Let's Play Wizardry 6, Part 7

Previously, in Bane of the Cosmic Forge, our intrepid band had discovered the Bane King's sacrificial altar (and promptly decided to be somewhere else), battled the bats in the belfry (achieving nothing), fought the zombie in the castle spire (leading to Wrath spending the next half-hour paralysed) and found the remains of the castle armoury down in the basement. Not wishing to climb any more stairs, our heroes decide to scour the basement of anything that might provide clues about the fate of the Bane King, his wizard ally, and the source of their power.

"Wait, is that why we're here?"

[Sighs.]

Along the eastern side of the basement level, there exist a number of (soon to be unlocked) locked rooms. Mostly they contain random detritus and ravenous vermin, but something catches Whisker's eye, scrawled on one of the walls:

A side-quest! (Note: side-quest is actually mandatory.)

It seems that one L'Montes is offering gold if a certain 'Snoopcheri' is found.

"Reward, hmm? And this graffiti looks recent... but we don't know a L'Montes, or do we?"

[Shivers angrily.] "Do we? Do I care? Oh look, no I don't."

Motoko notices something quite different; just at the base of a wall upon which the graffiti 'Trebor sux' is scrawled, there appears to be a small hole, as if dug by mice.

[Looks thoughtful for a moment.]

Another room contains only a few scallywag rogues, though Konata does find some sneezing powder, and Motoko finds the wine cellar.

Spending a few minutes to search the room has yielded naught but an empty old wine bottle. Strange though, you uncovered some kind of odd obtrusions underneath the rotted racks, poking up through the ground. Examining the ceiling, you see cracks of a similar nature. And nothing nearby suggests any possible source to their origin."

[Picks up the empty wine bottle and stares up at the ceiling.]

The next room contains only an old tailor's dummy, which collapses to dust on touch (and some rogues, which collapse into bloody chunks when stabbed). The final room contains a number of sealed packages spilling forth from broken barrels.

[Wrinkles nose.] "Something in here smells funny."

Most of the packages have turned hard, but dampness has helped to keep one of them fairly soft. Opening it, you find a rather noxious cheese, ripe with age and wholly inedible.

[Picks up cheese and pockets it.]

[Rolls eyes.] "Dwarves."

To the north side of the basement level is a door, through which is a short corridor leading to another sealed portcullis; to the right however is a locked room.

[Scowling.] "Oh is it locked? I suppose I'm expected to unlock it then?" [Click.]

A rotted desk lies in ruin across the room, collapsed about its centre from an apparent blow. It is surrounded by scattered document, which also seem quite deteriorated. Examining several papers, it seems they are legal writs of some kind, citing criminal charges and followed by execution orders.

"It appears that we have found the castle dungeon."

Concealed within a small compartment in the desk is the jailor's key, and concealed in a side-chamber is an ambush.

What were they doing squeezed together in this tiny room anyway?

The lizardmen rogues provide a decent fight; after a couple of rounds of combat, we can identify them (thanks to the mythology skill) as brigands and pirates, who are a little tougher than the bandits previously fought. Killing them yields a couple more of iron keys, which can be used to open some generic locks if Shaana is feeling lazy (which won't happen).

"At least that explains how they got in here—they must have locked the door behind them before we came along."

The jailor's key permits passage through the portcullis further north, allowing the party into the jail. A quick search of all the cells finds only a few aged skeletons (not the ambulatory variety, thankfully), but on one of those bodies can be found a couple of items of interest.

Searching through the bones, you see a loose stone protruding up. Picking up the stone and looking underneath, you discover a small logbook fulled with strange glyphic scribblings. Many of the pages are too stained to be read, but the final portion of it appears legible, if you could find a way to understand the unusual marks."

Another corpse violated for clues.

"How interesting. But also aggravating. Why must everything be in code? I believe it is to spite me, oh yes..."

Alongside the dead man's log is a musical instrument, which goes to our bard-in-residence.

[Brightens.] "Oh, a harmonium!" [Starts to play a tune.]

"Shaana, that's been on a corpse."

[Tune collapses into a warbling drone.]

