[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 63 - Stormslayer

[SGamerz]

Patiently you tell the watery women about the bound Elementals and your quest to defeat Balthazar Sturm's Weather Machine. The Naiads are elemental creatures themselves, daughters of the ocean, but they have little interest in the problems of 'dry ones'. You try t make them see that Sturm's meddling with the weather will ultimately affect the seas as well, but are your arguments convincing enough? If you are wearing a Coral Crown, turn to 381. If not, you must Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 381; if you are Unlucky, turn to 361.

We're not wearing any crowns (could we have fitted that on with our helmet anyway?), so we have to rely on LUCK...

Dice roll = 10 (Unlucky)!

As far as the Naiads are concerned, you have desecrated the Temple of Hydana and such a crime cannot go unpunished. Shrieking, the three elemental creatures rush towards you, determined to drown you. Although they are only made of water themselves, they form ice talons at the ends of their fingers to use as weapons. You must fight all three Naiads at the same time.

First NAIAD SKILL 89 STAMINA 78
Second NAIAD SKILL 78 STAMINA 78
Third NAIAD SKILL 67 STAMINA 67

(If today is Seaday, add 1 to the Naiads' SKILL scores and STAMINA scores.) If you defeat the Naiads, you are free to take the Shell of the Seas (add it to your Adventure Sheet, noting that it has 12 spines) and, this part of your quest complete, you set off for the surface and the Tempest again. If you have the codeword Retsnom recorded on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 358. If not, turn to 318.

As I feared, coming here on a Seaday comes back to bite us, and we're at a disadvantage, having to fight all 3 at the same time and one of them having a higher SKILL. And we're not in the best of shape, either...

Do we use LUCK for this next battle?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9 (8 while underwater)
STAMINA 11/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, *Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, *Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), *Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), *Sun Talisman, *Breathing Helmet, *Dragon Shield (* = items available to us while exploring under the Eelsea)
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
No. of sections spent while exploring seabed: 12/16 (turn to 318 when exceeds 16)
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to use Luck, and hope our hero doesn't get killed.

[Queen of Swords]

Even if we use Luck, we've had it.

[SGamerz]

I'm going to target the weaker one first (not that it'll help much).

COMBAT LOG:
Naiad#1 15, Lisbeth Munroe 16. No damage.
Naiad#2 12, LM 15. No damage.
Naiad#3 13, LM 14. N3 is at 5.
N1 14, LM 18. No damage.
N2 13, LM 13. Tie.
N3 13, LM 16. N3 is at 3.
N1 17, LM 19. No damage.
N2 19, LM 15. LM is at 9.
N3 15, LM 18. N3 is at 1.
N1 17, LM 12. LM is at 7.
N2 17, LM 16. LM is at 5.
N3 18, LM 17. LM is at 3.
N1 19, LM 14. LM is at 1.
N2 12, LM 15. No damage.
N3 14, LM 16. N3 is defeated.
N1 15, LM 14. LM is killed.

It started off pretty well for us in the first couple of rounds, but then it went quickly downhill.

If we use 1 extra life now, I will have us roll for the LUCK test again instead of just doing the fight again. Or you can still rewind to an earlier point if you wish. How many lives do we spend here?

[JourneymanN00b]

I half vote to use 1 extra life to repeat the Luck test.

[SGamerz]

Spending 1 life to rewind to before the LUCK test:

Dice roll = 4 (Lucky)!

"We appreciate your need," the first Naiad says.

"And, as you come as a penitent, seeking our father's aid," the second continues.

"We will give to you the Shell of the Seas," the third finishes.

And with that, the three elemental women dissolve back into the sea, leaving only a parting farewell behind in your mind. "May Hydana smile on your enterprise!" (Regain 1 LUCK point and add the Shell of the Seas to your Adventure Sheet, noting that it has 12 spines.)

With the shell firmly in your grasp, you set off for the surface again and the Tempest. If you have the codeword Retsnom recorded on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 358. If not, turn to 318.

The monster that was previously pursuing us got distracted by a more filling prey, so we no longer have the codeword (thankfully).

Your head breaks the surface and you breathe normally again. You soon find yourself back onboard the Tempest. If you have a shell with you, turn to the paragraph which is the same as the number of spines on the shell.

"Did you find what you were looking for then?" Captain Katarina asks, but before you can answer, the hard-bitten buccaneer turns to the matter of her money. "So, what treasures did you recover from the ocean depths? Did the sea give up its bounty?"

