[Let's Play] GrailQuest 4: Voyage of Terror

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:30 am

Go on; I suspect that this is another illusion.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Jul 22, 2018 5:01 am

With a wary lookout for the hidden archer, you move forward again. Then stop, bewildered.

The castle which was looming stoutly over you a moment ago is now a crumbling ruin, roofless, part overgrown--little more than a few walls outlining what was once a proud building.

You step back in amazement--and the castle is back, strongly build and sound as ever. You step forward again, and again you are looking at a ruin. It does not take you long to decide what is going on here. Magic, that's what! There is some sort of spell cast around this place so that it looks like a castle at a distance, but dissolves into a ruin as you approach closely.

You pull yourself together and kick a wall. It's definitely a ruin: the ruin of an ancient castle. It's also a haunted ruin. You can see right through the archer who is approaching you, phantom arrow notched in phantom bow.

Do you stick around to deal with the spook? If so, go to 84.

Or do you decide discretion is the better part of valour, in which case return to 39 and pick another destination.

Does that look real enough to turn us back?

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Sun Jul 22, 2018 11:34 am

He's threatening and potentially deadly. Ergo, obviously we stick around to talk to him.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Sun Jul 22, 2018 2:39 pm

Deal with the spook.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 1:28 pm

'Ahoy there!' you call. 'Don't think you can frighten me with that ghostly bow. Your ghostly arrows will go right through me without doing any damage!'

'That's true,' agrees the Phantom Archer in sepulchral tones. 'As against that, my ghostly touch is so chilling that I can drain half your present LIFE POINTS every time I get my hands on you!' With which he drops his phantom bow and launches himself upon you with bare (and somewhat transparent) hands.

No getting out of this one. Your only consolation is that he can't actually kill you since dividing your current LIFE POINTS in half, however often it happens, will never reduce them to zero. But he could render you unconscious, in which case you will come to at 39 and be forever debarred from visiting the ruined castle again. If, however, you kill the ghost (in a manner of speaking) you are free to explore the ruin at 173.

The Phantom Archer has 35 LIFE (?) POINTS and hits successfully on 8 or better, removing half your current LIFE POINTS on each successful strike whatever the dice show.

While he can't kill us, the drain on LP can be pretty drastic for later encounters.

Jason isn't mentioned for this fight, so my ruling is that he can help us hit the phantom but the phantom won't target him.

Armour doesn't matter for this fight, but will Pip and Jason use the throwing spears against the phantom, or just the daggers?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:06 pm

Spear-dagger-dagger-dagger-dagger isn't it?

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:38 pm

Phantom rolls 6, Pip rolls 9. Pip and Jason go first!

COMBAT LOG:

Pip throws his spear and rolls 2, missing.
Jason throws his spear and rolls 6, missing.
Phantom rolls 5 and misses.
Pip rolls 8 and hits for 2+1 = 3 damage. Phantom is at 32.
Pip rolls 9 and hits for 3+1 = 4 damage. Phantom is at 28.
Jason rolls 5 and hits for 0+1 = 1 damage. Phantom is at 27.
Jason rolls 6 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Phantom is at 25.
Phantom rolls 4 and misses.
Pip rolls 3 and misses.
Pip rolls 5 and misses.
Jason rolls 8 and hits for 3+1 = 4 damage. Phantom is at 21.
Jason rolls 12 and hits for 7+1 = 8 damage. Phantom is at 17.
Phantom rolls 5 and misses.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 7, missing.
Jason throws his spear and rolls 8, hitting for 1+10 = 11 damage. Phantom is at 6.
Phantom rolls 7 and misses.
Pip rolls 3 and misses.
Pip rolls 8 and hits for 2+1 = 3 damage. Phantom is at 3.
Phantom is knocked out.

Jason finally pulls his weight and makes some contribution on behalf of the Argonauts, dealing most of the damage against the phantom!

The ruins were well worth exploring. Beneath the remains of a crumbling wall you find a smallish casket and within the casket is... A second casket!

And inside this is another; and inside this another still and so on, like Chinese boxes, until you are down to a little weeny casket no larger than a snuffbox. You open the final casket then step back in alarm as something bright orange expands out of it, growing larger and larger until it looms over you like the side of a candy-striped house.

It's a balloon--a hot air balloon complete with collapsible wicker basket! What a find! You can use this balloon to fly direct to any of the other sections on this island (although not, unfortunately, to any other island.)

Your choices are 51, 112, 65, 120, 97 or 88.

