[Let's Play] GrailQuest 4: Voyage of Terror

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu May 17, 2018 12:18 pm

Half vote for waiting and seeing,

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat May 19, 2018 2:12 am

The hooded figure throws back its hood to reveal a chalk-white face with glittering red eyes and canine fangs protruding delicately over his lower lip. With the hood back, the robe falls open at the neck to give a glimpse of a high wing collar and white tie over the ruffled opera shirt.

The once-hooded figure speaks:

'What a pickle you're in, my dear young friend,
But fear not,
Nor get hot
Under the collar
For you can bet your bottom dollar
I will save you in the end!'

A huge cheer erupts from the terraces of Demondim. It's the Poetic Fiend--famed to every adventurer the length and breadth of Avalon as the worst versifier in the history of the universe. But what on earth is he doing here, in another Time, on Demondim Isle?

Swiftly you compose a suitable reply:

'I shall not fear,
For you were here,
Right from the start,
Oh Master of the Poetic Art!'

Not very good, but at least it's flattering, which is all that really counts with the Poetic Fiend; and another cheer goes up from the terraces.

'Well said!' exclaims the Fiend delightedly. 'What a great joy for me to meet a fellow Poet. And how our audience loves us!' He turns and bows, smiling, to the delirious Demondim. 'Really they do so enjoy a good rhyme. I could scarcely believe my luck when I found this island. No sooner had I composed my first ode for them than they made me King and High Priest all rolled into one. A remarkable show of appreciation. But enough of this nostalgia: we have to get you out of here. The last I heard, the Saxons were invading Avalon, Excalibur had been stolen, and Merlin was suffering from concussion, so the sooner you find your way back the better. I wonder if you'd mind awfully stretching out on that sacrificial altar stone.' And he gestures vaguely with that wicked crystal-bladed knife.

Do you go quietly and lie on the altar stone at 148?

Or do you think, 'Blow this for a melodian band,' and take another swing at the Poetic Fiend in the hope of making your escape! If so, go to 141.

About time he shows up.....as I said before, this is the one character besides Merlin who's appears in more books in the series than even EJ.

Does Pip lay down quietly for the creepy hooded poet?

RogueOne · Post by **RogueOne** » Sat May 19, 2018 6:28 pm

The Poetic Fiend has never led us wrong.

Lie down for him and let him have his way with us

As an aside, do all choices on this island culminate in meeting the Fiend?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sat May 19, 2018 9:45 pm

Agreed, service the Fiend.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun May 20, 2018 1:58 am

RogueOne wrote:As an aside, do all choices on this island culminate in meeting the Fiend?

Sort of, but not quite. There are places to explore above if we choose to climb (and survive the attempt). If we make a full exploration of the island, we'll eventually meet the Fiend, but as usual, it's possible to die in quite a few of the branches, and it's also possible to decide to quit and go back to the ship without exploring every place.

Staying to confront the Demondim essentially shortens the exploration and jumps to the "end-scene", which is the safe thing to do (avoids arbitrary death scenes), but also cause us to miss out on possible useful-but-not-essential loot.

Meekly (stupidly?) you stretch out on the altar stone. The Fiend bends over you, clutching the wicked, crystal-bladed knife.

'Take that!' he exclaims, handing you the weapon. 'It is, of course, a magical blade. It never misses and will kill absolutely anything with a single blow: the only thing you have to worry about is getting in that first strike. Unfortunately, once it hits, it shatters, so you can only use it once, but better than nothing, eh? Keep it carefully and use it wisely. Now, one more thing. You will need this as well...' And he hands you a tiny golden key, no bigger than the sort of thing you would find on a charm bracelet. 'Keep that carefully as well.'

'But what's it for?' you ask curiously.

'Never mind that now,' says the Fiend. 'Time is pressing. Just don't lose it (which is actually quite difficult to do since it will remain with you even in 14). Now close your eyes and listen carefully. I am about to compose another of my modestly brilliant verses. It will be incomplete. Your job is to think up a final line.'

