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Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 10 posted:

'Then why have you disturbed my slumber? You have woken me a year early. Now I will feel sick for the next year.' The dragon rolls over and seems to be going back to sleep.

If you wish to attack it, turn to 59.
If you want to try to steal some of its treasure, turn to 79.
If you prefer to continue your quest and leave the dragon to slumber, turn to 49.

: WAIT! I HAVE SO MANY RELEVANT THINGS TO DEMAND OF YOU!

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land

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Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
To keep things rolling...

Page 59 posted:

The dragon pins you to the ground beneath a huge claw. You look up from the massive green scaled claw to the beast's smouldering red eyes some thirty feet above. Clearly it wasn't as sleepy as you thought and your actions have made it think you were trying to kill it. The dragon opens its jaws wide and its stomach convulses. A second later a gout of poisonous gas and acid hits you like a suffocating and burning wave. There is no surviving the breath of an ancient green dragon.

Death: Chemically burninated

: I MADE NO DECISION IN ANY WAY SUGGESTING THAT I DESIRED THAT COURSE OF ACTION!

Page 205 posted:

You explain your quest to save the forest from the Westermen. The dragon has been asleep all the time the men have been hacking and burning the forest, but he seems to believe your tales of woe. He tells you his name is Garoshtar and says he is surprised and impressed that a human could want so little of him when he has great power and riches to give.

He tells you to come for him at your hour of greatest need and he will help you against the Westermen.

Remember you have the promise of Garoshtar's help. Write the codeword Scorpion on your character sheet.

If you have the codeword Waterbearer on your character sheet, turn to 49.
Otherwise, turn to 21.

: Oh gods, I know this is progress but I still taste and feel that dragon's breath every time I suck another lungful.

Page 21 posted:

With the dragon's help and the might of the elves, you feel you have a chance of defeating the forces of the Westerman and driving the threat of their evil from the forest. Full of confidence in your ability to call upon a powerful ally of the ancient times, you head towards the rowan trees at the edge of the forest.

Travelling along routes that seem to come unbidden to your mind, you reach a clearing that seems strangely familiar. Was it here perhaps, that you met the elves? Or does some horror of your travels lurk nearby in the undergrowth?

Summoning up your courage, you call out to whoever or whatever will hear: 'Elves! If you would win your freedom, come talk with a mortal who can deliver it. For I have secured us an ally equal to half the Westerman's forces - a dragon whose very appearance will slay scores of them from sheer terror. Come forward and speak with me.'

The words of your challenge die away, suffocated by the preternatural silence of the forest. You might have expected to hear the chirruping voice of a bird, or the faint rustle of a woodmouse questing for beetles, yet there is nothing. Cursing the elves for their arrogance, you shout again, 'Come forward!'

Spittle flies from your lips and your face flushes with the violent passion of your request. Again you wait for a reply.

'Do you think that one dragon is enough, then, to beat your fellow men?' says a cool voice from behind you.

Spinning around, you see no more than inches from your face the eternally youthful face of an elf. Yet the penetrating eyes that are windows to the wisdom of countless centuries mark this elf out above all others. The Elf King has answered your call.

'One dragon is more than enough,' you reply, 'with the forces of the elves as well. He will demoralize the Westermen, plunging them into chaos from which the deadly arrows of the elves will cruelly pluck them.'

He smiles a cold smile, approving of the relish with which you describe the Westermen's deaths.

'Brave words indeed, for a mortal. But for the elves to accede to your schemes and counsels, you must prove yourself worthy of our respect.'

'How may I do that?'

'Overcome my. champion in a duel. Only then will we heed your words.'

If you have FOLKLORE, turn to 215.
If not, but you have the codeword Speculum, turn to 309.
If you have neither, it seems you must accept his terms - turn to 137.

Time to find out exactly how deep SPECULUM takes us.

Page 309 posted:

You look hard into the Elf King's eyes despite the disquiet that his ageless gaze causes you. 'Well, sire, I've heard it said that he who speaks an elf's name can gain power over him . . .'

You do not see him move, yet none the less he seems to draw back away from you slightly. 'This is typical mortal talk,' he says guardedly, 'all bluff and bluster.'

Will you say the Elf King's name is:
Arawn, (turn to 302)?
Eldring (turn to 387)?
Oberon (turn to 69)?
or Elivager (turn to 114)?

As much as it may seem obtuse, this choice is not entirely blind. Just reflect on the experiences that brought us to this point...

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: None

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Ratatozsk fucked around with this message at 14:39 on May 10, 2015

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Let's guess Oberon because I am certain it's wrong.

