[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 59 - Curse of the Mummy

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go to the left to strongly reject fascism.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, might as well try left.

[SGamerz]

The passage turns sharply to the left and you can see a light being cast from round the comer. Carefully poking your head round the turning, you see a red-swathed figure bending over a hole in a derelict room. It is one of the cultists! Round her lie the charred outlines of three humanoid creatures, although their fanged, skull-like visages still remain. The cultist is lifting something out of the hole. Do you want to rush in and attack, wait and watch for a moment or, seeing that this is a dead-end, return along the passage and go the other way?

[Queen of Swords]

Rush in and attack.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to rush in and attack in order to gain the element of surprise.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, may as well attack now.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I’d be in favor of waiting and seeing what happens, personally.

[SGamerz]

Because you have the element of surprise, the cultist is prevented from using any trickery against you, and you gain an unopposed strike. Then the cultist snarls and turns on you.

CULTIST SKILL 6 STAMINA 5

If you win, turn to 36.

Cultist 15, Boris O’Connell 20. Cultist is at 3.
Cultist 16, BOC 19. Cultist is at 1.
Cultist 10, BOC 20. Cultist is killed.

With the cultist dead, the glowing sphere she was using to light her way fades. Ignoring this, you look around to see what else you can find. The cultist was recovering a small earthenware jar, which (as you learn when removing its lid) contains a peculiarly shaped, mummified object. If you want to take this jar, add it to your Adventure Sheet. You find nothing else of use to you, but then you notice that the sphere is still pulsing with faint light. If you want to pick it up, turn to 159. If you do not, you leave the chamber.

Please vote on whether you wish to pick up either or both of the objects.

[Queen of Swords]

Add the earthenware jar to our growing collection.

Not sure about the sphere. I'm in favor of leaving it.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take the earthenware jar, and leave the sphere, since I have a bad feeling about it due to the sphere in Caverns of the Snow Witch.

[Thaluikhain]

Take the jar, and the sphere seems like something that turns adventurers into more burnt corpses, and/or a ticking/pulsing bomb, so leave alone.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, the sphere is probably bad spoopy magic but I’m pretty sure we just got all 4 canopic jars. So leave with just the jar.

[SGamerz]

Boris packs the earthenware jar away with the other 3 he'd collected, and leave the sphere behind.

It is not long before you come to the top of another flight of stone steps; at their base, you enter a large, rubble-strewn chamber, its ceiling some ten metres above you.

We're proceeding down to the next level again, and in fact to a section we'd been to before:

Hearing a clicking sound, you look along the length of the room. At its far end, standing in front of a grand set of double doors, are two terrifying creatures. They appear to be a cross between humans and gigantic scorpions, with the heads and torsos of men but the bodies and deadly stings of desert arachnids. Carrying polearms, these are the demonic Accursed, once human but now servants of the Demon Prince. If you are to gain access to the third level of the tomb, you will have to vanquish them in battle. Because of their great size, fight the Accursed one at a time.

First ACCURSED SKILL 1210 STAMINA 10
Second ACCURSED SKILL 119 STAMINA 11

If either of the Accursed wins an Attack Round, roll one dice. On a roll of 5 or 6, instead of hitting you with their polearms, they strike you with their stings: add 1 to your POISON score as well as losing 2 points from your STAMINA. If you overcome the demonic guards, turn to 153.

COMBAT LOG:
First Accursed 20, Boris O’Connell 18. Boris is at 8.
A1 17, BOC 15. BOC is at 6.
A1 18, BOC 24. A1 is at 8.
A1 20, BOC 18. Boris is at 4.
A1 14, BOC 18. A1 is at 6.
A1 16, BOC 17. A1 is at 4.
A1 14, BOC 23. A1 is at 2.
A1 18, BOC 21. A1 is killed.
Second Accursed 15, BOC 18. A2 is at 9.
A2 16, BOC 22. A2 is at 7.
A2 14, BOC 18. A2 is at 5.
A2 12, BOC 16. A2 is at 3.
A2 11, BOC 19. A2 is at 1.
A2 13, BOC 16. A2 is killed.

