[Let's Play] Fighting Fantazine Adventure 9: Return to the Icefinger Mountains

[Beroli]

Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 13, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 16. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 17
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 23, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 12. FROST GIANT's Stamina is 6
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 21, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 19. FROST GIANT's Stamina is 4
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 14, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 18. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 15
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 18, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 19. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 13
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 16, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 13. FROST GIANT's Stamina is 2
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 20, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 22. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 11
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 22, FROST GIANT Attack Strength: 14. FROST GIANT is dead.

The impact of the Giant’s corpse hitting the ground shakes some snow loose from the walls of the defile, but this has no serious consequences.

As the pounding of your heart subsides, you become aware that the shaking of the ground has not ceased, though the Giant who caused it is no longer moving. Unless...

A second Frost Giant appears at the upper end of the gorge, stopping abruptly as he catches sight of the massive corpse at your feet. He braces himself against both walls as yet another Giant catches up with him. Turning to his companion, the second Giant exclaims, “They killed Ushall!”

“Kill them!” roars the other.

The Giant in front clenches both fists and lets out a guttural roar.

You don’t fancy your chances against two enraged Frost Giants at close quarters, and even if you are a good enough fighter to prevail, you could only take them on one at a time, leaving Denati vulnerable to the second one while you deal with the first. Glancing back the way you came, you see that the first Giant’s body blocks the pass effectively enough to make retreating difficult, if not impossible. Your only real hope is to seek refuge in the small cave you noticed overhead.

Quickly you give your elderly companion a boost, helping him to reach the cave mouth and pull himself up and through it. Then, with your victim’s avengers rapidly bearing down on you, you spring into the air, desperately reaching for the edge of the narrow opening. Test your Skill; a 10 succeeds.

You get a good grip on the lip of the cave mouth, and are able to pull yourself the rest of the way up with ease.

Unexpectedly, a fire is alight further in, its light showing you that the narrow opening only extends for a few metres before widening out considerably. You squeeze through the short distance remaining between you and the more spacious interior, and then freeze, alarmed at the sight that meets your eyes within.

The light of the fire illuminates the scrawny frame of an aged Barbarian Shaman, festooned in talismans fashioned from the claws and fangs of local predators. With both hands he holds a large bone club raised above his head, about to strike the prone form of Denati, who cowers at his feet, a livid mark on his brow marking where the Shaman struck him down.

You draw your sword, and the Barbarian turns his attention to you. Though the milky white of blindness clouds his eyes, his inability to see does not appear to handicap him, and you notice him raising a foot to stamp on the fire. Alarmed at the thought of being trapped with this berserk enemy in total darkness, you lash out with your sword.

BARBARIAN SHAMAN Skill 9 Stamina 7

If he wins the first Attack Round, something will happen.

Round One: Edmund Pevensie 15, Barbarian Shaman 16.

The Barbarian’s bare foot kicks apart the burning brands of the fire, scattering them. The flames gutter and die, plunging the cave interior into near-darkness and putting the Shaman at a considerable advantage as he turns his attention to attacking you. Deduct 1 point from his Stamina, but reduce your Attack Strength by 3 for the next two rounds of combat. After that, something will happen again, determined by whether your opponent is alive or dead. Since he effectively has a higher Skill now and you cannot possibly kill him in two rounds without using Luck, pause for votes on how to use Luck here.

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 11/19
Luck: 10/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Rope, Blankets
Provisions: 7
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

Use luck to deal extra damage.

[Beroli]

Round One: Edmund Pevensie 15, BARBARIAN SHAMAN 16. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 9.
Round Two: Edmund Pevensie 14, BARBARIAN SHAMAN 11, Luck Test Succeeds. BARBARIAN SHAMAN Stamina 2.

You did kill the Frost Giant outside.

You are distracted by a loud grunting sound from some way behind you, and the Barbarian takes advantage of this to get in another blow (lose 2 Stamina points). Continue the battle.

Round Three: Edmund Pevensie 13, BARBARIAN SHAMAN 16. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 5.
Round Four: Edmund Pevensie 12, BARBARIAN SHAMAN 20. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 3.
Round Five: Edmund Pevensie 12, BARBARIAN SHAMAN 11. BARBARIAN SHAMAN is dead.

You rummage in your backpack for your tinderbox and, after a couple of tries, manage to create some light in the cave. You are about to check and see how Denati is, when a low but not animalistic growl somewhere behind you reminds you of the noise that briefly took you off your guard during the fight, and you spin round to see what caused it.