He takes a deep breath, smiles at the waiting Demondim, and intones:

'An adventurer bold named young Pip,
Was required to return to his ship.
But he never dreamed
With the help of the Fiend,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . '

He pauses expectantly, waiting for you to complete the limerick.

When you do so, but not before, turn to 103.

Well, we were looking for a T-Rex slayer, and this new weapon could potentially be one. But first, someone needs to complete the poem!

RogueOne · Post by **RogueOne** » Sun May 20, 2018 3:03 am

"That he'd do it through a time skip"

And huzzah! FINALLY we can take down that damn T-Rex.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon May 21, 2018 12:31 am

RogueOne wrote:"That he'd do it through a time skip"

And huzzah! FINALLY we can take down that damn T-Rex.

Agreed on all of this.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon May 21, 2018 11:53 am

RogueOne's poetic talents not only gets us past the puzzle, but it also gains us enough experience point to gain yet another Permanent LP!

At once a huge, crackling, electrical arc leaps from one crystal to the other and races down the pillars, spitting and hissing with a distinct smell of ozone until it reaches the altar stone where you are lying prostrate.

You are enveloped in a flash of bright blue flame. Your surroundings vanish. Momentarily all blackness. You look around, firmly expecting to find yourself in 14, but are, in fact, back on board the Argo, clutching your crystal-bladed knife and little golden key.

When the Argonauts get over their surprise at your sudden appearance, you may turn to the Sea Chart and set sail for a new destination.

Now that Pip is back on the ship, he's free to go back to the armoury t re-arm himself. He can also go to the inventory room and pick up 6 items again...I will take the exact same items as before, but if you want to take something different this time, post your preference!

So, now we have the artillery to take on that T-Rex at Dragon Island, do we want to go back there now?

If not, please vote which island to visit next. We're left with: Shipwreck Island, Skull Island (we only got as far as one section on our previous visit), the Five Fingers (note that there are 5 different numbered sections for that to start on, please indicate where you'd like to start), and Lost Island unexplored.

SEA CHART:

QUEST JOURNAL:

Pip's LIFE POINTS: 37/55
Permanent Life Points: 15

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Piece of Driftwood (weapon, +2 damage)
Sword (hits on 6, damage +3)
Spear (hits on 6/thrown 8, damage +5/thrown +10, only attack once every 2 rounds/thrown once every 3 rounds)
New Dagger (hits on 6, damage +1, attack twice per round)
One-piece armour (worn) (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Spare armor x2 (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Rope (50ft coil)
Grappling hook
Backpack
Flint and steel (for lighting fires)
Ceramic lamp
Box of biscuits
Golden Key (x2)
Crystal-bladed Knife (never misses, insta-kills on 1st hit, one-use only)

MONEY: 4500 GP

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 20 0
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Old Sea Dog (2x)
Poisonous Spider
Ship's Cook (2x)
19 Guards
10 Scoundrels (3x)
Rock Thern
PUZZLES SOLVES: 4

No. of Deaths:
1) LP drained by Shadows on Skull Island
2) Devoured by a T-Rex on Dragon Island

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Mon May 21, 2018 1:38 pm

Use the plot coupon to kill the trex.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue May 22, 2018 11:56 am

Pip heads back to Dragon Island....

Cross-eyed navigation roll = 8. Success.

Reaching the island safely, Pip first goes east, then north from the cavern entrance to grab some free gold nuggets, because why not?

Dice roll = 9.

Number of nuggets found = 9x2 = 18

2nd dice roll = 7.

Value of each nugget = 7x50 = 350.

Pip gains an additional 18x350 = 6300 GP! That's a lot of loot!

His money-bags now bulging, Pip goes back to the entrance and heads northwest, running into the Rock Thern again, this time with only 8 LP....

You reach another cavern with all the signs of having been cut out from the volcanic rock, or at least artificially enlarged. The floor of the cavern is strewn with rubble and rotting wooden props support the ceiling in half a dozen places. It does not, frankly, look terribly safe to cross.