Twilkitri
Feb 23, 2013
I'll guess Eldring because it rhymes with the poem.

Oblivion4568238
Oct 10, 2012

The Inquisition.
What a show.
The Inquisition.
Here. We. Go.
College Slice
Eldring because "signet ring" comes up in the poem.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Sure, let's try Eldring.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

CirclMastr posted:

Let's guess Oberon because I am certain it's wrong.

Any of the wrong choices bring us to the same location, but ultimately none are game-ending. This is a problem with the book's overall structure, but we'll cover that later. For now, I believe that the fact that Eldring fits the rhyme of the poem is the clue we're supposed to pick up on. FOLKLORE, in this situation, is just about as good as the keyword and can lead you to this result without the hint from the mirror.

Page 387 posted:

He blinks slowly, as if clearing his head after a daze.

'Shall I speak it again?' you ask.

He holds up his hand. 'There is no need. You have named me truly, and in accordance with an ancient pact between myself and the first man I must now present you with my signet ring.' He takes off his ring and puts it into your hand. It is carved out of a single flawless emerald whose depths are filled with pinpoints of flaring green light. 'It is the symbol of my royal authority,' he says. 'To keep it would demonstrate a lack of goodwill on your part. Why not return it to me now, and then we shall talk.'

If you insist on retaining the ring, turn to 126.
If you return it to him, turn to 69.

: LOOOOOOOOOOOT!

: How you've managed to get this far and totally avoid accumulating any inventory is beyond me.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nenya

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
Loooot! Keep the loot!

Cloud Potato
Jan 9, 2011

"I'm... happy!"
Return the ring, because we must always go to page 69 when given the chance. Also, love Jay's eyes right now.

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Return it. Theoretically we could always get it back again just by repeating his name later.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 69 posted:

The Elf King raises his open hand in front of your face, palm upwards. It looks empty, but when he blows across it a flurry of fine ochre pollen flies into your eyes. Stumbling back, you wipe the pollen out of your eyes. It stings, causing tears to run down your face, and by the time your vision clears the elves have melted away into the forest depths. You are alone in the clearing.

Turn to 78.

: Sylvan giver!

Page 78 posted:

You trudge on, singling out and mentally marking individual trees as far away as you can see with the object of keeping them in sight so you don't walk in circles. Each time you reach your target tree you look back and try to identify the one you left behind so that you can choose another tree to make for in the same general direction. It is tiring work, and it exhausts you in body and mind.

As you walk on you eventually see gaunt grey crags jutting up out of the forest. It is a relief to find clear landmarks at last. The forest is broken here, as only grass can grow on where the soil is thin above the grey rock.

You walk out of the gloom into bright sunlight that hurts your eyes. There are countless paths leading back into the forest in all directions. As you stand contemplating which way to choose, a voice above and behind you says, 'Lost, are you?'

You turn round and look up. All you can see is a silver-feathered owl perched on top of an outcrop.

'Lost, are you?' the voice says again. It sounded as if the voice came from the owl but its beak didn't move.

If you have the emerald ring and the codeword Crabclaw on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 440.
If you have the emerald ring and the codeword Twinhead on your Adventure Sheet, turn to 459.
Otherwise, if you admit you are lost, turn to 258.
Or, you choose to ignore the voice and walk on, picking one of the many ways at random, turn to 277.

If this looks familiar, it's because we've been offered the 258/277 choice previously. If we so wished, we could return to the camp of the Westermen to find that the innkeeper has been (re)captured, and decide to free him again or leave him to get spleen-kicked to death. In the interest of covering new ground, we'll admit that we're lost.

Page 258 posted:

'Yes, I am lost,' you reply. 'Are you truly a talking owl?'

'Truly I am. I suppose you want to know how to escape from the forest?'

You are tempted to say yes but pride will not let you. The owl sounds surprised when you say no.

'Humans usually want to know the way out. It is a hard place for those who do not know and love the forest.'

The owl seems friendly, if it really is the owl talking. It tells you it is an enchanted bird, enchanted by the Lady of Grey, to bring those who are friends of the forest to her bower.

Will you ask the owl to take you to the Lady in Grey (turn to 241)?
Or will you ask the way to find the Tree of Knowledge (turn to 328)?

: Look, I just want to get famous and avoid being shot, eaten, melted, or cursed. Which path would you suggest with those goals in mind?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Ratatozsk fucked around with this message at 19:46 on May 11, 2015

Cloud Potato
Jan 9, 2011

"I'm... happy!"
drat you, page 69!

