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

[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 12 fails.

You topple over, instinctively throwing your arms out to halt your descent. Sharp rocks tear into your skin as the momentum of your fall catapults you head over heels. Explosions of pain wrack your body as you roll down the slope, bouncing from rock to rock. Take (1d6+1) 6 damage. Eventually, mercifully, you are able to grab hold of a stony outcrop.

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: 21, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 13.
George Attack Strength: 22, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 12.
George Attack Strength: 24, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 16.
George Attack Strength: 21, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 13.
George Attack Strength: 24, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 20.
George Attack Strength: 20, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 20.
George Attack Strength: 16, ANKYLOSAURUS Attack Strength: 16.

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?

Also highlighting the option to eat here.

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 7/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[Queen of Swords]

Eat a meal, explore the cave, and this time go right.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to eat a meal, explore the cave, and see if fascism is the way to go for this one.

[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.

You go right.

The passage winds through the darkness, leading you deeper into the mountain. Eventually it opens out into a large, almost circular chamber. The uneven floor is riddled with tiny fissures and a jumble of rocks is piled near the centre of the chamber.

Spend some time exploring this chamber?
Head to another tunnel on the far side?

Also vote on whether to light your torch now.

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 11/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Meal, Rope, Torch, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________, _________
Companions: None
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[Queen of Swords]

Light our torch and explore the chamber.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to light the torch and explore the chamber. Additionally, I will vote to eat another meal to get George to full Stamina.

[Beroli]

You find nothing of interest in the fissures except for, mysteriously, the corpses of several bats. You move on to the pile of rocks and begin sifting through them. They are not a natural formation – someone or something has placed them here. As you poke through the rocks, your temples begin to throb as a headache takes hold (take 1 damage). You are considering giving up your search when your hand brushes against the smooth, cold surface of a metal object, trapped at the very bottom of the pile.

Continue digging to recover the mysterious item?
Head to another tunnel on the far side?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 14/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Rope, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: None
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis, lit torch
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, continue digging.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to continue digging as well.

[Thaluikhain]

Take the thingy.

[Beroli]

You haul away more rocks, but as the pile shrinks, your headache seems to increase (take 1 more damage). Finally, there is only one heavy stone slab left to shift.

You are carrying a lit torch.

Centuries ago, before the arrival of their current inhabitants, these caves were considered a holy place by the local people, long since vanished from the face of Titan. Their wise men would come to this chamber and commune with their deities, and in return were granted fantastic visions. Little did they know that these visions were not of divine origin, but were instead caused by the natural gas that seeps slowly through the fissures in the ground. The very same gas leak is ignited by your lit torch, creating a massive fireball that consumes you and demolishes the chamber. Your adventure ends here.

Rewinding...

[Beroli]

You light your torch but also hurry through the chamber as quickly as possible, something telling you there is nothing good about staying there. Once away from it, you eat a Meal.

The tunnel continues for a short distance before opening up into another chamber. You can hear the faint sound of trickling water coming from somewhere in front of you.

You are carrying a lit torch.

The chamber is rent by a narrow but deep chasm that stretches across your path from one wall to the other. Water must be flowing through the rift somewhere far below. The only way across the chasm is via a stone slab that someone has placed here in ages past. You cross over the makeshift bridge and continue to the far side of the cave, which narrows to a tunnel once more before again opening up into another chamber.

You have entered a vast stone vault that lies at the very heart of the dark mountain. The chamber is so large that you cannot see its ceiling or the other side-–the walls simply dissolve into inky blackness. What you can see, however, chills you to the bone.

A mighty winged beast lies curled before you, its red, scaly hide glistening in the torchlight. Its four enormous limbs end in shining, armoured talons, each as long as your arm. Resting on one clawed forelimb is a long, lizard-like head, dominated by a fang-filled maw that splits it in two. Thankfully, its eyes are closed – the RED DRAGON appears to be asleep.

You have not caused a loud noise earlier in the complex.

Attack the sleeping Dragon?
Sneak past it and try to find the other side of the cavern?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Rope, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: None
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis, lit torch
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, blown up by igniting natural gas

[Queen of Swords]

Damn, we seem to be dying a lot.

