Part 22: What's Yours Is Mine
Update 21: What's Yours Is Mine
"Be vewy, vewy quiet. We'we hunting wagons."
"The tracks lead south, into the forest. I wonder where they end?"
"By the gods, we've found it! This is the fabled gold mine of the mad alchemist Sarakin! You know, legend has it he finally discovered a fountain of eternal youth, only to let his own mine cave in around him rather than let anybody else in to repair it and steal his secret from him."
"A fountain of eternal youth, huh? Neato." "Well, the legend is supposed to be a parable about the futility of selfishness and cowardice. I wouldn't take it too literally. Still, I can't say I'm not curious about what's really in there."
"Okay, everyone! From now on, we'd better try not to make any loud noises! The sound might cause a cave-in! After all, you can't be too caref--mmph!"
"I blame myself for that outburst. I'll keep her under better control in future."
"Are we friends of Sarakin?"
"Probably not." "But we're gonna go in anyway, right?" "You betcha."
"Hmph. Amateurs."
Mummies hit pretty hard and can inflict disease, but they're no worse than what the party's faced before.
"Man, that wasn't hard at all! We're really great adventurers! I bet we could--" "Drewjitsu, keep your voice down! I can't keep both you and Jostiband in line at once! Honestly, I'm sick of having to always be the one to keep order in this party! At this rate, you'll--"
"Oh dear."
All a cave-in does is inflict 20 damage on the party and initiate an encounter with a group of Wraiths. This would only be a minor annoyance at the party's current level, except that some parts of this dungeon have a cave-in every two or three steps.
Apart from the constant cave-ins, this cave is also annoying to navigate because it's full of secret passages, some of which lead somewhere interesting and some of which just lead to a dead end. Other areas don't have any secret passages leading to them at all. Here's a hidden area that can only be accessed by teleportation:
"There's still gold in this mine! I hope you've all left plenty of room in your backpacks."
"Now don't be greedy. We don't want to spend too much time in here: it's not safe." "It's only greed if we're not putting it to good use -- and we are on the side of good, aren't we?"There are other piles of gold dust like this scattered in various places around the mine. 2000 gold isn't that much at this point, but every little bit helps. Anyway, further into the mine we go...
"'Ore'? Please don't tell me that was supposed to be a mining-related pun." "Well, I guess now we know what happened to Sarakin. Let's ignore his warning like we always do and keep going so we can regret it like we also always do."
"Guys! Guys! I'm stuck! Somebody help me out here!" "Calm down. I'll grab one arm. Gertrude, you grab the other..."
"Yes! Gertrude help pull puny human out!" "Uh, maybe we should just have Preacher cast Surface to teleport us out." "Very well. I shall set a Lloyd's Beacon here, so that we may easily return later."It's actually possible to get past this obstacle by teleporting to the other side, but we're going to do it the proper way:
Namely, by going to Sandsobar and indulging in a hearty meal of Phantom Pudding!
"It's not really all that hearty. Actually, I'm pretty sure I feel hungrier than I was before I ate it." "If everyone has finished, I shall return us to the mine."
"It's about time someone came to rescue us! What took you so long?"
"Don't mind him. We're glad to see you, really, we are. We were running away from Sarakin when we got caught in this cave-in." "You're the one who led us down this dead-end path in the first place, you idiot! Anyway, thanks for rescuing us and all, but I'd get out of here if I were you: if we were no match for Sarakin, you don't stand a chance in hell." "Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I think we can look after ourselves. Good luck with your future adventures. Now, I wonder what's around this corner..."
"Steal my life's work, will you? By trespassing in my mine, you've given me cart blanche to destroy you!" "Not a chance. We'll rock your world!" "I'll take your lifeless body and adit to my collection!" "Shows what you know! You're gonna get the shaft!" "Fools! You have no prospect of victory!" "Think what you will, but I am on the hunt, and you are my quarry!" "Your plans to destroy me won't pan out well for you!" "We're gonna run you out of here on a rail!" "Huh?" "'Cause mine carts run on rails, see." "That's pretty lame." "Oh yeah? Well, uh, you're pretty lame!" "You're digging a deeper hole for yourself." "Let's not continue in this vein any longer. Have at you!"
"You are nothing before my power!"
"Uh-oh. That's not good."
"Neither is that. Guys, I think we might be in over our heads here."
"Oh, come on. Is there anything here that can't magically age us?"
"That's not really an improvement!"
"A tactical retreat is in order, I believe."
"This time, I'll use this fountain to give me the power to cast Holy Word again. Those vile undead will never know what hit them!"
"Back for more already? You won't be shale and hearty when I'm done with you!" "That one was a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" "Yeah, I'm out of A-material. You might say I'm left with the tailings." "I believe it would be prudent for me to stand back right now."
"Begone from this world, evil spirits!" "Your feeble magic cannot harm me!"For some reason, the game doesn't count Sarakin as undead. Guess we'll just have to kill him the old-fashioned way.
"Well, looks like he's immune to physical attacks too. Time for Plan C!"
Too bad Energy Blast is the only Sorcerer spell we've got that's even slightly effective on him. Emphasis on "slightly".
Hilariously, Deadly Swarm is somewhat effective against Sarakin as well. There's nothing it can't mildly annoy!
The paladins can chip away with Pain spells for about 1-3 damage per round too, but seeing as Sarakin has 250 HP and can try to petrify the entire party at any time, this isn't really a winning strategy. Time to retreat and regroup for Take 3.
At some point during the third attempt, it occurs to me that everyone in the party has been boosted to spell level 9 by that fountain. And since Aeriel is a hireling, she automatically knows every Sorcerer spell...
