[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 51 - Island of the Undead (Take 2)

[JourneymanN00b]

I say we walk into the pentagram and fight whatever evil is contained inside it.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for trying to vault over.

[Queen of Swords]

Try to remove the pentagram.

[SGamerz]

With the votes tied for 2 days, use of randomizer tool was used to determine the next action, and they determine that Fred would try to remove the pentagram.

You can attempt to erase the pentagram by pouring some liquid into the magical diagram to dissolve the markings. If you have any of the follow you can use it here: olive oil, grog or Monks' Herbal Liqeur (a whole bottle of liqeur will be needed). Decide which liquid to use, remove it from your Possessions, and turn to 116. If you don't have any of these liquids, or if you prefer not to use any here, return to 302 and choose another course of action.

We have all 3 of the liquids listed here. Do we want to use any of them to try and erase the pentagram?

[JourneymanN00b]

I do not wish to use any of the liquids, as I have a feeling that we will need every item for other purposes. I again vote to walk into the pentagram.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, save items, and walk into pentagram to avoid tie.

[SGamerz]

As soon as the pentagram is disturbed, an ominous grinding sound comes from beneath the landing, and a pillar of earth and stones erupts through the woodwork, smashing it into splinters and flying fragments. Lose 1 point from your STAMINA because of the cuts and abrasions you suffer from sharp splinters of wood and flying stones. You are faced with a hostile Earth Elemental here! If you want to fight it, turn to 264. If you prefer to flee, turn to 379.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 18/19
LUCK 9/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat), Bottle of Monks’ Herbal Liqueur x2 (4 doses in total, each restores 4 STAMINA when drunk), pestle and mortar, Herbiary (dog-eared pages: page 311 on the Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on the Pitcher Plant, page 266 on the Axeplant)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 6/8
Notes:
1) Message pieced together from torn scraps of paper found in monastery: "There is conflict between the wizards, Caltarelair has certainly quarrelled with one of his fellows and a magic duel cannot be far away. One of them has begun to dabble in magic other than elementalism. Ralsteen the Hermit may have sensed any disturbance at the Circle; I am too weak to risk visiting it. I must hasten to hide the Crystals, and I will hide them in pairs, one pair in..."
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to fight it.

[Thaluikhain]

Smash its face in...assuming Earth Elementals have a face.

[Queen of Swords]

Fight it.

[SGamerz]

If you have a magic sword, turn to 368. If you haven't, turn to 12.

Fortunately for you, the bound Elemental here is weaker than most of its kind, which means that you may be able to survive if you're very lucky!

EARTH ELEMENTAL SKILL 10 STAMINA 14

If you win, you may leave the monastery if you choose to; turn to 281. If you haven't been upstairs yet, you continue upwards. The two sets of stairs rejoin at the top and open out on to a single corridor. There are two doors here, one at either end of the corridor. One door is slightly open, and from the room beyond it you can hear a horrid, guttural growling and gurgling sound. The other door is closed. Will you:

Make for the closed door and open it?
Go to the slightly open door and enter the room beyond?
Go back downstairs and leave the monastery?

Normal Earth Elementals in Out of the Pit are SKILL 14 and only take 1 damage per hit, so I'd say we can already count ourselves lucky. Let's hope that luck holds on the dice, though.

COMBAT LOG:
Earth Elemental 16, PC 18. EE is at 12.
EE 15, PC 21. EE is at 10.
EE 17, PC 18. EE is at 8.
EE 17, PC 16. PC is at 16.
EE 16, PC 20. EE is at 6.
EE 14, PC 17. EE is at 4.
EE 16, PC 22. EE is at 2.
EE 17, PC 21. EE is defeated.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 16/19
LUCK 9/12
PRESENCE: 6
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat), Bottle of Monks’ Herbal Liqueur x2 (4 doses in total, each restores 4 STAMINA when drunk), pestle and mortar, Herbiary (dog-eared pages: page 311 on the Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on the Pitcher Plant, page 266 on the Axeplant)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 7/9
Notes:
1) Message pieced together from torn scraps of paper found in monastery: "There is conflict between the wizards, Caltarelair has certainly quarrelled with one of his fellows and a magic duel cannot be far away. One of them has begun to dabble in magic other than elementalism. Ralsteen the Hermit may have sensed any disturbance at the Circle; I am too weak to risk visiting it. I must hasten to hide the Crystals, and I will hide them in pairs, one pair in..."
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to check out the slightly open door.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, slightly open door.

