Let's Play The Gates of Death: Fighting Fantasy (Sch#12)

[Darth Rabbitt]

You dismount and let the horse return to Fossick in the woods before walking along the bottom of the great wall. Soon you come to a group of low buildings. With no more room inside the city, the citizens of Salamonis have had to build new houses out here, huddled hard against the wall. You have only just begun to explore this little village when you seed bodies lying in the dirt. There has obviously been a battle of some sort here. You go over for a closer look. The bodies have been horribly clawed and bitten. This must be the work of demons. You will need to be extra careful from now on. You see someone's pack lying half buried under a broken cart. You pull it out and add its contents to your own.

Add the following to your Equipment List: a meal of dried dates that will add 3 STAMINA points whenever you choose to eat them, a purse of 3 Gold Pieces, and a jar of healing ointment.

It feels risky here outside the city walls. You hurry back to the gates, and then carry on through.

You find a small square on the other side, with a customs house, an inn and a stable block. There is no sign of life apart from a familiar black carriage that has stopped by the customs house. The driver is attending to the horses and watches warily as you dismount and knock the dust from your clothing.

So this is Salamonis. There are many grand houses lining the streets with red-tiled roofs and shady porches, but the whole place seems oddly deserted. You feel a drop of rain on your face and look up to see clouds forming over the city. They don't look at all like normal clouds; they're swirling and purple, and the rain that falls from them is purple too. Soon the road is stained and wet.

'There is a great evil in the world.' You turn to see Lady Webspinn getting down from the black carriage. She stares at you for a moment and then walks over.

'Purple rain means that somewhere close there is a demon portal,' she continues. 'Some powerful being is working its evil. You know the old rhyme? "I want to cause you sorrow, I want to cause you pain, I want to see you drowning, in the purple rain." They say that if you are sucked into a demon portal, you need to chant the words "Exitus, exodus, excitus".'

As she recites the spell, Lady Webspinn shivers and takes your hand.

'I feel terribly alone here,' she says, 'Where is everybody? My maidservant, Liara, is too sick to leave the carriage and I need to find help for her. Will you walk with me and keep me safe? I am going to the Halls of Learning in the hope that the scholars there have found out exactly what is causing this demon plague.'

You look away down the street, which is the main road into town. The houses on either side have their shutters closed and many of their doors have been boarded up. With its ancient high walls and reputation for learning, you expected Salamonis to feel safe and civilized. Instead it feels cold and threatening.

Accompany Lady Webspinn to the Halls of Learning?
Tell you you are going to forge your own path and bid her farewell before striking out on your own?

(There's a continuity error here, since we haven't met Lady Webspinn before. We could have come across her and her carriage on a different path, which is why it's listed as "familiar".)

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 14/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Hero's Medallion (+2 SKILL)
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 8
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote
Healing Items: Harp of Healing (+8 STAMINA when a combat would be lost), Horn of Plenty (restores STAMINA to Initial level), Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

[Thaluikhain]

Follow Lady Webspinn.

(If you hadn't told us we'd missed the introduction, I'd have thought the author did that on purpose to add to the weirdness of the lady talking about the purple rain)

[SlyJohnny]

Follow the weird spider lady, why not.

[Darth Rabbitt]

(If you hadn't told us we'd missed the introduction, I'd have thought the author did that on purpose to add to the weirdness of the lady talking about the purple rain)

I wish I could give the book that much credit.

As you and Lady Webspinn walk down the wide West Road you hear a noise and look to your right to see a group of demons lurking in an alleyway.

'It's not safe to be out in the open,' says Lady Webspinn. 'Take this, it will protect you.'

She hands you a silver ring with an image of a six-pointed star on it and you slip it on. Instantly you feel a wave of energy and strength pass through you. (Add 3 STAMINA points.)

'I had hoped the plague hadn't got into Salamonis,' says Lady Webspinn. 'Luckily I know a secret passageway that will get us off the streets and take us straight to the Halls of Learning. Follow me.'

Lady Webspinn leads you over to the north side of the road where some steps lead down to a courtyard.

Go with her?
Part company and carry on down the West Road?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 17/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Hero's Medallion (+2 SKILL), Silver Ring
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 8
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote
Healing Items: Harp of Healing (+8 STAMINA when a combat would be lost), Horn of Plenty (restores STAMINA to Initial level), Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

[Thaluikhain]

Keep following her.

[angelfromanotherpin]

Yes, stay with NPC.

[Darth Rabbitt]

You hear a demon howl in the road behind you and race down the steps three at a time. At the bottom is a small courtyard. On the wall ahead of you is a bronze plaque depicting the trickster god, Logaan, in the form of a crazed clown, with a six-pointed star symbol on his chest.

To your left is another row of steps leading down. Several demons are climbing them towards you. These were once the civilized citizens of Salamonis. They're well-dressed. You can see bankers, bakers, butchers, builders, merchants, washerwomen, fine ladies...or at least that's what they were before the plague came to town and changed them. Now they have the wrinkled, leathery skin and dark eyes of demonkind that you've come to know so well.

(Colin is wearing a silver ring.)

'We must hurry!' Lady Webspinn goes over to the wall plaque, murmurs some words, places her hand on the six-headed arrow symbol on Logaan's chest and presses. There's a click, and a section of the wall slides back to reveal an opening. You can just make out a long, narrow passageway on the other side. It's dark and smells of rotting meat.

Follow Lady Webspinn into the passageway?
Leave her and try your luck on your own?

[SlyJohnny]

Not really feeling okay about this anymore, but turning back now seems like a nonstarter. Follow.

[Thaluikhain]

Stick with Lady Webspinn.

