Castle Death posted:

Snatching the seed from your tunic pocket, you hurl it at the plinth as hard as possible. There is a loud crack as the shell shatters, and a splash of bright flame engulfs the plinth. Soon the hand catches fire; it wriggles and squirms as the flames feed on its loathsome flesh and is soon obscured by a pall of acrid black smoke.

Healing: +1 EP (17/32).

achtungnight posted:

Leave immediately! We’ve seen multiple counterintuitive obstacles in this maze already, I got a bad feeling this is another one.

achtungnight posted:

Leave immediately! We’ve seen multiple counterintuitive obstacles in this maze already, I got a bad feeling this is another one.

Comstar posted:

Wait and loot

Castle Death posted:

As the flames die down and the smoke clears, you see the blackened hand lying at the base of the plinth. To your horror and amazement it begins to move, flexing its charred fingers jerkily. Open-mouthed, you stare in disbelief as it suddenly springs into the air and hovers above your head. Its writhing fingers stretch open as it plummets towards your skull.

Healing: +1 EP (18/32).

Suddenly you realize the horrific purpose of the hand. It is a predator, an evil sentient being that can only survive by consuming one form of nourishment—live human brain.



Diving and rolling, you avoid its initial attack, escaping with scratches to your scalp (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), but as it rises above you once more, you cannot help but fear that your life is soon to end. This creature is immune to Mindblast, but not Psi-surge in combat.

Endurance: 16/32.

Castle Death posted:

The Rahkos lies motionless on the ground before you, but, in spite of the many blows you have dealt the creature, it bears no sign of having ever been involved in combat.

Healing: +1 EP (3/32).

achtungnight posted:

Get away from the hand NOW

Jedit posted:

Talk to the hand.

WhiskeyWhiskers posted:

Look at the hand.

Leraika posted:

We out

Castle Death posted:

A searing pain explodes behind your eyes as the hand clamps itself to your head. As the decaying fingers pierce your scalp, forcing their way through your skull, your vision turns red and your body shakes uncontrollably. The hideous claw burrows deeper, feeding on the only source of nourishment that can sustain its existence: living human brain.

Your life and your quest end here.

Castle Death posted:

As you peer at the horrible hand, it suddenly leaps at your face. You scream with terror, instinctively lashing out to deflect its attack. You strike it hard and send it spinning towards the green pillars and the passage beyond. Just as it draws level with the pillars the hand explodes: it has spun straight into an invisible barrier of destructive energy that flows between the pillars. As the hand disintegrates into thousands of tiny fragments you feel elated that, at last, victory is yours.

Healing: +1 EP (4/32).

‘Good!’ booms the voice of Zahda as you enter the passage; ‘the cowards of Elzian have at last sent a warrior worthy of my maze.’

The words conjure up a picture of Lord Zahda seated on his golden throne, with the object of your quest, the Lorestone of Herdos, suspended above it. The image strengthens your resolve to survive this accursed maze and escape. If you can then find your way back to Zahda’s throne-hall, the success of your quest will be within your grasp.

You walk along the passage, your mind filled with the possible problems and perils you might have to overcome. One such problem looms into view as the passage takes a sharp turn.

Healing: +1 EP (5/32).

You enter a chamber where a tall bronze statue stands. You recognize its distinctive head-dress and robes immediately: it is a Zakhan, a ruler of the desert empire of Vassagonia. The statue looks most distressed: its arms are outstretched in a gesture of hopelessness, and the expression on its face is one of sorrow and despair. Beyond the statue, an oval-shaped door is set flush in the wall, but you discover that it is locked.



The mist grows brighter. Once more the skull appears and speaks, its voice as comforting as a raven’s croak:

‘Listen to the Zakhan,
Ponder what you hear;
Give the correct answer,
For fear he sheds a tear.’

The skull disappears into the misty ceiling, and you watch amazed as the dull bronze lips of the statue begin to move. A harsh voice echoes from deep within its hollow metal body:

‘My daughter has many sisters, as many sisters as she has brothers, but each of her brothers has twice as many sisters as brothers. So answer me this, wise warrior, how many sons and daughters do I have?’

Healing: +1 EP (6/32).

Jedit posted:

The first equation excludes one daughter, the second excludes one son. That reduces it to:

Daughters = D
Sons = S

1) D-1 = S - > S+1 = D
2) D = 2(S-1) - > 2S-2 = D

Subtract 1 from 2 to give

S-3=0

So there are three sons, and thus four daughters.

Castle Death posted:

In reply to your correct answer, the oval door emits a click and slowly swings open. You step through and descend a steep ramp to a long corridor whose walls are covered with what appear to be gigantic cocoons that stretch into the distance for as far as you can see. The oval door clicks shut but the clicking continues, like an echo, only growing steadily louder. In the gloomy corridor ahead you can see that something is moving. A huge worm-like creature with great black eyes and horny mandibles is slithering towards you, a purple froth bubbling from its mouth as it picks up your scent.

Healing: +1 EP (7/32).

You press yourself between two of the silky cocoons hanging from the wall and use your Magnakai skill of Invisibility to mask the heat and scent of your body. The hideous worm-like creature halts, its clicking mandibles snapping the air in frustration. You turn your head away and look straight into one of the cocoons. A chill runs down your spine, for the decaying remains of a female warrior’s face stare back at you from inside the web-like strands of the cocoon.

The sudden shock makes you draw breath sharply. Immediately, the worm-like thing slithers forward, propelled by its short, rubbery legs. You can only pray that it has not detected your hiding place.

Healing: +1 EP (8/32).

The creature launches itself at the cocoons, shearing them from the wall with its razor-sharp mandibles. The air is filled with fibrous shards and dust, and you no longer have a hiding place. You have no choice but to retreat along the corridor.

Healing: +1 EP (9/32).

Relentlessly the worm moves forward, forcing you back up the ramp towards the oval door. But there is no escape this way—you have no choice but to fight the repulsive creature. The monster is especially susceptible to psychic attack. If you choose to use Mindblast or Psi-surge during combat, double all ENDURANCE point losses sustained by the enemy.

Castle Death posted:

Your killing blow makes the Oudagorg twist back on itself, its head disappearing into the misty ceiling. There is a deafening crack as blue lightning engulfs its neck, crackling snake-like around its horrible body and filling the corridor with the smell of burning meat. The creature thrashes wildly for several minutes, and when its gruesome dance finally ends you see that the canopy of mist is no longer there. In the darkness above you see a deserted walkway and a metal observation platform.

Healing: +1 EP (10/32).

Jackard posted:

Ride Shai-Hulud to freedom.

Jackard posted:

Ride Shai-Hulud to freedom.

Castle Death posted:

As you pull yourself onto the cold iron platform, you see the maze spread out below you like the surface of a massive brain, each chamber a cell populated with perils created by the devilish imagination of Lord Zahda. A criss-cross of interconnecting walkways is suspended above the maze by gigantic chains that vanish into blackness. You hurry along the iron path towards a staircase that descends to an arch beyond the boundary wall of the maze. As you run through it, you can hear an alarm bell echoing in the vastness above: your escape has not gone unnoticed.

A vaulted corridor lies beyond the arch, which leads to a junction with two exits.

Healing: +1 EP (11/32).

anakha posted:

anakha posted: