[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 16 - Seas of Blood Redux

[deaddmwalking]

I'm inclined to believe that we'll all enjoy entering from the rear. Let's do it.

Edit - Posted too late.

Vote for the shrine.

[Dogopolis]

Eyes on the prize, stay on the path.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to stay on the path.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for being distracted by shrines.

[Beroli]

Proceeding down the path wins 2 to 1.5.

Reaching the pass, you look down the further slope, and spy a tower of the fortress some miles away. A sudden cry of anguish or fear flies out of a nearby steeply climbing, snow-filled ravine. Taking stock, you find none of your crew are missing. The cry comes again, even more tortured and rending.

Side-track into the ravine to see what is causing that noise?
Ignore it and proceed down toward the temple-castle?

Adventure Sheet:
Jack Sinbad
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 14/14
Luck: 10/10
Crew Strike: 12/12
Crew Strength: 10/10

Gold: 20
Slaves: 0
Log: 6

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for being distracted by ravines.

[Dogopolis]

Stay on the path

[deaddmwalking]

Ignore the cries.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to ignore the cries.

[Beroli]

Ignoring the noise from the ravine wins 3-0.5.

The path winds down the mountain slope, taking all of you to a rocky point overlooking the rear of the castle. You see that the walls are lowest at this point and offer the possibility of launching a surprise attack. You can also see right into the centre of the castle, to the enormous wooden temple that dominates the interior.

Start the attack immediately by storming the low part of the wall?
Try to confuse the defenders first by using flaming arrows to set fire to the temple?

Adventure Sheet:
Jack Sinbad
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 14/14
Luck: 10/10
Crew Strike: 12/12
Crew Strength: 10/10

Gold: 20
Slaves: 0
Log: 6

[deaddmwalking]

Burning the temple seems so evil I feel we must.

[Dogopolis]

Burn it all!

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to start the attack immediately by storming the low part of the wall. I feel that giving no time for the defenders to prepare is better than trying to confuse them. Also, we risk damaging any potential loot in the temple.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for immediate attack.

[deaddmwalking]

Saving some loot is a compelling argument. I'll change my vote to immediate attack.

I'll twirl my moustache and kick a puppy later.

[Beroli]

Immediately attacking wins 2.5 to 1.

Silently, you and your crew approach the rear wall of the stronghold. Then, with a rush, you all charge; grappling-irons fly and the crew scrabbles for the parapet. You sweep over the wall and into the castle's interior, taking the warrior priests completely by surprise. They still put up a bit of a fight, however.

The Banshee Attack Strength: 19, ENRAKI PRIESTS Attack Strength: 10. ENRAKI PRIESTS's Stamina is 8
The Banshee Attack Strength: 22, ENRAKI PRIESTS Attack Strength: 12. ENRAKI PRIESTS's Stamina is 6
The Banshee Attack Strength: 22, ENRAKI PRIESTS Attack Strength: 18. ENRAKI PRIESTS's Stamina is 4
The Banshee Attack Strength: 20, ENRAKI PRIESTS Attack Strength: 10. ENRAKI PRIESTS's Stamina is 2
The Banshee Attack Strength: 19, ENRAKI PRIESTS Attack Strength: 12. ENRAKI PRIESTS is dead.

With the defeat of the priests, your over-exuberant crew set fire to the temple part of the castle: the blaze destroys most of the booty that you might have claimed as victors. Searching around, however, you manage to find 85 Gold Pieces and 10 surviving priests to sell as slaves--add these to your Booty. You return triumphant to the Banshee and set sail down the coast of Enraki.

The Banshee is sailing just off the southernmost tip of Enraki. Apart from this island, the horizon is clear, with neither ships nor clouds visible. The main trade routes between Kish and the Eastern Rim lie to the south, between Enraki and the Shoals of Trysta.

Patrol this stretch in search of rich merchantmen?
If you have taken casualties, sail to the neutral city of Assur to recruit replacements?
Try your fortune in the gambling pits of Calah?
Proceed to the Eastern Rim for a bit of coastal raiding?

