[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 31 - Battleblade Warrior

[Beroli]

Hrm. The phrasing does sound like it assumes we're shooting all our arrows to me, which makes me wonder if anything past this will check for arrows.

However, all right. Shoot two arrows so that four lizardmen are left, and set a trap for them.

[JourneymanN00b]

I am better, but I still woke up this morning to coughing fits and a swollen spleen. I have registered your votes to have Alexandros the Third will set a trap and use 2 arrows against the Lizard Men.

349
You spend the rest of the afternoon hastily binding branches together to build crude barricades to confuse the riders and direct them into the centre of the copse. Here Lecarte builds a huge bonfire of wood soaked in oil mixed with something he tells you is called, ‘Flashpowder: Sulis Vitae from Sardath. Trust me!’ As the sun sets you hear galloping hoofs, and a band of warriors on riding lizards thunder out of the dusk. There are all the Lizard Men who escaped, plus a further six – a very large band to be taken on by two adventurers and a Sabre-toothed Tiger! They plunge into the copse towards your light. As the Lizard Men enter one side of the copse, Lecarte and yourself are waiting on the other. Lecarte blows his horn to distract the enemy while you let loose a flaming arrow into the darkness. Roll two dice. If you roll higher than your SKILL score, turn to 262. If you roll less than or equal to your SKILL score, turn to 16.

Side note: The flaming arrow does not count against Alexandros the Third, as that came from Lecarte.

Rolling the dice yielded a 5, which is less than Alexandros the Third’s Skill.

16
An incredibly hot sheet of flame explodes upwards into the sky, carrying with it the screams of dying Lizard Men. You turn away disgusted: surely it isn’t right to fight in such a way? Lecarte, it seems, has no qualms – he’s leaping up and down, cheering and yelling, with Snag capering round him. Leading Lecarte’s horse by the reins, you set off on foot for Capra. Turn to 89.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

89
You reach Capra’s welcoming walls and are soon safe behind its thick wooden stockade. It was once a small trading settlement, but now it is crammed to bursting with nomads and farmers afraid of constant attacks by the Lizard Man raiding bands. The townsfolk are stunned by the news of Vymorna, and do all they can to make you feel welcome. All you really want to do is get some rest, but you end up sitting in the Council House for much of the night telling of the siege. Eventually, though, even the anxious relatives clamouring for news of people in the city can see you need some sleep, and leave you alone. Tum to 202.

202
Before the first silver fingers of dawn are in the sky you are up and about, preparing to continue your journey. Despite the dewy mist that clings to everything, you must be off quickly. From what the townsfolk have told you, the best route seems to be to head north and then slowly veer due east. Lecarte helps you get ready. While he helps you pack your things (including 2 Provisions the townsfolk found somewhere), he tells you he has another plan. ‘Howsabout you adopt a disguise? Make yourself less human-looking, eh?’ Will you decide to go on in disguise (tum to 141), or reject the idea (turn to 85)?

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Alexandros the Third
SKILL: 9 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 22 Initial Stamina = 22
LUCK: 9 Initial Luck = 10
ITEMS OR EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Cloak
Hunting-knife
Sword
Rucksack
Armour
Bow and 1 silvered arrow
Bottle of healing balm (turn to 42 to use it)
SPECIAL ITEMS:
None
PROVISIONS REMAINING: 4
Note: Four Lizard Men escaped from the section 284 ambush
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
2 Restorations[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Sure, adopt a disguise.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered, Alexandros the Third will go on in disguise.

141
Lecarte rubs disgusting greeny-brown muddy stuff into your face and hands from a small pot he finds among one of his bundles, and gives you a rough jerkin and leggings to wear under your cloak. ‘From a distance,’ he assures you, ‘you’ll pass for a nonhuman, as long as you don’t talk to anyone and don’t get too close.’ It is now time for you to depart. Turn to 223.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

223
[spoiler][/spoiler]

As you depart, Lecarte leans over and embraces you, and whispers in your ear: ‘Search out Whiteeye. He’ll help you, I’m sure of it. But don’t mention I told you so, all right?’

‘What about you, Lecarte?’ you ask. He tells you he’s going to head further west, searching for news of his father. You bid him farewell and set off again. Are you going to head north (turn to 300) or east (turn to 251)?

Please vote before 8:00 AM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

[Queen of Swords]

North.

[Thaluikhain]

North is more left of east.

[Beroli]

East.

[JourneymanN00b]

Sorry again for the delay. Apparently, I have some spleen damage as a side effect of COVID, and I am dealing with the pain the best I can. I have counted the votes, and Alexandros the Third will head north, since that won by a 2-1 vote.

300
The country north of Capra is gently rolling downs, but a deep, morning mist hides most of it. It is cool, and just a tinge spooky, too! Still, in the quiet you should be able to hear anyone approaching you. You trudge north. By mid-morning the mist still shows no sign of lifting. And then, from up ahead, a bell starts to toll. You pause, thinking you imagined it. No, there it goes again! That’s funny, you think, no one in Capra mentioned any settlements along this route. You decide to investigate. Are you in disguise (turn to 122) or not (turn to 369)?

