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CLAW OF THE FLESHLESS KING by ANDREW GALE AMATEUR ADVENTURE DESCRIPTION: We are proud to present this exclusive and original amateur adventure on the Official Fighting Fantasy™ Gamebook's web site, written by Andrew Gale. From the depths of the void comes an ancient terror that will use all its strength to conquer your world. BACKGROUND When you first got the message that you were the sole beneficiary of someone’s Will, you thought it to be a joke; most of your relatives were still living and of full health. Yet, the curious man in the suit was adamant. Three days. He said. You were to meet him in the offices of Serakub Ltd law firm in the Titan building uptown. Arriving at the address, you still thought it a joke: The building was still under construction. Yet a hand painted sign got the better of you and directed you to the 33rd floor via the newly installed service elevator. Upon the elevator doors opening you were struck with amazement when you were greeted by an opulent waiting room with large comfortable chairs, a well-tended indoor garden complete with a fountain and classical music playing in the background. You sit down in one of the chairs, the soft leather making you relax instantly. You think about all the people in your life that would….? Your reverie is interrupted by the strange man you met the other day. Still wearing the same suit, he carries a briefcase and –if you didn’t know any better – you’d say he had a metallic sheen to his skin. The Lawyer ushers you into a large meeting room and closes the door behind you. He bids you to sit down at the oval mahogany table and goes to a stand by the window and pours you a glass of water. As you move to sit, you notice a tape recorder and a brass key on a metal chain arranged in front of you on the table. Bringing over the glass, the Lawyer asks you to press play on the tape recorder. The recorded voice is muffled and indistinct. It sounds like the person is reading from a letter. To Whom It May Concern: It is almost twenty years since I returned to this city, bearing what now I call the ‘Burden of My Life.’ This burden lies hidden, in a Safety Deposit Box of the First National Bank downtown. The key that accompanies this recording will open the box. On no account must you- I am sorry. I am getting ahead of myself. Where do I start? Twenty years ago I disappeared from the face of the Earth and returned here bearing an artifact of terrible power. People want it. Powerful People. They will stop at nothing to get their hands upon it. If they get what they desire, they will unleash a terrible destruction upon the universe; it has the power to summon Death and those who worship the darkness will sit at his right hand and rule with him. This artifact is the Talisman of Death. I have returned many times to the standing stones outside of the city limits, beseeching the beings of Light that helped me recover the Talisman for more aid. They sent another of their kind -Suma- to find another Champion of Fate to bear the Talisman beyond the Claw of the Fleshless King. If you are listening to this missive now, I can only assume that Suma has done his work. I must go. I need to draw them away from the Talisman. Go as soon as you are able and retrieve the Talisman from its hiding place. The Fleshless King is clawing his way across the dimensions and…wait…<sounds of a chair moving> …<sharp metallic scraping sound>…<heavy breathing>…<muffled noises>…<static> You press stop. Looking up, you can see the Lawyer; his face is silhouetted by the afternoon sun coming in through the window, illuminating him in a golden aura. Shielding your eyes from the glare, you struggle to make out his features. ‘How….?’ You begin. His voice seems to come from all around you, rich and sonorous. ‘My time here has ended. Go now, Champion of Fate. Recover the Talisman and leave the city. Beware the Agents of the Fleshless King; they wear many faces.’ The glare increases until you are forced to avert you gaze completely. At once, the blinding light is gone. And you are left sitting alone. Looking around, you see a dusty storage area, cardboard boxes line the walls. There is no sign of the offices of Serakub Ltd. Was it all a trick of your mind? Moving back towards the elevator, you kick an object in the sawdust and it skitters across the wooden floor. Bending down, you pick up a small brass key attached to a chain. Impossible! Turn to 1 EQUIPMENT AND TRAPPINGS An important note is that you start this adventure without a weapon of any kind! To reflect this, you start out with a penalty to your Attack Strength. Whenever you enter a combat without a weapon, you must deduct 3 from your Attack Strength before comparing the result to your opponents. That is, when you roll two dice to add to your skill, deduct three and then compare it to your opponents Attack Strength. Should you find a weapon during the course of your adventure, you may remove this penalty. Remember, a weapon could mean the difference between life and death. EQUIPMENT AND POTIONS FOOD and WATER Every adventuring warrior knows that food is vital as a form of sustenance. You begin this mission with 5 meals to consume during your arduous journey. However, there is one point to remember in using these vital supplies: the text shall instruct you to eat a meal at certain times in your adventure. This means you’ll have to erase one meal automatically without gaining STAMINA! Venturing into any adventure may prove arduous indeed; therefore you need food just to keep your strength up. This then leads to a second possibility: if you have no provisions and the text tells you to eat a meal, you must reduce your STAMINA by 3 points! Any other time you eat a meal, you may restore 4 lost STAMINA points, except during combat or when performing any other similar action. You also have a water flask in your possession, containing enough for three drinks. There will be opportunities to refill your flask to its maximum capacity. Should your flask be empty when you are instructed to drink, you must lose 3 STAMINA points. HINTS ON PLAY Be wary about testing your Luck, unless a paragraph instructs you to do this! When it comes to fights, you should Test your Luck only to keep yourself alive if an opponent's blow would otherwise kill you. However, be warned! If you decide to use Luck in this way, be certain your adversary is worth it- Luck points are precious! You start this mission with very few possessions, but will be given opportunities to collect food, weapons, and items. However, choose your equipment carefully - although many are precious or magical, others are red herrings and of no real value at all. You will soon realise that paragraphs make no sense if read in numerical order. It is essential that you read only the paragraphs you must turn to when playing the adventure. Reading other sections lessens the excitement and surprise during play. The only true way to success in this adventure involves minimal risk; even if your character scores are low, you should be able to find magical artefacts and weapons that may increase your chances of victory in battle. Play Online: Click here to play online - Read Rules: Click here for rules This item has been published here with permission from the author(s) and may not be reproduced without permission. This is a fan submission and its contents are completely unofficial. Some characters, places, likenesses and other names may be copyright Fighting Fantasy™ - Wizard BooksŪ. |