Boris survives by the skin of his teeth against the cursed creatures!

You have entered what appears to be a throne-room. An osmate golden chair, inlaid with precious stones, stands on a raised platform between two arches. Carved in the wall next to the left-hand arch is the figure of a cat-headed woman, and the exit to the right has that of a man with a savage beast's head. Propped beside the throne are the skeletal remains of two Djaratian guards, doubtless buried along with their king millennia ago. You are determined to press on, since you feel that you haven't much further to go. Will you leave the throne-room via the right-hand archway or the left-hand one?

As I said, this is relatively familiar territory. Do we want to go the same way as the last time from here?

(Given the current state of our health you may want to eat some meals...but remember that there's a restorative pillar not too far from here, so if you want to try and go back that way, you may want to wait for its effect first.)

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Boris O’Connell
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 4/18
LUCK 11/12
Poison: 8/18
Equipment: Sword, backpack, Rope and Grapple, Firepowder (can be thrown at opponent at start of combat, hit after successful Skill test for 1D6 damage), Lantern + Skin of Oil (default light source), Oil of Lotus, Crystal Pyramid, Papyrus Scroll (subtract 20 from section number to translate hieroglyphic script), Statuette of Assamarra, God of the Sand, Ankh (Key of Life, set with 12 precious stones), Jet Cat, Earthenware jar (x4), Gold statue of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of the Gods, Dajaratian Book of the Dead, Falcon Breastplate (60 feathers), Golden Key ('34' inscribed on it), Malachite Amulet
Provisions: 5
Gold: 3
Extra Lives remaining: 1
Notes: We received Cranno's Warning. "And all those who would despoil the shrine of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of the Gods, beware the wrath of the crocodile-headed one." We gained the Wisdom of Khunam (understanding of ancient Djaratian speech - add 30 to section number when spoken to in that language). Dajaratian dead making their journey through the underworld must face thirteen hazards.
[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

So the guards will become animate no matter which entrance we pick, but we can run for the other entrance to avoid them. Shall we try to leave the throne room via the right-hand entrance, so that when they try to attack, we can use the option of changing direction and running for the other one?

[JourneymanN00b]

I assume that the dice rolls resulted in no Poison from the two times that he was hit by the Accursed?

I vote to leave via the right-hand archway, and to change direction and run for the other one.

[SGamerz]

I assume that the dice rolls resulted in no Poison from the two times that he was hit by the Accursed?

Actually, I did overlook it.

Retroactively rolling for the results, however, yielded 2, 1 and 1, so Boris did not get poison from any of the 3 hits he took.

Boris feints heading for the right arch-way...

As you walk towards the right-hand exit, the guards' bones rise jerkily from their posts and advance towards you. They will reach the archway before you do, so, if you want to avoid clashing with the guards, you could change direction and run through the other exit. If you are intent on passing through this archway, you will have to fight.

First SKELETAL GUARD SKILL 8 STAMINA 6
Second S KELETAL GUARD SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you win, tum to 229.

...and then swerves and runs for the left one:

The corridor gradually slopes upwards until, ducking under a low archway, you emerge in a high, pyramidal chamber, its four walls coming together at a point several metres above you. In the wall opposite is the entrance to another tunnel, but in the centre of the room a few steps go up to the top of a small, squat pillar. Do you want to climb the steps to the top of the pillar or would you rather leave this chamber?

We know what this does, so I assume you'd want the benefit again:

There is nothing lying on top of the column - but, as you are about to leave, you experience a weird sensation: your body feels warm and you become aware of a peculiar vibration, accompanied by a deep thrumming sound. The whole sensation is not unpleasant, and you almost feel as if you are being revitalized - and you are! This is the power of the magical geometry of the pyramid which allows the bodies of the dead to be preserved so well and for so long. However, you are not dead, so the effects of the pyramid's regenerative power are all the more beneficial. Roll one dice (if you have a Crystal Pyramid, add 1 to the number rolled). If you roll 1-2, turn to 327; 3-4, turn to 392; 5 or above, turn to 341.

Die roll = 1+1 = 2.

Unfortunately, we got the lowest result this time.