Though you had hoped that the narrowness of the cave mouth would deter the Frost Giants from pursuing you, one of them has managed to force his arms, shoulders and head through the gap, and is trying to squeeze the rest of his bulk into the cave as well. Seeing that you have noticed him, he roars, “Murderer!” and ineffectually swings a fist at you. Even if there is no way he can get all the way through the opening to attack you, he is blocking the way out, so you will have to do something about him. With a sigh, you draw your sword yet again.

FROST GIANT Skill 10 Stamina 10

Though being jammed into the cave mouth restricts his mobility, in order to get close enough to strike at him, you must move into range of his thrashing arms, so he suffers no penalty to Attack Strength. As soon as you succeed in landing a blow on him, something will happen.

Round One: Edmund Pevensie 19, FROST GIANT 17.

The tip of your sword sinks into the Giant’s shoulder and, with a bellow of pain, he jerks backwards out of the cave mouth, vanishing from sight as he falls down into the defile. However, the impact of his landing on the ground below is sufficient to dislodge a large quantity of the snow at the top of the rocky walls to either side of the gorge, and scant seconds after his departure allows some daylight back into the cave, the snowslip cuts off your view of the outside once more.

Tunnelling out is liable to be both difficult and dangerous, especially if the Giants remain in the defile, so you decide to see if there is another way out of the cave.

Denati is crouched beside the dead Barbarian Shaman, apparently unaware of what has happened to block off the exit from the cave.

“This is interesting,” he tells you, handing you a slim leather pouch on a cord. A hole cut into one side reveals it to contain a circular disc of metal. “He had it around his neck. I think it’s one of the gambling tokens they used in Cyrantis. You know, I think this cave could be connected with the ruins of the city. That big crack at the back looks as if it might lead somewhere...”

You tell him that you will have to investigate the crack, as it may now be the only way out. Your announcement does not seem to perturb him, as he is so excited at the prospect of finding a way into the city that has obsessed him for so long. You may eat a Meal before turning your attention to the crack and can take the Shaman’s bone club as a back-up weapon if you wish.

The crack is so narrow that you must enter it sideways, removing your backpack and holding it at your side in order to have any chance of squeezing through. Even if you are prepared to do this, you are certain to suffer some grazes and abrasions as you force your way in. You will also have to hold your lantern in the other hand to see what lies ahead of you, and thus will not be able to use your sword until you reach a wider space.

You have no choice; the crack is now the only way out of the cave. You take 2 damage squeezing through it.

Test your Luck, without a bonus because you did eat in the cave (unless you didn't, but that would greatly surprise me). A 6 succeeds.

The pressure of the rock against your back and chest makes it difficult to breathe, and you have to resist the urge to panic, but after only a short distance the crack opens out, and you soon reach a point at which you can turn around and face back the way you came. You call to Denati to let him know that there is a way through, and with much puffing and grunting he follows. After putting your pack back on your back, you advance further into the mountain.

The passage you have discovered twists and winds, eventually splitting into two. A slight breeze issues from one of the turnings and, checking your compass, you find that that way leads back south. The other way goes roughly north-east.

Head into the wind, though it is away from your ultimate goal?
Head in the direction of the Snow Witch's caves, though there is no indication that way leads outside again?

Also vote on whether to take the Bone Club, and express not wanting to eat in the cave if you do not.

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 5/19
Luck: 9/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Rope, Blankets, Circular Disc
Provisions: 6
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head into the wind and get the Bone Club. I also vote to eat another three provisions as soon as Edmund is able to do this.

[Thaluikhain]

Don't take the club this time, but eat 3 provisions.

[Beroli]

With only one vote, you head into the wind this time.

Rounding the corner, you are startled to see the face of a large Silver Dragon directly in front of you. The Dragon appears equally surprised, and recoils slightly, and on the far side of the cavern it inhabits you glimpse a passage leading onwards, with a hint of daylight showing at the end.

Attack the Dragon?
Hurry back the way you came while the Dragon is still startled?

Also need a tiebreaker on whether to take the club.

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 5/19
Luck: 9/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Rope, Blankets, Circular Disc
Provisions: 6
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to attack the dragon, and to make my vote to pick up the club a half one.

[Beroli]

It occurs to you that fire might be an effective weapon against this denizen of the icy peaks.

