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We started at the Kai Monastery and our destination, Holmgard, is roughly southeast of there, so going northeast seems like a dumb idea. Let's go straight east.
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Mar 14, 2017 08:31
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| # ? May 3, 2024 07:24 |
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East, and also there was an update at the bottom of the previous page.
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Mar 14, 2017 10:29
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The east argument sounds convincing.
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Mar 14, 2017 12:46
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Tiggum posted:We started at the Kai Monastery and our destination, Holmgard, is roughly southeast of there, so going northeast seems like a dumb idea. Let's go straight east. I'm glad someone's paying attention, otherwise I would've gone for NE! But I concur with East.
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Mar 14, 2017 18:12
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East it is!Page 113 posted:
Page 295 posted:You have continued your journey for about fifteen minutes when suddenly a black arrow whistles past your head and embeds itself in a tree. Instinctively you duck and draw your weapon. 
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Mar 14, 2017 18:15
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Run
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Mar 14, 2017 18:58
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''If you wish to stand still while an archer has a perfect shot on you...'' Run!
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Mar 14, 2017 19:11
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How is the one game version on Steam, anyhow? I was thinking of trying it.
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Mar 14, 2017 19:12
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Yup, the archer already has a bead on us. Run for it.
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Mar 14, 2017 19:15
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Cheese it!
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Mar 14, 2017 19:25
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Tallgeese posted:How is the one game version on Steam, anyhow? I was thinking of trying it.
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Mar 14, 2017 19:48
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Run
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Mar 14, 2017 20:21
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Run,
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Mar 14, 2017 23:40
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 Page 295 posted:
Page 92 posted:You dive for cover not a moment too soon, for a hail of black arrows scream out of the woods and bombard the area where you were standing seconds before. Pulling your cloak around you to blend into the dense bracken, you dash through the forest and away from the hidden ambushers as fast as possible. This entire area is infested by Giaks and you must escape as quickly as you can. You run without rest for over an hour until you happen to fall upon a straight forest path heading towards the east. You follow the path, taking care to keep watch for signs of the enemy. Page 13 posted:The path soon ends at a large clearing. In the centre of the clearing is a tree much taller and wider than any others you have seen in the forest. In general, if a choice is between 'loot' and 'don't loot', I'll choose the 'loot' option for you. I won't railroad you into danger, though, and I'll occasionally ask you just to Page 307 posted:Your climb is swift and easy. It reminds you of the many trees that you climbed and explored near Toran as a child, when you wanted to pick fruit or to look out over the beautiful countryside of Sommerlund. For now, the weapon is going into our quantum equipment. I'll explain how to extract it when we reach our first fight. Page 213 posted:You have been trudging through the forest for nearly two hours. The nagging fear that you are lost begins to seem a reality. Apart from the occasional cry of a Kraan in the far distance, you have seen or heard no evidence that the enemy is in this part of the forest. As you descend a rocky hillock, you see something unusual in the tangled woods ahead. Page 331 posted:Surrounded by thorny briars and closely packed roots, you see the entrance of a tunnel disappearing into the hillside beyond. It is approximately seven feet in height and just over ten feet wide. As you get closer, you can feel a slight breeze coming from the inky blackness. If the other end of this tunnel emerges on the far side of the hill, it could save you many hours of difficult climbing. But it could also harbour unknown danger.  Hey there! Glad you could finally make it.Re-encountering Goofus was inevitable at this point; the only way to avoid this page is to either take the right path on Page 1 or take the southern path immediately after on Page 141. I bet you're dying to know what happened while you were off being a nobody. Lemme fill you in...
