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

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to drink the water to avoid getting poisoned.

[Beroli]

Passing up the chance to drink ogre-flavored water wins unanimously.

Your thirst makes you weary; lose 1 Stamina point.

The three of you set off to the south, worried about the shortage of water. Stubb tries to offer some comfort by saying that you should reach Stonebridge in less than a day. He says he is surprised that you haven't seen any of his fellow Dwarfs by now. 'Oh yes we have,' says Redswift solemnly, 'but you won't want to see them like that.' He points to a boulder about 50 metres west. The bloodied body of a Dwarf lies propped up against it; his head has slumped forward, and he is motionless. His axe is still in his hand, and whoever or whatever attacked him cannot be far away.

Stubb runs up to the Dwarf, wailing in grief. 'It's Morri the ironsmith,' he says. 'This looks like the work of Hill Trolls. Let's bury Morri and get to Stonebridge as quickly as possible to tell them this terrible news. Here, take Morri's water-bottle. He won't need it now.' You gulp down the water and are at last refreshed (regain 1 Stamina point). After marking Morri's grave with his axe and helmet, you set off again for Stonebridge.

Night is approaching and you decide to camp in the shelter of some rocks and bushes, despite Stubb's plea to carry on. You build a fire and settle down to sleep. Redswift takes the first watch. Test your Luck; an 11 fails.

You have been asleep for only two hours when an eerie howl pierces the night air, waking you up. You see Redswift immediately stoke up the fire and Stubb run to his side, ready for battle. Suddenly you hear a twig snap behind you and you turn round to see a large beast about to leap on you. Its long hair and sharp teeth glisten in the firelight, and you realize it is a WEREWOLF. You must fight it.

WEREWOLF Skill 8 Stamina 10

Round One: Robert wins by 5. Werewolf Stamina at 8.
Round Two: Draw.
Round Three: Werewolf wins by 1. Robert's Stamina at 1.
Round Four: Robert wins by 4. Werewolf Stamina at 6.
Round Five: Werewolf wins by 3. Death.

Rewinding, you find yourself back outside the Caverns of the Snow Witch.

[Beroli]

Your journey south is long and arduous, but your determination to leave Icefinger Mountains behind you spurs you on. Two days after leaving the ice caverns, you reach the River Kok. Fifty miles upriver lies Fang, the town where Baron Sukumvit's notorious Deathtrap Dungeon awaits its challengers each year for the Trial of Champions. However, at this time of year Fang is unlikely to be more interesting than any other river town. You decide against going there and walk down-river to find a bridge or a boatman. After walking for half an hour along the bridge of the wide, dirty-brown river, you see a man asleep aboard a raft moored to the bank. You shout to him and ask him to ferry you across. He tells you to go away as he is too tired to work today.

Opting not to pay him, you walk on.

Further along the bank you find a small wooden boat tied to a tree. You look around but cannot see its owner.

Take the boat and row across the river?
Wait for its owner?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 5/16
Luck 7/11
Provisions 0
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: 4 (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, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf)

[Queen of Swords]

Ugh, died again.

Take the boat and row across.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to wait for its owner since doing so might yield our hero more items if there is an opportunity to kill the owner.

[Thaluikhain]

I vote to wait for its owner since doing so might yield our hero more items if there is an opportunity to kill the owner.

I started reading that and was expecting it to be about borrowing with permission, rather than stealing.

Anyhoo, wait for owner, I guess.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Hopefully waiting for the owner will restore STAMINA or something while we rest.