[SGamerz]

The large room behind this door may have been a meditation chamber or inner sanctum for the senior monks here. The kneeling cushions, mats, tapestries, ceremonial bowls and tables here have been smashed with a primeval fury; from behind a curtained-off part of the room you hear something scrabbling and panting. Whatever the thing making these disgusting noises is, it doesn’t seem to have noticed you yet. If you prefer not to confront this monster and would like to leave the monastery, and if you’ve encountered an Elemental here, turn to 281. If you want to leave but haven’t fought an Elemental here, turn to 31. If you want to attack the creature here, turn to 354. If you want to go along the corridor and open the other door and you haven’t done this already, turn to 325.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to attack the creature.

[Thaluikhain]

Kill everything!

[SGamerz]

You draw back the black curtains and confront a creature warped almost beyond recognition. This thing was once a human monk: the fine quality of its now-shredded and filthy robe suggests that he may have been the senior monk in the monastery. Now the creature’s body is covered in mottled and calcified nodules, and it oozes a thick, acidic secretion which drips on to the wooden floor and hisses as wisps of acrid smoke rise from the blackening woodwork. The eyes are blackened and opaque, and its face is an impassive, stony mask. It has just wrenched open a wooden chest and has flung the contents – papers and maps – to the floor, where they are dissolving in the acid. The monster reacts swiftly to your presence. You have no idea what gross mutated thing the monk – once Father Honorton himself – has become, but it’s too fast for you to evade. You’ve got to fight!

FATHER HONORTON SKILL 10 STAMINA 12

If you win, turn to 170.

COMBAT LOG:
Father Honorton 17, Fred 19. FH is at 10.
FH 17, Fred 21. FH is at 8.
FH 15, Fred 21. FH is at 6.
FH 18, Fred 18. Tie.
FH 19, Fred 21. FH is at 4.
FH 17, Fred 20. FH is at 2.
FH 16, Fred 15. Fred is at 14.
FH 15, Fred 17. FH is defeated.

What the monster was looking for in the chest surely can’t have been there, since the contents have been strewn around everywhere and are now disfigured through being splattered with acid. The chest is empty, but you spot that its base looks a little higher than it should be – it has a false bottom! Eagerly you prise up the panel in the bottom of the chest and find a secret compartment sunk into the solid wood surround. There is a small purple cloth here and wrapped within it are two crystals. Gain 1 LUCK point and 1 point of PRESENCE for this important find. You sense that these crystals are magical, but you know nothing yet as to their purpose or powers. One is a Sapphire, a fine blue gem with exactly 50 facets. The other is a Topaz, elegantly cut and with 24 facets (make a note of the number of facets each crystal has). You also find a small, glowing stone, with a hundred speckles of light on its surface, and with it a magical scroll on which is inscribed ‘Incantation of Light’; you also find a silver key fashioned in the shape of a bone (add the Skeleton Key to your Possessions).

You sense that the crystals are important, and you must find out how to use them. Excitedly, you head off down the stairs. If you have fought an Elemental, turn to 281. If you haven’t, turn to 31.

We've already fought the Elemental...

You are outside the monastery; looking around, there are several locations which you could explore. If you have acquired a Magic Stone, you reckon that it may be used to re-light the lighthouse beacon. If you have already been there and you know where to use the Magic Stone, you will know which paragraph to turn to in order to do this; but you will have to eat a meal en route. Alternatively, will you head:

North-east to the lighthouse?
West to the woodlands, if you haven't been there before?
South-west to a grassy hillock?
Southwards to some marshland in the distance?

