had hoped to escape notice you have failed. One of the three wizards turns from the dragon and his gaze falls upon you. He shouts, and the others turn also. You have very little time in which to make a joint decision!

Will you turn and flee back up the steps?
Or will you walk forward and greet them?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Tue May 05, 2020 7:28 am

I didn't so much forget I was playing Warrior, as forget which thread mutual decisions were meant to be made in. Whoops.

Continue with audacity - greet the wizard.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue May 05, 2020 4:41 pm

Greet the wizard.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed May 06, 2020 2:12 am

Good to see that all the players are well and safe considering recent events.

Raising your hands in greeting, you walk towards the strangers. When they are sure that you mean them no harm, five of them turn back to the dragon and he roars in pain once more. The sixth man, a wizard, moves to greet you. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" he asks curtly and you explain yourselves to him.

When you have finished, he smiles. "You know little of the Glade of Dreams," he tells you. "You know, of course, that this creature is its Guardian, but what you do not know is that it is only this creature's power that maintains the glade. And we have him prisoner down here. So long as the dragon suffers, the power of the glade will continue. But if we were to stop, he would soon escape the magical bonds which we have put about him and leave, destroying the glade and much of the Wailing Forest. The wise men of three kingdoms meet regularly to choose which heroes and magicians should have the responsibility of keeping this creature in torment so that they may use his powers to benefit humanity."

Thoughtlessly, you remark that it seems cruel and the man laughs, although you can tell that he is not pleased with your words.

"Of course it is cruel," he says, as if he were speaking to a child. "However, if this dragon were allowed to free himself, what we do here would be as nothing to the terror and suffering he would cause to the outside world. This is the last of the dragons, the most powerful of its race - a race which in its day caused untold havoc to the world. What we do to it here is as nothing compared to what it has done in his long and evil life."

Nodding, you listen as the wizard invites you to help him and his companions.

Will you accept?
Or will you ask for a little time to discuss it?

Join this society of Mythical Animal Cruelty?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed May 06, 2020 6:47 am

"Ask for a little time to discuss it" by which I of course mean "if the world depends on animal cruelty, the world can fucking die".

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed May 06, 2020 2:48 pm

Agreed.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu May 07, 2020 1:55 am

The wizard agrees and you step aside with Darian. You can tell that the wizard is still listening to you, perhaps by magical means, and you must come to a decision quickly.

Will you accept his offer and join the heroes fighting the dragon?
Will you simply return above ground to the Glade of Dreams and continue in your quest for your heritage?
Or will you try to persuade these men to stop their cruel and needless torture of the Guardian of the Glade of Dreams?

For the first time since the 2 PCs join up in this playthrough, they are finally presented with a situation where they can make their own independent options without consensus (there's a 2-player grid here). What does Issel choose to do here?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Thu May 07, 2020 6:19 am

Not sure why it says "try to persuade" instead of "cut them down and continue cutting them down until the maimed survivors stop it fearing for their lives".

"Try to persuade" almost in the hopes that it becomes "try to kill". Why yes I would destroy Omelas instead of just leaving it, why do you ask

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu May 07, 2020 3:35 pm

Yeah, let's try to get them to stop the dragon torture machine. With extreme stabination if needed.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat May 09, 2020 6:32 am

Neither you nor Darian will accept the offer, nor can either of you simply turn and walk away. "I cannot allow you to continue with what you are doing," say Darian and you nod in agreement. "No matter what this beast has done," you say, "it comes from a wise and ancient race. Stop this torture or we must force you to stop."

The wizard laughs and his companions move forward to confront you. "How will you do that?" asks one.

In answer, Darian swings a killing blow at one of the wizards, who falls, caught unawares. At the same time, you kick out and break the staff of the wizard who stands closest to you. There is a blinding flash of light and, when your eyes have had time to readjust, you see that the man lies unconscious on the floor.

The dragon, in less pain now that two of the wizards have gone, manages to sweep its tail along the floor and catch the third wizard, throwing him against the wall of the cavern and crushing him to death. The three fighters, however, leap agiley out of the way and begin to advance upon you. You must fight them together.

Two of the fighters will attack you, while one attacks Darian. If he manages to dispose of his opponent then he will be able to help you, but until then you must fight two men at once. At least you will be able to strike first.

First fighter: Sword 8 Strength 8
Second fighter: Sword 10 Strength 6

If you both win, turn to 139.
If you alone win, turn to 247.

Pausing for Darian to decide how he will use his spells for this fight....

