Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Let's Play Lone Wolf: Book 29 and beyond!

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

PMush Perfect posted:

We might as well Prophecize again.

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

Of one thing you are certain: Spittlethrift spoke the truth when he said that you cannot leave the Realm of the Neverness without his help, and therefore you cannot complete your quest for the Moonstone without accepting the task they have appointed you. You see a vision of yourself, alone, standing upon a strange machine with a curiously shaped sail and a large glass dome at its centre. You wonder what has become of Tanith and why you journey alone. You have expended 1 WILLPOWER point.

With a mind crowded with doubts and uncertainties, you agree reluctantly to undertake the quest to steal the Threnogem. �Good, good, marvellous,� says Spittlethrift, joyfully. �Come with me�to the laboratory.�

Tanith shakes her head, the look in her eyes revealing her deep mistrust of Spittlethrift and his kin.

Willpower: 29.

You are led to a high-ceilinged chamber lit by a curious, pulsing light. The room is filled with strange, ornate machines of gleaming metal. Lights flicker and you hear a throbbing hum and a continual, metallic, mechanical ring. Several Academicians tend the machines, pushing buttons and pulling levers, though to what purpose you cannot guess.

�Grey Star, Tanith�allow me to introduce you to Crabkey, one of our greatest and most ingenious inventors.�

You recognize the shabby man who turns to greet you; he was the man who sat in the armchair when you first entered the chamber of the Academicians. In the strange lurid glow of the laboratory his shadowed, bulging eyes make him appear even more sinister than before. �We meet again,� you say uncomfortably.

Crabkey stares at you without speaking. Spittlethrift breaks the silence: �Mr Crabkey is the inventor of the machine that will enable you to journey to the Realm of the Singing City, aren�t you, Crabkey, old chap?� Crabkey continues to stare at you insolently. With a slow blink of his huge eyes, he makes an unintelligible sound in the back of his throat and nods.

�Yes, yes,� says Spittlethrift half to himself. �Come now, young Wizard and pretty mistress Tanith, come see his wonderful creation.� Mounted on a small dais in the centre of the laboratory is a most unusual machine. �This,� says Spittlethrift proudly, �is the Ethetron, the flying machine that will carry young Grey Star through the realms of the Daziarn, and to the Singing City to fetch our prize.�

�Grey Star,� says Tanith suddenly, �and what of me?�

Spittlethrift falters and emits an embarrassed cough, �Ah, yes � well � �

�Yes, what of Tanith?� you demand angrily.

�The girl stays here,� says Crabkey, speaking for the first time in a harsh, rasping voice, �to make sure you keep your part of the bargain and do not fail to return.�

�She will be perfectly safe, I assure you,� says Spittlethrift, apologetically. �But surely you understand our position. What is to stop you flying away and never returning?�

�And if I refuse?� you snap at Spittlethrift.

�We will not allow you to use the Ethetron or show you how to fly it,� retorts Crabkey. �You will be doomed to remain within the Neverness for all eternity. You will��

�You will, on the other hand,� Spittlethrift interjects hastily, �receive the Ethetron as a gift from us when you return��

�With the Threnogem,� Crabkey interrupts once more, ignoring a glare of warning from Spittlethrift, who has now begun to sweat profusely. �And we will return Mistress Tanith to you, of course,� he finishes. Tanith clenches her fists and glares furiously at the two little men. Both step back a little from her fiery gaze. �Know this, little man,� she hisses, prodding Spittlethrift in the chest with one, long-nailed finger. �I am not without power. If you seek to deceive us � I�ll crush you like the toad that you are! I am a Shadakine Wytch, not a mere girl to be hoarded or bartered like a piece of spare luggage!�

�Yes, yes, of course,� says Spittlethrift, wiping his brow with the back of his shaking hand. �I understand.�

