[Let’s Play] ACE Gamebook 05 - 'TWAS - The Krampus Night Before Christmas

[JourneymanN00b]

Going to the north-west tower.

34

Entering the north-west tower, you are confronted by a door of solid, iron-bound oak, which is firmly locked. However, the sound you make as you try the handle alerts the person imprisoned within to your presence.

A haggard face appears at the small barred window in the door, set amidst the tangle of an unruly grey beard, while a pair of red-rimmed eyes peer out at you. As they focus on you, a wild smile spreads across the face and a cracked voice says, “Stranger, are you here to save me?”

“Who are you?” you ask.

“My name is Venceslav, and this castle once belonged to me – that is until the Snow Queen seized it from me and turned the members of my court into those ice sculptures you must have seen in the courtyard. Let me out and together we can rid ourselves of the usurping ice-witch!”

If you want to release the prisoner, turn to 72. But how do you know if he’s telling the truth? If you would rather leave him locked in the prison-tower, turn to 14.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Release the prisoner.

[deaddmwalking]

Yes. I'm for releasing Good King Venceslav.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; releasing the prisoner.

72

If you have found a key, somewhere in the castle, that you think might unlock the door, turn to the number stamped on it. If not, but you have a set of Lockpicks, and want to try to open the door using these, turn to 111. If you have neither key nor lockpicks, turn to 92.

Clark has neither key nor lockpicks.

92

“Have you tried searching the other towers?” Venceslav asks. “The key must be hidden somewhere. In the keep, perhaps?”

Unable to help the dethroned king at the present time, you decide to take his advice and search elsewhere.

If you find a key while you are searching the castle, and want to return to the north-west tower to free the prisoner, ignore the instructions given at that point in the adventure and turn to the number stamped on the key instead. But for now, turn to 381.

381

Back in the courtyard of the frozen castle, where do you want to go now?

The south-east tower?     Turn to 148.
The south-west tower?     Turn to 89.
The north-east tower?     Turn to 205.
The north-west tower?     Turn to 34.
The central keep?     Turn to 424.

However, if you want to leave the castle, turn to 361.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

No real reason for it, but let's try the South East. Half vote for it, anyway.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; going to the south-east tower.

148

The door to the south-east tower is hung with a Christmas wreath. Opening the door, beyond it you find a spiral stone staircase, which leads you up to a magnificent banqueting hall, hung with fine tapestries and bedecked with garlands of evergreens. There is even a great yule log blazing in the hearth driving the cold from the stone walls and floor of the chamber.

Overlooked by a stained glass window depicting four birds singing in the branches of a tree, a long table has been laid with a sumptuous feast, its centrepiece is a platter bearing a boar’s head, festooned with holly, and a rosy red apple trapped between its teeth.

As well as there being fine food to eat – from frumenty and Christmas pie, to marchpane and Twelfth cake – there is also mulled cider to drink.

Do you want to sit down at the table and have something to eat (turn to 128), do you want to pour yourself a drink (turn to 109), or would you prefer not to eat or drink anything, and simply exit the tower again (turn to 381)?

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

I don't think we need anything, so safer to leave. Try south west next?

[deaddmwalking]

Probably it would provide some healing but it looks like we're full?

If not, do meals provide healing? We have 4 of them. In any case, I agree we can leave this be for now; south west is fine.

[JourneymanN00b]

I am going to rule that Meals can only restore lost Endurance points below the starting 20 that Clark was given. This is because I don’t want to make the story too easy by theoretically allowing automatic passes of Endurance tests by eating Meals. Any other Endurance point gains will work as normal and be subject to the 30 point limit.


With that said, Clark will exit the tower and going to the south-west tower next.

89

The door to the south-west tower is carved with a cross. Entering the tower, you ascend a spiral staircase to a small chapel. Upon an altar, under a stained glass window depicting a single shining star hanging in a velvet black sky above a small desert town, is a plain wooden box.

Now that you are inside the peaceful chapel, do you want to kneel before the altar and spend a minute alone with your thoughts (turn to 50), do you want to open the box (turn to 69), or would you prefer to leave the chapel-tower immediately (turn to 381)?



Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

I feel like kneeling is the 'good result'. I know that these books don't always encourage people to do the 'white hat' thing, so even if the authors are not culturally Christian, we're in a book where folk beliefs are real, so why NOT religion beliefs? Since praying at an altar would be a culturally appropriate thing to do if beliefs are manifested in the fiction of the game world, best to do so.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, pray at the altar.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; kneeling before the altar and spend a minute alone with your thoughts.

50

Kneeling before the altar, you close your eyes, and listen to the sound of your breathing. You feel like you could doze off at any moment, but then, in your mind’s eye, you see…

A tower without a door, but clung all about with thick vines of ivy and the knotty branches of a holly rooted within the ice-cracked mortar between the stones…

Blinking yourself awake, you really think that you should be on your way again. However, if you haven’t already tried to open the box, and would like to do so now, turn to 69. Alternatively, you could leave the tower – turn to 381.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for opening the box.

[deaddmwalking]

Open the box.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; opening the box.

69

The box is not locked and opens with ease. Lying inside it is a large silver key, embossed with the number ‘37’. Having pocketed the key, what would you like to do next?

Do you want to spend a minute alone with your thoughts, if you haven’t already (turn to 50), or would you prefer to leave the chapel-tower without further delay (turn to 381)?

Clark has already spent a minute alone with his thoughts. Please make your votes on what to do next before 7:00 PM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

TWAS – The Krampus Night Before Christmas Adventure Sheet
Clark
Agility: 11
Combat: 11
Endurance: 20
Equipment:
Pyjamas
Dressing-gown
Bed Socks
Pair of Slippers
Blacksmith’s Axe (+1 Combat Rating in battle)
Key Embossed With ‘37’
Special Abilities:
The Pen Is Mightier: 1 use
Naughty or Nice: 1 use
Meals: 4
Codewords:
Kold
Kruel
Kind

[deaddmwalking]

We were told that when we found a key we could immediately turn to that page number. I think we should do that (37).

[Thaluikhain]

Indeed, rescue the person.

[JourneymanN00b]

Using the key to free Venceslav received 2 votes, so Clark will do this.

37

With a little persuasion, the silver key slides into the lock and, as it turns, you hear a distinct click.

Turn to 133.

133

“Thank you! Oh, thank you!” Venceslav cries, hurrying out of the cell before you can change your mind and shut him in again.

The cell he has been living in, for goodness knows how long, is a dank affair, with mouldering straw on the floor and frost covering the walls. The only illumination comes from the moon shining in through a small stained glass window, high up in the tower – and inaccessible to anyone imprisoned inside the cell – that depicts three ships in full sale riding the stormy waves of a stylised sea.

“So now we must oust the Snow Queen from your castle and reclaim your throne,” you tell the deposed king.

“Yes, about that…” he says, awkwardly ringing his hands. “I don’t actually think I’m up to it. But if that’s what you want to do, go for it!” And with that he scampers out of the prison tower and away across the courtyard, with you just watching his retreating back in disbelief.

Perhaps it’s time you left this cursed castle too.

Record the code word Krowned on your Adventure Sheet and then turn to 381.

Please make your votes on where to go next before 7:00 PM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

TWAS – The Krampus Night Before Christmas Adventure Sheet
Clark
Agility: 11
Combat: 11
Endurance: 20
Equipment:
Pyjamas
Dressing-gown
Bed Socks
Pair of Slippers
Blacksmith’s Axe (+1 Combat Rating in battle)
Key Embossed With ‘37’
Special Abilities:
The Pen Is Mightier: 1 use
Naughty or Nice: 1 use
Meals: 4
Codewords:
Kold
Kruel
Kind
Krowned

[Thaluikhain]

Perhaps north-east, on the assumption that the boss fight is in the central keep and we should do everything else first.

[deaddmwalking]

Agreed. North East it is.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes acknowledged; going to the north-east tower.

205

You can see that the north-east tower of the castle is different from the rest straightaway, since its walls are covered with knotty growths of holly and ivy. There is no door in the bottom of the tower, just a window high up at the top. The only way to reach it would be to climb the flourishing evergreens.

If you want to attempt to climb up to the window, turn to 225. If you think such an ascent would be too risky, turn to 381.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

Our vision didn't say 'climb the vines' but I think there's something worthwhile in the tower, so I say climb!

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered; attempting to climb up to the window.

225

Taking hold of great handfuls of the ivy vines and the wooden branches of the holly, you commence your climb.

Take an Endurance test. If you pass the test, turn to 397, but if you fail the test, turn to 245.

Rolling the dice yields a 12, so Clark passes the Endurance test.

397

Incredibly, you make it to the top of the tower and finally haul yourself over the window ledge, dropping down into the chamber beyond.

You are surprised to see that the evergreens cover the inside of the building as well. Moonlight enters the chamber through a stained glass window depicting a sprig of mistletoe, and by the light cast by the silvery orb you see three stone tumblers set into the floor.

As you are pondering what they could be for, two elfin figures emerge from the plants covering the walls. They are clearly both female, but they are also quite clearly formed from the plants – one of holly and one of ivy.

“Greetings, stranger,” says Holly. “See the tumblers in the floor?” You nod. “If the treasure you would find, solve the riddle written here.”

“Once the stones are all aligned, you will win the white-wood spear,” Ivy concludes.

The twin plant-people point at a spot on the wall where the moonlight picks out twelve words carved into the stone.

If you want to attempt to solve the riddle, turn to 477. If you would rather leave the tower, the same way you climbed up, turn to 381. If you want to attack the evergreens, in the hope of forcing them to tell you the answer to the riddle themselves, turn to 417.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PST or a choice receives 2 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Try to solve.