You creep up behind the guard and hit him on the back of his head with the hilt of your sword. He falls backwards and you catch him in your arms, dragging him down Palace Street into Snake Alley. You put on the man's black chain-mail vest, studded shoulder pads, black cloak and his iron helmet which virtually covers your face. As you pick up his shield, you realize you are being watched by a gang of thieves who followed you into the alleyway. 'You better leave something for us or else!' their burly, scar-faced leader says threateningly. You tell him they can keep anything they want, pushing past him to walk into the street to go back to Palace Square to wait for the changing of the guard. You don't have to wait long before ten guards march out of the palace grounds to relieve the guards outside. You join the guards returning to the palace, marching along at the back of the line into the palace grounds past two heavily armed Trolls in the Imperial Guard on gate duty.
(Although it isn't specified, I assume we have to drop our old helmet, armor and shield here, but can keep our gauntlets and boots, in addition to all of our magic bling. I also assume we don't lose any SKILL from switching armor.)
The palace grounds are a vast area of gardens, trees and courtyards divided by a sweeping carriageway leading to the coach house, stables, servants' quarters and barracks for the household guards. A paved path leads from the carriageway up to a wide stone staircase to the imposing main doors of the house. Windowless at ground level, the house looks fortress-like and impossible to enter. You follow the guards to the barracks, where they take off their helmets and armour and sit down to relax. You do likewise, and start talking to the guard sitting next to you. You tell him that you are a new conscript, and are interested to know where prisoners should be taken after they have been arrested. 'Nobody is allowed to enter the house, so don't use the main door or you'll end up in the cells yourself,' the guard warns. 'There is a maze of dungeon corridors under the main building where the cells and a torture chamber are located. You'll find the entrance door to the cells on the north side of the palace.' You thank him for the information and stand up to help yourself to a mug of water left out for the guards. Add 1 STAMINA point. You put your helmet back on and, when nobody is watching, walk behind the barracks and on past the servants' quarters down a gravel path which leads to the north side of the house where there are stone steps leading down to a narrow entranceway. There is nobody about and you hurry down the steps to an iron door which is locked. (Harry owns a bunch of brass keys.)
You put the first of the twenty brass keys into the lock, but it fails to unlock the door. Your luck changes with the eighth key you try, and you hear a satisfying click as the lock turns in the door. You pull on the door, which creaks open on its rusty hinges. The stone steps lead down to a cold and gloomy corridor below, which is lit by oil lamps suspended from the ceiling. You walk slowly down the steps, trying not to make any noise, and soon arrive at a junction. You hear the sound of footsteps coming down the left side of the corridor, and decide to investigate.
You are confronted by an ugly green-skinned brute of a creature with tiny eyes and tusks protruding from its thick-lipped mouth. Blocking the corridor is a TROLL in black chain-mail armour, another of Lord Azzur's Imperial Guards. The Troll glares at you and says, gruffly, 'What are you doing here?' You can't think of a good answer, and draw your sword to attack the Troll.
IMPERIAL GUARD TROLL SKILL 11 STAMINA 11
Combat Log:
(This unnamed guard's noticeably stronger than a named villain. I didn't think trolls or guards were this strong in Fighting Fantasy.)
Troll 19, Harry 17. Harry is at 12.
Troll 18, Harry 23. Troll is at 9.
Troll 18, Harry 23. Troll is at 7.
Troll 22, Harry 22. Tie.
Troll 20, Harry 17. Harry is at 10.
Troll 16, Harry 16. Tie.
Troll 21, Harry 19. Harry is at 8.
Troll 14, Harry 21. Troll is at 5.
Troll 16, Harry 23. Troll is at 3.
(Going to Luck test on the next attack round we win because this guy has a really close SKILL to ours, we still have a potion and a good LUCK score, and even in the small chance we fail it will only take just as many rounds to win as it would if we didn't test it.)
Troll 17, Harry 21. Luck test: 3,5=8; Lucky! Troll is dead.
