[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 9 - Caverns of the Snow Witch Redux

[Queen of Swords]

Take the shield.

[Thaluikhain]

Take random loot.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take the shield, since shields are generally useful in Fighting Fantasy adventures.

[Beroli]

As soon as you touch the shield, a howling wind starts to blow down the tunnel toward you, almost knocking the three of you off your feet. Then you see a whirlwind coming down the tunnel, gathering up all rocks and stones in its path.

You do know a spell to banish an air elemental.

Taking the shield has unleashed the fury of an AIR ELEMENTAL. Fortunately you remember the words on the scroll and utter them as the elemental draws near. It disappears as quickly as it appeared, and all is calm again. You sling the shield onto your arm (regain 1 SKILL point) and walk together back down the tunnel and past the last junction.

The tunnel ends at another door; an old piece of parchment is pinned on it. There is faded writing on the parchment, but you do not understand the language. Knowing that elves speak many languages, you ask Redswift to try to read it. As he reads, his eyes widen with terror. You ask him what is wrong, but he does not reply. He rips the parchment off the door and tears it into tiny pieces. He turns the door handle and says, "Let's get going, there is no time to lose." You and Stubb look at each other and shrug your shoulders, deciding simply to obey the troubled Redswift. The door opens into another tunnel. After walking down it for a few metres, you come to a place where water is dripping down continuously from stalactites overhead.

You have a shield.

The water looks harmless enough, but you do not wish to get cold and wet. You place the shield over your head and walk under the gentle waterfall. You throw the shield back for your companions to use, and you are soon on your way again.

The tunnel runs straight on until it opens out into a cavern. The walls are covered with ice and a large glass globe stands on an ice plinth in the centre. Suddenly an ORC runs into the cavern from the tunnel opposite and the globe immediately starts to radiate light. The outline of a face takes shape in the globe, one which you recognize--the Snow Witch! Her encased head starts to laugh and then you hear her speak. In a chilling voice she says, "Although you killed me, you have not defeated me. My spirit can still defeat you. Watch carefully." The Orc, who is standing by the globe, grips the metal collar round his neck and cries out, gasping for breath. His green face bulges as he desperately tries to stop the collar tightening. His efforts are futile and he soon falls silently to the floor. The Snow Witch's image sneers contemptuously and says, "I have no use for servants any longer, and I know that two of you are still wearing my obedience collars. I will enjoy watching you die next, as a forerunner to the agony I have in store for your impudent warrior friend." You refuse to watch Redswift and Stubb die helplessly, and you rack your brain to think of a way to overcome the spirit of the Snow Witch.

Try to smash the globe with your sword?
Fire an iron ball at it with your sling?
Try to run through the cavern into the opposite tunnel?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 13/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 0
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
Square-shaped disc
Shield
350 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 1 (chomped by white dragon)

[Queen of Swords]

Oh great, we're going to die here due to slinglessness.

I guess we could try to smash the globe with our sword, but I don't hold out any hope for this working.

[JourneymanN00b]

Sigh, I wanted to keep the sling since it was never a good idea to give up any weapons on principle. I vote to smash the globe with Robert Scott's sword, as running through the cavern does not seem to be viable for survival.

[Thaluikhain]

Smash with sword.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Try to smash it.

[Beroli]

Just before your sword hits the globe, a bolt of white light shoots out, trapping your blade. A searing pain rushes up your arm and the image of the Snow Witch laughs at your unsuccessful attempt to defeat her. You are unable to release your grip on the handle, and drop to your knees as the intensity of the charge increases. You black out and do not wake again. Your adventure ends here.

Rewinding to the Snow Witch's treasure room, you drop the minotaur horn and garlic, eat one meal, and settle for 150 gold.