If those 6 sections are the only options we have, then that was.....totally not worth the effort.

51 = mansion
112 = farm
65 = village
120 = cottage (partially explored)
97 = well (quicksand)
88 = lake (explored)

However, the words "fly direct to any of the other sections on this island" makes me wonder if we should be allowed to use it to bypass the quicksand. The text instruction is even more ambiguous than usual in this series.....

Do you guys think we should use the balloon to bypass the quicksand at the well?

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:29 pm

It seems reasonable that the hot air balloon would allow us to fly over the quicksand. So let's do exactly that.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:13 pm

Agreed on the assumption that yes it bypasses the quicksand. And that presumably we keep it for the rest of our visit to this island.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 12:32 pm

Pip uses the balloon to bypass the quicksand into section 41:

You stare down the narrow shaft beneath its rotted canopy of thatch and note that while the water level is high, the water itself is scummy, oozing slow bubbles from somewhere deep beneath the surface. There is a small wooden container on a frayed rope, so you can certainly draw up some to drink. But do you really want to?

If you decide to drink the water, go to 56.
Alternatively, you may return to 39 and pick another direction.

Do we want to drink?

If not, please pick another landmark to explore.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 2:47 pm

DRINK THE SEWAGE

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 3:51 pm

Drink all the disguised healing potion!

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:16 pm

After all that bullshit to get there (and the discovery that much of this island is an illusion) I assume that drinking the raw sewage is actually a good call.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Thu Jul 26, 2018 11:31 am

There's a turn-up: it's a healing draught! One good swig and you have restored a double dice roll of LIFE POINTS. Unfortunately the water loses its power if you try to take it away from here, but if you're prepared to risk the quicksand, you can always come back via 39 while you remain on this island.

Now, better return, invigorated, to 39 and decide where to go next.

Finally, Pip found a source of healing.

Pip's only lost 2 LP so far, so he automatically goes back to full LP.

Healing roll for Jason = 8. Jason is back to full LP as well.

Thanks to the balloon, we don't have much to fear from minor draining battles as long as we're on this island. We just have to make sure we don't die outright in any fight so we can come back here to heal.

Where do we go next?

Lake
Well
Cottage (partially explored)
Village
Farm
Castle
Mansion

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Thu Jul 26, 2018 3:04 pm

Pillage the village.

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Thu Jul 26, 2018 8:31 pm

Agreed.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Fri Jul 27, 2018 11:46 am

What's going on here? You set out for a village and you've ended up in a pigsty! No question about it. The moment you set foot within the boundaries of that pleasant little village, it turned into a monumental pigsty. Full of pigs, too, although they're nothing to worry about.

What you do have to worry about is the Boar. It is ignoring Jason and attacking you. It has 35 LIFE POINTS, strikes on 5 and can gore you with +3 tusks. If you kill the beast you may return to 39 to pick a new destination or turn to 76 if you fancy searching the sty. If the beast kills you, all you'll find is 14.

Boar rolls 10, Pip rolls 7. Boar goes first.

COMBAT LOG:

Boar rolls 12 and hits for 7+3-2 = 9 damage! (Armour check = 10 - doesn't shatter) Pip is at 46.
Pip throws his spear and rolls 10, hitting for 4+10 = 14 damage. Boar is at 21.
Jason throws his spear and rolls 7, hitting for 0+10 = 10 damage. Boar is at 11.
Boar rolls 7 and hits for 2+3-2 = 3 damage. Pip is at 43.
Pip rolls 4 and misses.
Pip rolls 7 and hits for 1+1 = 2 damage. Boar is at 9.
Jason rolls 9 and hits for 4+1 = 5 damage. Boar is at 4 and is knocked out.

Pretty bloody fight, both sides did much damage.

Searching the pig sty.....

This is not a particularly pleasant place to search. (But maybe you didn't think it would be.) Nonetheless you do find something: a little golden key, very small--like something you would see on a charm bracelet.

Keep it carefully and return to 39 where you can decide on somewhere else to go.

Woah, so there're actually 11 gold keys in the book even though we only need 10! That's something I actually missed all this time!

We're left with 3 areas. Do we still want to check them all?