[Hisses and scrapes his claws across the stone wall.]

The harmonium causes irritation in one group of enemies, reducing their combat prowess. Less effective than the lute's sleep effect, but more likely to work against a wider range of enemies. Running along the north side of the jail is a large cell, into which entry is quite literally barred, and for which the jailor's key provides no ingress.

"Well, cat, where now?"

"Remember the reluctant gentleman in the southeast tower? I think we need to pay him a visit."

The party leaves the basement and returns to the southeast tower, climbing the stairs to the top and finding themselves in front of the door that the mysterious man had chosen to barricade himself behind earlier.

[Knocks on the door.]

"Go away! I said I'm not coming out!"

"But we want to speak to you about Snoopcheri!"

"You found Snoopcheri?! Why didn't you say so! Come in, come in!"

The man in the tower, L'Montes.

Now the party have the opportunity to speak to the man L'Montes and trade with him. He only sells a few basic goods, but he's cheaper than Queequeg. His only concern however is regarding 'Snoopcheri':

"Tell us about Snoopcheri."

"She's white with a large black nose and long black ears!"

[Pauses.] "...Snoopcheri is a dog?"

"Well, yes."

"I...see. Well we'll certainly keep an eye out for your dog." [Glances pointedly at the rest of the party.] "And we will return forthwith if we locate her!"

[Mumbles something from behind Motoko.]

[Frowns.] "What was that? And why are you hiding back there?"

"I believe that she wants to trade with Sir L'Montes for that rapier he has in the corner."

[Mystified.] "Well why did she not simply come forth and ask for herself?"

Having purchased the rapier and traded in Wrath's old cutlass, the party descends the tower.

[To Shaana.] "What was all that about? Usually we can't stop you trying to talk to people."

[Blushes.] "I didn't want him to see me dressed like this." [Indicates her 'armour'.]

"I do not understand why mammals attach so much significance to the display of bare flesh."

[Turns even redder, attempts to hide behind Motoko again.]

[Glares at Wrath.]

[Absently.] "Far too little fur for my tastes."

[Looks back and forth at her companions, confused.] "I don't get it."

It was at that point that Motoko made clear that she wanted to go back down into the basement to test something. She leads the party back into one of the old store-rooms, to one of the walls. She then pulls out the package of noxious cheese that she had pocketed earlier, and puts it down on to the floor.

"Um, Motoko—"

Waving the noxious cheese in front of the hole produces a faint chittering noise from somewhere on the other end of the hole...the chittering noise is growing much louder, and you can feel a vibration behind the wall..."

[Frowns.]

The wall suddenly erupts inwards, and the party is swarmed by crazed rats!

This going to hurt, isn't it?

This encounter can be lethal. The killer rats and the rabid bats are much nastier than the regular giant rats thus far encountered. The real threat however is the fat rat, which is quite capable of chewing any one of our characters into mushy pieces over the course of a single round. I have Wrath, Motoko and Whisker immediately attack the fat rat (the mage throwing the strongest energy blast he can muster), while Alva casts a blessing upon the party, Shaana lulls the killer rats to sleep and Konata casts a blinding flash aimed at the fat rat to forestall its attacks. This last gambit succeeds fairly well, with Alva only getting lightly mauled as the blinded rat stumbles about, shrieking and biting. The next round, Shaana is able to put the rabid rats to sleep as well (bards are great), while the rest of the party throws everything they've got into killing the fat rat, with Whisker's chilling touch stealing the kill. With the main threat disposed of, the party then falls back on its regular strategy of alternating sneak attacks and keeping as many of the remaining rats asleep as possible. Victory!

[Panting.] "Motoko. Did you mean that to happen?"

[Opens mouth to respond, then seems to think better of it.]

The primary result of Motoko's little experiment, aside from the 2000 or so experience from defeating the encounter, is to open a tunnel beyond the store-room into the rat's warren. This inexplicably leads to another encounter with a group of rogues.

Maybe the rats kept them here to eat later.

The rogue's leader is disposed of humanely by judicious application of Konata's poison spell. The rest are defeated more conventionally. Exploring the warren, the party find a chest. Shaana identifies and disarms the prismic ray trap, and the chest is then opened.

