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Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

Maugrim posted:

Getting kettled is a bad idea, whereas gambling may recover some of our gold. Head for Knucklebone Lane.

It's gotta be either gambling or punching, and either sounds entertaining!

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Toplowtech
Aug 31, 2004

Yeah, Knucklebone Lane sounds like a street name in a beat'em up.

Guy Fawkes
Aug 1, 2014

Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

Maugrim posted:

Getting kettled is a bad idea, whereas gambling may recover some of our gold. Head for Knucklebone Lane.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Kettle Street, the perfect side street for revenge defeating servants of evil.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


Runcible Cat posted:

It's gotta be either gambling or punching, and either sounds entertaining!

Knucklebones are the anklebones of sheep, used to play a game of the same name (also known as "jacks"). It's a children's game.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


Guy Fawkes posted:

Knucklebone Lane.

Rune War posted:

This litter-strewn street leads to a circular watchtower located at the place where Duadon’s south and west city walls meet. On your way towards the tower you pass several spice and condiment shops, an art gallery, and a boot-makers’ warehouse. Outside the entrances to each of these establishments there stands a hawker who tries to entice you inside with the promise of incredible bargains. You resist their inducements until you come to a gaudily-painted emporium selling rugs and tapestries. A smooth-tongued girl begs you to enter and view the shop’s wares, promising that you are under no obligation to buy. She says the owner will be willing to answer any questions that you may wish to ask of him.
Do we go in or keep walking?

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
Why yes, I would like more content, please. Maybe we can get embalmed again!

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice
First of all, we need no rugs. Second, never trust a big butt and a smile smooth talking girl. Keep walking.

achtungnight
Oct 5, 2014
I get my fun here. Enjoy!
Go in. McGuffin check!

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

achtungnight posted:

Go in. McGuffin check!

And might as well see if we can get directions while we're there!

Comstar
Apr 20, 2007

Are you happy now?

achtungnight posted:

Go in. McGuffin check!

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


achtungnight posted:

Go in. McGuffin check!

Rune War posted:

The emporium is filled with exotic rugs and unusually fine wall coverings. It strikes you that the quality of these goods is uncommonly high, far better than one would normally expect to find in a back-street shop such as this. It is not until you take a closer look at the tapestries that you realize that these goods have all been looted from rich estates and churches in Salony, Lyris, and Delden.

The owner approaches and asks what you have to sell. Clearly he assumes that you have come here to dispose of some war booty. ‘I’ve nothing to sell,’ you reply, ‘but I would be grateful for some information. Can you tell me the way to Flank Street? I understand that it is somewhere in the Northern Quarter.’

We roll: 1.

‘Bah!’ retorts the shop owner. ‘If you’re not here to buy, and you’ve nothing to sell me, then you’d better go. I’ve not time to waste on the likes o’ you!’

As you are leaving the emporium, the girl apologizes for her master’s quick temper. She is about to give you directions to Flank Street herself when the shop owner suddenly intervenes and pulls her away. ‘I said go!’ he barks, and then he pushes you out of the door and slams it shut. With a shrug of your shoulders you walk away from the shop and continue along Knucklebone Lane.

You reach the end of Knucklebone Lane and turn right into a street called Flank Wall. The signpost bearing its name is topped by a brass badge shaped in the likeness of a setting sun, indicating that you are now entering Duadon’s West Quarter.

You walk along Flank Wall, past the workshops of hatters, lamp-makers, and potters, until you come to a flagstoned square in the shadow of the city’s West Gate. An unending stream of wagons, each piled high with timber and iron ore, pours into the city through this gateway. They trundle across the square and along a wide thoroughfare called Corvayl Avenue which leads directly to Skull-Tor. You stop to look along this busy street and, through a hazy curtain of acrid smoke, you catch your first glimpse of the imposing arched entrance to Vandyan’s stronghold. It resembles the toothed and fleshless jaw of a huge shark.

You resolve to avoid Skull-Tor and continue along Flank Wall, yet in order to do so you must negotiate the heavy traffic that is trundling across the West Gate square.

We roll: 6 + 2 (G. Huntmastery) = 8.

You wait until a gap appears and then you rush forward and dash between the trundling supply wagons. The driver of an oncoming wagon lashes his horses with his whip in a deliberate attempt to run you down. But the swiftness of your reactions saves you from being trampled and you reach the far side unscathed.