Lake
Well
Cottage (partially explored)
Village
Farm
Castle
Mansion

QUEST JOURNAL:

Pip's LIFE POINTS: 43/55
Permanent Life Points: 15

EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Piece of Driftwood (weapon, +2 damage)
Sword (hits on 6, damage +3)
Spear (hits on 6/thrown 8, damage +5/thrown +10, only attack once every 2 rounds/thrown once every 3 rounds)
New Dagger (hits on 6, damage +1, attack twice per round)
One-piece armour (worn) (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Spare armor x2 (damage -2, shatters on 12 after taking the 1st hit in every combat)
Rope (50ft coil)
Grappling hook
Backpack
Flint and steel (for lighting fires)
Ceramic lamp
Box of biscuits
Golden Key (x11)
Bottle of Grog
Axe

MONEY: 7730 GP

EXPERIENCE POINTS: 14
ENEMIES DEFEATED:
Old Sea Dog (2x)
Poisonous Spider
Ship's Cook (2x)
19 Guards
10 Scoundrels (3x)
Rock Thern (2x)
T-Rex
Greater Spotted Pondoozlewazzle Bird
Hecate
Hydra Pig
4 Shadows
Cyclops
Harpy
Ram
Phantom Archer
PUZZLES SOLVES: 5

No. of Deaths:
1) LP drained by Shadows on Skull Island
2) Devoured by a T-Rex on Dragon Island
3) Killed by Mummy on Lost Island

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Fri Jul 27, 2018 12:53 pm

Heal up then go to farm.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Fri Jul 27, 2018 1:07 pm

Given that we can auto-heal after every fight, let's just explore everything.

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri Jul 27, 2018 3:05 pm

Agreed.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 1:01 am

Before moving to the farm, Pip takes a drink from the stationary healing draught:

Dice roll = 8! LP is up to 51.

What a pleasantly bucolic scene! What a peaceful rural setting! There are chickens pecking in the yard and cattle grazing in the meadow. It reminds you so much of home (your home in Avalon, that is, on the farm of Freeman John and Goodwife Mary near Glastonbury) that a nostalgic tear wells up in your eye.

A rosy-cheeked woman in a green apron, who has been scattering corn for the chickens from an earthenware bowl glances up smiling at your approach. 'My, oh my!' she says. 'Visitor, and me with only my work clothes on! Will you come in and have a bite to eat and drink?'

You glance at Jason, who nods enthusiastically, doubtless thinking a bit of home cooking would make a nice change from ship's rations.

All the same, something tells you this may not be quite the idyllic setting it seems. Maybe it's the way those chickens are eyeing you hungrily. Maybe it's the glint in the rosy woman's eye. Or maybe it's just the fact that everything you do these days seems to end you up in big trouble.

Do you accept the woman's invitation? If so, go to 132.

Do you refuse? If so, go to 140.

Do we want a bite here?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 6:07 am

Sure let's get eaten by chicken-demons or whatever they actually are under the illusion.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Sat Jul 28, 2018 3:24 pm

Honestly, I'd be more worried about the chickens if they weren't probably an illusion.

Let's eat.

SGamerz · Post by **SGamerz** » Sun Jul 29, 2018 1:31 am

You begin to feel much more reassured as you enter the farm kitchen. There is much scrubbed pine furniture in evidence here and the smell of newly baked scones hangs heavily in the summer air.

The rosy-cheeked woman fusses around you in that motherly fashion which is extremely pleasant so long as you don't experience it very often, sitting you down and producing a plate of scones, some home-made cake and a jug of heady purple wine, this being the local substitute for tea.

'Eat hearty! she invites. 'Eat hearty.'

Never one to resist a scone for long — especially the home-made type with little dried grapes in them - you tuck in with a vengeance, taking a deep draught of the purple wine to wash it down. It's strong wine, for your head begins to spin almost immediately.

'It's strong wine,' you remark to the woman, who seems to be watching you closely as you sink slowly into darkness.

Keep sinking until you reach the confines of 114.

That section number looks familiar.....

You are in a darkened cell, no more than 10' x 10' in size. By dint of scrabbling around a bit you find the only door, which is locked.

And you have one chance only to try to pick the lock. Throw two dice to determine how difficult the lock is to pick. Make a note of your score. Now throw again. If you throw less on your second throw than your first, then you are unable to pick the lock. (This is bad news since it means you will eventually starve all the way to 14.) If your second throw is higher than your first, then the door swings open allowing you to rip off to 159. If your second throw is exactly equal to your first then you may try a second time.

Yeah, we've been here before. We were sent here after we were knocked out in that cottage earlier.

1st roll = 8.
2nd roll = 10.

Pip manages to get out a second time.

After escaping another close call, do we still want to check the mansion or the rest of the cottage?

Omegonthesane · Post by **Omegonthesane** » Sun Jul 29, 2018 6:04 am

Mansion next.