You feel invigorated and ready to face any new challenges. Restore your STAMINA score to its Initial level, reduce yow POlSON score by 4 points and regain 1 LUCK point. Climbing down from the pillar, you leave the chamber.

We still got a much-needed full STAMINA restore, although we don't manage to purge all the POISON this time.

The passage ends at a flight of steps. Descending these, you are surprised to find yourself in a partially flooded network of tunnels. As this is the only way onwards, you wade into the water; it only comes up to your waist, so at least your provisions will remain dry. The flooding is caused by the once great river, which used to run through the desert kingdom of Dajarat before its destruction but which now flows underground. Further along the tunnel you come to an intersection. Will you go straight on, turn left or right?

And we're back in the flooded maze. Which directions do we take this time?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Boris O’Connell
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 18/18
LUCK 12/12
Poison: 4/18
Equipment: Sword, backpack, Rope and Grapple, Firepowder (can be thrown at opponent at start of combat, hit after successful Skill test for 1D6 damage), Lantern + Skin of Oil (default light source), Oil of Lotus, Crystal Pyramid, Papyrus Scroll (subtract 20 from section number to translate hieroglyphic script), Statuette of Assamarra, God of the Sand, Ankh (Key of Life, set with 12 precious stones), Jet Cat, Earthenware jar (x4), Gold statue of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of the Gods, Dajaratian Book of the Dead, Falcon Breastplate (60 feathers), Golden Key ('34' inscribed on it), Malachite Amulet
Provisions: 5
Gold: 3
Extra Lives remaining: 1
Notes: We received Cranno's Warning. "And all those who would despoil the shrine of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of the Gods, beware the wrath of the crocodile-headed one." We gained the Wisdom of Khunam (understanding of ancient Djaratian speech - add 30 to section number when spoken to in that language). Dajaratian dead making their journey through the underworld must face thirteen hazards.
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go left to reject fascism.

[Queen of Swords]

I’m in favour of retracing our steps according to what we did when we were in the flooded maze before.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I'm with Queen of Swords on this one. I think we got all the stuff we missed the first time.

[SGamerz]

Just to be sure, you guys want to move forward until you are out of the maze (which means just before you enter the larder)? Or even further forward until you meet the Guardian of the Dead? Both of these will also mean that there will be an encounter/combat against Snapperfishes while still in the maze if we take the exact same options.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to proceed until our hero reaches the Guardian of the Dead.

[SGamerz]

The last time, we took the centre path from the first junction:

All the tunnels look very much alike. Coming to a junction, will you now take the first to the left or the second to the left, or turn to the right?

Then we went right:

Suddenly there is a commotion in the water round you: you are being attacked by several vicious Snapperfish. Roll one dice, add 6 and divide the total by 2 (rounding fractions up) to see how many you have to fight. Each Snapperfish has SKILL 6 and STAMINA 2, and the bite from such a creature does 3 points of damage to your STAMINA on a roll of 4-6 on one dice. If you survive your encounter, you go on. Roll one dice. If you roll 1-3, turn to 287; it you roll 4-6, turn to 69.

Die roll = 4.

Number of Snapperfish = (4 + 6)/2 = 5. That's 1 more than the last time.

COMBAT LOG:
Snapperfish #1 11, Boris O’Connell 15. Snapperfish #1 is killed.
Snapperfish #2 11, BOC 18. BOC avoids bite.
Snapperfish #3 15, BOC 20. BOC avoids bite.
Snapperfish #4 12, BOC 19. BOC avoids bite.
Snapperfish #5 15, BOC 18. BOC avoids bite.
S2 11, BOC 16. S2 is killed.
S3 12, BOC 15. BOC avoids bite.
S4 12, BOC 20. BOC avoids bite.
S% 15, BOC 24. BOC avoids bite.
S3 12, BOC 19. S3 is killed.
S4 16, BOC 19. BOC avoids bite.
S5 17, BOC 22. BOC avoids bite.
S4 14, BOC 19. S4 is killed.
S5 14, BOC 20. BOC avoids bite.
S5 12, BOC 21. S5 is killed.

