After a longer break than intended, I am finally resuming the attempt at Night of the Necromancer commenced here and continued here and then here. Proceeding to the Barbican results in a codeword check (and a borderline ironic error reading 'If you none of those words written down'). I have one of the five codewords listed, acquired when I visited the kennels and disturbed the dogs. That's enough to bring consequences, but the number of them I have also makes a difference, so it's probably a good thing that I avoided the other codeword-triggering actions.
Definitely a good thing. A couple of creatures resembling tentacled brains rise out of the ground and attack me, and I'd have an additional opponent for every codeword acquired after that first one. Though I have a higher Skill than these Spirit Hunters, some appalling rolls (double 1 two rounds running - good thing this book uses the 'make a separate roll against each opponent' variant of the rules governing fighting multiple enemies, or I'd be dead again) cause me to take a significant amount of damage before defeating them. Oh, and I see that there's a little in-joke here, as my attackers are also referred to as my 'spectral stalkers'.
Moving on, I see a couple of Unthank's mysterious knights emerging from the shadows to bar my way. They wear cloaks and old-fashioned armour, and I'm in neither the mood nor a fit state for another fight, so I utilise my recently-manifested ability to defy gravity and fly over the gatehouse. There is another possible way of bypassing them, which involves a tunnel leading from a privy. I get the feeling that that's where it's possible to have the encounter that I thought could occur in the sewage culvert that might be used to gain access to the Outer Ward, which leaves me wondering what does actually happen in the culvert. Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it doesn't involve gaining the ability to fly, so I don't regret having avoided that route.
Unless there's something useful or essential in the gatehouse that I've just missed my chance of finding. But I probably wouldn't have survived a fight with the Dread Knights, so the likelihood is that I was doomed either way. At least now I have a chance of learning something that could improve my prospects the next time I play this book.
In any case, it's time I explored the Inner Ward. From here I can access the kitchens, the feast hall, the chapel (which is close to the private plot of the family graveyard, and atop a system of catacombs), the castle well (said to contain another entrance to the catacombs) and the ruined tower in the east wall. Or I could try heading straight for the Keep, where I can make out a mysterious flickering, either by proceeding to the gatehouse that leads to the bridge over the sea-moat or by taking to the air again, but that would definitely mean missing some potentially useful encounters.
I'll start with the Blasted Tower. Not the safest place to go, normally, as it's been disused since a bolt of lightning destroyed the top two storeys, but between my lack of corporeality and my recently-acquired power of flight, I don't think I'm in much danger of being crushed by falling masonry or falling off. I ascend to the topmost remaining level without finding anything of note, but then a voice calls my name and a sphere of light forms overhead. I don't know if what is manifesting is friend or foe, but I shan't find out by running away.
It's my father's ghost. Given the circumstances, I can't really object to his being disappointed at what has become of me, and his advice is at least not a recommendation to take up a career more like the one he had. The stuff about not trusting the trusted or heeding the helpful is a bit vague, but the mention of a sword under hallowed ground and a shield beyond a door sounds worthy of further investigation, and the bonus point of Will provided by the encounter is welcome.
'Hallowed ground' suggests the chapel or graveyard, so it makes sense to head that way next. Flickering candles in the chapel suggest that there's someone in there, so I check out the graveyard first. There's somebody there, too, carving an inscription into the headstone of a freshly-dug grave. Probably my own, so getting close may prove inadvisable. I keep my distance, and the sight of my ancestors' graves adds to my motivation to thwart my slayer, giving another Will bonus. The inscription on one of them provides the answer to a question I remember being asked shortly before failing a previous attempt at the book (though I got the answer right that time thanks to general knowledge, and fell foul of a different question).
While browsing among the headstones, I've wandered inadvisably close to the chiselling gravedigger. Luckily, I realise that something is drawing me towards the grave, and resist. The book then gives me the option of going there anyway, and I can't help but notice that doing so would take me to the same section as failing the roll I've just made. In the hope that my Will is now strong enough to keep me out of the grave, and just in case there is some benefit to having this encounter, I approach.
As expected, the name being engraved is my own, and I do have to make a Will roll to avoid some unpleasantness (probably being drawn back to the gate where I encountered the Reaper), but by now I am able to resist, so I get to encounter Yorrick, who catches rats and unclogs drains when there are no bodies needing burial. He's met ghosts before, and is unperturbed at meeting me. After performing a macabre ventriloquy routine with a freshly-disinterred skull, he asks if there's anything of use he might be able to tell me about local revenants.
I can ask about potential allies, likely enemies, or my ancestors. The third option will probably give me a pointer to the tower I've already investigated. The first ought to do likewise, but probably won't, as having two different questions both provide the same information seems not to be the done thing in gamebooks, even when it would be logical. I think I'll try and find out. Yep, Yorrick tells me about the former court wizard Aramanthus, who can be found in the catacombs, but makes no mention of daddy deadest. Well, maybe he would have gone on to do so if he hadn't been startled by the ominous baying of Moon Dogs. Not wanting to suffer the same fate as a previous FF character of mine, Yorrick makes a speedy departure, and I head for the chapel.
The door is closed, but not locked, so I call on my Poltergeist abilities to open it. And the holy wards set to protect the chapel from the undead burn away the exact amount of Stamina this spectral form still has. That's not quite the end for me yet, but I think the one last restoration to the land of the living which remains isn't going to be enough for a shot at victory. But I'll save what happens between now and failure for another day, as it's high time I posted something here again.
Yay, you're back!
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