What kind of monster would lock a beagle in a chest?!

Inside the chest is a feathered hat (which Shaana takes), some razor stones, two resurrection potions and the missing Snoopcheri!

[Reaching into the chest.] "Oh you poor thing!" [Holds the beagle in her arms.]

"Aw... look at its little eyes!"

"It is a miracle that it survived here."

"There's no time to waste! We must bring Snoopcheri back to her master at once!"

[Nods emphatically.]

"That is a stuffed toy."

The party immediately leaves the rat's warren, and head straight for L'Montes' tower home.

"Snoopcheri! Back in my arms at last!"

[Sternly.] "You should take better care of her! She was almost a rat's lunch!"

"I know! I will never let her out of my sight again! Bad Snoopcheri!"

"That is clearly a stuffed toy."

"Clearly this is a joyous occasion. A reward was mentioned...?"

"Of course! Take this key to the Captain's cage, and you may set him free..."

And with that, the party is rewarded with the silver key to the Captain's cage. Which we have no knowledge of, but is probably linked to the Captain's Den. Perhaps L'Montes, distraught at the loss of Snoopcheri, captured the Captain and locked him up?

[Slowly.] "That was a toy. A toy dog. A stuffed dog toy."

On the western side of the basement, hitherto unexplored, is a stairway leading deeper down below the castle. It is now the party's next destination. Descending deeper below the earth, the party encounter a long corridor, along which there are two sealed portcullises and a mysterious door along the left (north) side. The first portcullis defies Shaana's attempts to find a way to open it. The second however is opened with the gold key found beside the King's diary in his former study. Past the portcullis is another door; to the left is a button.

"Do not press the button yet, Konata."

[Sad face.]

Beyond the door is a room with with a number of pits within, preventing the party from reaching the far side.

I detect a (not particularly complicated) puzzle.

On the right hand side, concealed in the stonework, is another button.

[Striding to the centre of the room.] "I see. Clearly if we want to cross the pit, we must create a path; to do so, we need only press the right buttons."

"Okay!" [Presses the first button.]

[Startled yelp as the floor shifts under him and he falls down a pit.]

[Leaps down after Whisker.]

"Motoko!"

[Floats into the room.] "Why is everyone shouting all of a sudden?"

Fortunately, below the room is another chamber only a short way down.

"That blasted air-headed faerie... good thing we felpurr always land on our feet..." [Looks into the darkness, eyes widening.] "Everyone get down here now!"

If you fall down one of the pits in the puzzle room, then you find yourself in a chamber with a darkened exit leading out. You'll also be immediately attacked by a giant snake.

Uh-oh.

The serpent immediately takes the crown of 'deadliest monster fought by the party'. It can hit multiple times for serious amounts of damage, and each hit carries a significant chance of poisoning the target—and we can't cure poison yet. The battle strategy is simple enough: Wrath and Motoko attack immediately; Alva blesses the party before joining the melee; Shaana uses her lute, realises that it doesn't work, and switches to the harmonium to instead irritate the snake; Whisker rains damage with energy blast and chilling touch spells; Konata attempts to blind the serpent with a blinding flash before joining Whisker's magical assault with her own acid splash spells.

This works rather well, and amazingly nobody gets poisoned.

[Pant and look at each other.]

"Let's get out of here."

[Run for the far exit.]

Going somewhere?

"It's not dead yet?!"

At the exit, the serpent attacks again (or it's another serpent—I prefer to think it's the same one, and it's pissed off). The party executes essentially the same strategy as last time, and aside from Alva miscasting her bless spell to no effect other than wasting her rather scarce mana, the party manage to slay the snake and escape with only modest injuries. Passing through the darkness of the portal, the party find themselves just outside the room that they had leapt down from.

"Alright." [Pauses a moment to Konata.] "Let us try that again, and this time absolutely do not push anything without my clear instruction."

[Looks innocent.]

