[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 56 – Knights of Doom

[Queen of Swords]

Try to distract it.

[Thaluikhain]

Distract.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will try to distract it and sneak past.

151
Picking up a large stone, you throw it just outside the circle of light thrown by the torches. Hearing the noise, the guard suddenly becomes alert. You throw another stone, and the Beast Man leaves his post to investigate. Quickly you creep towards the opening in the stockade. Test your Skill. If you succeed, the guard does not hear you (turn to 247). If you fail, you do not move quietly enough and the guard hears you (turn to 386).

Rolling the dice yielded a 4, which is obviously less than Belushi Jackson’s Skill, so the guard does not hear him.

247
Inside the stockade is a wooden hall, decorated with human heads impaled on stakes round the edge of its roof. Is there no end to these creatures’ barbarism? Chained to a post in front of the doors of the hall is a two-headed, wolf-like creature which at present is sucking the marrow from a human leg-bone. However, as soon as you step forward, the monster glances up and growls, baring its teeth. You will have to get past this creature if you are going to enter the hall. Will you throw the animal some food (turn to 342) or will you attack it with your trusty weapon, which has proved its worth in many battles (turn to 331)?

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to ensure that they will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

Throw it some food.

[Thaluikhain]

Throw food.

(Is that the first time that the "throw rock to distract guard" thing has been used in FF? Seems odd, given how cliched it is, if it was never done before.)

[SGamerz]

Throw food.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will throw the animal some food.

342
You throw 2 portions of your Provisions, one for each head, as far from the doorway as possible but still within reach of the chained beast (cross these off your Adventure Sheet). The creature pounces on the food and starts to gulp it down. You run past it, through the doors and into the hall. Turn to 110.

110
[spoiler][/spoiler]

At the far end of the hall a grotesque, bloated Beast Man, covered in thick matted fur and with two goat-like horns growing from his head, is sprawled on a carved wooden chair. The creature is clad only in a loin-cloth and two armoured shoulder-pads, while round its neck hangs a Chaos Talisman. This is the Beast Men’s chaotic leader, Murgrim the Cruel. Well does he deserve that name, for at his command countless settlements have been put to the torch and the blood of hundreds of innocents spilt. At the moment he is enjoying torturing a group of prisoners who hang, suspended by their wrists from an iron chain, over a large fire. The chain passes through a pulley, fixed to a roof-beam, and its other end is wound round a wooden drum. Murgrim is gradually letting the capstan off a notch at a time, slowly lowering the prisoners towards the flames. In the far corner of the hall is a large cage, completely covered by a black drape. Drawing your weapon, you run across the hall. Grabbing a double-headed battle-axe, the Chaos Beast Lord rises from his chair and prepares for combat.

MURGRIM       SKILL 10       STAMINA 11

If you win, turn to 242.

The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Murgrim Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Murgrim Stamina: 11, Player Stamina: 18
Round 2: Murgrim Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Murgrim Stamina: 9, Player Stamina: 18
Round 3: Murgrim Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Murgrim Stamina: 7, Player Stamina: 18
Round 4: Murgrim Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Murgrim Stamina: 5, Player Stamina: 18
Round 5: Murgrim Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 23;
Murgrim Stamina: 3, Player Stamina: 18
Round 6: Murgrim Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Murgrim Stamina: 1, Player Stamina: 18
Round 7: Murgrim Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Murgrim Stamina: 1, Player Stamina: 18
Round 8: Murgrim Attack Strength: 20, Player Attack Strength: 21;
Murgrim Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18[/spoiler]

Belushi Jackson manages to flawlessly slaughter Murgrim.

242
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Hastily you free the prisoners and usher them out of the hall. At that moment you hear a voice inside your head: Brave warrior, free me. Something is speaking to you telepathically, in a calm warm voice that fills you with a sense of well-being.

You turn your attention to the draped cage. Taking one corner of the black cloth, you pull it away. For a moment you are blinded by a dazzling light and fling up an arm to shield your eyes. When you grow accustomed to the brilliance, you peer between the iron bars. Trapped inside the cage is a gigantic bird looking somewhat like an eagle in shape and form, but far larger and with a crest of feathers rising from its head and along its neck. Each of the bird’s feathers glows with a golden radiance which lights up the entire hall, and you can feel the creature’s powerful aura of goodness.

