You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Rumble thumpers
Pacemaker
Belching bludger
(feet)
(chest)
(main hand: mace)
+1 speed +3 brawn
+1 speed +4 armour
+2 speed +4 brawn
Ability: knockdown
Ability: kick start
Ability: disease
(requirement: warrior)
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 752.
617
You finally manage to pierce the knight’s armour. There is a roar of pain from beneath the helm as the armoured warrior drops to its knees, the sword and shield clattering noisily to the ground.
Caeleb starts forward, intending to finish the task with the point of his blade. However, he draws back when the knight raises its gauntleted hands. It places them either side of its helm and lifts it free. You find yourself looking down at the ghostly face of a young man, his hair hanging in tangled strands over his translucent skin. He smiles up at you and whispers something. You lean in, struggling to catch his last words as he slowly fades to nothingness . . .
‘I rest in peace. Thank you.’
The armour then rattles to the floor, empty and lifeless. If you are a rogue or a mage, then turn to 677. Otherwise, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Tor shield
Gauntlets of the fallen
Herald’s spurs
(left hand: shield)
(gloves)
(feet)
+2 speed +2 armour
+3 brawn +2 armour
+2 speed +1 brawn
Ability: deflect
Ability: finery of the fallen
Ability: charge
You glance over to see Nyms standing over the body of the defeated necromancer. ‘That’ll put an end to his tricks,’ he mutters. Turn to 710.
618
Quest: Against all odds
(Note: You must have participated in the quest Winter’s hill before starting this quest.)
The warning bell sounds before dawn. You hastily pull on your clothes and grab your weapons. All around you, the soldiers are doing the same – moving with the speed and efficiency of drilled army men. No words are spoken as you race from the barracks, following the soldiers out into the yard.
Redguard is already there, fastening his sword belt around his waist as he hurries towards the southern entrance of the camp. Lansbury emerges from the infirmary tent, looking around with a concerned expression.
‘What’s happening?’ she asks, catching your eye. ‘Is it an attack?’
‘No! Reinforcements, I think,’ interjects a guard, pointing to the dust cloud that is fast approaching the camp.
When you reach the southern entrance, you see three horsemen and several riderless horses, hurtling out of the grey dust. Their leader is clearly an inquisitor, dressed in the white and gold armour of his order. At his right hand is a thin man with pointed features. A broad-brimmed hat is pulled down low over his face, his white lacy shirt spilling out from a high-collared black coat. Behind them is a younger man, swathed in red-and-black robes. An ornate staff rests across his saddle.
‘Hail!’ Redguard salutes the riders as they pull up in a swirl of dust. ‘Inquisitor Laine, glad you could make it.’ He peers behind the rider, his brow wrinkling at the sight of the riderless horses.
‘What . . . where are the reinforcements?’ asks Redguard.
Inquisitor Laine removes his helm, revealing a weathered face framed by grey hair and stubble. ‘We were attacked on the road. Undead. They have slain five of our number, including Artorius and Bale.’
‘Laine!’ Everyone turns at the thunderous boom of Mathis’ voice. The sour-faced inquisitor shoves past the soldiers in his way, grumbling. ‘Report. Where are the men that I asked for?’
The mounted inquisitor bows his head to Mathis, but you notice a muscle twitching in his jaw as he clenches his teeth. ‘Mathis. A pleasure as always.’ By his tone, it is evident that there is no love lost between the two. ‘This is Witchfinder Gull,’ Laine gestures to the man in the black coat and hat, ‘and this is Klaret Pace, a pyromancer of the fifth order.’ The red-robed youth nods in greeting.
‘And let me guess – those things are what attacked you,’ states Lansbury, pointing to the south. There are gasps of alarm from the assembled crowd as all eyes come to rest on the black swarming clouds that are drifting towards the camp.
‘What are they?’ asks Mathis squinting.
‘Bone wyverns,’ says Witchfinder Gull, speaking in a high scratchy voice. ‘There are a hundred of them. Maybe more. And they are all headed straight for your camp.’ Turn to 639.
619
The passage turns sharply to the left, before ending in a row of wide stairs. They lead up, out of the water, into a vast stone chamber. Braziers along the walls flicker with magical blue fire, which cast an eerie sheen against the cold black walls. At the centre of the triangular room, there is a circle of glowing runes hovering several inches from the ground. In the middle of this circle you can see a stone pedestal and resting on top of it is a magnificent crown of black obsidian. There is no doubting that this must be the real crown of kings; the crown that you have come all this way for.
However, your eyes are drawn from the crown to the huge ten-metre high statue of the Dour king, seated on a throne of black stone. The blue light from the braziers makes the scowling face look even more malign and evil.
You have a sneaking suspicion that the moment you break the circle of runes to get the crown, some form of trap will be triggered. And looking up at the immense statue of the king you have some inkling as to what it will be.
Will you:
Grab the crown and run? — 554
Use something from your backpack? — 606
620
As the packmaster falls, you notice that the remaining ghouls appear to lose their bestial vigour. It takes only a few moments for Nyms and yourself to pick off the stragglers, one by one.
