[Let's Play] Fighting Fantasy 69 – Crystal of Storms

[deaddmwalking]

Gutnit. 219

[Thaluikhain]

Cutting open the stomach is too random to not do.

[Beroli]

Cut it open.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; cutting open the creature’s stomach and seeing if it’s eaten anything interesting.

219
You use your sword to cut open the creature’s stomach. You know such reptiles have a reputation for eating any old thing they find. You hold your nose and search through the stomach contents, finding a Potion of Might and a copper ring. (Add these to your Adventure Sheet. The Potion of Might will add 2 points to your Attack Strength for the duration of one battle.)
     You return to the water and heave open the library door. Turn to 18.

18
The lower areas of the library are waist deep in water. Books float by in shoals. The upper levels are dry, though, so you make your way there.
     You wade between the shelves. Suddenly you hear strange noises coming from … well, you don’t quite know where. It sounds like chanting, with the occasional shuffling and banging sound. You follow the sound and it takes you to a section of bookshelf. The sound is coming from directly behind it.
     You check the bookshelf for handles. Then you study the books carefully. You notice that there are four dotted across the shelves that have very similar spines. You decide to reach for one to see if it will help solve this conundrum. Do you reach for:

Tooth and Claw: Famous Fights to the Death?     Turn to 45.
Winged Menaces: Death from Above?     Turn to 89.
A Sting in the Tale: A Collection of Unexpected Endings?     Turn to 239.
Denizens of the Deep: Aquatic Beasts and How to Kill Them?     Turn to 341.

If you don’t want to pick up any of the books, then there’s nowhere else to explore in the library and so turn to 92 to return to the Nimbiferous Chamber.

Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
Icarus Morningstar
SKILL: 11 INITIAL SKILL: 12
Bathysphere SKILL: 11
STAMINA: 10 INITIAL STAMINA: 20
Bathysphere STAMINA: 2
LUCK: 10 INITIAL LUCK: 12
ITEMS:
Clothes
Backpack
Lantern
Hovers
Calming Potion
Coin Bag
Methedus’s Shard
Aeronaut’s Helmet (+1 SKILL, can go above Initial level, -1 damage taken on a roll of 5 or 6)
Hand Axe
Incus Ledger Page
Fire Oil (3 STAMINA damage to opponent if used at start of battle)
Corrosive Grapes
Strange Brass Rod
Silver Goblet
Potion of Power (+2 Attack Strength for one combat, +3 STAMINA)
Waterproof Firesticks
Greater Healing Potion (+5 STAMINA)
Conch
2 Potions of Might (+2 Attack Strength for one combat)
Copper Ring
GOLD: 13
PROVISONS:
None
WEAPONS:
Short Sword
Ornate Dagger (+1 Attack Strength)
War-Hammer (-1 Attack Strength, +1 Damage)
Crab Pincer (-1 Attack Strength, +1 Damage)
CODEWORDS:
Hazi
Bubble
Nimbi
HOME ISLAND: Cumulus
RESURRECTION USED: No

[deaddmwalking]

Drink Greater Healing Potion. Reach for 'a Sting in the Tale'.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; reaching for the book titled A Sting in the Tale: A Collection of Unexpected Endings, and drinking the Greater Healing Potion, since there were votes to do so.

239
You remove A Sting in the Tale: A Collection of Unexpected Endings from the shelf. There’s a click and something shifts. Before you can investigate it, a GIANT SCORPION emerges from behind a bookcase and, tail raised and stinger shining, it skitters towards you.

GIANT SCORPION     SKILL 10     STAMINA 10

If you win, turn to 373.

The fight:
Round 1: Giant Scorpion Attack Strength: 20, Player Attack Strength: 19
Helmet Roll: 4, Giant Scorpion Stamina: 10, Player Stamina: 13
Round 2: Giant Scorpion Attack Strength: 18, Player Attack Strength: 21
Giant Scorpion Stamina: 8, Player Stamina: 13
Round 3: Giant Scorpion Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 21
Giant Scorpion Stamina: 6, Player Stamina: 13
Round 4: Giant Scorpion Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 20
Giant Scorpion Stamina: 4, Player Stamina: 13
Round 5: Giant Scorpion Attack Strength: 17, Player Attack Strength: 21
Giant Scorpion Stamina: 2, Player Stamina: 13
Round 6: Giant Scorpion Attack Strength: 15, Player Attack Strength: 18
Giant Scorpion Stamina: 0, Player Stamina: 13

Icarus Morningstar manages to kill the Giant Scorpion with the ornate dagger, but takes a lucky hit of 2 Stamina damage that the Aeronaut’s Helmet does not block.

