Post by a moderator on Jun 22, 2017 15:51:28 GMT
I wrote this for a competition at one of the long-dead versions of the Official Fighting Fantasy Forum. As it seems to have no online presence whatsoever, and my mention of it has prompted some interest, I'm reproducing it here. These days I'm slightly embarrassed at how 'edgy' I was trying to be back then, but there are aspects of it that I still like, and from time to time I still toy with the idea of attempting to create a proper Deathtrap Dungeon sequel.
It uses the basic FF rules.
BACKGROUND
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Any feedback is welcome.
It uses the basic FF rules.
BACKGROUND
The Baron’s Pleasure is busy, but then, what tavern in Fang isn’t going to be busy at this time of year? With a fresh batch of reckless fools in town, ready to risk their lives for a shot at fame and fortune in Baron Sukumvit’s new Dungeon, people have come from all around to watch them go to their deaths. Looking on the bright side, the mass of tourists means that your arrival is unlikely to have attracted any unwelcome attention. Perhaps that’s why your client chose this date in the first place.
You weave through the crowd to the bar. A barmaid, trying her best to hide the intensity of her desire not to be working here, moves over to you, her feigned cheeriness slipping away altogether as she catches sight of the plain cloth mask that hides your face.
‘I have an appointment,’ you tell her before she can assume that you’re fool enough to try and rob an establishment as crowded as this. ‘A man by the name of Segnat.’
The moment you say the name, the landlord waddles over and pushes the barmaid to one side. ‘Leave this to me, girl. Get down the other end and see who needs serving.’
He passes a hand over what remains of his hair, no doubt thinking it makes him look smarter. It doesn’t. ‘If you’ll come this way, please…’
He leads you along a dimly-lit corridor, up a creaking flight of stairs, and through a door. The room beyond looks much as you had expected – once-fine furniture, most likely scavenged by the landlord when whichever noble originally owned it had it thrown out, faded drapes that are probably never opened for fear that they’d fall apart as soon as they’re touched, and a lamp turned down low enough to hide the shabbiness from the unobservant. A gentleman with a neatly-trimmed beard sits at the battered table, waiting for you.
You step into the room and close the door behind you. ‘Segnat?’
The man nods. ‘Are you the…?’
‘…the trader in antiquities, yes,’ you interrupt, and put a finger to your lips before he can say anything more. You continue to talk as you reach into your inner pocket and remove a slim carrying case made of tanned dragonskin, opening it up and selecting one of the items from inside it. ‘I can confirm that I have found the items you seek, and the consignment is already under way!’
As you exclaim the last word you thrust the long needle you have chosen through the keyhole. There is a bellow of pain from the other side of the door, and the sound of something heavy falling down the stairs.
‘I detest eavesdroppers,’ you comment as you wipe clean the end of the needle and replace it in the case.
The man looks nervous. ‘You didn’t…?’
‘Kill him? No, I made sure not to use a poisoned needle.’ You sit down across the table from Segnat. ‘We don’t go around killing just anyone, you know.’
Segnat relaxes a little. ‘So you’re the Guild’s top assassin?’
‘Opinion is divided, but most would at least include me among the three best.’ You lean forwards and smile behind your mask. ‘So… Who do you want me to kill?’
‘A visiting magic-user from Analand.’
‘You are aware that we have a special rate for Sorcerers? They can be tricky.’
‘Yes, I know.’ He grins smugly. ‘I’ve managed to obtain full details of where the Analander will be over the course of the next day or two.’
‘Very efficient. It almost makes me wonder why you feel the need to call in an expert from out of town.’
‘This Analander is an experienced fighter. I originally hired a local gang, but they got themselves killed.’
‘Amateurs,’ you sigh. ‘They probably attacked one at a time.’
‘You think you can do better?’
‘I know I can do better.’
‘Then you’ll accept the contract?’
You agree, and shake hands with Segnat. He hands over a bulging moneybag and a scroll. ‘The down-payment and the Analander’s itinerary.’
You tip the money out onto the table, eyes gleaming at the sight of all the gold. It appears to be the right amount, but you resolve to count it properly later, just to be sure. Segnat will wind up very sorry if it’s not all there.
Once the money is back in the bag you open the scroll case and tip out its contents. To your surprise, out falls a piece of cloth, not the parchment you were expecting. ‘Is this supposed to be a joke?’ You open out the ‘itinerary’, and then turn it over, but cannot find any words or markings. It looks just like one of the violet scarves worn by those stupid enough to throw away their lives in Deathtrap Dungeon.
‘No joke,’ replies Segnat, grinning to see how he has discomfited you. ‘The Analander is one of the contestants entering the Baron’s new Dungeon tomorrow.’
‘Then you have no need of my services. The Analander’s already as good as dead.’
‘Others have beaten the previous Dungeons. And if the Analander does make it, you’ll have trouble finding a good opportunity to strike afterwards.’
