Exploring Titan 5: Deathtrap Dungeon

After five books and a spin-off, I've finally reached the point that got me started writing these "Exploring Titan" articles in the first place: the creation of the Fighting Fantasy world.  The first five books (minus Starship Traveller, of course) would eventually be pulled into a unified setting, but at the time that they were released each one was a distinct entity, and there were no explicit links between them.  It's with Deathtrap Dungeon that the books begin to draw together.

That said, the links aren't a large part of the book.  They're pretty much limited to the hero passing through Port Blacksand (the setting of City of Thieves) during the introduction, and a bit where Ivy the troll talks about her brother Sourbelly, who was a town guard in the same book.  At this point it's only the last two Ian Livingstone books that are linked, but a small beginning is a beginning nonetheless.  Before Deathtrap Dungeon, Fighting Fantasy was a series of disconnected adventures. Afterwards, it's a world.

(Before I get into the meat of the book, I briefly want to bring up the prevalent fan theory that the hero of Deathtrap Dungeon is also the hero from City of Thieves, setting out after his defeat of Zanbar Bone.  It's a tempting thought, but I doubt that character would return to Port Blacksand so soon.  Also, I don't want to believe that the winner of the Trial of Champions has a unicorn tattooed on his head.)

FANG
There's a good bit of detail about the town of Fang given in the Background section.  It's located in the "northern province" of Chiang Mai, on the banks of the River Kok, and is often frequented by river traders and passengers passing through.  It takes four days up-river by raft to get from the ocean to Fang.

The town was once "ordinary", but that was before the Trial of Champions.  Some years ago (at least five) the town's ruler Baron Sukumvit decided to create the ultimate contest in order to bring attention to his town. With the help of the townspeople he had a labyrinth constructed with only one exit, and filled it with traps and monsters.  Once it was done he sent ten of his finest guards inside; none of them returned.  The tale spread, and soon Sukumvit announced the first Trial of Champions: anyone who could get through his Deathtrap Dungeon alive would be rewarded with 10,000 gold pieces and the freedom of Chiang Mai forever.  (It's never explicitly stated whether Sukumvit rules the province of Chiang Mai, or just the town of Fang.  This prize suggests the former.  It also suggests that the people don't have a lot of freedom, although that may just apply to foreigners.)  The first Trial of Champions had seventeen entrants, all of whom died.  'The Walk' as it would come to be known has been going on for at least five years since then (at one point it's even described as an 'ancient tradition', which seems a bit much considering that Sukumvit is still alive).

(It's mentioned that the Trial is always held on May 1st, and also that the town goes into party mode during April.  I just wanted to point out the use of the same months as our own calendar.  I'm pretty sure that this is a bit of setting detail that doesn't stick, and it's used here simply as a convenience to the reader.)

After this the Trial became a big deal, and Fang was very prosperous.  During the Trial the town was deluged with ships carrying tourists wanting to partake in the festivals.  The townsfolk spent months preparing before every Trial: erecting tents and dining-halls, and hiring musicians, dancers, fire-eaters, illusionists and every sort of entertainer.  (One pruriently wonders what comes under "every sort of entertainer".)  Most of April is spent in wild celebration, and the contestants in the Trial are treated like "demigods".

You may have noticed the rather Asian naming conventions for the places in this book. There's a reason for that: Ian Livingstone had a holiday in Thailand (probably on his Warlock of Firetop Mountain megabucks).  I feel pretty safe in saying that the populace of Fang would be Asian in appearance, and that is backed up by the regrettable description of one as a "small man with slanted eyes".

On the morning of the Trial there is some morning mist. Given that the book is set in May, it's either the end of Autumn or the end of Spring (it's not known yet whether the setting is in the northern or southern hemisphere). The mist suggests Autumn to me, and thus the southern hemisphere, but my knowledge of weather patterns is close to bugger-all.

THE CONTESTANTS
Aside from the hero, there are five other contestants in the Trial, covering a fair spread of cultural backgrounds.  It's probably a good idea to look at them one by one.

There are two barbarians, dressed in fur and wielding axes. We've had barbarians in previous books (Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Forest of Doom), and they've all conformed to the stereotypical Conan mold. That's the case here as well.  One is named Throm, and has a healthy distrust of magic and the written word. Despite the fact that Throm and the hero spend a good amount of time together, the reader learns little of Throm's background. At one point he recognises a symbol of the 'druids of the north', suggesting that he hails from that direction (as is typical for fantasy barbarians).

There's a knight, in full plate armour. Very little is revealed about him, except that he is probably terrible at maths. I wonder where he might come from, or who knighted him. So far the only kingdoms mentioned have been those in the Sorcery! epic, and the one ruled by King Salamon in Citadel of Chaos.  The latter seems more likely.

The elf-woman is curious, in that she may be the first major elf character in Fighting Fantasy that conforms to the stereotypes for that race. There aren't any elves in Warlock of Firetop Mountain. Citadel of Chaos has a Black Elf, which is a different thing entirely. I don't recall any elves in Forest of Doom, and Starship Traveller is right out.  City of Thieves has an elf candlemaker, but he's an evil bugger.  So this is the first generically good and noble elf we meet in Fighting Fantasy.  I applaud Steve and Ian for their restraint.

Lastly, we have the ninja. What is he even doing here?  I mean, yes, he's here because it's the 1980s, but he's somewhat incongruous (admittedly not so much now that I've twigged to the Asian inspirations behind the book).  The Fighting Fantasy books have so far been almost entirely European/American in conception, so it's interesting to see a ninja here in all his glory.  He doesn't quite fit, but he's too busy being rad to give a shit.

