32) Slaves of the Abyss Solution

[champskees]

This is a great book, on par with Creature of Havoc & one of my top five. I would recommend a Skill of 10+ for this adventure.

- Volunteer to scout to the east.
- Slip it in your pocket to read later.
- Take Sige’s Pomander.
- You have Sige’s Pomander (-1 Time).
- Leap up before they advance further.
- Seek hospitality at the Temple of Fourga (-1 Time).
- Agree to empty your backpack.
- You don’t have the Fist.
- Stick to the roads.
- Examine the ox and cart.
- Stay with your hosts in the hut (+4 Stamina, -1 Time).
- Grab the rope.
- Take Reaver’s Bottle.
- Answer to the riddle: A riddle (+2 Luck, -1 Time).
- Search the buildings to your left.
- Examine the wizard’s paraphernalia.
- Continue rummaging on the desk.
- Take the Potion marked ‘Ghulsh’.
- Add note: Turn to Para 258 when you wish to use potion (Potion of Fortune +1 Initial Luck & Restore Luck to full).
- You have finished checking the potions.
- Examine the puppets & cupboard closely.
- Open it normally.
- Take Blow Pipe.
- Leave the house with Mema.
- Do not wash it off (-1 Time).
- Try to reach the village.
- Mema is with you.
- Ride to warn Kallamehr (-1 Time).
- You have Sige’s Pomander.
- Remove the Pomander (-1 Time).
- Climb out the window.
- Let go immediately.
- Try to disarm him.
- Test Skill.
        o Success:
                o Learn how to throw your sword.
                o Learn Spitting Fly.
        o Fail:
                o You have Sige’s Pomander, but you choose not to wear it (+2 Stamina).
- Take Buckler (+1 Skill, -1 Gold Piece, -1 Time).
- Wave goodbye to your old teacher and set off (-1 Time).
- If you have the Spitting Fly skill:
        o Draw your sword & threaten the guardsmen.
        o You are not wearing Sige’s Pomander.
        o Fight Sk 7 St 8 Guard & Sk 6 St 7 Guard together.
        o Go and investigate the keep (-1 Time).
        o Take Coil of Rope.
        o Test Skill. If Fail: Use Spitting Fly & Take Crossbow.
        o Choose any wall.
        o Return to your quarters.
        o Creep cautiously down the passage.
        o Rush to open the trapdoor.
        o Use the blow pipe.
        o Fight Sk 6 St 8 Quagrant (If you lose an attack round, 2 Damage every subsequent round).
        o Use Spitting Fly.
        o Hide in the stables & see what happens.
        o Take Sealed Locket (-1 Time).
        o Hold up the Sealed Locket.
        o Try to open the locket.
- If you do not have the Spitting Fly skill:
        o Insist you are on a vital mission.
        o Take their advice and go back to the town (-1 Time).
        o Mount the platform & demand the nobles hear your case.
        o Fight Sk 8 St 17 Luthaur. If you take a wound, you die.
        o Accuse one of the nobles of treachery.
- Ask Sige the Silent to kiss Carolina (2 Damage).
- Fight Sk 7 St 5 Sige the Silent.
- Add note: Your hand is coloured.
- You have heard of Enthymesis & wish to search for him (-1 Time).
- Test Luck. Fail = 2 Damage (-1 Time).
- Examine the tree & the plants which cover it.
- Take Foxgloves.
- Take the left path.
- Add note: ‘3’.
- Do not take the risk.
- Take the left path.
- Add note: ‘2’.
- Fight Sk 10 St 12 Ogre.
- Fight Sk 5 St 4 Goblin.
- Carry straight on.
- Add note: ‘1’.
- Remain quietly where you are.
- You have three numbers written down. ‘3,2 &1’. Go to Para 321.
- Take the trail which slopes downwards & to the left (1 Damage).
- Take the right hand path (+1 Luck, -1 Time).
- Walk under the hut.
- Say ‘Aletheia’.
- You have Sige’s Pomander.
- Add note: Paa, Maet & Teth herbs.
- You did not shoot the Troll with a crossbow bolt.
- Suggest he strips the leaves off the tree.
- Take Jheera Leaves.
- Fight Sk 7 St 9 Troll.
- You have Jheera Leaves and wish to prepare them now (-1 Time).
- Light the Jheera torch.
- You have a Jheera torch prepared.
- You have lit the Jheera torch.
- Make for the cave entrance you passed.
- Fight Sk 7 St 7 Caveman. If fight takes 6+ rounds, you die.
- Show the Reaver’s bottle.
- If you have the Spitting Fly skill:
        o Use Spitting Fly.
- If you do not have the Spitting Fly Skill:
        o Attack him with your sword.
        o Fight Sk 10 St 15 Slave Master.
- Investigate the tunnel.
- Dive through the flames.
- Wait for them to react.
- Run to the door.
- Check the Time Boxes on your adventure sheet. You have 13-15 crossed off.
- Take Small Silver Whistle.
- Wait to face the horror.
- Fight Sk 10 St 10 Maijem-Nosoth.
- You have Sige’s Pomander & know what to do with it.
- Add note: You have eaten the herbs.
- Make your way through the mist.
- Test Luck.
        o If Success:
                o Don’t use the crossbow (if you have it).
        o If Fail:
                o You have fewer than four (1 Damage).
- Head for the creaking.
- Test Skill. If fail:
        o Fight Sk 6 St 5 Tentacles. If fight takes 5+ rounds, you die.
- Fight Sk 5 St 10 Anemorus.
- See if anything happens.
- Stay hidden.
- Creep around to surprise him as he leaves.
- Leap out and strike at him with your sword.
- Wrap yourself in the gatherer’s robe & approach.
- Drink some of the broth.
- You have not drunk or added either potion.
- You did not smash the goblet.
- You have eaten the herbs from Sige’s Pomander.
- Paa: 0+1+1=2. Maet: 3+1+1+2=7. Teth: 2+1+2+0=5. Go to Para 275.
- You have drunk Bythos’ broth.
- Leave the chamber through the door you came in by.
- Grab the chain before it floats away.
- Blow on him.
- Divide the liquid amongst the citizens of Kallamehr.
- You have the wound which changes colour.
- Your power grows ever greater. You unravel the mystery of travel between the planes, and embark on an adventure that spans the cosmos and concerns the gods themselves. So yeah, you’re kind of a big deal.