You are not covered in oil.

Try fire against the dragon?
Attack the dragon with a hand weapon instead?

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 5/19
Luck: 9/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Rope, Blankets, Circular Disc
Provisions: 6
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to use fire.

[Thaluikhain]

Try fire, yeah.

[Beroli]

You leave the club behind, 1 to 0.5.

You reach into your pocket and pull out a piece of parchment. However, before you can do anything more, the Dragon's mouth opens to expel a blast of icy air. Test your Skill with a -2 penalty; a 10 succeeds.

Despite the Dragon’s efforts, your lantern is still alight. You stick an edge of the parchment into its flame, and it immediately catches light. The Dragon flinches away from the flame, and you call to Denati to come quickly – and give you anything he has handy that will burn!

With the help of a few improvised torches you are able to keep the Dragon at bay until the two of you have exited the cavern by the passageway on its far side. You set a small fire there to discourage pursuit, and continue along the tunnel into the open air. Add 1 Luck point for escaping this hazardous encounter, and resume your northward trek.

The sun is sinking low in the sky, but you want to put a lot of distance between yourself and the Dragon’s cave, so you press onwards until the decreasing visibility makes it too dangerous to go any further. Spotting a slight hollow in the ground that will provide a little cover, you make camp for the night there. You may eat here if you wish to; if you had not already eaten today you would have to eat now. (With two preemptive votes, you eat.)

You and Denati take it in turns to keep watch while the other sleeps. The night passes without incident, though the Dragon does join the host of horrors which torment you in your dreams.

The following morning you set off as soon as the rising sun provides sufficient light that you can continue on your way, and the exercise helps banish the tiredness lingering after your bad night. Denati does not find it easy to keep up with you, and several times you have to deliberately slow your pace for his sake. He apologises for holding you back, but encourages you by saying that, even at his pace, you should be able to reach your goal before the end of the day.

Roll one die; the result is a 1.

Up until now, the weather conditions have been quite favourable. However, towards midday, dark clouds fill the sky, and snow begins to fall. The wind picks up as well, and you realise that you risk getting caught in a blizzard.

Create a crude shelter from what you have with you?
Press on in the hope of finding a more suitable spot to sit out the bad weather?

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 9/19
Luck: 10/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Rope, Blankets, Circular Disc
Provisions: 5
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to create a crude shelter.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, create a shelter.

[Thaluikhain]

Shelter

[Beroli]

The wind will not allow you to put up a proper tent, so you weigh down the edges of some blankets with the largest movable stones at hand, and huddle under them with Denati. For what seems like hours you crouch there in darkness, unable to light a lantern in case you set your makeshift shelter on fire, listening to the wind howl and feeling the weight of the snow on top of you increase. By the time the storm has passed, you are stiff and cramped, and you must reduce your Skill by one point until after your next night’s sleep.

The bad weather does eventually pass, though, and at last you are able to crawl out into the open, shake the snow from the blankets, and resume your journey up the mountain.

As you continue upwards, Denati starts to gasp and wheeze, and before long you are also feeling the ill effects of the thinness of the air at this altitude. Take 1 damage. You stop to acclimatise yourself to the conditions up here, and may eat a Meal while you grow accustomed to the thinner atmosphere. Gradually, breathing becomes easier, and you set off again once your aged companion feels ready to go on.

A little under an hour later you catch sight of a hole in the ground ahead of you, and are about to detour around it when Denati places a restraining hand on your arm. “Where are you going? That’s...possibly a way into the Crystal Caves. We should at least take a look.”

You tie one end of your rope around a decent-sized rock not far from the hole, attach your lantern to the other end, and carefully lower it down into the darkness. Soon it becomes clear that the scholar may be right: certainly, the light indicates that the hole leads into a spacious cavern. Not an excessively deep one, though, as the rope reaches to the floor of the underground chamber with metres to spare.

After checking that the rope is secure at this end, you climb down it, and reach the ground below safely. It only takes a moment to detach the lantern so you can use it to light your way around the cavern.

A layer of snow covers everything, at its thickest beneath the mouth of the hole. Nevertheless, you are able to make out a central plinth, with what appears to be a body sprawled on the floor close to it. Two other huddled mounds, which you take to be more corpses, one of them significantly larger than the other, lie a short distance from the mouth of a tunnel leading into the depths of the mountain. There is a similar tunnel entrance in the opposite wall of the cavern.

You call up to Denati and tell him to join you down here, and the old man nervously descends the rope, with you underneath, ready to catch him if he should slip. Almost as soon as his feet touch the ground, the plinth catches his attention, and he hurries across to it. Pulling off a glove to brush away some of the snow that covers the plinth, he peers closely at its surface.

Try and get your rope back?
Leave your rope and go over to look at the plinth Denati is studying?
Leave your rope and take a closer look at the snow-covered corpses?

With preemptive votes cast, you eat another Meal.

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 10/11
Stamina: 13/19
Luck: 10/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Rope, Blankets, Circular Disc
Provisions: 4
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to check out the corpses and get the bone die for the Orc corpse. We are probably screwed since Edmund again missed getting the Flame Sword, though...

[Beroli]

To be clear, you are voting to abandon your rope this time but do the other things you did the first time?

[JourneymanN00b]

Correct. I do not want Edmund to expend luck trying to get back his rope this time.

EDIT: I also finally solved the Mayar/Switor riddle if we have the chance to head there again in the future. Turns out that I did not set up one of the starting equations that I used to try to solve the riddle correctly.

For reference, the two equations that should be used are below, with M for Mayar’s age and S for Switor’s age on the death day:

M = 2 (S - (M - S))
M + S = 147

Solving these two equations gives Switor’s age as 63 and Mayar’s age as 84, and I would like to submit this as the answer to the riddle if we have another opportunity to do so.

[Beroli]

You check out the bodies and start with the lone cadaver near the plinth.

Brushing away some of the snow that covers the body reveals this to be the corpse of an Orc, his battered armour festooned with rusty weapons. Round his neck you can see a metal collar just like the one you were forced to wear when you were last in the Crystal Caves. Memories of that terrible time come flooding back, and you turn away with a grimace, unwilling to face further reminders of your past sufferings.

A frost-rimed hand clutches at your shoulder. Startled, you tear yourself away from the grasp of your unknown assailant and, spinning around, you are horrified to see that it is the long-dead Orc, which has dragged itself up out of the snow and is now lurching towards you, its collar emitting a dull glow. You hurriedly draw a weapon to defend yourself from the Orc Zombie.

ORC ZOMBIE Skill 6 Stamina 6

Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 15, ORC ZOMBIE Attack Strength: 17. Edmund Pevensie's Stamina is 10
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 21, ORC ZOMBIE Attack Strength: 18. ORC ZOMBIE's Stamina is 4
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 22, ORC ZOMBIE Attack Strength: 15. ORC ZOMBIE's Stamina is 2
Edmund Pevensie Attack Strength: 18, ORC ZOMBIE Attack Strength: 17. ORC ZOMBIE is dead.

The Orc is dead once more. To ensure that he cannot rise and attack you yet again, you take the rusty axe he carries and sever his head. The haft snaps from the force of your blow, so you use the stump that remains in your hands to separate the collar from its wearer and fling it away. This victory gives you more confidence, and you may restore 1 Luck point.

As you step back from the body, you feel something hard underfoot and, raising your foot to see what you had trodden on, see a small bone die with strange symbols carved on its faces.

You decide to make sure the other two bodies cannot animate and attack you or Denati.

Digging through the snow that covers these bodies, you find that the taller of them is an Elf, the shorter one a Dwarf. Unusually for frozen corpses, they show some signs of decomposition. There is little of interest on either cadaver, but an ice-encrusted bracelet around the Dwarf’s left wrist catches your eye.

Attempt to remove the bracelet?
Leave it and investigate the plinth?
Leave it and investigate the nearby tunnel entrance?

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 10/11
Stamina: 10/19
Luck: 11/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Blankets, Circular Disc, Bone Die
Provisions: 4
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

Half vote to check out the tunnel entrance.

[Beroli]

“Where are you off to?” asks Denati. You tell him you intend to explore further, and he shakes his head. “There’s no need. This pedestal has an inscription in Cyrantian script that says the rising sun will show the way we should go.”

He looks up through the hole in the roof. “It’s already starting to get dark outside, so I think we should make camp for the night here and wait to see what the light of dawn reveals. If you go wandering off, you risk going on some false trail and getting lost or hurt or even killed. Now we know we can get a sign, we’d best wait for it.”

You concede that he has a point.