The driver brandishes his whip and yells that he will report you to the reeves at Skull-Tor. Rather than run the risk of being arrested, you melt away quickly into the crowded street that lies beyond the West Gate square.

You follow the street until you come to a watchtower located at the northwest corner of the city wall. Here it curves sharply to the east and passes beneath a stone arch which denotes the boundary of the city’s Northern Quarter. Beyond the arch, the street is lined with all manner of shops and premises, but not one of them is a cooperage.

At length, the street ends at a tree-lined plaza located near to the northern gatehouse. An iron post stands at its centre, affixed with arrowed signs which show the names of the surrounding streets. They all lead away from the plaza like spokes from the hub of a wheel. Your hopes rise when you see the name ‘Flank Street’ among them, and hurriedly you set off towards it.

Immediately upon entering Flank Street you notice a large green sign hanging above a nearby shop. It is shaped in the likeness of a barrel and reads: The Duadon Cooperage. At last you have found the place you have been searching for, and confidently you push open its double doors and enter.

The cooperage is stacked to the ceiling with barrels, kegs, vats, and casks. They form a wall around a broad-shouldered man with thinning grey hair who is busily fitting a hoop of metal to a new water butt. You approach him and ask if his name is Hulsta.



‘Aye, I’m Hulsta,’ he replies, wearily, ‘and you can go back to Captain Zharm and tell him that his barrels will be ready tomorrow at noon, like we agreed.’

‘But I’m not from Captain Zharm,’ you reply.

Hulsta laughs and then apologizes for his mistake. ‘Well, trooper,’ he says, ‘how can I help you?’

‘I’m looking for a barrel of a special kind. A very special kind. It must be a barrel made from Sommlending oak.’

Upon hearing the password, Hulsta smiles and nods his head. ‘Well I’m sure I can help you there,’ he says, and he turns to summon one of his apprentices from the rear of the shop.

‘Here, Jyke,’ he calls, ‘you can finish this one. I’m taking this customer through to the workshop. You be sure to look after things while I’m gone. We may be gone a while.’

You follow Hulsta to the rear of his shop and out through an open door that gives access to a walled yard. At the end of this yard stands a large, timber-framed, two-storey building. The lower floor is a workshop and the upper level is where Hulsta and his wife live. You climb a flight of iron steps to the door of their living quarters, and Delissa greets her husband with a broad smile the moment he appears. Her smile quickly fades, however, when she sees you following behind.

‘Why’d you bring her up to the parlour? Can’t y’keep shop business downstairs where it belongs?’ complains Delissa.

‘Now, don’t go taking offence, my dear,’ replies Hulsta, soothingly. ‘She’s not what she seems. She’s the one we’ve been waiting for. She’s Gwynian’s woman—a Kai—all the way from Sommerlund.’

‘My lady, please forgive me,’ says Delissa. ‘Pay no heed to what I said. I’m greatly honoured to meet you.’



‘And so too am I,’ echoes Hulsta, enthusiastically, ‘for you have arrived not a moment too soon.’ He asks why it is that you are dressed as an Eldenoran scout, and you take time to recount the events of your difficult journey to Duadon. When you have finished your account, Hulsta informs you of recent developments.

‘The numbers of Vorka leaving Skull-Tor have greatly increased during the last seven days. Vandyan’s power grows stronger by the hour,’ he warns. ‘My lady, you must enter Skull-Tor and destroy the runes tonight … else Varetta is doomed. The time is ripe for action. Vandyan and the Runes of Agarash are all together in one place. They are vulnerable now. We cannot be sure of a chance like this again.’

‘Very well, I shall do what must be done. But how can I gain entry to Skull-Tor?’ you ask. ‘I have seen Vandyan’s stronghold and it is truly formidable.’

‘Have no fear, my lady,’ replies Hulsta with confidence. ‘There is a secret way by which you can enter Skull-Tor unseen. It is an ancient way. Let me show you.’

Hulsta walks over to a bookcase and, from a secret compartment in its base, he takes out an ancient scroll. Delissa clears some space on a dining table and her husband carefully unfurls the yellowed parchment upon it.



‘One of my ancestors was an engineer who worked on the construction of Skull-Tor,’ says Hulsta. ‘These are his original plans—the only ones that remain in existence today.’

The parchment has faded with the passing of centuries, yet it still contains a wealth of information. Hulsta indicates the perimeter of the fortress’s inner keep, its great arch, and the location of several subterranean chambers. Of particular interest is the course of an underground river, which passes directly below the fortress, and a series of tunnels which connect Skull-Tor to remote parts of the city.