Just as you finish filling your backpack, you hear the sound of running feet coming down the tunnel toward the chamber. You stand up and draw your sword, wondering if you can survive much more hard combat. Two men suddenly appear at the door, a Dwarf and an Elf, but they do not look as if they are about to attack you. They are smiling broadly and they both try to speak at once, the Elf finally taking command. 'You have killed her! We are free! We will soon be able to take off our obedience collars! Now we wish to repay you, friend, by helping you to escape. You cannot leave the caverns by the way you came, because the Snow Witch's followers are waiting for you, and the tunnels are alive with Goblins. Our fellow Elves and Dwarfs are battling against them now, to give you time to flee--we must waste no more time.' To your surprise the Elf walks straight towards a cavern wall opposite the door, and appears to pass right through it. 'Another of the Snow Witch's illusions,' comments the Dwarf, 'an escape route she never got the chance to use. The trouble is, we've never used it either.' The Dwarf laughs to himself and walks towards the wall, you following behind. Walking through the illusion you find yourself in a narrow torchlit tunnel which you walk down in single file. It soon ends at a junction and you discuss which way to turn.

You go left.

As you walk along, the Elf introduces himself. "My name is Redswift, and he is known as Stubb," he says, pointing to the smiling Dwarf. "We met here as slaves in the service of the vile Snow Witch. We both now hope to return to our villages. I live in the Moonstone Hills and Stubb comes from Stonebridge. If we manage to escape from these infernal caverns, you are more than welcome to come and stay with us. Stonebridge is on the way to my village in the hills. It's also a long way off." Before Redswift can continue, Stubb shouts and points to an orb lying on the floor. It is made of glass and in the torchlight it seems to glow with swirling colours. "Leave it," says Redswift, "we do not need it and it could be a trap."

You pick up the orb.

When you pick it up, the orb starts to get warmer and its colours change rapidly and swirl around. Redswift and Stubb back away, telling you to put it down.

You keep a hold of it.

Determined to discover the secret of the orb, you hold it in your outstretched hands. Its warmth starts to creep up your arms and soon you are glowing all over, and feeling warmer than you have been for weeks. Regain 3 STAMINA points and 1 LUCK point. You assure Redswift and Stubb that this orb of energy will warm them too and they nervously pass it between them. In good spirits, you place the orb back on the floor and continue down the tunnel.

After walking for another five minutes, the tunnel turns sharply right and right again a few metres further on. You soon arrive at a junction and after a discussion you decide to turn left rather than continue straight on. (The gamebook does not mention how many references to fascism come up in that discussion.)

Placed against the left-hand wall of the tunnel, you see a large iron casket with a brass handle in the shape of a serpent. No one volunteers to open the casket, so you decide to draw lots. Roll one die; a 4 means that Stubb draws the short straw and reaches for the handle, cursing his luck.

As soon as he touches it, it comes alive. An ASP curls itself around his hand, and before he can shake it off, it sinks its poisonous fangs into his wrist. He falls on to his knees clutching his wrist with his other hand. Redswift quickly draws off the poison with his knife; luckily the Dwarf has a strong constitution, and he soon recovers enough to continue.

The tunnel soon ends at a T-junction. Stepping into the cross passage you almost bump into a primitive-looking man wearing furs and carrying a large stone club. He is a CAVE-MAN (sigh). You draw your sword and tell Redswift and Stubb to head quickly down the right-hand tunnel while you deal with the Cave-man. You could Escape after two rounds but will not.

CAVE-MAN Skill 8 Stamina 8

Round One: Cave-man wins by 2 points. Robert's Stamina is at 13.
Round Two: Robert wins by 7 points. Cave-man's Stamina is at 6.
Round Three: Robert wins by 7 points. Cave-man's Stamina is at 4.
Round Four: Robert wins by 4 points. Cave-man's Stamina is at 2.
Round Five: Robert wins by 4 points. Victory.

A pouch on the Cave-man's belt contains a star-shaped metal disc which you decide to put in your backpack. Not wishing to meet any more Cave-men, you run along the tunnel to catch up with Redswift and Stubb.

Mind Flayer.PNG (179.81 KiB) Viewed 500 times

The tunnel ends at a door which swings open before you even touch it. You look into a cavern and are surprised to see Redswift and Stubb kneeling in submission to a horrible robed creature with an octopus-like head who is certainly not trademarked. Two of its tentacles are wrapped around your friends' heads and they are trapped by the hypnotic powers of the BRAIN SLAYER. You are wearing an Amulet of Courage.

The Brain Slayer's disgusting tentacles flail frantically as it tries to draw you towards it. Fortunately the amulet gives you the courage(?) to resist its attempt to hypnotize you. You draw your sword to attack the foul creature. It releases Redswift and Stubb who fall to the floor clutching their heads in agony.

BRAIN SLAYER Skill 10 Stamina 10

Round One: Brain Slayer wins by 2. Robert's Stamina is at 11.
Round Two: Robert wins by 2. Brain Slayer's Stamina is at 8.
Round Three: Draw.
Round Four: Robert wins by 1. Brain Slayer's Stamina is at 6.
Round Five: Robert wins by 4. Brain Slayer's Stamina is at 4.
Round Six: Robert wins by 3. Brain Slayer's Stamina is at 2.
Round Seven: Brain Slayer wins by 8. Robert's Stamina is at 9.
Round Eight: Brain Slayer wins by 3. Robert's Stamina is at 7.
Round Nine: Robert wins by 1. Victory.

As you withdraw your sword from the vile Brain Slayer you hear your two companions groaning as they slowly come round. They explain that the Brain Slayer drew them into the cavern and they were powerless to resist. (And kindly do not point out that it was your idea to split the party.) You examine the chamber and see another door in the opposite wall. There are also two clay pots in a recess in the cavern wall, one red and one grey.

Having a sense that both pots contain positive things, you look in each of them in turn.

Lying at the bottom of the red pot is a square metal disc which you decide to put inside your backpack.

Lying at the bottom of the grey pot is an old parchment scroll with an unbroken wax seal.

As soon as you begin reading the scroll, the writing starts to fade. Test your Skill; the result is 12, failure.

The writing fades away before you have time to read it. Lose 1 LUCK point.

The door opens into yet another tunnel and you begin to wonder whether you will ever find your way out of the caverns of the Snow Witch. You look at Redswift and Stubb, but they do not appear to be very concerned. The tunnel soon ends at another door and you notice a dagger sticking out of its oak paneling.

There I stop fastforwarding.

Pull the dagger out of the door?
Open the door?

Also vote on whether to eat and how many Meals if so.

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 7/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 4
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Sling
2 iron balls (sling-sized)
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
150 Gold Pieces
Deaths: 2 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to eat a provision, and not to pull the dagger out of the door.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Agreed. Also preemptively voting to avoid taking the shield since we don't know the spell of protection from air elementals.

[Beroli]

The door opens into another tunnel which leads off into the distance. Stubb begins to complain about being tired and hungry, so you decide to sit down and rest. You still have three Meals, so you eat one yourself and give one each to Redswift and Stubb. (Executive decision: since there are no indicated consequences for not eating if you have fewer than 3 Meals, you do regain Stamina from this.) After resting for half an hour, you set off again and eventually the tunnel ends at a T-junction.

Go right?
Go left?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 15/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 0
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Sling
2 iron balls (sling-sized)
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
150 Gold Pieces
Deaths: 2 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch)

[Queen of Swords]

Go right, and hope we won't need a shield in the future.

[JourneymanN00b]

Since we cannot deal with the elemental this time, I vote to go right.

[Beroli]

The tunnel ends at another door; an old piece of parchment is pinned on it. There is faded writing on the parchment, but you do not understand the language. Knowing that elves speak many languages, you ask Redswift to try to read it. As he reads, his eyes widen with terror. You ask him what is wrong, but he does not reply. He rips the parchment off the door and tears it into tiny pieces. He turns the door handle and says, "Let's get going, there is no time to lose." You and Stubb look at each other and shrug your shoulders, deciding simply to obey the troubled Redswift. The door opens into another tunnel. After walking down it for a few metres, you come to a place where water is dripping down continuously from stalactites overhead.

You do not have a shield.

The water looks harmless enough, but you do not relish the thought of being wet as well as cold. But you have no choice: you must walk under the gentle waterfall. As you do so, you suddenly notice that your clothes are beginning to smoulder. You begin to run as you realize it is not water dripping down, but deadly acid: a trap no doubt devised by the evil Snow Witch to deter runaway slaves. You cry out in pain as the acid burns into your skin. Lose 4 Stamina points.

By the time all three of you have run through the acid shower, you are very demoralized. Lose 1 Luck point. Nevertheless, you press on resolutely.