Nor is it. In fact, this particular cavern is trouble all the way. As you step forward, a squat, heavily muscled Rock Thern emerges from the shadows and skeeters aggressively towards you. This creature, which stands about as tall as an armadillo (and looks vaguely like one) has only 15 LIFE POINTS, but heavy scales across its entire body surface form a natural armour which subtracts 6 full points from any damage caused by every blow scored against it. The Rock Thern is a slow fighter, so you will get in two blows for every one it can manage. As against that, it is extremely strong with a natural +5 on any damage it manages to score. The Thern hits successfully on 5.

As if all this were not bad enough, any fight in here is very liable to bring down the roof. For each blow struck, you should throw two dice. A score above three indicates the fight can go ahead safely (well, as safely as fights ever are). But a score of 2 or 3 indicates that you inadvertently knock out a roof prop. The resultant cave-in will send both you and the Thern to 14.

If you survive, the passage north leads to 191, the passage east to 199.

Since every time we hit it we have to risk a cave-in, I think the ideal tactic is to use our spear in normal combat. We only need to score 3 points of damage to knock it out.

Rock Thern rolls 4, Pip rolls 9. Pip goes first.

COMBAT LOG:

Pip rolls 6 and hits for 0+5-6 = no damage.
Cave-In check = 6 (safe).
Rock Thern rolls 3 and misses.
Pip rolls 9 and hits for 3+5-6 = 2 damage. Rock Thern is at 6.
Cave-In check = 5 (safe).
Rock Thern rolls 9 and hits for 4+5-2 = 7 damage. (Armour check = 3 - doesn't shatter) Pip is at 30.
Cave-In check = 11 (safe).
Pip rolls 4 and misses.
Rock Thern rolls 9 and hits for 4+5-2 = 7 damage. Pip is at 23.
Cave-In check = 5 (safe).
Pip rolls 8 and hits for 2+5-6 = 1 damage. Rock Thern is at 5 and is knocked out.
Cave-In check = 7 (safe).

Getting past that Rock Thern, Pip puts on his spare pieces of armour before advancing to face the T-Rex.

There's a slight chance that the T-Rex is asleep, let's see if we're lucky:

Dice roll = 7! The T-Rex is awake! Pip draws his shiny new insta-kill knife!

T-Rex roll 9, Pip rolls 10. Pip strikes first!

COMBAT LOG:

Pip rolls 11 and hits. T-Rex is killed!

Pip's new weapon doesn't let him down, and scores with the very first hit! Getting past the obstacle, Pip then moves on to the giant egg in a box and unlocks it with the sequence he already knew from his last trip here., retrieving the golden key once again!

There's nothing else on this island, so we can head for the next one. But besides that, we also need to vote on something else:

Should Pip roll in the pile of manure again and make himself green before he leaves? We never found out whether it would turn out to be a positive or negative.

So:

1) Which island to sail for next?
2) Roll in the manure heap or not?

SEA CHART:

QUEST JOURNAL:

Pip's LIFE POINTS: 23/55
Permanent Life Points: 15

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Piece of Driftwood (weapon, +2 damage)
Sword (hits on 6, damage +3)
Spear (hits on 6/thrown 8, damage +5/thrown +10, only attack once every 2 rounds/thrown once every 3 rounds)
New Dagger (hits on 6, damage +1, attack twice per round)
One-piece armour (worn) (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Spare armor x2 (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Rope (50ft coil)
Grappling hook
Backpack
Flint and steel (for lighting fires)
Ceramic lamp
Box of biscuits
Golden Key (x3)

MONEY: 10800 GP

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 2
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Old Sea Dog (2x)
Poisonous Spider
Ship's Cook (2x)
19 Guards
10 Scoundrels (3x)
Rock Thern (2x)
T-Rex
PUZZLES SOLVES: 4

No. of Deaths:
1) LP drained by Shadows on Skull Island
2) Devoured by a T-Rex on Dragon Island

RogueOne · Post by **RogueOne** » Tue May 22, 2018 5:40 pm

At last! I've borne a grudge against that reptilian annoyance since it killed us...