Did you recover any treasure from the reef or the rift? If so, turn to 69. If not, turn to 88.

Let's check out what the shell does first:

It is said that it you hold a shell to your ear you can hear the sound of the sea from within. You wonder if the same if true of the Shell of the Seas. Taking it out you put it to your ear and listen. You hear a distant susurration, as of the ebb and flow of the tide, and waves breaking on the shore. It is as if you can hear a name being whispered: Oceanus. Return to 318 and keep reading the rest of that paragraph.

As to treasure...the only other thing we found down there is the Dragon Shield. I don't think it counts as treasure because there was no monetary value given...which means, unfortunately, we don't have any to share with the captain:

Katarina gives you a disparaging look and then says, "Call yourself an adventurer? But don't worry; I'm not going to throw you overboard or anything like that. Let's just get back to land before that storm front catches up with us." (Lose 1 LUCK point.)

Another day at sea brings you back to the docks of Chalannabrad at last and, taking your leave of Captain Katarina and the Tempest, you head out of the city to start upon the next leg of your quest. (Move the Day of the Week on 1.)

If you possess a pair of Seven League Boots and would like to use the now, turn to 2. If not, remembering that you can only visit each location once, will you head for:

The Witchtooth Line?
Mount Pyre?
The Howling Plains?

Or, if you feel that you are ready, do you want to make your attempt to reach Balthazar Sturm's Weather Machine at the eye of the storm?

Only one element left to explore, but yes, it's still a perfectly legit option to skip that and go straight for the End Boss, if you prefer.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 11/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), Sun Talisman, Breathing Helmet, Dragon Shield, Shell of the Seas (12 spines, 'Oceanus')
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 3/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head to Mount Pyre.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, Mount Pyre.

[SGamerz]

Your journey east eventually bring you to Femphrey's second largest settlement - Crystal City. (Move the Day of the Week on 3.) Many people believe that it is constructed from the crystals that its populace dredge from the lake, but that's about as accurate as saying the streets of Chalannabrad are paved with gold!

As far as you can tell, the bizarre weather that has been afflicting the rest of the kingdom has not happened here; all is well. So what there is for you here is the opportunity to rest and recuperate from your exhausting adventure, although you can't hang around too long. Probably the best thing to do is visit the city's bustling markets.

Crystal City is one of the stops on the Pollua to Royal Lendle trade route that crosses the Old World and, as a result, you should be able to find a whole range of interesting and curiosu items for sale within its busy market hub. Do you want to look for practical equipment, or more unusual items?

Great, more shopping lists after we were forced to explore under the sea in a cheap experimental helmet because we couldn't afford something better and also totally failed to find any treasure while down there! Can't wait to see the list of stuff that we can't afford to buy! Which list do we look at?

(At least we never needed to buy food...we still haven't used any since the start of the adventure.)

(And we finally land squarely on Fireday, gaining the last possible extra life! However, we should probably wish that we will spend a couple more days getting to Mount Pyre, considering what we're going to explore...)

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 11/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), *Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), Sun Talisman, Breathing Helmet, Dragon Shield, Shell of the Seas (12 spines, 'Oceanus')
Provisions: 10/10
Gold: 3
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 4/7
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to eat one Provision and look for practical equipment.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed. I doubt we could afford the unusual items anyway.

[Thaluikhain]

Second that.

[SGamerz]

1 Meal consumed, STAMINA up to 15.

You find the following items for sale.

Provisions - 1 Gold Piece per Meal
Crossbow and 6 Quarrels - 12 Gold Pieces
Breastplate - 10 Gold Pieces
Potion of Fortune - 6 Gold Pieces
Potion of Strength - 4 Gold Pieces
Potion of Skill - 5 Gold Pieces

Every day is market day in Crystal City, but if today is Highday, in a place where they worship the god of trade and commerce above all others, you may knock 1 Gold Piece off the price of anything other than Provisions; as there are so many traders in town, competition is fierce.

You may buy as many Meals' worth of Provisions as you want, up to a maximum of 10; each Meal will restore up to 4 STAMINA points. You may use the Crossbow once in each battle you fight before having to engage in hand-to-hand combat (as long as you still have quarrels to shoot); Test your Skill and if you succeed your crossbow bolt causes your opponent 2 STAMINA points damage. On a roll of 1-4 the Breastplate will reduce any damage done against you by 1 point. When drunk, the Potion of Fortune will restore your LUCK to its Initial level, the Potion of Strength will restore your STAMINA score to its Initial level, and the Potion of Skill will restore your SKILL score to its Initial level.

