Darvin is said to be many things: vanquisher of crazed dwarven kings, rescuer of princesses, and hero of renown—all thanks to the imagination and storytelling of his adopted halfling brother, Fife. But when called upon to back up their outrageous claims of valor, the two find themselves forced to save a village from a dead necromancer’s vengeance. Set up against these all-too-real horrors, will Darvin and Fife live long enough to become the adventurers they’ve always claimed to be?
From author Lucien Soulban comes a story of hilarity and heroism, set in the award-winning world of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Fingers of Death--No, Doom! is a four-part series of Pathfinder web fiction (available for free here) that is more light-hearted in tone than most other stories in the line. Darvin, a human, and his adopted brother Fife, a halfling, dine out on made-up stories and make a living selling fake charms from their "adventures." The two get more than they bargained for when they encounter a real monstrous threat. The story, which takes place in Andoran, has a really engaging, classic hook and by the point I reached the funny (and exciting) cliffhanger that ends the first chapter I already wanted to spend more time with the characters. The plot is rather slight even for just a short 4-part web fiction, but the premise is fun. If you like something a bit more on the silly side when it comes to gaming fiction, this story could be the one for you.
SPOILERS
The first paragraphs of Chapter 1 are over-the-top generic fantasy, and the reader has to push through a bit before realizing that, of course, it's a story being related by one of the characters in order to score free drinks. Darvin and Fife end up finding themselves investigating a house once frequented by a necromancer, and facing the safeguards left behind: crawling hands! There's a *lot* of sequences involving the crawling hands, probably more than necessary, but Chapter 3 is a lot of fun regardless. I don't know if Darvin and Fife have enough depth to sustain a longer tale, but they're just right for something like a short story.
If you, like me, are one of those sick and twisted individuals that actually enjoys Bruce Campbell films, this story is for you. Darvin and Fife are brothers. Fife writes stories and Darvin tells them. This is how they make their living. Unfortunately, the heroics that Darvin claims, come back to haunt him. He and his brother end up exploring a ruin filled with animated, disembodied hands. Their cowardice and bumbling would make Ash proud.
Although this is the most comical story to come out of the Pathfinder Tales, I don't think that the comedy is out of place. It is a lighthearted story set in Golarion. The comedy is (admittedly) influenced by the Evil Dead films, and reminiscient of Terry Brooks' and Neil Gaiman's work.