With the last of the ghouls defeated, you walk over and search the packmaster’s body. You find 50 gold crowns and may help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Vagabond boots
Bestial gloves
Lasher
(feet)
(gloves)
(main hand: whip)
+2 speed +2 armour
+2 brawn +2 armour
+3 speed +3 brawn
Ability: steadfast
Ability: adrenaline
Ability: bleed
When you return to the chamber, you see that Caeleb and Janna have skilfully downed the flesh golem. However, your problems are far from over. Turn to 654.
621
Together, you race between the fingers of rock, which form a winding pathway up the side of the snow-drenched hill. Several times you lose your footing and fall, slipping in the wet snow, but the baying horn in the distance drives you quickly back to your feet.
At the top of the hill, Lansbury points to the sack you are carrying. For several seconds she is too out of breath to speak. ‘Rods . . . get the rods. Quick!’
You drop the sack to the ground and pull out the three metallic rods. Each one has a different set of gems embedded along its length. ‘OK, what do they do?’ you ask hurriedly.
‘Each rod has a different power,’ explains Lansbury. ‘Look, if they attack they can only reach us by these three pathways.’ Her hand points to the winding formations of stone, that lead up to the summit. ‘Place a rod at the mouth of each of these pathways,’ she says. ‘They will help you fend off any attacks.’
‘What about you?’ you ask, glancing up at the huge statue.
‘I’m going to have to work out how to fix this,’ she says, sounding less sure of herself than before. ‘Otherwise, we could be done for.’
The baying horn has got louder. In the distance you can now see plumes of ash a
s a huge force advances across the wasteland. You spot several bone giants leading the way, their mismatched armour glinting in the pale light. Around them, a pack of ghouls are scampering through the dust, with men armed with whips driving them forwards.
‘We can’t hope to win this,’ you gasp.
Turning, you see that Lansbury has already started some spell or incantation, as her arms are outstretched and her concentration is focused solely on the angel. It looks like it is now up to you to defend the hill from the advancing horde. Turn to 704.
622
You search the body of the two-headed giant. In a pouch around its waist is a bag containing 50 gold crowns. You may also help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Black death
Gloom shade
Grimm ichor
(left hand: sword)
(cloak)
(talisman)
+2 speed +4 brawn
+2 speed +3 brawn
+1 speed
Ability: critical strike
Ability: steal
Ability: poison mastery
(requirement: assassin)
Special achievement: If all four heroes – Gull, Laine, Janna and Klaret – are still alive, you may receive an extra reward. Turn to 735. Otherwise, turn to 731.
623
Sahna escorts you to the edge of the camp. ‘You saved us,’ she says, her eyes flicking back towards Raolin’s tent. ‘At last, we can all bid farewell to this forsaken swamp.’ She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a purse of gold. ‘Here, take this. You deserve it.’ (Inside the purse is 100 gold crowns.) You thank Sahna for her generosity.
‘Good luck with your adventures,’ she smiles. ‘I have a feeling we will meet again, one day.’ The warrior salutes you, before turning and heading back into camp. Return to the quest map to continue your journey.
624
Darkness falls suddenly, the grey sky blotted out by the dense clouds of bone wyvern. There are hundreds of them, more than you had possibly imagined – all shrieking and cawing as their featherless wings drive them through the air towards Redguard’s camp. A few have peeled off, diving down towards you – twenty or thirty wyverns, screeching to each other, as if already celebrating a quick kill.
But Janna has her bow drawn, firing a volley of magic arrows into their ranks. The leading wyverns drop from the sky, their bodies blazing – but there are countless others to take their place. Beside you, Witchfinder Gull pivots in his saddle, bringing two flint-lock pistols to bear on the nearest wyverns. There is the flash of gunshot as his glowing bullets tear through bone and sinew, bringing down more of the beasts.
As you gallop onwards, you hear explosions behind you and a fierce heat at your back. Glancing over your shoulder, you see the young mage firing bolts of flame into the remaining wyverns. Their charred, scorched bodies form a smoking trail behind you.
You turn back in the saddle, focusing on what is ahead. With relief, you see the hill and the statue of the angel coming into view.
‘We’re going to make it,’ you hear Lansbury cry. ‘Look, there it is.’
But then you catch something moving at the foot of the hill; the ground itself is rising and falling like waves on the ocean. Light catches on bone and claw, and then you realise what it is you are seeing. Ghouls. Hundreds of them, scampering across the grey wasteland. There is no way past them and they are charging at full speed towards you. Turn to 771.
625
While Nyms and Janna battle the necromancer, you and Caeleb take on the undead knight. Its grey-and-black armour is thick and plated, making it difficult to penetrate.
‘I must obey!’ snarls a voice from deep within the helm. ‘My new master commands me.’
As you and Caeleb continue to press the attack, you can’t help but marvel at the knight’s speed and agility. The undead creature dodges and deflects your blows with ease, seemingly unencumbered by the heavy shell of armour that it is wearing:
Special abilities
Dismantle: If you win a combat round, instead of rolling for damage you can choose to lower the knight’s armour by 4. You can do this as many times as you wish, lowering its armour by 4 each time.