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Mar 14, 2017 23:45
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So right off the bat, I knew where I was headed: to get the most fights! I could have gotten two fights in before getting here a bunch of different ways, but the way I chose has something very special. Lemme tell you all about it...Page 1 posted:At the foot of the hill, the path splits into two directions, both leading into a large wood. Page 275 posted:You have followed this twisting track for about twenty minutes when you hear the beating of wings high above the trees. Looking up you see a large Kraan approaching from the north, its huge black wings casting a gigantic shadow on the trees below. Pssh. I wasn't scared. But I wanted 'em to see me.Page 74 posted:The Kraan and its riders land on the track barely ten feet from where you are hidden. If I'd ran my butt off here, I'd have bumped into you a lot sooner. Of course, I wasn't going to.Page 138 posted:You prepare your weapon and advance to meet the enemy. There are two Mountain Giaks and you must fight them one at a time. Combat Analysis posted:Probability of victory: 100%. (Incidentally, if he had the relevant Weaponskill or Mindblast, his worst remaining EP would be 15, with a median of 26. If he had both, his worst EP would be 17 and his median 27.) Page 291 posted:The two Giaks lie at your feet, their bodies twisted and lifeless. A quick search reveals 6 Gold Crowns, 2 Spears, and a Dagger. Page 272 posted:Keeping a watchful eye on the sky above, you move quickly along the track. You recall that this route leads to Fogwood, a small cluster of huts that have been used by a family of charcoal burners for nearly fifty years. After twenty minutes you reach the edge of a clearing where the huts are grouped in a small circle. There is no sign of the usual mist of wood smoke which gives Fogwood its apt name, and the huts are unusually quiet. If our Lone Wolf had Tracking or had gone the other way when Tracking was called for, we'd have met Goofus here. Page 305 posted:Through the open doorway of the first hut, you can see the body of a charcoal burner lying face down on the rough stone floor. He has been murdered, stabbed in the back by a spear. All his furniture and belongings have been smashed and broken and not one piece remains intact. Sweet. I'm keeping this.Page 105 posted:In the distance, perched on the branch of an old oak tree is a jet-black raven. Pff. Talking to animals is lame.Page 335 posted:As you approach, the black bird flies off above the trees and soon disappears from view. You search the tree on which it was perched but find nothing unusual. Rather than waste any more precious time, you continue off along the track. Page 121 posted:After a few minutes walking you see a stranger, clad in red, standing in the centre of the track ahead. He has his back towards you, and his head is covered by the hood of his robes. Perched on his outstretched arm is the black raven that you saw earlier. But enough about me. What do you think I did next?
FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at 01:45 on Mar 15, 2017 |
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Mar 15, 2017 00:37
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Also, since having picked up a weapon at the monastery wouldn't be very useful for Goofus, who barely needs weapons, I've removed them from his quantum equipment. Which of the remaining items is most useful remains to be seen, but will probably be either the meals or the money.
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Mar 15, 2017 00:43
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Tallgeese posted:How is the one game version on Steam, anyhow? I was thinking of trying it. FredMSloniker posted:
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Mar 15, 2017 00:54
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I guess approach cautiously because this guy is
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Mar 15, 2017 00:56
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Goofus wouldn't attack a total stranger without engaging in trash talk first. Call out.
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Mar 15, 2017 01:24
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Not calling it yet; just wanted to mention that I found a bug in my program to calculate combat results, so I've updated the info in my previous post accordingly. (Generally speaking, I was underestimating success across the board.)
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Mar 15, 2017 01:44
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Added Space posted:I guess approach cautiously because this guy is If this is what you think I did, then...Page 309 posted:You have taken less than ten paces when the raven squawks a warning to the stranger. Turning to face you, the robed creature utters a piercing screech that freezes your blood and grips your stomach with fear and panic. It is a Vordak, a lieutenant of the Darklords and one of the undead. Within seconds, a host of Giaks appear at its side and attack you. You fight bravely but you are greatly outnumbered. You... blew... the call!Funnily enough, the more careless and the more violent options are both fine, though the fight you get for calling out is slightly harder. And since Goofus routinely makes poor decisions... Page 121 posted:If you wish to call the stranger, turn to 342. Page 342 posted:As your voice echoes through the trees, the stranger slowly turns to face you. Your heart pounds and your blood freezes as you realize that the stranger is not human. It is a Vordak, a hideous lieutenant of the Darklords and one of the undead. A piercing scream fills your ears, and the creature