Do we go to the lighthouse now, so somewhere else first?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 14/19
LUCK 10/12
PRESENCE: 7
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat), Bottle of Monks’ Herbal Liqueur x2 (4 doses in total, each restores 4 STAMINA when drunk), pestle and mortar, Herbiary (dog-eared pages: page 311 on the Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on the Pitcher Plant, page 266 on the Axeplant), Sapphire (50 facets), Topaz (24 facets), Magic Stone (100 speckles of light on its surface, ‘Incantation of Light’), Skeleton Key
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 7/9
Notes:
1) Message pieced together from torn scraps of paper found in monastery: "There is conflict between the wizards, Caltarelair has certainly quarrelled with one of his fellows and a magic duel cannot be far away. One of them has begun to dabble in magic other than elementalism. Ralsteen the Hermit may have sensed any disturbance at the Circle; I am too weak to risk visiting it. I must hasten to hide the Crystals, and I will hide them in pairs, one pair in..."
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head to the lighthouse and use the Magic Stone.

[SGamerz]

At the top of the lighthouse you fling the Magic Stone in the air and recite the incantation on the scroll; the yellow globe flashes into brilliant radiance. The Magic Stone disappears in a tiny flash of its own light (remove it from your Possessions). Once again, seamen will be protected by this beacon from the hazards of the rocks. Gain 1 LUCK point and 1 point of PRESENCE. You head down the stairs to ground level … and there’s something awaiting you. It looks like a small, spiny-backed dragon with a forked tail and very find, rainbow-coloured wings. It’s about 20 centimetres long from its pert little snout to the tip of its tail. Buzzing in the air, the tiny Pocket Dragon plants a message telepathically into your mind. You fool, it says, now you’ve announced to the necromancers that there’s someone on their island. It buzzes angrily for a minute, then it calms down. Oh well, I suppose you’re going to need all the help you can get, it continues. Let me tell you a bit about the place … Will you:

Listen to the Pocket Dragon?
Leave and investigate the wreck in the bay?
Go down and investigate the trapdoor, if you haven’t already?
Leave and find somewhere else on the island to visit?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 14/19
LUCK 11/12
PRESENCE: 8
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat), Bottle of Monks’ Herbal Liqueur x2 (4 doses in total, each restores 4 STAMINA when drunk), pestle and mortar, Herbiary (dog-eared pages: page 311 on the Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on the Pitcher Plant, page 266 on the Axeplant), Sapphire (50 facets), Topaz (24 facets), Magic Stone (100 speckles of light on its surface, ‘Incantation of Light’), Skeleton Key
Provisions: 11/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 7/9
Notes:
1) Message pieced together from torn scraps of paper found in monastery: "There is conflict between the wizards, Caltarelair has certainly quarrelled with one of his fellows and a magic duel cannot be far away. One of them has begun to dabble in magic other than elementalism. Ralsteen the Hermit may have sensed any disturbance at the Circle; I am too weak to risk visiting it. I must hasten to hide the Crystals, and I will hide them in pairs, one pair in..."
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Listen to the dragon.

[JourneymanN00b]

I think we should be at 11 Provisions since we had to eat a meal in order to get to the lighthouse. I also vote to listen to the dragon.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, listen to the dragon.

[SGamerz]

I think we should be at 11 Provisions since we had to eat a meal in order to get to the lighthouse.

Thanks, corrected.