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon May 11, 2020 3:11 am

Issel must start the fight with his Swordsmanship split down to 6 due to having fight 2 foes at the same time, until Darian finishes off his opponent and comes to his aid....

COMBAT LOG:

Round 1:
Issel rolls 9 and misses First Fighter.
Issel rolls 11 and misses Second Fighter.
First Fighter rolls 9 and misses Issel.
Socond Fighter rolls 7 and hits Issel. Issel is at 8.
Darian joins the fight against Issel's opponents. Issel can now fight at his full 12 Swordsmanship!
Round 2:
Darian casts Death Blow, and his Strength is down to 6. First Fighter is dead!
Issel hits Second Fighter. Second Fighter is at 4.
Second Fighter rolls 7 and hits Darian. Darian is at 4.
Second Fighter rolls 4 and hits Issel. Issel is at 6.
Second Fighter is now outnumbered and must now fight with his Sword skill reduced to 5.
Round 3:
Darian rolls 11 and misses.
Issel hits Second Fighter. Second Fighter is at 2.
Second Fighter rolls 8 and misses Darian.
Second Fighter rolls 7 and misses Issel.
Round 4:
Darian rolls 10 and misses.
Issel hits Second Fighter. Second Fighter is dead!

Panting and bleeding from a dozen cuts, you turn to congratulate Darian. A broad smile sweeps across his face and he looks towards the dragon.

No longer cut or burned, the mighty bronze Guardian looms tall above you, then lowers its head to rest comfortably on one foreleg, as it examines you both. Looking around, you can see no sign of the men you defeated, nor of the wizards that were killed earlier.

The dragon chuckles. "That was well fought, my little dreamers," it rumbles, and the walls of the cavern echo with the sound of its voice.

Standing beside Darian you ask the question that has been troubling you all along. "Were they telling the truth?"

The dragon smiles. "First, tell me why you saved me from my torturers," it counters.

You shrug. "Because we are honourable men," you say. "And because we would have been equally to blame if we had walked away," adds Darian. "Once we knew that what they were doing was wrong, we had no choice."

The dragon nods solemnly. "And so you risked your lives to save mine," it says. "That deserves some kind of payment. And I have the power now to give it to you. Issel, King Theo of Franzos is dead. Long live King Issel!" "Long live King issel!" echoes Darian, and you cannot believe your ears. But already the dragon has turned to your companion. "You wish to know the secret of turning lead to gold, my young magician? It is yours. When you leave this place look in your pack. You will find an amulet there which contains the spell you seek. Careful study will reveal its secrets to you. Use it wisely.

"There is another gift which I intend to give you," continues the dragon. "Yu cannot refuse it because until I have passed this burden on I will be unable to leave the glade. You may not consider it a burden at all, but to one of my race it is a heavy load to bear. The gift I give you both is immortality: my own immortality and that of this glade, passed into your bodies. It will not preserve you from harm, but if you can avoid dying in a fight, then your lives will be without limit."

Gasping, you cannot believe that the dragon is telling the truth, but you do feel slightly different. Your entire body tingles and glows with health (restore your Strength to its full value).

"The time will come," concludes the dragon, "when you too will wish to pass on this burden to others, but that will not be for some time. You have both the gift and the problem of eternal life. I wish you well of it."

Suddenly the cavern and its huge occupant disappears from sight to be replaced by darkness and the sound of your own breathing.

Opening your eyes, turn to 291.

You open your eyes to the Glade of Dreams. Everything about it is as normal. Beside you, Darian is sitting up, too. Anxiously you describe your dream and ask him if he dreamt the same. He nods. Can it be true? Can you really possess eternal life and also the kingship of Franzos? Nervously you watch as Darian digs deep your pack. He brings out a strange amulet.

"It is true!" he shouts, and excitement overwhelms you both. However, your celebrations are interrupted by a great rumbling sound and the shaking of the ground.

Being an immortal king raises the question of whether it'd be wise to sire or groom any heirs. On the one hand, it's still practical to have someone ready to take over if you're still potentially vulnerable to death by assassination. On the other hand, having an heir that can see no hope of taking over as king unless you are assassinated means he'll probably be tempted to become the guy that arranges the assassination himself.

A massive shape bursts through the soft earth of the glade. Soil and grass cannot stop its passage and soon the bonze shape of the Guardian of Glade Dreams is hovering above you. The wind created by is wings forces you to cling to a bowed tree trunk to avoid being swept away.