And it ain't easy being green but why not try it! We might be able to blend in with some ordinary things later on.

And I think the time has come to be bold and tackle the various points of the Five Fingers! A vote for the nearest point, reference 142, and then to visit each of the other references in a clockwise order if no new information is forthcoming.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Tue May 22, 2018 6:28 pm

Agreed to all.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed May 23, 2018 12:18 pm

Pip loves this shit too much to give it a miss and happily covers himself in shit. It brings him fond memories of his childhood of being raised in a shit-covered farm by a shit-covered farmer.

Making it back to his ship, Pip sails for the Five Fingers.

Cross-eyed navigation roll = 6 (Success).

You step from the rowboat alone, since the island is so small you have decided to explore it by yourself, thus hogging any loot or glory that might be going here.

You look around you. The island seems to be almost entirely covered in sand, with only a few clumps of trees here and there. It's the sort of place you would be pretty sure must be deserted, but your attention is attracted by some curious marks in the sand.

Closer examination convinces you they are footprints, but footprints of a very odd sort, as if somebody was walking along hopping on one leg. You follow the trail to where it disappears behind a clump of trees and find yourself on a little rise looking down to where somebody has been digging a deep hole in the sand. You move closer until you can see within the hole an oakwood chest. You are still wondering what to do about this interesting discovery when a heavy hand falls on your shoulder.

'Ah-hahr, Jim-lad, I thought ye'd never get here!'

You turn to find yourself looking at a tall, villainous-looking man with one leg, a crutch, an eye-patch, a three-cornered hat and a parrot on his shoulder.

He frowns at you in surprise. 'You bain't Jim-lad!' he says.

'No, indeed, Villainous One-Eyed Sir,' you say politely. 'My name is Pip.'

'Pieces of Eight!' remarks the parrot.

'Pip, is it, ahr?' asks the one-legged man. 'Well, me hearty, I be Cap'n Silver.'

'Not...' you ask hesitantly, 'not... Long John Silver?'

'Shiver me timbers if ye ain't right at that!' exclaims Captain Silver. 'Long John is the name my mother gave me to stop confusion with my brother Short Sam. But what would you be doing on Treasure Island, young sir?'

'But this isn't Treasure Island, Captain Silver,' you say, considerably bemused. 'It's an entirely different adventure in an entirely different Time.'

'Pieces of Nine!' remarks the parrot.

'Pieces of Nine? you frown.

'Ignore him--he's allowing for inflation,' says Captain Silver. He adjusts his crutch carefully and sits down on the sand. 'But if what you say is true, I be marooned!'

'Indeed you be--indeed you are, Captain Silver. You must have sailed through a Time Warp or something similar.'

'Belay my breeches!' roars Long John Silver. 'But this is a pretty tale to tell over a mug of grog!' He looks at you shrewdly. 'Will 'e help an old sea dog find his way back home?'

'I'm not sure I can,' you tell him. 'To be honest, I think the only person I know who might help you is a magician named Merlin and I haven't been able to find him myself yet.'

'This Merlin swab, would be open to a little bribe of--' He rolls his good eye alarmingly.'--gold?'

'I'm certain he would,' you say, knowing how greedy (and broke) Merlin usually is.

'Then ye must find the blackguard for me and offer him a hunnerd pieces on my behalf to get me out of here. Will 'e do that for an old sea dog?'

'Well, yes, of course,' you say. 'But I think he might want to see the gold.'

'Oh ahr,' says Captain Silver, 'that be true.' With which he jumps with remarkable alacrity for a one-legged man into the hole and opens the chest. It is chock-full of thousands of glittering gold doubloons.

Which brings you to a decision. A quick fight with Silver could earn you all that gold, not just a miserly 100 pieces. If you feel like chancing combat, go to 133.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to carry his bribe to Merlin (assuming you can find the old fool), go to 163.

Accept the errand, or kill for loot?