The Pocket Dragon continues its telepathic messages. I’m a wizard’s familiar, it explains. Belonged to Shantizair, Great Wizard of Gallantaria; I suppose you’ve heard of him, hmmm? You have no reply. Oh well, anyway, he’s dead now. Drowned in the wreck down there. He was trying to investigate the wizards of Solani. They’d been dredging up the dead from the sea, playing with animating them by magic, then there was some kind of argument – Shantizair wasn’t certain about that, but it was something to do with a stone circle in the woods as I recall. The monks at the monastery along the coast, one of them had found out something. He hid some crystals, left some secret with the hermit of the woodlands, and went to the shr …

The Pocket Dragon’s message stops abruptly as a stony fist smashes down on the tiny fluttering creature.

You stare in horror at the creature which seems to have appeared spontaneously in the lighthouse cupola. The bestial, inhuman thing has wild hair, mad eyes and clawed fingers, and is dressed in rotting rags. Its skin is covered in stony nodules and plates, and its undead claws rake at your flesh. You must fight the Stonewight for your life.

STONEWIGHT SKILL 9 STAMINA 10

If you win and you were struck twice at most by the Stonewight, turn to 135. If you win, but you were struck three times or more, turn to 190.

This is an undead, so 2 extra lives gained.

COMBAT LOG:
Stonewight 11, Fred 24. SW is at 8.
SW 17, Fred 19. SW is at 6.
SW 14, Fred 18. SW is at 4.
SW 19, Fred 20. SW is at 2.
SW 12, Fred 24. SW is defeated.

You pick up from the ground a small gold chain that the Pocket Dragon has on its crushed body. It is divided by beads into eight sections, each of a dozen links (make a note of this). Now will you:

Investigate the wreck in the bay, if you haven’t already?
Open the trapdoor on the way out, if you haven’t before?
Leave and find another area of the island to visit?

We're already checked 2 of the places, so no option here.

You head back across the moorland towards the centre of the island and eventually find shelter below a rocky outcrop. It’s beginning to grow late; you need rest, sleep and food. You must eat a meal here. Drawing your blanket over you, you manage some restless sleep during a warm night. Regain 2 lost STAMINA points, but in the morning you must eat a meal. Roll one die; if you roll an odd number, turn to 111. If you roll an even number, turn to 212.

STAMINA up to 16, but Provisions down to 9.

Die roll = 6.

(This basically means we miss finding some eggs for extra food - I don't think it was specified what sort of eggs it was.)

The weather is worsening: the skies are a leaden grey and the sea is getting choppy as a wind begins to build, coming in from the eastern seaboard. Where will you go now? Will you head:

East towards the stone building, if you haven’t been there before?
South-west towards the woodlands? Turn to 57
South towards the central hillock? Turn to 186
Back to the lighthouse, if you haven’t already entered it?

2 places we hadn't yet been to...which one now?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 16/19
LUCK 11/12
PRESENCE: 8
Equipment: Knife, Backpack, Waterskin, Leather Jerkin, Sword, Pot of Glue, Bottle of Olive Oil, Rope (x2), Wooden Pole, Empty Bottle, Gold Key (found in section 40), Potion of Stamina (restores half of Initial STAMINA when drunk), Flask of Grog (+4 STAMINA, +1 Attack Strength for next combat after drunk), Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength in combat), Bottle of Monks’ Herbal Liqueur x2 (4 doses in total, each restores 4 STAMINA when drunk), pestle and mortar, Herbiary (dog-eared pages: page 311 on the Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on the Pitcher Plant, page 266 on the Axeplant), Sapphire (50 facets), Topaz (24 facets), Skeleton Key, Small Gold Chain (divided by beads into eight sections, each of a dozen links)
Provisions: 9/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 9/11
Notes:
1) Message pieced together from torn scraps of paper found in monastery: "There is conflict between the wizards, Caltarelair has certainly quarrelled with one of his fellows and a magic duel cannot be far away. One of them has begun to dabble in magic other than elementalism. Ralsteen the Hermit may have sensed any disturbance at the Circle; I am too weak to risk visiting it. I must hasten to hide the Crystals, and I will hide them in pairs, one pair in..."
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head southwest towards the woodlands.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, woodlands.