raises a huge black mace above its head and charges at you. Frozen with horror, you can also feel the Vordak attacking you with the force of its mind. At this point, we have to decide a few things about Goofus. For instance, we need to know if he has Mindshield. I'm going to say he doesn't for Reasons. We also need to know if he has Weaponskill. Given that it's not all that useful for him, I'm going to let him make the poor decision of taking it, but the lucky roll of having it for Sword, which will turn out to be the best choice, also for Reasons. Which means it doesn't apply in this fight, and he's 'only' at CS 17 for this fight. Combat Analysis posted:Probability of victory: 98.94%. Page 123 posted:As the creature dies, its body slowly dissolves into a vile green liquid. You notice that all of the grass and the plants beneath the smoking fluid are beginning to shrivel and die. A large valuable looking Gem lies on the ground near to the decaying body. Now that's why I came this way. Sweet, sweet loot.Page 304 posted:The Gem feels incredibly hot and burns your hand. Lose 2 ENDURANCE points. And stupid, stupid decisions. But we'll see why stupid later. Page 2 posted:As you dash through the thickening trees, the shouts of the Giaks begin to fade behind you. You have nearly outdistanced them completely, when you crash headlong into a tangle of low branches. Page 276 posted:Reaching for your weapon you manage to hack your way through the tangle of wood and twisted branches to the clearer forest beyond. Your cloak is torn in several places and your right leg is badly bruised above the knee. Going the other way would cost one more EP. Page 213 posted:You have been trudging through the forest for nearly two hours. The nagging fear that you are lost begins to seem a reality. Apart from the occasional cry of a Kraan in the far distance, you have seen or heard no evidence that the enemy is in this part of the forest. As you descend a rocky hillock, you see something unusual in the tangled woods ahead. Page 331 posted:Surrounded by thorny briars and closely packed roots, you see the entrance of a tunnel disappearing into the hillside beyond. It is approximately seven feet in height and just over ten feet wide. As you get closer, you can feel a slight breeze coming from the inky blackness. If the other end of this tunnel emerges on the far side of the hill, it could save you many hours of difficult climbing. But it could also harbour unknown danger. And that's where I met up with you. So which way are you gonna go?
FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Mar 15, 2017 |
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Mar 15, 2017 02:38
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Enter the tunnel. what's the worst that could happen?
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Mar 15, 2017 02:45
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Spend hours climbing a hill, or go inside for a while? No contest. Enter the tunnel.
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Mar 15, 2017 02:55
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Into the dark scary hole. How "hard" a fight is the Vordak, relative to other enemies you're likely to run into?
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Mar 15, 2017 03:19
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Seyser Koze posted:How "hard" a fight is the Vordak, relative to other enemies you're likely to run into? In this book? Combat Skill ranges from 5 (essentially a tutorial fight, the Giak who attacked Banedon) to 20 (an as-yet unencountered enemy; Goofus will attack it, natch). The average is somewhere around 14 or 15. (It's hard to say for sure because some fights are mutually exclusive, and some of those are just variants on the same opponent, plus some of them have Mindblast and/or Mindshield.) Endurance ranges from 6 (but with a nasty gimmick) to 90 (the sum of four opponents you have to fight on a single page, with an average CS of 14). The average is somewhere around 20 or 21, subject to the same caveat. So the Vordak is an above-average fight. It can, however, be avoided without needing a specific Discipline, by avoiding the first fight Goofus had. Anyway. Page 331 posted:If you wish to enter the tunnel, turn to 170. Fine, you scrub. See you on the other side.Page 280 posted:As you begin your climb, you hear the beat of wings approaching from the west. Kraan! By the noise they are making you estimate there are at least ten, perhaps more. You curse your bad luck, for the hillside offers no cover from the sky. If you are attacked during this difficult climb, you will find it nearly impossible to fight back and remain upright at the same time. Pff. Not turning back now.Page 327 posted:Within a few minutes, you can see the Kraan hovering over a hilltop behind you. At a quick count you can make out at least sixteen of these horrible creatures, each of which has at least two Giaks riding upon its back. They are armed with long spears and wear tall pointed helmets of dull bronze. You hear the excited grunts of the Giaks. They have spotted you. ...on second thought, there might be something cool in the tunnel. Yeah.Page 280 posted:
