[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 32 - Slaves of the Abyss

[JourneymanN00b]

Since the line of footprints go from the cupboard to the table and back again, this could mean that the cupboard is not trapped, despite the arrow rune being present. I vote to open it normally.

[Beroli]

Open it normally.

[Queen of Swords]

I doubt anyone small enough to fit into a cupboard is a one-shot kill, so open it normally.

[Thaluikhain]

Opening it with the sword is so obviously the correct thing to do, so we have to not do that and open it normally.

[SGamerz]

You step back in revulsion at the sight of a slimy green form crouched within the cupboard. It holds a slender tube to its mouth, which it points at your face. Looking closer, you see frightened eyes fixed on you, This is no creature of evil, but a young girl, coated from head to foot in a sticky, foul-smelling mire. You smile at her encouragingly, and she lowers her makeshift blow-pipe as she realizes you mean her no harm. Gently, you hold out your hand and take the blow-pipe from her, pocketing it to keep it out of harm's way. "Who are you?" you ask her.

She tells you her name is Mema, and that she is the apprentice of the enchanter Enthymesis. She knows little more than you of the reason why the village is deserted. She has stayed hidden in the cupboard for the last couple of days, since her master left. Before going, he told her to remain hidden, and he coated her in the green paste, which he said would protect her. She tells you that, the evening before his departure, Enthymesis had been very worried by a divination he had performed. He had told her that he had to undertake a dangerous journey to seek guidance from Aletheia the Sage who dwells in a shifting forest in the mountains to the north. Then he had insisted that she had remained cowering in the cupboard while a terrible din came down upon the settlement. Terrified, she listened to the hideous shrieks of the townsfolk. "Finally silence descended on the village, then you came." If you have not already searched the wizard's desk, you may do so now. If you have already searched the desk, or if you don't wish to, you may leave the house with Mema.

We have already searched everything in this house.

Although it's a little puzzling that we don't seem to have the option to show her Enthymesis' note (which was clearly intended for Mema, with the instruction to remain hidden in the house), or ask her about its missing content if she'd already seen it before.

Holding Mema's sticky hand, you make your way back to your horse. You will have to deliver her safely back to her parents, and she tells you that she knows the way to their village. It is back the way you have already come, but to leave her unprotected would not be the action of a hero. Meanwhile she is still covered in the green slime. If you decide to wash it off her, turn to 170. Otherwise, turn to 396.

It's nice that we're automatically assumed to want to choose "the action of a hero" and sacrifice time to help the child instead of constantly being offered the choice to act like violent bloodthirsty psychopaths who murder for no apparent reason.

Do we want her to continue her Slimer cosplay?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Dastan
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 15/17
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword of Fangthane steel, leather armour, Sige's Pomander, 'Ghulsh' potion (turn to 258 when drunk), 'Arahl' potion (turn to 285 when drunk), 'Zazzaz' potion (turn to 369 when drunk), Blow-pipe
Provisions: 5
Gold & Treasure: 22 GP
Time remaining: 15/20 (turn to 57 when crossing off 18th time unit, and to 326 when crossing off the last time unit)
[/spoiler]

[SGamerz]

I doubt anyone small enough to fit into a cupboard is a one-shot kill.

Pretty sure there are a lot of tiny lethal creatures in FF. Right off the top of my head there's one in the second book of the series (Steve Jackson's spider-man in the Citadel of Chaos) who can fit into a jar and can definitely one-shot you.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to wash the slime off, as the enchanter put it on her for a protective reason.

[Thaluikhain]

If it's supposed to protect her, don't wash it off, that's one of the reasons the USS Forestal fire was so bad.

[Beroli]

Don't wash it off her.

[SGamerz]

You leap up on to your horse's back, then hoist Mema up in front of you. Soon you are galloping back along the road which brought you here. You turn off the road leading back to Kallamehr and race along a narrow track which wind up the hillside. You can see the lands far about, and off to your left a lazy plume of smoke drifts into the sky from Mema's village. Tick off a time box, then turn to 95.

Your attention is drawn to the far end of the valley, way off to your right. You shiver involuntarily, and the hairs on the nape of your neck rise. Your horse shies and whinnies in terror. A thick stench fills your lungs. The sparse slopes are being slowly enveloped by an advancing wave of black lava...or so it seems. Your eyes adjust to the distance and you see that the oozing black mass is not liquid, but a seething ocean of people. Even as you watch, it seeps closer, spreading like a dark stain. You have found the invading army, but will you survive to make use of your knowledge? There are many more people in the horde below that in Kallamehr's entire army. If you ride down into the valley to take a closer look, turn to 153. If you gallop off to your left to try to reach the village, turn to 358.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Dastan
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 15/17
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword of Fangthane steel, leather armour, Sige's Pomander, 'Ghulsh' potion (turn to 258 when drunk), 'Arahl' potion (turn to 285 when drunk), 'Zazzaz' potion (turn to 369 when drunk), Blow-pipe
Provisions: 5
Gold & Treasure: 22 GP
Time remaining: 14/20 (turn to 57 when crossing off 18th time unit, and to 326 when crossing off the last time unit)
[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Gallop off to the left. Going closer sounds like the stupidest thing we could do.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to gallop off to the left to try to reach the village, as Dastan needs to make a clear stand against fascism instead of exposing himself down into the valley.

