[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 20 - Sword of the Samurai

[Beroli]

Eat two Meals and spare the man's life.

[Queen of Swords]

Spare his life. If he accompanies us he's likely to die anyway.

[Thaluikhain]

Spare him, see if we can get another honour point.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Spare him.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Gogo Yubari will eat 2 helpings of chestnuts, seaweed, and sake and spare the samurai’s life.

250
[spoiler][/spoiler]
‘I cannot slay this Samurai in cold blood,’ you say loudly, and a cry of disappointment goes up from the villagers. ‘But he should pay for his crime!’ and ‘Revenge, revenge!’ they shout.

The captive Samurai sits up in surprise and then bows low before you and offers you his sword. ‘Thank you, my lord. My allegiance is to the Shogun Hasekawa still in my heart, but I could not say thus, in the service of Tsietsin as I was. But now I renounce the traitor Tsietsin and pledge my sword to you, my lord. Take me as your loyal companion.’ Will you take him with you (turn to 276), or, if you think he is lying, tell him to return to Tsietsin (turn to 264)?

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Gogo Yubari
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 18 Initial Stamina = 20
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 8
NOTES:
Possesses Katana and Wakizashi, Battle Armour, Backpack, Bow, 3 Willow-leaf Arrows (2 STAMINA damage), 3 Bowel-rakers (3 STAMINA damage), 1 Armour-piercer (2 STAMINA damage, required for use against certain opponents), 3 Humming Bulbs (1 STAMINA damage, makes a frightening noise), Headband of Shinmen
HONOUR: 5
PROVISIONS REMIANING: 8
SPECIAL SKILL: Kyujutsu
[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Take him with us.

[Beroli]

Take him with us.

[Thaluikhain]

Take him with us for like 2 sections before a monster kills him or we do.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Gogo Yubari will take the captive Samurai with her.

276
‘Thank you, my lord. You will not regret it,’ he says quickly. The villagers begin to disperse, darkly muttering things like ‘They’re all the same!’ As you head back to the main road, he tells you his name is Yomitsume Moichi, and that you can call him Moichi.

You travel north, your Samurai retainer chatting incessantly about his family and his life history, so much so that you begin to regret your decision. At last he falls silent when you round a low hill to see a fortified castle about half a league from the road. ‘It is the fortress of Lord Tsietsin the traitor, my lord,’ says Moichi quietly. Will you press on with your mission (turn to 288), or decide that the honour of the Shogun must be upheld and try to enter the castle and slay the traitor (turn to 300)?

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice gets a 3-vote majority to guarantee that it will be counted.

[Beroli]

Enter the castle.

[Queen of Swords]

Honorable option, stop the traitor.

[Thaluikhain]

To the castle!

[JourneymanN00b]

Attempting to enter the castle and slay the traitor received 3 votes, so Gogo Yubari will try this.

300
Gain 1 Honour point for your brave decision. Moichi’s face falls when you tell him, but then he says, ‘Well, my lord, I suppose that is the honourable thing to do. I know a hidden postern gate at the rear of the castle and the password – we can gain entrance there with ease, if you will allow this humble warrior to lead such a one as you, O mighty lord.’ He bows low. You cannot quite tell whether or not Moichi is being sarcastic in his praise of you, but you tell him to lead on anyway. He smiles roughly and leads you by a roundabout route to the rear of the castle where it nestles against the foothills of the southern Shios’ii Mountains. You wait until nightfall before approaching the hidden gate. Moichi walks up to a section of the wall and knocks on it. A slat opens and two eyes, glittering in the moonlight, stare out. ‘Who goes there?’ a voice hisses. ‘It is I, Moichi. We have returned from a night patrol on Lord Tsietsin’s personal orders. The password is “Cherry Blossom”.’ With that, the door slides open, allowing you and Moichi to step in. Without a word, you drive your fist into the surprised guard’s face. The guard falls without a sound. Turn to 136.