373
With a shudder, the Giant Scorpion curls up and dies. You cut off its stinger and carefully store it in your bag. (Add the stinger to your Equipment List. It can be used to coat your weapon with poison for one battle only; however, your weapon will cause 1 extra point of damage with every successful hit for the duration of that battle.)
     Now you can investigate the clicking noise you heard before the creature appeared. You test the bookcase and find that part of it now swings back, revealing a set of wooden stairs spiralling downwards.
     Taking care, you head down. Turn to 292.



292
You descend a couple of floors and then come to a dingy tunnel. It’s lit with small torches. Someone’s been this way recently.
     You move ahead. Suddenly there’s a whooshing noise at around head height.
     Test Your Skill. If you are Successful, turn to 34. If you are Unsuccessful, turn to 248.

Rolling the dice yields a 6, which means that Icarus Morningstar is Successful, to nobody’s surprise.

34
You duck and roll as a blade swishes over your head. You might have got a slight haircut, but otherwise you’re unharmed. You wonder why anywhere in the Citadel would need such a trap to protect it.
     You’re still wondering this as you walk forward and get slightly scorched by a fireball spat out by a statue embedded in the wall. (Lose 1 STAMINA point.)
     Make that traps.
     You move ahead extremely cautiously. Turn to 210.

210

There’s a small robed figure standing at the centre of the circle

There’s a strange green light emanating from the area ahead. You can hear indistinct muttering and see a large shadow on the wall. You grab a flickering torch from the wall with one hand, keeping your weapon drawn in the other.
     You enter the room ahead and can see four large storm crystals at the four compass points of a circle, which are covered in arcane runes, and other miscellaneous objects. You hold up the torch and see that all the storm crystals are broken. There’s a small robed figure standing at the centre of the circle. It turns and raises its hand towards you. A strange device on its wrist shoots out a net, which closes around you tightly. You’re not going anywhere.
     Your attacker shuffles closer and you realize it’s Vizigg, the Goblin Elder Technomancer. He looks in a bad way, and there’s blood all over his robe.
     He peers at you. “Where did you come from?”
     You tell him that you came from the surface and you’re here to bring those who caused the crash to justice.
     He begins to laugh. Turn to 272.

272
Vizigg laughs so hard that he has to sit down to regain his breath.
     ”Well, you’ve found them, Officer. I’m the one who brough the Nimbus down. But believe me, if I had not done so, things would’ve been a lot worse for Pangaria. These measures I took might have been extreme, but they were necessary in order to protect our archipelago and the world beyond.”
     You ask him what happened.
     “You have taken a great risk in coming down here, and I’m sure it was no easy task, so I will assume that your intentions are honourable. As you are aware, Officer, I helped maintain the technomancy that keeps Pangaria aloft. When I retired, I kept my honorary title, but Krazic, one of my brightest and most ambitious apprentices, eventually became Chief Engineer, responsible for the day-to-day running and maintaining of the technomancy.
     “I received word that Krazic had been taking an interest in Commander Mathias Talliman, a survivor brought to Incus from a wrecked Khullian warship. Together they had hatched a plan to use the secrets of Pangarian technomancy to develop weapons of war within Krazic’s private workshop in the Nimbus.”
     You tell him that you have discovered some of this yourself, during your investigations.
     Vizigg looks impressed. “Then you are a better Sky Watch officer than most!” He fiddles with his wrist contraption and the net loosens and retracts, returning to the sheath on his arm. You rub some feeling back into your limbs.
     If you have the Codeword Boreas on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 98. If not, turn to 284.

Icarus Morningstar does not have the codeword Boreas on his Adventure Sheet.

284
Now it’s your chance to ask the ancient Goblin a few questions.
     To ask what has befallen him, turn to 11. If you want to ask him why the Nimbus crashed, turn to 82. If you want to ask about the ward on the Great Hall door, turn to 338. If you want to ask what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals, turn to 59.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
Icarus Morningstar
SKILL: 11 INITIAL SKILL: 12
Bathysphere SKILL: 11
STAMINA: 12 INITIAL STAMINA: 20
Bathysphere STAMINA: 2
LUCK: 10 INITIAL LUCK: 12
ITEMS:
Clothes
Backpack
Lantern
Hovers
Calming Potion
Coin Bag
Methedus’s Shard
Aeronaut’s Helmet (+1 SKILL, can go above Initial level, -1 damage taken on a roll of 5 or 6)
Hand Axe
Incus Ledger Page
Fire Oil (3 STAMINA damage to opponent if used at start of battle)
Corrosive Grapes
Strange Brass Rod
Silver Goblet
Potion of Power (+2 Attack Strength for one combat, +3 STAMINA)
Waterproof Firesticks
Conch
2 Potions of Might (+2 Attack Strength for one combat)
Copper Ring
Stinger (+1 Damage dealt for one combat)
GOLD: 13
PROVISONS:
None
WEAPONS:
Short Sword
Ornate Dagger (+1 Attack Strength)
War-Hammer (-1 Attack Strength, +1 Damage dealt)
Crab Pincer (-1 Attack Strength, +1 Damage dealt)
CODEWORDS:
Hazi
Bubble
Nimbi
HOME ISLAND: Cumulus
RESURRECTION USED: No

[deaddmwalking]

I would like to know what he's doing with the broken storm crystals, first.