‘Going into that Dungeon is tantamount to committing suicide, and I’m not about to do so just on the off-chance that the Analander gets lucky.’
‘You won’t have to go through the whole Dungeon. Once it became clear that I needed a professional, and that you might not get here in time to kill the Analander before the Walk starts, I made arrangements to get around that problem.’ Segnat takes a plain-looking metal pendant from inside his robe. ‘This will teleport you away once you’ve killed the Analander. Only you and I will ever know what really happened. Or are you just going to back out of the deal?’
Under the circumstances, the Guild would not penalise you if you were to break the contract. You’d have to explain why, though, and that would mean admitting that you accepted it without checking for loopholes. Besides, this is the sort of thing that can easily get twisted into rumours about your being unreliable. Your reputation could be at stake here. But even a brief excursion into the Dungeon could prove lethal. Is your reputation really worth risking your life for?
‘If you’re not going to go through with it, give the money back.’ Segnat holds out his hand.
You reach for the bag, weigh it in your hand. It’s the best commission you’ve seen in months. And, as Segnat said, it’s not as if you’re going to have to go all the way through the Dungeon. With a bit of luck you could be finished in under an hour. Are you willing to let all that lovely money go, and put your reputation on the line, for fear of a few monsters and booby-traps?
‘Let me see that pendant,’ you say.
Turn to 1
1You weave through the crowd to the bar. A barmaid, trying her best to hide the intensity of her desire not to be working here, moves over to you, her feigned cheeriness slipping away altogether as she catches sight of the plain cloth mask that hides your face.
‘I have an appointment,’ you tell her before she can assume that you’re fool enough to try and rob an establishment as crowded as this. ‘A man by the name of Segnat.’
The moment you say the name, the landlord waddles over and pushes the barmaid to one side. ‘Leave this to me, girl. Get down the other end and see who needs serving.’
He passes a hand over what remains of his hair, no doubt thinking it makes him look smarter. It doesn’t. ‘If you’ll come this way, please…’
He leads you along a dimly-lit corridor, up a creaking flight of stairs, and through a door. The room beyond looks much as you had expected – once-fine furniture, most likely scavenged by the landlord when whichever noble originally owned it had it thrown out, faded drapes that are probably never opened for fear that they’d fall apart as soon as they’re touched, and a lamp turned down low enough to hide the shabbiness from the unobservant. A gentleman with a neatly-trimmed beard sits at the battered table, waiting for you.
You step into the room and close the door behind you. ‘Segnat?’
The man nods. ‘Are you the…?’
‘…the trader in antiquities, yes,’ you interrupt, and put a finger to your lips before he can say anything more. You continue to talk as you reach into your inner pocket and remove a slim carrying case made of tanned dragonskin, opening it up and selecting one of the items from inside it. ‘I can confirm that I have found the items you seek, and the consignment is already under way!’
As you exclaim the last word you thrust the long needle you have chosen through the keyhole. There is a bellow of pain from the other side of the door, and the sound of something heavy falling down the stairs.
‘I detest eavesdroppers,’ you comment as you wipe clean the end of the needle and replace it in the case.
The man looks nervous. ‘You didn’t…?’
‘Kill him? No, I made sure not to use a poisoned needle.’ You sit down across the table from Segnat. ‘We don’t go around killing just anyone, you know.’
Segnat relaxes a little. ‘So you’re the Guild’s top assassin?’
‘Opinion is divided, but most would at least include me among the three best.’ You lean forwards and smile behind your mask. ‘So… Who do you want me to kill?’
‘A visiting magic-user from Analand.’
‘You are aware that we have a special rate for Sorcerers? They can be tricky.’
‘Yes, I know.’ He grins smugly. ‘I’ve managed to obtain full details of where the Analander will be over the course of the next day or two.’
‘Very efficient. It almost makes me wonder why you feel the need to call in an expert from out of town.’
‘This Analander is an experienced fighter. I originally hired a local gang, but they got themselves killed.’
‘Amateurs,’ you sigh. ‘They probably attacked one at a time.’
‘You think you can do better?’
‘I know I can do better.’
‘Then you’ll accept the contract?’
You agree, and shake hands with Segnat. He hands over a bulging moneybag and a scroll. ‘The down-payment and the Analander’s itinerary.’
You tip the money out onto the table, eyes gleaming at the sight of all the gold. It appears to be the right amount, but you resolve to count it properly later, just to be sure. Segnat will wind up very sorry if it’s not all there.
Once the money is back in the bag you open the scroll case and tip out its contents. To your surprise, out falls a piece of cloth, not the parchment you were expecting. ‘Is this supposed to be a joke?’ You open out the ‘itinerary’, and then turn it over, but cannot find any words or markings. It looks just like one of the violet scarves worn by those stupid enough to throw away their lives in Deathtrap Dungeon.
‘No joke,’ replies Segnat, grinning to see how he has discomfited you. ‘The Analander is one of the contestants entering the Baron’s new Dungeon tomorrow.’
