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Page 329 posted:You were optimistic. It takes you nearer two hours to smash a hole large enough to squeeze through. As you stand on the ledge, panting with exhaustion and with sweat pouring off your body, there is a movement from inside the tomb. Failing any of these options is fatal, so: Page 413 posted:The warmth of your grip awakens the spark of life in the golden manikin. Dropping from your hand to the ledge, it takes in the situation with a single haughty glance. You wonder how anything so small could help against the flying cobra, but the Man of Gold was fashioned by a god and is far more powerful than you could imagine. As the cobra comes swooping to attack you, the Man of Gold leaps up and seizes its tail, dragging it down to the ledge. The struggle is brief. After casting the lifeless body into the river, the Man of Gold makes a gesture of farewell and then dives off the ledge itself. You hear it fall with a short heavy splash, and by the time you look over the edge it has sunk without trace. The Man of Gold is one-step solution to a truckload of puzzles in the game, so we'll just pretend it's still in our inventory as we move forward to see what fun things it can do. Page 339 posted:You find yourself in a narrow chamber. The air of the tomb is thick with the smell of old incense. In the faint light shining in from outside, you see an upright sarcophagus set against the far wall. Stylized features moulded into the sarcophagus lid suggest a woman in the raiment of a priestess. Then you notice that in her arms she carries two newborn children. Would you like to adventure? Y/N Page 427 posted:Covering your mouth and nose, you sift through the moldered remains. You find a shell necklace and an ivory ring adorning the corpse as jewellery. Inside the shattered remnants of the mouth rests a jade bead intended for the dead woman’s soul to purchase its passage into the afterlife. Her babies have no such beads — conventional lore says that they are too young to have souls. You feel sad for them, seeing the tiny little skeletons clutched so hopelessly to the mother’s dead breast. Even across the gulf of centuries, it is a scene poignant with deep tragedy.  : LOOOOOOOT....? : Feels bad, man.Page 167 posted:The two demons continue their senseless chortling as they paddle you away from the rock tombs. It is as if they share some private joke – and you have the unpleasant feeling that the joke is at your expense. Page 236 posted:A gust of wind carrying a rotting miasmal stench tells you that you are approaching the end of the tunnel. The demons steer along a side passage towards a patch of grey daylight, emerging under a sky the color of wet limestone. This tributary of the river is barely more than a muddy trickle. The rank smell hangs over a dreary expanse of marshland which stretches off into the distance. No matter which way you look, all you can see is a landscape of sour white clay covered with scum-covered ponds and grey tufts of reeds. Page 31 posted:The folktales of heroes who have ventured into the underworld are as fresh in your mind now as when they were first told to you in infancy. You know that on no account must you part with the bead until you reach the crossroads where four colored paths meet. The two demons are just trying to trick you. You make a curt gesture of dismissal and turn away from them. Page 53 posted:A dry raised path stretches off across the dismal marshland. You set off to find where it leads, and have not been walking long when you come across a tiny wizened man with large round eyes and a very long nose. He is lying by the side of the path in a clump of reeds, gasping with exhaustion. When he catches sight of you he raises his head weakly and says in a high-pitched whine: ‘I’m so thirsty. Please give me something to drink…’  : How about a hydra blood ball? Would you happen to have a hankering for one of those?
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Dec 12, 2015 04:07
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| # ? May 3, 2024 07:29 |
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Fetching water doesn't seem like it'll involve talking, so sure, help him out.
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Dec 12, 2015 11:30
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Underworlds are usually bullshit, but being generous to strangers in distress is generally looked upon favorably by most deities. Let's help the poor sap.
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Dec 12, 2015 14:51
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Page 284 posted:You bring some water back in your cupped hands. It is green with pond scum and smells like bile, so you are not surprised when the little fellow turns his long nose up at it. But then he clasps your arm and explains in a weak voice, ‘It’s not water I need, friend, but nice warm blood. Will you let me have a drop or two of yours? If not, I fear I’m doomed to end my days here in this cold ditch.’
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Dec 13, 2015 03:38
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Dude wants blood and we can't give him the hydra blood ball? Time to go.
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Dec 13, 2015 04:51
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Yeah this is totally a great idea. Let's get out of here. 
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Dec 13, 2015 05:39
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At this point I sorta suspect we're gonna end up losing blood either way. At least if we let him drink there might be a reward in it for us.
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Dec 13, 2015 05:52
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I reiterate: Generosity is super important, particularly in the realm of myth and legend. Drink up, weird-looking vampire thing; we have blood to spare.
