[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 30 - Chasms of Malice

[Beroli]

Run up the steps.

[SGamerz]

(With some work, an evil cactus that makes an illusion to make you bump into it could've been cool, there's potential there)

Sharp always has interesting ideas with lots of potential. The problem is that they're usually underdeveloped (in this case) or not executed vey well.

You rush up the steps and look up to see lava dribbling down from the lip of the volcano. As you climb, a large vampire bat occasionally swoops down and attacks you. Throw two dice. If you throw any double, you have been bitten: reduce your STAMINA by the value of one die.

Behind you, the chasing riders halt. They do not follow but watch you carefully to see if you turn back. Suddenly there is a spray of lava. Throw a die: this is your position. Throw a second die: this is where the lava lands. If the two numbers match, you have been hit by the lava: reduce your STAMINA by 2 points.

You reach the top of the steps and come to a large entrance above which you see:

You enter the volcano.

There's a fairly high chance that the vampire bat's bite hurts more than being sprayed by lava.

Dice roll = 3 and 6. Sir Gareth did not get bitten.

Position roll = 4, lava roll = 6. Lava spray misses.

The entrance is steep. It is very hot and the chamber is illuminated by a light-red glow. You look back to see the bats flocking, but not coming in. Ahead you see two large holes. Do you go through the one on the left or the one on the right?

Back to directional choices!

[Thaluikhain]

Hmm, can't see the pic very well, in that picture are those squares and dots, or are some of them parts of squares?

[SGamerz]

Just squares and dots.

[JourneymanN00b]

The runes say right is safe, so I vote to embrace fascism even further and go to the right. It seems that Sir Gareth is fated to become a dictator...

[Beroli]

Right.

[SGamerz]

You are in another chamber. There is a hideous smell of rotting flesh. Ahead are two more holes. Will you go in the hole on the left, or the one on the right?

Please let me know if you prefer to speed this up a little by automatically supporting fascism going right at every turn until we are faced with a different type of choices.

[JourneymanN00b]

Yeah, okay. I vote to wave the white flag to fascism and go right at every turn until there is a different set of choices, since the runes say right is safe.

[Beroli]

Go right until there is some reason to think the runes no longer apply.

[SGamerz]

You are in another chamber. The volcano rumbles and the ground shakes. Ahead are two other holes. Do you wish to go left or right?

You have made it through the volcano of the Hydra. No one will follow you through it. You come out back into the vast cavern, but have lost all sense of direction. You stop to rest. Tabasha jumps down and goes hunting, but brings back nothing. She looks a little distressed and has bits of her fur pulled out in places. You get up and see two small figures ahead of you, carrying a block of stone. Do you decide to head for them or avoid them?

(Btw, yes, every one of the left turns in the last 3 sections lead to insta-fail.)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to head for them.

[Beroli]

Avoid them.

[Thaluikhain]

Head for figures (and I totally didn't get that the runes were telling us to go right)

[SGamerz]

You get nearer and notice that they are small Trogs. They have a cart harnessed to two Koyunlu, and loaded with square blocks. They are busy cutting out the blocks from a quarry. You hide your Sword and offer to help them. At first they run away, but soon come back when you start to haul the stone blocks into the cart. You tell them that you are lost and have got a message for Orghuz from his servants in the Toplands. They are very simple folk and accept your story without hesitation. They tell you that they are in the process of repairing a breach in the outer wall of the tower and that they will take you most of the way. While they pick up their tools, you notice a roll of parchment in the cart. Do you look at it, or prefer not to?

Read the parchment?

[Thaluikhain]

Look at their quarrying orders.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Read the parchment.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to look at the roll of parchment.

[SGamerz]

It is a map of the outer wall fortifications to Orghuz's tower. The quarry is marked and you work out a direction. On a section of the wall, distinguished by a dagger symbol, there is a scrawled cross, and you suspect this is where the breach is. You carefully roll up the parchment.

When everything is packed and ready, the Trogs set off. You sit at the back or the cart and listen to the one called Cliptongue sing a song about cutting limbs off various creatures. Suddenly the cart stops and the Trogs stare into the distance. You follow their gaze and see a group of riders heading towards you. Do you leap off the cart, or stay?