[Queen of Swords]

Pretty sure there are a lot of tiny lethal creatures in FF. Right off the top of my head there's one in the second book of the series (Steve Jackson's spider-man in the Citadel of Chaos) who can fit into a jar and can definitely one-shot you.

That's true. I'd forgotten about that little bastard.

Try to reach the village. We'll probably get killed if we get closer to that army.

[Thaluikhain]

Gallop to village.

[SGamerz]

You spur your mare along the back of the ridge, desperate to reach the village in time to warn them of their peril. If Mema is with you, turn to 35. If not, turn to 125.

Mema clings on for dear life as you spur your horse towards the village. As you approach the palisade, the large gates swing open, and you are beckoned in by a worried villager. Mema slips down from the horse and rushes into the arms of her parents you waste no time in telling the people of the danger they are in. They grab what they can of their possessions and livestock before fleeing. Finally, you find yourself alone outside the deserted village. The huge black army is in sight now, steadily moving down the valley towards you. Is it time to make your own escape.

The black horde is behind you. It is still many miles from Kallamehr, yet it is engulfing everything in its path. Although you know of no weakness in the enemy, surely Kallamehr should be forewarned: evacuation may be the only means of survival. Tick off a time box. Will you:

Ride to warn Kallamehr?
Try to find out more about the enemy?
Search for Enthymesis the Enchanter (if you recognize the name)?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Dastan
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 15/17
LUCK 10/10
Equipment: Sword of Fangthane steel, leather armour, Sige's Pomander, 'Ghulsh' potion (turn to 258 when drunk), 'Arahl' potion (turn to 285 when drunk), 'Zazzaz' potion (turn to 369 when drunk), Blow-pipe
Provisions: 5
Gold & Treasure: 22 GP
Time remaining: 13/20 (turn to 57 when crossing off 18th time unit, and to 326 when crossing off the last time unit)
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Search for the enchanter.

[Beroli]

Ride to warn Kallamehr.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to ride to warn Kallamehr, as trying to find out about the enemy is just suicide, and I do not think we have enough time to search for the Enchanter before Dastan gets overwhelmed by the army.

[Queen of Swords]

Search for the enchanter.

[SGamerz]

If there's no tie-breaker by tomorrow, the result will be determined by randomizer.

[pragma]

Search for the Enchanter

[SGamerz]

Searching for the Enchanter wins by 3-2.

You ride northward into the mountains, making your way carefully through wiry, bleached grass. There are no paths in these parts, and the grass conceals pot-holes and ruts. Without guide or marker you have no way of knowing whether your are travelling in the right direction, so you trust to your instincts and keep the sun to your left all the time. Finally you top a peak and gaze down at a cheerless plateau. The grass thins out and your heart sinks at the sight of the barren plain which stretches almost to the horizon. Then you spot something, far out in the middle of the plain. Screwing up your eyes, you stare intently at a small dot - perhaps a hut or other dwelling. You spur your steed down the slope and, after a few hours' ride, are at the fringes of the plain. You realize with alarm that the wind is rising. Without vegetation, the soil on this plain is dry and sandy, and it whips up around you, obscuring your vision and stinging your face. Your horse rears, terrified, and you tumble from the saddle, your right foot tangling in its stirrup. Test your Luck. If you are Unlucky, turn to 54. If you are Lucky, turn 77.

Dice roll = 5 (Lucky).

Though you land painfully you manage to grasp the stirrup in your hands, and tug at it to calm your panicking mare. Grabbing her reins and bridle, your force her to the ground and hide behind her while the sandstorm rages around you. You wait for the wind to subside.

When the dust finally settles, you find yourself staring at an expense of forest. Its presence is inexplicable - you saw no sign of it before the sandstorm. Intrigued, you approach and lead your horse along a fairly marked path between the trees, into the silent forest. Soon the narrow path forks at a massive, creeper-strewn tree with drooping foxgloves covering its roots. Looking around, you see the undergrowth is thick and impenetrable, and you resolve to tether your horse here before investigating further. If you take the left-hand path, write down the number '3' on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 268. If you take the right-hand path, write down the number '2' on your Adventure Sheet and turn to 388. If you examine the tree and the plants which cover it, turn to 356.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Dastan
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 15/17
LUCK 9/10
Equipment: Sword of Fangthane steel, leather armour, Sige's Pomander, 'Ghulsh' potion (turn to 258 when drunk), 'Arahl' potion (turn to 285 when drunk), 'Zazzaz' potion (turn to 369 when drunk), Blow-pipe
Provisions: 5
Gold & Treasure: 22 GP
Time remaining: 13/20 (turn to 57 when crossing off 18th time unit, and to 326 when crossing off the last time unit)
[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Examine the tree.

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, examine the tree and the plants.

[pragma]

Examine tree