Thank you, good knight, it says. I am the Celastrix, perhaps you have heard of me from your legends? You nod, awe-struck. The Celastrix, so legend says, is a messenger of the gods, a magical bird of divine origin. In times past, when people were closer to their gods, I visited this Earthly Plane regularly, relaying messages to and from my masters. Centuries have passed in your world since last I came here, but now the situation demands it. Disorder and Chaos are on the rise and so I was sent to this plane to offer divine aid. However, I was caught by these vile Beast Men through dark sorcery, for the Dark Tyrant fears the dead king’s prophecy. If you release me, I will offer you my help.

Searching Murgrim’s body, you find a bunch of keys and, sure enough, one opens the lock on the cage. Free of its prison, the Celastrix stretches its wings then flies up to the ceiling, picking you up in its talons. Now let us leave this place. The bird smashes through the wooden roof of the hall and, beating its great wings, soars away from the camp across the night sky. Your aerial journey is soon over when the Celastrix drops to the ground and deposits you near Firemane. Before it flies off again, the huge bird plucks a feather from its breast and drops it at your feet. When you need my help, simply burn this feather and call my name three times. With that, the divine messenger flies away over the hills and disappears beyond the horizon. Taking the bird’s golden feather, you remount Firemane and ride off to the south. Regain 1 LUCK point and add 1 to your HONOUR score for defeating another of Belgaroth’s allies and for releasing the Celastrix. Turn to 296.

296
[spoiler][/spoiler]

After you have put several kilometres between you and the Chaos Beast Men’s camp, you stop to rest. When you wake up again, you find that you have slept well into the next day (restore 2 STAMINA points and add 1 day to the Time Elapsed). The desolate landscape of the Banarask Hills is unchanging as you ride on under the cold grey sky for several hours. And then you see it: on a hilltop stand the dark ruined towers of Caer Skall, the Fortress of the Skull. From here you can see its grim keep, still intact after surviving the onslaught of the besieging crusaders a century ago. Black flags fly from its crenellated turrets, the sight of which fills you with unease. Before you can reach the forbidding castle, you must first cross the ancient battlefield on which the final battle of the Crusade against Chaos was fought. It was on this field that Belgaroth was felled in battle by Sir Rhyaddan the Crusader, along with his Chaos Knights. The battlefield is shrouded in a thick pall of mist, and here and there you can make out the indistinct shapes of broken weapons, war-engines and the skeletal remains of armoured warriors. You half expect the bodies of the fallen to rise up against you as you ride out across the ancient battle-site.

A large raven sits perched on a branch of a lone gnarled and leafless tree near by. Seeing you, it gives a hoarse croaking cry then flaps off through the mists towards the fortress. A moment later you hear the sound of hoofs galloping towards you. Trailing tendrils of vapour, a black horse with its rider emerges out of the mists. The knight is covered from head to foot in shining black spiked plate armour. His helmet is horned and decorated with weird patterns inlaid with red tracery, as is the rest of his armour. The Chaos Knight levels his black lance and spurs his steed on towards you without saying a word. You must overcome Belgaroth’s champion in a deadly joust. If you do not have a lance, or if you do have one but don’t have the Lance Special Skill, you must reduce your Attack Strength by 1 point for the duration of this battle, and by 1 further point if you do not possess the Ride Special Skill.

CHAOS KNIGHT CHAMPION       SKILL 12       STAMINA 12

If the Chaos Knight wins two Attack Rounds, you are unhorsed (lose 4 STAMINA points of damage rather than the usual 2) and you must fight on with your normal weapon and your Attack Strength reduced by 2 points. If you are using a lance and you win two Attack Rounds before the Chaos Knight does, you unhorse him and may increase your Attack Strength by 2 points. If you win this deadly contest, turn to 351.

Belushi Jackson does not have a lance, but has the Ride Special Skill. Since this can probably be classified as a tough fight, I will ask if Luck should be used here. If so, should it be used to reduce the damage that our hero takes or to inflict additional damage? Please make your votes before 6:00 PM PST to ensure that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Belushi Jackson
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 20 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 12 Initial Luck = 12
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Battle Tactics
Ride
Tracking
Arcane Lore
Banish Spirit
HONOUR: 12
TIME ELAPSED: 8 days
WEAPON: Magic Sword (can harm undead and Demons)
GOLD PIECES: 22
EQUIPMENT AND NOTES:
Chainmail Coat
Horse named Firemane
Backpack
Lantern
Tinderbox
2 Purses
Aranandus’s Restorative Potion (one tot, restores STAMINA to Initial level)
Helmet of Ventarc
Ironbane (Roll 1 die against armored opponent before combat, 1-2 destroys enemy armor, 3-4 reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon, 5-6 destroys enemy armor and reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon)
Great Boar’s Tusks
Nroht
Ecrof
Cleric’s Talisman
Raven Charm
Ecrof
Twisted Staff
Enorc
Encountered Banshee On Paragraph 175
Eehsnab
Reduce the Skill of any undead creature in Myrton by 1 point
When at the Door of Skulls, convert Necromage’s name using the code A=1, B=2, C=3 … Z = 26, total the numbers, multiply the total by 5, and turn to that number
Necromage’s name is Cadaver
Shield Ring (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Ronnoc
Bottle of Forest of Lein Sap
Elven Amulet
Flame Shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Aelfgar (weapon in Firemane’s saddle, can harm undead and Demons)
Celastrix Feather (burn and call three times to receive Celastrix’s aid)
RESURRECTIONS: 2[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Use luck to increase damage dealt.