The SKILL gap is wide enough that not even a 5-on-1 is enough to overcome Boris.

Die roll = 1.

Different results from last time!

Totally lost, you wander dejectedly about in the water-filled corridors. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 100. If you are Unlucky, turn to 369.

Dice roll = 3 (Lucky).

Ahead of you a broad set of steps leads up out of the water and deeper into the tomb. At last you have found a way out of the flooded maze! Regain 1 LUCK point. Back on dry land, so to speak, you follow the short passage that leads away from the steps to a T-junction. To the left you can see that the tunnel ends at a stone door, while to the right it continues into darkness. Will you go to the left or to the right?

And we still managed to get out (and also regained the LUCK we just spent on the test)!

And now we go raid the larder fpr the yummy mummy food again:

When you push your weight against it, the stone door opens with ease into a set of store-rooms. Several recessed pantries lead off from a main corridor which is decorated with paintings of servants bearing offerings. Inside the alcoves are all kinds of food offerings, from loaves of bread and pitchers of wine, to dried meat and stuffed figs. After several thousand years, most of the food left for Akharis to consume in the afterlife has spoiled. However, if you want to spend some time searching, you could probably find some items that, preserved by the dry air of the tomb, are still edible. If you want to look for provisions, turn to 210. Otherwise there is nothing else here, so you leave and follow the other passage.

Your search is quite fruitful and you manage to accumulate enough food for 4 meals (add these to your Adventure Sheet). Preparing to leave the offerings chambers, you tum back towards the stone door. With a cracking sound, fragments of plaster start flaking off one of the wall-paintings. You watch, startled, as a life-size figure from the mural begins to emerge from the wall, assuming a three-dimensional form as it does so. The Djaratians believed that figures of servants painted in the tombs would magically come to life to serve the dead king. This is exactly what is happening now as the food store's guardian prepares to deal with a thief - you!

TOMB GUARDIAN SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you kill the servant, at your final blow the guardian crumbles into a heap of plaster-dust, allowing you to leave.

COMBAT LOG:
Tomb Guardian 14, Boris O’Connell 16. TG is at 4.
TG 17, BOC 18. TG is at 2.
TG 13, BOC 16. TG is defeated.

The walls of the tunnel here are constructed from chiselled blocks of stone. Not far along the passage, you come to a place where the ceiling opens into a shaft travelling upwards, back towards the upper levels of the tomb. The tunnel also continues ahead of you. Do you want to try to climb up into the shaft in order to explore it further, or do you prefer to carry on along the tunnel, in the hope of reaching your goal?

Again, Boris gets (up) the shaft...

Finding hand-holds in the crevices between the blocks of granite gives you no difficulty and, having climbed several metres, your light illuminates another corridor leading away from you. Do you want to pull yourself up out of the shaft to investigate this new passage, or would you prefer to descend once more to the tunnel below and follow that?

...and climb out to another level...

You are at the lower end of a long, vaulted passage which ascends steeply ahead of you. The walls of the Grand Gallery are carved with reliefs depicting a mighty king meeting the gods in the afterworld. At its top you enter a high-ceilinged chamber, on the far side of which is a great stone door, ornately carved and with a magnificent gold lock, flanked by two huge statues of a Djaratian king. The statues' expressions have been exquisitely fashioned, but their cold eyes and the cruel smiles turning the comers of their stern mouths bring a chill to your spine. This must be Akharis - even these carved images of him fill you with dread; it is as if the evil king knows that his return to power is imminent and considers your attempt to stop it to be futile.

Then you notice the blazing red eyes in the gloom of a corner of the anteroom. With a roar, a massive, shaggy-haired black beast leaps out of the shadows and paws the ground in front of you. The monstrous, dog-like creature snarls and bares its gleaming fangs. Facing you is the Guardian of the Dead of Djaratian myth, menacing protector of burial places and executioner of any trespassers who would desecrate the tombs of the kings.

GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD SKILL 10 STAMINA 10

If you manage to overcome this mighty opponent, tum to 364.