You smile quietly to yourself. Tanith�s angry bluff has shaken both Spittlethrift and Crabkey. Though Tanith does possess many uncanny powers taught to her while in the service of Mother Magri, a powerful Wytch in the service of the Shadakine Empire, her skills lie chiefly in her mastery of animals and nature and in a bravery that surpasses many warriors of greater stature. Tanith turns to you, the fire dying in her wild, green eyes. �Accept their offer, Grey Star,� she says. �I do not fear this over-fed worm, or that slinking weasel.�

You sense that Tanith is far more afraid than she admits but the success of the quest is as important to her as it is to you and without the Ethetron it is unlikely that you will succeed. �Very well,� you say. �Show me how the machine works. What must I do?�

Sullenly, Crabkey shows you the machine. Spittlethrift, pale and perspiring, remains silent, his chubby hands fluttering nervously at his side.

The Ethetron is quite unlike anything you have seen before. It has a railed platform, and is shaped like a saucer, except that its stern is pointed like a lizard�s tail. It bears a large glass dome in its centre. Passing through the top of the dome is a single black shaft like the mast of a sailing ship. The single sail resembles a giant bat�s wings and is made of a strange material that shimmers like water and looks like metal but is like fabric to the touch. A closer inspection of the glass dome reveals that it contains a swirling, grey-white mist.

�It is the raw stuff of the Daziarn, unformed power for the craft,� explains Crabkey. �Without it, the craft would fall from the sky. To steer,� he continues, �you must operate this lever�pull to climb, push to dive, left and right as normal. To draw more power from the glass dome you must press this metal bar at your feet; to slow down, release it. If you apply no pressure, the craft will remain where it is; if you push the lever to the left or right without power, the craft will spin on its axis. Beware, these controls are very sensitive. You need apply very little pressure to make the craft change its course.�

When Crabkey is satisfied that you understand the controls, he introduces you to another Academician, Slypate, who hands you a shining sphere of red and yellow metal. �This is a Gyronome. There is no north, east, west, or south in the plane of the Daziarn, nor is there time as you perceive it,� says Slypate. �The only way of finding the Singing City is with the aid of this device. When you draw it out, it will emit a sound if you are heading for the Singing City. The louder the note, the surer your course. To return to the Crystal Tower, the Gyronome must be absolutely silent. It is very accurate: I invented it myself,� he says with pride. You take the Special Item and place it in your pocket. (Remember to mark the Gyronome on your Action Chart.)

Soon you are ready to leave. The Academicians offer you the choice of the following items to aid you in your quest. (Remember that you may carry only two Weapons and a maximum of eight items in your Backpack.)

Short Sword (carried in a sheath worn at your belt)

Length of strong Rope (Backpack Item)

Potion of Healing (restores 4 ENDURANCE points when swallowed; carried in Backpack)

Backpack

Spear (carried in the hand)
As you climb into the Ethetron, the massive double windows of the laboratory are drawn open. The restraining ropes are untied and the glass dome of the flying machine glows with a ghostly light. You coax the Ethetron forwards and you glide gently through the open windows and out of the Crystal Tower. You look out across the bleak, featureless expanse of the Neverness with its strange, sunless sky and vast plain of unending cloud. You press lightly on the foot bar and the machine gathers speed. You take out the Gyronome. It is silent at first; then as your machine speeds away from the Crystal Tower it begins to emit a tone. You move the instrument around in the air and find, to your surprise, that its tone becomes louder when you point it towards your feet.

Do we take any new equipment and/or get rid of any old equipment?
Should we descend or use Prophecy?

Weapons:

Wizard's Staff

Sword

Backpack:

Shasarak's Tome

Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP - can be moved to Herb Pouch)

Meal

Meal

Meal

Coil of Rope

Torch

Tinderbox

Herb Pouch:

Vial of Karmo (This potion, when taken before combat, will double your ENDURANCE and WILLPOWER point totals for the duration of the combat. After taking the potion you must pick a number from the Random Number Table. The number that you pick equals the number of ENDURANCE points that you lose due to the side effects (0 = zero).)