Pressing the button in near-right corner of the room clears a path to the far-left corner, in which there is another button that clears a path to the far-right corner, in which there is... nothing. If however we then press the outside button, the remaining pit on the far side disappears. Approaching centre of the far wall, there is one final button, that on being pressed yields an alcove with a chest. The chest is duly disarmed, and within:

I wonder if this book is written in code as well.

The chest contains the Book of Ramm, an annointed cloak, an amulet of night and a resurrection scroll. The cloak can only be worn by either Alva or Motoko, so it goes to Alva yet again (Motoko's armour class just wearing robes actually beats Alva in her chainmail in all circumstances except a direct strike to the torso). Motoko is able to identify another item, and so casts it on the amulet of night, revealing that it can be used seven times to cast blinding flash.

"You know, we have an entire pile of other items we could use that spell on."

Whisker of course gets the book, and reads a passage:

Oh first night of Ramm and second born Ramm again, find third upon thy altar burning bright where fourth night of wands bears fifth magik sun again, is when thy graven altar shall blossom into night.

[Pauses.] "Now I see. I believe I know how to invoke the power of the altar in the castle above."

"Is this supposed to be a good thing? We should be working to destroy that altar, not call upon its foul aspect."

Back into the corridor, the party finds at its end one final door.

A black steel skull cast upon the face of the massive door stares blankly out into the corridor. The eye sockets are unnaturally deep, as if the skull once held a pair of jewels.

And with that discovery, this update draws to an end.

Party review, level 6

But before that though, thanks to their battles with rats and serpents, the party attained level 6. Here's how they look:

Sword 62, Oratory 11, Ninjutsu 28, Mythology 9, Thaumaturgy 22, Kirijutsu 6

Wrath can now cast magic missile, which is... probably not something that significantly impacts Wrath's combat strength, but frankly his thaumaturgy isn't high enough to avail of him of many more interesting options. Hopefully that will change.

Sword 44, Shield 4, Scouting 3, Oratory 12, Ninjutsu 24, Mythology 9, Theology 32, Kirijutsu 5

Alva continues to hog the magic items, yet still is only wearing light sandals on her feet (Wrath as a samurai is entirely too fussy about equipment, and Motoko could fight naked if she didn't have a modicum of modesty; meanwhile Shaana would love a nice full cloak, but apparently can't get one as of yet). Alva can cast a new spell called enchanted blade, which boosts the attack potential of the entire party, and can be cast outside of battle, allowing for preparation before the party gets inevitably ambushed in new areas.

Hands & Feet 58, Scouting 2, Oratory 8, Ninjutsu 25, Mythology 7, Theosophy 31, Kirijutsu 10

Motoko is somehow able to find apples in a derelict castle. Motoko can now weaken multiple opponents. This may prove useful in a pinch, though frankly I should be looking at ways to increase her mental mana pool so that she can identify more of the party's items (or maybe just stop and rest more).

Sword 17, Shield 2, Music 46, Oratory 17, Skulduggery 41, Ninjutsu 24, Mythology 6, Thaumaturgy 22

Shaana now has a rather fetching feathered hat, which makes up for all the other indignities against her person.

[Icily.] "No it does not."

Shaana has also acquired the amulet of night, allowing her to blind opponents if putting them to sleep or driving them to distraction with her harmonium playing isn't enough. She joins Whisker in being able to cast missile shield.

Mace & Flail 43, Throwing 13, Sling 27, Oratory 37, Mythology 6, Scribe 5, Thaumaturgy 56

Whisker is getting disturbingly competent with that bullwhip. He can now cast magic screen, which provides protection against magical attacks brought upon the party as a whole. Not really necessary yet, but should prove invaluable later (I hope; I've been putting off getting the fireball for a couple of levels now, which might have proven more helpful in some of the most recent encounters we've had).

Throwing 22, Bows 53, Artifacts 20, Mythology 8, Alchemy 48

Konata can now cure paralysis; this is certainly a good thing, but Konata's offensive magics are starting to look limited. She does have a nice collection of random tinctures and powders to fling in the faces of her enemies, including some faerie dust she'd somehow managed to find (I can't remember what it does, but perhaps Motoko can find out).

"Or alternatively, I can throw at someone and take notes."

Not at the other members of the party Konata, not at the other members of the party.