‘Then you have no need of my services. The Analander’s already as good as dead.’
‘Others have beaten the previous Dungeons. And if the Analander does make it, you’ll have trouble finding a good opportunity to strike afterwards.’
‘Going into that Dungeon is tantamount to committing suicide, and I’m not about to do so just on the off-chance that the Analander gets lucky.’
‘You won’t have to go through the whole Dungeon. Once it became clear that I needed a professional, and that you might not get here in time to kill the Analander before the Walk starts, I made arrangements to get around that problem.’ Segnat takes a plain-looking metal pendant from inside his robe. ‘This will teleport you away once you’ve killed the Analander. Only you and I will ever know what really happened. Or are you just going to back out of the deal?’
Under the circumstances, the Guild would not penalise you if you were to break the contract. You’d have to explain why, though, and that would mean admitting that you accepted it without checking for loopholes. Besides, this is the sort of thing that can easily get twisted into rumours about your being unreliable. Your reputation could be at stake here. But even a brief excursion into the Dungeon could prove lethal. Is your reputation really worth risking your life for?
‘If you’re not going to go through with it, give the money back.’ Segnat holds out his hand.
You reach for the bag, weigh it in your hand. It’s the best commission you’ve seen in months. And, as Segnat said, it’s not as if you’re going to have to go all the way through the Dungeon. With a bit of luck you could be finished in under an hour. Are you willing to let all that lovely money go, and put your reputation on the line, for fear of a few monsters and booby-traps?
‘Let me see that pendant,’ you say.
Turn to 1
Still uncertain as to whether or not you have made the right decision, you have your first sleepless night in years. Eventually you give up trying, and spend the remaining hours before dawn preparing yourself for what lies ahead. To keep the Analander from suspecting your real goal, you dress to create the impression that you are an old soldier, fallen on hard times and making one last, desperate bid for glory. The costume includes a full-face helmet, which should prevent anyone from recognising you after you escape from the Dungeon, and a sword, though for any combat you’re more likely to use one of the dozen knives and daggers you have concealed about your person. Shortly before dawn a messenger knocks at the door to inform you that it is time to go. You pick up the scarf, tie it around your arm, and set off. Despite the earliness of the hour, the streets are already crowded, but people make way for you as soon as they see the scarf. It soon becomes clear that if you weren’t going to enter the Dungeon you’d have no chance of getting anywhere near the contenders. Eventually you come into view of the Dungeon entrance, a dark tunnel mouth between two grotesquely carved stone pillars. The Analander is standing beside it, wearing a tunic with many pockets, and a belt from which hang several pouches and a sword. Mindful of your disguise, you salute your unwitting enemy, who gives a nod in response. A couple of other contestants are also waiting, and as you join the group, two more emerge from the throng and take their places alongside you. As you wait for the Trial to begin, you reflect on the peculiarities of human nature. If you were to kill the Analander right now, the crowds would tear you apart. If you wait until you are both inside the Dungeon, they won’t mind. Indeed, a lot would probably cheer. Briefly you turn your attention to the others waiting to enter the Dungeon, wondering if any of them might kill the Analander before you get a chance to. The shaven-headed warrior from the distant east looks like the ‘honourable’ type, who’d only attack a fellow contestant if forced to. As for the young adventurer with his leather armour and his backpack, he’d probably offer a fair fight to an unsuccessful ambusher. However, the other two could prove as much of a threat to their competitors as you do to the Analander. One is a Dark Elf, his face cast into shadow by the hood of the cobalt blue cloak he wears. The other is a tall, pale-skinned woman in black robes, with a magical aura that suggests she is an adept necromancer. The crowds don’t press in so closely towards them as to the rest of you. No doubt they’d give you more space as well if they had any idea of your true nature. Silence falls as Baron Sukumvit produces several sticks of bamboo and offers them to each contestant in turn. By the time he gets to you there is just one stick left, with the word ‘Six’ inscribed upon it, but you are not overly troubled by the fact that you will be the last to go in, as the Analander is fifth. The first in is the adventurer. To the frenzied cheering of the surrounding mob he steps between the carved stone pillars flanking the entrance and vanishes into the darkness. After just a few seconds a scream comes echoing out, and an amazed hush descends upon the spectators. The woman, who is to go second, takes a step forward, but the Baron indicates that she must wait the full half hour before following. Next after she has gone in is the Easterner, who bows to the crowds before entering the Dungeon. The Dark Elf also bows, a mocking sneer upon his face, when his turn comes. The Analander checks the contents of the pouches and the tunic’s numerous pockets before following at the appropriate moment. The next thirty minutes seem longer than the two hours before the Analander went in, but eventually they end and you are allowed to go after your quarry. You pass through the entrance into a passage with rough sandstone walls, dimly illuminated by faintly glowing globes that are fixed to the walls. You note with mild curiosity that there is nothing to indicate what happened to the adventurer. Once you are sure you are out of sight of the entrance, you remove the helmet. It would only obscure your vision if you kept it on. A couple of hundred metres in, you reach a crossroads. The passage to the west is barred by a sturdy iron portcullis (in this teaser, though it’ll be open in the full-length adventure), and there are raised portcullises at the top of the openings to the north and the east. You cannot make out anything of interest along either of the passages. To go north, turn to 15. To turn east, turn to 30.
