[Let's Play] Fighting Fantazine Adventure 5: Bones of the Banished

[Queen of Swords]

I'm fine with going northwest. There doesn't seem to be any substantial difference between the two directions (so far).

[Beroli]

You turn right and go northwest.

Your travels take you down into a deep and narrow gully formed by the meeting of two craggy outcrops. As you carefully edge your way down the steep path you sight one of your fellow candidates. You recognise him as Sefu, a proud and arrogant warrior around the same age as you. Since you were both young you have continually competed with each other, be it in hunting, racing or combat. This fierce lifelong rivalry, and Sefu’s continued stubbornness, has prevented the pair of you from ever forming a proper friendship.

At this very moment Sefu is fighting for his life against a massive four-legged beast that has him cornered in one end of the ravine. Its wide body and squat head are covered in thick plates of bony armour and a similarly-protected tail swings behind the creature, ending in a bulbous, spiked club of fused bone. You fear that this will be a one-sided fight, for Sefu is armed only with a hunting spear.

Rush to lend Sefu your aid?
Leave Sefu to his fate and continue on your way?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 13/15
Luck: 9/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, Sickle Claw, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: Sickle Claw
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to help Sefu.

[Thaluikhain]

Help then.

[Beroli]

You skid down the steep slope as fast as you are able, feet threatening to slide out from under you on the loose stones. It is at that moment that your right foot snags on a jagged rock, sending you tumbling forward. Test your Skill; a 7 succeeds.

You manage to arrest your fall and, more carefully this time, make your way down to the gully floor. Sefu is trying his best to keep the heavily armoured creature at bay, but his opponent is enraged and lumbers forward to attack. You leap to the side of your fellow tribesman and together you face the mighty brute.

ANKYLOSAURUS Skill 8

Your weapons have no hope of piercing the creature’s plated body, but together you and Sefu may be able to drive the beast away. Add 2 to your Attack Strength for the duration of this battle to represent the aid that Sefu gives you. If the Ankylosaurus wins an Attack Round, roll one die. On a roll of 1-3, the monster’s powerful club-tail smashes into you, inflicting 6 Stamina points of damage; on a roll of 4 the creature does normal damage to you; on a roll of 5-6, the tail strikes Sefu, causing him to lose 6 Stamina. Sefu's starting Stamina is 15. After seven Attack Rounds, the Ankylosaurus will break off its attack and trundle away, leaving you to make your escape.

George Attack Strength: 22, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 17.
George Attack Strength: 21, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 15.
George Attack Strength: 23, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 12.
George Attack Strength: 21, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 10.
George Attack Strength: 24, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 19.
George Attack Strength: 17, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 14.
George Attack Strength: 25, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 14.

The Ankylosaurus, frustrated by its failure to land a single blow, decides to walk away.

You both take a moment to catch your breaths after the battle. Regain 1 Luck point. Sefu turns towards you, features contorted by anger. ‘Why did you do that?’ he yells, ‘I had everything under control! Now you’ve driven the beast away and ruined my hunt!’

You try to explain that he most definitely did not have the situation in hand and that you were only trying to help, but Sefu is deaf to your reasoning. ‘I never asked for your help and I never will! You just can’t stand the fact that I’m a better hunter than you. Stay away and let me get on with winning the competition.’

With that, Sefu storms off up the slope you have just descended. You decide it would be wise to head in the opposite direction.

You journey the length of the gully until it opens up onto a granite promontory that looks out across the plains. To the north the land continues to climb into a pointed peak of dark stone. Halfway up the mountain you can see the shadowy mouth of a cave. To the east the land drops back down to the rolling grasslands that will eventually lead you back to Boneridge Village.

Explore the cave?
Return to the plains?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 13/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, Sickle Claw, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: Sickle Claw
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[Thaluikhain]

Explore all random holes we come across.

[Queen of Swords]

What a jerk Sefu turned out to be.

Explore the cave.

[Beroli]

The rocky landscape climbs higher and higher, culminating in a forbidding black peak which stabs into the cloudless afternoon sky. You clamber up the side of the mountain, finding easy handholds in the crack-riddled stone. The ragged slash of a cave entrance greets you about halfway up the peak; above it, the face of the mountain becomes much steeper, so you enter the cave.

Paru refuses to follow you into the cave. You will not be able to call upon his help again until you leave it.

It takes a few minutes for your eyes to fully adjust to the darkness. If you possess a torch and want to light it, you can do so now. If you cannot or do not wish to light a torch, you will have a -4 penalty to your Skill until you leave the caves or light a torch.

You notice the bones of countless creatures scattered about the floor of the cave. A strong animal odour hangs about the place, with a faint but sharp, acrid smell underlying it. The cave extends about fifteen metres into the mountain before splitting into two passages.

Go left?
Go right?
Leave the cave?

Also vote on whether to light your torch now.

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 13/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, Sickle Claw, _________, _________, _________
Companions: None
Trophies: Sickle Claw
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[Queen of Swords]

Light torch, go left.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to light the torch and go left to deepen our hero's stance against fascism.

[Beroli]

The naturally-formed passage spirals through the darkness, its irregular surface proving a hazard to your footing. If you are not carrying a lit torch you must Test your Luck (but you are).

The tunnel begins to narrow, forcing you to walk hunched over and then, further on, crawling on all fours. Eventually the passage shrinks to such a size that you will have to push yourself along on your belly to continue.

Leave your torch behind and do so?
Go back and explore the righthand passage?
Go back and leave the cave?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 13/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Sickle Claw, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: None
Trophies: Sickle Claw
Special Notes: Carrying a lit torch
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[Queen of Swords]

Leave the torch and continue.