136
[spoiler][/spoiler]
You look around. Barracks, stables and so on line the walls. Across the castle courtyard is a square stone keep, with pagoda-like roofs and carved gables, the palace of Lord Tsietsin. But it is the two palace guards flanking the doors that really draw your attention. They are Shikome, vile humanoid beings, but hairy as apes, and with claws, fangs and horrible snouted faces. They are dressed in dirty and tattered imitations of Samurai armour, although their weapons seem in excellent condition. The presence of Shikome can only mean that Tsietsin is in league with Ikiru, Master of Shadows. Tsietsin will be in the palace, and it seems even more important than before to slay him.

Will you disguise yourself in the armour of the guard you have just knocked out, and, with Moichi, approach them, saying you have a message for Lord Tsietsin (turn to 148), pretend that you are Moichi’s prisoner and that he is taking you to see Tsietsin (turn to 160), or, if you have the skill of Kyujutsu, try to pick off the guards as quickly and as silently as possible (turn to 170)?

Once again, please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice gets a 3-vote majority to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Gogo Yubari
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 18 Initial Stamina = 20
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 8
NOTES:
Possesses Katana and Wakizashi, Battle Armour, Backpack, Bow, 3 Willow-leaf Arrows (2 STAMINA damage), 3 Bowel-rakers (3 STAMINA damage), 1 Armour-piercer (2 STAMINA damage, required for use against certain opponents), 3 Humming Bulbs (1 STAMINA damage, makes a frightening noise), Headband of Shinmen
HONOUR: 6
PROVISIONS REMIANING: 8
SPECIAL SKILL: Kyujutsu
[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Pick the guards off with arrows.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Stealth archery time.

[Thaluikhain]

Archery is the blue option, but disguises and the prisoner trick are the traditional ways in. I vote for prisoner trick, cause we don't get to try that too often.

[Beroli]

Pick them off with arrows.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted, Gogo Yubari will try to pick off the guards as quickly and as silently as possible, as that option won over pretending to be Moichi’s prisoner by a vote of 3-1. There is a lot of paragraphs to cover, which is why there was a huge delay in my response.

170
You decide to use bowel-raker arrows as they are the most deadly. You draw and aim your bow at the nearest Shikome. Roll two dice. If you throw less than your SKILL, turn to 232. If you throw equal to or more than your SKILL, turn to 244.

Rolling the dice for the watakushi shot yielded a 7, which is less than Gogo Yubari’s Skill.

232
With two swift and accurate shots you have killed both Shikome, who slump silently before the palace gates. Moichi’s jaw drops in amazement, ‘Such skill, you are truly a master of the Way of the Bow and the Sword, my lord!’ This time you can detect no sarcasm in his voice. Quickly you race into the palace as quietly as possible, into a maze of empty corridors and rooms. Turn to 230.

230
You run into the palace and down a long corridor and soon find yourself lost in a maze of corridors and rooms, mostly empty except for servants and slaves, who stare at you in amazement. On rounding a corner you are greeted by a sight that causes you to stop dead in your tracks. You have almost bumped into Lord Tsietsin himself, waddling down the corridor, a Samurai at either side. Lord Tsietsin is a large fat man with great blubbery jaws and a face wreathed in fat. Two pig-like eyes flare in outrage. He wears a voluminous kimono, bedecked with an enormous robe, adored with gold leaf. He is quite openly wearing the hat indicating the title of Shogun.

Tsietsin gasps in fear as he recognizes you, signals to his guards and lumbers away. The Samurai draw their blades, bow and then rush to the attack. Moichi darts forward and engages one. You must fight the other.

TSIETSIN’S BODYGUARD SKILL 9 STAMINA 8

If you win, turn to 354.

The fight (carried out to the tune of this music):
[spoiler]Round 1: Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Attack Strength: 12, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 18
Round 2: Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Attack Strength: 21, Player Attack Strength: 16;
Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 16
Round 3: Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 16
Round 4: Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 16
Round 5: Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 16
Round 6: Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Tsietsin’s Bodyguard Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 16[/spoiler]

Tsietsin’s Bodyguard manages to land a lucky blow of 2 Stamina damage to Gogo Yubari before falling victim to her katana.