2
You fall through the darkness and hit the ground below with bone-breaking force. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, the impact kills you. If you are Unlucky, your death is much slower and far more unpleasant. It’s probably for the best that you can’t see what causes it.
3
The walls and floor of the passage leading onwards are made of a dark grey rock, cool to the touch and smoother than the rough stone at the entrance. It also reflects sound better, so you tread more carefully, not wanting to alert anyone or anything up ahead to your approach. Before long it opens up into a large cavern, open to the sky way up at the top. In the centre of the cavern is an unornamented plinth, carved out of the surrounding rock. Over to the left you see a massive black-and-yellow-striped insect lying dead on the floor. Almost directly opposite you on the far side is the only other exit from the cavern. You see no point in wasting time here, and make for the exit. If you go straight through the middle of the cavern, passing the plinth, turn to 17. If you skirt round to the left, past the dead insect, turn to 45. If you follow the right wall round to the far exit, turn to 26.
4
The bars across the closer opening to the south are winched away, and you hear a low snarl from the darkness beyond. You draw a knife as a large grey Wolf rushes out into the room and lunges at you.
WOLF SKILL 7 STAMINA 6
If you beat it, turn to 36.
WOLF SKILL 7 STAMINA 6
If you beat it, turn to 36.
5
The plank creaks and gives a little as you place your weight upon it, but it seems sound. You are just over half way across when some instinct alerts you to the presence of an invisible barrier spanning the trench at about the same height as your head. You duck beneath it and carry on across the bridge. Roll one die. If you roll 1-4, you reach the far side without further incident (turn to 38). If you roll 5 or 6, you hear an ominous cracking noise beneath your feet (turn to 23).
6
Each keyhole is a different size, and you find that the key you have will only fit the hatch in the same position as the pen from which the animal you fought emerged. You have only turned the key half way when the hatch clicks and you find that the key will no longer move in either direction. The hatch swings open, revealing a shallow recess in the wall. It contains an unornamented wristband that appears to be solid silver. If you want to put it on, turn to 20. Otherwise, decide whether or not you want to take it with you, and add it to your Adventure Sheet if you do. Now, if you have not yet checked the other open hatch and want to see if there is anything of interest behind it, turn to 44. If you have already done so, or just want to get on with looking for the Analander, turn to 28.
7
One of the dead Goblins partly blocks the aisle. As you step over the corpse, you notice that its mouth has been forced open and several of its teeth have been pulled out. Assuming that whoever did this had their reasons for doing so, you continue along the aisle. Turn to 24.
8
You give an involuntary gasp at the sight. At once the image vanishes and the Analander spins round to face you, the orb falling to the floor and shattering. Taken by surprise, you freeze for a moment, giving your enemy time to take a step back and call a spell to mind. Regaining your senses, you thrust your knife forwards, but before it can strike home a large burning sphere erupts from the Analander’s hands, hitting you in the face and killing you instantaneously.
9
You react, but not quickly enough, and the sting jabs into your arm just above the elbow. Roll one die, add two to the number rolled, deduct the total from your STAMINA, and lose 1 SKILL point as well. If you are still alive, you stagger away from the dead but still dangerous insect and leave the cavern through the opening in the north wall. Turn to 26.
10
You take a deep breath, step to one side, fix in your mind the image illuminated by the next burst of flame, and then dash forwards. Test your Luck twice. If you are Lucky on both occasions, turn to 27. If you are Unlucky even once, turn to 46.
11
Intent on the statues, you are unaware of what is going on behind you until something sharp is jabbed into the back of your left knee, causing you to cry out in agony. Lose 4 STAMINA points and 1 SKILL point. With some difficulty you turn to face your unknown assailant. Turn to 39.
12
Your hand intercepts the sphere centimetres from the floor. It feels warm to the touch, and you sense that powerful forces will be unleashed if ever it is broken. This could be a powerful weapon, but you shudder to think of the consequences if it should be damaged while you are carrying it. Should you decide to take the risk, add the sphere to the list of equipment on your Adventure Sheet. If you have had enough of this room and want to get back on the trail of the Analander, turn to 28. If you have not yet satisfied your curiosity, and want to try another of the hatches (assuming you have not already done so), turn to 6.
13
The slope of the walls decreases, making the passage seem less cramped. Up ahead, flaming torches chained into brackets cast a flickering light over a wide trench that spans the corridor. A narrow, rather flimsy-looking plank of wood crosses it. The light from the torches does not reach to the bottom of the trench. You study the plank bridge and consider the width of the trench. With enough of a run-up you should be able to jump it. To try leaping the trench, turn to 43. To risk crossing the plank, turn to 5.