Vial

Vial of Saltpetre

Vial of Sulphur

Potion of Laumspur (+4 EP)

Azawood Leaf

Sealed Pouch of Calacena Mushrooms

Special Items:

Map of the Shadakine Empire

Magic Talisman (+2 WP)

1 Tarama Seed (use a Magical Power or Wizard's Staff without expending WP)

Chaksu Pipes

Mind Gem

Eagle Key (carried by Tanith - can be moved to Backpack)

Wolf Key (carried by Tanith - can be moved to Backpack)

Spider Key (carried by Tanith - can be moved to Backpack)

Dragon Key (carried by Tanith - can be moved to Backpack)

Bunch of Keys

Prism

Gyronome
The four keys take up a single space all together if carried in the backpack.

# ? Jun 2, 2019 13:01

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 01:27

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Take the Healing Potion, dump the keys, use Prophecy. Edited, thx Tiggum.

achtungnight fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Jun 2, 2019

# ? Jun 2, 2019 13:20

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

achtungnight posted:

Drink the Healing Potion now

Our Endurance is already at maximum.

# ? Jun 2, 2019 13:47

Chronische: Aug 7, 2012

Tiggum posted:

Our Endurance is already at maximum.

Keep it in your mouth to free up an inventory slot, but ready to swallow if you get hurt!

# ? Jun 2, 2019 15:25

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

Dump a meal, grab the potion of healing.

# ? Jun 2, 2019 16:08

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Vote changed, see below.

girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 21:13 on Jun 2, 2019

# ? Jun 2, 2019 18:44

Runcible Cat: May 28, 2007; Ignoring this post

Mister Perky posted:

you don't need prophecy to know that a guy who keeps a pet catoblepas is not a man to be trusted

Ain't nothing wrong with cats blepping.

Move Laumspur to Herb Pouch, take Keys from Tanith, drop a Meal and nab the extra Healing Potion.

# ? Jun 2, 2019 19:36

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

Runcible Cat posted:

Move Laumspur to Herb Pouch, take Keys from Tanith, drop a Meal and nab the extra Healing Potion.

Seems like the best option.

PMush Perfect posted:

No dropping necessary if we move the Laumspur, though.

Moving the Laumspur only opens one backpack slot, but we need two for the potion and the keys.

nelson fucked around with this message at 19:55 on Jun 2, 2019

# ? Jun 2, 2019 19:49

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Runcible Cat posted:

Move Laumspur to Herb Pouch, take Keys from Tanith, drop a Meal and nab the extra Healing Potion.

Change my vote to this then.

# ? Jun 2, 2019 21:12

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

Runcible Cat posted:

Move Laumspur to Herb Pouch, take Keys from Tanith, drop a Meal and nab the extra Healing Potion.

This.

# ? Jun 2, 2019 21:43

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Runcible Cat posted:

Move Laumspur to Herb Pouch, take Keys from Tanith, drop a Meal and nab the extra Healing Potion.

achtungnight posted:

use Prophecy.

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

The Gyronome does not lie, but your Power of Prophecy is unable to reveal anything else from the realm you inhabit. Probing into the near future, you see little more than your attempt to reach ground level. Have you foreseen your own death? The use of this Magical Power cost you 1 WILLPOWER point.

Willpower: 28.

You push the steering lever forward but, due to your inexperience, you push too hard and suddenly the flying machine lurches into a dive. Your stomach knots with fear as you plummet towards the ground with increasing speed. The shrill tone of the Gyronome becomes a shrieking in your ears.

Do we:

Pull back on the lever to steer up and push down on the foot bar to accelerate?
Pull back the steering lever but ease off the accelerator?
Steer left?
Steer right?
Or continue downward?

# ? Jun 3, 2019 01:24

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

DOWNWARD! I wanna see this death. :kheldragar:

# ? Jun 3, 2019 01:34

moosecow333: Mar 15, 2007; Super-Duper Supermen!

