[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 49 - Siege of Sardath

[SGamerz]

This side of the pass is something like an amphitheatre: a beautiful blue-green lake, surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs. On the north side of the lake there is another pass, where the cliffs are lower and slope at a safe angle for walking. On the south side, the water from the lake flows into a stream, a raging torrent which surges through a gap in the cliffs. The several hundred metres of descent are much worse than the climbing was: every step sends a jolt through your legs. By the time you reach the bottom, you are desperate for a rest and a long, ice-cold drink from the lake. Having rested, will you now go round to the north side of the lake and start climbing the scree slop up to the north pass or follow a rough track to a bridge at the head of the stream?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to follow a rough track to a bridge at the head of the stream, as bridges are always more attractive than screes.

[SGamerz]

The bridge is a sturdy affair, evidently of Dwarven construction. You cross it, then follow the track as it leads you southwards along the bank of the stream. For a while you are able to forget the desperate nature of your mission and enjoy the beautiful scenery. But the illusion of calm is soon shattered when you come to another, smaller steam - a runnel tumbling down the side of a huge isolated mountain to the west. Its water has a strange yellowish tint. Where it joins the main stream, there are ribbons of yellow snaking erratically southwards; further down, the whole stream is tainted. Will you turn west and follow the runnel up the side of the mountain or leap across it and continue following the track south?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go west and follow the runnel up the side of the mountain.

(No. I am not going to go there.)

[Queen of Swords]

Follow Lokimur's directions and the runnel.

[SGamerz]

You ascend the steepening mountainside for some time, losing pace as the climbing gets harder until, eventually, you are forced to rest. As you are gazing up towards the mountain's peak to see how far away it still is, you become aware of a shadowy form in the sky above you. Your thoughts turn immediately to the Black Flyers. As the shape draws closer, however, you realize that it is a Giant Eagle, flying straight towards you. If you do something to show that you are friendly, write down on your Adventure Sheet what that is, then turn to 198. Otherwise, will you draw your bow and shoot at it or draw your sword and attack it as it drops down to land?

We know what to do this time!

If you wrote something like 'Hold up the Brass Key', turn to 66. If you didn't, the Eagle takes no notice whatever it was, and you have only just enough time to draw your sword.

We have the Brass Key to show it...

The Eagle spreads its wings in order to slow itself down, then lands gently. It takes a few hopping steps towards you, then flies up a few metres before landing again. It repeats this action several times, until you realize what it is trying to say: if you wish it will carry you up the mountain. When you tell the Eagle that you understand, it flies into the air, banks, turns, then swoops down and plucks you from the ground. Its claws bits a little way into your shoulders, but you can sense that it is trying not to hurt you. As soon as you are in the air, it screeches loudly and begins to circle. It must be waiting for your instructions. Will you ask it to take you to where the Black Flyers come from or to Corianthus's Castle?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote for the eagle to take Quincey Stridemoore to Corianthus's Castle.

[Thaluikhain]

To Corianthus!

[Queen of Swords]

Corianthus's castle.

[SGamerz]

The Eagle carries you up the mountain at a pace so swift that the icy air rushes past your face and chills your skin. You begin to shiver; but nevertheless you are glad that you no longer have to make the effort of climbing - especially when you see the sheer walls of the castle, seemingly carved out of the actual rock of the mountain. After the Eagle has landed on the roof and you are safely on firm ground once more, it starts scraping at the stone with its talons, screeching all the while. When you take a closer look, you see that there is a huge, stone trapdoor here, and you can hear shouts coming from beneath it. "Scatter, you evil creature. Come back and tempt us in the darkness. Then you will receive the same treatment as your master." Of course, you thin, these creatures of the night cannot bear direct sunlight. Suddenly the trapdoor begins to slide open, and you jump off it. The movements and the noises of the Eagle must have been a magic code. There are many screams from beneath you - apparently caused by the sunlight pouring through the aperture. Will you go to the edge and look over or wait until the noise dies down.

Oh dear, it looks like Corianthus' place might have already been invaded by the enemies...

[Queen of Swords]

Seems safer to wait until the noise dies down.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go to the edge and look over, as there could be a fight that we need to participate in to get an essential item or two.

[Beroli]

Wait until the noise dies down.

[SGamerz]

You hear doors slamming and what sound like curses in some strange language, but they die down after a few minutes. Cautiously, you walk to the edge of the opening and peer over. Whatever creatures were in this room have now gone, so you decide to go in. This castle was built for a Giant, so there is a ten-metre drop to the floor of the room below. If you have a rope, you loop it round one of the battlements, abseil in, then pull the rope down behind you. If you do not, you have no choice but to jump. No matter how agile you are, you will sustain some injury (roll one die and deduct that many STAMINA points).

The room you have entered is not just a means of access for the Eagle, it is also an observatory. There are star charts on the walls and a huge telescope pointing up through the trapdoor. But there is nothing else in here, so you decide to leave through one of the immense door. Will you go through the one on your left, marked 'Games Room', or the one in front of you, marked 'Library', or will you go through the unmarked door on your right?

We have Colrhyn's rope, so we got down safely.

Which room do we enter first?

[Queen of Swords]

Check out the library.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to enter the 'Games Room' in order to make a strong stand against fascism.

