Let's Play The Gates of Death: Fighting Fantasy (Sch#12)

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Dec 13, 2018 9:38 am

^I think by "help" the dwarf meant for us to help cure his wife, not to stab her.

I'm sure there's worthwhile reward if we succeed in curing her. The problem is we only have 1 vial of smoke oil left and we need it for our own mission. I think this sidequest is meant for those who managed to avoid getting arrested and still has 8 vials of smoke oil to spare.

Fight him. It'll probably cost us some LUCK for doing something evil....but I suspect he might actually try to kill us out of desperation to get the oil if we refuse to help anyway.

EDIT: Actually, upon second reading "deliver her from her misery" might just indicate that we might be given the option to just slay the demon if we can't cure her (although I'm 100% sure smoke oil will be given as the first option). Hopefully, the text won't automatically assume we'll want to use the smoke oil just because we have it. Or that the dwarf won't try to kill us if we refuse to use the oil despite having it.

Half a vote to help.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:33 am

I vote we help and use the vial. I've convinced myself we'll definitely be able to acquire more.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:49 am

Help, and hope that doesn't equate to using our previous one-off magic thingy.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:22 pm

'You're a good friend,' says Fossick, giving you a big hug, and he goes over to push the heavy treasure chest to one side. You see that it had been sitting on a trapdoor set into the floor. Fossick unlocks the trapdoor, swings it up, and then lowers a lamp into the darkness on a string. You can hear horrible grunts and moans and can just see something moving about down there. Could it really be his daughter?

'You'll have to jump,' says Fossick. 'I can't risk the ladder in case she gets out...Just remember, fix my Blossom and you'll be well looked after.'

Jump down into the cellar?
Change your mind about helping Fossick?

maglag · Post by **maglag** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 5:59 am

Penetrate dark hole.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:37 pm

Yeah, sorta committed, but not feeling hopeful.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 1:21 pm

Steeling yourself, you jump down into the cellar. As you land, something moves in the shadows and there's a hissing, wheezing sound. You grab the lamp and hold it up.

There stands Blossom. She's half your height, but the demon plague has made her look like some immense, leathery toad. Her lips are thick and swollen, her eyes are dark, and claws extend from her fingers and toes. Wild, tangled red hair sticks straight out from her head in all directions. She smiles at you, showing a row of needle-like teeth, and burps. The smell is awful in this cramped space.

It looks like she's been eating a pig. There's a pile of bones at her feet. She picks up its jawbone, the muscles standing out along her powerful-looking arms, and advances slowly, shaking her head from side to side.

Fight BLOSSOM?
Use a vial of smoke-oil?
Try a magic potion?
Ask Fossick to pull you up out of here?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 9/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 1
Gold Pieces: 5
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:21 pm

Vial of smoke oil. You just gotta belieeeeve.

maglag · Post by **maglag** » Sun Dec 16, 2018 6:13 am

If we can't even save a little girl when given the chance, what kind of hero would we be? Use smoke oil.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:09 pm

You smash a bottle of smoke-oil on the cellar floor and release its contents. The weird yellow gas finds its way to Blossom and shoots straight up her nose. She squeals and clutches her throat, falling to the floor where she writhes about, coughing and choking, purple smoke billowing out of her mouth. Finally she goes into a back-breaking spasm, then becomes rigid as a plank of wood, before giving a shriek and flopping in a heap.

'What have you done to her?' shouts Fossick, who has been watching from the trapdoor. 'If she's harmed, I'll kill you!'

You go over to Blossom, fearing the worst, but see, with relief, that she's back to normal.

You have rid Blossom of the demon spirit. She sits up, blinking and confused.

'Well done!' shouts Fossick from the trapdoor. 'You've saved my beautiful Blossom. Come on up and I'll give you a reward.'

He lowers down a ladder, and you and Blossom climb out of the cellar. Fossick hugs you both and leads you over to his treasure chest.

'You can choose three things from in here,' he says and then waves his hands over a strange dragon-shaped lock while muttering a magic spell...'Unctus fibarus nostratum...' The dragon's jaws widen and the lock clicks open.

Inside you see all of Fossick's treasure. Choose any three of the following items: a bag of 10 Gold Pieces, a jeweled warhammer, a Deathstone, a Horn of Plenty, a Harp of Healing, a Hero's Medallion.

Weapons section wrote:Jeweled Warhammer: This magical weapon causes 2 STAMINA points of damage unless it is used against Demons, in which case it will cause 3 STAMINA points of damage. It is also particularly effective against creatures made of stone or crystal. If you make a successful strike against such a creature it will suffer 4 points of STAMINA damage!

All of the other items are specifically "you learn what they do after you pick them." Pick 3 loots to proceed.

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 9/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 5
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Mon Dec 17, 2018 7:47 pm

Well, I guess he didn't mean an enigmatic definition of "saved", after all.

We don't need the hammer or the gold. I vote Harp of Healing, Deathstone and Hero's Medallion, though I'd get behind any vote that dropped one of those for the Horn instead.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:06 pm

Deathstone feels like a replaceable "autokill some dude" item, whereas Horn of Plenty feels like it could be a plot coupon. Although maybe it's "free provisions forever" instead. But maybe it can make Smoke Oil too.

