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

[Thaluikhain]

Help him, yeah.

[Beroli]

You lie down and lean over the edge of the pit, and tell the Dwarf to grab your arm. Much to the annoyance of the spectators above, the Dwarf escapes from the pit. You run together back to the junction where the Dwarf turns right. You tell the Dwarf that you intend to carry straight on to find the Snow Witch, as turning right will lead you back to the hall of worship. The Dwarf tells you that he must escape quickly and return to his village now that he is free. He thanks you for helping him and hands you a leather bag, then runs off; but before he disappears, he turns and shouts, ‘Beware the White Rat.’ You open the leather bag and find a sling and three iron balls. You pack them away and set off along the tunnel.



The tunnel through the glacier soon leads into the mountainside itself and the walls change from ice to bare rock. You enter a large cavern which has three other exits leading from it; one to your left, one to your right and the main one, carved as a giant skull, lying directly opposite. As you enter, an ugly robed man steps out of the mouth of the skull, holding a glass prism in his outstretched hands. He commands you to turn back as only the Snow Witch’s personal servants are allowed inside the mountain.

Tell him you have been asked to come and play your flute for the Snow Witch?
Attack him?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 14/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 5
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Warhammer
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Mysterious Runecarved Stick
Sling
3 iron balls (sling-sized)

[Thaluikhain]

We've come to play the flute, yeah.

(Also, couldn't the dwarf promise to come back with an angry horde of dwarves or something?)

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to submit to Robert Scott's psychopath tendencies and gut the ugly robed fascist.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Kind of want to try the flute bluff again.

[Queen of Swords]

Sure, let's try the flute story again. We can always fight him if it doesn't work.

[Beroli]

Claiming to have been summoned to play the flute wins 3-1.

The man nods his head and tells you to follow him. He walks toward the left-hand exit and points down the tunnel, telling you that the Snow Witch's chamber is at the end.

Walk into the tunnel?
Draw your sword and attack him?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 14/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 5
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Warhammer
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Mysterious Runecarved Stick
Sling
3 iron balls (sling-sized)

[Darth Rabbitt]

IIRC the left door is the one we got a game over in when JN ran this. So I’m in favor of attacking.

[JourneymanN00b]

I once again vote to gut the fascist with the Robert Scott's sword.

[Beroli]

The ugly man sneers as you draw your sword; he rubs the prism, and suddenly three identical images of himself appear. They walk towards you, each one has a dagger raised in his right hand. Two of the images must be illusions, but which will you strike with your sword? Left, middle, or right?

(Going down the left passage leads to him, after the grill is closed, sneering at you, "You thought I'd buy that when you obviously aren't wearing a collar?")

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 14/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 5
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Warhammer
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Mysterious Runecarved Stick
Sling
3 iron balls (sling-sized)

[Queen of Swords]

Without any clues to go on, try the left figure first.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Personally I’d stab right since the only piece of information we have is that his dagger is in his right hand.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to stab the right figure in order to exterminate fascism.

[Beroli]

Attacking the righthand image wins 2-1.

The Illusionist screams in pain as your sword cuts into his side. He drops to the floor as his other two images fade away. As you step over him, he starts to laugh and stands up, his wound completely healed.

Stab him again?
Smash his prism?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 14/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 5
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Warhammer
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Mysterious Runecarved Stick
Sling
3 iron balls (sling-sized)

[Queen of Swords]

Smash his prism.

[Thaluikhain]

Going to quote myself from last time (which I don't think is cheating because it's the obvious thing to do, and allows for a relevant movie reference)

Half vote for middle.

Somehow missed that we'd passed that vote, smash prism. And make inarticulate Arnie noises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLr1f84fj8U

That film came out the same year as this book, so yeah.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Smash his prism.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to smash his prism.

[Beroli]

You pretend to give up the fight and then suddenly leap at the Illusionist. Catching him momentarily off guard, you manage to snatch the prism out of his hands and throw it on to the floor. It shatters into tiny pieces and the Illusionist turns and flees into the skull mouth, screaming at the top of his voice. Smoke rises from the shattered fragments of the prism, and forms itself into the shape of a bald fat man – a Genie! Hovering in mid-air, he bows and thanks you for releasing him. He tells you that if you call on him, he will make you invisible, just once, as a token of his gratitude. Without saying another word, the image shimmers and disappears. You now have to decide which way to head.

Left tunnel?
Skull mouth tunnel?
Right tunnel?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 14/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 5
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Warhammer
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Mysterious Runecarved Stick
Sling
3 iron balls (sling-sized)
Invisibility wish

[Darth Rabbitt]

We know the left tunnel is a trap, so take the right tunnel?

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to enter the skull mouth to reject fascism and take the centrist path.

[Beroli]

Need a tiebreaker.

[Queen of Swords]

I'll go with the skull mouth.

[Beroli]

Going into the skull mouth wins 2-1.

The tunnel soon leads into another cavern where you see a huge, white-bearded man wearing white furs, lifting a wooden chest onto a high shelf. He is a FROST GIANT. There is only one other exit from his lair, via a tunnel in the opposite wall.

Frost Giant.PNG (147.73 KiB) Viewed 349 times

Run through his lair into the tunnel opposite?
Attack him?

Adventure Sheet:
Robert Scott
Skill 11/11
Stamina 14/16
Luck 10/11
Provisions 5
Sword
Leather armor
Backpack
Warhammer
Cloak
Amulet of Courage
Magic Flute
Mysterious Runecarved Stick
Sling
3 iron balls (sling-sized)
Invisibility wish

[Queen of Swords]

Attack him to get whatever's inside the wooden chest.