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Dec 13, 2015 09:05
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One way gives us a codeword, let's take it.Page 395 posted:The little man bites your wrist and sucks at it as though savouring the juice of a plum. Lose 1 Life Point, but note the codeword Zaz on your Character Sheet. Page 307 posted:A bundle lies across the path ahead. Quickening your pace, you are startled when the ‘bundle’ suddenly raises its head. It is a dwarf with withered legs but very broad shoulders, wrapped in a long black mantle. His large ears and upturned nose give him a grotesque appearance, and you are on the point of hurrying past when he raises a long imploring arm. Could there be...ANOTHER codeword awaiting us?
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Dec 14, 2015 08:00
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Could they BOTH want blood? Get him some water in case he's a vampire hunter.
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Dec 14, 2015 10:56
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Seriously? Welp. Offering blood without specifically being asked for blood seems like it'd be a weird thing to do, so let's start with water.
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Dec 14, 2015 11:18
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Sharing for the sharing god but we should probably open with offering water because we don't want to come off as some kind of weirdo
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Dec 14, 2015 17:40
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Page 330 posted:By the time you return with a little of the river water cupped in your hands, the strange dwarfish man has disappeared. Presumably he has crawled off into the reeds. You scan the bleak landscape, straining your ears for the sound of someone sloshing through the wet mud, but to no avail. He looked so weak that he could not get far, but you are not keen to go wading off the path in search of him. At least you know that you tried to help. You fools! Good thing this is kinda post-book: 353 posted:He opens a vein in the back of your hand using his long sharp fingernails, then laps eagerly at the blood. His tongue is rough and rasping at first, but soon the discomfort and the stinging of the wound begin to fade. You guess that there is something in his saliva that has a numbing effect. Lose 1 Life Point and note the codeword Zotz on your Character Sheet. Page 373 posted:You continue westwards, trudging beneath the living world on a journey that will carry you to the lower reaches of the Deathlands. Any attempt to contemplate your bizarre situation threatens to bring on an attack of claustrophobic panic, so you try to think only of your quest for Morning Star. You swear you’ll give that wizard cause to rue the day he chose to work his wiles on your brother. That brings us here. Let's skip ahead a bit to 60. Page 60 posted:Page 60 posted: Man of Gold, or jade bead?
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Dec 15, 2015 08:35
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Here's where that bead starts to come in handy, hopefully. Walk on ahead.
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Dec 15, 2015 10:53
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We have the jade bead stolen from a corpse's mouth so let's use it.
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Dec 16, 2015 12:27
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Page 148 posted:The monster rushes forward on its strong stumpy legs, saliva pouring from its snapping jaws. You flinch back, expecting to feel a stab of pain as it sinks its teeth into your flesh, but it abruptly stops short as though it has run into an invisible wall. It is powerless to do more than growl and make futile threatening lunges in your direction, but you edge past cautiously all the same. Page 20 posted:There is a raft moored beside the jetty. It starts to move of its own accord once you have climbed aboard and cast off. You are conveyed across the lake. You are shivering because of the deep chill in the air here. The water stirs sluggishly in the raft’s wake, as though on the point of freezing. Page 58 posted:Perhaps you will find the answers to your questions in the shrine. You climb to the top of the steps, pausing for a moment at the threshold of the shrine. The entrance is a block of shadow, dingy with foreboding. But you have no choice. Bowing as every mortal must when in the presence of the gods, you go inside. The incense is the only useful item (besides the jade bead) to be plundered from the tomb. Everything else just fill inventory space. Page 82 posted:The god accepts your sacrifice and reveals the true path to you. You hear no words. Suddenly the knowledge is in your mind, where before there was confusion. You know that you must descend the steps back down to the lake — and then keep going. The route to the Deathlands lies under the water. Page 105 posted:The green-tinted stone of the staircase is almost invisible through the murky depths. You bite your lip as you consider the water of the lake. It looks almost resinous with cold. You cannot expect to survive long once you are submerged – you would freeze to death even before you had time to run out of air. Page 150 posted:Bitter life-sucking cold envelops you the moment you enter the water. The shock almost stops your heart. Lose 2 Life Points unless you have WILDERNESS LORE, in which case your hardiness inures you to the extreme cold and you lose only 1 Life Point. And here is where we advance to new territory. We croaked at this step the last time through and said goodbye to the lands of Death. Page 173 posted:You reach the circle of light and plunge through, relieved to discover that you have emerged into open air. It is cold here, but nothing like the deadly cold of the lake. Page 289 posted:In the mythology of your people, each of the cardinal points is associated with a colour. White is the colour of the north, the colour of mankind’s ancient ancestors, a place of lost memories. Red is the east, denoting birth and a return to fresh beginnings. Yellow is the southern route of misfortune and loss. And black is the west, where the Deathlands lie. That is the route you must follow. SPELLS nets the same result. White costs us a skill and the Poktapok codeword, red restarts the game with retention of a few codewords picked up along the way, and yellow empties our inventory excepting an item of our choice.