[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 71 – Shadow of the Giants

[Thaluikhain]

Keep pestering, ask about horses.

[deaddmwalking]

I'm thinking the lesson of this book is that if you want something done - you just have to do it yourself. But we might as well pester him. We're not going to beat the giants to town walking if they have longer legs.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; asking him if Lixx can buy one of his horses.

348

Straining at the leash, wild-eyed and ready to attack

The door is suddenly yanked open by a grim-faced skinny man with a bushy beard and wiry hair sticking out all over the place. He is wearing a grubby shirt tucked into his baggy trousers, which are held up by a leather belt with a dragon’s head buckle made of brass. Two huge slavering WAR HOUNDS with sharp fangs stand by his side, barking loudly, straining at the leash, wild-eyed and ready to attack. The man looks you up and down, and says sharply, ‘Why didn’t you say you wanted to buy a horse in the first place? My name’s Harold Hogget. And my playful little puppies here are called Chewlia and Jawge. Don’t worry, they won’t attack you unless I tell them to. Where are you headed to?’ If you want to reply that it’s none of your business, turn to 200. If you want to reply Hamelin, turn to 34.



Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

No reason to cop an attitude. Might as well tell him where we're heading.

[Beroli]

Saying "it's none of my business where I'm headed" would be incoherent and it's unlikely that the secret path through this book is to convince him we have a fever so that he becomes much more helpful, so tell him Hamelin.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes acknowledged; replying Hamelin.

34
‘Hamelin?’ says Hogget with raised eyebrows. ‘What takes you to that town of tricksters? It must be something important.’ If you want to ask him if he has heard of Marik Om-Yash, turn to 333. If you want to reply that you are looking for magic items, turn to 293.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

I think that saying we're looking for magic items makes us sound greedy, so I think we should ask if he has heard of Marik Om-Yash.

I don't remember Lixx having heard of him, but that's even more reason to ask about him - whoever he is he must be important.

[Beroli]

Marik Om-Yash is who we're looking for, and say so.

[Thaluikhain]

Marik Om-Yash.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; asking if he has heard of Marik Om-Yash.

333
Hogget offers you a chair before sitting down on an old threadbare armchair with his dogs lying at his feet. He looks at you curiously and says, ‘Yes, I do know Marik. Why do you want to see him?’ If you want to tell Hogget about the Crown of Chaos and the Iron Giants, turn to 262. If you want to reply that you are an old friend of Marik’s, turn to 79.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Beroli]

Tell him about the Crown of Chaos.

[deaddmwalking]

Tell him about the crown.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; telling Hogget about the Crown of Chaos and the Iron Giants.

262
You show Hogget the Crown of Chaos and tell him how you came to find it in Firetop Mountain, and how the Iron Giants rose up and headed west. You tell him what Higgly had said before he died about you having to find Marik Om-Yash, but that you didn’t know why you should find him or exactly where to find him. Hogget looks at you in shock and says, ‘The Iron Giants have risen? This is disastrous news. Had he lived, poor Higgly would have told you that Marik is one of only a handful of people in Allansia who know how to defeat an Iron Giant. What Higgly didn’t know is that ever since his wife, Velma, died, Marik has lived as a recluse in Hamelin. He refuses to see anybody these days. I met him years ago when we fought shoulder to shoulder against the Lizard Men in the Battle of Fire Island, and we became blood brothers. But if you wear this, I know he will speak to you.’ Hogget takes off his chain necklace and hands it to you. There is a silver medallion hanging from it with a dragon’s head engraved on the face. ‘Show him the medallion and tell him Harold Hogget says hello,’ he says calmly. ‘Marik will likely be wearing the same medallion. Now you must be on your way. The fate of Allansia is in your hands. There is no time to lose. Save your gold. Please take my horse with my compliments. I would join you, but I am frail and have my dogs and horses to look after.’ Turn to 344.

344
Hogget goes outside and unties the reins of the sleek chestnut horse called Willow, which he tells you he named after the old tree in his garden. He helps you up into the saddle and says, ‘Out of respect to Marik, I suggest you pay a visit to the graveyard outside Hamelin. His wife is buried there. By the way, it’s the first day of Unlocking tomorrow, which means the Hamelin Fair will be on. There will be entertainers, stalls, contests and all manner of fun things happening. You never know, Marik Om-Yash might sneak in for a while. It was always his favourite day of the year. But watch out for the hustlers, especially card sharps. They’ll rob you of your gold before you know it.’ You thank Hogget for his help. He shakes your hand before giving Willow a quick slap on the rump to send him on his way. You gallop across the grasslands following the river and on through a grove, where you see a bearded man who is tied up to an old oak tree. He is wearing a leather waistcoat and has a leather headband to keep his long hair out of his eyes. When he sees you, he calls out, begging you to stop. You bring Willow to a halt and trot over to the oak tree, looking around to make sure it is not a trap before asking the man what happened. ‘My name is Victor,’ he replies desperately. ‘I was on my way from Zengis to the Moonstone Hills when three Goblins jumped out on me from behind the trees. They took everything I had. Please untie me and I will be forever in your debt.’ If you want to help the man, turn to 220. If you would rather ride on without helping him, turn to 134.



Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
Lixx
SKILL: 8 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 12 Initial Stamina = 16
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 11
EQUIPMENT AND TREASURE:
Broken Sword
Backpack
Map
Fire Sword
Shiny Dagger
Crown of Chaos
Silver Medallion
GOLD: 29
JEWELS:
None
POTIONS:
Potion of Skill
PROVISIONS: 7

[Thaluikhain]

Untie.

[deaddmwalking]

Not sure I believe him, but if his story is true it would be cruel to leave him. Vote to untie.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes acknowledged; helping the man.

220
You jump down from your horse and untie the unfortunate adventurer. He thanks you over and over again. ‘Those greasy Goblins stole everything. I have nothing to reward you with except for this lucky charm,’ Victor says, pulling a wooden button off his waistcoat and handing it to you. You see it is carved in the shape of a clover leaf. The button is a magic charm which you can use once to make you automatically Lucky if you choose to use it instead of Testing Your Luck. You thank Victor for the gift and offer him a ride on the back of your horse to Hamelin, but he says that he must get to the Moonstone Hills as soon as possible. You bid him farewell and gallop off. Turn to 134.



134
It is late afternoon by the time you see the small town of Hamelin in the distance on the other side of the river. Ahead, you see a small jetty to which a wooden raft is moored. A young woman wearing brown britches and a baggy white shirt is sitting on a bench at the end of the jetty, busy casting a fishing line into the water. She turns around when your horse whinnies. You notice that she has an angry scar running the length of her face and a patch over her left eye. She stands up and says, ‘The fishing is good today, and I’m not in the mood to run my ferry service. My name is Rosa, and if you want me to take you across the river, it’s going to cost you 10 Gold Pieces. Or I’ll take your horse in payment. You’ll have no need for it in Hamelin.’ If you want to pay Rosa 10 Gold Pieces to cross the river on her raft, turn to 280. If you want to give her your horse to cross the river, turn to 195.



Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
Lixx
SKILL: 8 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 12 Initial Stamina = 16
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 11
EQUIPMENT AND TREASURE:
Broken Sword
Backpack
Map
Fire Sword
Shiny Dagger
Crown of Chaos
Silver Medallion
Clover Leaf Button (Use to Pass a Luck Test)
GOLD: 29
JEWELS:
None
POTIONS:
Potion of Skill
PROVISIONS: 7

[Beroli]

Give her gold.

[deaddmwalking]

We do have a lot of gold, but 10 is very expensive. We weren't asked to return the horse and finding a place for it in town seems like a potentially annoying and expensive problem. I vote we give Willow (the horse) to the fishing ferry-woman.

[JourneymanN00b]

Thank you for your votes. I will break the 1-1 tie by having Lixx give her his horse to cross the river.

195
You feel a little sad about leaving Willow, but Rosa assures you that he will be well-fed and looked after. She ties the horse to the handrail on the jetty and invites you on to the raft. You step on board and watch her take a long wooden pole and push off from the bank. Plunging the pole into the fast-flowing water, she pushes down against the riverbed and effortlessly drives the raft across the river in just a few minutes. You jump on to the wooden jetty on the south bank and watch Rosa start her return journey. You turn and walk towards Hamelin, which you see is a small town with overhanging timber-framed houses and some taller buildings towards the centre. To your right, there are farmworkers toiling away in the fields, digging up carrots and potatoes and loading them on to carts. There is an old graveyard to your left with weathered gravestones crammed together in rows surrounding a large, vine-covered stone tomb. Will you:

     Look at the gravestones?       Turn to 189
     Examine the tomb?       Turn to 86
     Walk straight into Hamelin?       Turn to 26



Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
Lixx
SKILL: 8 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 12 Initial Stamina = 16
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 11
EQUIPMENT AND TREASURE:
Broken Sword
Backpack
Map
Fire Sword
Shiny Dagger
Crown of Chaos
Silver Medallion
Clover Leaf Button (Use to Pass a Luck Test)
GOLD: 29
JEWELS:
None
POTIONS:
Potion of Skill
PROVISIONS: 7

[deaddmwalking]

I think we should pay our respects as suggested. While she could either be a tomb or a gravestone, I feel like we're more likely to get jumped if we examine the tomb. I vote look at the gravestones.

[Beroli]

Look at the gravestones.

[SGamerz]

Check the gravestones for inspiring epitaths

[JourneymanN00b]

Looking at the gravestones received 3 votes, so Lixx will do that.

189
The graveyard is neglected and overgrown with weeds and ivy. Some gravestones are broken, whilst others are covered with moss, their engravings hidden or eroded. You pass by three marble headstones that were laid in more recent times and are still legible. The first is that of Indigo Azgard, a pig farmer, who died at the age of forty-two. The second pays tribute to Rivera Noff, a violin maker, who was sixty-one when she died. And the third is the headstone of Velma Om-Yash, a basket weaver, who died aged forty-three. If you have not done so already, and you would like to examine the tomb, turn to 86. If you want to walk into Hamelin, turn to 26.



Lixx has not already examined the tomb. Please make your votes on what to do next and under what circumstances to use the Clover Leaf Button before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Thaluikhain]

Tomb looks like a distraction now that we have a number, but still, half vote for tomb.

[Beroli]

Examine the tomb.