The tunnel runs straight on until it opens out into a cavern. The walls are covered with ice and a large glass globe stands on an ice plinth in the centre. Suddenly an ORC runs into the cavern from the tunnel opposite and the globe immediately starts to radiate light. The outline of a face takes shape in the globe, one which you recognize--the Snow Witch! Her encased head starts to laugh and then you hear her speak. In a chilling voice she says, "Although you killed me, you have not defeated me. My spirit can still defeat you. Watch carefully." The Orc, who is standing by the globe, grips the metal collar round his neck and cries out, gasping for breath. His green face bulges as he desperately tries to stop the collar tightening. His efforts are futile and he soon falls silently to the floor. The Snow Witch's image sneers contemptuously and says, "I have no use for servants any longer, and I know that two of you are still wearing my obedience collars. I will enjoy watching you die next, as a forerunner to the agony I have in store for your impudent warrior friend." You refuse to watch Redswift and Stubb die helplessly, and you rack your brain to think of a way to overcome the spirit of the Snow Witch.

Try to smash the globe with your sword?
Fire an iron ball at it with your sling?
Try to run through the cavern into the opposite tunnel?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 11/16
Luck 9/11
Provisions 0
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Sling
2 iron balls (sling-sized)
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
150 Gold Pieces
Deaths: 2 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch)

[Darth Rabbitt]

Use the sling.

[Thaluikhain]

Go right, and hope we won't need a shield in the future.

You do not have a shield.

The water looks harmless enough, but you do not relish the thought of being wet as well as cold. But you have no choice: you must walk under the gentle waterfall. As you do so, you suddenly notice that your clothes are beginning to smoulder. You begin to run as you realize it is not water dripping down, but deadly acid: a trap no doubt devised by the evil Snow Witch to deter runaway slaves. You cry out in pain as the acid burns into your skin. Lose 4 Stamina points.

By the time all three of you have run through the acid shower, you are very demoralized. Lose 1 Luck point. Nevertheless, you press on resolutely.

Huh. That was nasty.

Anyway, use sling and iron ball.

[Beroli]

You quickly load your sling and aim at the globe. Test your Skill; a 6 succeeds.

The iron ball flies straight and true. When it hits the Snow Witch's globe, a bolt of white light shoots out from the globe towards you. Test your Luck; a 12 fails.

The energy bolt slams into your chest. Your Stamina is higher than 10.

The energy bolt gives your system a terrible shock. You are knocked to the ground by its force. Lose 1 Skill point and 4 Stamina points.

You sit up and see that the Snow Witch's globe is cracked, but she appears to have come to no harm. She watches you carefully, ready for your next move.

As you try to stand up, the Snow Witch concentrates her powers on Redswift and Stubb. Their metal collars tighten and they both clutch their throats, gasping for breath. You struggle to your feet, yelling insults at the Snow Witch, mocking her cowardly way of dealing with defenceless slaves. You challenge her to a combat, of whatever type she wishes. She laughs, saying, "Even though I have beaten you, I enjoy games. I will play!" She releases her stranglehold on Redswift and Stubb and falls silent, obviously devising some fiendish contest. Suddenly you hear the sound of shuffing footsteps coming from the tunnel opposite. An Elf and a Dwarf enter the cavern; they look almost identical to Redswift and Stubb except that their vacant looks and putrid white flesh indicates that they are both ZOMBIES. The Snow Witch tells you to fight them while she invents a game for you to play. The Zombies lumber forward and you are forced to fight these terrible replicas of your friends.

DWARF ZOMBIE Skill 8 Stamina 9
ELF ZOMBIE Skill 9 Stamina 9

You fight them both at once, so pause here to vote on which to attack first and how to use Luck.

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 10/11
Stamina 7/16
Luck 8/11
Provisions 0
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Sling
2 iron balls (sling-sized)
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
150 Gold Pieces
Deaths: 2 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch)

[Thaluikhain]

Hmmm, I vote attacking the elf first, as it has the highest Skill. As for luck, we don't have much stamina left, so I want to use luck to increase damage on out first 2 hits, but we don't have much luck left so only half vote for that.