[Beroli]

Feeling tired after the strain of recent events, you sit down and rest. Stubb decides to go off to forage for food and Redswift begins to make a fire. You drift off into a deep sleep which your body welcomes. Restore 2 Stamina points. You are woken up an hour later by the ringing sound of clashing swords. You leap up and see Redswift engaged in combat with someone wearing a hooded black cloak. When he turns, you realize he is a DARK ELF, the natural enemy of Redswift and his fellow wood elves. You run to help your friend but you are not needed. With a forward thrust of his sword, Redswift dispatches his adversary. 'Whose idea was it to wait for the boatman?' asks Redswift with a wry smile. Refusing to be baited (and opting not to explain that you were always planning to kill and rob the boatman), you suggest that you search through the belongings of the Dark Elf. A pouch on his belt contains a glass phial filled with a green liquid. Redswift takes out the stopper and sniffs it, but he does not recognize the smell.

Drink the contents of the phial?
Pour it out on the ground?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 7/16
Luck 7/11
Provisions 0
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: 4 (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, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to drink the contents of the phial, as Dark Elves are bound to have a potion of healing with them like Naas from Master of Chaos.

[Queen of Swords]

Agreed, let's try drinking it.

[Beroli]

You breathe in and take a gulp of the green liquid. Feeling no ill effects, you quickly finish it off. Slowly the tiredness and pain in your body fade away and you feel revitalized. You have drunk a Potion of Health. Restore 1 Skill point, 4 Stamina points and 1 Luck point.

It is not long before Stubb returns, laden with nuts, roots, greens, and a fat rabbit. Using a pan he found in the bottom of the boat, he sets about making a delicious stew, while Redswift brags about his fight with the Dark Elf. Soon you are all enjoying the nourishing meal, telling each other stories and putting the terrible memories of the Snow Witch out of your minds. Restore 4 Stamina points. Later you climb into the Dark Elf's boat and push off from the bank. It does not take long to reach the other side and you set off south across the Pagan Plain for Stonebridge.

Marching quickly across the plain you do not encounter any evil creatures. To the east, you see the forbidding shape of Firetop Mountain reaching into the sky. 'Does the Warlock still rule the depths of Firetop Mountain?' Stubb asks inquisitively. You are just about to reply (a complicated reply that incorporates the adventurer who killed him being unable to loot his chest, and the adventurer who tried to re-kill him after he came back not getting anywhere near him, but him somehow dying a second time anyway, coming back as a demon, and being killed yet again by a sorceress on another world; or possibly just "no" if you're currently between the first and second of those) when you see somebody walking toward you. You draw your sword, but when the person gets closer, you see that it is a little old man carrying a sack over his shoulder. He stops in front of you and says, 'Put that sword away, there's no point in killing me. The only thing I have to offer is information--and that costs money. Pay me 2 Gold Pieces and you won't regret it.'

Pay him?
Ignore him and keep going?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 15/16
Luck 8/11
Provisions 0
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: 4 (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, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf)

[Queen of Swords]

Pay him.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Pay the little old man.

[Thaluikhain]

Pay him.

(And while I'm used to random insta-kills, 2 decisions here, waiting for boat owner and drinking potion got us 8 stamina, 1 luck and 1 skill, without which we are at great peril of dying, which is unusual)

[JourneymanN00b]

Sure, I vote to pay him. Again.

[Beroli]

After putting the coins carefully into a hidden pocket, the old man tells you to be careful of two things if you are traveling south to Stonebridge. Firstly, the nearest water-hole has been poisoned, and secondly, there are lots of Hill Trolls gathering to the north of Stonebridge. He bids you good luck and farewell and walks off. Stubb urges you to set off as quickly as possible, worried about the possible attack on Stonebridge by the Hill Trolls.

The flatness of the plain becomes monotonous and you forget to keep a constant lookout. The reflection of the sun on your armour has attracted a group of flying predators that you do not notice flying above you. They are green, with membranous wings, and they swoop down on their prey to kill them with their sharp claws. There are four of these BIRD-MEN above you and one of them suddenly lets out a sharp cry and swoops down to attack you. Test your Luck; a 6 succeeds.

Bird-Men.PNG (159.59 KiB) Viewed 1205 times

You just manage to draw your sword in time to defend yourself against the diving Bird-Man. It veers away slightly but turns to attack again.