What weapon are we currently using? I thought we were using the warhammer, but if I understand correctly it deals 3 wounds when we are successful. Are we using the Ornate Dagger instead?

[JourneymanN00b]

The votes were to use the war-hammer if the enemy had 9 skill or less. Since the giant scorpion had 10 skill, Icarus Morningstar used the ornate dagger to get the +1 attack strength bonus.

[deaddmwalking]

The votes were to use the war-hammer if the enemy had 9 skill or less. Since the giant scorpion had 10 skill, Icarus Morningstar used the ornate dagger to get the +1 attack strength bonus.

Good deal. Thanks for confirming. That's smart thinking and I forgot that's what we decided.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well ask about the storm crystals, yeah.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes recognized; asking what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals.

59
You ask the Elder Technomancer what he’s trying to do with the broken storm crystals.
     “A ritual of repair, of course! Unfortunately, it’s been hard finding the right elements in this place. Hardly ideal conditions.”
     If you want to ask him why the Nimbus crashed, and you haven’t already, turn to 82. If you want to ask about the ward on the Great Hall door, and you haven’t already, turn to 338. If you want to ask what has befallen him, and you haven’t already, turn to 11. If you are done asking him questions, turn to 170.



Icarus Morningstar has not already asked him why the Nimbus crashed, about the ward on the Great Hall door, or what has befallen him. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

Prefer to ask Why the Nimbus crashed next.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote registered; asking why the Nimbus crashed.

82
When you ask Vizigg what happened to the Nimbus, he looks downcast.
     “I called the Sky Watch to the Nimbus in order to expose Krazic’s plan, but his weapon was more powerful than I had imagined. He turned it on us all. I had no choice but to overload all the storm crystals in the vicinity. It took down Krazic’s creation, yes, but the Nimbus with it.”
     To ask what befell the Technomancer, if you haven’t already, turn to 11. If you want to ask what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals, and haven’t already, turn to 59. If you want to ask about the ward on the Great Hall, and you haven’t already, turn to 338. If you are done asking him questions, turn to 170.

Icarus Morningstar has already asked what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals, but not what befell the Technomancer or about the ward on the Great Hall. Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[Beroli]

Ask him what happened to the technomancer. His constantly described body language suggests sincerity, but if he's going to suddenly attack us, the ward is most likely to set him off.

[deaddmwalking]

Yep. Twchnomancer.

[Thaluikhain]

May as well.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes registered; asking what befell the Technomancer.

11
You ask Vizigg about his condition. He looks down at his blood- and dust-covered robes. “I got pinned under some masonry during the fall. Crawled out eventually. But I doubt I’m long for this world.”
     If you want to ask him why the Nimbus crashed and haven’t already, turn to 82. If you want to ask what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals and haven’t already, turn to 59. If you want to ask about the ward on the Great Hall and haven’t already, turn to 338. If you are done asking him questions, turn to 170.



Icarus Morningstar has already asked what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals and why the Nimbus crashed, but not about the ward on the Great Hall. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[deaddmwalking]

I think we're going to have to go through that door and he can give us the codeword to do so. Let's ask about the ward.

[JourneymanN00b]

Vote acknowledged; asking about the ward on the Great Hall.

338
You ask Vizigg about the warded Great Hall.
     “After what went on, I couldn’t let what might still be alive in there get out. So, I warded it whilst I worked on a solution. The ward will only last as long as I do, and my strength is fading fast.”
     If you want to ask him why the Nimbus crashed, and haven’t already, turn to 82. If you want to ask what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals, and haven’t already, turn to 59. If you want to ask what’s happened to him, and you haven’t done so already, turn to 11. If you are done asking him questions, turn to 170.

Icarus Morningstar has already asked what Vizigg is doing with the broken storm crystals, why the Nimbus crashed, and what has happened to him, so Icarus Morningstar is done asking him questions.