When you are done here, do you want to scour the market for more unusual items or will you leave the Crystal City and continue on your journey (move the Day of the Week on 1 and turn to 189)?

...and we can't afford anything besides provisions. If it were Highday, we'd be able to afford the Potion of Strength.

Unless you guys want to replenish the one meal we just ate (or more...our STAMINA isn't at max yet), there's nothing to buy here.

Do we still want to check out more items that we probably can't afford?

[JourneymanN00b]

Hmm. I vote to buy another Provision and leave the Crystal City, since our hero probably cannot afford any of the unusual items either.

[Queen of Swords]

I'd like to check out the unusual items anyway, even if we can't afford them.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well look at them, yeah.

[SGamerz]

It does note take you long to find a number of items that are little out of the ordinary, but which could be of use to you on your quest? They are as follows:

Glowstones - 6 Gold Pieces
Crystal Mace - 15 Gold Pieces
Luck Sprite - 10 Gold Pieces
Wyrmskin Cloak - 12 Gold Pieces
Blunderbuss - 12 Gold Pieces
Bag of blackpowder and shot 2 Gold Pieces each
Potion of Giant Strength - 7 Gold Pieces
Potion of Levitation - 7 Gold Pieces
Healing Elixir - 7 Gold Pieces

If today is Highday, when the merchants of Crystal City pay homage to the deities of trade and commerce, with there being so many potential buyers in town, you must add 1 Gold Piece to the price of anything other than bags of gunpowder and shot.

Glowstones are precisely that = stones that glow - and so can be used as a lantern. The Mace is carved from a single, massive piece of crystal, and is magical as well; if you hit an opponent with the Crystal Mace, roll one die and if you roll 4-6 it does 1 extra STAMINA point of damage. The Luck Sprite has been imprisoned within a crystal dodecahedron; the next three times you have to Test your Luck, you will be Lucky and you won't need to deduct any LUCK points either. On a roll of 1-2 the Wyrmskin Cloak will reduce any damage done against you by 1 point. You may use the Blunderbuss once in each battle you fight before having to engage bags of blackpowder and shot), although the weapon's discharge is rather erratic; roll one die and on a roll of 1-3 the Blunderbuss will cause a non-magical opponent 3 STAMINA points damage. You may buy up to 6 packets of blackpowder and shot. If you drink the Potion of Giant Strength before a battle, it will raise your SKILL score by 2 for that one battle and the damage you caused by 1 point. The Healing Elixir will restore up to 6 points of STAMINA and 2 SKILL points.

When you are finished, do you want to search the market for practical equipment or will you leave Crystal City and continue on your journey (move the Day of the Week on 1 and turn to 189)?

As expected we can't afford almost all of the items. Technically, there's nothing to stop us from buying the blackpowder, but we can't do anything with it without also getting the Blunderbuss. At least we already have 2 potions listed.

Anybody seconding JourneymanN00b's vote to buy a meal before we move on? Or buy the blackpowder anyway? Or just move on without buying anything?

[Queen of Swords]

Let's buy the blackpowder anyway.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to buy anything other than the Provision I suggested earlier.

[Thaluikhain]

Buy the power anyway.

[SGamerz]

Buying the black powder received 2 votes, so Lisbeth makes the purchase.

And so you come in sight of Lake Cauldron. Also known as Crystal Lake, due to the face that the minerals in the water, carried from the volcanic Mount Pyre by the River of Fire, react with hot springs in the latter to form crystals, it takes you the best part of a day to circumnavigate it but as dusk falls you see the twinkling lights of Shard Wharf ahead of you.

This trading post has grown up where the River of Fire empties into Lake Cauldron. Mount Pyre lies within the mountainous highlands of Mauristatia that stand at the heart of the Old World, and is still some days' travel further east. A number of boats navigate the steaming river trading goods between Femphrey and the principalities of Mauristatia. Passage upriver will cost you 6 Gold Pieces. if you would like to buy passage on one of these boats to speed your journey along (and can afford the money), turn to 165. If not, you will have to continue on foot through the rugged terrain that borders the gently simmering waterway.

Even if we hadn't bought the black powder, we still couldn't have afforded a ferry trip, so we continue on foot.

