[lets play] Fighting Fantasy (Scholastic 16): Assassins of Allansia.

[Queen of Swords]

I'll go along with the tavern vote.

[Dogopolis]

You walk through the open door of the tavern, wary of any unexpected surprises. There is a stairwell straight ahead, down which Garanka Vassell came running only moments ago. To your right there is a large bar room with just a solitary customer sitting at a table drinking from a pewter mug. He is a thin man in ragged clothing with wiry hair sticking out in every direction. He looks at you for a moment, and then looks away. Behind the bar stands a very tall man in a brightly patterned waistcoat. He has a large nose and particularly large ears. He places his hands on the bar, leans forward, and says in a stern voice, “I saw what happened out there. It’s all very well for you to go killing off an evil assassin, but he was a customer of mine. Who is going to pay me for his room? Somebody owes me 2 Gold Pieces and that somebody is going to have to be you! If you pay Vassell’s bill, I’ll give you a bit of advice for your trouble.”

Will you:
Pay 2 Gold Pieces to Tall Tom?
Leave the tavern and head north?
Leave the tavern and continue east?

[Thaluikhain]

We've got gold, may as well pay him.

[Beroli]

Leave the tavern and head north.

[Queen of Swords]

Pay him.

[SGamerz]

No choice of trying to murder him? I'm surprised.

Might as well pay and listen to his advice.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to pay the bill.

[Dogopolis]

You hand over 2 Gold Pieces to Tall Tom, which brings a big smile to his face. “Thank you,” he says happily. “I should also thank you for getting rid of Vassell. He was an all-round disgusting human being. He was rude, ate like a pig and his room stank. I could hardly believe it when he told me he was an assassin working for Lord Azzur! He showed me a ‘Wanted’ poster and told me he was going to chop your head off! He said that you might be coming here and that there were other assassins looking for you, although he was convinced he would win the 1,000 Gold Piece bounty. So much for that plan!

"But the others will undoubtedly pick up your trail. Now you don’t look like a murderer to me, and the only way you can stop this is to find Lord Azzur and convince him to call off his dogs. So, what I suggest is, why don’t you speak to Sidd the Seer over there? He’s a little strange, but he sees things nobody else sees.” You look over at the eccentric-looking man sitting at the table who smiles nervously and then looks away again.

Will you:
Go over to talk to Sidd?
Leave the tavern and head north?
Leave the tavern and continue east?

To save time, if you talk to Sidd the starting conversation goes:

The Seer invites you to sit down, and you notice there is a small wooden box in front of him on the table. “I know who you are,” he says, fidgeting with a piece of bread. “No doubt you have a question for me? I should warn you that I only had one egg for breakfast today, so you can only ask me one question.”
Do you want to ask him if he knows the whereabouts of Lord Azzur or do you want to ask him to give you some information about the next assassin?

Please vote on whether to leave immediately, (and which way) or whether to talk to Sidd, (and which question)

[JourneymanN00b]

My votes will be information for the next assassin and to go north afterwards.

[Beroli]

Yes, ask about the next assassin. Asking about the location of Lord Azzur would be literally asking for an answer like, "In his palace."

[Queen of Swords]

I thought we'd have to buy him another egg for our second question.

Ask about the next assassin.

[Dogopolis]

Sidd leans forward and slowly opens the wooden box. He reaches inside and lifts out a glass ball which has colourful gases swirling around inside it. Holding it aloft on the fingertips of one hand, he closes his eyes and begins talking in a language you do not understand. The swirling gases suddenly clear, and inside the crystal ball you see a tall warrior woman armed with a spear running along a dirt path at speed. She has striking silver markings covering much of her bronzed skin and her hair is close cropped and dyed scarlet red. The Seer opens his eyes again and the image vanishes and says, “Ren-Ren Pakk is on her way to hunt you down. She is a Zengian Ultra, a fanatical fighter who is fleet of foot and has lightning reflexes. She will be a formidable opponent.”

You thank Sidd for the information and wish him farewell. Tall Tom says goodbye, telling you to come back one day. You walk out of the tavern and think about which way to go. Do you want to head north or do you want to continue east?

[Beroli]

North.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, north.

[JourneymanN00b]

I again vote north.

[Dogopolis]

The path takes you north through woods and open countryside on a walk which you would be enjoying more if you were not constantly looking over your shoulder for would-be assassins. Ahead you see a small man sitting cross-legged on an old moss-covered bench made of oak. He is a GNOME with a long, pointed nose, long grey beard and long grey hair poking out from under his floppy green hat. He is wearing a bottle-green tunic and leggings and a pair of old leather boots which you notice have big holes in the soles. He looks at you with a sleepy expression on his face as he chews slowly on a piece of straw. “You don’t by chance have a pair of boots for sale, do you?” he asks nonchalantly as you pass by. “Mine have had it and my feet are killing me. I’m willing to pay 1 Gold Piece for a pair of leather boots. And I’d gladly pay 10 Gold Pieces for a pair of Elven Boots.”

Do you have a spare pair of boots that you wish to sell or you would rather carry on walking north?

We do have a spare pair of boots, do we want to sell him one? If so, which?

[JourneymanN00b]

I say sell him the regular boots.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, don't part with the elven boots.

[SGamerz]

Sell the regular boots.

[Dogopolis]

You hand over your boots to the Gnome, who hurriedly kicks off his old boots and pulls the new ones on. He stands up and runs around in a circle, clapping his hands with glee. He gives you 1 Gold Piece and asks you where you are going. You reply that you are heading north on a mission. “Well, if you haven’t been there before, you should definitely visit Kaad since you are heading that way. You won’t forget it. The people who live there are pig-poo crazy!” You thank the Gnome for his advice and set off again.

-----------------------------------------------

The path continues to wend its way north. As you walk along, something on the ground catches your eye which is almost hidden from view by a large bush. You lift up the leaves and see a sealed wooden box. There is a message written on a label attached to the lid which reads "Property of Balthazar Wittle, The Clock Tower, Clock Street, Kaad. Do NOT open". You shake the box and hear what sounds like metallic objects rattling around inside. Do you want to break the wax seal and open the box, or would you rather put the box in your backpack and carry on walking north?

[Beroli]

Put the box in our backpack and carry on walking north.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, don't open it.

[Queen of Swords]

Thirded.

[SGamerz]

Keep the box without opening.

[Dogopolis]

You continue your journey north and enter another wooded area. Not long after entering the woods, you hear the sound of marching feet coming from the east and deep voices singing a very rude song about the Dwarfs of Stonebridge. Do you want to stand behind a tree and wait to see who is about to enter the clearing ahead or would you rather hurry on north?