A search of the Troll's clothing yields 22 Gold Pieces stolen from prisoners, a silver earring and a bunch of iron keys hanging on his belt. You grab the items and hurry down the corridor, entering a large chamber which has been converted into a jail. The jail has four cells in it, each with floor-to-ceiling iron bars. The first cell on your left holds four rough-looking ship's crew, all of them with cuts, bruises and black eyes from fighting. The second cell holds two older, unshaven sea dogs in ragged uniforms who look like they have been in jail for years. In the first cell opposite, there is a sad-looking woman in a long dress holding the iron bars and watching your every move, and in the cell next to her is the man you have been looking for, who is sound asleep on his bed, snoring loudly. You take off your helmet and tell the prisoners that you are not a guard, but an adventurer who has come to rescue Nicodemus, pointing to the old man asleep in his cell. 'Why?' the woman asks in a whisper. She has a kind face, and you decide to tell her that you are going to take him to see his old friend Yaztromo. At the mention of the wizard's name, her face lights up. 'Yaztromo?' she says excitedly. 'Is he alive? I feared he might be dead. Has anything happened to his tower? Perhaps I should explain. My name is Luannah Wolff. Months ago the evil tyrant Lord Azzur sent Spirit Stalkers to kidnap me and force my husband, Horace, to help him bring back Zanbar Bone from the Plain of the Undead. Did you know he is going to rule Allansia from Yaztromo's Tower?' Before replying, you unlock her cell door with one of the iron keys and tell her to sit down on the bed. You explain that Yaztromo is alive and well, but that you have some terrible news for her concerning her husband. A look of dread covers her pale face, and she bursts into tears as you relate the tragic tale that led to her husband's untimely death on the day you met him. You leave her to grieve alone whilst you unlock Nicodemus's cell door. The old wizard is still in a deep sleep as a result of being drugged by his kidnappers. 'Set us free and I'll give you some special smelling salts that will wake him up,' the seaman opposite says. You reply, saying that you will only unlock his door if he gives you the smelling salts first. He agrees, and passes a small vial to you through the bars. You uncork the vial and place the sharp-smelling salts under Nicodemus's nose. He immediately starts to cough and splutter, and sits bolt upright. He looks at you with a face like thunder. 'Who are you?' he demands. You tell him your story and why you are here to rescue him. Luannah enters his cell and tells you that she wants to come with you to help avenge her husband's death. 'Let us out and we'll come too!' shouts the seaman. "These are dark days indeed,' Nicodemus says soberly. 'We need to leave immediately. Unlock the cell doors. We'll need all the help we can get to escape from the palace.' You release the six men and make your way back along the corridor and up the stone steps. You push the door open and walk outside. The seamen arm themselves with picks and shovels left behind by the palace gardeners. 'As soon as we see anybody, I'll cast a Time Freeze spell. That will give us one minute to escape through the entrance gates, but not a second longer,' says Nicodemus, who is still a bit unsteady on his feet walking along. Ahead you see some guards milling around the barracks. Two of them spot you and shout the alarm. More guards spill out of the barracks, some armed with crossbows. Nicodemus stops to raise his arms in the air with the palms of his hands pointing towards the oncoming guards. He murmurs arcane words which you do not understand, and suddenly the guards stop moving, standing mid-step as though frozen in time. 'Hurry!' shouts Nicodemus, half shuffling, half walking as fast as he is able. You pass through the entrance gates with seconds to spare, deciding which way to go. 'Let's head for Herring Wharf and board a ship,' shouts one of the seamen. They all shout 'Aye!' and run across Palace Square.
Follow them?
Turn right towards Palace Bridge?
(After the fight with the Troll and a wall of text, our STAMINA's back in the single digits. Is it meal time for Harry again?)
Adventure Sheet
Harry Balzac
SKILL: 12/12
STAMINA: 8/20
LUCK: 9/11
Weapons: Sharp-Edged Sword, Bow (6 arrows), Loaded Flintlock Pistol (3 spare lead balls,) Pouch of Black Powder
Armor: Shield, Black Chain-Mail Vest, Black Cloak, Iron Helmet, Chaos Warrior Gauntlets
Magic Items: Bracelet of Power, Elven Boots, Cursed Copper Necklace, Tyche Ring, Dragonfly Pendant (worn around neck), Ring of Burning Snakes (in pocket)
Provisions: 5 Meals (restore 4 STAMINA each)
Potions: Potion of Fortune (restores LUCK to
Initial+1)
Money: 37 Gold Pieces, 14 Copper Pieces
Keys: Iron Key, 20 Brass Keys, Silver Key (in Silver Box), Bunch of Iron Keys
Knives: Long Knife, Serrated Knife
Items: Map, Ball of Twine, Candle, Small Brass Bell, Oil Lantern, 2 Pieces of Chalk, Brass Owl, Rope, Bag of Copper Nails, Water Flask, Unicorn-Head Goblet, 4 Teeth, 3 Silver Buttons, Glass Eye, 3 Polished Stones, Dried Nettles, Cast-Iron Pig Trinket, Locket of Hag's Hair, Box of Fish Hooks, Glass Vial of Green Gas, Brass Compass, Lucky Bones, Large Ruby, Merchant's Pass, Silver Earring
Jars: Rats' Tails, Small Bones, Worms, Dead Flies, Lotus Flower, Noop Powder, Siff-Saff Paste
Running Total of Game Overs: 1