[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 53 – Spellbreaker

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, try key.

[Beroli]

Key, yes.

[SGamerz]

Answer 'key', and probably get a key from him in return.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Ariel Faust Constantine will provide “key” as the answer to the riddle, which means that we will turn to paragraph 41.

41
‘That’s right,’ laughs Cynric. ‘A key! And that’s how I’m going to ‘elp yer.’ The old man walks over to the skeleton and pulls a loose stone out of the wall beside it. He reaches into the hole and takes out a small bundle of sackcloth. Unwrapping it, he reveals a finely made skeleton key. ‘This fell through the window one day. Someone’s loss, but your gain, ‘eh? Gerald ‘ere’s bin lookin’ after it for me.’ Cynric gives you the key and, having first made sure no one is about, you excitedly unlock the cell door. Cynric takes the key back and, surprised, you ask why he himself doesn’t escape. ‘I’m not as mad as I may seem,’ he says. ‘Why risk it on the streets when I’ve got a bed and three meals a day ‘ere? Isn’t that right, Gerald?’

You smile and cautiously collect your backpack and sword from the chamber outside your cell. At that moment a female voice behind you says, ‘Stranger, share your good fortune and release me.’ You look around and espy a girl’s face at another cell door. Remembering that she is a prisoner, you ask her who she is and why she is locked up here. ‘My name is Tira and I was apprenticed to the witch, Mistress Crowfoot of Selwick. However, I saw the error of my ways and fled from her. I came to Hallow’s Well to seek forgiveness and warn the authorities that a huge coven is forming in the hills to the west. But they didn’t believe me and locked me away here.’

You ask Tira about the Black Grimoire. Naturally she has heard of it, but she has never seen it and does not know if the coven have it. She pleads with you to release her with the keys to her cell, which are on a hook on the wall. Your decision really depends on how much you can trust a witch, even if she was only an apprentice. If you release Tira, turn to 83; if you prefer not to, turn to 206.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 3-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.

[SGamerz]

Release her.

We'd probably have to deal with this coven later, so she'd no doubt provide vital information/help on that.

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, release her. We could do with some help.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Release her.

[JourneymanN00b]

Releasing Tira received 3 votes, so Ariel Faust Constantine will do that.

83
You unlock the cell door and Tira runs out happily before you have a chance to change your mind. ‘Thank you, stranger,’ she says. ‘I owe you my life, as I would surely have been burnt as a witch if you had not grated me my freedom. In return, I’m afraid I can only offer you help against my mistress.’ You ask Tira to tell you as much as she can. She puts a hand into her ragged robes and pulls out a small jar. ‘If you should ever meet Mistress Crowfoot, she will no doubt try to trick you by changing her shape, for she has powers of transformation. If she does so, you must sprinkle some of the powder from this jar over her to keep her in human form.’

You take the jar and thank Tira. The two of you creep easily past the guards who are not expecting anyone to escape, and you part company outside the town walls. Turn to 132.

Important Note: According to publicly available errata, this paragraph should link to paragraph 300 instead of paragraph 132. We will thus go to paragraph 300 next.

300
Once you are away from the town, you rest for a while to consider your next course of action. (You may eat Provisions here.) There are only a few hours of daylight remaining; the sky is still overcast and storm clouds are gathering far away to the west. Two roads lead away from Hallow’s Well. The road south is signposted to the village of Aryll and leads to a range of low hills. The other takes a route westwards to the edge of a brooding forest. You cannot delay any longer. Will you go south towards Aryll (turn to 349) or west in your search for the Black Grimoire (turn to 37)?

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 3-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Ariel Faust Constantine
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 22 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 11 Initial Luck = 12
FAITH: 8
GOLD PIECES: 0
PROVISIONS: 4
EQUIPMENT AND TREASURE:
Sword
Lantern
Tinderbox
Backpack
Aramance
Silver Key With ‘252’ Engraved
Shroud
Falcon
Protective Leather Gauntlet
Scarlet Lady
Drake Nettle
Heal-all (restores Skill and Stamina to Initial levels and +2 Luck)
Ilithorn Rose
Phoenix Grass
Charmed Pipes
Jar of Powder
Notes:
Knows Demonic Word of Command
Say ‘One, two, away’ to send a falcon with SKILL 7 STAMINA 5 against an opponent
RESURRECTIONS: 4[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Go south to Aryll.

[Thaluikhain]

To Aryll

[Darth Rabbitt]

Go to the village.

[SGamerz]

Yes, go save Aryll from the plague.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; Ariel Faust Constantine will go south towards Aryll.

349
Your journey south is uneventful and, having crossed the Grimiry River, you reach the edge of the hills. Dusk falls and you are still a long way from the village of Aryll. After the day’s events you are in need of a good night’s rest, so you decide to find a suitable place to make camp. Do you want to spend the night just off the road (turn to 387) or look for a place further into the hills (turn to 203)?

Please make your votes before 6:00 PM PST to be sure that they will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

I'll go with further into the hills in case there's something of interest to be found off the beaten track.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense, to the hills!

[SGamerz]

Hills.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Ariel Faust Constantine will look for a place further into the hills.