[Thaluikhain]

Games room, to see if this turns into Sky Lord and we get distracted as easily.

[SGamerz]

Games room, to see if this turns into Sky Lord and we get distracted as easily.

At least there's no one actively pursuing us to eat us at the moment...for now...

As you open the door, sunlight streams into the room. A figure runs into the shadows. "Valethion, human," says the Dark Elf. You draw your sword, warning him to be quiet. "It's just a greeting. You should say, 'Thional' in reply." You tell him that you are not in the mood to be polite. "No matter," says the Dark Elf, and he throws a small wooden box at the door, knocking it closed. With the sunlight blocked out, he leaps forward to attack you. There is no time to use your bow.

DARK ELF SKILL 8 STAMINA 6

If you win, you find that there are many games in this room and a table with several puzzles on it. Of interest is a square grid, filled with numbered tiles except for one empty square. If you manage to complete the puzzle, multiply your answers by 10 and turn to that paragraph. If it is correct you will be told so immediately. If the paragraph you turn to does not make sense, turn to 304.

If you decide not to touch the puzzle, you leave the Games Room and return to the Observatory. Will you go through the door on your left into the Library or go straight on through the unmarked door?

Well, in this case, you can choose whether or not to be "distracted" by the game, instead of the book arbitrarily making you stop to play it, so it's fair enough.

First, let's get ride of the Dark Elf.

COMBAT LOG:
Dark Elf 13, Quincy Stridemoore 14. DE is at 4.
DE 14, QS 18. DE is at 2.
DE 17, QS 20. DE is killed.

Despite the cool-looking maneuver of shutting the door with a thrown object, the Dark Elf is no match for Quincy Stridemoore and gets flawlessed.

Can you (and do you wish to) solve the puzzle from the picture? From the look of things, we only get one attempt, so be sure to give an answer that you are certain about!

If you don't wish to play, please vote on which room to try next.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to provide 20 as the answer, as the bottom rows each add up to 48, and 20+15+13=48.

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, 20.

[SGamerz]

As you lay the tiles on the grid, a click comes from the direction of the wall and a secret door opens, revealing a small room beyond. It was probably a safe storeroom, although it couldn't have been very secure, for there is a hole in the wall where the Dark Elves broke in. However, there has been a rock fall since then, and the tunnel is now completely blocked. But the damage has been done: everything has either been smashed or taken...everything, that is, except for one small bottle, lying on its side under a pile of broken glass. It is labelled '3: Lycanthrope Saliva'. There is nothing else in here, so you leave the storeroom and go back to the numbers puzzle. Even though the storeroom has been thoroughly ransacked, you remove the '2' and the '0' from the board and watch as the secret door closes, vanishing as if it had never been there.

For a while, you tinker around with some of the other games and puzzles, but no further secrets are revealed so you leave the Games Room and go back into the Observatory. Will you go through the door on your left into the Library or go straight ahead through the unmarked door?

I kind of like that the PC takes the extra precaution of closing off the secret room before he leaves.

Which door do we try now?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Quincey Stridemoore
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 11/15
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword, leather armour, bow, quiver, Council Signet Ring, 1: Dried Chameleonite Blood, 2: Condensed Mist from the Mithrir Forest, 7: Pickled Whole Shapechanger Brain, Four-leaf Clover, Sleeping Draught, Potion of Fortune, Seven-coiled Snake Ring, Brain Slayer Amulet (symbol 'IX' carved on its back, -2 SKILL when worn, currently not worn), Climbing rope, Brass Key, Fangnir's Encyclopedia of Subterranean Flora, Lightning Sphere, Red Gem, Small Crystal Ball (when looking at Dark Elf architecture, automatically Lucky from resulting Luck test, and does not need to spend LUCK point), 3: Lycanthrope Saliva
Arrows: 6
Bundles of Herbs: 10
Gold: 6 GP
Companions: Istu (SKILL 12, STAMINA 12, can fight alongside us in combat, does not take damage from opponents, but lose 3 STAMINA per use)
Day of the Week:
Stormsday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
Moonsday (2/3 extra lives remaining)
Fireday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
Earthday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
Windsday (2/3 extra lives remaining)
Seaday (2/3 extra lives remaining)
Highday (3/3 extra lives remaining)
[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

I kind of like that the PC takes the extra precaution of closing off the secret room before he leaves.

I kind of like that the Dark Elf couldn't do simple math. Or maybe he couldn't read numbers in any language except his own?

Go through the Library door now.

[SGamerz]

I kind of like that the PC takes the extra precaution of closing off the secret room before he leaves.

I kind of like that the Dark Elf couldn't do simple math. Or maybe he couldn't read numbers in any language except his own?

I thought the implication was that the place was already looted by the invaders who did it by a more direct way of blowing down the walls. Which may, or course, be due to them sucking at Maths, but it may just be that they couldn't be bothered since they got in anyway.

In fact, given the way the Lycanthrope Saliva was labelled, it's possible that the 3 ingredients we found on Morn Preeler imposter was looted by them from that very room.

[Thaluikhain]

To the library.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote go through the door on the left into the Library to strengthen Quincey Stridemoore's stance against the growing evils of fascism.