[Let's Play] Sorcery Warrior 2 - Kharé, Cityport of Traps

[Beroli]

This is a continuation of the game started here.



Kharé: the city of chaos-–and gateway to the Baklands.

Below you, at the foot of the Shamutanti Hills, sprawls the walled cityport, slashed viciously by the great Jabaji River. Halfway down the hills, you pause to survey your destination. Legend has it that Kharé arose around the only ford across the Jabaji between Lake Lumlé and the sea. But this is an unlikely tale. More probable are the stories of river pirates camping in the area, waiting to ambush the small sailing vessels which carried their cargoes of fish between Lake Lumlé and the Kakhabad Sea. Whatever the reasons, Kharé grew.

As the camp became a village, and the village a city, Kharé became a magnet for the ne'er-do-wells of the Baklands and the Shamutantis. A multitude of malevolent creatures who would kill you for the laces from your boots drifted into the city. Their lawlessness gave rise to an elaborate system of traps devised by the inhabitants to protect themselves from the criminals who roamed the streets. This is how the city got its name: Cityport of Traps.

Your own goal lies well beyond Kharé which, knowing only its reputation, you would prefer not to pass through. But pass through you must, for elsewhere crossing the Jabaji is impossible. From your vantage point you can trace the fortified city wall which surrounds the cityport. Two gates open Kharé to the rest of the world. Before you is the South Gate, your only way in. And on the far side of the city is the North Gate, leading on to the Baklands.

Time is passing, and time is precious. You stride off downhill at a brisk pace, and reach the gate within the hour. It is locked.

Use the key presented to you by the Svinn chief?
Knock loudly for the guards?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 19/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: 1 Meal, Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox, key to Kharé's south gate
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to use the key, as this is probably a test to see if our hero passed the first book or not.

[JigokuBosatsu]

Use the key

[Thaluikhain]

Use the key.

[Beroli]

Taking the key from your pack, you carefully insert it into the lock. One by one the tumblers click. The door gives a little and you ease it open, peering cautiously inside. There is no one about.

You slip quickly inside and close the gate behind you. Damn! You have left the key in the lock outside. You tiptoe into the archway which covers the gate and hide in an alcove. There is no sound and you decide to venture out into the open. Your first cover is a building just inside the wall and you nip over to it. It is made of stone and the windows are barred. Looking inside you can see that the room is bare apart from a wooden bench, on which an old man is sitting.

Enter the building and greet the man?
Leave and continue onward?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 19/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: 1 Meal, Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to enter the building and greet the man.

[Thaluikhain]

Yeah, enter and greet.

[Beroli]

You try the door to the building. It is locked, but the key is in the lock. You turn the key and open the door, stepping inside. But as you do so, the door slams shut behind you and the key turns. You are a prisoner!

You are in a stone hut with barred windows. A bench against one wall is the only piece of furniture in the room and on this bench sits an old man. Dressed in dirty robes, he stands and greets you, holding out his right hand. You realize that this is his only hand as his left sleeve hangs limply by his side. 'And what brings you to this wicked place?' he asks. You tell him you are heading out of the city and he nods. 'Then I take it stranger, that you are a sorcerer. Indeed, this was my profession before fate – with a little help from an Ogre in the Schanker Mines – put an end to my ambitions and my career.' He indicates his missing limb. 'Only a sorcerer would know the spell to pass through the North Gate.'

You look a little puzzled. 'You know the spell, do you not?' he asks. When you still look puzzled, his eyes widen and he shakes his head. 'Then I'd better explain...'

He goes on to tell you that the North Gate is wizard-locked to protect the city from Bakland raiders. The magical lock opens only when a particular magical incantation is recited before it. Only the First Noble of Kharé knows the spell in its entirety, although its four lines are known, one each, by four leading citizens. This prevents each one from opening the gate alone, which ensures the security of Kharé. You ask him about these 'leading citizens' but he knows little of them. He has heard, however, that one is a scholar.

You ask him also about this building and he reassures you. Guards will return in a day or so to release you once they have verified you are not an enemy of the cityport.

You have no choice but to wait for them to return.

You wait for the rest of the day but the guards do not return. As night falls, you must decide what to do about food and sleep.

Eat a Meal?
Do not?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 19/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: 1 Meal, Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[Omegonthesane]

apparently we are incapable of learning from very immediately past experiences to e.g. take the key fucking with us after opening a door with it, having made that mistake once in the last 10 minutes before entering the prison.

Eat. Kharé might be d dodgy city but it's at least a city so hopefully there will be somewhere to get food.

[JigokuBosatsu]

Eat, maybe we can get a burger with Flanker later.

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote not to eat a meal here, as we should probably save our gold for items other than food.

[Beroli]

Eating wins 2-1.

You eat part of your Meal and give part of it to the old man. Restore 1 Stamina point.

You soon become sleepy. But how far can you trust the old man?

Curl up on the floor and go to sleep?
Stay awake, keeping an eye on your backpack?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 19/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[JourneymanN00b]

Our hero has already fallen into a trap. I vote for our hero to avoid another by staying awake and keeping an eye on his things.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense.

[Beroli]

You wait up all night, but no guards come. Lying down on his bench, the old man eventually drifts off to sleep. Take 2 damage for missing your rest. Do not take another 3 damage from hunger, since you did eat yesterday.

The guards return shortly after sunrise. Apparently they are satisfied you are no threat to the city and they release you and the old man. You both head on toward the city but he is a surprisingly brisk walker and has soon left you behind. You watch him turn right at the junction ahead.

You reach the junction ahead. This offers you three ways on. You are on the outskirts of the city and huts are grouped loosely about the tracks leading into the cityport. To the left a group of scruffy youngsters are walking away up the roadway with packs on their backs. Ahead, the road leads straight into the centre of Kharé and would appear to be the main road. To the right, you see the old man disappearing into a hut on the left-hand side of the track. Which direction will you choose:

Turn left?
Continue straight ahead?
Turn right?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 17/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[Queen of Swords]

Follow old man.

[Thaluikhain]

Makes sense, go right.

[JourneymanN00b]

Nope. I do not think following the old man is worth descending into fascism. I vote to go left to drive out fascism’s temptations instead.

[Beroli]

Going right wins 2-1.

You follow the road to a group of huts. The old man nipped inside a large, dirty-looking hut on the left.

Follow him?
Enter a hut opposite, from which an interesting smell is floating across the road?
Walk past the huts?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 17/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[Omegonthesane]

take a left turn in hopes that it avoids us drifting entirely into fascism.

[JourneymanN00b]

Okay, I also vote to chase the old man by going left.

[Queen of Swords]

Follow old man.

[Beroli]

http://i.imgur.com/foHLzvp.png

You walk up to the door. A name-plate in the middle reads CHAINMAKER. The door is ajar and you enter. No one is inside, but another door is open to the back of the hut. The room you are standing in is draped in chains of all lengths and strengths and you can barely move round without touching them.

Call out for the Chainmaker?
Have a quick look around the room while no one else is here?

Name: Jason Beckett Mordred
Sex: Male
Skill: 11/11
Stamina: 17/19
Luck: 10/11
Weapon: Sword
Inventory: Blimberry Juice (+3 Stamina), beeswax, silver key, Borrinskin boots, Ragnar's Armband of Swordmastery (+2 Attack Strength when using a sword), 2 backup swords, torch, tinderbox
Gold Pieces: 14
Libra's Favor: Not yet used in this adventure
Notes: You can call on Vik for help in Kharé; Flanker will be your friend in Kharé

[JourneymanN00b]

I vote to take a quick look around the room.

[Thaluikhain]

Half vote for calling out for the chainmaker.