[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 56 – Knights of Doom

[Queen of Swords]

We came here for a reason. Stop the bell.

[Beroli]

Stop the bell tolling.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will stop the bell tolling.

234
You have no trouble silencing the bell: you smash it to pieces with your weapon; by doing so you have slightly weakened the evil powers at work here. From now on, while you are in Myrton, you may reduce the SKILL of any undead creature you have to confront by 1 point. Regain 1 LUCK point for this good fortune. However, something else is less happy at your stopping the death-knell. One of the bats drops from its roost and, exposing two elongated fangs, attacks you. You are going to have to kill the Vampire Bat before you can leave the tower!

VAMPIRE BAT SKILL 7 STAMINA 6

If you defeat the bloodthirsty guardian of the belfry, you notice a battered, but usuable, lantern standing in one corner of the room. If you do not have a lantern, you may take this one; then you descend the tower safely and leave it, to search elsewhere. Return to 31 and choose another option.

The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Vampire Bat Attack Strength: 12, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Vampire Bat Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 17
Round 2: Vampire Bat Attack Strength: 10, Player Attack Strength: 21;
Vampire Bat Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 17
Round 3: Vampire Bat Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 22;
Vampire Bat Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 17[/spoiler]

As expected, Belushi Jackson flawlessly dispatches the Vampire Bat. Belushi Jackson already has a lantern so he leaves the tower to go elsewhere.

The remaining options in 31 are:
“The meeting house? Turn to 215
The lock-up? Turn to 44
The graveyard? Turn to 381”

Please make your votes before 6:00 PM PST to be sure that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Belushi Jackson
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 17 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 10 Initial Luck = 12
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Battle Tactics
Ride
Tracking
Arcane Lore
Banish Spirit
HONOUR: 8
TIME ELAPSED: 5 days
WEAPON: Assassin’s Dagger
GOLD PIECES: 17
EQUIPMENT AND NOTES:
Chainmail Coat
Horse named Firemane
Backpack
2 Provisions
Lantern
Tinderbox
Purse
Aranandus’s Restorative Potion (two tots, restores STAMINA to Initial level)
Griffin Shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Helmet of Ventarc
Ironbane (Roll 1 die against armored opponent before combat, 1-2 destroys enemy armor, 3-4 reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon, 5-6 destroys enemy armor and reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon)
Great Boar’s Tusks
Nroht
Ecrof
Cleric’s Talisman
Raven Charm
Ecrof
Twisted Staff
Enorc
Encountered Banshee On Paragraph 175
Eehsnab
Reduce the Skill of any undead creature in Myrton by 1 point
RESURRECTIONS: 3[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

The graveyard seems the next logical choice.

[SGamerz]

I actually think we should leave the graveyard to the last now. The necromancer wasn't at the bell tower, but going there to stop the tolling seemed to be the right move. Maybe there are useful things to do at the other places too.

I vote meeting house next.

[Beroli]

Meeting house, yes.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, meeting house, hope there's another weakening of undead thing there.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; Belushi Jackson will continue his search for the Necromancer at the meeting house, as that won over the graveyard by a 3-1 vote.

215
Searching the rooms of the Elders’ Meeting House, you come upon something interesting in what was once the treasury. Under a thick layer of dust, an old journal lies open on a desk. The last entry in it is dated ‘The Third day of Locking, Two Hundred and Sixteen Years After Chaos’ and reads as follows:

It is two months since the vile Necromage, Cadaver, was laid to rest, but still we are beset by all manner of torments and agonies. Creatures of the night stalk the streets of our once proud village and the Great Bell has begun to toll again. I fear our doom to be decreed. There is no hope for us now.

Disturbed by this message, written by a long-dead hand, you leave the meeting house to continue your exploration of the village. Return to 31 and choose another option.

The remaining options in 31 are:
“The lock-up? Turn to 44
The graveyard? Turn to 381”

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

I'm in favor of going to the graveyard, because we've found or done useful stuff twice now.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, I figure the lockup is a trap option. Go straight to the graveyard.

[SGamerz]

Half a vote for lock-up. I'm concerned that there may be prisoners/potential allies there to be found.

[Thaluikhain]

I vote for lock up to thoroughly explore the place.

[Beroli]

Graveyard.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes counted; Belushi Jackson will continue his search for the Necromancer at the graveyard, as that won over the lock-up by a 3-1.5 vote.

381
Of course, where else would you look for the deceased Necromancer but the graveyard! Many of the graves are open, and the cemetery is dominated by a grim-looking sepulchre that is decorated with carvings of skeletons and has the image of a huge skull on its granite doors. These doors stand open, revealing a flight of stone steps that lead down into the gloom of the mausoleum. Of course, you would not dream of descending into the darkness without some means of lighting your way, would you? If you do not own a lantern, you leave the graveyard to search for one in the village; turn to 31. In the mausoleum, you sense, is where you will find the Necromancer. Do you want to enter the sepulchre straight away (turn to 94) or would you prefer to examine some of the opened graves first (turn to 337)?

