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

[Thaluikhain]

We've got a fancy sword and shield, make with the stabby stab.

[SGamerz]

In the doorway crouches the residue of a monk, still dressed in the simple brown robe of his monastic order, while the slack-jawed grin and mouldering flesh tell that you are facing a Zombie. This creature retains some of the weaponless combat discipline the monk trained with during his years of life; an agility and strength unknown in ordinary Zombies confronts you, as purple-yellow, atrophying hands flash through the air to strike you down!

ZOMBIE MONK SKILL 9 STAMINA 75

If you win, you step over the remains of your enemy and stare into the darkened corridor beyond. There are doors to your left and right, and the corridor leads past them to a junction with another passage. Will you:

Open the left-hand door?
Open the right-hand door?
Continue as far as the passageway junction?

COMBAT LOG:
Zombie Monk 20, Fred 19. Fred is at 17.
ZM 17, Fred 21. ZM is at 3.
ZM 18, Fred 22. ZM is at 1.
ZM 21, Fred 22. ZM is defeated.

We're overpowered enough that the zombie lost the last round even after rolling a double-6. We still took a blow, though.

Which way do we go after that?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 17/19
LUCK 10/12
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)
Provisions: 10/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to open the left hand door, as I think Fred needs to display his stance against fascism.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, try left.

[SGamerz]

You enter the spartan kitchens of the monastery. If you need food, you can cut the rind off some mouldy cheeses and take some jars of bottled fruit to replenish your supplies (add up to 4 to your Provisions total). There are steps leading down to a door opposite you; if you want to go down the stairs, turn to 45. Alternatively you can leave, re-enter the passage and open the door opposite if you haven’t done this before or set off down the passage towards the T-junction.

Again we find more extra food than we can carry. As is usually the case in such situation, we will eat a meal on the spot to regain what little STAMINA we just lost to maximize the gain.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 10/12
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)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go down the stairs.

[SGamerz]

Pushing open the door at the bottom of the stairs, you stumble into the extensive cellars of the monastery. They’re dark, but fortunately there is a lantern with plenty of oil here, so you take this to light your way (add it to your Possessions). You also take two small bottles of Monks’ Herbal Liqueur; each half-bottle dose is a wonderful stimulant, restoring 4 points of STAMINA when drunk, which you can do at any time except during combat. You can’t carry more than two small bottles. Now, if you want to make an extended search of the cellars by prodding around in dark and dingy corners, turn to 313. Alternatively, you can leave the kitchens and go back to the passage, either opening the door opposite if you haven’t done this before or heading down the passage to the T-junction further into the building.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 10/12
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)
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 4/6
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to make an extended search of the cellars.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, extended search.

[SGamerz]

[spoiler][/spoiler]

The cellars are extensive and a search is time-consuming; you must eat a meal. But you find a pestle and mortar here (you may take them, if you wish) and, scrawled on a wall in the far corner of the cellar, you find what seems to be some kind of map. Below, on the floor, is the broken flint the unknown cartographer used to scratch the map with. All that remains of him is a large, smeared, dark-red bloodstain on the floor.

After your search, you return to the passage; here, you can open the door opposite if you haven’t done this already, leave the monastery, or go further into the building towards the T-junction.

New life unlocked!

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 10/12
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
Provisions: 12/12
Gold: 13
Extra Lives remaining: 5/7
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go further into the building towards the T-junction.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[SGamerz]

You reach the T-junction. Looking around, you see that there is a door along both the right-hand and the left-hand passage; before you, a short hall leads to a staircase which ascends to a landing. Will you:

Go to and open the right-hand door?
Make for and open the left-hand door?
Climb the staircase?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to open the right-hand door. Let's see if going fascist pays off here.

[SGamerz]

You push open the unlocked door. Inside is what was once a study – before it was utterly despoiled. Furniture and books, specimens and samples of plants and fruits and seeds have all been overturned, thrown around and trampled underfoot. You make a careful search, and find, below a carpet piled up in one corner of the room, that there is a tiny trapdoor. It’s not possible to lift it by force, and you can open it only if you have a Gold Key. If you have a Gold Key, you know the number of the paragraph where you obtained it. Double that number and turn to the paragraph with the same number. If you don’t have the Gold Key, you leave the room and return to the passage; now will you:

Leave the monastery?
Set off down the passage to the other door, if you haven’t already opened it?
Climb the stairs?

Item check passed!

You use the Gold Key to open the door; then you reach into the alcove below and lift out a heavy tract bound in red leather. Clearly, a monk managed to hide this prized book before the monastery was utterly ravaged; it is a herbiary, describing the medicinal use of plants. You are no scholar, but three of the entries have been dog-eared and annotated. Make a note of the three dog-eared pages and their contents: page 311 on the Rat-tailed Fungus, page 175 on the Pitcher Plant, and page 266 on the vicious-looking Axeplant. After this brief literary excursion, will you:

Leave the monastery?
Go along the passage to the other door, if you haven’t already opened it? Turn to 61
Set off up the stairs?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
LUCK 10/12
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: 5/7
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to go along the passage to the other door to complete Fred's thorough search of the place.

[Thaluikhain]

Second that.

[SGamerz]

The door here opens into a once-splendid chamber in which someone – or something – has clearly gone berserk. Furnishings have been smashed, a fine rug is ripped in ribbons, and some of the teak panels have been gouged away from the walls. This room is in utter shambles. If you want to search it, you will have to Test your Luck to see whether you can find anything at all. If you are prepared to do this, turn to 104. Otherwise, you leave this room; will you:

Leave the monastery?
Head along the passage to the other door, if you haven’t already opened it?
Climb the stairs?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to test Fred's Luck, and hope that there are no goddamn whammies.

[Thaluikhain]

Luck points are precious, but doing things is more interesting than not, so yeah, test luck.

[SGamerz]

Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 230. If you are Unlucky, you find nothing and you leave this room, so will you:

Leave the monastery?
Head along the passage to the other door, if you haven’t already been there?
Head on up the stairs?

Dice roll = 8 (Lucky).

You find a torn-up diary with, on its broken spine, a name: Brother Kendris. You try to match the scraps of paper to make a coherent message out of what is written here! After puzzling over what you can make out of this, will you:

Leave the monastery?
Head along the passage to the other door, if you haven’t already opened it?
Go up the stairs?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
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
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

Manually rearranging the scraps of paper gives the following message, for future reference:

"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"

I vote to go up the stairs.

[Queen of Swords]

Stairs.

[SGamerz]

The single staircase with its wooden banister rails leads upwards to a landing from which separate sets of stairs then lead off, left and right. Stepping gingerly up the stairs while checking for any tripwires or other traps, you are almost up to the landing when you see that a magical pentagram has been inscribed on the floor here. You have no idea what may happen if you step into it in order to cross to the stairs beyond. You could try to vault over it, using the banister rails as supports, but this could well be very tricky! Will you:

Leave the monastery?
Walk into the pentagram?
Try to remove the pentagram somehow?
Attempt to vault over the pentagram?

The message that was pieced together by JourneymanN00b has been added to the Notes section on the Adventure Sheet.

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Fred
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 19/19
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]