... including Implosion.
"Whooooa, did you just suck him into a black hole? That's awesome! How long until I can do that?"
That's one experience award the party had to put in some serious work for.
"So, Sarakin really did find his fountain of youth." "Bottoms up, everyone!" "Oh, no you don't. I'm not fallin' for that twice."
Drinking at Sarakin's fountain reduces every party member's age by 5 years, to a minimum of 18. This would be a lot more satisfying if most of the party hadn't been aged several years in the process of trying to defeat him.
"Looks like Sarakin was hoarding some treasure, too."
"And for once, it looks like there's some stuff we can actually use!"
"Once again, we have triumphed over a great evil and won a well-deserved reward for our efforts."
"Now, to retire to the inn and count our money-- er, I mean, blessings."
"That was quite an experience, but I can't say it's one I want to repeat."
"I've got level-3 spells now! You can never have too many people who know Lasting Light!"
"Gertrude still need better weapons!"
"And I could really use some better armour. My gear is starting to fall way behind the rest of the party."
"My new blowpipe protects me from magic and it can temporarily increase my spell level! Cool!"
"Aw. Why don't I get a pipe like that? We never did find those wagons, either."
"Radaso (may his light shine eternally) has finally granted me access to the sixth level of clerical magic!"Level 6 Cleric Spells
1. NAME: Earth Transmutation
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Non-combat, outdoor
TARGET: Entire Party
DESCRIPTION: Transforms the Party into earth, allowing the exploration of the elemental plane of earth.
"Had we any reason to travel to the elemental plane of earth, I suppose this would be a necessary spell. Of course, I can't imagine why we would ever want to do such a thing."2. NAME: Rejuvenate
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Non-combat
TARGET: 1 character
DESCRIPTION: A spell of youth that trims 1-10 years off a character's age, restoring his/her abilities to the younger level. Spell carries some risk of producing the opposite effect.
"A far more convenient, if unreliable, alternative to revisiting Sarakin's Mine. If possible, we should simply try to avoid unnatural aging in the first place."3. NAME: Stone to Flesh
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Anytime
TARGET: 1 character
DESCRIPTION: Re-animates a character who has been turned to stone, removing the stoned condition.
"Another spell that would have proven most useful if only I had it before we visited Sarakin's Mine. Ah well; it is not for me to question Radaso's providence."4. NAME: Water Encasement
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Combat
TARGET: 1 monster
DESCRIPTION: Encases the target in a field of water, inflicting 20 points of damage per combat round and separating it from the battle until the spell is overcome or the monster is attacked.
"Somewhat more effective than Air Encasement, although it still affects only a single enemy."5. NAME: Water Transmutation
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Non-combat, outdoor
TARGET: Entire Party
DESCRIPTION: Transforms the Party into water, allowing the exploration of the elemental plane of water.
"As Earth Transmutation is to Earth, so Water Transmutation is to Water. I see no more use for it than I do for its counterpart."
"I, too, have attained the sixth level of magical prowess."Level 6 Mage Spells
1. NAME: Disintegration
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Combat
TARGET: 3 monsters
DESCRIPTION: Inflicts 50 damage points while disintegrating parts or all of the target.
"Ah, Disintegration. The odds are that it will utterly annihilate at least one of the monsters it targets, unless they are especially resistant to magic. Even if it fails, it is likely to inflict at least 25 points of damage."2. NAME: Entrapment
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Combat
TARGET: All
DESCRIPTION: Surrounds the battle with a magical energy field preventing all from escaping.
"What a delightful enchantment. Whenever you wish to ensure that you leave no survivors, you need only cast Entrapment. Of course, it also prevents the party from escaping, even through Time Distortion, so be sure to use it only in a battle you know you can win."3. NAME: Fantastic Freeze
COST: 2 SP/level + 6 Gems
TYPE: Combat, not in hand to hand
TARGET: 3 monsters
DESCRIPTION: Shoots a fantastic beam of cold at 3 monsters, crystallizing them and inflicting 10 damage points per level of caster.
"A devastatingly effective spell, sure to bring a chill to the heart of any opponent not resistant to cold. For twice the cost of Lightning Bolt, it offers three times the damage potential."4. NAME: Recharge Item
COST: 6 SP + 6 Gems
TYPE: Non-combat
TARGET: Spell caster
DESCRIPTION: Restores 1-6 charges to any item in caster's backpack that still has 1 magical charge remaining. Some risk that the spell will fail and destroy the item.
"For those weaklings who rely on magical items instead of their own strength, I have this spell to restore the power of their trinkets and keep them dependent upon me. Of course, I cannot guarantee their safety." "The safety of the items, or of the people who depend on you?" "What do you think, paladin?"5. NAME: Super Shock
COST: 2 SP/level + 6 Gems
TYPE: Combat
TARGET: 1 monster
DESCRIPTION: Shoots an intense beam of electricity, shocking a monster with 20 damage points per level of caster.
"When a single opponent must be destroyed at all costs, this spell is a most excellent choice."The party's also picked up two new hirelings, and they're fairly impressive ones:
Sir Kill has excellent stats for a Knight -- or at least he will have excellent stats, once I boost his Endurance and Speed. He's also several levels above the party right now, and commands a correspondingly high price.
Jed I's stats are also very solid but not quite so spectacular, and his price is even higher than Sir Kill's, but with level-5 spells he's almost as good a spellcaster as the party's Sorcerers.
Well, now that I've played out that update, it's time for you to vote on what to do next. Should the party explore a castle, or a dungeon, or start looking for Sherman?