You have been travelling for a day into the desolate wilds of Goblin Country, as it's known in these parts, when you run into a band of Hobgoblins. You spot the warning signs that tell you an ambush has been put into play from a good quarter of a kilometre away and so come at them from their flank, taking the Hobgoblins by surprise instead, before engaging them in battle. Because of this, you can fight the first two Attack Rounds against their chief before the rest of his robber band can join the fray and defend their leader.

HOBGOBLIN CHIEF SKILL 7 STAMINA 7
First HOBGOBLIN BANDIT SKILL 6 STAMINA 6
Second HOBGOBLIN BANDIT SKILL 6 STAMINA 6
Third HOBGOBLIN BANDIT SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you kill them all, searching their pockets reveals why they were preparing to ambush you - they possess absolutely nothing of value themselves. You continue on your way into the rugged landscape that lies at the foot of the volcano and after another day you are scaling the craggy slopes of Mount Pyre itself. Move the Day of the Week on 2 and turn to 109.

COMBAT LOG:
Hobgoblin Chief 11, Lisbeth Munroe 12. Warhammer roll = 3. HC is at 5.
HC 13, LM 14. Warhammer roll = 1. HC is at 3.
HC 19, LM 11. LM is at 13.
Hobgoblin Bandit#1 8, LM 12. LM avoids damage.
Hobgoblin Bandit#2 9, LM 16. LM avoids damage.
Hobgoblin Bandit#3 18, LM 15. LM is at 11.
HC 15, LM 16. Warhammer roll = 5. HC is killed.
HB1 14, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HB2 13, LM 14. LM avoids damage.
HB3 16, LM 20. LM avoids damage.
HB1 11, LM 16. Warhammer roll = 2. HB1 is at 4.
HB2 14, LM 19. LM avoids damage.
HB3 13, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HB1 16, LM 12. LM is at 9.
HB2 11, LM 19. LM avoids damage.
HB3 11, LM 15. LM avoids damage.
HB1 13, LM 15. Warhammer roll = 4. HB1 is at 2.
HB2 10, LM 20. LM avoids damage.
HB3 15, LM 15. LM avoids damage.
HB1 14, LM 13. LM is at 7.
HB2 15, LM 12. LM is at 5.
HB3 13, LM 18. LM avoids damage.

Nasty, dragged-out battle in which the Hobgoblins' sheer numbers advantage is starting to wear on Lisbeth. The Hobgoblin Chief is down, and one of his band is close to death as well, but Lisbeth is also down to 5 STAMINA. The Warhammer had only inflicted extra damage once thus far.

Do we use LUCK for the rest of the fight? To increase or reduce damage?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 5/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), Sun Talisman, Breathing Helmet, Dragon Shield, Shell of the Seas (12 spines, 'Oceanus'), Bag of blackpowder and sho
Provisions: 9/10
Gold: 1
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 4/7

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to use Luck for this battle.

[SGamerz]

COMBAT CONTINUES:
HB1 14, LM 19. HB1 is killed.
HB2 11, LM 16. LM avoids damage.
HB3 12, LM 16. LM avoids damage.
HB2 18, LM 14. LM is at 3.
HB3 17, LM 18. LM avoids damage.
HB2 15, LM 12. LM is at 1.
HB3 16, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HB2 15, LM 15. Tie.
HB3 13, LM 16. LM avoids damage.
HB2 13, LM 18. Warhammer roll = 1. HB2 is at 4.
HB3 16, LM 20. LM avoids damage.
HB2 11, LM 14. Warhammer roll = 5. HB2 is at 1.
HB3 10, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HB2 8, LM 15. HB2 is killed.
HB3 12, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HB3 12, LM 18. Warhammer roll = 2. HB3 is at 4.
HB3 18, LM 12. LM is killed.

We managed to whittle them down to just one, but ultimately failed to overcome the odds.

How do we proceed? Just redo the fight? Use the Potion of Giant Strength before the fight? Rewind to an earlier section and eat more provisions before the battle (note that this will cost 2 lives)? Rewind to an even earlier point of your choice?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to redo the fight, but eat a Provision beforehand.

[SGamerz]

Spending 2 lives to rewind to the previous section, and eating another meal to restore STAMINA back to 19.

Back to the fight!