354
Moichi has also killed his opponent, but is slightly wounded. Sheathing your blade, you spring after Lord Tsietsin. Soon you have caught up with him, just in time to see him ducking though a black and gold lacquered door. You and Moichi follow and burst into a large richly decorated room, with a black and gold lacquered chest in one corner. Tsietsin, gibbering in fear, has raised a trap-door in one corner of the room. When he sees that you will reach him before he can manoeuvre his vast bulk down it, he falls to his knees before you.

‘Spare me, great warrior, please spare me. It was Ikiru: he forced me to turn against the rightful Shogun, forgive me, I shall be his loyal vassal from now on,’ he gabbles, a tissue of transparent lies. As you look down, feeling only contempt and loathing, Tsietsin’s eyes narrow in cunning malice. His right hand flicks through the air. A needle-like dagger flies from his hand and into your thigh. Lose 3 STAMINA points. If you are still alive, you stagger back in surprise, as he lurches to his feet, drawing his sword. ‘Curse you, you swine,’ he cries and slashes at you.

Moichi leaps forward and within moments, both of you have ended Tsietsin’s miserable life. Turn to 366.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

366
The traitor, Lord Tsietsin, is dead. The honour of the Shogun and of Hachiman has been upheld. Gain 1 Honour point for ridding the land of the evil Lord Tsietsin, and for killing him in the middle of his own castle. ‘The Shogun is avenged, as are the villagers,’ says Moichi, who rests, idly watching as you survey the room.

Mostly it is full of ornate decoration, but the large chest catches your interest. You quickly open it. Inside is a bag of 100 Gold Pieces, an arrow and an excellently crafted suit of Samurai armour, obviously too small for the overweight Tsietsin. You don the armour and find it is far superior to your own, especially because it is made out of some unusually light metal. Gain 1 LUCK point.

If you have the skill of Kyujutsu, you recognize the arrow as being crafted by the legendary master of Kyujutsu, Tsunewara, who is reputed to have had magical powers. It is fletched with white eagle feathers. It should have the power of dispelling evil spirits. Note it on your Adventure Sheet.

Sudden sounds of shouting and the clash of weapons come from outside. Tsietsin’s men will be here any minute. You both dart down the open trap-door and close it behind you. Stairs lead down into stygian blackness. You cautiously descend. Turn to 378.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

378
[spoiler][/spoiler]

The stairs end in a blank wall. As you begin to push, it slides open. Simultaneously there is a clanging sound. Stepping through the opening, you find yourself in a damp and odorous tunnel. On the left an iron grille has slammed down, cutting you off from the stairs that climb upward beyond it. You have no choice but to follow the tunnel towards a milky-white luminescence at its end. As you and Moichi pace forward, a fetid stench rises in your nostrils.

The smell grows stronger. You come out into a large cavern, suffused with a sickly pale light, but the source of the light is for the moment indiscernable. Bones, old clothes and rusted weapons are strewn about. Then you spot it. A huge glowing shape comes towards you. An enormous gaping maw, lined with teeth rises up to devour you. Two eyes, massive discs of inscrutable blackness, stare at you, alive with ancient evil. The body, supported by hundreds of black scuttling legs, is bony and segmented. It is a dirty white colour and it is this that gives off the pale glow. It is a Mukade, some sort of gigantic, forty-foot centipede.

Moichi screams in fear and you step back in astonishment. It snaps its head forward, striking like a serpent, and bites off Moichi’s arm and most of his shoulder in an instant. He moans faintly and topples to the floor.

The sight of this fills you with anger and sorrow, but then it ripples towards you, intent on making you its next meal. If you have the skill of Kyujutsu, and still have your bow and arrow, you may fire two arrows before it is upon you. (You will not be able to reclaim the arrows if you win the fight.) In any case, you must fight it.

MUKADE SKILL 7 STAMINA 20

If you win, turn to 384.