"I thank you, Issel, King of Franzos, and Darian, mighty wizard," booms the majestic creature. "For twice a hundred years I have been bound here, destined to wait until two came who cared more for me than for their own life. And now they are here. You have released me so that I may join my brothers and in return I have given you a gift few possess. Once more I thank you, and bid you farewell!" A final blast of wind accompanies the giant beast's final wing beat and it soars upward, free at last.

Around you the Glade of Dreams is beginning to fall apart. Trees, magically preserved for 200 years, are growing old rapidly as they try to catch up with the passage of the years. A great flood of water springs from the tiny pool, washing around your feet. Releasing your grip on the tree, you hurry with Darian towards the exit from the glade.

Hurrying from the dying glade, you pause just outside it to look back with Darian on the destruction and chaos that have overtaken the tranquil clearing where you dreamed. The Wailing Forest is reclaiming what it has been denied for so long.
'
Turning your backs on the scene, you walk a little way down the trail towards the waiting Riddling Sphinx. Already you can feel the buzz of immortality flowing through your veins. You feel young and supremely fit. It seems a pity that you should have to share this boon with Darian, though. After all, does he really deserve this precious gift?

If you decide to kill Darian, turn to 246.
If you think that such an idea is crazy, turn to 108.

Does Issel want all the gifts and glory only to himself?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon May 11, 2020 3:17 am

I see no reason to try to kill Darian. We don't seem to be at odds with each other in any way; him being able to turn lead into gold doesn't undermine our reign as king.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Mon May 11, 2020 7:09 am

"Share this boon"?! Someone else having a Cadillac doesn't mean you're sharing your Cadillac with them. It just means they also have a Cadillac.

Dismiss the intrusive thought and maybe go into therapy to ask why we have sudden feelings of resentment and the desire to murder compatriots.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue May 12, 2020 2:26 am

The idea of attacking Darian seems completely crazy and you shake your head, wondering what made you think of it. as you do so, Darian draws his sword and swings it at you. You must act swiftly to defend yourself.

Before you fight you should make sure you have Darian's correct Swordsmanship and Strength values. The fight is so frantic that you cannot use magic.

If you win, turn to 346.
If you manage to stop the fight, turn to 96.

Darian's stats are still at Swordsmanship 2, Strength 12. And due to the rule about magic not being used for this fight, this is a complete mismatch! Even though Darian was the one who initiated the fight, he's actually mostly at your mercy unless he's lucky enough to roll a double-2 and score an auto-kill. His only slight advantage that he gets to strike first every round due to his higher Agility.

Player-vs-player combats can be ended before any deaths if both players choose to stop fighting, so I guess I will be checking with both sides every round.

Round 1:
Darian rolls 4 and misses.
Issel hits and Darian is now at Strength 10.

Do you want to try and stop the fight despite his attempted betrayal?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue May 12, 2020 2:34 am

Does choosing to stop fighting cause Issel to lose a turn if Darian chooses to attack? If not, choose to stop fighting. If so...I guess still choose to stop fighting this turn at least.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue May 12, 2020 4:26 am

Darth Rabbitt wrote:Does choosing to stop fighting cause Issel to lose a turn if Darian chooses to attack?

If would make sense if it does, but no, the book hasn't really said much about player-vs-player fight rules despite the many opportunities to do so in the book.

Anyway, both players decide to end the fight:

Suppressing your urge to attack Darian, you ask him if he too feels odd. He answers that he does, and your mind is at once filled with suspicions. As you are discussing it, a hooded figure emerges from the undergrowth at the side of the trail. Stopping in front of you he throws back his hood to reveal a shock of white hair and cold blue eyes.

Have you been together to the Pool of Mirrors, deep in the Wailing Forest?

If you have, turn to 35.
If not, turn to 145.

Not recognize this man, you greet him warily. Beside you, Darian whispers that he is a very powerful magician. Politely you ask what he is doing here. His reply is puzzling.

"I am the hermit of the Pool of Mirrors," he tells you, "come to reclaim what is rightfully mine now that the Glade of Dreams has been destroyed. Some time ago," he continues, "I entered the glade and the Guardian stole from me a magical amulet which held a powerful spell. Now I have returned for it."

Darian asks him what spell the amulet contains, and the hermit answers correctly that it holds the spell that can turn lead to gold.

Reluctantly, Darian begins to dig in his pack for the amulet, but you stretch out your hand to stop him and ask the hermit to describe it. He cannot, and his anger at you both becomes obvious. Stepping forward, he holds out one hand and snarls. "Give it to me and I will let you live. Refuse and I will kill you."