[Drake Solitaire]

Why is Bythos doing this in the first place? What's his story?

[vastariner]

May 13, 2015 21:52:28 GMT Drake Solitaire said:

Why is Bythos doing this in the first place? What's his story?

As Bythos derives from the Greek word for "deep", he is probably a creation of the Abyss - or vice-versa.

[caractacus]

if sige the silent is an agent of bythos, why does she give you the pomander of Paa, Maet and Teth herbs which can be used in the abyss to thwart bythos? doesn't this mean she's aiding her master's enemy?

[kieran]

Always confused by that myself.

[sylas]

I don't think Sige had any knowledge of the herbs being able to use against her master. The original plan was to have it make you fall asleep so that you can be murdered by the assassin more easily.

[kieran]

But it stops you from falling asleep. Unless she relied on you being so exhausted you take it off which seems a bit ridiculous.

[sylas]

actually you're right. i remembered wrong.

[a moderator]

The exhaustion it induces can impair your faculties, though (IIRC, it's responsible for a 2 SKILL penalty at one point).

And there is a 'fail' ending where you take the pomander off because you're so exhausted, promptly falling asleep, and something or someone ensures that you never wake up again.

[kieran]

Yeah but it seems a bit of an inefficient way of sabotaging you - "Here, take these herbs that will protect you from thieves and murderers and will help you out in my master's lair. Hopefully though their side effect will cause you to take them off just as my master's servant comes to kill you."

[sylas]

maybe it's also a double bluff. hey she's helping me so she's obviously on our side.

[a moderator]

Don't forget that if you fail to resolve matters in Kallemehr before confronting Bythos, it's a win-win situation for Sige. If the pomander helps you defeat Bythos, Sige gets to rule Kallamehr. If you die, she can tell Bythos she helped bring about your doom by giving you something that impaired your judgement.

[caractacus]

The points you all made were interesting. The pomander does weaken you over time; it’s something of a poison chalice. I suppose that’s why Sige give it to you after all!

One more question on the book. What’s the significance of the creature feeding upon the ox that has a wax mask of your face? Is it one of Sige’s assassins? Why has it got the mask?

[kieran]

I think the only way to find out who this guy is is to fill all but two boxes in your time track. Not sure doing so is even possible though.

[a moderator]

Nov 2, 2015 14:22:56 GMT caractacus said:

One more question on the book. What’s the significance of the creature feeding upon the ox that has a wax mask of your face? Is it one of Sige’s assassins? Why has it got the mask?

Remember how so many of the people you encountered outside Kallamehr seemed unusually unfriendly? The fact that the priests of Fourga were convinced that you'd stolen their golden fist, even though you'd never been to their temple before? The implication is that this creature has been impersonating you and causing trouble so as to turn everyone in the area against you and impede you in your quest.

