Entering the large central barrow received 3 votes, so Shaggy will do this.
59
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
Your heart is pumping frantically as you enter the large barrow mound. Uneasy dead do not rest quietly here. You inch forward into the supernatural chill of the barrow, and you think you can hear mutters and murmurs coming from the gloom around you. You imagine the terrors dwelling in deep tombs and you imagine foetid breath on your face, rank and foul. But it’s no imagining! Before you stands a ghastly shrouded corpse, its decaying body weakly phosphorescent. Lumps of flesh hang from its skeletal arms, and its sightless eye-sockets writhe with maggots. It extends its bony hands to embrace you with the paralysing touch of the grave. You strike at it blindly with your sword. The thing, whatever it is, has a SKILL of 8; work out which of you has the higher Attack Strength for this first Attack Round. If yours is the higher, you hit the thing for 2 points of damage to its STAMINA; turn to 137 and deduct 2 points from its STAMINA as given in that paragraph. If your undead enemy has the higher Attack Strength, turn to 102.
The fight:
[spoiler]Round 1: Corpse Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 21[/spoiler]
Shaggy has the higher Attack Strength for the first Attack Round and deals 2 Stamina damage for the upcoming combat.
137
You dodge and weave to avoid the flailing, razor-sharp claws of the undead monstrosity before you, and to keep away from its noxious, stinking breath. Fight this horror normally, but with one exception: if when you roll the dice for the thing’s Attack Strength you roll 10 or higher (before you add its SKILL), its foul breath weakens you and you must deduct 1 from your Attack Strength for the rest of the combat.
BARROW GUARDIAN SKILL 9 STAMINA 12
If you win, you still have a problem: the Guardian’s breath has infected you with Lung Rot (record this on your
Adventure Sheet). Turn to 307.
The fight, continued:
[spoiler](Barrow Guardian is at 10 Stamina from taking a blow earlier)
Round 2: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 21, Barrow Guradian’s breath reduces Player’s Attack Strength by 1 for the rest of the combat since a 12 was rolled, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 10, Player Stamina: 13
Round 3: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 19, Barrow Guradian’s breath reduces Player’s Attack Strength by 1 again for the rest of the combat since a 10 was rolled, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 10, Player Stamina: 13
Round 4: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 8, Player Stamina: 13
Round 5: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 19, Barrow Guradian’s breath reduces Player’s Attack Strength by 1 again for the rest of the combat since a 10 was rolled, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 8, Player Stamina: 13
Round 6: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 12, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 13
Round 7: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 19, Barrow Guradian’s breath reduces Player’s Attack Strength by 1 again for the rest of the combat since a 10 was rolled, Player Attack Strength: 15;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 11
Round 8: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 10;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 9
Round 9: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 9
Round 10: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 13;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 7
Round 11: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 7
Round 12: Barrow Guardian Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 20;
Barrow Guardian Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 7[/spoiler]
Well, the Barrow Guardian manages to reduce Shaggy’s Attack Strength by 4 due to some lucky rolls that reached 10 or higher 4 times, but lucky rolls from Shaggy allowed him to destroy the Barrow Guardian before things got too dangerous. Shaggy is left with 7 Stamina after the fight, though.
307
If you want to leave the barrow after this vicious combat, turn to 20. If you want to explore further, do you have a lantern? If you have, turn to 218. If you don’t have one, turn to 208.
Shaggy does have a lantern. Please make your votes on whether to leave the barrow or explore further before 9:00 AM PST or a 3-vote majority is reached to ensure that they will be counted.
Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Shaggy
SKILL: 11
Initial Skill = 11
STAMINA: 7
Initial Stamina = 17
LUCK: 10
Initial Luck = 10
PRESENCE: 7
TIME ELAPSED: 0 days
ENEMY ENCOUNTER:
None
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Knife
Backpack
Waterskin
Leather Jerkin
Pot of Thick Glue
Sword
2 Potions of Stamina (restores up to one-half of
Initial Stamina when used)
Flask of Grog (+4 Stamina, +1 Attack Strength temporary bonus for one combat)
Magic Sword (+1 Attack Strength)
Shield
2 Ropes
2 Small Bottles of Monk’s Herbal Liqueur (each half-bottle gives +4 Stamina)
PROVISIONS REMAINING: 9
POSSESSIONS:
Bottle of Olive Oil
2 Pouches
13 Gold Pieces
Lantern
Pestle and Mortar
Herbiary with 3 Dog-eared Pages (page 311 on Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on Pitcher Plant, and page 266 on Axeplant)
Sapphire with 50 Facets
Topaz with 24 Facets
Magical Scroll with ‘Incantation of Light’ Inscribed
Skeleton Key
Wooden Pole
Gold Chain Divided Into 8 Sections with 12 Links Each
Pearl
Currently Infected With Lung Rot
Boons:
2 Entity Wishes[/spoiler]