[Beroli]

If the black lance is metal, use ironbane. Whether it is or not, use Luck to increase damage until the Knight's Stamina is 2 or lower.

[Thaluikhain]

Wde are at max luck, so use luck to increase damage until the enemy is at 2 stamina or lower.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I like Beroli's plan.

[JourneymanN00b]

Thank you for your votes. Luck will be used to inflict additional damage in this fight. The Chaos Knights Champion’s black lance is not made of iron, so it will not be affected by Ironbane.

The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 16;
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 12, Player Stamina: 18
Round 2: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 20, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Player is unhorsed and takes 4 Stamina damage and has his Attack Strength reduced by 2 for the rest of this battle
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 12, Player Stamina: 14
Round 3: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 12, Player Stamina: 12
Round 4: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 20, Player Attack Strength: 11;
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 12, Player Stamina: 10
Round 5: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 12, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Luck Roll: 10, Player is Lucky and deals 2 extra damage
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 8, Player Stamina: 10, Player Luck: 11
Round 6: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Luck Roll: 3, Player is Lucky and deals 2 extra damage
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 10, Player Luck: 10
Round 7: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 20, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 8
Round 8: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 21, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 6
Round 9: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 16;
Luck Roll: 12, Player is Unlucky and only deals 1 damage
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 3, Player Stamina: 6, Player Luck: 9
Round 10: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 15;
Luck Roll: 10, Player is Unlucky and only deals 1 damage
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 6, Player Luck: 8
Round 11: Chaos Knight Champion Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Chaos Knight Champion Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 6[/spoiler]

Well, Belushi Jackson ran into a string of bad luck and got unhorsed in the first two Attack Rounds. He had okay luck when it came to testing his Luck on the first four blows that he managed to score against the Chaos Knight Champion, with two being Lucky and two being Unlucky. After scoring a fifth and decisive blow, Belushi Jackson is now at 6 Stamina.

351
Having used all your skills of horsemanship and weapon mastery to defeat Belgaroth’s champion, you are filled with new hope (regain 1 LUCK point). You ride on across the sterile plain towards Caer Skaal, Firemane’s breath appearing as clouds of steam in the cold air. As you near the castle, you notice that the broken battlements are in the course of being rebuilt. The Dread Lord is strengthening the fortress’s defences, preparing for war! Scanning the forbidding walls, you see no sign of any guards. Perhaps Belgaroth did not expect to be challenged on his own soil, or maybe he just did not expect any enemy to get this far. Caer Skaal is surrounded on three sides by a steep escarpment and the other approach is protected by the imposing gatehouse. However, on closer inspection the gate has been left wide open, with the gatehouse itself seemingly completely deserted. A half-filled, trench-like ditch, a relic, no doubt, of the time of the Crusade, runs almost straight to the gate. Do you want to use the ditch as cover and enter the fortress this way (turn to 363), or do you want to look for another way in (turn to 142)?