[/i] Page 219 posted:The road takes you into a dingy region devoid of any feature except for a sheer cliff that stretches across the horizon ahead. You see someone in the distance, shining like a jewel against the drab surroundings because of his feather cloak and turquoise head-dress. Though you call out, he is too far away to hear you. As you hurry along the causeway, you see him reach the cliff and disappear into one of two cave mouths. I'll grant that while ETIQUETTE ended up being pretty useful on our run, FOLKLORE has justified its existence many times over. Page 379 posted:Legend states that a rich man can only enter the afterlife if led there by a poor man. Judging by his regalia, the figure you saw walking ahead of you was rich, and he evidently did not get rid of his money when he passed the idol or the bowl would not be empty. The sensible thing to do would therefore be to get rid of all your money at this point. Page 259 posted:You reach the cliff. It is a solid wall of smooth grey stone receding off towards the horizon to left and right, and bounded above by the shimmering surface of the water hanging overhead. There are two doorways into the cliff, each sealed by a gate of stout wooden bars held shut by an elaborate knot of rope as thick as your wrist. Page 259 posted:A knot unties itself and one of the gates swings open. No sooner have you gone through than it closes behind you. You proceed along a short tunnel to a chamber which is open on the far side, giving onto a ledge overlooking a river of foaming blood. You step out onto the ledge and look downriver. There is another ledge corresponding to the other doorway, and there you see the feather-robed noble who got here before you. Still having money, we enter the same side as the rich guy and aren't in a position to balance, thus requiring other approaches to the problem. Page 399 posted:The remorseless glare of the unearthly sun dazzles you both, forcing you to shield your eyes. Walking on, you come in sight of a kapok tree whose spreading branches poke up into the roof of water above the underworld. Several figures are resting in its shade. Well, that went on awhile. What's the plan?
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Dec 17, 2015 02:57
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Let's do the same as the noble guy.
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Dec 17, 2015 03:23
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We were told we could safely get rid of our bead when we saw a kapok tree, so let's get rid of it.
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Dec 17, 2015 04:57
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Page 59 posted:The drink proves cool and invigorating. Recover 2 Life Points if you are currently below your initial score. Page 200 posted:The nobles are discussing their route into the underworld. You are given to understand that at death most souls are conducted west across the world, entering the afterlife by means of the gate at the edge of the desert. This requires them to pass four sentinels whose duty it is to prevent the living from trespassing into their realm. You catch the name of the last of the four sentinels whom the nobles passed on their way here, a frightful demon called Grandfather of Darkness. Page 200 posted:You find a river – not of blood this time, but of cold pus-coloured fluid – and follow its course through pale rolling dales until you come to a massive stone arch. Peering inside, you see steps rising up along a tunnel that goes up through the layer of water roofing the Deathlands. From far ahead comes a shaft of true daylight. You have found the way back to the land of the living. Which one would you like?
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Dec 18, 2015 07:32
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Don't we have that codeword? Might as well see what it's good for.
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Dec 18, 2015 08:45
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We gave blood and have Zaz to prove it.
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Dec 18, 2015 10:33
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Let's do this with pi-zaz
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Dec 18, 2015 12:11
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Zaz! Blood calls to blood!
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Dec 18, 2015 12:24
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Page 244 posted:‘I’ll help you find out their names,’ says a familiar high-pitched voice in your ear. Page 336 posted:You reach the end of the tunnel and emerge into the open under a bright blue sky. The sun of the upper world blazes high in the heavens — a welcome change from the grey glare permeating the Deathlands, although you know that too long an exposure to its blistering rays may eventually leave you weak with thirst. Waves of heat rise around you off the baking sands of the great desert. Dunes stretch like the tops of clouds as far as the eye can see. This connects back to the overland route we took, a few waterskin checks ahead and past Olmek. We're a bit more equipped than previously, so let's readdress a few of those challenges we hit prior to the Poktapok game. Page 315 posted:You are taken to the back wall of the courtyard, where a colonnade gives respite from the intense sun. Beneath a frieze patterned like a rattlesnake’s skin, four archways lead on from here to the next courtyard of the palace. The courtiers give you wide grins and invite you to make a choice. What'll it be (again)? We're presently not down a skill, and plus a few extra inventory items compared to last time.