Page 170 posted:The tunnel is dark and the air is much cooler than outside. You carefully advance with one hand on the tunnel wall to aid your sense of direction. You have been in total darkness for three minutes when you detect the foul smell of decay ahead, similar to rotting meat. If you have a Torch and Tinderbox in your Pack, you may light the Torch to see your way ahead. We missed our chance to have collected a torch when we went east instead of northeast after collecting those Meals of Laumspur. That said, we do have one advantage here that Goofus does not. Weaponskill is actually useful for us, and we've had the opportunity to collect seven of the nine weapon types, which means that there's a good chance it'll be useful here if we take it. Also, I dunno why it notes that the Burrowcrawler is immune to Animal Kinship, as that Discipline doesn't do anything combat-wise unless the text says it does. Maybe Dever planned to have it give a bonus when fighting animals at some point? I dunno. Also also, while running the numbers in the combat simulator, I realized that always rolling a 6 actually gives our Lone Wolf worse results than the median! The way the Combat Results Table is arranged, a high roll helps you more than a low roll hurts you. So, to represent him having better-than-average luck, he will now get the 60th percentile result (i.e., the best result that's at least 40% probable), which I'll mark in the combat analysis. Speaking of which, here's the short version of the analysis: without Weaponskill or a Torch, our Lone Wolf would have a 98.47% chance of success, with a median remaining EP of 18 and a 60th percentile result of 20. With a relevant Weaponskill, that becomes a 99.90% chance of success, a median remaining EP of 20, and a 60th percentile result of 23. With that in mind, should we take Weaponskill or not? (Keep in mind that Weaponskill has a 20% chance of being for Dagger or Short Sword, which won't help us in this fight, but if we don't take it now, we can't until the next book!)
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Mar 15, 2017 03:39
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With the random weapon selection I normally feel like Weaponskill is a less likely bet than Mindblast, but given the special rules we're operating under here I'd have to say it seems like a good choice at this point. Jigi kor tukor-ogg odzik jigi kor zutgaz-zutag. Take weaponskill.
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Mar 15, 2017 04:04
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Stay in flux it sounds like we need neither weapon nor skill right now.
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Mar 15, 2017 04:09
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No Weaponskill just yet, as we're good on healing so taking a bit of damage isn't usually a big deal.
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Mar 15, 2017 05:31
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Bruceski posted:Stay in flux it sounds like we need neither weapon nor skill right now. We can't stay in flux; whether or not our Lone Wolf has Weaponskill impacts this fight. We'd be deciding on Mindblast too, except the Burrowcrawler is immune to it. I'll draw the raffle in the morning, but I'll note that I've just finished working out Goofus's path through the second book, and in order to keep him from avoiding pain, I'm declaring right now that he does not have Sixth Sense. E: Gallant also does not have Sixth Sense, for reasons I'll discuss when we get there. Let's just say the next book is a little hard on him. FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at 06:41 on Mar 15, 2017 |
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Mar 15, 2017 05:56
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All right. I rolled the die, and Tiggum's post was chosen, so our Lone Wolf has Weaponskill. I then rolled another die, and determined that it's Weaponskill (Sword). Which leads us to another decision. In order to take advantage of that Weaponskill in this fight, we need to have a Sword. Now, we can have a Sword, but in order to do so, we'd have had to find it in the monastery ruins. That means we have two choices at this point:
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Mar 15, 2017 17:11
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We'll have plenty of time to use swords, no need to cheat one in quite yet. No sword.
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Mar 15, 2017 17:16
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No point in getting the weaponskill if we're not benefiting from it! Get Sword
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Mar 15, 2017 18:19
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An army just got slaughtered, there are swords all over. Pass
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Mar 15, 2017 18:37
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I'm going to throw in a left-field vote for having the starter item be a Chainmail waistcoat. It's pretty much the best find possible but we're unlikely to reach a point that demands we have it when we consistently roll slightly above average.
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Mar 15, 2017 18:53
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:I'm going to throw in a left-field vote for having the starter item be a Chainmail waistcoat. It's pretty much the best find possible but we're unlikely to reach a point that demands we have it when we consistently roll slightly above average. Going to echo this, frankly.
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Mar 15, 2017 21:13
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Bobbin Threadbare posted:I'm going to throw in a left-field vote for having the starter item be a Chainmail waistcoat. It's pretty much the best find possible but we're unlikely to reach a point that demands we have it when we consistently roll slightly above average. Aerdan posted:Going to echo this, frankly. Huh. Well, I wasn't expecting folks to want to do that, but I'll allow it! I'm not at my computer right now, so if you want to specify a specific piece of gear other than the Sword for us to have here, you have an hour or two to do so. You can, of course, still ask for 'Sword' or 'no Sword'.