‘These passageways were constructed as escape routes for Prince Jiokara, the ruler who commissioned the building of Skull-Tor. Many have since been sealed off or have collapsed into the river, but there is one that still exists.’ Hulsta indicates its location on the map and you notice that it passes beneath the city’s Northern Quarter.

‘We can gain entry to this tunnel from the cellar of a building located on the corner of Cillan Square. I propose we go there tonight. I shall act as your guide and I will take you into Skull-Tor by this route. Once we have gained entry, you must complete your mission alone. I will stay in the tunnel and await your return. Then I shall bring you out of the tunnel and escort you to a safe place where we can await the arrival of the victorious Freeland armies.’

You voice your approval of Hulsta’s plan and he smiles. He is glad to have been given the chance to contribute to the downfall of the tyrant Lord Vandyan whom he despises. Before you set off, he excuses himself for a few minutes so that he may change out of his working clothes. While he is getting dressed, Delissa suggests that you may wish to visit their workshop.

‘We have many tools,’ she says. ‘There may be some that would be useful during your mission. You’re welcome to take whatever you wish.’
Shall we have a look at the workshop or just wait for Hulsta?

anakha
Sep 16, 2009


Like we'd ever pass up a chance to loot.

achtungnight
Oct 5, 2014
I get my fun here. Enjoy!
Search workshop for mcguffins.

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
We're gonna throw a barrel at a vorka. (check out the workshop)

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
We have a looting opportunity and we wish to use it!

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Check out more butts and bungholes in the workshop!

Mikl
Nov 8, 2009

Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!

anakha posted:

Like we'd ever pass up a chance to loot.

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

We're gonna throw a barrel at a vorka. (check out the workshop)

Guy Fawkes
Aug 1, 2014

Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense
Let's look in the Workshop. Maybe we could find something useful.

I'd love to find another Silver Bow, but I also fear that was one of a kind.

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

achtungnight posted:

Search workshop for mcguffins.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


Rune War posted:

Delissa takes you down to the workshop below the parlour, and she invites you to take your choice of the following tools that are hanging from hooks on the wall:
  • Hammer
  • Pliers
  • Pincers
  • Axe (Weapon)
  • Rope
  • Spike
  • Plane
  • Saw
All of the above, with the exception of the Axe, are Backpack Items. If you wish to take and keep any of them, adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
What, if anything, do we take (and what do we drop to make room)?


    Weapons:
  1. Bow
  2. Spear
    Backpack:
  1. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  2. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  3. Potion of Alether (+2 CS)
  4. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  5. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  6. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  7. Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)
  8. Potion of Alether (+2 CS)
  9. Kai Clothes (1/2)
  10. Kai Clothes (2/2)

Kai clothes cannot be dropped.

achtungnight
Oct 5, 2014
I get my fun here. Enjoy!
I was hoping there'd be something unique.

I say take nothing but if the opportunity comes up where something would have benefitted us please let us know.

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

Well that was dull. Lets proceed

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice

achtungnight posted:

I say take nothing but if the opportunity comes up where something would have benefitted us please let us know.

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe

achtungnight posted:

I was hoping there'd be something unique.

I'm pretty sure we haven't seen Pliers, Pincers, Spike, Plane, or Saw before.

But yeah, there's nothing useful here. This section looks like the gamebook equivalent of being able to pick up every cup and plate in a Bethesda game.

Darkest Auer
Dec 30, 2006

They're silly

Ramrod XTreme
Drop two Laumspur for a Hammer and a Spike. We're probably going to need to dig a hole through a wall or something and Elementalism won't help.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


achtungnight posted:

I say take nothing but if the opportunity comes up where something would have benefitted us please let us know.
Will do.

Rune War posted:

While you are waiting for Hulsta to return, Delissa offers you some food and a cup of freshly brewed jala. Gladly you accept the delicious beverage and sample some of her homemade pastries. There is sufficient food for 2 Meals, and Delissa encourages you to take some with you for the journey ahead.

After a few minutes, Hulsta reappears. He is now attired in clothing more suited for the exploration of underground tunnels, and he is also equipped with a rope and a lantern.

Hulsta bids his wife a fond farewell and she, in turn, wishes you good luck and godspeed. During your absence she will make arrangements for your escape from Duadon to a place of safety. ‘May Ishir protect you both,’ she says, as she watches you descend the steps and walk across the yard to the rear gate.