[Beroli]

Round One: Both clashes are draws (seriously).
Round Two: Elf Zombie wins by 4. Robert beats Dwarf Zombie and is only hit by Elf Zombie. Robert's Stamina is at 5.
Round Three: Robert beats Elf Zombie by 4. Dwarf Zombie beats Robert by 5. Luck Test 4, success. Elf Zombie is at 5 Stamina, Robert is at 3 Stamina.
Round Four: Clash with Elf Zombie draw, Robert wins clash with Dwarf Zombie.
Round Five: Robert beats Elf Zombie by 5. Dwarf Zombie beats Robert by 3. Luck test 10, failure. Elf Zombie is at 4 Stamina, Robert is at 1 Stamina.
Round Six: Robert beats Elf Zombie by 5, Robert beats Dwarf Zombie by 1. Elf Zombie is at 2 Stamina.
Round Seven: Elf Zombie beats Robert by 3, Robert beats Dwarf Zombie by 3. Robert is dead.

[Beroli]

Rewinding to the asp chest, Robert rolls two 6s.

Redswift draws the short straw and reaches for the handle.

Just as he is about to touch it he draws his hand away, his elfin intuition telling him that there is a trap. He inspects the casket more closely and finds a hidden catch underneath the handle. He presses it with his finger and the lid clicks open. Inside the casket is a pair of grey skin boots. 'Boots of the elder elves,' he says with glee, 'what treasure--nobody knows how to make these anymore. No matter what surface you are walking on, no one will hear you, if you are wearing these boots. Let us draw lots again to decide who shall wear them.'

You draw the short straw and cheer at your good fortune. Restore 1 Luck point. You kick off your old boots and put on the magical elfin boots. Striding off down the corridor without making the slightest sound, you cheerfully lead the way, and your jealous-looking companions follow.

The tunnel soon ends at a T-junction. Stepping into the cross passage you almost bump into a primitive-looking man wearing furs and carrying a large stone club. He is a CAVE-MAN (sigh). You draw your sword and tell Redswift and Stubb to head quickly down the right-hand tunnel while you deal with the Cave-man. You could Escape after two rounds but will not.

CAVE-MAN Skill 8 Stamina 8

Round One: Robert wins by 2 points. Cave-man is at 6 Stamina.
Round Two: Robert wins by 5 points. Cave-man is at 4 Stamina.
Round Three: Robert wins by 9 points. Cave-man is at 2 Stamina.
Round Four: Robert wins by 4 points. Flawless victory.

A pouch on the Cave-man's belt contains a star-shaped metal disc which you decide to put in your backpack. Not wishing to meet any more Cave-men, you run along the tunnel to catch up with Redswift and Stubb.

The tunnel ends at a door which swings open before you even touch it. You look into a cavern and are surprised to see Redswift and Stubb kneeling in submission to a horrible robed creature with an octopus-like head who is certainly not trademarked. Two of its tentacles are wrapped around your friends' heads and they are trapped by the hypnotic powers of the BRAIN SLAYER. You are wearing an Amulet of Courage.

The Brain Slayer's disgusting tentacles flail frantically as it tries to draw you towards it. Fortunately the amulet gives you the courage(?) to resist its attempt to hypnotize you. You draw your sword to attack the foul creature. It releases Redswift and Stubb who fall to the floor clutching their heads in agony.

BRAIN SLAYER Skill 10 Stamina 10

Round One: Brain Slayer wins by 1 point. Robert is at 11 Stamina.
Round Two: Robert wins by 1 point. Brain Slayer is at 8 Stamina.
Round Three: Robert wins by 9 points. Brain Slayer is at 6 Stamina.
Round Four: Robert wins by 4 points. Brain Slayer is at 4 Stamina.
Round Five: Brain Slayer wins by 1 point. Robert is at 9 Stamina.
Round Six: Robert wins by 3 points. Brain Slayer is at 2 Stamina.
Round Seven: Draw.
Round Eight: Robert wins by 5 points. Victory. The Brain Slayer always hits Robert exactly twice.

As you withdraw your sword from the vile Brain Slayer you hear your two companions groaning as they slowly come round. They explain that the Brain Slayer drew them into the cavern and they were powerless to resist. (And kindly do not point out that it was your idea to split the party.) You examine the chamber and see another door in the opposite wall. There are also two clay pots in a recess in the cavern wall, one red and one grey.

