43 Times Every Second

Description

You start to get the feeling that you're being watched. When you nearly bump into an incredibly tall man wearing a stupid hat, you realize that feeling was correct. The towering figure looks down at you and says, "I am the sole survivor of the Backwards-Walking Knights."

Oh no! You've heard of these guys (though you likely don't remember it now...it's one of those deep-seated memories). They were known for being incredibly vicious, and for making the people unlucky enough to come across them do ridiculous things. Supposedly, they were all killed during the last war with the Province of Crydonia.

Too bad you're unlucky enough to encounter the only one of them who survived.

"And since you have crossed my path," the knight continues, "you shall have to do for me a task! You are to go and find me a nice large coconut, with which I may again ride into battle, striking fear into the hearts of all who stand in my way!"

You quickly agree and head back into the Long Wood. But, um, what are you going to do?

Choices

Find a Coconut

You wander around the Wood for a few minutes, wondering where in the world you're going to find a coconut. They aren't native to this area, and it's not bloody likely that they're migratory, so...

Before you finish that thought, you spot a coconut lying on the ground. You grip it by the husk and quickly return it to the knight, who rewards you by allowing you to live... and with a little moolah.

• You gain 90-120 moolah

Forget the Coconut

You decide that looking for a coconut in a place like this would be absurd, so you don't even bother with looking. Besides, what are the odds of you bumping into that knight again?

Looking over your shoulder, you continue walking through the Wood, feeling reasonably confident in your ability to avoid 10-foot tall men who walk backwards.

From out of nowhere, a minstrel shows up and starts singing about your "bravery".

• You gain some subpoints! Bravado: 18-27

Fight the Knight

You step toward the knight, attempting to prepare yourself for a battle to the death, but the closer you get, the more you realize how much bigger than you he is.

You decide that since the odds of coming up with a better offensive maneuver than just bleeding on him are pretty slim, you should probably consider it a draw (since you're both still standing, and neither has lost any limbs...that's technically a draw, right?) and bugger off as fast as possible.

Probably a smart move.

• You gain some subpoints! Brains: 18-27

Location(s)

• The Long Wood

References

• The knight's need for a coconut to ride back into battle is reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
• Bleeding on him, the minstrel singing of your bravery, and the premise of the adventure itself are all references to Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
• 43 times every second is the rate at which a swallow beats it wings, a figure used to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.