Avadon 14: FIGHT!

Oh freakin' wow. I have just survived a major dungeon fight--SOLO!


Yes, I got abandoned in the dungeon. Couldn't take my shadowwalker and shaman. Just me. That's the plot of the game. And then I went the wrong way--even though there was a perfectly good warning that I'd get swarmed if I went that way. I tried to follow the directions, I just got it backwards.


And so I ran straight into the whole damned camp of bandits--and got swarmed.


Fortunately, I like these "Circle of Fire" scrolls. I've been saving them up. They do lots of nice damage, all going out in a circle from my character. I was completely surrounded, and I set off about four of those, which pretty much took care of the swarm. Also I had a goodly amount of assault crystals and battle crystals, and quite a few recharging items. 


Also, I used a couple of the zombies I've been carting around in a little bag (you get this bag of chilled bones. You can use it to generate zombies who will fight for you, or you might use them in a cold drink--such is the humor in Jeff's games).


The really exciting stuff, though, was when I kept running into more and more enemies. I still didn't realize I'd gone the wrong way. I actually defeated most of the camp--SOLO! Once I ran into the evil wizard I was down to only a few more scrolls, potions and crystals--but I got him. Somehow. He drains your magical abilities. It's really bad.


However, I survived. 


Now then. Did I remember to save the game between the swarm of enemies and the wizard? Of course not. I would have had to do the whole thing again if he'd killed me.


I supposed that means that this game indeed is easier than Jeff's previous efforts. Really, I shouldn't have been able to do all of that. I would never have been able to do it in an Avernum game (although fanatics do beat those games as singletons on the torment setting).


Now, all this was after completing the Titan Keep quest--which was super easy because you get a swarm of fighters on your side for once. Even fighting the bosses in the basement wasn't all that tough. Fun, but not really worrying.


This fight, though, was worrying. I was sure I'd never get out of it. If not for those Circle of Fire scrolls, I wouldn't have. Also, I put some points into my own healing, and got some regneration when I needed it most.


But then I decided to further explore the dungeon (after saving!) and found both the route I should have taken and an old drake. I suspect that's where I can find the drake's egg for the drake's egg quest. But she (it) got me. 


At least I had saved the game after all my bandit battles.


Whew.


And that's what makes these games so much fun. You do get immersed in them.


Now of course, the problem here is that I used up all that stuff that I'm probably going to need later. I have a couple of saved games from my encounter with the Mindtaker drake. I both killed him and let him go just to see which reward was better. If you let him go you get a great shield. If you kill him you get a great weapon. I went with the kill option, because I've already got some great shields and I don't need another one. Also, my sorceress is much happier if we kill the guy, because that's what she set out to do. 


However, I saved that game just before my dungeon fight. I think it would be prudent to go back and replay the whole thing to avoid the swarm, and go the way I'm supposed to go. I hate to use all those great Circle of Fire scrolls on just one fight, when you just know things are going to get more difficult.


Yeah, I think I'll do that.


However, wow. It was an exciting battle!


Update: Well phooey. It turned out that I'd done a massive amount of stuff since killing the mindtaker drake. Yeah, I could do it all again, but I think I'll just let it all stand instead.


So, I wiped out the bandit den singlehanded. I'll let that stand.


Up-update: Aha! I did save a game just as I was starting that quest. So I redid the fight. Yup, indeed, I was supposed to go the other way. I even advanced the plot a bit by doing it correctly. Also, I had the added advantage of knowing a bit more about how to fight the mage, so I got him more easily this time.


Also, I decided to try to just steal the drake egg (I was quite right about that) and not kill the poor old "withered" drake. I hasted and ran to the nest, grabbed the egg and tried to outrun the drake. Alas, however, she chased me all the way until I had to fight her. This time I killed her, and I feel badly about it, but she was, after all, only a computer avatar and not a real drake with emotions and stuff.


So I'm now back on the true plot of the game with plenty of good stuff intact, including my Circle of Fire scrolls.


Still, I have to say that I am rather proud to have wiped out almost the whole camp singlehandedly. Not bad!


(Memo: Steve Jobs died yesterday. Mourn. It's because of him that I've enjoyed 27 years of Apple products, including this computer. He changed the world.


What a massive waste. RIP Mr. Jobs. You earned it.


Here is perhaps the most accurate obit I've seen.)


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