14
You step into a brightly-lit room with whitewashed walls. A wooden door leads north, and there are four iron hatches, about half a metre by half a metre, set into the walls, two on the east wall and two on the south wall. Their positioning reminds you of the barred animal pens in the first room you entered, and you notice that a silver key like the one you picked up protrudes from the northernmost hatch on the east wall, which appears to be slightly ajar. A keyhole is set into the centre of each of the other three hatches. You consider ignoring the hatches and going through the wooden door, but you are curious as to what might be behind them. If you can overcome your curiosity, you open the door (turn to 28). If you want to take a quick look, will you open the hatch with the key in (turn to 44) or try your key in one of the empty keyholes (turn to 6)?
15
The moment you step past the portcullis, it drops down, blocking off the way back. With a shrug, you continue north. The light grows brighter up ahead, and you soon reach the entrance to a rectangular chamber with white-painted walls. Glowing crystals the size of a man’s head are set into the ceiling, illuminating the chamber’s contents. You pause at the entrance to consider your next action. You are obviously not the first contestant to come this way: the remains of several dead Goblins are scattered around the floor. You can’t see the bodies so clearly because two rows of pedestals run through the chamber, creating three aisles through it. The nearest two pedestals in each row are plain cubes of greenish-grey marble, about half a metre on each side. Further on, the pedestals are the same size, but each is topped by a statue of a Goblin. The statues are all in different poses of attack, and you get the impression that they shift their positions ever so slightly when you’re not looking at them. Your gaze drifts back to the near end. Four pedestals without Goblin statues on, and (you check) four dead Goblins close by. It seems obvious what to expect. Will you:
Take the left aisle through the chamber? Turn to 7
Take the centre aisle through the chamber? Turn to 48
Take the right aisle through the chamber? Turn to 35
Take the left aisle through the chamber? Turn to 7
Take the centre aisle through the chamber? Turn to 48
Take the right aisle through the chamber? Turn to 35
16
The sight of the footprints arouses your suspicions. Judging by the distance between them, their maker could have stepped over the puddle rather than going through it, and the prints should become fainter a lot sooner than they do. They must have been created on purpose, perhaps to distract the unwary. Bearing this in mind, you pay close attention to your surroundings, and thus spot where a patch of the floor about a metre and a half across doesn’t quite match the ground on either side of it. You take a run-up and jump across the suspect patch of floor, then continue along the passage and round the corner. The footprints do not continue beyond it. Turn to 38.
17
As you pass the plinth you see that there is a thin layer of dust on it, with a roughly circular clean patch in the middle. It seems probable that there was something on the plinth, and one of the contestants who came through here ahead of you must have taken it. You wonder what it could have been, and who took it, as you leave the cavern via the opening to the north. Turn to 26.
18
The bars that had blocked the far opening in the south wall rise up, and you hear the quick padding of paws upon the stone floor. With a guttural roar a large cat-like animal with black fur rushes into the room. Knife in hand, you lunge at the Jaguar even as it springs to the attack.
JAGUAR SKILL 8 STAMINA 7
If you win the fight, turn to 36.
JAGUAR SKILL 8 STAMINA 7
If you win the fight, turn to 36.
19
You throw a dagger at one of the Goblins, and attack the other with a long-bladed knife. Test your Skill. If you are successful, the dagger hits the Goblin in the throat, killing it instantly, so you need only fight the first one listed. If you fail the roll, you miss, and will have to fight both Goblins in turn.
SKILL STAMINA
First GOBLIN 6 5
Second GOBLIN 5 6
If you win (and shame on you if you don’t), turn to 29.
SKILL STAMINA
First GOBLIN 6 5
Second GOBLIN 5 6
If you win (and shame on you if you don’t), turn to 29.
20
Moments after you slip the band onto your wrist, it starts to shrink. For a moment you panic, thinking it will crush your arm, but it stops shrinking before any damage is done. However, you are not going to be able to take it off again without breaking your hand, unless you can find some way of cutting through it. For now, you will just have to leave it on. Note on your Adventure Sheet that you are wearing it. You decide that you had better get on with trying to find the Analander, and leave through the wooden door. Turn to 28.
21
You dodge, and the sting stabs at the air. The insect lies still once more, and it occurs to you that its poison could be of use to you. Quickly but carefully you slit open its abdomen and locate and remove the venom sac. You may use this to poison your knife, so that it will cause an extra point of STAMINA damage every time you wound your opponent in a fight. There is enough venom for three fights. You do not have to use it at once, but you can only apply it to the blade when otherwise unoccupied. Make a note each time you do poison your knife so you remember the extra damage when you next go into combat. Now leave the cavern through the opening to the north. Turn to 26.