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Dec 19, 2015 02:39
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Mods, please change my name to Thunderbolt Laughter. And I dunno, clear the passage maybe?
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Dec 19, 2015 22:30
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Page 361 posted:You advance into the passage and start to examine the perplexing structure of wooden beams. The trick is to clear enough of them out of the way so as to be able to get past, but without bringing the whole passage down on top of you. It is like a child’s puzzle, only this is a puzzle with a deadly twist. You select one of the beams and dislodge it. As you haul it out of position, there is a crack and a thin trickle of plaster dust sifts down from the roof of the passage. You look up in alarm, heart skipping a beat, but the roof holds. This time. SPELLS lets us make a tiny magic replica to test the order of beams to move. But let's use our little treasure for this one. Page 131 posted:You have held back from using the Man of Gold until you really needed its power. Now the time has come. Holding the little manikin in your hand, you wait until you feel it beginning to stir and then place it on the floor of the passage. : Eh, whatever. Rock on, little golden dude!There's no way to avoid the Life Points loss in the House of Heat, but in the House of Bats... Page 225 posted:You spend the day crouched in the meagre shade afforded by the walls of the courtyard. At sunset, the courtiers lead you to the second of the five windowless buildings. When they open the door, you can see nothing but blackness inside. A waft of acrid air touches your face as you step inside. You get the impression of a high-ceilinged hall whose dark recesses are filled by rustling and high-pitched squeaks. Something like dust brushes your face. You put up your fingers and run them through your hair, then grimace when you see what is falling from the roof: lice. Page 432 posted:Your eyes can make out nothing in the inky darkness that enfolds you. As you squat down on the guano-spattered floor, there is a flap of leathery wings and the first of the bats comes fluttering down towards you. You put an arm up to fend it away. Then suddenly you feel a tingle of cold alarm as you realize someone is standing beside you. Pay 1 Life Point to pick up the codeword and restore one Life Point later, or just lose 1 to the bats. Anyhoo, we didn't pick up any other aids to help us through the trials, so let's just see what that Chalice of Life does to bring our bro back. Page 422 posted:You take out the chalice and hold it reverentially in your hands. If it is indeed Chalice of Life, it is the same bowl in which the Supreme God gave birth to mankind. Praying that it still has some power to work miracles, you set the chalice on the ground and place your brother’s skull within. : Bro! : Bro!: Fellas!: Why are you even still here?Page 42 posted:The ball contest is played in every city of the civilized world. It is much more than just a game. Its exponents travel far and wide, earning fame for themselves and glory for their home cities. The priests say that the origins of the contest lie rooted in ancient tradition, and it is said that the playing of each game is like the unfolding of a mighty spell. Portents for the future are read in the outcome. Losers are often sacrificed to the gods. : All for one-: And let's not die again!: That's a bit dire.: Try dying then get back to me.Page 65 posted:You think it might be worth going for a long shot along the arena as soon as the game starts. If you are lucky you might score a point straight away, thus gaining an advantage. In subsequent rounds you know you will have to play more cautiously —perhaps even allowing the attacking enemy player to get past you so that you can close in on the defensive player. Page 88 posted:The chief courtier comes forwards and puts the ball into your hands. ‘So we get to launch the first round?’ you say. ‘Very sporting.’ Following our insight- Page 156 posted:If you have the codeword Poktapok, you manage to send the ball soaring to strike one of the zones marked out along the top of the wall. You score a point; put a tick at the bottom of your Character Sheet. If we aren't able to resurrect our brother's skull or didn't save Stooping Eagle's life, our brother is halfway brought back from the dead to play on our side (and we acquire Shade. Halfway dead is much less effective than all the way alive. Page 179 posted:The ball bounces towards your partner, who slams it across the arena in your direction. Page 226 posted:Now it is the opposing team’s turn to serve. They send the ball skidding along the side wall in a long arc, and the enemy offensive player comes towards you. : Flip-six three hole!Page 249 posted:He advances past you and presses on into your own team’s defensive zone. We'll hit that * in a moment. Page 318 posted:You bear down on the enemy defensive player. Glancing back you see that the far shadow man has reached the far end of the arena, where your partner has managed to intercept the ball and get possession. You shout for him to bounce it along the wall towards you. Page 405 posted:You swing your elbow up in a perfectly judged blow that hits the ball high up against a scoring zone. : A tick in time - : ...: Anything?Page 66 posted:On a signal from the chief courtier, both teams return to the end zones of the arena. It is your turn to serve again. You raise the ball and consider your best tactics. The first team to