Adventure Sheet:
Jack Sinbad
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 14/14
Luck: 10/10
Crew Strike: 12/12
Crew Strength: 10/10

Gold: 105
Slaves: 10
Log: 6

[Thaluikhain]

Gambling seems unwise, and we've tried the Eastern Rim last time, so look for rich merchants.

[JourneymanN00b]

That helmet could be important. I vote to go to the Eastern Rim and do everything we did last time only avoid getting damaged by pulling the carved block out the door when our hero reaches the sarcophagus door.

[Dogopolis]

If JN is right that the Eastern Rim is where we mesh with previous play then I agree, do everything the same.

[deaddmwalking]

Okay, do what JourneymanN00b suggests. Let's see if that works.

[Beroli]

Sailing to the Eastern Rim wins 3-1.

You sail onwards, to the Rivers of the Dead. Test your Crew Strength; a 12 fails, so add 6 days to your Log. Dropping anchor by the mouth of the largest river in the group, you disembark with most of your crew and march inland, looking for settlements or caravans to raid. After a few hours you come to a small range of steep stony hills, crazed with gullies, narrow valleys and dry waterways.

You climb over the hills.

Climbing over the crumbling surface of these devastated hills, you stumble across a corner-stone from a piece of monumental masonry. Getting your crew to dig the earth and rocks away from around this, you find an ancient stone entrance to what may be a buried crypt, temple or mansion. Pulling away the stones that block the portal reveals a narrow but straight tunnel, plunging at a steep angle into the hill.

You go down the tunnel with a few of your best men.

Lighting torches, you and your companions ease your way into the tunnel and edge down through the hill. After a few hundred yards the tunnel ends in another doorway--this one is blocked. Leaning against it to test its strength, you are surprised to have the floor beneath you flip open, dropping you out of sight of your equally surprised companions and into a narrow chute. You tumble down this for a few seconds before dropping into an open space and landing in a subterranean lake. Spluttering to the surface of the water, you look around.

You are in a large subterranean cavern, lit by the phosphorescence of the rocks around. To one side, a small wooden landing juts out into the water. Swimming to this, you pull yourself from the water and follow the construction to a short corridor, which leads from the cavern to a massive stone door. Beside the door is a life-sized statue of a gargoyle, looking down the corridor at you.

You have a close look at the statue.

The gargoyle is set about a foot above the ground, on a small circular dais. Looking closer, you see that the dais has rollers built under it, so the statue has been built to be moved. There are wear-marks from the rollers on the left side of the statue but none on the right. Taking a firm grip of the gargoyle's shoulders, you prepare to push.

You push the statue right.

The statue rolls easily to the side, causing some ancient mechanism to grind into life, which opens the massive stone door with a hollow boom. You go through it.

Through the door is a long narrow hall, whose walls on either side are regularly punctuated with alcoves. The floor is strewn with a large number of grey ovoid stones, each about two feet in diameter. At the far end of the chamber is another massive door.

You approach the door.

The door is a massive stone affair with an ornately carved block set in its exact centre. Under this block is an inscription in a language which is so archaic that you have difficulty deciphering it. What you think it says is this: 'To greet Ut-Napishtim you must (will?) push (pull?) the handle into (out of?) the door.'

You pull the carved block out of the door.

Slowly, the door opens into a large crypt, occupied by a single massive sarcophagus. All around the edge of the lid is an inscription, repeated over and over, which reads:

UT-NAPISHTIM KEEPER OF THE WATERS OF
RETRIBUTION

You open the sarcophagus.

With great difficulty, you manage to slide the lid from its place and on to the floor, where it lands with a resounding crash, which echoes through the crypt and out into the caverns beyond. The sarcophagus is empty except for a stout-looking helmet and a bag containing, at a quick count, 110 Gold Pieces. You put the helmet on and sling the bag over your shoulder.

Above the sarcophagus, in the ceiling, is a large stone ring surrounded by a circular inscription, written in the same archaic language as that on the door into the crypt. It says: Push (pull?) this key to a better (worse?) life (death?), or suffer Ut-Napishtim's trial.' Standing on the sarcophagus, you take hold of the ring.

You pull the ring down.