COMBAT LOG:
Guardian of the Dead 19, Boris O’Connell 15. BOC is at 16.
GotD 17, BOC 22. GotD is at 8.
GotD 18, BOC 18. Tie.
GotD 17, BOC 14. Boris is at 14.
GotD 19, BOC 17. Boris is at 12.
GotD 17, BOC 16. Boris is at 10.
GotD 16, BOC 16. Tie.
GotD 15, BOC 16. GotD is at 6.
GotD 16, BOC 20. GotD is at 4.
GotD 14, BOC 19. GotD is at 2.
GotD 18, BOC 20. GotD is killed.

The creature puts up a much harder fight this time!

The great beasts lumps to the ground and breathes its last. You are sure that beyond the ornate door lies Akharis's burial chamber, but do you have a key to fit the golden lock? If you have, tum to the paragraph with the same number as that of the hieroglyphs inscribed on the key. If you haven't, no amount of force will make the great stone door budge, so at the last hurdle you have failed in your quest.

But this time we have the key:

The key turns in the lock and the ornate stone door swings open. You are at the top of a wide stone staircase; descending it , you enter a vast, high-ceilinged chamber. The blue roof is dotted with stylized yellow stars, while the walls are covered in plaster which has been painted with scenes of the dead king's life. In one frieze he venerates his dark goddess, in another he dictates his harsh law, and in another he communes with vile, demonic creatures. Several archways lead out of this main chamber, allowing you glimpses of fabulous golden treasures and caskets brimming with sparkling jewels.

However, your attention is drawn to Akharis's huge stone sarcophagus and the enormous serpent wrapped round it. Covered in red, black and yellow scales, the gigantic snake must be at least twenty metres long! As your light falls on to its body, the serpent's ancient, reptilian eyes flick open. Slowly it raises its head and starts to uncoil itself, its hard skin grating against the stone of the coffin as it rubs across it. With fangs as long as your arm, dripping with venom, the Great Serpent attacks.

GREAT SERPENT SKILL 8 STAMINA 11

If the serpent wins an Attack Round, you must lose 3 STAMINA points and gain 2 POISON points from its terrible bite. If the monster wins two consecutive Attack Rounds, turn to 193. If you kill the over-grown reptile, turn to 88.

COMBAT LOG:
Great Serpent 18, Boris O’Connell 18. Tie.
GS 13, BOC 16. GS is at 9.
GS 12, BOC 19. GS is at 7.
GS 17, BOC 18. GS is at 5.
GS 14, BOC 21. GS is at 3.
GS 13, BOC 21. GS is at 1.
GS 17, BOC 21. GS is killed.

Fortunately, it didn't manage to bite us once (losing 2 consecutive rounds would have been really, really bad).

With the serpent dead, will you open the sarcophagus immediately, or do you want to search Akharis's treasure-rooms first?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Boris O’Connell
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 10/18
LUCK 12/12
Poison: 4/18
Equipment: Sword, backpack, Rope and Grapple, Firepowder (can be thrown at opponent at start of combat, hit after successful Skill test for 1D6 damage), Lantern + Skin of Oil (default light source), Oil of Lotus, Crystal Pyramid, Papyrus Scroll (subtract 20 from section number to translate hieroglyphic script), Statuette of Assamarra, God of the Sand, Ankh (Key of Life, set with 12 precious stones), Jet Cat, Earthenware jar (x4), Gold statue of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of the Gods, Dajaratian Book of the Dead, Falcon Breastplate (60 feathers), Golden Key ('34' inscribed on it), Malachite Amulet
Provisions: 5
Gold: 3
Extra Lives remaining: 1
Notes: We received Cranno's Warning. "And all those who would despoil the shrine of Cracca, Lord of Rivers and Ferryman of the Gods, beware the wrath of the crocodile-headed one." We gained the Wisdom of Khunam (understanding of ancient Djaratian speech - add 30 to section number when spoken to in that language). Dajaratian dead making their journey through the underworld must face thirteen hazards.
[/spoiler]

[Darth Rabbitt]

Open the sarcophagus. Akharis will probably hop out of it and attack us while we’re distracted if we don’t.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, let's not waste time searching for treasure. Open the sarcophagus.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to open the sarcophagus and not get districted by the treasure-rooms.