[caractacus]

I understand! A wax mask would’ve been advantageous to Sige's winged assassin in undermining your overall mission. Also, if you pursue the creature at the dead ox, you soon come to a gorge which implies it must’ve been able to fly to escape you!

The Hornet Assassin that tires to burn you in the inn, after you’ve scouted Bytho’s army, must’ve also killed the Kallamehr champion that heads north to bring back the army. When you find her body (Carolina of Blacksand) it has acid burns upon it; the Hornet Assassin spits acid at you when you’re escaping the burning inn!

I always liked this book; it has twist and turns and makes you think? The cover is cool too; very mysterious! :-)

[electricwater]

Just started playing through this book for the first time and have quickly found a paragraph error which I can’t see mentioned anywhere following a quick internet search, so I was hoping the community might help

Paragraph 301 instructs you to turn to 182, but the text at 182 makes no sense with what’s come before.

I’ve had a flick through other references with substituted digits (e.g. 282, 382, 102, 112, 181, etc) and the closest fit seems to be 183.

Does anyone know if this error was ever corrected, and/or if 183 is the intended destination?

Edit: actually, after reading on, I don’t think 183 is correct after all. Any ideas?

[a moderator]

It's not an error - it's just not a conventional transition.

SPOILER: Click to show

Your attempt at defending Kallamehr fails. The book doesn't go into detail about what happens - there's just a time-jump to years in the future, when all that remains to tell of your futile efforts is your sword, salvaged from the ruins of the city.

[sylas]

It's one of the many things I love about this book. The 'your adventure ends here' sections are so wonderfully creative.

[electricwater]

Ahh, I see. That went straight by me!
I wasn’t expecting such subtlety from a FF book

I have spotted an error elsewhere, though - at Fourga’s shrine you tell the priest that Dunyazad told you to stay there, but it is possible to get to the shrine without receiving that information (if you start out going north but then double-back and go east).

However, this is minor thing, and doesn’t really affect playability.
My first proper play-through was enjoyable, but I ultimately failed.
I think some more read-throughs might reveal to me the hidden depths of this book, which many seem to rate so highly.

[a moderator]

The book has plenty of subtle stuff in it, which is part of what makes its fans love it so (and why at least some of its detractors hate it - no blatant info-dumps for the readers who can't put the clues together).

[axelf]

Apr 24, 2018 17:11:28 GMT electricwater said:

Just started playing through this book for the first time and have quickly found a paragraph error which I can’t see mentioned anywhere following a quick internet search, so I was hoping the community might help

Paragraph 301 instructs you to turn to 182, but the text at 182 makes no sense with what’s come before.

I’ve had a flick through other references with substituted digits (e.g. 282, 382, 102, 112, 181, etc) and the closest fit seems to be 183.

Does anyone know if this error was ever corrected, and/or if 183 is the intended destination?

Edit: actually, after reading on, I don’t think 183 is correct after all. Any ideas?

I saw the same thing with a reference to 182.  When you try to "Stay behind after all"  at paragraph 174 you get directed to 182 and it makes no sense...

[a moderator]

It does make sense - you just have to make the logical connection.

SPOILER: Click to show

If you stay behind, the enemy triumphs. However, rather than describing your defeat, the narrative flashes forward to years later, when all that remains of your futile stand is your rusted sword, now included among the wares of the trader who dug it out of the ruins of the city.

[axelf]

Jul 21, 2020 16:59:17 GMT a moderator said:

It does make sense - you just have to make the logical connection.

SPOILER: Click to show

If you stay behind, the enemy triumphs. However, rather than describing your defeat, the narrative flashes forward to years later, when all that remains of your futile stand is your rusted sword, now included among the wares of the trader who dug it out of the ruins of the city.

Thanks, you're right!  I can see how this works now.

[pip]

I agree it's one of the best books in the series. Great writing and story, full of surprises, and the difficulty is challenging but not insane.

[vagsancho]

Jul 22, 2020 19:23:04 GMT pip said:

I agree it's one of the best books in the series. Great writing and story, full of surprises, and the difficulty is challenging but not insane.

Awesome book!! Weak point: Bythos.

[CharlesX]

A very rough % chance of completing an FF worked out by extrapolating Champskees Table Skill, 3 permutations for Stamina and Luck.

Slaves Of The Abyss Odds of Victory 35.85%+

Technically 35.85 (27 recurring)%, this probably rounds up further when you factor in extra stamina.