MONSTERS AND OTHER PERSONAGES
The only other character of note in this book is Sukumvit, and not much is known about him.  One can assume from the fact that he designed the dungeon himself that he's devious and sadistic, with a cruel sense of humour. He definitely hates cowards and suck-ups, and appreciates those who show spirit.  He's surprised (and not particularly pleased) when the hero survives Deathtrap Dungeon.  From the illustration we can see that he's old and bearded, and has questionable taste in hats.

I should probably mention the Trialmasters and their servants, whose job it is to look after the dungeon, to make sure that the Trial is going well, and that the contestants are abiding by the rules.  The hero meets two Trialmasters during his quest, a dwarf and a gnome.  (The old guy with the statues might be a Trialmaster as well, but he's not explicitly named as such.)  The slaves that serve under the Trialmasters are ill-treated; most of them seem to be former contestants, and they are permitted no freedoms whatsoever in order to protect the secrets of Deathtrap Dungeon.  Oddly enough, the Trialmasters are seemingly trapped inside as well. While it seems like they rule the roost inside the dungeon, they aren't permitted to leave (as evidenced by Igbut the gnome, who tries to make a run for it at the end).  There could be some racial discrimination going on, given that the only Trialmasters the hero meets are a dwarf and a gnome, but that's probably all in my head. It may just be that those are the most likely types to want to spend their lives underground in a dungeon.  The dwarf, at least, seems to enjoy his job quite a bit.

And now, the monsters!  We have a number of monsters returning in pretty much the same form as they appeared earlier: a Minotaur, some Leprechauns, two Hobgoblins, two Orcs, two Goblins, a semi-civilised Troll named Ivy, a more primitive Cave Troll, a pair of Guard Dogs, and a Caveman.  There are also a lot of additions to the pantheon of giant insects: a Fly (and its maggots), Bees, Wasps, Beetles, Ticks, Mites, and a Scorpion.  Not to mention the black widow spider (normal-sized, thankfully).

A Medusa appears, acting in the classic mythological sense. This is technically the first one we've had, although Balthus Dire turned himself into one in Citadel of Chaos.  (Of course, Balthus Dire is classy and educated, so he called it a Gorgon.)

The Skeleton Warrior might be a new monster (basically a slightly stronger skeleton variant) or it might just be a skeleton who is also a warrior.  Either way, it acts just like any other skeleton you've met.

The Manticore is the second one for the series as a whole, as one featured as the climactic encounter of The Shamutanti Hills.  If we're going by the illustrations, the one in Deathtrap Dungeon is a little more refined and man-like in appearance, but their behaviour is comparable.  (It's also a little odd that Ian and Steve were working on books at the same time that used the same monster as the final boss.)

The Flying Guardians are newish, in that they are a new variant of animated statue.

The Pit Fiend is brand new, but let's be honest here: it's a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The Mirror Demon is encountered in a hallway lined with mirrors, and it tries to drag the hero through the mirrors into its own dimensional plane.  It's described as a "grotesque being with four arms and four screaming faces".  The text doesn't give it a gender, but it's definitely female in the illustrations (much to the consternation of teenage me).  The demon can be defeated by smashing its mirrors, and its body will crack and shatter in death.  The mirror demon has great strength, but it can be killed with a regular old sword to the face.

The Troglodytes (about twenty of them) seem to have set up their own little society in the dungeon, complete with religion. When encountered, they're are running in a circle around a large golden effigy.  They're described as tiny, with large ears and noses (presumably because they live underground). Although hostile to strangers, they don't kill them immediately; instead they subject them to the Run of the Arrow, in which a troglodyte fires an arrow into the distance, and the victim is allowed to walk barefoot to that arrow before the troglodytes give chase.  If the victim is caught he will be killed, but at least he has a chance to escape with his life.  Strangely enough the troglodytes will explain all of this to the hero without difficulty, meaning that they all speak the same language.

The rock grub is a large worm-like creature that uses its powerful mandibles to chew tunnels through stone. They're blind, but seem to sense their prey by heat.  They also have a sense of smell, as one can scent the blood of its mate on the hero's sword.  There are at least two of the things burrowing through the dungeon area, and probably more.  They secrete slime as they tunnel through rock.

The imitator is a weird creature that pretends to be another object (in this case, a door). Anyone that touches it will he stuck like glue, while the imitator forms a fist to punch it to death.  The imitator, when attacking, is described as having a "fluid form". Acid will kill it rapidly, and it can be cut by a sword (although it's not clear if a sword is enough to kill it). 

And finally, the Bloodbeast, most famous of the creatures introduced in the book.  It's probably the most famous monster that's unique to Fighting Fantasy, and a lot of tat is due to the rad painting that Iain McCaig did for the cover.  Not to sell Ian Livingstone short, though, because it's pretty cool otherwise.  It's described as a "horrific bloated creature with tough, spiny skin and facial blisters which burst open to become mock eyes".  These mock eyes evolved to protect the Bloodbeast's real eyes, which are its only weak spot.  They live in pools of fetid slime, that give off noxious vapours that can knock people unconscious. Although they're too bulbous and heavy to leave their pool, they have a long tongue that can be used to drag its victims in.  The victim's flesh will decompose in the slime, before the bloodbeast begins to feed.  The origins of the Bloodbeast are left a mystery here.  There's not a lot else to speculate about, because Ian describes the beast in uncommon detail.

NEXT
It's on to Island of the Lizard King another Livingstone joint.  I've played this one quite a bit, but I never owned it as a kid, so it's not quite carved into my memory like some others in the series.