The ring moves with a solid click. In response, a section of one of the crypt's walls falls out, revealing a steeply rising staircase. Running up this, you find yourself back in the outside world, standing at the foot of the line of hills you left so long ago. You return to the point where you left the Banshee, and find that your crew had waited, just in case you were still alive.

You head out into the inland sea to patrol for rich merchantmen.

The Banshee cuts through the quiet waters of the Inland Sea; your look-outs keep a continuous watch on the clear horizon for any sign of shipping. Test your Crew Strength; a 5 succeeds, so add 4 days to your Log. Now your Log is an even number.

The horizon remains monotonously flat and devoid of shipping. Test your Luck; an 8 succeeds.

You sail into the midst of a large amount of driftwood, recent wreckage from some unfortunate vessel. Much of the floating planking is shattered and pocked with huge teeth marks. You find only a few barrels worth salvaging, scattered among all the destruction. One of these contains an excellent spirit which, when served out to the crew, boosts their morale considerably--restore 2 points to your CREW STRENGTH (which is already at Initial rating, no effect).

Continue to patrol the Inland Sea by heading toward the Shoals of Trysta?
Change course and travel toward the west coast for a bit of coastal raiding?
Change course and travel toward the Eastern Rim for a bit of coastal raiding?

Adventure Sheet:
Jack Sinbad
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 14/14
Luck: 9/10
Crew Strike: 12/12
Crew Strength: 10/10
You are wearing a helmet.
Gold: 215
Slaves: 10
Log: 16

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to do everything up to the point where our hero reaches Kish.

[Dogopolis]

I'll support that.

[deaddmwalking]

I'm good with that

[Beroli]

You sail onwards, passing the bleak red dunes of the Eastern Rim's Sea of Fire--so named because of the intense colouring of the infertile earth. Test your Crew Strength; the result is 13, failure, so add 6 days to your Log.

One evening, with the sun setting over the sea to the west, you notice a phosphorescent wreck in the water to the side of the Banshee. Heaving to, you drop anchor and dive overboard for a closer look. You see a merchant vessel, lying in shallow water, with two large holes smashed in its hull - one in the stern and the other in the bow.

You swim into the hole in the stern.

The hole leads into the captain's quarters, where you confront half a dozen Sea Sprites. These anxious little creatures dart nervously from side to side as you enter the vessel, then rush into the far corner of the room where they whisper together in high-pitched squeaks. Finally, one of them swims forward cautiously and says, 'We are magical creatures, O brave adventurer from the world above. If you will help us to recover a treasure, we will speak on your behalf to our cousins, the Wind Sprites, who will surely make your ship the fastest on the seas.'

You agree to help them.

'A predatory Krell, which inhabits a cave under this vessel, has stolen the Skull of Salt,' explains the Sprite. 'This is our most precious relic, given to us by Father Sea, which, by its magic, keeps the sea and fresh waters of the world separate. We must have it back.' The Sprites give you a magic potion which enables you to stay underwater without needing to breathe, and then show you to the Krell's cave beneath the wreck. The entrance tunnel descends vertically into the sea-bed. Swimming down, you notice that the walls are heavily pocked with wide, deep holes.

You continue swimming down into the cave.

The cave sprouts a large side-tunnel which disappears into murky darkness in front of you, while the main cavern continues straight down.

You change direction and go down the side passage.

The side-tunnel winds for a long way into the sea-bed. In one stretch you notice that the walls, ceiling and floor of the passage are covered entirely with the skulls and other bones of a variety of creatures. Long-snouted skulls, thigh bones as big as your whole leg and other, more human, remains are easily identifiable. One skull, which looks like a Unicorn's, stands out especially white and clean.

You decide to take that skull.

Grasping the skull by its single horn, you pull with mighty force. Test your Luck; a 7 succeeds.

The horn breaks free from the skull, which stays firmly embedded in the wall. A Unicorn's horn is a lucky find at any time, but here, under the ocean, it is doubly so. Restore 2 points to your LUCK. You continue along the tunnel.