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to ensure that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Belushi Jackson
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 6 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 12
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Battle Tactics
Ride
Tracking
Arcane Lore
Banish Spirit
HONOUR: 12
TIME ELAPSED: 8 days
WEAPON: Magic Sword (can harm undead and Demons)
GOLD PIECES: 22
EQUIPMENT AND NOTES:
Chainmail Coat
Horse named Firemane
Backpack
Lantern
Tinderbox
2 Purses
Aranandus’s Restorative Potion (one tot, restores STAMINA to Initial level)
Helmet of Ventarc
Ironbane (Roll 1 die against armored opponent before combat, 1-2 destroys enemy armor, 3-4 reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon, 5-6 destroys enemy armor and reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon)
Great Boar’s Tusks
Nroht
Ecrof
Cleric’s Talisman
Raven Charm
Ecrof
Twisted Staff
Enorc
Encountered Banshee On Paragraph 175
Eehsnab
Reduce the Skill of any undead creature in Myrton by 1 point
When at the Door of Skulls, convert Necromage’s name using the code A=1, B=2, C=3 … Z = 26, total the numbers, multiply the total by 5, and turn to that number
Necromage’s name is Cadaver
Shield Ring (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Ronnoc
Bottle of Forest of Lein Sap
Elven Amulet
Flame Shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Aelfgar (weapon in Firemane’s saddle, can harm undead and Demons)
Celastrix Feather (burn and call three times to receive Celastrix’s aid)
RESURRECTIONS: 2[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Drink Aranadus' Restorative Potion and look for another way in.

[SGamerz]

Look for another way in.

[Queen of Swords]

Drink Aranadus' Restorative Potion and look for another way in.

Agree with this.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will look for another way in. He will also drink his remaining tot of Aranandus’s Restorative Potion.

142
At the foot of the escarpment on the eastern side of the castle, hidden behind scrubby bushes and boulders, you find a small cave mouth and, beyond that, a rocky tunnel leading into the hill beneath the fortress. Perhaps the tunnel was made by the crusaders, a century ago. Whoever dug it out, it should take you into the castle dungeons. Do you want to explore the passageway further (turn to 167) or would you rather return to the gatehouse and enter that way (turn to 363)?

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

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Belushi Jackson
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 24 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 12
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Battle Tactics
Ride
Tracking
Arcane Lore
Banish Spirit
HONOUR: 12
TIME ELAPSED: 8 days
WEAPON: Magic Sword (can harm undead and Demons)
GOLD PIECES: 22
EQUIPMENT AND NOTES:
Chainmail Coat
Horse named Firemane
Backpack
Lantern
Tinderbox
2 Purses
Helmet of Ventarc
Ironbane (Roll 1 die against armored opponent before combat, 1-2 destroys enemy armor, 3-4 reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon, 5-6 destroys enemy armor and reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon)
Great Boar’s Tusks
Nroht
Ecrof
Cleric’s Talisman
Raven Charm
Ecrof
Twisted Staff
Enorc
Encountered Banshee On Paragraph 175
Eehsnab
Reduce the Skill of any undead creature in Myrton by 1 point
When at the Door of Skulls, convert Necromage’s name using the code A=1, B=2, C=3 … Z = 26, total the numbers, multiply the total by 5, and turn to that number
Necromage’s name is Cadaver
Shield Ring (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Ronnoc
Bottle of Forest of Lein Sap
Elven Amulet
Flame Shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Aelfgar (weapon in Firemane’s saddle, can harm undead and Demons)
Celastrix Feather (burn and call three times to receive Celastrix’s aid)
RESURRECTIONS: 2[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Agreed; drink the restorative potion and look for another way in. Enter the cave.

[Beroli]

Enter the tunnel, yes.

[Queen of Swords]

Enter.

[Thaluikhain]

Entre.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will explore the passageway further.

167
Tying Firemane’s reins to a stunted tree hidden among the shrubs, then lighting your lantern, you set off along the tunnel. The ground slopes upwards until you find yourself inside a small cave. On the other side of the cave is the entrance to another tunnel, but it is blocked by a padlocked iron gate. Coming form the darkness beyond the gate, you can hear something large moving about and grunting in the distance; there is also a strong animal smell. Because the gate is locked and you have no key, some other means of opening it will have to be found if you want to proceed further. Ironbane, if you have some, will rust the lock and the gate itself, letting you pass. A grenade, if you have one, used successfully will blow the lock apart, allowing you to open the gate. Otherwise, you will have to break the gate open with your weapon. If you have a smashing weapon, such as a mace or a war-hammer, you make short work of the problem. However, a pointed or edged weapon requires greater effort to break the lock (lose 1 STAMINA point through your exertions). If you use one of the above methods to get past the gate, turn to 294. If you decide against this route after all, turn to 363.

Belushi Jackson has Ironbane. Other than that, he only has pointed or edged weapons when it comes to dealing with the lock. Please make your votes on whether to get past the gate using one of the above methods before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to ensure that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

We are at max stamina, smash the lock, take the damage and keep the ironbane.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed.

[Beroli]

Break the lock with the magic sword. Also, switch our primary weapon to Aelfgar.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, break the lock with our magic sword and then switch to Aelfgar.