Steel yourself: The knight is immune to piercing, impale, barbs and thorns.
If you manage to defeat this heavily-armoured foe, turn to 617.
626
The old man lowers his trident and offers you a toothless grin. ‘The crown of kings, eh? You do realise it’s guarded by the biggest stone giant I ever saw. Ah well, wish you luck with that one. Perhaps I could fix you up a last supper, before you head off to your foolish and somewhat untimely demise.’ He tosses his trident onto the nearest pile of junk, then wanders over to a small stove.
‘My name is Steverwellida Blartvaarti.’ He pauses and glances over his shoulder. ‘That’s my mer name. My friends just call me Steve. Sea Shanty Steve.’ He clicks his fingers and a small blue flame appears beneath the stove. ‘You like fish? I have plenty of fish.’ The old man clambers over a mound of junk to reach the silver-scaled fish dangling from a rope line. ‘You won’t find better silverbacks anywhere else this time of year; I’d bet all five feet of me ridiculous beard on it.’
Will you:
Ask what he is doing here? — 633
Ask about lamprey worms? — 640
Ask if there is anything for sale? — 432
Try the fish and then continue your quest? — 499
627
You hack and blast your way through the tide of shadow spawn, quickly reaching the ring of soldiers that have surrounded the giant creature. Despite their best efforts, the soldiers’ swords and spears are proving no match for the beast’s scaled hide.
‘Move aside!’ you order, barrelling past the soldiers. With your magical weapons raised, you dodge the snap of the beast’s whip and hurl yourself against its scaled might:
Special abilities
Disease: Once you have taken health damage from the Lord of Pain, at the end of every combat round you must automatically lose 2 health.
If you win the combat you may restore your health, then turn to 711. If you are defeated, then you must begin this boss encounter from an earlier point (although you cannot choose rewards from enemies that you have already defeated). Restore your health, then turn to 748.
628
‘You fight for us?’ asks the woman in astonishment, as you both stand side-by-side, striking down the endless surge of ghouls. You give her a cursory glance. Up close, she is older than you expected, her bobbed blond hair streaked with grey. A green tabard hangs over her white robes, displaying the gold insignia of a crouching dragon.
At last, the ghouls lie dead, smoking in a crumpled heap around you. Likewise, the two warriors have dispatched their own enemies. The tall swordsman bares his teeth as he strides over the corpses towards you.
‘No wait!’
Before the woman can intervene, the man barrels into you, knocking you to the ground. ‘Shadow spawn,’ he growls, his cold blue eyes flicking to your exposed mark. You begin to protest your innocence, but the man is already bringing the pommel of one of his blades across your forehead. You feel a hot burning flash of pain, then there is blackness. Turn to 651.
629
You emerge from the lake, shivering in the cold evening light. As you pull yourself up onto the banks of the lake, you feel another painful twinge in your stomach. It must be the lamprey worm, you grimace with disgust.
If you have the jar of night creeps turn to 679. Otherwise turn to 674.
630
Nyms races towards the wall of thorns, as one of the ghouls breaks through. His swords whip through the snarling creature, severing it in two. Already, more of the ghouls are clawing at each other to be next through the breach. Nyms angles his swords, scraping one against the other and sending a flurry of sparks towards the thorns. Within seconds, the sparks have lit the dry weed, sending flames marching along its wiry limbs.
The creatures screech an
d recoil as the whole wall of thorns finally bursts into flame, burning those ghouls still struggling to get past. Nyms retreats down the tunnel, putting distance between himself and the blinding, black smoke.
Back in the chamber, there is a sound like thunder, as dirt and stone rain down from the ceiling. Your eyes are drawn upwards, as a pair of serrated claws break through the soil, raking through the earth and cracking stone.
‘What is it?’ you gasp, readying your weapons.
‘I’m not sure,’ replies Caeleb, raising his shield to cover himself from the flying fragments. ‘But it’s big!’
There is another thunderous crack and then part of the ceiling gives way, opening up a jagged hole. You move back around the tomb, as grey light spills into the chamber, framing an immense hulking creature. Its body is without skin – just a grisly mass of muscle and sinew, stretched tight over a frame of bone. As it hunches forward, the creature’s beady eyes rove back and forth. Then it proceeds to slide its wickedly-clawed hands through the hole. They find purchase and with a bellowing roar, the giant hurls itself into the chamber, splintering the stone beneath its feet as it lands.
‘A flesh golem,’ calls Caeleb. ‘Back . . . get back!’
‘Yeah, they really want us dead,’ growls Nyms, turning to face the pack of ghouls, which are now scampering down the tunnel.
Will you:
Help Nyms fight the ghouls? — 781
Help Caeleb and Janna fight the flesh golem? — 615
631
The monstrous creation collapses to the ground, its clawed appendages making a last effort to grab you. With skilled ease you sidestep the raking talons and sever them with your weapons. Black poison oozes onto the ground as the monster finally lies still, its mouth hanging open in a rictus snarl. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Legion of Shadow Page 36