Ah well. If the owl seems friendly, let's go see its boss, the Lady in Grey.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"

Cloud Potato posted:

Ah well. If the owl seems friendly, let's go see its boss, the Lady in Grey.

Yeah.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 241 posted:

The owl leads you by easy ways and you make faster progress than before. It seems to be leading you many miles and before nightfall you have to ask it to stop so you can rest.

The next day you begin to wonder whether the owl is not merely leading you astray. When you ask how much further to the bower it always says the same thing: 'Not far. Follow me.' You come to hate the sight of the bird that keeps you slogging through the forest in its wake.

You are about to stop in protest that it has been saying not far all day long, when you notice in this part of the forest no two trees are the same species. It is as if every type of tree in the forest has one representative here. You comment on this to the owl, but when you look round you realize it has vanished.

Turn to 259.

Page 259 posted:

You walk slowly on past a blue cedar that stands beside a tall poplar tree. The trees are festooned with climbing plants and a spiral of violet wistaria climbs the poplar like a barber's pole. The forest seems to quieten around you as you push under a hanging curtain of clematis and honeysuckle and enter a small clearing which is a beautifully tended garden. An inner ring of fruit trees surrounds the meadow-like garden, which is lit with bright sun that bathes the wings of butterflies and dragonflies glittering with iridescent hues. Behind a large pool in the meadow is a gnarled old holm-oak tree with a ladder leading up to a tree-house.

The owl is perched on top of the tree-house. 'I told you it wasn't far. If only you didn't walk so slowly.'

'Enough; do not chide. We must make our visitor welcome.' A woman in a pearl-grey robe pulls aside a raffia curtain at the top of the ladder and beckons you welcomingly. She is young and very beautiful. You find her appearance startling. Who would have expected to encounter such loveliness in this remote place? Looking upon one so serene makes you think of the fabled Faerie Queen.

If you have CHARMS and an amulet, turn to 283.
Otherwise, if you have the maple flute, turn to 299.

If not, turn to 310.

: Look, I DON'T HAVE SPE-oh. I don't have CHARMS either. Not to say that I'm entirely without charm, if you catch my meaning.

Page 310 posted:

'I am Elanor, the Lady of the Forest. Climb up here and take some elderflower nectar with me. The nectar of elderflowers is the most refreshing drink known to elf or man. My friends the bees collect it for me. You will find it most invigorating.'

'I was watching you at the old inn in Burg. Do you remember the old woman in grey sitting in the shadows? I was searching for the forest's saviour. Is this the end of my quest? Are you the hero who will save the forest?'

You climb up into the little tree-house. There is no furniture inside but a straw-filled hempen sack to sleep on. The lady gestures you to sit in the nook of a curved branch, covered in dry moss, that serves as a chair: it is surprisingly comfortable. She sits on a small hammock made of creepers, and swings gently to and fro.

There are shelves made of thick ropes of creepers which have been trained to grow in and out around the edge of the tree-house. Behind the Lady in Grey on one of the shelves is a row of potions. The strange liquids with bright swirling colours look just as you imagine magical potions do.

You can try to get the potions (turn to 341).
Or you can say you don't know what she is talking about and that you only came for directions to the Tree of Knowledge (turn to 329).
If you want to say you would like to be the hero who saves the forest, turn to 9.

: Do you have some dryad or gnome who you'd trust to run me a PR campaign? Hero of the forest is all good and well, but I'm here for fame and the absolute avoidance of dying any more than is absolutely necessary.

: JUICE!

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
I'm a big drat hero.

Cloud Potato
Jan 9, 2011

"I'm... happy!"
Time to make like Pauly Shore and wheeze on the ju-uice, buuuuuuuuuuddy.

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
Saving the forest seems to be what the book wants us to do, so sure, let's go with that.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 9 posted:

'I must test your fitness to be the forest's savior,' says Elanor. 'I hope you pass the test. You would not like to see the forest laid to waste would you?'

She looks regal and yet kind, but her eyes never leave yours.

If you reply that your reason for visiting the forest is to find the Tree of Knowledge and take some of its wisdom away with you to the lands of men, turn to 24.
Or will you say that the forest is too beautiful to be laid waste and you will try to save it (turn to 40)?

: I'm too beautiful to be laid to waste. What a tragic loss of potential that would be! ...oh, and trees are great too.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Ratatozsk fucked around with this message at 14:21 on May 12, 2015

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Guhh, hmph, save it I guess *flounce*.