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Wed May 23, 2018 12:21 pm

Vote for carrying the bribe.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed May 23, 2018 1:21 pm

Accept the errand. If only because we have so much gold already that the idea of risking our life for more gold is nigh insulting.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed May 23, 2018 2:35 pm

Captain Silver carefully counts out 100 golden pieces and hands them up to you. 'There ye go, me hearty!' he says cheerfully. 'Use that to bribe the blackguard Merlin and tell 'e to send old John back to his rightful place with Jim-lad and his shipmates. And for your trouble, young 'un, take 'e this little present from the Cap'n...' With which he draws from a pocket of his tattered frockcoat a bottle of grog and a tiny golden key. 'Stole this from Blind Pew,' he murmurs. 'Old fool never saw them go.'

'Thank you, sir,' you say politely, quietly vowing to leave the grog alone, since you have a sneaking suspicion it was what made Pew blind in the first place.

'Hurry on now,' Silver says, 'and look sharp about it, for until you find this Merlin swarb I am marooned here with nobody to talk to but me parrot.'

Nothing else for it but to return to the Argo as quickly as possible, consult your Sea Chart and find another destination.

Since the vote was to go clockwise, our next destination is 85:

Cross-eyed navigation roll = 9 (Success).

It's empty. What a swiz! You've searched every inch of this stupid island and there's not a thing on it. Some pleasant scenery, of course--glades, brooks, waterfalls, that sort of thing, but no treasure, no weapons, no magic, no monsters. Zilch.

Except for the well shaft in the north-west segment. Somebody made that well at some time, although there certainly isn't anybody about here now. Still, it might be worth a look. Or then again, it might be a waste of time.

If you want to examine the old well more closely, go to 129.

If not, return to your ship and Sea Chart and pick another destination.

Check out the well?

QUEST JOURNAL:

Pip's LIFE POINTS: 23/55
Permanent Life Points: 15

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Piece of Driftwood (weapon, +2 damage)
Sword (hits on 6, damage +3)
Spear (hits on 6/thrown 8, damage +5/thrown +10, only attack once every 2 rounds/thrown once every 3 rounds)
New Dagger (hits on 6, damage +1, attack twice per round)
One-piece armour (worn) (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Spare armor x2 (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Rope (50ft coil)
Grappling hook
Backpack
Flint and steel (for lighting fires)
Ceramic lamp
Box of biscuits
Golden Key (x4)
Bottle of Grog

MONEY: 10900 GP

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 2
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Old Sea Dog (2x)
Poisonous Spider
Ship's Cook (2x)
19 Guards
10 Scoundrels (3x)
Rock Thern (2x)
T-Rex
PUZZLES SOLVES: 4

No. of Deaths:
1) LP drained by Shadows on Skull Island
2) Devoured by a T-Rex on Dragon Island

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed May 23, 2018 3:39 pm

Plunge deep into the well.

RogueOne · Post by **RogueOne** » Wed May 23, 2018 10:00 pm

Penetrate well.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu May 24, 2018 12:12 pm

The well is a straight, narrow shaft, stone-lined and extremely deep. To climb down it with any degree of safety, you will certainly need both a rope and a grappling iron.

If you happen to have a rope and grappling iron, you may climb down the well to 201.

If you don't, you can risk your neck by throwing two dice. Score above six and you climb down the well successfully to 201. Score 6 or below and you fall all the way to 14.

Alternatively, if you don't have a rope and grappling iron, you can always return to your ship to get them. Unfortunately you will have to risk your usual Cross-Eyed Navigation to get back to the island.

And this time we have the necessary equipment!

Something odd here. There is a huge bubble in the water at the bottom of the well: so huge that you can actually stand up and breathe inside it.

When you have recovered from your surprise, you look around you. Pinned to the inner wall of the bubble with a small ornamental brass dagger is a scrap of parchment. Written on the parchment are the words:

VZHSHMF ENQ XNT NM KNRS HRKZMC RSNO RZWNM HMUZRHNM HLLHMDMS RSNO BNLD ZS NMBD RSNO JDX DMBKNRDC RSNO LDQKHM RSNO

Which might be Greek or just possibly code. On the floor of the bubble beneath the note is a tiny golden key.

Whether or not you can read the note, there's nothing else here. Take your golden key and climb out of the well so you can get back to your ship and your Sea Chart.

Another required plot token gained. Pip now has 5 gold keys.

It's not necessary to decipher the code, but if any of you succeed in doing that, Pip will gain another puzzle point!

In the meantime, let's sail for the next finger.....

Cross-eyed navigation roll = 2! That's the first time we rolled below 4 on this row, and now we have to proceed to:

Appendix III:

Cross-Eyed Navigation Section

Welcome to the Cross-Eyed Navigation Section. The fact that you're here shows that (once again, perhaps) you have made a complete mess of guiding your ship where you want it to go.

But you have definitely ended up SOMEWHERE. Throw one die to find out where... and what hassles your cross-eyed navigation has got you into.

Die roll = 1!

You have beached on a mist-enshrouded island. It looks so spooky that none of your trusty crew will disembark with you. Bravely (and stupidly) you insist on going alone, since you must find your present bearings.

You walk up the beach, get lost in the fog, fall down a bog-hole, losing 3 LIFE POINTS in the process, and eventually find yourself entering a gloomy cave.

You know this is madness, but you press on until you encounter the nest of the Greater Spotted Pondoozlewazzle Bird, a short-legged creature the approximate size of a double-decker bus.

The Greater Spotted Pondoozlewazzle Bird is a very aggressive creature which, fortunately, does not fight very well, needing a 12 to strike you. Or rather sit on you - that being the way it fights. If it does manage to sit on you, however, you will be squashed so flat it can post you directly to 14.

By reason of their great size, Pondoozlewazzles are extremely difficult to kill. This one has 100 LIFE POINTS. You get first strike. If you can kill it, you will find your present bearings written on a massive egg it was trying to hatch and may return to your ship and your Chart.

A really pity we lost our poisoned stiletto. This creature with no armour and gargantuous LP would have been the perfect opponent to use it on!

How to we handle this fight? Sword? Dagger? Spear? Spear-throw + sword? Spear-throw + dagger? (Technically we can also use the driftwood, but there's no reason to pick that over the other options).

QUEST JOURNAL:

Pip's LIFE POINTS: 23/55
Permanent Life Points: 15

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Piece of Driftwood (weapon, +2 damage)
Sword (hits on 6, damage +3)
Spear (hits on 6/thrown 8, damage +5/thrown +10, only attack once every 2 rounds/thrown once every 3 rounds)
New Dagger (hits on 6, damage +1, attack twice per round)
One-piece armour (worn) (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Spare armor x2 (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Rope (50ft coil)
Grappling hook
Backpack
Flint and steel (for lighting fires)
Ceramic lamp
Box of biscuits
Golden Key (x5)
Bottle of Grog

MONEY: 10900 GP

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 2
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Old Sea Dog (2x)
Poisonous Spider
Ship's Cook (2x)
19 Guards
10 Scoundrels (3x)
Rock Thern (2x)
T-Rex
PUZZLES SOLVES: 4

No. of Deaths:
1) LP drained by Shadows on Skull Island
2) Devoured by a T-Rex on Dragon Island

Starmaker · Post by **Starmaker** » Thu May 24, 2018 1:40 pm

Plaintext:

WAITING FOR YOU ON LOST ISLAND STOP SAXON INVASION IMMINENT STOP COME AT ONCE STOP KEY ENCLOSED STOP MERLIN STOP

RogueOne · Post by **RogueOne** » Thu May 24, 2018 9:22 pm

Half a vote to beat the Pondoozlewazzle senseless using our piece of driftwood...

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Thu May 24, 2018 9:55 pm

Spear-dagger-dagger has the highest DPS in the absence of protection if I remember right.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat May 26, 2018 4:07 am

Pip gains a puzzle point for solving the cryptic message on the parchment.