Belushi Jackson does own a lantern. Please make your votes before 6:00 PM PST to be sure that they will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

Examine some of the open graves.

[SGamerz]

Enter the sepulchre straight away

[JourneymanN00b]

Thank you for your votes. I will break the 1-1 tie by having Belushi Jackson enter the sepulchre straight away.

94
You take one step towards the macabre edifice and there, directly in front of you, stands a terrifying spectre. The apparition makes a grasp for you with decayed hands reaching from under its burial shroud, while its jaw drops open and lets out a rasping howl, no doubt warning others in the tomb of your presence. You must deal with the Haunt swiftly. If you have the Banish Spirit Special Skill, and you wish to use it, turn to 190. Otherwise, you will have to fight the apparition; turn to 376.

Belushi Jackson has the Banish Spirit Special Skill. Please make your votes on whether to use it or not before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

Banish it.

[SGamerz]

Banish.

[Thaluikhain]

Banish

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will use the Banish Spirit Special Skill.

190
Without even thinking, you make the appropriate gestures and utter the words to dismiss the Haunt. The evil guardian spirit screams in pain as it is sucked into the earth at your feet. Turn to 289.

289
The flickering light from your lantern casts eerie shadows on the morbid cravings that adorn the walls of the sepulchre when you descend into its depths. If you have the Commune Special Skill, turn to 153. If you do not, Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 243; if you are Unlucky, turn to 153.

Belushi Jackson does not have the Commune Special Skill. Rolling the dice yielded a 7, meaning that Belushi Jackson was Lucky.

243
A passage leads from the steps into a square chamber which has the same ornamentation as the exterior of the sepulchre. Three archways lead further into the tomb. If you have the Arcane Lore Special Skill, turn to 16. If you haven’t, you must decide which passageway to follow. You have entered from the east so will you go:

South? Turn to 361
West? Turn to 391
North? Turn to 109

Belushi Jackson does have the Arcane Lore Special Skill.

16
You notice that, above each archway, a rune has been carved into the stone. From hours spent studying such secret symbols, you can recognize all of them. Above the southern archway is the Rune of the Swordbearer; over the northern archway is the Rune of Enkala, goddess of peace; and the stone above the western archway bears the Rune of Death. Which way will you go?

South? Turn to 361
West? Turn to 391
North? Turn to 109

Please make your votes before 6:00 PM PST to be sure that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Belushi Jackson
SKILL: 12 Initial Skill = 12
STAMINA: 17 Initial Stamina = 24
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 12
SPECIAL SKILLS:
Battle Tactics
Ride
Tracking
Arcane Lore
Banish Spirit
HONOUR: 8
TIME ELAPSED: 5 days
WEAPON: Assassin’s Dagger
GOLD PIECES: 17
EQUIPMENT AND NOTES:
Chainmail Coat
Horse named Firemane
Backpack
2 Provisions
Lantern
Tinderbox
Purse
Aranandus’s Restorative Potion (two tots, restores STAMINA to Initial level)
Griffin Shield (-1 to enemy Attack Strength)
Helmet of Ventarc
Ironbane (Roll 1 die against armored opponent before combat, 1-2 destroys enemy armor, 3-4 reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon, 5-6 destroys enemy armor and reduces enemy SKILL by 3 if enemy has an iron weapon)
Great Boar’s Tusks
Nroht
Ecrof
Cleric’s Talisman
Raven Charm
Ecrof
Twisted Staff
Enorc
Encountered Banshee On Paragraph 175
Eehsnab
Reduce the Skill of any undead creature in Myrton by 1 point
RESURRECTIONS: 3[/spoiler]

[Queen of Swords]

Let's not go down the Death path just yet. North.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Yeah, I assume the Rune of Death is where the necromancer's located, while the other two runes might have stuff that will help us against the Necromancer. So North sounds good.

[SGamerz]

Sure, north first, although I think we'd want to go south top. "Rune of the Swordbearer" sounds like it may lead to a weapon upgrade.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; Belushi Jackson will go north.

109
The passage opens into a huge vaulted chamber in which countless coffins are resting. You are horrified to see that every one of the caskets has been smashed open and desecrated. As you survey this scene of devastation, a glowing, ghostly shape begins to materialize in the middle of the vault. If you have the Banish Spirit Special Skill, and you wish to use it, turn to 63. Otherwise, will you flee from this chamber (return to 243 and choose somewhere else to explore), or will you prepare to fight (turn to 304)?

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Belushi Jackson does have the Banish Spirit Special Skill. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PST or a 4-vote majority is reached to be sure that they will be counted.