COMBAT LOG:
Hobgoblin Chief 18, Lisbeth Munroe 18. Tie.
HC 16, LM 17. Warhammer roll = 5. HC is at 4.
HC 14, LM 17. Warhammer roll = 2. HC is at 2.
Hobgoblin Bandit#1 11, LM 19. LM avoids damage.
Hobgoblin Bandit#2 11, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
Hobgoblin Bandit#3 14, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HC 15, LM 16. HC is killed.
HB1 13, LM 14. LM avoids damage.
HB2 13, LM 16. LM avoids damage.
HB3 12, LM 11. LM is at 17.
HB1 11, LM 13. Warhammer roll = 6. HB1 is at 3.
HB2 8, LM 15. LM avoids damage.
HB3 13, LM 19. LM avoids damage.
HB1 13, LM 14. Warhammer roll = 6. HB1 is killed.
HB2 13, LM 14. LM avoids damage.
HB3 13, LM 18. LM avoids damage.
HB2 15, LM 17. Warhammer roll = 4. HB2 is at 4.
HB3 14, LM 17. LM avoids damage.
HB2 9, LM 20. Warhammer roll = 6. HB2 is at 1.
HB3 11, LM 16. LM avoids damage.
HB2 16, LM 13. LM is at 15.
HB3 15, LM 21. LM avoids damage.
HB2 11, LM 12. HB2 is killed.
HB3 18, LM 16. LM is at 13.
HB3 17, LM 20. Warhammer roll = 3. HB3 is at 4.
HB3 12, LM 16. Warhammer roll = 6. HB3 is at 1.
HB3 14, LM 11. LM is at 11.
HB3 10, LM 16. HB3 is killed.

The dice is much kinder to us in the earlier rounds this time. The last Hobgoblin starts getting lucky late in the battle, but it's too little, too late for him.

You climb higher and higher towards the summit of the volcano. The terrain gets rougher until you are scrambling through a landscape of nothing but black rocks and steaming volcanic vents. Sulphurous steam rises from holes in the ground which feels warm beneath your feet. Still far above stands the smoke-belching crater of Mount Pyre, a column of soot and ash continually rising from it into the sky.

Rounding the side of a monolithic boulder, you find what you have been looking for - an incongruous, carved archway of black rock, set into the side of the volcanic peak - the entrance to the Fire Tunnels. The means with which to defeat Sturm's bound Greater Fire Elemental lies within, you are sure of it. Having made any preparations you think are necessary, after making the strenuous climb to Mount Pyre's peak, you pass beneath the stone arch.

A long tunnel leads away towards the heart of the volcano, looking like it has been gnawed through the rock by some massive burrowing beetle. The walls of the tunnel glow with ambient heat, and in places flames break forth from the rocks strewing the sides of the tunnel, lighting the way ahead. The tunnel twists and turns until eventually you reach a T-junction where it joins another curving passageway. Will you turn left or right?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Lisbeth Munroe
SKILL 9/9
STAMINA 11/19
LUCK 7/8
Equipment: Backpack, Leather Armour, Lantern and Tinderbox, Wyrmbiter (+2 Attack Strength & +1 damage against dragonkind), Dragon Tattoo, Hunting Horn, Potion of Giant Strength (+2 SKILL and 1 damage when drink before battle), Rope and Grapple, Potion of Levitation, Warhammer (does +1 damage after hitting an opponent if 5-6 is rolled on 1d6), Clay Statuette ('Arkolith'), Sun Talisman, Breathing Helmet, Dragon Shield, Shell of the Seas (12 spines, 'Oceanus'), Bag of blackpowder and shots
Provisions: 8/10
Gold: 1
Day of the Week:
Stormsday
Moonsday
Fireday
Earthday
Windsday
Seaday
Highday
Codewords: Mortsleam, Enihcam, Noollab
Time Track:
Damage:
Notes:
1) For as long as Brokk is with you in the Fathomdeep Mine, if you find yourself reading a paragraph that has an asterisk (*) next to the number, subtract 50 from that reference and turn to the new paragraph to see what Brokk has to tell you. Brokk will also join in any battles you face underground. When faced with two opponents, you need only fight the first one to win the battle, as the Dwarf will do away with the other with his battle-axe. His attributes are SKILL 10, STAMINA 8. If you face only one opponent you will gain two Attacks, both of which can injure that opponent. In this case, if injuries are sustained they will only affect you on a dice roll of 1-3.
2) To call on the West Wind, intone his name, Zephyrus - may only be done once
Extra Lives remaining: 2/7
[/spoiler]