Having a sense that both pots contain positive things, you look in each of them in turn.

Lying at the bottom of the red pot is a square metal disc which you decide to put inside your backpack.

Lying at the bottom of the grey pot is an old parchment scroll with an unbroken wax seal.

As soon as you begin reading the scroll, the writing starts to fade. Test your Skill; the result is 4, success.

Before the writing fades away, you learn a spell which will protect you from attack by an Air Elemental. Regain 1 Luck point. You leave the cavern.

The door opens into yet another tunnel and you begin to wonder whether you will ever find your way out of the caverns of the Snow Witch. You look at Redswift and Stubb, but they do not appear to be very concerned. The tunnel soon ends at another door and you notice a dagger sticking out of its oak paneling.

You ignore the dagger and open the door.

The door opens into another tunnel which leads off into the distance. Stubb begins to complain about being tired and hungry, so you decide to sit down and rest. You still have three Meals, so you eat one yourself and give one each to Redswift and Stubb. (Executive decision: since there are no indicated consequences for not eating if you have fewer than 3 Meals, you do regain Stamina from this.) After resting for half an hour, you set off again and eventually the tunnel ends at a T-junction.

You go left.

The tunnel soon comes to a dead end. An ornate shield hangs from an iron nail on the end wall.

You take the shield.

As soon as you touch the shield, a howling wind starts to blow down the tunnel toward you, almost knocking the three of you off your feet. Then you see a whirlwind coming down the tunnel, gathering up all rocks and stones in its path.

You do know a spell to banish an air elemental.

Taking the shield has unleashed the fury of an AIR ELEMENTAL. Fortunately you remember the words on the scroll and utter them as the elemental draws near. It disappears as quickly as it appeared, and all is calm again. You sling the shield onto your arm (regain 1 SKILL point) and walk together back down the tunnel and past the last junction.

The tunnel ends at another door; an old piece of parchment is pinned on it. There is faded writing on the parchment, but you do not understand the language. Knowing that elves speak many languages, you ask Redswift to try to read it. As he reads, his eyes widen with terror. You ask him what is wrong, but he does not reply. He rips the parchment off the door and tears it into tiny pieces. He turns the door handle and says, "Let's get going, there is no time to lose." You and Stubb look at each other and shrug your shoulders, deciding simply to obey the troubled Redswift. The door opens into another tunnel. After walking down it for a few metres, you come to a place where water is dripping down continuously from stalactites overhead.

You have a shield.

The water looks harmless enough, but you do not wish to get cold and wet. You place the shield over your head and walk under the gentle waterfall. You throw the shield back for your companions to use, and you are soon on your way again.

The tunnel runs straight on until it opens out into a cavern. The walls are covered with ice and a large glass globe stands on an ice plinth in the centre. Suddenly an ORC runs into the cavern from the tunnel opposite and the globe immediately starts to radiate light. The outline of a face takes shape in the globe, one which you recognize--the Snow Witch! Her encased head starts to laugh and then you hear her speak. In a chilling voice she says, "Although you killed me, you have not defeated me. My spirit can still defeat you. Watch carefully." The Orc, who is standing by the globe, grips the metal collar round his neck and cries out, gasping for breath. His green face bulges as he desperately tries to stop the collar tightening. His efforts are futile and he soon falls silently to the floor. The Snow Witch's image sneers contemptuously and says, "I have no use for servants any longer, and I know that two of you are still wearing my obedience collars. I will enjoy watching you die next, as a forerunner to the agony I have in store for your impudent warrior friend." You refuse to watch Redswift and Stubb die helplessly, and you rack your brain to think of a way to overcome the spirit of the Snow Witch.

You fire an iron ball from your sling at the globe.

You quickly load your sling and aim at the globe. Test your Skill; a 6 succeeds.

The iron ball flies straight and true. When it hits the Snow Witch's globe, a bolt of white light shoots out from the globe towards you. Test your Luck; a 10 succeeds.

You quickly dive on to the floor and watch the energy bolt pass overhead and slam into the cavern wall behind you.

You sit up and see that the Snow Witch's globe is cracked, but she appears to have come to no harm. She watches you carefully, ready for your next move.