Another point against Sharp's lack of descriptive writing - full lyrics provided of the Trog's song about cutting limbs of various creatures would have earned a lot of points from me here!

Leave or stay with the cart?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to stay with the cart and hope that Sir Gareth can either hide or properly blend in before the riders arrive. Leaving the cart risks the Trogs attacking us before Sir Gareth can escape.

[SGamerz]

You are quickly surrounded by the riders. There are about a dozen of them, including a black-cloaked Khuddam. As you crouch behind the blocks, they begin to ask the Trogs rapid questions. The Trogs, being slow-witted, cannot understand them. The riders get crossed and gallop off. Add 2 LUCK points. You slip off the cart as a thick mist descends.

Our last encounter with a Khuddam gave me the impression that the Khuddam can sense our presence, since he immediately identified us. But apparently that's not the case here. Maybe he just recognized the shiny Sword.

LUCK is back at max again!

You walk over the rocky ground, Sword at the ready. Suddenly, you sense something close behind you. You spin around, just in time to see a Wraith about to slice you in half with a huge sword. You duck and weave into a good fighting position.

MIST WRAITH SKILL 8 STAMINA 8

If you survive, you find some steps leading up. Do you want to go up the steps, or head off to the right?

At least this wraith doesn't drain our SKILL like so many other wraiths in FF would have...

COMBAT LOG:
Mist Wraith 17, Sir Gareth 22. MW is at 6.
MW 17, SG 18. MW is at 4.
MW 14, SG 16. MW is at 2.
MW 15, SG 17. MW is defeated.

Which way do we proceed after that?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Sir Gareth
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 12/15
LUCK 11/11
Equipment: Shining Sword, Leather Armor
Provisions: 5
Fuel: 0
Tabasha's Favour: 3/9 (can be used once to restore LUCK to max and increase Initial LUCK by 1)
Abilities: Life Spell (can be used once, when killed in combat, to proceed as it the battle was won, with 4 STAMINA remaining and SKILL deducted by 1)
Khuddam killed: 1 (Barkek)
Extra Lives remaining: 0/7
[/spoiler]

[Thaluikhain]

Read that as Miss Wraith the first time.

Anyhoo, up the stairs.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Stairs are more interesting than a random direction.

[JourneymanN00b]

Since our hero appreantly has to embrace fascism to survive, I vote to head off to the right. Too many lives were lost trying to resist it.

[SGamerz]

You walk up the stairs to a door in what looks like a castle wall. Suddenly the door swings open and a coarse voice calls out: "There, there is the wanted one!" It is a Khuddam. She wears a black cloak and carries a two-headed axe. You are suddenly attacked by Orcs, Trolls, Goblins and other unspeakable cronies. Your quest is over.

Looks like JourneymanN00b was right, we are fated to embrace fascism or die!

Rewind...

In the thick mist you hear a troop or Orcs on Koyunlu ride past, led by a snarling, sniffing Khuddam. Occasionally, strange ball-like creatures bounce towards you, but you are content to boot them away. Eventually you come to a high wall. You can just see watchtowers placed about 200 paces apart. Do you try to climb the wall here, or walk along it?

Can we kick one of those ball-like creatures over the wall first and see what happens? Apparently not.

Climb the wall here?

Adventure Sheet:
[spoiler]Name: Sir Gareth
SKILL 12/12
STAMINA 12/15
LUCK 11/11
Equipment: Shining Sword, Leather Armor
Provisions: 5
Fuel: 0
Tabasha's Favour: 2/9 (can be used once to restore LUCK to max and increase Initial LUCK by 1)
Abilities: Life Spell (can be used once, when killed in combat, to proceed as it the battle was won, with 4 STAMINA remaining and SKILL deducted by 1)
Khuddam killed: 1 (Barkek)
Extra Lives remaining: 0/8
[/spoiler]

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to walk along it, as climbing it is just asking to get shot down by the watchtower guards that I am sure are present.

Oh, and I am not pleased to see that Sir Gareth has to be a fascist to win this adventure, as that is a terrible message to send from this gamebook.