Running along the back wall of Hulsta’s yard is an alleyway, one of a thousand such passages that weave around the main streets of Duadon like capillaries around veins. It is dark now, and the alleys are unlit, yet Hulsta leads you expertly through the maze of narrow passageways. Soon you arrive at the rear of a three-storey shop where Hulsta stops to peer over the rear wall.

‘This is the place I showed you on the plans,’ he whispers. ‘I came here three months ago to make sure that it’s still possible to get into the old tunnel from here. It is, although since then a problem has arisen. The shop has a new owner, a saddle-maker, and he is fiercely loyal to Vandyan. We must get into the cellar without his knowledge.’

Hulsta checks that the coast is clear, and then he climbs over the wall and unbolts the rear door to let you into the yard. You discover that the shop is closed; there are no lights and its solitary rear door is locked. Hulsta suspects that the owner has retired early to bed. You examine the door and detect that it is not bolted. It is secured by a simple mortise lock.

We roll: 1 + 2 (G. Nexus) = 3.¹

It takes much longer than expected to open this simple lock. Unfortunately, the sound of you picking at the keyhole alerts the saddle-maker’s guard dog, and when you are able to release the lock and pull open the door, this vicious canine comes leaping through the doorway. It slams into your chest and knocks you backwards to the ground.

Guard Dog: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 18

Due to the suddenness of its attack, do not deduct any ENDURANCE points from your enemy during the first two rounds of this combat.
Braveheart: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 39
Guard Dog: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 18
Combat Ratio: 11+

We roll: 3
Braveheart: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 37
Guard Dog: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 18

We roll: 3
Braveheart: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 35
Guard Dog: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 18

We roll: 3
Braveheart: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 33
Guard Dog: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 7

We roll: 4
Braveheart: COMBAT SKILL 52 ENDURANCE 31
Guard Dog: COMBAT SKILL 25 ENDURANCE 0

Rune War posted:

Hulsta is shocked by the short yet vicious fight between you and the guard dog. He had no idea that the shop was guarded and he apologizes to you for not having checked beforehand. ‘Forget it,’ you say. ‘I just hope there’re no more nasty surprises in store for us when we get inside.’

Cautiously you step into the shop to find yourself in a kitchen. You make sure that it is empty before you beckon Hulsta to enter and close the rear door behind him. Once inside, your guide moves quickly to another door and pulls it open to reveal a flight of steps leading down to the cellar below. Before he descends, Hulsta pauses to light his lantern and then he leads the way.

The cellar is filled with the overpowering stench of tannic acid, a fluid used by the saddle-maker to convert his raw animal hides into leather. Hundreds of gallons are stored here in stout wooden casks that line the walls. Hulsta hurries past them to the southeast corner of the cellar where he drops to his knees. Carefully he places the lantern down on the floor and then he runs his hands lightly across the surface.

‘Ah, here it is!’ he says, locating something hidden beneath the dirt. He unsheathes a dagger and scrapes at the encrusted grime to reveal the outline of an old trapdoor. With your help, he prises open this hinged iron cover to reveal a dark shaft. You can hear the distant sound of water, and when Hulsta lowers his lantern into the opening, you see the floor of a passage less than eight feet below. ‘This is the tunnel,’ he says, excitedly. ‘It’s exactly as shown on the plans.’

Hulsta drops through the opening and you pass him the lantern. Then you enter the shaft and pull the trapdoor down behind you. It slams shut with a resounding clang.

This gloomy tunnel echoes to the far-off sound of rushing water and the occasional squeak of rats. Hulsta leads the way and you follow in his footsteps, taking care not to scrape your head against the low, mould-encrusted ceiling.

Soon the tunnel arrives at a junction where a wider passageway crosses it, running east to west. The sound of rushing water is louder here and you detect that it comes from a series of rusty iron gratings that are set into the floor at regular intervals, 50 feet apart. You peer through one of these gratings and see the surface of an underground river rushing away towards the east.

A smiling Hulsta beckons you to follow as he sets off along the passage. He is confident that you are on the right course and he says that you will reach the lower level of Skull-Tor in a matter of minutes. But you have taken barely a hundred paces when suddenly his hopes are dashed by the unwelcome sight of what lies ahead.