As you try to stand up, the Snow Witch concentrates her powers on Redswift and Stubb. Their metal collars tighten and they both clutch their throats, gasping for breath. You struggle to your feet, yelling insults at the Snow Witch, mocking her cowardly way of dealing with defenceless slaves. You challenge her to a combat, of whatever type she wishes. She laughs, saying, "Even though I have beaten you, I enjoy games. I will play!" She releases her stranglehold on Redswift and Stubb and falls silent, obviously devising some fiendish contest. Suddenly you hear the sound of shuffing footsteps coming from the tunnel opposite. An Elf and a Dwarf enter the cavern; they look almost identical to Redswift and Stubb except that their vacant looks and putrid white flesh indicates that they are both ZOMBIES. The Snow Witch tells you to fight them while she invents a game for you to play. The Zombies lumber forward and you are forced to fight these terrible replicas of your friends.

DWARF ZOMBIE Skill 8 Stamina 9
ELF ZOMBIE Skill 9 Stamina 9

You fight them both at once, so pause here to vote on which to attack first, how to use Luck, and whether at some point prior to this you ate your last Meal (which would put you at Stamina 16, Provisions 0 here).

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 13/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 1
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Sling
1 iron ball (sling-sized)
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
Square-shaped disc
Boots of the elder elves
Shield
150 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 3 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch and then mauled by zombies)

[Thaluikhain]

I vote to keep the provision for later, our increased luck, skill and stamina should see us through.

Half vote to still attack elf first, and to use luck still twice to increase damage, to keep some for later. If our stamina hits 5, use luck to try to decrease damage, though.

[Darth Rabbitt]

I like Thal's plan.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, let's go with that.

[Beroli]

Zombies.PNG (167.31 KiB) Viewed 406 times

Round One: Robert 18, Elf Zombie 15, Robert 17, Dwarf Zombie 19. Luck Test succeeds with a 9. (It's actually easier for me to write it out with numbers when there are two enemies.) Elf Zombie is at 5 Stamina, Robert is at 11 Stamina.
Round Two: Robert 16, Elf Zombie 18, Robert 23, Dwarf Zombie 17. Robert is at 9 Stamina.
Round Three: Robert 22, Elf Zombie 14, Robert 18, Dwarf Zombie 18, Luck Test succeeds with a 6. Elf Zombie is at 1 Stamina.
Round Four: Robert 22, Elf Zombie 16, Robert 13, Dwarf Zombie 14. Elf Zombie destroyed, Robert is at 7 Stamina.
Round Five: Robert 17, Dwarf Zombie 20. Robert is at 5 Stamina and will use Luck to decrease damage.
Round Six: Robert wins by 6. Dwarf Zombie is at 7 Stamina.
Round Seven: Robert wins by 6. Dwarf Zombie is at 5 Stamina.
Round Eight: Draw.
Round Nine: Robert wins by 8. Dwarf Zombie is at 3 Stamina.
Round Ten: Robert wins by 3. Dwarf Zombie is at 1 Stamina.
Round Eleven: Robert wins by 4. Victory.

The Snow Witch looks surprised and displeased by the defeat of her Zombies. Suddenly she says, 'The game we are going to play is called Discs. You will not win, of course. But in the unlikely event that you do, I will give you the chance to escape. I hope you have remembered to bring along your discs. Without them you lose!' She laughs sadistically at the thought of making up the rules on the spur of the moment. Nevertheless, you must play as directed.

You do have (two) small metal discs.

The Snow Witch quickly explains the rules of her game; she tells you to choose a disc and conceal it in your clenched fist. She will call out a shape. A square beats a circle. A circle beats a star. And a star beats a square. If you win, you will be given a chance to escape. If you lose, you will die. If you both choose the same shape, you will play again. Your life depends on your next decision. Of course, if you do not possess all three discs, your choice will be limited.

Conceal the square disc?
Conceal the circular disc?
Conceal the star disc?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 5/16
Luck 8/11
Provisions 1
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Sling
1 iron ball (sling-sized)
Copper ring of warrior summoning
Large dragon egg
Star-shaped disc
Square-shaped disc
Boots of the elder elves
Shield
150 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 3 (chomped by white dragon, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch, blasted with magical energy by the spirit of the Snow Witch and then mauled by zombies)