170
You’ve heard enough.
     “Oh, by the way, what happened to Samuel?” says Vizigg, looking concerned.
     Who’s Samuel?
     “Giant Scorpion. You can’t miss him. On guard outside the … oh. Ah, never mind. I’m sure he died well.”
     You quickly ask Vizigg how you can help.
     “You are a brave soul to risk your life like this, but this is my mess. It’s up to me to repair it.”
     You tell Vizigg that you didn’t come down here to sit around and twiddle your thumbs while the place fills up with water and the air runs out.
     “Hmm, well, you are in better condition than me, that’s for sure, and perhaps there are places you can get to that I cannot. Very well. To finish the ritual, I need a copper ring, a silver goblet and a black candle.
     “Here,” he says, tossing you a greater healing potion. “This will help you more than it’ll help me.” (The potion will restore up to 5 STAMINA points.)
     If you have a copper ring, turn to 228. If you have a silver goblet, turn to 115. If you have a black candle, turn to 6. If you want to leave the Under-Library and go in search of these items, turn to 26.

Icarus Morningstar has a copper ring.

228
You give Vizigg the copper ring. He looks delighted. “Aha! Well done, Officer!”
     If you have a silver goblet, turn to 115. If you have a black candle, turn to 6. If you want to leave the Under-Library and go in search of these items, turn to 26. If you have given Vizigg all the requested items, turn to 206.

Icarus Morningstar has a silver goblet.

115
You give Vizigg the silver goblet. “That will do nicely,” he says, taking it from you.
     If you have a copper ring, turn to 228. If you have a black candle, turn to 6. If you want to leave the Under-Library and go in search of these items, turn to 26. If you have given Vizigg all the requested items, turn to 206.

Icarus Morningstar no longer has a copper ring and does not have a black candle. Because he has not given Vizigg all the requested items, he will leave the Under-Library and go in search of a black candle.

26
You decide that you need to explore a bit more.
     If you decide to go back to the bathysphere, turn to 136. If you want to go back to the Nimbiferous Chamber, turn to 194.

Please make your votes before 7:00 PM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

Adventure Sheet
Icarus Morningstar
SKILL: 11 INITIAL SKILL: 12
Bathysphere SKILL: 11
STAMINA: 12 INITIAL STAMINA: 20
Bathysphere STAMINA: 2
LUCK: 10 INITIAL LUCK: 12
ITEMS:
Clothes
Backpack
Lantern
Hovers
Calming Potion
Coin Bag
Methedus’s Shard
Aeronaut’s Helmet (+1 SKILL, can go above Initial level, -1 damage taken on a roll of 5 or 6)
Hand Axe
Incus Ledger Page
Fire Oil (3 STAMINA damage to opponent if used at start of battle)
Corrosive Grapes
Strange Brass Rod
Potion of Power (+2 Attack Strength for one combat, +3 STAMINA)
Waterproof Firesticks
Conch
2 Potions of Might (+2 Attack Strength for one combat)
Stinger (+1 Damage dealt for one combat)
Greater Healing Potion (+5 STAMINA)
GOLD: 13
PROVISONS:
None
WEAPONS:
Short Sword
Ornate Dagger (+1 Attack Strength)
War-Hammer (-1 Attack Strength, +1 Damage dealt)
Crab Pincer (-1 Attack Strength, +1 Damage dealt)
CODEWORDS:
Hazi
Bubble
Nimbi
HOME ISLAND: Cumulus
RESURRECTION USED: No

[deaddmwalking]

I'd like to go back to the Nimbiferous Chamber. While the page number is different, the last time we were there we had a choice about heading through the flooded passage (which we did) or going to the kitchens (which we did not do). I think that's the next order of business - maybe we can find a black candle there.

I'd like to recommend we save our Greater Potion of Healing, but we could use more stamina prior to our next fight. If we need to fight something, I think we should use our Potion of Power. +2 STR can't hurt, but the +3 Stamina might actually make a real difference. I'll bring it up if/when we have to fight, but mentioning it now so people who are faster than me can weigh in...

[Beroli]

Nimbiferous Chamber, since the bathysphere is now a deathtrap.

[JourneymanN00b]

Votes acknowledged; going back to the Nimbiferous Chamber.

194
You arrive back in the Nimbiferous Chamber. Will you:

Try the Great Hall door?       Turn to 301.
Go back to the half-flooded area near the library?       Turn to 236.
Go to the bathysphere?       Turn to 136.
Go to the kitchens, if you haven’t already?       Turn to 9.
Return to Vizigg?       Turn to 52.



Icarus Morningstar has not already gone to the kitchens. Please make your votes before 9:00 AM PDT or a choice receives 3 votes to guarantee that they will be counted.

[morgan13]

I'm going to try the Great Hall door, it seems like the most safe choice for now...

[Beroli]

Kitchens.