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
Okay, at this point I get the feeling that we're not gonna be able to conceal anything from her. (And to get more metagamey about it, I don't think this choice would be here if "reiterate the same choice you just made" was the right answer.) Admit that we're here for the Tree of Knowledge.

Thuryl fucked around with this message at 14:18 on May 12, 2015

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Just fess up already because I wanna see another death.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
The book is bit deeper than some may be accustomed to. One of these choices made incorrectly is not immediately failure or death.

Page 24 posted:

"The hackers and burners, the men from the west, say the ants of the forest must be eradicated because they eat the farmers' crops,' she says. 'What do you say?'

If you say the ants are indeed pests and should be wiped out, turn to 51.
If you reply that the forest would choke and die if there were no ants to eat the dead leaves and wood, turn to 67.
If you have WILDERNESS LORE, you can turn to 171.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Cloud Potato
Jan 9, 2011

"I'm... happy!"
Every part of the biosystem is important and needed. I'm on the the side of the ants. Thanks, ants.

Thants.

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 67 posted:

'The Westermen hate spiders. They say the spiders are ugly, poisonous and unnatural. To them spiders are the evil creatures of the Demoness. It does no harm to the forest to kill a spider. Are they right, these Westermen?'

If you say there is no harm in killing spiders, turn to 51.
If you say it is bad to kill spiders, turn to 106.
If you have WILDERNESS LORE you can turn to 136.

: I'm sensing a pattern here. Just so we're clear in advance, silverfish can gently caress off and die. I don't care if it gets my eyes blown up, skin melted off, or intestinal tract yanked out the top (or back) end, those things belong under a shoe or in a fire.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
Let's just go full eco-terrorist until these questions end.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...

Page 106 posted:

'Why is it bad to kill spiders?' she asks.

If you say it is because all evil things as well as all good things must be tolerated in the forest, turn to 51.
If you reason that without spiders to eat the birds would die, and without birds to eat berries there would be no young trees, turn to 128.

Page 128 posted:

'Abide with me here a while,' Elanor requests. 'I can teach you something about the forest and its ways. And I can put you to the test again, to see if you are worthy of being hailed the saviour of the forest.'

You spend three days in the tree-house and the meadow-garden talking with Elanor about the forest she loves. You had never realized how much all living things are linked, each depending on the others for survival.

The forest, you learn, is teeming with an abundant wealth of life. All things are tolerated in the forest, which is neither a good nor an evil region, as long as they do not threaten the balance of nature.

After you have partaken of a delicious repast of mushrooms and loganberries on the third day, Elanor starts to question you again, to see if you have learned anything.

Turn to 112.

Page 112 posted:

'Do you think that the knowledge of the Tree of Life should be passed on to man so mankind can benefit from the tree's wisdom? Or are men too greedy and selfish to be trusted with this great wisdom?' she asks.

If you reply that wise men rule well and that you hope to take the wisdom of the Tree of Life back to the lands of men, turn to 104.
If you say that the knowledge must be guarded as a secret treasure and not given to men at large because man cannot be trusted, turn to 140.


Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Ratatozsk fucked around with this message at 20:42 on May 13, 2015

gegi
Aug 3, 2004
Butterfly Girl
Eh, gently caress secrets. More wisdom for everybody!

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Haha, hell no.
If you say that the knowledge must be guarded as a secret treasure and not given to men at large because man cannot be trusted, turn to 140.

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

I want the +2 Wisdom bonus of the tree!

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
I have to be honest, some votes are...less than obvious regarding which option they are supporting. No matter - ONWARDS!

Page 104 posted:

'The men who have come to the forest say that when the trees have been felled the undergrowth should be burned to clear it for humans to live in. They say burning returns all the goodness in the plants to the soil so that crops can flourish. Do you agree with them?' asks Elanor.



If you admit that you have no reason to disbelieve them, turn to 51.
If you say instead that the forest should be kept as it is for it makes the air that man breathes, turn to 147.

: Arty, don't you have a degree in botany?

: ...

: Arty? Are you miffed that you haven't been getting as many lines as you'd hoped?

: I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PASSED ON THOSE POTIONS!

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

Thuryl
Mar 14, 2007

My postillion has been struck by lightning.
You sure can tell this book was written in the 90s.

Well, let's give her the answer she wants to hear. Keep the forest as it is.

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
147, even though slash-and-burn is a vital nomadic agricultural technique.

Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
the forest makes the air that man breathes. turn to 147.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
I swear, we're almost through this part.

Page 147 posted:

'Hunters come to the forest from Burg, Dale and the few villages near the forest's edge. They come to kill and then to eat and to find furs to wear. Should I stop them coming to the forest? It lies within my power.'

If you reply that the hunters should be stopped, turn to 51.
If you reply that the hunters are so few that it cannot harm the forest, turn to 140.

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Nada

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Now wait a minute, those hunters sound like they are using the animals they kill, not hunting just for sport. How is that different from any 'natural' apex predator? Turn to 140 for that poo poo.

Decoy Badger
May 16, 2009
Is the next question going to be about DDT and fertilizer use? 140, I guess.

Ratatozsk
Mar 6, 2007

Had we turned left instead, we may have encountered something like this...
There are a few places where you can outright 'win' or 'lose' these questions with the right choice. We took the train to the last station, and had 51 vs 140, both of which we've seen previously as possible choices. Did we choose...wisely?

Page 140 posted:

'You pass the test. I know you to be of true heart. You care about living things. You are the saviour of the forest. I will do all in my power to aid you, but you will need the elves on your side. They are the real masters of the forest.'

Elanor fills two horn cups of elderflower nectar and offers you one. Taking the drink, you raise the cup in thanks before putting it to your lips. The nectar is marvellously refreshing, sweet but not cloying to the taste.

'The Westermen have cut great swathes through the forest. They are settling the land, but without the trees the soil will be carried away by the wind and this region will become a terrible desert. These men don't know what they are doing, and they care nothing for life. You must stop them.'

'How am I to stop them?' you ask. 'How strong are they?'

'Tens of thousands. They came from the western plains like columns of ants and devoured everything in their path.'

Turn to 152.

: Wait, I thought that ants were an essential part of the web of life. I'M SO CONFUSED RIGHT NOW!

: The comparison to ants seems particularly poorly timed given the content of our recent interrogation.

Page 152 posted:

'But how am I to stop them? I am a stranger here in
the forest.'

'Make the elves fight them. Kill the Westermen's leader. Wake the mighty dragon and send him forth to destroy them. If the forest perishes the whole world will die.'

'Which of these three should I do?' you ask. 'Or is not as simple as that, and I must do two or even all three of these things?'

'I do not know.'

'Can't you talk to the elves?'

'The elves will talk to men only on Midsummer's Day. On that day, you must find them and convince them to help you save the forest. I can never talk with elvenkind except on Midsummer's Day.'

There are so many questions you would like to ask Elanor, but the elderflower nectar seems to be going to your head and you feel too drowsy to continue.

'Sleep now, and awake a hero.'

As Elanor says the word sleep, your eyes shut and you sink gently down on the straw mattress, already deep in slumber.

Turn to 166.

This plotdump? Entirely optional. We came within a leafsbreadth of entering the endbook with everything we needed to win while entirely avoiding any indication of what we were actually supposed to be doing. I guess that's neat, but I think that sequence breaking works out better with video games than with books. Anyhow, more on this in the wrap-up.

Page 166 posted:

When you awake you are wonderfully restored to healthy vitality: restore any Life Points you have lost.

Elanor is nowhere to be seen. On the third finger of your right hand, however, is an emerald ring with the stone set in a furled silver leaf. It fits perfectly. You get up, stretch your limbs, and, deep in thought, rub the gem.

You feel in your bones that it is your destiny to save the forest and that you will risk your life to do so. You suffer a moment's unease as you worry about the dangers ahead, an unease that turns to deep-rooted fear. Once more you look at the ring. Is it magical? Is it the ring causing you to feel the reckless courage of a hero? Or did the blood of a hero always run in your veins?

Note the emerald ring among the possessions listed on your Adventure Sheet.

If you wish to take off the ring, turn to 179.
If you trust Elanor and leave the ring on, turn to 35.

: LOOOOOOOOOOT!

: And how long were you able to hold on to your goodies at the last opportunity?

Character Sheet posted:

Jay 'Lanky' Sherman the Starveling

Skills: CUNNING, ROGUERY, UNARMED COMBAT, STREETWISE

Life Points: 10/10

Gold: 9/15

Possessions: Emerald ring

Codewords: Speculum, Bullhorn, Scorpion

Kills: Embracer, a guard

Failures: Root'd to death, despair!ed, swallowed and digested by a Colossus beetle, ate a pig and failed to avert an ecological cataclysm, slave'd and toil'd to death, pulmonary arrownation, stabbed in the eyes and left to "live" off the land, lightly dragon'd

CirclMastr
Jul 4, 2010

Keep it, duh.

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Ghostwoods
May 9, 2013

Say "Cheese!"
Yeah, now is not the time to throw away our shinies. Keep it on.

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