I�m going to vote to continue downwards because I too am interested in seeing if we end up smearing ourselves into the ground.

# ? Jun 3, 2019 02:16

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

Pull back the steering lever but ease off the accelerator.

# ? Jun 3, 2019 03:07

RudeCat: Aug 7, 2012; The rudest cat for the rudest jobs

PMush Perfect posted:

DOWNWARD! I wanna see this death.

Dive! Dive!

# ? Jun 3, 2019 03:11

Synthbuttrange: May 6, 2007

1. petal to the meddle

# ? Jun 3, 2019 03:25

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

nelson posted:

Pull back the steering lever but ease off the accelerator.

This.

# ? Jun 3, 2019 06:09

Comstar: Apr 20, 2007; Are you happy now?

This is the only answer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrchciHCI8A&t=15s

# ? Jun 3, 2019 12:10

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

achtungnight posted:

Pull back the steering lever but ease off the accelerator.

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

You pull the lever back as far as it will go in an attempt to bring the craft out of its dive but now you lack power and the machine continues to gain downward momentum. You are too close to the ground to save yourself and the Ethetron crashes, killing you instantly.

Your quest and your adventure end here.

Death Count: 10.

So do we now:

Pull back on the lever to steer up and push down on the foot bar to accelerate?
~~Pull back the steering lever but ease off the accelerator?~~
Steer left?
Steer right?
Or continue downward?

# ? Jun 3, 2019 12:55

achtungnight: Oct 5, 2014; I get my fun here. Enjoy!

Well, poo poo.

Try #1.

# ? Jun 3, 2019 13:18

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

achtungnight posted:

Well, poo poo.

Try #1.

# ? Jun 3, 2019 14:04

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

try 1, but also tell us how many of those are instadeaths when we get through it

# ? Jun 3, 2019 14:13

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

achtungnight posted:

Well, poo poo.

Try #1.

# ? Jun 3, 2019 20:36

Runcible Cat: May 28, 2007; Ignoring this post

Tiggum posted:

Death Count: 10.

So do we now:
Pull back on the lever to steer up and push down on the foot bar to accelerate?

~~Pull back the steering lever but ease off the accelerator?~~

Steer left?

Steer right?

Or continue downward?

Dive! Dive! DIIIIVE!

# ? Jun 3, 2019 20:55

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Runcible Cat posted:

Dive! Dive! DIIIIVE!

# ? Jun 3, 2019 21:02

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

That was a pretty BS death btw...

quote:

To draw more power from the glass dome you must press this metal bar at your feet; to slow down, release it. If you apply no pressure, the craft will remain where it is.

Releasing the foot pedal should have made the craft �remain where it is�, not keep going.

# ? Jun 4, 2019 01:22

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Guy Fawkes posted:

Try #1.

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

Though dangerously close to the ground, the craft glides smoothly out of its dive as you pull back on the lever. Your heart is pounding and, still shaken, you ease back the foot bar once the Ethetron is level once again. You are perhaps less than twenty feet above the ground and you notice that the Gyronome is piping even more loudly now that you are flying so low.

In the distance looms the shadow of the Crystal Tower surrounded by black holes�the result of the Academicians� mining of the raw material of the Neverness. How are you to reach the Realm of the Singing City? Should you fly into the ground as the Gyronome suggests, or through one of the black holes of the cloud plain?

Should we enter a black hole, fly into the ground, or gain altitude?

All options in that previous section, aside from #1, are instant death.

# ? Jun 4, 2019 03:42

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

Tiggum posted:

fly into the ground

Runcible Cat posted:

Dive! Dive! DIIIIVE!

