[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 32 - Slaves of the Abyss

[Thaluikhain]

I want to question the Nigerian prince further, but only half a vote as it might cost time.

[Beroli]

Leave him and ride on.

[Queen of Swords]

Bye, guy.

[JourneymanN00b]

How come there is no option to stab the pathological liar? I would totally vote for that option.

My vote to is to leave him to his fate and ride on. Hopefully he dies in some other unpleasant way.

[Beroli]

How come there is no option to stab the pathological liar? I would totally vote for that option.

Because we're not a psychopath (that was Crypt of the Sorcerer) and being a low-end con artist is not actually a capital offense.

[SGamerz]

As you ride off he calls after you: "I curse you, scoundrel! I will catch up with you one day and take my revenge!" You ride for another hour, certain that you've left Tasbadh far behind, then settle down for the rest of the night. Next morning, you are up bright and early, and continue your journey. Soon you enter a small village, in which you hope to refill your water bottle from the communal well. If you have the Golden Fist, turn to 121. If not, turn to 261.

If the suspected con attempt wasn't sufficient reason to murder him, surely this direct threat gives us justification! If he were legit, surely we should put an end to the possible threat before it can materialize!

Alas, no such option exists, and now once again we get checked for an item shortly after acquiring it...

Looking down the street you see a pair of rough-looking peasants who seem to be gazing at you rather intently. As you approach them, you notice that their awed gaze is not directed at you, but at something behind you. You twist around in your saddle, to find yourself staring at a silent line of men and women in the robes of priests. You turn to spur your horse on, but another line of priests has appeared ahead of you, and one snatches the reins from your hand. There is nothing you can do, The priests close in and raise their clubs.

You wake up in a dank cell. Your whole body aches from the beating the priests have given you (lose 2 points of STAMINA). You still have all your possessions with you, except the Golden Fist (cross it off your Adventure Sheet). After making you wait for several hours, a priests arrives at your cell. He tells you reluctantly that you are to be freed, on the orders of Lady Dunyazad. Soon you have your horse back, and you are off once more. Tick off two time boxes and turn to 7.

C'mon, aren't we supposed to be some seasoned and renowned hero? And we were completely oblivious to not 1, but a whole bunch of people following us before we get completely surrounded? And get knocked out and robbed without being able to put up any sort of resistance or escape attempt despite being armed and on horseback?

There's some lack of clarity on what the whole thing was about (which is probably deliberate...the general atmosphere of this book is about mystery and suspense), but the fact that the priests seem to believe we were justifiably imprisoned, and the fact that they were after 1 specific item, implied that the Golden fist seem to be some sort of stolen holy relic that belonged to them, and somehow they found out that we had it. Maybe we should have had the option to give it Tasbadh to help him pay the healer and buy food. I mean, it's made of gold and probably valuable. And on the off chance he turns out to be legit, we save a hero. If he isn't, then he deserves to get hunted down as a thief by those priests!

You are beginning to feel that you are going to spend the rest of your life in the saddle. The weather is strangely humid for the time of the year, and the occasional gusts of wind from the east bring little comfort; they are tainted by a fetid, sickly-sweet stench. The road passes through a jumble of massive boulders and a jagged scarp rises on your left. Ahead of you, another settlement huddles underneath a huge overhang of rock. Strangely, no smoke rises from it. As you approach, you notice several objects littering the road: shoes, bowls, and tools. You dismount and enter the village cautiously, finding a desolate street, empty of people and littered with debris. From one of the buildings to your right you can hear a faint knocking sound. Will you:

Follow the knocking?
Search the buildings to your left?
Hurry out of the village and press on?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Dastan
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 15/17
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword of Fangthane steel, leather armour, Sige's Pomander
Provisions: 5
Gold & Treasure: 22 GP
Time remaining: 15/20 (turn to 57 when crossing off 18th time unit, and to 326 when crossing off the last time unit)
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

Dastan should not fall to the temptations of fascism by the knocking. I vote to search the buildings to his left.

[Queen of Swords]

I'd rather check out the knocking.

[Beroli]

Search the buildings.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for checking out the knocking.

[SGamerz]

You slip into one of the buildings near by and try to find some clue to explain the mystery of the abandoned village. You quickly realize that you have entered the house of wizard or herbalist. Fragrant drying herbs, arcane books and scrolls, and vials of coloured liquids litter a desk in the corner to your right. To your left sits a rune-carved table, on which lies a half-eaten knuckle of cured ham. Across the far wall you see a row of puppets, dangling on their strings from a high shelf above a cupboard. If you go to look at them, turn to 244. If you examine the wizard's paraphernalia, turn to 333.

Check out the creepy puppets?

[Queen of Swords]

I'd like to do both, but if we can't, examine the wizard's paraphernalia.

[Thaluikhain]

Paraphernalia.

[Beroli]

Examine the puppets.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to examine the wizard's paraphernalia.

[SGamerz]

Rummaging among the vials and pieces of scrap paper on the desk, you come across a parchment stained green by a sticky syrup which has spilled from a cracked bottle. You hold up a soggy sheet, straining to read the scrawl which covers it. You can't make out all the words, just occasional snippets.

'...and do not leave the house until you are certain the danger is past...Under no circumstances allow...safe then you should make your way to your parents' village by...find yourself in the shifting forest you must follow the brush-bearer's gloves or be lost for ever...'

If you haven't already done so, you may go to examine the puppets and cupboard. Or you may continue rummaging on the desk.

[Beroli]

Examine the puppets.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to continue rummaging on the desk to see if there are any necessary items that Dastan needs to take here.

[Thaluikhain]

Continue rummaging.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, continue rummaging.

[SGamerz]

You glance through the books and scrolls, but the rambling text means nothing to you. The vials look more promising. Though many are cracked and their content split, a few remain intact. Of these you salvage the three which seem the least noxious, each containing an unexciting, cloudy, brown liquid. Each is labelled in the same crabbed handwriting. You may risk drinking one or more of the liquids now, or you may take any or all of them with you. If you decide to take them with you, note down the name of each potion you take on your Adventure Sheet, together with the paragraph number which you should go to if you decide to drink it. You may drink one of these potions at any time that you would normally be able to drink a potion (that is, as long as you are not in battle). Remember: note down the number of the paragraph you are at before turning to the relevant paragraph for the potion you are about to drink; you should also make a note of the fact what you have drink that potion. Each vial contains only one mouthful - so, once you have drink a potion, it has gone.

If you drink the potion marked 'Ghulsh', turn to 258.
If you drink the potion marked 'Arahl', turn to 285.
'If you drink the potion marked 'Zazzaz', turn to 369.

Once you have finished checking the potions, turn to 270.

Please vote on whether you wish to drink or take any of the unidentified potions.

[Beroli]

Don't drink or take any of them.

[Queen of Swords]

I vote for taking all the potions, just in case we later find out what they are.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take all of the potions for safekeeping.

[SGamerz]

Dastan swipes all the potions.

If you have a blow-pipe, turn to 2. Otherwise, if you have not yet examined the puppets and cupboard closely, you may do so. Alternatively, you may leave the building and make your way out of the settlement.

Since at least 3 of the players already expressed interest in the puppets and cupboard, I think we can proceed with examining them:

As you approach the row of puppets, your left foot squelches in something and skids. You have trodden in a sticky green footprints, one of a line which leads from the cupboard to the table and back again. The cupboard before you is crudely daubed with a rune: the sign of a single arrow. If you open the cupboard with your sword, ready to strike, turn to 76. If you open it normally, turn to 37

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Dastan
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 15/17
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword of Fangthane steel, leather armour, Sige's Pomander, 'Ghulsh' potion (turn to 258 when drunk), 'Arahl' potion (turn to 285 when drunk), 'Zazzaz' potion (turn to 369 when drunk)
Provisions: 5
Gold & Treasure: 22 GP
Time remaining: 15/20 (turn to 57 when crossing off 18th time unit, and to 326 when crossing off the last time unit)
[/spoiler]