Alexandros the Third is in disguise.

122
The ground rises to a small hillock dotted with sparse patches of bushes and trees. At the crest of the hill a motley group stands gathered around a large funeral bier. Looking closely you can see that, despite the veils and dark clothes, the mourners are all Orcs! To one side a bizarrely dressed shaman leaps and capers, throwing bones and entrails to the winds in honour of the dead. In your disguise you could creep closer still and take a better look. While you are deciding, Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 73. If you are Unlucky, turn to 198.

The Luck roll yielded a 5, meaning that Alexandros the Third was Lucky.

73
[spoiler][/spoiler]

You creep nearer, crouching close to some low bushes a little way from the figures. At the top of the low hill you see the group of Orcs all lining up to pay their last respects to what seems to have been a very eminent (but now very dead) old Orc. You slip surreptitiously on to the end of the line. No one pays you much attention; everyone seems very upset and solemn. The dear departed was obviously well loved by these Orcs, as many are weeping openly. The line shuffles on and you get closer and closer to the funeral bier. It is at this moment that you remember sitting with your tutor back in Vymorna, sharing a laugh over the fact that Orc tradition declares that mourners must leave their teeth-marks in the body of the dead! How are you going to get out of this one? Will you attack the nearest Orc (turn to 265), pretend to bite (turn to 250), or actually bite the corpse (turn to 392)?

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Alexandros the Third
SKILL: 9 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 22 Initial Stamina = 22
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 10
ITEMS OR EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Cloak
Hunting-knife
Sword
Rucksack
Armour
Bow and 1 silvered arrow
Bottle of healing balm (turn to 42 to use it)
SPECIAL ITEMS:
None
PROVISIONS REMAINING: 4
Note: Four Lizard Men escaped from the section 284 ambush
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
2 Restorations[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Attack the nearest orc. Our chances of faking our way through this are not good enough to let us do things that will injure us trying.

[Queen of Swords]

Biting the corpse sounds safer than potentially taking on all these orcs, so I'd go with that.

[JourneymanN00b]

I have registered your votes, and will have Alexandros the Third attack the nearest Orc to break the 1-1 tie.

265
This Orc is huge, brown-skinned and brawny. What’s more, the shaman is so angry at having a ‘yooman’ at his ceremony that he joins in too! The other Orcs are too drunk to join in, but you must fight these two.

ANGRY ORC SKILL 6 STAMINA 9
SEETHING SHAMAN SKILL 6 STAMINA 5

If you somehow defeat the two livid humanoids, turn to 230.

[spoiler][/spoiler]

The fight:
[spoiler](Attacking Seething Shaman first)
Round 1: Seething Shaman Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 18, Angry Orc Attack Strength: 11;
Seething Shaman Stamina: 3, Player Stamina: 22, Angry Orc Stamina: 9
Round 2: Seething Shaman Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 16, Angry Orc Attack Strength: 15;
Seething Shaman Stamina: 3, Player Stamina: 20, Angry Orc Stamina: 9
Round 3: Seething Shaman Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 14, Angry Orc Attack Strength: 13;
Seething Shaman Stamina: 1, Player Stamina: 20, Angry Orc Stamina: 9
Round 4: Seething Shaman Attack Strength: 16, Player Attack Strength: 13, Angry Orc Attack Strength: 11;
Seething Shaman Stamina: 1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 9
Round 5: Seething Shaman Attack Strength: 8, Player Attack Strength: 21, Angry Orc Attack Strength: 14;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 9

(Attacking Angry Orc)
Round 6: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 13;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 9
Round 7: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 11, Player Attack Strength: 14;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 7
Round 8: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 5
Round 9: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 17;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 5
Round 10: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 16;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 3
Round 11: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 13, Player Attack Strength: 13;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 3
Round 12: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 11, Player Attack Strength: 19;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 18, Angry Orc Stamina: 1
Round 13: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 13;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 16, Angry Orc Stamina: 1
Round 14: Angry Orc Attack Strength: 14, Player Attack Strength: 18;
Seething Shaman Stamina: -1, Player Stamina: 16, Angry Orc Stamina: -1[/spoiler]

After a rather drawn-out battle, Alexandros the Third kills the Angry Orc and Seething Shaman after taking 6 Stamina points of damage.

230
You hurry away before the Orcs can react, slipping through the trees and bushes. You run and run, putting a great distance between yourself and the grotesque funeral. When you reach the far end of the woods you pause for a moment and stand there, panting. Suddenly your ears pick up, as they pick up the sound of horse’s hoofs, coming closer. Turn to 185.

185
The sound of hoofs comes closer and closer, but they slow to a gentle trot as they approach the trees. Will you leap out and challenge the rider (turn to 302), or wait and see what happens (turn to 145)?