Hulsta groans when he sees that the passage ahead is blocked by a solid brick wall. He holds up his lantern and its yellow light washes over the uneven surface, illuminating mouldering mortar which is several centuries old. He taps the stonework with the hilt of his dagger and listens expertly to its dull note. ‘More than 3 feet thick,’ he mutters. ‘It’ll take time to dig through this.’

Delayed but undeterred by the wall, you and Hulsta try hard to think of a way to reach the tunnel beyond and you determine two possibilities. The first is to dig a hole in the wall just large enough through which to crawl. The second is to retrace your steps to the last floor grating that you passed. If you are able to remove this grating and drop down into the underground river, the current would carry you along. You could pass under the brick wall and then return to the tunnel through the first grating that you find.
Do we go through the wall or underneath it?


¹ The spike from Hulsta's workshop would have given us an additional +1 here, getting us out of the "worst result" bracket (0-3) and potentially letting us skip the fight. A dagger would also have worked.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Shouldn't take too long to get through it with a hammer or some tool like that. I hope Hulsta brought some tools with him.

Mikl
Nov 8, 2009

Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!
We've no time to waste. Let's go under, and tie ourselves with a rope.

We do have a rope, right?


Changed vote.

Mikl fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Nov 27, 2018

achtungnight
Oct 5, 2014
I get my fun here. Enjoy!
Going under usually works for this sort of obstacle in video games.

nelson
Apr 12, 2009
College Slice
Under

TooMuchAbstraction
Oct 14, 2012

I spent four years making
Waves of Steel
Hell yes I'm going to turn my avatar into an ad for it.
Fun Shoe
Good lord, that dog was a hero, lasting three rounds of combat despite being completely outmatched statistically. Speaking of statistics, I'm pretty sure it's also more dangerous, by numbers, than several ancient undead/demonic horrors that Lone Wolf faced early in his career.

Let's go through.

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
That dog must've been Cerberus itself to stand up to us for so long. Would Animal Mastery have helped us there?

Let's go through. No guarantee that there are grates on the other side, and there's always loot behind breakable walls!

Runcible Cat
May 28, 2007

Ignoring this post

Guy Fawkes
Aug 1, 2014

Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Good lord, that dog was a hero, lasting three rounds of combat despite being completely outmatched statistically. Speaking of statistics, I'm pretty sure it's also more dangerous, by numbers, than several ancient undead/demonic horrors that Lone Wolf faced early in his career.
And also capable of ignoring our mental abilities, what only supernatural creatures usulally could do.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Let's go through.
Agree.

Mikl
Nov 8, 2009

Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!
Changing my vote, because I remembered a reference.

Tiggum
Oct 24, 2007

Your life and your quest end here.


Decoy Badger posted:

That dog must've been Cerberus itself to stand up to us for so long. Would Animal Mastery have helped us there?
Strangely, no.


Rune War posted:

Quickly you locate the grating and Hulsta uses his dagger to dig out the grime that cements it in place. Once it is cleared, together you lift the grating away and peer down at the river flowing below. Hulsta is anxious about the depth of the water and so he ties a chunk of brick to the end of his rope and lowers it into the flow. When he withdraws it you are both relieved to see that the water here is little more than waist-deep. You are the first to enter the river, and then you take hold of the lantern to allow Hulsta to drop down behind you. Your Magnakai Discipline of Nexus protects you from the water’s icy chill, but Hulsta is not so fortunate. He gasps with shock when he enters the water and you realize that he will not be able to tolerate its freezing temperature for more than a few minutes at most.

Mindful of your companion’s discomfort, you hand him back the lantern and then lead the way along this circular channel. You are peering at the rough-hewn ceiling, seeking out the next grating, when suddenly you feel something brush against your thigh. You glimpse a trail of bubbles and instinctively you pull away, tugging your weapon from its scabbard as you recoil. Moments later, the scaly head of a large black serpent breaks through the surface and rears up before your face. Its venomous fangs glint in the lantern-light and its forked crimson tongue flickers wildly, sensing prey. Hulsta cries out in alarm as the great black snake jerks back its head and narrows its ghoulish green eyes. It is getting ready to strike.

Shall we use Kai-alchemy, Kai-surge, the Eye of Lhaz or none of the above?

Luigi's Discount Porn Bin
Jul 19, 2000


Oven Wrangler
Eye of Lhaz for sure!

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Mikl
Nov 8, 2009

Vote shit sandwich or the shit sandwich gets it!
:stare: at the snake.

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