Going back to the hole in order to
re-penetrate:
The hole is just big enough for you to squeeze into. You climb through it and find yourself in a narrow tunnel that has been crudely hacked out of the rock. You hurry down it as fast as you can go. (Colin has a bronze-colored jewel.)
You walk all around the cavern but don't find anything you haven't seen before.
Checking the warrior:
You go over to the fallen warrior. He's clad in blue steel and his face is blackened as from a blast of fire. As you search his body for anything that might be useful, he suddenly grabs you with his left hand, and his eyes spring open. He's not dead at all. His grip is weak, however.
He stares into your eyes and starts to speak in a language you do not understand. (Colin has a Seed of Knowledge).
You pop a Seed of Knowledge into your mouth and swallow it. Now, magically, you can understand what the warrior is saying and he can understand you.
'I am Sinna the Brave,' he says. 'Although some people call me by another name. I have defeated many enemies in my time, but now I have met my last. Lord Azzur sent me here to defeat Ulrakaah and steal the treasures of the temple. I was warned that only the pure of heart could pass through those gates, but I easily defeated the two Obsidian Giants that guard them. Every time you strike them down, however, they come back to life...' He nods over to where the two giants are reforming and then goes on. 'I know that the Gates must never be opened, but there is a book here somewhere that contains the secret of how to pass safely through. Alas, I never could find it, so I tried to cut through the gates with my enchanted khopesh...and the gates themselves have killed me with a blast of hellfire...So, it seems, I am not pure of heart after all.' He laughs darkly. 'Not that that is news...'
(I'm just going to ask him all we can to keep the LP going at a decent pace. Fighting Fantasy books aren't as wordy as DestinyQuest ones so I can actually just do that with some consistency.)
The khopesh:
'The black khopesh is one of only two weapons that can defeat the Queen of Demons, Ulrakaah, who lurks on the other side of the Gates,' whispers Sinna, his voice growing feeble. 'I thought to kill her and steal her treasures...I had done everything I needed to do. I had even washed my blade in a potion that would return Ulrakaah to her normal beautiful form...but I couldn't get to her, and now my blade is embedded in the gates. Perhaps, if you could get through them, you could grab the khopesh from the other side and use it. But you will need to find the book first if you want to get that far...'
About the book:
'I learnt about the book from an adventurer who I...had an argument with,' says Sinna. 'He lost the argument. It is called
The Book of the Dead. It's here in the Great Library of Throff somewhere and tells you how to pass safely through the gates. I looked for it, but the library is enchanted and I never found it. Perhaps you will have more luck...' (Colin does not have the Book of the Dead.)
Will you:
Leave and go to the smaller door in the Walkway of the Dawn?
Leave and go to the Walkway of Night?
Leave and go to the south chamber in the Aisle of Guardians?
Try the rings in the Gates of Death?
Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 10/18
LUCK: 5/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Silver Ring, Bier Goggles
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 18
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons), Temple Guard's Axe (+1 Attack Strength, +1 damage on doubles rolled in combat), Fire Iron (-1 Attack Strength)
Items: Fishhook, Jar of Healing Ointment (+4 STAMINA when used), Poison Antidote, Silver Trowel,
Map of Trolltooth Pass, Flask of Firewater, Bronze-Colored Jewel
Compasses: Brass Compass, Silver Compass, Bronze Compass
Provisions: 2 meals (+4 STAMINA when eaten each), Dates (+3 STAMINA when eaten)
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Collywobbles', 'Dragon's Breath,' 'Nostalgia' Perfume, 'Pretty as a Picture,' 'Thick as Thieves'
Magic Seeds: 3 Seeds of Mastery, Seed of Doubt, Seed of Treachery, Seed of Destruction, Seed of Change
Running Total of Bad Puns: 2