Let's Play: Faxanadu! part two
This update's pretty short, folks. I lost about 20 minutes out of my hour of play thanks to a
careless death...
Had a nightmare last night that I'd died while exploring the Tower of Fortress. I was
determined to not let that happen to me, so I went and saved up until I had enough Golds to
buy a full compliment of potions, then set out from town.
It was a very strange thing, discovering that barely three yards from the edge of the town was
a sheer drop. Fortunately, in my travels I had learned a secret to falling which made it hurt
no more than trimming my beard.
At the bottom of the drop was a door, which was locked with a key I lacked. I continued past
that, and found something wholly unexpected:
A completely empty stretch of road. This was very suspicious, so I made a note to come back a
little later, after I'd put on my Wing Boots.
A dead end. But something told me there might be something at the top of the pillar, so I
strapped on the Boots and went to take a look.
A red potion rewarded my curiosity. I quaffed it, since I couldn't hold any more in my backpack.
With the time remaining before the boots lost their power, I flew up from the empty place, and
found what looked to be the base of the fountain in the sky.
The wings failed before I could fly further, so I climbed back up beyond Forepaw and spotted a
potential entrance to the Tower of Fortress.
Just a little further, and I found something even more interesting:
The fountain was blocked off by a heavy stone with a Dwarf's face carved into it, almost as if
to taunt whoever came across it. It refused to budge, so I made my way into the tower. As I
ascended the ladder that would take me there, I witnessed an unusual phenomenon.
A monster, walking on air!
(Seriously, on some screens at least, enemies can't or won't fall offscreen and will just walk
around, half-offscreen for however long it takes you to either kill them or leave the screen.)
The interior of this tower was much like that of the Tower of Trunk, albeit with slightly more
color thanks to painted columns topped by carvings of candles which eluded any attempts to
explain them.
The hideous gargolye that had guarded the Mattock had a brother, who greeted me further in.
Unfortunately, I had to forsake my position of safety to confront it, my victory coming barely
moments before he would have done me in. I thanked the gods for my good fortune and continued
on.
Bees. Dear gods, not bees. I have hated bees ever since I witnesed a longtime friend being put
to death by them. I put them to my sword quickly and only then noticed the mysterious
structure. I questioned who would build a smaller tower within a tower, then stepped inside.
I wondered if I were going mad, but sure enough, it was a temple, complete with a lone guru. He
refused to meditate or grant me a title, but gave me some advice.
After further questioning, I learned that my prior guess was correct, and that I had in fact
reached the foot of the Sky Fountain while flying. I bade him a farewell, quaffed a potion,
then climbed down the ladder beyond the temple.
I had barely tasted a mouthful before I knew it was poisonous, so I spat it out and threw the
bottle away, where it struck a Frogman, killing him instantly.
Going back the way I had come and taking a different path lead me to an old man standing before
what I knew from description to be one of the springs I was meant to revive.
Unfortunately, I had quaffed the Elixir I'd bought in Eolis in an earlier moment of desperation.
Because the way back to Eolis had been barred to me, and knowing that there was no Elixir to be
bought at any price in either Forepaw or Apolune, I searched the tower for the life-giving
liquid.
This bottle did not contain the Elixir, but instead an ointment with which I quickly anointed
myself, giving a precious minute of invulnerability. I would soon be very glad for this boon,
for I soon encountered this horrific beast:
It had the appearance of a mushroom, but moved and hissed in the manner of the great hooded
snakes found in the Eastern Lands. However, it posed little threat as I stood upon the ledge
before it and gave it a taste of my steel.
The room the snake had been guarding looked unremarkable, until I took a few steps in.
I heard the sound of grinding gears, and looked up to see a dwarf gleefully working a strange
device, whose purpose was to cause boulders hidden in the ceiling to fall upon me. I deftly
avoided them and continued on.
Was this it? Was this the Elixir I had been searching for?
It was! I gleefully rushed back to the old man... perhaps a bit too gleefully, as by the time I
had reached him, I was only barely hanging onto my life, and had used all of my potions.
The old man was rude, but I was in no position to demand courtesy from him. My only desire was to return to Forepaw before the taker of souls came to claim me.
I still cannot recall how I managed to make it to the clinic; I only know that I had.
After a long rest, I felt well enough to resume my quest, but not before I sought further
information.
"Which spring?" I asked, and recieved only a shrug for a reply. There had been a time, years
ago, when I would have killed a man for responding in that manner.
The nurse was cute, but had been so wrapped up in her work that she'd forgotten that there was a perfectly good store nearby that sold Wing Boots.
Purchasing said boots from said store, I returned to the skybound Spring, and found another old
man standing before it.
Thoroughly confused, I returned to the tower and met the guru within again.
Jo... The only keyhole to bear the mark of "jo" was the one below Forepaw's gate.
The modest building contained only a gargoyle, which I simply avoided, and the poorly-hidden
First Spring.
Another old man. Was someone toying with me?
Grateful, yet exhausted, I returned to town and meditated before going back to the inn to sleep.