22
The light from the globes becomes fainter as you continue along the passage, and it soon becomes hard to make out your surroundings. You sense as much as see when you step into an area with a much higher ceiling and walls a little further apart. Something seems to be moving in the gloom, but you can’t tell what it could be. A sudden, brief flare of light around twenty metres away gives you a momentary glimpse of the room in which you stand, and you come to an immediate halt. From behind you comes a loud clang, as of something heavy hitting the floor, and you realise that there can be no turning back. There is another burst of light up ahead, more follow at roughly twenty-second intervals. With the help of these you are soon able to identify the obstacles you must pass here. About a quarter of the way along the marble-lined hallway a large axe-headed pendulum swings from side to side. A massive morning star, the spiked ball almost as big as your torso, swings back and forth across the hall at the half way mark, out of sync with the axe. Three quarters of the way down a horizontal sword blade almost as wide as the hall sweeps towards you and then back again. At the far end is the intermittent light source, a curtain of flame that repeatedly erupts to fill the distant doorway for a few seconds. Such overkill would be amusing if you didn’t have to get past it all. You think that you should be able to deal with the traps one at a time, pausing in the spaces between them and choosing the right moment to make the next dash, but something inside you says that you could do it all in one go with a bit of luck - and that would be so much more stylish. If you want to take the more careful, methodical approach, turn to 40. If you’d rather trust to luck, turn to 10.
23
You make a desperate lunge for the solid ground ahead as the plank snaps. Test your Skill. If you are successful, you sprawl on the floor beyond the trench and pause to catch your breath before picking yourself up and continuing along the corridor (turn to 38). If you fail, you do not react quickly enough, and fall into the trench along with the broken plank (turn to 2).
24
You feel a slight sense of unease as you draw level with the first statues. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, turn to 41. If you are Unlucky, turn to 11.
25
The sight before you has worrying implications, but you do not allow it to distract you from the task in hand. Your blade bites deep into the Analander’s throat. With a faint gurgle, your victim slumps to the floor. You should feel satisfaction at a job well done, but now the questions raised by what you saw in the orb come to the forefront of your mind. Was Segnat working on Sukumvit’s behalf when he contacted you? What was his reason for engaging you to kill the Analander? Can you really trust him? It occurs to you to check the pendant he gave you, but before you can do so, a dull tingling sensation radiates out from it, suffusing your body. Everything around you fades into nothingness. Turn to 50.
26
Smooth, dark grey bricks line the walls of the passage leading on from the cavern. The walls slope inwards a little as they go up, creating the impression that they are closing in on you. Up ahead you see the glimmer of candlelight from a niche in the left wall. It probably contains nothing of interest to you, but you wonder if it might be worth checking anyway, just to be sure. To investigate the niche, turn to 32. To ignore it and continue along the passage, turn to 13.
27
You weave past the axe and the morning star, duck beneath the sword as it sweeps towards you, and somersault through the northern doorway scant seconds before the flames fill it once more. On the off chance that somebody is watching you, you give an exaggerated bow before continuing along the passage, which gets brighter up ahead. Turn to 14.
28
Beyond the wooden door a well-lit passage with whitewashed brick walls leads north, eventually turning to the west. You can see a large patch of something on the floor a little over half way to the corner. As you draw closer, you realise that it is a puddle of muddy water. Dirty boot prints lead from it down the corridor and around the bend. Test your Skill. If you are successful, turn to 16. If you fail the roll, turn to 42.
29
You retrieve your dagger. The trapdoors through which the Goblins came have closed once more, and even though you know they’re there, you can’t spot the join. Impressed at the handiwork of whoever made the mock pedestals, you pass through the chamber and out of the door at the far end. Turn to 3.
30
As soon as you step past the raised portcullis, it drops down behind you. You shrug, and carry on along the passage. A rank animal odour soon becomes noticeable, growing stronger as you continue east. The light grows brighter up ahead, and you can see that the corridor leads to a room with something large and yellow on the floor. Drawing closer, you realise that the object is the body of a lion, which appears to have had its neck broken. Someone who came this way ahead of you must be stronger than you thought. There are five other exits from the room, an archway to the north and four openings about a metre square, two in the east wall and two in the south wall. All but the northernmost one in the east wall are barred, but as you step into the room you hear a clanking. One set of bars is being raised. Roll one die. If you roll 1 or 2, turn to 4. If you throw 3 or 4, turn to 18. If you throw 5 or 6, turn to 47.
31
You sprawl on the floor beyond the concealed pit, acquiring a couple of minor grazes. Lose 1 STAMINA point. Cursing, you pick yourself up and continue down the corridor and around the corner. Turn to 38.
32
Candles in holders set into the wall illuminate a bronze plaque inscribed with the message, ‘Choose ONE weapon’. Below the plaque is a small shelf on which rests a thin square tile made of lead, and lower down are two sealed iron caskets. Each has a square recess in the centre of its lid, about the same size as the tile. The letters ‘WO’ are embossed on the left-hand lid, to the right of the indentation, and to the left of the depression in the right-hand lid are the letters ‘RD’. Your curiosity gets the better of you, and you take down the lead tile, which bears the letter ‘S’ and is tethered to the shelf by a thin but strong chain of some silvery metal, long enough for you to be able to put the tile into one of the indentations should you wish to do so. If you want to put it into the one on the left, turn to 49. If you wish to put it into the one on the right, turn to 37. If you would rather not let the contents of the niche distract you from your mission any longer, and continue down the corridor, turn to 13.