You clear a patch of the floor from which you can get a good view of the eastern sky through the hole in the roof, but not directly beneath the hole, so you will have some shelter if it should snow during the night. You may eat again (if you had not eaten yet, you would have to do so now); with two preemptive votes, you automatically do so.

It is possible that these caves are still inhabited, or that some of the Snow Witch’s followers may have found another way into them, so you and Denati will take turns to stand guard while the other sleeps. You decide to take the first watch.

You have a bone die.

It occurs to you that Denati may be able to tell you something about what you have found down here, and before he settles down for the night you show it to him and ask if he knows anything about it.

The symbols carved into the die indicate it to be a Cyrantian artefact. Examining it, Denati becomes more excited than you have ever seen him before. “We’ve known for years that games and contests were associated with the god most widely worshipped by the Cyrantians, but this is the first time I’ve seen a gaming implement that is also a religious item. This face shows the name of their god.”

He turns the bone cube over, scrutinising its other faces. “I wonder what it was used for. Here’s the glyph that means ‘strength’ in their script....This could open up whole new areas in Cyrantian studies. Always assuming I ever make it back to Salamonis, that is.”

Muttering to himself, the aged scholar shuffles off to get some rest, leaving you to keep watch. Pocketing the die once more, you think about the undead Orc from which you acquired it, and begin to wonder how many more such horrors infest these caves. Your imagination peoples the darkness beyond the light of your lantern with all manner of terrors and, realising that you are making yourself jumpy, you try to focus on the fact that you mean to destroy the source of the evil that infests the mountain.

Your apprehension fades as you concentrate on the tasks ahead of you, and by the end of your watch, you have built up your confidence. No bad dreams trouble you tonight. You did not give away one of your blankets yesterday. You have a good night’s sleep for the first time in days (restore 2 Stamina points).

The next thing you know, Denati is crouched at your side. “It’s almost time,” he tells you.

You get up and quickly pack away the bedding, then join him to watch as the first hints of the coming dawn tint the sky. A worrying thought occurs to you, and you ask how likely it is that what is supposed to happen will still do so after all this time.

“It should still work. I mean, whatever magic preserved the inscription for the past few centuries is likely to have kept everything else functional as well,” the scholar reassures you.

A golden shaft of sunlight enters through the hole in the roof, falling upon the plinth and refracting through it to cast a small spot of light on the cavern wall beyond. Denati races across the floor to touch the place indicated, and a section of the wall slides smoothly to one side, revealing a third tunnel opening.

“Remarkable engineering,” gasps the old man. Turning back to you, he urges, “Now, come on. I don’t know how long this will stay open, or if it will work again once the sun has moved on.”

You hurry through the mouth of the new passageway, which splits into two a little further on. The turning to the right slopes downwards for around twenty metres before turning left, and the left branch has a gentle incline upwards, bending to the right after twenty-five metres or so. You ask Denati which way to go, and he shrugs. “There aren’t any city plans among the Cyrantian remnants we’ve collected together in Salamonis, so your guess is as good as mine.”

Go right?
Go left?

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 10/11
Stamina: 16/19
Luck: 11/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Blankets, Circular Disc, Bone Die
Provisions: 3
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

Let's see if going right this time gives our hero an essential item.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense.

[Beroli]

Around forty metres beyond the corner, the light from your lantern reveals that the floor up ahead ends in an edge, beyond which you can see only darkness. You come to a halt – or at least try to – but now you come to realise that the slope of the floor has been imperceptibly increasing, and the slipperiness of the ground adds to the difficulty of your coming to a standstill. Test your Skill; a 7 succeeds.

You manage to bring yourself to a complete stop just before the edge. This close, you can see that the slope does actually continue beyond it, but at a much steeper angle, on which you would have little chance of keeping your footing.

Belatedly, it occurs to you to warn Denati to watch his step, but before you can say a word, a gasp from behind you indicates that he has already slipped. His body slams into the backs of your ankles, pushing you forwards and over the edge. Test your Luck; a 2 succeeds.

Somehow you manage to maintain your balance and stay upright, and even to keep hold of your lantern, as you begin to slither down the slope. Nevertheless, you can do nothing to arrest your slide, and feel a growing sense of alarm as you accelerate onwards, only able to see a short distance ahead of yourself. By the time you see the ground levelling out at the bottom of the slope, you are practically there, and have no opportunity to prepare yourself for the imminent stop. Luck remains with you, though, and while the transition to a flat surface is a little jarring, you merely totter forward a few paces before regaining control. Even so, you steady yourself against a wall to catch your breath.