Harp, Horn and Medallion I think.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:10 am

Deathstone, Horn, Medallion.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:13 am

Changing my vote to MisterDee's three.

maglag · Post by **maglag** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:57 am

Harp, Horn and Medallion sounds good.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 6:09 am

(Harp, Horn and Medallion it is!)

'Oh, you've chosen well,' says Fossick. 'Some of those items can be used right now if you like. Let me tell you what they do.' And so the Dwarf does just that.

The jeweled warhammer is a powerful weapon against demons. The Deathstone will drain your enemy's STAMINA by 5 points, but it will only work three times. The Horn of Plenty will restore your STAMINA to its Initial level; you may use it any time, but only once. If you ever lose a fight, the Harp of Healing will restore 8 STAMINA points to you, but only once. For as long as you wear the Hero's Medallion it will raise your SKILL score by 2 points.

'The medallion was given to me by a young adventurer who passed this way, to pay me for food and a bed,' explains Fossick. 'And talking of beds, you look tired. You should stay the night and rest, but first, why not share another mug of Skullbuster with me, to celebrate?'

Ask about the adventurer?
Go straight to bed?
Have another mug of Skullbuster?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 9/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Hero's Medallion
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 5
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote, Harp of Healing, Horn of Plenty
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:49 pm

Ask about the adventurer. Then, if we still have a choice, DO NOT DRINK SKULLBUSTER.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 4:29 pm

I second asking, and not drinking.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Dec 18, 2018 5:22 pm

'Ah, yes, the adventurer,' says Fossick. 'A brave young fellow he was, from the Icefinger Mountains in the far north. Went by the name of Hikaz Mandeera. He came through here on his way to Trolltooth Pass, hoping to fight the demon plague. He said he knew how to find the Invisible City. Said he needed to look for some magic items in some ancient burial grounds near Broken Goddess Fort. He was going to visit the mapmaker in Salamonis, Sanford Swann, to get the exact details. You should visit Swann yourself, if you pass through Salamonis. His shop's just off the North Road. So, what's it to be? Bed, or a nightcap first?'

(There are already two votes to not drink, so it's straight to bed.)

Which is a good call. A second mug of Skullbuster is an insta-kill, although from the way it's described it should probably be a STAMINA hit instead.

Fossick shows you to a bed tucked away in a back room. You crawl into it and instantly fall asleep. (Regain 2 STAMINA points.)

You wake to discover that Fossick and Blossom have made breakfast. You tuck into a fine meal of eggs and bacon. (Restore another 3 STAMINA points.)

'I've a horse you can borrow,' says Fossick. 'He's out in the barn. Give him his head and he'll take you as far as Salamonis. He knows the way so well he could do it in his sleep. And he knows his way back, so just set him loose when you're done and he'll come home.'

You go outside with Fossick and his daughter. Fossick unlocks his barn and shows you his horse. It doesn't take long to saddle the beast and you're soon mounted and ready to leave. You wave to Fossick and Blossom, dig your heels into the horse's flanks and canter off.

(I'm not terribly sure why you get 2 different STAMINA restores in the same section, literally two sentences apart. That's just needlessly clunky to me.)

You ride on through the trees, ducking to avoid low-hanging branches. The horse is strong and fast and it's not long before you come to the edge of the woods. It's faster going in open country, but more exposed, and you spot several demons hunting in the fields.

The horse wants to go in one direction, along a path it's obviously taken many times before.

Give the horse its head and let it go where it wants?
Take the reins and steer it in another direction?

Adventure Sheet
Colin Hunt
SKILL: 11/11
STAMINA: 14/18
LUCK: 8/11
Equipment: Traveling Clothes, Lucky Anchor Charm, Hero's Medallion
Vials of Smoke-Oil: 0
Gold Pieces: 5
Weapons: Lord Azzur's Khopesh (+1 Attack Strength, extra +1 attack/damage vs. demons)
Items: Fishhook, Brass Compass, Poison Antidote, Harp of Healing, Horn of Plenty
Keys: Icefinger Key
Magic Potions: 'Nostalgia' Perfume

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:15 pm

Given that we're out of smoke oil I don't think we can afford to avoid encounters and their potential rewards.

Straight ahead into the field of demons.

SlyJohnny · Post by **SlyJohnny** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:05 am

Let the horse do what it wants.

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 4:30 am

Follow the horse. Would be nice if the book gave some information about where the horse wanted you to go and where you wanted to go.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 5:24 am

Thaluikhain wrote:Would be nice if the book gave some information about where the horse wanted you to go and where you wanted to go.

I'll defend the book partially on this one. Fossick says his horse defaults to going to Salamonis:

Fossick wrote:Give him his head and he'll take you as far as Salamonis. He knows the way so well he could do it in his sleep.

I won't defend the book not telling you which direction you're planning to head in, though.

You ride hard, not even risking stopping for food, following the horse's lead, and arrive at Salamonis as the sun is dipping in the sky.

You sit there, picking flies out of your teeth and looking up at the high city walls of Salamonis. They must have stood here for hundreds of years and seen countless people come and go. They're built from massive blocks of ancient, weathered stone and look like they could hold an army of giants.

You look down to where the road passes through them and are surprised to see nobody guarding the gates.

Explore the area outside the walls?
Enter through the gates?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 11:53 am

Explore

Thaluikhain · Post by **Thaluikhain** » Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:03 pm

(Ok, missed that bit)

Explore outside.