33
Taken by surprise, you fail to dodge, and the insect’s sting plunges into your chest, delivering a lethal dose of poison into your heart. Your death is agonizing, but quick.
34
You do not react quickly enough, and the glass sphere hits the floor and shatters. Its contents explode, either from the impact or on contact with air, smearing your remains across the floor and far wall.
35
Part of the way down the aisle the severed head of one of the Goblins lies in a puddle of blood, an amusingly startled expression on its face. You resist the temptation to give it a kick, and step over it as you continue through the chamber. Turn to 24.
36
As you catch your breath after the fight, you notice that the dead animal wears a collar to which is attached a silver key. You think for a moment, then reach down and take the key. After all, you’ll look a prize fool if the Analander manages to get beyond the door that this key opens and you can’t unlock it. The north opening in the east wall looks as if it leads to another animal pen, no doubt the one that held the lion. There’s no point in hanging around here while the Analander heads further into the Dungeon, so you leave through the arch leading north. Turn to 22.
37
You push the tile down into the recess. For a moment it glows, and then the casket lid clicks open, just far enough to allow a parchment scroll to fall out and onto the floor. The lid then closes again, and nothing you can do will open it or the other casket, or remove the tile from the indentation. You pick up and read the scroll, which contains a summary of information gathered by a Femphreyan sage in the year 246 AC. It concerns the Peryton, a creature of which you have never heard, which looks something like a winged deer, but casts the shadow of a man. It is invulnerable to all weapons, even magical ones, but as soon as it kills a human it gains its own shadow, and has no need to attack anyone else. You reflect that there is almost certainly a Peryton somewhere in the Dungeon, but with any luck you will find and kill the Analander long before you come anywhere near the beast. Annoyed at yourself for having let the caskets distract you, you set off along the corridor once more. Turn to 13.
38
The passage slopes downwards, leading into a clutter-filled room with doorways to all points of the compass. You barely notice the contents of the room, being more concerned with the person standing in front of the northern exit. You’ve caught up with the Analander, who is concentrating on a crystal ball, and has not noticed you. Aware that some powerful attack spells can be called to mind and cast within seconds, you decide to strike while your presence remains undetected. Drawing a knife, you tiptoe across the floor, and as you raise the blade you catch sight of an image in the orb that is occupying the Analander's attention. It shows Baron Sukumvit reclining in a padded throne, handing a small pouch to a well-dressed man with a beard. Your eyes widen as you recognise the other man. Segnat! Test your Skill. If you are successful, turn to 25. If you fail the roll, turn to 8.
39
You behold a cackling Goblin, brandishing his bloodstained knife. A second Goblin is coming up behind him. Fight them one at a time.
SKILL STAMINA
First GOBLIN 6 5
Second GOBLIN 5 6
If you win, you bandage your wounded leg and hobble out through the doorway to the north. Turn to 3.
SKILL STAMINA
First GOBLIN 6 5
Second GOBLIN 5 6
If you win, you bandage your wounded leg and hobble out through the doorway to the north. Turn to 3.
40
Calculating the optimum moment to make your move, you spring forwards. Throw two dice for each of the four traps you must pass, but check the consequences of each roll below before going on to the next one. If the total is lower than your SKILL, you get past without any trouble. If the total is equal to your SKILL, you are unharmed but slightly off-balance, and if you have further traps to pass you must add 2 to your next roll. If the total is higher than your SKILL, you are wounded. Roll one die, deduct the number rolled from your STAMINA, and add the same number to your next roll if you still have to pass any traps. This is no time to go rummaging through your belongings, so you may not restore any lost STAMINA until you have got past all four traps. If you manage to run this gauntlet without getting killed, you see that the passage grows brighter up ahead (turn to 14).
41
You hear a faint creaking from behind, and spin round. Two Goblins are emerging from trapdoors in the tops of the empty pedestals nearest the doorway through which you came in. At once you realise that the statues are a decoy, designed to distract the unwary from the true source of the ambush. Turn to 19.
42
You follow the footprints along the corridor. Suddenly the floor cracks beneath you like thin ice. You throw yourself forwards, hoping to find more solid ground. Test your Luck. If you are Lucky, you reach the far side of the booby-trapped area (turn to 31). If you are Unlucky, the false floor gives way, plunging you into the pit it concealed (turn to 2).
43
You judge your run-up carefully, and your timing is perfect. As you leap, you have no doubt that you’ll make it to the far side. Then your head hits an invisible barrier that spans the trench about two thirds of the way across, and you plummet into the darkness beneath. If the fall doesn’t kill you, the contents of the trench will.