Though practically unscathed, Denati is too shaken up by the fall to stand unassisted, and you have to help him to his feet. Once he is up, he extracts a stone flask from a pocket inside his cape and swigs from it. Wheezing slightly, he comments, “Good thing it wasn’t a glass bottle,” and passes the flask to you. A gulp of the potent liquor inside makes your eyes water, but you do feel better once the slight burning sensation has subsided. Restore 2 Stamina points.

A quick look around establishes that the passage you are now in turns to the left after just a few metres.

Now the gamebook gives you a choice between "go around the corner" and "investigate the possibility of climbing back up the slope," but since they both lead to the same place, you automatically investigate the possibility of climbing back up the slope.

From the bottom, the slope does not look as steep as it seemed when you were sliding down it. Even so, getting back up it will not be easy, and would take a long time. Still, you believe that if you were prepared to hack out handholds and footholds, you should be able to get back up without too much danger of sliding down here again.

A loud gasp sounds from somewhere behind you. Turning, you realise that Denati has given in to curiosity and wandered around the corner. Wondering what could have elicited the shocked response you heard, you follow him, and the sight you behold causes you to abandon all thought of digging away at the ice of the slope.

Before you is a sight straight out of your worst nightmares, only more horrific.

One of the many dangers you faced during your time as a slave in the Crystal Caves was the risk of being sacrificed to the Demon that the Snow Witch’s willing servants worshipped. Her followers would periodically perform monstrous rites before a huge effigy of the Demon, forcing a number of slaves to watch. At the end they would choose one of the slaves to throw to the statue, which would then become possessed by the spirit of the Demon and animate in order to slay the luckless victim.

The effigy was destroyed at around the time the Snow Witch was originally defeated. You never saw exactly what happened, and have heard contradictory descriptions: according to some accounts, the adventurer who slew her physical body first weakened her power by shattering the statue, while others make out that it was toppled by vengeful slaves after her ‘death’ robbed her of the ability to punish their rebellion. (In other words, it was possible for Robert Scott to encounter the demon before the Snow Witch, though he did not.) Whatever the truth, you saw the fragments before leaving the caves, and even kicked one of them across the floor of the cavern where it used to sit. Despite that small gesture of defiance, the statue still loomed large in your nightmares.

The true form of the Demon is far worse, and this is what you can see, straight in front of you, taking up most of the space in the chamber it occupies. It is even more massive than the statue was, its head alone at least two metres high. You have no way of telling the size of the whole thing, as it is buried up to its waist, but each of the arms folded in front of its bloated stomach is thicker than your torso. Its flabby blue-grey flesh gives off a sickly gleam that dully lights up the whole cave.

For some time you cannot move a muscle, not even to extinguish the warm glow of your lantern, and simply stand there in fearful anticipation of the moment when the monster will turn its terrible gaze upon you and exact vengeance for that kick. Gradually, though, you realise that the beast seems unaware of its surroundings. Indeed, but for the slow rising and falling of the brute’s chest, you might even dare to believe that it is dead.

By your side, Denati also gapes at the Demon in horrified fascination. “Can it be asleep?” he whispers.

The downward tilt of that monstrous head suggests that he may be right, and you reflect that, if so, the Demon cannot be a particularly light sleeper, or it would have woken at the noise of your reaching the bottom of that slope. Nevertheless, it seems wise to avoid making any unnecessary noises, as the consequences of disturbing the beast’s slumber are not likely to be pleasant.

You do not have the Flame Sword.

Unpleasant though the prospect of getting any closer to the quiescent Demon is, the wisest course of action now is to try and find out if there are any other exits from the beast’s cave. The monster’s bulk prevents you from seeing the far side, so you will have to get past the Demon in order to see if there is a way on beyond it. To your left, a strip of floor a little under a metre wide passes straight in front of the creature. On the right, a much narrower space leads behind the brute’s back, and you would have to hug the wall tightly to keep from making contact with the Demon’s vile flesh.

Go left?
Go right?

Name: Edmund Pevensie
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 18/19
Luck: 10/11
Inventory: Sword, Winter clothing, Rucksack, Lantern, Blankets, Circular Disc, Bone Die
Provisions: 3
Deaths: Turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch, turned into an Ice Ghoul by the Snow Witch

[JourneymanN00b]

Let's see if defying fascism is the right choice here. Go left.