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Alexandros the Third
SKILL: 9 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 16 Initial Stamina = 22
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 10
ITEMS OR EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Cloak
Hunting-knife
Sword
Rucksack
Armour
Bow and 1 silvered arrow
Bottle of healing balm (turn to 42 to use it)
SPECIAL ITEMS:
None
PROVISIONS REMAINING: 4
Note: Four Lizard Men escaped from the section 284 ambush
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
2 Restorations[/spoiler]

[Beroli]

Eat a Meal, wait and see what happens.

[SGamerz]

Wait and see.

This is one of the very few FF books I never owned, so this is a rare case of me playing 100% blind.

[JourneymanN00b]

Waiting and seeing what happens already received 2 votes, so Alexandros the Third will do just that. There is also a vote to eat a meal, so Alexandros the Third will also do this.

145
A horse trots up. Its rider is wearing the uniform of a messenger or scout, and is carrying a bow and a longsword. Both horse and rider seem very tired and dusty from the trail. Will you attack them (turn to 384), or greet them peacefully (turn to 396)?

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
[spoiler]Alexandros the Third
SKILL: 9 Initial Skill = 9
STAMINA: 20 Initial Stamina = 22
LUCK: 8 Initial Luck = 10
ITEMS OR EQUIPMENT CARRIED:
Cloak
Hunting-knife
Sword
Rucksack
Armour
Bow and 1 silvered arrow
Bottle of healing balm (turn to 42 to use it)
SPECIAL ITEMS:
None
PROVISIONS REMAINING: 3
Note: Four Lizard Men escaped from the section 284 ambush
BOONS:
2 Rewinds
2 Restorations[/spoiler]

[SGamerz]

Greet peacefully.

[Thaluikhain]

Greet peacefully, I guess.

(Also, the bit where we bite a dead orc was the only part I really definitely remember about this book)

[Queen of Swords]

Yes, greet peacefully.

[Beroli]

Avoid is not an option? Sigh. Greet peacefully.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered, Alexandros the Third will greet them peacefully.

396
The messenger looks very relieved to have found another human on the road, and you notice she is very tired and dusty. She tells you her story – how she has been sent by the people of Coppertown far to the north to ask for aid against roving war-bands of Lizard Men and Mountain Trolls. Her face falls when you tell her of Vymorna’s fate, and she appears devastated. You stand in silence for some minutes, before you dare make a move. Will you take her along with you (turn to 113), or bid her farewell and set off again alone (turn to 103)?

Please vote before 6:00 PM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

P.S. I am much better than I was at the beginning of the week. Appreciate the well wishes from all of you. I will be resuming the more frequent Sunday updates tomorrow, so brace yourselves for that.

[Beroli]

Bid her farewell and set off alone.

I'm glad to hear you're doing better.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered, Alexandros the Third will bid her farewell and set off again alone.

103
[spoiler][/spoiler]

You resume your journey, heading due east now. This terrain is very empty, with little sign of life. The land begins to rise. You make camp among a few trees half-way up a rocky hillside, listening to the howls of nocturnal creatures hunting way off in the dark night. In the morning you continue travelling, seeing for the first time the broad band of jungle ahead of you on the horizon. Turn to 377.

377
The land is rough and hilly, and the weather very warm. You have lost track of the days since you left Vymorna, but pray that your family and friends are holding on. Away to the north a small dust cloud is getting larger by the minute. Someone – or something – is riding towards you at high speed. Will you keep to your path (turn to 358) or find somewhere to hide before the riders arrive (turn to 139)?

[spoiler][/spoiler]

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

[Beroli]

Hide.

[Queen of Swords]

Agree, hide.

[JourneymanN00b]

Finding somewhere to hide before the riders arrive already received 2 votes, so Alexandros the Third will do just that.

139
You leap behind some large rocks as four riders thunder by, swathed in hoods and cloaks despite the heat. You are going to call to them, but then see they are mounted on four-legged riding lizards. No humans would ever be riding such beasts, you think with a smile. The riders head away south, while you continue to head east, more wary of danger now. Turn to 257.

257
You trudge on. Every few seconds, it seems, you wipe the perspiration from your forehead, but a few moments later it is back. The ground slowly rises, becoming rougher and more broken. After a while you are having to scramble around large boulders and clamber up steep inclines. From ahead of you there sounds the bellowing roar of some large beast. You have no choice but to journey on. Unexpectedly you find yourself at the top of a rise; the ground slants sharply down into a depression. And down there, grazing, is a Triceratops, a truly enormous three-horned armoured dinosaur. You can’t really hope to sneak past it, surely, but perhaps you would like to try (turn to 207)? Or maybe you would rather walk along the ridge in search of a detour (turn to 327)?

Please vote before 9:00 AM PDT or a 2-vote majority is reached to guarantee that it will be counted.

[Beroli]

Sneak past it.

Bu tbbq, gur rkprrqvatyl hacyrnfnag cnffntr jurer lbh trg fgnxrq bhg sbe qnlf pna or nibvqrq. V qvqa'g erzrzore sbe fher vs vg jnf varivgnoyr bapr lbh zrg gur jbzna.