[Beroli]

You remove your rucksack and lie flat on your stomach. With the sack held before you, you crawl into the tight confines of the tunnel.

There is barely enough room to lift your arms to pull yourself forward and, with your belongings in front of you, you can see nothing of what lies ahead. Inch by inch you wriggle along, your laboured breaths blowing little puffs of dust up from the floor. The tunnel constricts even further, until the passage is so tight that your back is scraping along the roof.

Your entire life has been spent in the wide-open plains beneath an endless sky; having to squeeze through such a confined space is a completely alien experience for you and, inevitably, panic starts to set in. Test your Skill; a 4 succeeds. You close your eyes, breathing deeply and focusing on regaining your calm.

Eventually you are able to continue and, mercifully, the passage starts to widen again.

The tunnel opens up into a small cavern, the walls of which stretch so high that you can’t detect where they end. A sound not unlike that of rustling leaves surrounds you – there are living things inside the cave with you!

You do not have a torch and can do nothing but press on in the darkness.

The disturbing rustling dies down and you are able to carefully navigate your way to the other side of the cave. There you find an opening that leads to a much larger chamber.

You are not carrying a lit torch.

You stumble into a much larger chamber than the one you were just in. The animal smell you detected at the cave entrance is at its strongest here. You lose touch with the wall and, disoriented, slowly shuffle your way through the darkness, completely blind. After a time your face presses against the scaly hide of some enormous beast. Disturbed from its long slumber, the Dragon snaps its jaws about your waist and bites down, shearing your body into two, more easily digested portions. Your adventure ends here.

Rewinding...

[Beroli]

After speaking to Paru and accepting his assistance, speaking to Wanushu and receiving a torch, and speaking to Kuwi and receiving her advice, you decide to head east toward Courga Rock.

You set out east from Boneridge Village, enjoying the gentle warmth of the morning sun on your face. Ahead of you lie miles of barren scrubland sprinkled with irregularly-shaped boulders and twisted bushes.

After a couple of hours you arrive at Courga Rock, an enormous boulder shaped like the head of some giant feline predator. The open jaws of the cat-stone are littered with the sun-dried remnants of old food. Your people believe that the rock has divine powers, and some venture out this way to seek guidance from the gods. Your deities are those of pride and vengeance, who reward strength and despise weakness and humility. Communing with them is a process that can last anywhere from an hour to several days!

Pause here to seek instruction from a higher power?
Forge on eastwards?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: None
Special Notes: None
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to pause here to seek instruction from a god there, as we are apparently incapable of finding this adventure's correct path by ourselves.

[Queen of Swords]

Yeah, pause to commune with gods. Sorry, everyone, didn't mean to get us killed.

[Beroli]

It is customary for your folk to place an offering of food in the jaws of Courga Rock before speaking to the gods.

Do so (choose how many Meals you wish to leave here)?
Seek advice from the gods without leaving an offering?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: None
Special Notes: None
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon

[Queen of Swords]

Two meals is the most I feel comfortable with losing.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense.

[JourneymanN00b]

Sure, I also vote to sacrifice two meals.

[Beroli]

You roll one die and add 2 to the total; the result is 4.

You submit your offering and kneel before Courga Rock. Eyes closed, you concentrate on slowing your breathing and focus on connecting with the perilous forces of the Celestial Court. Time passes – whether it is minutes or hours, you do not know – but eventually you sense an otherworldly power. As the wind whistles past the stone, you fancy you can hear a faint voice intermingled with it:

Outwardly you walk tall and proud, but inside still you doubt yourself. Seek the dark cliffs of the winged destroyer. Find what lies within and your grip upon destiny will grow ever stronger. The wind dies away and the voice can no longer be heard. You leave Courga Rock, pondering the mysterious information you have received.

Isolated granite hills and ridges jut out of the barren wilderness as you continue journeying east. Far off in the distance you can see a line of hills; beyond them lays the fabled ocean, a legendary place of never-ending water! One of these days you will venture out that way and see it for yourself, but not today. It is already past midday and you have yet to encounter any creature that might offer up a trophy worthy of a chieftain. You decide to head in a more northerly direction, where the plains are lusher and life is more plentiful.

In time you come across another of the granite hills, but this one is truly enormous. Its surface is riddled with deep cracks, in which have sprouted small, twisted trees and shrubs. At the very top of the hill you spot the gleam of the sun shining on water. Replenishing your water supply would not be a bad idea, especially since you have to face the baking heat of the afternoon.

Scale the hill and investigate?
Ignore it and press on northwards?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, _________, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: None
Special Notes: None
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon

[Queen of Swords]

Scale the hill and investigate.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate random everything.

[Beroli]

You clamber up the side of the granite rock face, its cracked surface providing plentiful handholds. At the top of the hill you find a pool of water that has collected in a shallow depression in the rock. A circle of trees, more robust-looking than the others you have seen in the area, rings the pool. You dip down and scoop up a mouthful of the water. It tastes cool and delicious. You are in the process of topping up your supply of water when you hear the sounds of an approaching creature. You draw your weapon and prepare to face your visitor. Roll one die to see what you encounter: you get a 3.

A mother Antelope and its young peer round a rock. As soon as they spot you they bound off in the opposite direction, down the hill and away across the plains. You are able to finish collecting your water in peace.

Having survived your encounter, you descend the hill and continue on your way.

The afternoon finds you trudging northwards, the granite-studded wilderness having given way to gently undulating steppes. In the distance you spot a single horse pulling a covered wagon. You cannot tell who or what may be driving it, but it is headed west across your path.

Investigate it?
Give it a wide berth and continue on your way?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, _________, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: None
Special Notes: None
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate random everything.

(Also, why was water collecting on the top of the hill?)