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Mar 15, 2017 21:49
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No more entries in the raffle? Fair enough. Lemme just draw one... aaand Added Space decides we didn't find a Sword at the monastery. We can still retroactively find any of the other items when they're useful. Now let's fight! Finally.Page 170 posted:Burrowcrawler: COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 7 Combat Analysis posted:Probability of victory: 98.47%. Page 319 posted:The slimy creature lets out a long, ghastly death-cry and collapses. You are near to panic and scramble to your feet, grabbing what you think to be your belt from the jaws of the dead beast. You can see light in the far distance, and you sprint for it as fast as you can. When you finally emerge into the daylight, you fall onto the leafy ground and fight for breath in painful gasps. Sticking that Dagger in the quantum weapon pile in case someone wants it later. Page 157 posted:The forest begins to thin out until finally you can make out a road through the trees ahead. The highway is full of people heading south. Many are wheeling their possessions along on handcarts. Gallant! You made it! I'm surprised you're in one piece. My journey was rather quiet, actually.Incidentally, there is no one page, other than the first and last (obviously), you need to visit in this book. It's surprisingly non-railroady, especially compared to later books. There are a couple of ways we could have avoided this page, and when we're done I'll mention the interesting bits thereof. For right now, though, let's catch up with Gallant. If you insist.Page 1 posted:At the foot of the hill, the path splits into two directions, both leading into a large wood. Page 85 posted:The path is wide and leads straight into thick undergrowth. The trees are tall here and unusually quiet. You walk for over a mile when suddenly you hear the beating of large wings directly above you. Looking up, you are shocked to see the sinister black outline of a Kraan diving to attack you. Page 99 posted:You dive into the undergrowth just as the beast screams past your head. You quickly look back to see the Kraan turning in the air in preparation for another dive. You scramble to your feet and run deeper into the safety of the forest. Page 222 posted:As you go on you discover a forest path that divides at the point you join it. Using Tracking just tells Gallant to go east. The other path is a bit longer, so I'll show it off. Page 140 posted:You are in a clearing where several trees have been cut down to make a rickety watchtower. Below the tower are three paths leading off in different directions. Gallant can't successfully climb the watchtower because luck is involved. The other routes all wind up at the same place eventually; I'll show off the longest. Page 215 posted:You emerge into a small clearing. In the centre you see the skeletal remains of a large animal. To the south a narrow track leads off into the distance. Page 346 posted:Lodged deep in the rib cage of the skeleton is a Spear. It is in good condition and you may take it if you wish and are able to. I don't need a Spear, but you might if you were journeying this way.Page 14 posted:You reach the top of a small wooded hill on which several large boulders form a rough circle. Suddenly you hear a loud growl from behind a rock to your left. Page 106 posted:Eventually you come to the edge of a fast-flowing icy stream. The white water cascades over the mossy rocks and disappears towards the east. Still following the longer path... Page 263 posted:Carefully, you follow the stream as it makes its way towards the east. Suddenly you notice something in the distance that brings you to a halt. ...and getting a bit of loot along the way. Page 70 posted:You have reached a small bridge. A track follows the stream towards the east. A much narrower path disappears into thick forest towards the south. I'm going to show off page 8, just because I think it's funny: Page 8 posted:Your Kai Sixth Sense warns there is a fierce battle raging in the south. Your common sense tells you that the south is also the quickest route to the capital. ...and that's how I got here. Now what will we do? Well, I dunno about you, but I'm gonna go bug those refugees. I have a feeling I'll get into a fight. I don't know about fighting, but maybe I can help the refugees another way. Lead on.So what'll it be, folks? Follow Goofus and Gallant or head into the forest? FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Mar 17, 2017 |
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Mar 16, 2017 00:41
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Oh, and since I forgot to mention it, we healed up to 19 EP.
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Mar 16, 2017 00:46
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Let's ditch these nerds. Let's see more of the book!
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Mar 16, 2017 01:22
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| # ? May 3, 2024 07:24 |
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This is a pretty great gimmick run, I have to say. Dunno about our chances in a forest without Tracking, but let's head south into the forest anyway.
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Mar 16, 2017 01:39
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