44
You cross the room to the unlocked hatch, take hold of the edge, and pull it open. A small glass sphere with a swirl of something red in its centre rolls out of the cavity behind it. Instinctively, you try to catch the sphere before it hits the floor. Test your Skill. If you are successful, turn to 12. If you fail the roll, turn to 34.
45
There are a few splashes of blood on the floor, suggesting that the insect managed to wound its killer once or twice. It’s a formidable-looking creature, over a metre in length, and even close up you can’t judge whether it’s most like a bee, a wasp, or a hornet. Its sting is almost as long as your forearm, and a dark droplet of venom hangs from the tip like a black pearl of death. As you pass the corpse, it unexpectedly convulses, the sting thrusting towards you. Test your Luck, and if you are Lucky, Test your Skill. If you are Lucky and succeed at the SKILL roll, turn to 21. If you are Lucky but roll above your SKILL, turn to 9. If you are Unlucky, turn to 33.
46
You get past the swinging axe without any difficulty, but the giant morning star clips your left shoulder, knocking you off-balance. You stumble, falling to meet the sword as it swings towards you, and your severed head bounces the remaining distance to the exit, where it is incinerated by the next sheet of flame to light up the room.
47
The bars across the southern opening in the east wall disappear upwards, and in the darkness beyond you can just make out the shape of something large approaching, growling as it comes. You slide a dagger from its sheath as the animal, which turns out to be a vicious-looking Bear, emerges and rears up on its hind legs. It lumbers towards you, and you duck beneath a swipe from its paw and move to attack.
BEAR SKILL 9 STAMINA 8
If you kill it, turn to 36.
BEAR SKILL 9 STAMINA 8
If you kill it, turn to 36.
48
As you approach the space between the first two occupied pedestals, you try to keep an eye on each statue, wary for the slightest sign of movement from either of them. Turn to 24.
49
You push the tile down into the depression. It glows briefly, and then the casket lid swings open. Inside is a block of black stone, out of which jut the hilts of three swords. Between the second and third swords is a slit where, you imagine, another sword had been. You grasp a hilt and pull out a short sword. It is well-balanced, and gives off a slight tingle of magic. The enchantment will not give you any bonus in combat, but should make the sword effective against creatures invulnerable to normal weapons. While you have been admiring your new weapon, the casket has resealed itself, and you cannot open it or the other casket, nor remove the tile from the recess. Reflecting that it is time you got back to searching for the Analander, you step away from the niche and continue north along the corridor. Turn to 13.
50
All around is blackness. You hear water dripping somewhere nearby. The air is cold, your breath forming clouds that you barely have time to notice before they are swallowed up by the dark. The pendant has teleported you away, but your instincts tell you that you are still somewhere in Deathtrap Dungeon. As you had already started to suspect, you have been betrayed. It seems quite a straightforward plan, now you know more of what was going on. Baron Sukumvit must have come to believe that the Analander was capable of beating the Dungeon, and decided to change the odds in his favour. You almost admire his deviousness. But not now it’s caused him to double-cross you. Was he worried that you’d work out the truth, despite his using Segnat as an intermediary, and try to blackmail him? Or did he just not want to pay the rest of your fee? It might even be that he just couldn’t bear the thought of anyone getting out of his precious Dungeon, no matter how well-kept a secret it would be. Whatever the truth may be, he’s made a big mistake. It’ll take more than spiriting you away to some obscure corner of the Dungeon to keep you from tracking him down and making him pay for his treachery. You’ll find a way out of here, and then…
A high-pitched shrieking noise breaks the near-silence, almost rooting you to the spot with terror. You recognise that there is something unnatural about this fear, and with a titanic effort of will you manage to throw it off and turn to face the direction from which the sound came. A pale shape floats in the darkness, drifting towards you. Though still some way away, it is moving at great speed. As it draws closer, you realise that it is a skull, abnormally elongated, with oversized eye sockets. Or could it be the skull of something other than a human? A horse, perhaps. There was a faint hint of a tormented whinny in that monstrous scream. You reach for a weapon, ready to defend yourself against whatever hellspawn is coming for you, grimly reflecting on the fact that even if you do somehow manage to defeat it, many more challenges will need overcoming before you can have your revenge on the perfidious Baron.
A high-pitched shrieking noise breaks the near-silence, almost rooting you to the spot with terror. You recognise that there is something unnatural about this fear, and with a titanic effort of will you manage to throw it off and turn to face the direction from which the sound came. A pale shape floats in the darkness, drifting towards you. Though still some way away, it is moving at great speed. As it draws closer, you realise that it is a skull, abnormally elongated, with oversized eye sockets. Or could it be the skull of something other than a human? A horse, perhaps. There was a faint hint of a tormented whinny in that monstrous scream. You reach for a weapon, ready to defend yourself against whatever hellspawn is coming for you, grimly reflecting on the fact that even if you do somehow manage to defeat it, many more challenges will need overcoming before you can have your revenge on the perfidious Baron.
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