203
Walking into the hills, you soon come upon what at first appears to be a small cave obscured by bushes. Looking closer, you see that the cave entrance is blocked by a sturdy, round door. Will you investigate further in the hope of finding shelter for the night (turn to 189) or camp here in the wilderness among the hills (turn to 387)?

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 3-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

Investigate further.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate hole and all.

[SGamerz]

Investigate the hobbit hole.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Ariel Faust Constantine will investigate further in the hope of finding shelter for the night.

189
[spoiler][/spoiler]

As you approach the door, it is suddenly thrown open by a short, squat figure and a cracked voice calls out, ‘Come in, come in. I’ve been expecting you.’ Puzzled by this invitation, you pause at the doorway and watch the figure as it shuffles down a tunnel dug into the side of the hill. ‘It’s all right,’ says the creature, ‘I saw your coming in the runes.’ You sense that the creature means you no harm, so you follow it into its home, albeit still somewhat confused. You have to bend almost double to make your way down the rough-hewn tunnel, but soon you come to a chamber where you can just stand upright. The cluttered room appears to be the creature’s main living area and contains a rocking chair, a table on which the corpse of a snake is being dissected, and shelves crammed with all kinds of pots and jars, all scaled down to an appropriate size for the inhabitant of this unusual dwelling. The light in the chamber comes from several fireflies, trapped in a glass jar, and a fire in an alcove over which hangs a cooking pot. Your host seats himself in the rocking chair beside the fire and stirs the contents of the pot. The creature is dressed in several layers of ragged robes, under which it seems to be covered in short, dark fur. Its hands are shovel-like claws while its face, half-hidden under a hood, is an animal snout. The creature’s beady eyes peer at you through a pair of half-moon glasses. The more you look at your host, the more he resembles a humanoid mole. ‘Would you like some soup?’ the creature asks. You accept the offer and tuck into a bowl of green broth (restore 2 STAMINA points). The creature introduces himself as Talpas the Burrower, one of the Molekin, a race of underground dwellers. He tells you that he saw your coming by casting runes, a means of divination. Feeling that you can trust Talpas, you tell him of your quest. ‘Perhaps you would like me to cast your runes, yes, to see what dangers await you? I must warn you that their messages can, at times, be misleading.’ If you want to accept his offer, turn to 117; if not, you retire for the night (turn to 15).

Please make your votes before 6:00 PM PST to be sure that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well look at runes.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, let him cast the runes.

[SGamerz]

Accept his offer.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Ariel Faust Constantine will accept his offer.

117
First, Talpas marks out a circle on the sandy floor of the chamber, then he pulls out a handful of flat stones, with esoteric symbols etched on them, out of a bag and throws them into the circle. ‘Ah, yes,’ Talpas mutters, studying the runes. ‘I see the Rune of Good and that of a warrior, those refer to you. Here is the Rune of Mystery, your destiny is uncertain, and here is the Rune of Secrecy next to that representing a man, possibly someone you have met before? I also see that you must visit a place of death and a place of worship.’ Talpas suddenly freezes in terror. ‘No, it cannot be!’ he exclaims, staring at one rune that has fallen just outside the circle. The symbol on the run is three crossed lines, the Witch’s Mark. ‘Shekka’s Rune!’ Talpas shouts in panic. ‘But there is no such rune in my possession! I fear that dark magic is at work here.’ The Molekin hurriedly puts the runs back in their bag, but not before throwing the Witch’s Mark into the fire. He ushers you out of the chamber and down the tunnel to a smaller room in which is a rough straw mattress, and here you spend the night peacefully. Turn to 15.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

15
You rise early and, thanking Talpas again for his hospitality, take your leave of the Molekin. However, before going, Talpas gives you enough Provisions for 2 meals. You rejoin the road and continue on your way. Turn to 57.

57
By mid-morning the road has veered round westwards, leading you further into the hills, and you soon catch sight of the village of Aryll. The village is shrouded by the smoke from several bonfires and a deathly stillness hangs over the whole area. Stumbling along the road towards you is a woman with a huge pack of possessions tied to her back. As you approach, she starts waving you away and shouting. ‘Stay away, stranger! Do you not know there is plague in Aryll? Flee while you have the chance!’ Will you heed the woman’s warming and change course before it is too late (turn to 146), or will you enter the village to see if you can help in any way (turn to 162)?

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 3-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Ariel Faust Constantine
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 24 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 11 Initial Luck = 12
FAITH: 8
GOLD PIECES: 0
PROVISIONS: 6
EQUIPMENT AND TREASURE:
Sword
Lantern
Tinderbox
Backpack
Aramance
Silver Key With ‘252’ Engraved
Shroud
Falcon
Protective Leather Gauntlet
Scarlet Lady
Drake Nettle
Heal-all (restores Skill and Stamina to Initial levels and +2 Luck)
Ilithorn Rose
Phoenix Grass
Charmed Pipes
Jar of Powder
Notes:
Knows Demonic Word of Command
Say ‘One, two, away’ to send a falcon with SKILL 7 STAMINA 5 against an opponent
RESURRECTIONS: 4[/spoiler]