# ? Jun 4, 2019 04:03

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

Let�s fly into a black hole 🕳

# ? Jun 4, 2019 04:55

Runcible Cat: May 28, 2007; Ignoring this post

nelson posted:

Let�s fly into a black hole 🕳

# ? Jun 4, 2019 06:09

Synthbuttrange: May 6, 2007

but when we jumped in one earlier it just led to us screaming forever in a black void.

actually, black hole it is

# ? Jun 4, 2019 07:26

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

PMush Perfect posted:

Dive! Dive! DIIIIVE!

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

As you touch the ground, the flying machine shatters and disintegrates. The impact kills you and your torn and broken body is thrown with the other shattered fragments across the cloud plain of the Neverness.

Your life and your quest end here.

I feel like you had to know that was going to happen.

Death Count: 11.

# ? Jun 4, 2019 18:00

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

Runcible Cat posted:

Let�s fly into a black hole 🕳

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

Skilfully, you manoeuvre the Ethetron and align it with the nearest black hole. Taking a deep breath, your heart beating with anticipation, you plunge into the darkness of the unknown.

First there is silence, then fear. You fight back a rising wave of panic in the absolute blackness, absolute silence, absolute stillness. You cannot return the way you came.

Should we create a light with our Wizard's Staff, "chant the Shianti prayer of mind discipline to beat back the rising wave of madness that [we] feel engulfing [our] reason" or take out the Gyronome?

# ? Jun 4, 2019 18:03

Runcible Cat: May 28, 2007; Ignoring this post

Get out the beepy thing!

# ? Jun 4, 2019 19:11

Guy Fawkes: Aug 1, 2014; Lvl 62, +5 meadow defense

Tiggum posted:

Should we create a light with our Wizard's Staff, "chant the Shianti prayer of mind discipline to beat back the rising wave of madness that [we] feel engulfing [our] reason" or take out the Gyronome?

A little music would be nice to lighten the spirit.

# ? Jun 4, 2019 19:23

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

Lets get some chanting going here! Maybe something with a nice dance beat to it?

# ? Jun 4, 2019 19:25

girl dick energy: Sep 30, 2009; You think you have the wherewithal to figure out my puzzle vagina?

♪ I've got lovely bunch of coconuts ♪

# ? Jun 4, 2019 19:28

nelson: Apr 12, 2009; College Slice

PMush Perfect posted:

♪ I've got lovely bunch of coconuts ♪

# ? Jun 4, 2019 19:36

Leraika: Jun 14, 2015; Luckily, I *did* save your old avatar. Fucked around and found out indeed.

PMush Perfect posted:

♪ I've got lovely bunch of coconuts ♪

# ? Jun 4, 2019 22:51

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# ? Apr 27, 2024 01:27

Tiggum: Oct 24, 2007; Your life and your quest end here.

TooMuchAbstraction posted:

Lets get some chanting going here! Maybe something with a nice dance beat to it?

Fear is the mind-killer...

Beyond the Nightmare Gate posted:

In the lonely terror of the absolute darkness your voice is swallowed up by the fathomless void. However, the chant conjures fond memories of your gentle Shianti masters and your fear swiftly subsides. You are gratified that even here, in this terrible limbo, the power and wisdom of the Shianti is still within your grasp. You regain 1 WILLPOWER point.

Willpower: 29.

You take out the Gyronome. To your surprise it is still emitting its familiar, high-pitched note. You are further confused when you discover that the device continues to sound at the same volume wherever you point it. You depress the foot bar. The mist within the glass dome begins to swirl and its ghostly light grows brighter, but there is no sensation of movement, even with the bar pressed all the way down to the floor. You fear that you are stranded�becalmed upon an alien sea.

A thread-like line of white light in the distance gives you fresh hope. Your flesh begins to tingle�an unpleasant sensation that seems to be drawing the strength from your body (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). The horizon of white light thickens until it splits the darkness in two, and yawns like an infernal chasm. Terrified, you hurtle towards the momentous shaft at an incredible speed.

Endurance: 23/25.

Should we try to slow down or keep going at maximum speed?

# ? Jun 5, 2019 04:16

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