[Darth Rabbitt]

You hurry into the passageway and Lady Webspinn closes the door just before the demons get to it. For a moment it's pitch dark and you can see nothing, then there's a spark and a flare of flame as Lady Webspinn lights a torch.

'Come,' she says, moving quickly along the passageway, which twists and turns, sometimes going up, sometimes going down, and the further you go the stronger the smell of rotting meat becomes.

'I have to tell you,' says Lady Webspinn. 'I am from Salamonis. I am a scholar at the Halls of Learning here. I traveled to Port Blacksand to look for the wizard Nicodemus, and see if he might know how to combat the plague. But the city was too dangerous and I had to get out before I found him. When I left here, only ten days ago, my city was unaffected, but now...Ugh!' Lady Webspinn suddenly stops.

'Step carefully,' she says.

You see a dead soldier on the floor, showing all the signs of having been attacked by demons.

'This isn't good,' says Lady Webspinn. 'If the demons have gotten into the Halls of Learning, there may be no hope for Allansia. I thought this would be a safe place. It seems I may have been wrong. There is another passageway here that will take you straight to Titan Square, the heart of Salamonis. Go that way if you wish...'

The passageway forks here.

(We're asked again if we want to turn away but I think at this point we're going to follow her again.)

You creep past the soldier's corpse and keep close to Lady Webspinn as she hurries on. Eventually, you come to a long flight of steps that climbs steeply upwards to a door. Lady Webspinn opens the door and blows out her lamb. You follow her through and find that you are in a grand hall with a polished marble floor and a row of pillars down either side. The ceiling is painted with scenes of the gods and the walls are lined with books. As you go deeper into the room you see that there are several men and women chained to the pillars.

Lady Webspinn gasps and runs over to an old woman dressed in fine clothes.

'What has happened here?' she cries. 'I must release you from these chains. Who did this to you?'

'No!' shouts an old man with a long beard that reaches almost to the floor. 'We did this to ourselves. We have observed how a tethered demon cannot break its bounds. If any of us are affected we will not be a danger to anybody else.'

'Thank Hamaskis you've returned,' says the old woman, tears in her eyes. 'Do you bring good news?'

'Alas, I have returned empty-handed,' Lady Webspinn replies. 'Our best hope now lies with this young acolyte.' She nods towards you.

'There was another adventurer here,' says the old man. 'He arrived soon after you left, Lady Webspinn, and we thought he might help us. But we don't know what happened to him and things have only got worse.'

Lady Webspinn touches your arm tenderly. 'You must go,' she says. 'Find the mapmaker, Sanford Swann. Go down the North Road from Titan Square and take the second turning on the left. Swann will help you and get what you need for your quest. I will stay here and look for any books that might help me understand what is happening, and then I will leave Salamonis. I need to get as far away from here as I can. Good luck. Maybe we will meet again.'

But even as she says this there's the clank of armor and you see two DEMON SOLDIERS marching into the hall.

'Run!' shouts Lady Webspinn. 'Save yourself.'

Fight the Demon Soldiers?
Run from them?
Use smoke-oil?

[SGamerz]

Take her advice and run.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, run away.

[Darth Rabbitt]

You just manage to push past the Demon Soldiers and get to the door. You hear shouts and screams behind you but ignore them and carry on running. You realize, though, that one of the soldiers has scratched you. Lose 2 STAMINA points.

You leap down a sweeping marble staircase and across an entrance hall before bursting outside, just as the clouds open and dump a deluge of purple on to the city.

You find yourself in Titan Square. In the center surrounded by tall palm trees, stands the statue of Titan that gives the square its name. Titan is foremost amongst all the gods and the statue is gigantic, towering over the grand and imposing buildings that line the square.

You see a temple, three ducal palaces, the great bank of Salamonis and the famous Halls of Learning, which once stood for knowledge and civilization, but could very well be overrun with demons. Set back from the square on the south side is the royal palace of King Salamon.

You entered the city by the West Gate and have been along the West Road. There are three other roads leading off the square.

You are in Titan Square.

Go down the East Road?
Go down the South Road?
Go down the North Road?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 15/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Hero's Medallion (+2 SKILL), Silver Ring
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 8
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote
Healing Items: Harp of Healing (+8 STAMINA when a combat would be lost), Horn of Plenty (restores STAMINA to Initial level), Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

[SGamerz]

South

[SlyJohnny]

She told us to go North from the square.

[Thaluikhain]

She did, I recommend going north.

[maglag]

North.

[Darth Rabbitt]

You walk on until you come to a crossroads, with streets heading north, south east and west.
Go north?
Go east?
Go west?
Go south towards Titan Square? (returns us to the previous section)

[Thaluikhain]

North, and then west.

(And I know those are perfectly fine and time honoured cardinal directions, but reality TV has gotten to me and makes me think of certain celebrities)

[maglag]

North and west.

[SGamerz]

North and west.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Going North:

You hurry on until you come to a crossroads.

And going West:

You carry on down the road. (Colin is not carrying a trowel.)

You walk down the street. There are shops on both sides — a swordsmith, a carpenter, a tailor — but most of them have been boarded up. One of them, a jeweler's has been gutted by fire and you catch a glimpse of something golden glinting in the darkness. Finally, you come to a shop with a sign hanging outside it in the shape of a scroll. It says "Sanford Swann, Mapmaker." There's a light burning inside. You peer through the window and see a large man wearing a full-face helmet, and with him are four heavily armed Man-Orcs.

Enter the map shop?
Enter the jeweler's?
Turn around and go back up to the crossroads and try another street?

[SGamerz]

The Lady said to find the Mapmaker.

[Thaluikhain]

Visit the mapmaker. One wonders how much of the rest of the city you can meaningfully explore, though.

[maglag]

Maps for the map god!