Attacking the dragon seems like a good way to add one more death to the list, so sneak past it (though with a lit torch, that might well wake it up).

[Thaluikhain]

Sneak past.

[JourneymanN00b]

I also vote to sneak past the Dragon, as I do not believe that even the gun will be enough to kill it, assuming George knows how to use it.

[Beroli]

You cautiously tiptoe past the slumbering beast, hoping against hope that your footfalls will not awake the sleeping giant. Test your Skill; a 5 succeeds. You sneak past the Dragon without incident and soon find the far side of the cavern.

By chance you find a twisting passage that leads you back to the entrance cave. You decide to leave the gloomy peak behind and return to the more familiar surroundings of the open plains.

Evening approaches swiftly, and it is time you made your way back to Boneridge Village for the completion of the Rite of Banishment.

Take the most direct route home through a small forest?
Take the longer route home through wilder territory?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Rope, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis, lit torch
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, blown up by igniting natural gas

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take the longer route home to see if there isn't a necessary item that we need to pick up along the way.

[Thaluikhain]

Second that.

[Queen of Swords]

Thirded.

[Beroli]

For hours you trek across the plains, a smattering of thorn-trees your only protection from the savage afternoon sun. After some time, you spot the ruins of a building in the distance. It must be from the elder days, for the plains-tribes do not build in stone.

The tales you heard in your youth still ring fresh in your mind, of a glorious civilization ruled by emperors whose pride and insatiable lust for power brought about their downfall. All that remains now are the crumbled remnants of their once-mighty realm, one rumoured to be haunted by the anguished spectres of that long-dead race.

If the stories are true, you would do well to give the ruin a wide berth.

Do so?
Investigate it?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Rope, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis, lit torch
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, blown up by igniting natural gas

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to investigate the ruins, of course.

[Thaluikhain]

Investigate the ruins

(If the pattern we have going continues, we are due to be killed by Thrandeus again, so we should be safe from everything here)

[Beroli]

The exterior of the building is so weathered and broken that it is difficult to imagine what the building originally looked like. The thick walls, composed of massive stone blocks, are an unfamiliar sight to you, for your people dwell only in tents made of hide and bone. A chill ripples down your spine as you approach the arched entrance and step inside.

It takes a minute or two for your eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the ruin. During this time, effectively blind, you keep your senses peeled for any sign of approaching danger, but it passes without incident. Soon you are able to make out a statue standing against the far wall. Mostly untouched by the passing of the ages, it stands on a stone pedestal and appears to be of some mighty king, his brow weighed down by an ornate crown. Both hands rest upon the pommel of a broadsword of exotic design.

An inscription is written on the face of the pedestal in some ancient and long-forgotten language, which you can read because of the Circlet of Hamaskis:

Behold Thrandeus the Mighty, forty-second emperor of glorious Celenasia. All shall obey his divine will!

There appears to be little else of interest in the ruins. You rest awhile before heading back out into the light and heat.

You trek onwards, nearing ever closer to your home. The horizon is thick with cloud, but through them you can just make out the glow of the sun as it dips into the east. Wait a minute--the sun should set in the west! You look closer and realise that what you thought was cloud is actually a massive plume of smoke, pouring out of a raging fire in the distance. As you get closer you can see a wildfire burning out of control. It stretches right across your path and, to make things worse, the winds are fanning it in your direction.

Try and find a way around it to the left?
Try and find a way around it to the right?
Fall back and wait until the fire burns itself out?

Name: George
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 15/15
Luck: 10/10
Weapon: Dagger
Rucksack contents: Meal, Meal, Rope, strange wood-and-metal staff, Fangthane Gold, Charm of Endurance, _________, _________, _________, _________
Companions: Paru (7 Skill, fires an arrow each Attack Round)
Trophies: Fangthane Gold
Special Notes: Circlet of Hamaskis, lit torch
Deaths: Mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, eaten by a dragon, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, driven insane by a creature from nightmare, mercilessly crushed by Thrandeus, blown up by igniting natural gas

[Queen of Swords]

Try and find a way around it to the left.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to find a way around it to the left, and hope that taking the communist way will pay off.