The tunnel ends quite suddenly in a large rocky chamber. Sitting on the irregular floor, its insanely complicated limbs folded about a spiked shell, is the Krell. Its stalked eyes consider you, while it toys with a boulder in its claws. 'Food,' it says. 'Mmmm, food. Yes, food.' With a kick of its legs, it attacks.

KRELL Skill 8 Stamina 12

Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 16, KRELL Attack Strength: 12. KRELL's Stamina is 10
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 15, KRELL Attack Strength: 19. Jack Sinbad's Stamina is 12
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 21, KRELL Attack Strength: 20. KRELL's Stamina is 8
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 14, KRELL Attack Strength: 15. Jack Sinbad's Stamina is 10
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 18, KRELL Attack Strength: 11. KRELL's Stamina is 6
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 24, KRELL Attack Strength: 11. KRELL's Stamina is 4
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 15, KRELL Attack Strength: 14. KRELL's Stamina is 2
Jack Sinbad Attack Strength: 24, KRELL Attack Strength: 15. KRELL is dead.

Having killed the Krell, you search its cave, until you find what you were looking for--the Skull of Salt. Returning to the Sea Sprites with their prize, you are rewarded with a blessing to make your journey a rapid one. From now on, when you Test your Crew Strength, you use two dice rather than three. You surface, climb back on board the Banshee and set sail.

You go southwest into the Inland Sea toward the Shoals of Trysta.

The Banshee ploughs on towards the Shoals of Trysta. Test your Crew Strength; a 5 succeeds, so add 4 days to your Log.

As you near the treacherous reefs off the island of Trysta, a vicious squall starts up from the north and looks as if it might turn into a major storm.

You tack north, into the wind, to sit out the foul weather.

You bear into the wind. Roll one die; the result is 1, so you add 2 days to your Log. Your Log is now an even number.

The storm blows over, leaving the skies clear and the seas calm. While you are bringing down the storm gear and preparing the Banshee for fair-weather sailing, your look-out spots the distinctive sails and battle banner of a Kishian warship to the north and closing fast. Your only hope of escape is to attempt to navigate through the Shoals of Trysta, which lie only a short distance to the south.

You stand and fight.

The Banshee Attack Strength: 17, KISHIAN WARSHIP Attack Strength: 12. KISHIAN WARSHIP's Stamina is 6
The Banshee Attack Strength: 22, KISHIAN WARSHIP Attack Strength: 17. KISHIAN WARSHIP's Stamina is 4
The Banshee Attack Strength: 22, KISHIAN WARSHIP Attack Strength: 18. KISHIAN WARSHIP's Stamina is 2
The Banshee Attack Strength: 22, KISHIAN WARSHIP Attack Strength: 12. KISHIAN WARSHIP is dead.

The Kishian marines are routed and their vessel set afire. You don't have much time in which to loot the blazing ship, so you concentrate mainly on collecting slaves among the survivors of the marines. There aren't many, but you manage to find 11 that will be worth selling--add them to your Booty.

You head southwest toward Kish.

Test your Crew Strength; a 10 fails, so add 6 days to your Log.

As you approach the city of Kish, numerous sightings of heavily armed but sluggish war galleys on the horizon impress upon you the foolishness of a raid on the city. Instead, you steer towards the Kish Isthmus, a wide peninsula of land protected by sheer, unbroken cliffs. These cliffs deter large-scale invasions into the rich lands beyond, but a small force, such as you and your crew, might be able to scale them to conduct a lightning raid inland. Dropping anchor when you reach this isthmus, you take your crew on the long and dangerous climb up the cliffs. Test your Skill with a -1 penalty; an 11 succeeds.

You reach the top of the cliffs and look across the wide tablelands of the Kish Isthmus, dotted with fields, settlements and forests. A few miles away is a small town.

Approach the town via the cover of a nearby forest?
Approach the town by a stealthy march through the wide cornfields that lie between the cliffs and the town?

Adventure Sheet:
Jack Sinbad
Skill: 12/12
Stamina: 14/14
Luck: 10/10
Crew Strike: 12/12
Crew Strength: 10/10
You are wearing a helmet.
Gold: 215
Slaves: 21
Log: 34