BIRD-MAN Skill 12 Stamina 8

Since you have higher stats than last time, pause for votes on how to use Luck here.

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 15/16
Luck 7/11
Provisions 0
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
148 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 4 (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, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf)

[Thaluikhain]

Hmmm, we've only got 7 luck, so I suggest using it to increase damage if we are brought down to Stamina 5 and the Birdman has 4 or more left.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote only to use luck if our hero gets to 5 Stamina or below.

[Beroli]

Round One: Bird-man wins by 10. Robert is at 13 Stamina.
Round Two: Bird-man wins by 3. Robert is at 11 Stamina.
Round Three: Robert wins by 1. Bird-man is at 6 Stamina.
Round Four: Robert wins by 1. Bird-man is at 4 Stamina.
Round Five: Bird-man wins by 5. Robert is at 9 Stamina.
Round Six: Bird-man wins by 4. Robert is at 7 Stamina.
Round Seven: Bird-man wins by 5. Robert is at 5 Stamina and will use Luck.
Round Eight: Robert wins by 1. Luck Test is 7, success. Victory.

The other Bird-men, who were circling above you, fly east after seeing the first Bird-man killed. Frightened that they might return with a huge flock (which would be an army that would terrify Razaak if they all have 12 Skill), you decide to run across the plain. The sun is now overhead and you begin to sweat profusely. You become unbearably thirsty and curse the fact that you have not got a water-bottle. You finally reach a water-hole, but you feel like screaming when you see the body of an OGRE lying face-down in the water.

Drink the water?
Do not?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 5/16
Luck 6/11
Provisions 0
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
148 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 4 (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, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf)

[Darth Rabbitt]

We know the water is poisoned so avoid it.

[Queen of Swords]

Do not drink dead-Ogre-flavored water.

[Thaluikhain]

No drinking.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to drink the water of course.

[Beroli]

Your thirst makes you weary; lose 1 Stamina point.

The three of you set off to the south, worried about the shortage of water. Stubb tries to offer some comfort by saying that you should reach Stonebridge in less than a day. He says he is surprised that you haven't seen any of his fellow Dwarfs by now. 'Oh yes we have,' says Redswift solemnly, 'but you won't want to see them like that.' He points to a boulder about 50 metres west. The bloodied body of a Dwarf lies propped up against it; his head has slumped forward, and he is motionless. His axe is still in his hand, and whoever or whatever attacked him cannot be far away.

Stubb runs up to the Dwarf, wailing in grief. 'It's Morri the ironsmith,' he says. 'This looks like the work of Hill Trolls. Let's bury Morri and get to Stonebridge as quickly as possible to tell them this terrible news. Here, take Morri's water-bottle. He won't need it now.' You gulp down the water and are at last refreshed (regain 1 Stamina point). After marking Morri's grave with his axe and helmet, you set off again for Stonebridge.

Night is approaching and you decide to camp in the shelter of some rocks and bushes, despite Stubb's plea to carry on. You build a fire and settle down to sleep. Redswift takes the first watch. Test your Luck; a 7 fails.

You have been asleep for only two hours when an eerie howl pierces the night air, waking you up. You see Redswift immediately stoke up the fire and Stubb run to his side, ready for battle. Suddenly you hear a twig snap behind you and you turn round to see a large beast about to leap on you. Its long hair and sharp teeth glisten in the firelight, and you realize it is a WEREWOLF. You must fight it.

WEREWOLF Skill 8 Stamina 10

This is a tough enough fight for you that I'm pausing for votes on how to use Luck here.

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 5/16
Luck 5/11
Provisions 0
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
148 Gold Pieces
Air elemental protection spell
Deaths: 4 (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, converted into Provisions by a hungry werewolf)

[Darth Rabbitt]

Luck is more likely to hurt us then help us here. I wouldn’t risk it.