Please note that I did not in any way cheat during this session, and pure luck got me from the spring to town on 1 HP. Okay, perhaps luck mixed with swearing.
careless death...
Had a nightmare last night that I'd died while exploring the Tower of Fortress. I was
determined to not let that happen to me, so I went and saved up until I had enough Golds to
buy a full compliment of potions, then set out from town.
It was a very strange thing, discovering that barely three yards from the edge of the town was
a sheer drop. Fortunately, in my travels I had learned a secret to falling which made it hurt
no more than trimming my beard.
At the bottom of the drop was a door, which was locked with a key I lacked. I continued past
that, and found something wholly unexpected:
A completely empty stretch of road. This was very suspicious, so I made a note to come back a
little later, after I'd put on my Wing Boots.
A dead end. But something told me there might be something at the top of the pillar, so I
strapped on the Boots and went to take a look.
A red potion rewarded my curiosity. I quaffed it, since I couldn't hold any more in my backpack.
With the time remaining before the boots lost their power, I flew up from the empty place, and
found what looked to be the base of the fountain in the sky.
The wings failed before I could fly further, so I climbed back up beyond Forepaw and spotted a
potential entrance to the Tower of Fortress.
Just a little further, and I found something even more interesting:
The fountain was blocked off by a heavy stone with a Dwarf's face carved into it, almost as if
to taunt whoever came across it. It refused to budge, so I made my way into the tower. As I
ascended the ladder that would take me there, I witnessed an unusual phenomenon.
A monster, walking on air!
(Seriously, on some screens at least, enemies can't or won't fall offscreen and will just walk
around, half-offscreen for however long it takes you to either kill them or leave the screen.)
The interior of this tower was much like that of the Tower of Trunk, albeit with slightly more
color thanks to painted columns topped by carvings of candles which eluded any attempts to
explain them.
The hideous gargolye that had guarded the Mattock had a brother, who greeted me further in.
Unfortunately, I had to forsake my position of safety to confront it, my victory coming barely
moments before he would have done me in. I thanked the gods for my good fortune and continued
on.
Bees. Dear gods, not bees. I have hated bees ever since I witnesed a longtime friend being put
to death by them. I put them to my sword quickly and only then noticed the mysterious
structure. I questioned who would build a smaller tower within a tower, then stepped inside.
I wondered if I were going mad, but sure enough, it was a temple, complete with a lone guru. He
refused to meditate or grant me a title, but gave me some advice.
After further questioning, I learned that my prior guess was correct, and that I had in fact
reached the foot of the Sky Fountain while flying. I bade him a farewell, quaffed a potion,
then climbed down the ladder beyond the temple.
I had barely tasted a mouthful before I knew it was poisonous, so I spat it out and threw the
bottle away, where it struck a Frogman, killing him instantly.
Going back the way I had come and taking a different path lead me to an old man standing before
what I knew from description to be one of the springs I was meant to revive.
Unfortunately, I had quaffed the Elixir I'd bought in Eolis in an earlier moment of desperation.
Because the way back to Eolis had been barred to me, and knowing that there was no Elixir to be
bought at any price in either Forepaw or Apolune, I searched the tower for the life-giving
liquid.
This bottle did not contain the Elixir, but instead an ointment with which I quickly anointed
myself, giving a precious minute of invulnerability. I would soon be very glad for this boon,
for I soon encountered this horrific beast:
It had the appearance of a mushroom, but moved and hissed in the manner of the great hooded
snakes found in the Eastern Lands. However, it posed little threat as I stood upon the ledge
before it and gave it a taste of my steel.
The room the snake had been guarding looked unremarkable, until I took a few steps in.
I heard the sound of grinding gears, and looked up to see a dwarf gleefully working a strange
device, whose purpose was to cause boulders hidden in the ceiling to fall upon me. I deftly
avoided them and continued on.
Was this it? Was this the Elixir I had been searching for?
It was! I gleefully rushed back to the old man... perhaps a bit too gleefully, as by the time I
had reached him, I was only barely hanging onto my life, and had used all of my potions.
The old man was rude, but I was in no position to demand courtesy from him. My only desire was to return to Forepaw before the taker of souls came to claim me.
I still cannot recall how I managed to make it to the clinic; I only know that I had.
After a long rest, I felt well enough to resume my quest, but not before I sought further
information.
"Which spring?" I asked, and recieved only a shrug for a reply. There had been a time, years
ago, when I would have killed a man for responding in that manner.
The nurse was cute, but had been so wrapped up in her work that she'd forgotten that there was a perfectly good store nearby that sold Wing Boots.
Purchasing said boots from said store, I returned to the skybound Spring, and found another old
man standing before it.
Thoroughly confused, I returned to the tower and met the guru within again.
Jo... The only keyhole to bear the mark of "jo" was the one below Forepaw's gate.
The modest building contained only a gargoyle, which I simply avoided, and the poorly-hidden
First Spring.
Another old man. Was someone toying with me?
Grateful, yet exhausted, I returned to town and meditated before going back to the inn to sleep.
Please note that I did not in any way cheat during this session, and pure luck got me from the spring to town on 1 HP. Okay, perhaps luck mixed with swearing.