reach seven points wins the contest. Page 89 posted:You aim the ball high up on the wall, so that it strikes the angle where the slope meets the vertical. As it rebounds in a long arc that carries it far out across the arena, you run forward and deflect it against the high-scoring zone on the opposite wall. Record your two points by putting two ticks at the bottom of your Character Sheet. So, with AGILITY, we can have the match won here. Otherwise, Necklace vaporizes our opponent and we proceed as previously. Lacking AGILITY or Poktapok to make it to the tick count, we can take a slightly different choice from above and go to - Page 364 posted:Your partner darts forward and succeeds in intercepting the ball. You see that he cannot keep possession for long with the enemy attacking player dogging his every move. ‘Send it over here!’ you yell at him. Page 423 posted:Do you have the hydra blood ball? Page 386 posted:Morning Star lobs the ball directly towards you. Timing your move perfectly, you hug it to your chest while substituting the blood ball. The standard scoring shot nets us two points, but who can say no to INSTANT VICTORY? Although I'm not really sure why the hydra blood ball is particularly better for winning. Page 43 posted:To your own astonishment as much as anyone else’s, the blood ball soars up and unerringly passes through the stone ring set in the middle of the wall. A howl of disbelief rises from the watching courtiers. They sound like hounds baying at the moon. : That feels...interesting?: Are we going to Disney World?: Even Epcot has not idea what we're about to do.One last vote!
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Dec 21, 2015 03:58
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Everything has led up to this moment where even the very universe itsself is on our side, bolstering us towards victory! Let's fart it away and do nothing. Tuxedo Ted fucked around with this message at 16:41 on Dec 21, 2015 |
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Dec 21, 2015 04:38
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We got a hint from the god earlier that we might not need to fight Necklace of Skulls as long as we defeated him. Let's wait and see what happens.
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Dec 21, 2015 05:07
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I can see which way the wind is blowing. Wait and see!
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Dec 21, 2015 08:41
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157 posted:You do not need to fight Necklace of Skulls. You have beaten him at every turn, and he knows it. ‘Listen to me, wizard,’ you call up to him. ‘You put dangers across my path, but I prevailed. Your courtiers tested me with their ordeals, but I survived. You conjured men of shadow to contend against me in the ball game, but I won. You slew my brother once, but here he stands beside me, alive again!’ Page 442 posted:As you and your brother cross the courtyard and pass through the palace gates, you can feel the ground shaking under your feet. You reach a dune and turn to look back. The pyramid and surrounding buildings are sinking into the sand. In minutes they have vanished entirely, and there is no sign to show that this was ever the spot where Necklace of Skulls dwelt among his bestial courtiers. You look around for the courtiers, but see only a pack of malnourished dogs slinking off amid the dunes.  And that's the end of Necklace of Skulls, book 4 of Virtual Reality Adventures. I'll leave this be for a few more days for any burning questions that may remain. Then we'll head on to Heart of Ice, the next book in the series. I'll drop a link in here (probably) when I do so.
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Dec 22, 2015 01:40
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I don't know if there's anything major you didn't show us, but what happens if you never resurrect your brother? Is the ending roughly the same if we try to kill the sorcerer?
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Dec 23, 2015 16:51
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I'm still curious what the other priests do for you.
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Dec 23, 2015 17:15
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The ending is essentially the same that we got the first time around. When playing Poktapok, you have either a resurrected Morning Star, Stooping Eagle, or a vaguely undeadish Morning Star as your partner. The latter 2 get vaporized when you win and you have to go at Necklace alone. You can choose to fight Necklace if you score 7 points with a resurrected Morning Start, but you need a sizeable chunk of Life Points (8, I think) to survive, regardless of the skills/approach you take. The last priest (Moon), encourages you to purchase a waterskin and will sell you an owl that's useful in an encounter or two (and bad in one more) as well as some general advice for the trip. There's a lot of material we didn't hit, but there aren't really any huge coherent sections we missed. There are lots of alternate routes through the story and a number of alternate solutions to most of the obstacles you'll encounter on your way.
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Dec 27, 2015 05:14
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That'll be it for Necklace of Skulls, Heart of Ice is up and running!
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Jan 4, 2016 06:07
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