Although this man has great magical powers, he has stepped quite close to you and you both already have your swords in your hands. If you act swiftly, you will both be able to strike at him before he can react.

After you have both attacked the hermit, the person with the highest Agility score should attack next, followed by the one with the next highest Agility score, followed by the one with the lowest Agility score. This means that if both your Agilities are higher than the hermit's, you will each be able to hit him twice before he can cast a spell. When the hermit does strike, he will attack you first and then Darian. The Fire Hand spell causes the loss of 4 Strength points every time it hits.

Hermit: Agility 8 Spell: Fire Hand Strength 8

If you both survive and the hermit is dead, turn to 350.
If you alone survive, turn to 198.

Both of you have higher Agility than the hermit. I don't think it's possible to lose this fight, since Issel is guaranteed to hit him in the first 2 rounds, and casting the Fire Hand spell successfully will drain his Strength to 2, so he'll go down before he can cast a second Fire Hand. And you are both too healthy to go down to just one Fire Hand spell.

COMBAT LOG:

Round 1:Darian rolls 6 and misses.
Issel hits and Hermit is at 6 Strength.
Round 2:
Darian rolls 6 and misses.
Issel hits and Hermit is at 4 Strength.
Hermit casts Fire Hand at Issel, and Issel is at 6 Strength. Hermit is at 2 Strength.
Round 3:
Darian rolls 6 and misses.
Issel hits and Hermit is killed.

Smiling grimly, you and Darian stare down at the body of the old hermit. Darian stoops to cover his face with the hood of his cloak but, as he does so, there is a breeze from the glade and the body shudders, turning to dust as you bend over it. Exchanging a shrug, you turn your backs on the remains and hurry down the trail to the waiting Riddling Sphinx.

As you approach, the giant beast kneels and cups its hands for you to mount. "Hail King Issel!" if cries. "Hail Darian, mighty wizard!" Then it lifts you both to sit astride its broad golden back. The mighty wings beat twice and the beast springs lightly into the air, circling the destroyed Glade of Dreams.

"Where can I take you, masters?" it asks, and you glance behind you at Darian, holding on tightly to the creature's long fur. He grins broadly and nods, and you turn to shout into the Sphinx's ear. "To Franzos!" you cry, and the magical creature turns to head north.

High above in the sun you catch a single flash of bronze as if from the wings of another mighty creature, but it is gone in a second and you are left together to face a long and happy future.

Your joint adventure ends here. Congratulations!

And it's over! Thanks for sticking with this to its completion.

Regarding the hermit:

As the text indicates, it's possible to encounter him before you enter the glade. He would try to dissuade the PCs from continuing their quest, and also try to turn the 2 players against each other by goading them into looking in his pool "see their future", which would show them each to see a maybe-phony (could turn out to be legit since the player can decide to double-cross his companion in the future) future of his companion backstabbing him. He's much more difficult to deal with once the encounter turns hostile, and that's when the players need the Mind-Over-Matter spell to escape from him if he manages to freeze them with spells. There's no way to kill him then. The end-game fight is surprisingly easy considering how he's portrayed to be so much more powerful in the initial encounter.

Also, if the players have encountered him before, then the conversation is quite different, since instead of trying to trick Darian into handing over the amulet he will simply be upset at the PCs for causing the glade to be destroyed (which was apparently the reason he tried to stop them from continuing their quest before. He will also claim to be a friend of ex-King Theo and wants to kill Issel to avenge him.

So, as a 2-player game.....this wasn't a very impressive design. Too many things in multiple-combat encounters not being specified and left to reader's interpretation, and also once you enter the glade the 2-player grid mechanism isn't really utilized much. There are really only 2 instances where the players get to make independent options via the grid (the choice whether to save the dragon from his torturers and the final choice to double-cross each other). Also, the game becomes very linear once the players enter the glade, so there isn't going to be much variation on replays. There are more opportunities to utilize the 2-player options before you enter the glade, and the pre-glade part of the game was more open-ended with a few different paths to reach it, but there's also a high chance that the players may not cross paths at all and therefore don't get to experience what is supposed to be the unique features of this series.

There is some replay value in the sense that the dreams take a completely different nature if the players are going solo, and some parts of the solo dreams are actually more interesting than the joint dreams in 2-player mode.

Anyway, if there are any questions about the books, I will answer them in the joint thread. Thanks for playing!