Should our hero fire any arrows at the Mukade before the battle begins? If so, which arrows should be used? Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Gogo Yubari
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 13 Initial Stamina = 20
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 8
NOTES:
Possesses Katana and Wakizashi, Battle Armour, Backpack, Bow, 3 Willow-leaf Arrows (2 STAMINA damage), 1 Bowel-raker (3 STAMINA damage), 1 Armour-piercer (2 STAMINA damage, required for use against certain opponents), 3 Humming Bulbs (1 STAMINA damage, makes a frightening noise), Headband of Shinmen, 100 Gold Pieces, White Eagle Feather Arrow (can dispel evil spirits), Suit of Samurai Armour
HONOUR: 7
PROVISIONS REMIANING: 8
SPECIAL SKILL: Kyujutsu
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Hmm, I vote to fire 1 willow-leaf arrow, and keeping the rest for later..

Good thing we've got a bow to go with our new magic arrow, I wonder if it's useful otherwise.

[Beroli]

Skill 7...I'm going to say that what would amount to "auto-winning the first/and second combat round" is not worth losing 1/2 arrows. Just fight.

[Darth Rabbitt]

There's the possibility that the humming bulbs do something special to it, but I doubt it. Even with its high Stamina we have almost twice its Skill, so I think we should just kill it in melee combat.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes tallied, Gogo Yubari will not fire any arrows at the Mukade before fighting it, as that option won over using a willow-leaf arrow by a 2-1 vote.

The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Mukade Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Mukade Stamina: 18, Player Stamina: 13
Round 2: Mukade Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 21;
Mukade Stamina: 16, Player Stamina: 13
Round 3: Mukade Attack Strength: 10, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Mukade Stamina: 14, Player Stamina: 13
Round 4: Mukade Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 21;
Mukade Stamina: 12, Player Stamina: 13
Round 5: Mukade Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 16;
Mukade Stamina: 10, Player Stamina: 13
Round 6: Mukade Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Mukade Stamina: 8, Player Stamina: 13
Round 7: Mukade Attack Strength: 11, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Mukade Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 13
Round 8: Mukade Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 23;
Mukade Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 13
Round 9: Mukade Attack Strength: 9, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Mukade Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 13
Round 10: Mukade Attack Strength: 10, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Mukade Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 13[spoiler]

Gogo Yubari manages to flawlessly kill the Mukade in ten rounds. This just demonstrates how wimpy Moichi was as a companion, which is par for the course when it comes to Fighting Fantasy allies.

384
You thrust your sword deep into one of its black eyes and it rears back, uttering a shrill burbling shriek. It threshes wildly in its death-throes and you have to leap back out of the way. Presently it subsides and falls dead. Quickly you rush over to Moichi. He is still alive – but only just. Blood is oozing like the tide from the gaping wound, his face is pale and his eyes are dimming. ‘At least I died with honour, my liege, and in a noble cause.’ With that his spirit leaves him. You pause silently in mourning for a while, honouring his memory. But you know you must continue with your mission.

A search of the cavern reveals an exit at one end, and a heaped pile of ‘treasure’ – mostly bones and old useless weapons. However, you do find 15 Gold Pieces, a shiny silver helmet of ornate workmanship, a bottle of greenish-black ichor-like liquid and a magnificently crafted iron war-fan, used in battles to signal troops, which is inlaid with a pattern of ivory that makes you feel nauseous to look at. Will you:

Pick up the war-fan and open it? Turn to 182
Drink some of the liquid? Turn to 196
Put on the helmet? Turn to 210
Leave them all and go through the exit? Turn to 222

By the way, the 15 Gold Pieces have been taken by our hero. Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice gets a 3-vote majority to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Gogo Yubari
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 13 Initial Stamina = 20
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 8
NOTES:
Possesses Katana and Wakizashi, Battle Armour, Backpack, Bow, 3 Willow-leaf Arrows (2 STAMINA damage), 1 Bowel-raker (3 STAMINA damage), 1 Armour-piercer (2 STAMINA damage, required for use against certain opponents), 3 Humming Bulbs (1 STAMINA damage, makes a frightening noise), Headband of Shinmen, 115 Gold Pieces, White Eagle Feather Arrow (can dispel evil spirits), Suit of Samurai Armour
HONOUR: 7
PROVISIONS REMIANING: 8
SPECIAL SKILL: Kyujutsu
[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Pick up the fan. Leave all the others.

[Thaluikhain]

Being nauseous when we look at the fan, I'd recommend the helmet instead.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, the helmet seems safer. Don't drink the mystery liquid under any circumstances.