Full vote beats half a vote, so Pip engages the Big Bird with spear and dagger:

COMBAT LOG:

Pip throws his spear and rolls 6, missing his target.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 6 and misses.
Pip rolls 4 and misses.
Pip rolls 8 and hits for 2+1 = 3 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 97.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 8 and misses.
Pip rolls 6 and hits for 0+1 = 1 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 96.
Pip rolls 3 and misses.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 5 and misses.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 10, hitting for 4+10 = 14 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 82.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 4 and misses.
Pip rolls 7 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 80.
Pip rolls 3 and misses.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 6 and misses.
Pip rolls 8 and hits for 2+1 = 3 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 77.
Pip rolls 7 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 75.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 6 and misses.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 10, hitting for 4+10 = 14 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 61.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 7 and misses.
Pip rolls 7 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 59.
Pip rolls 5 and misses.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 8 and misses.
Pip rolls 7 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 57.
Pip rolls 10 and hits for 4+1 = 5 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 52.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 9 and misses.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 4, missing his target.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 6 and misses.
Pip rolls 9 and hits for 3+1 = 4 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 48.
Pip rolls 5 and misses.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 10 and misses.
Pip rolls 3 and misses.
Pip rolls 9 and hits for 3+1 = 4 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 44.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 7 and misses.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 10, hitting for 4+10 = 14 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 30.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 7 and misses.
Pip rolls 2 and misses.
Pip rolls 5 and misses.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 4 and misses.
Pip rolls 10 and hits for 4+1 = 5 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 25.
Pip rolls 4 and misses.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 6 and misses.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 9, hitting for 3+10 = 13 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 12.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 7 and misses.
Pip rolls 7 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 10.
Pip rolls 8 and hits for 2+1 = 3 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 7.
Pondoozlewazzle rolls 8 and misses.
Pip rolls 10 and hits for 4+1 = 5 damage. Pondoozlewazzle is at 2 and is knocked out.

Pip is able to chip it down before it can get lucky and roll a double-6.

Back on his ship, Pip continues sailing to the next finger:

Cross-eyed navigation roll = 9. This time he makes it!

Since it's small, you decide you may as well explore this island alone and now you are wondering if it was worth the bother. After covering just about every inch of it, you can find absolutely nothing of interest.

Eventually you head back to the beach off which your ship is moored. As you do so, an errant glint of sunlight catches your eye and you notice, half hidden in a clump of grass, a tiny golden key. Beside it lurks a multicoloured beetle.

If you decide to take this key as a keepsake, go to 161.

If you decide to take the beetle as a keepsake, go to 194.

Which do we check out first?

QUEST JOURNAL:

Pip's LIFE POINTS: 20/55
Permanent Life Points: 15

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Piece of Driftwood (weapon, +2 damage)
Sword (hits on 6, damage +3)
Spear (hits on 6/thrown 8, damage +5/thrown +10, only attack once every 2 rounds/thrown once every 3 rounds)
New Dagger (hits on 6, damage +1, attack twice per round)
One-piece armour (worn) (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Spare armor x2 (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Rope (50ft coil)
Grappling hook
Backpack
Flint and steel (for lighting fires)
Ceramic lamp
Box of biscuits
Golden Key (x5)
Bottle of Grog

MONEY: 10900 GP

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 4
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Old Sea Dog (2x)
Poisonous Spider
Ship's Cook (2x)
19 Guards
10 Scoundrels (3x)
Rock Thern (2x)
T-Rex
Greater Spotted Pondoozlewazzle Bird
PUZZLES SOLVES: 5

No. of Deaths:
1) LP drained by Shadows on Skull Island
2) Devoured by a T-Rex on Dragon Island

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sat May 26, 2018 4:32 am

We need all the keys so key first in case beetle kills us.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sat May 26, 2018 3:43 pm

The key seems so generically useful (and the beetle so specific) that I feel like the beetle has to be the more important pick.