(main hand: spear)
(cloak)
(gloves)
+3 speed +4 brawn
+2 speed +2 armour
+1 speed +2 brawn
Ability: impale
Ability: piercing
Ability: bleed
(requirement: warrior)
‘I don’t think we’re out of this yet,’ adds Janna, nocking an arrow to her bow. Turn to 654.
760
You reach the front line of the battle, weaving and dodging between the claws and snapping jaws of the shadowy monsters. There are hundreds of them, each one a different creation of vile sorcery.
Nyms appears alongside you, his twin blades making short work of the enemies in his way. ‘To the shield,’ he shouts, nodding towards the dome of magic. ‘They have a mage hunter!’
You look around in confusion, then a momentary gap in the legion’s ranks reveals a monstrous giant of a man, armed with two crescent-bladed swords. From his ridged back, four spine-like appendages arch over his shoulders, each ending in an unsettling array of claws and talons.
Nyms’ warning suddenly hits home. The monster is moving along the ranks of mages, lined up around the shield. Already several have fallen to the monster’s attacks and areas of the shield are starting to flicker and fade.
You look back to Nyms, but the tide of battle has carried the swordsman away from you, his blades rising and falling angrily as he attempts to break through the surging mass and help the mages.
Taking matters into your own hands, you throw yourself forwards, towards a tentacled creature with a ridged black carapace covering its back. You land on its shoulders, then leap again – agilely springing from one tentacle to another, your movements now fuelled by the magic flaring and spitting from your shadow mark. Within moments you are on the other side of the legion’s frontlines. Breaking into a sprint, you head for the mage hunter, intending to bring its savagery to a swift end. Turn to 748.
761
As a mage you may also take the following item:
Winter’s heart
(talisman)
+1 armour
Ability: Icelock career (see below)
You must have the winter’s heart talisman equipped if you wish to learn the icelock career. As soon as this item is unequipped or you learn a new career, you lose the abilities associated with this career.
The icelock has the following abilities:
Ice shards (co): If you win a combat round, instead of rolling for a damage score, you can shower a single opponent with ice shards. This automatically does damage equal to your magic score, ignoring your opponent’s armour. Ice shards can only be used once per combat.
Ice shield (mo): Use this ability to add 1 die to your armour score for one combat round. This ability can only be used once per combat.
Once you have made your decision, turn to 300.
762
The scout fights with a berserk frenzy, but your calm and precise attacks win the day. She slides to the ground at your feet, a scowl still etched deep into her face even in death. You may now take one of the following rewards:
Archstrike
Cloak of the wind
Spit fire
(left hand: wand)
(cloak)
(left hand: pistol)
+3 speed +3 magic
+3 speed +1 armour
+2 speed +4 brawn
Ability: dominate
Ability: surge
Ability: sear
(requirement: mage)
(requirement: mage)
(requirement: rogue)
You continue to fire into the flock of crows, bringing down more of their number and scattering the remaining few. Thanks to your efforts you now have air superiority. Make a note of this on your hero sheet, then turn to 591.
763
Having being issued with a steed, you follow the garrison south along the dusty road that winds through the bone fields. Redguard rides at the head of the force, resplendent in his plate mail armour and green tabard. On his right is Inquisitor Mathis, his blond mane of hair flowing out from beneath a white conical helm, and riding on Redguard’s left is Lansbury. The medic has swapped her trailing robes for a suit of intricate silver armour, its runed neck-guard rising up to form a high collar. In one hand she carries a white staff, in the other is the battle standard of Redguard’s force – proudly displaying a golden dragon on a field of green.
To the south you can see the glittering dome of magic surrounding Talanost. As it gets nearer you can’t help but marvel at the sheer scale of it and the mages who must be tirelessly working to keep it maintained. The shield stretches over the entire length of the city, sealing it in a magical prison from which there is no entry or escape. It is a sobering thought to think that the shield is all that stands between the legion and its destruction of Valeron – and perhaps, even the world.
‘Flares! Look!’ Tulcas is pointing eastward, across the grey barren plains. A number of red pulsing lights are arcing through the darkening skies.
‘They’re not flares, that’s battle magic,’ gasps Lansbury.
As if in answer to the medic’s claim, there is a sudden barrage of light explosions, rippling across the horizon. They hang in the air like a sparkling strand of beads before slowly fading out, one by one.
‘The war has started!’ shouts Redguard, drawing his sword from his scabbard. ‘Let’s ride!’ He urges his horse off the road, kicking up plumes of ash as he charges across the grey plain. Without a moment’s hesitation, the rest of the force follow his lead, galloping towards the glittering frenzy that is lighting up the sky. Turn to 699.
764
As you race through the camp, you see a dense black cloud moving across the sky. It is only when you get nearer the battle that you see it is made up of thousands of black locusts. Columns of them are streaking down into the camp, engulfing soldiers in a whirling swarm of black bodies. One soldier races past you, his armour reduced to a few rusted fragments as the strange locusts nip and bite at his exposed skin.
Following the swarm are a pack of purple-scaled monsters running on splayed legs. Their beak-like faces are a mass of writhing, suckered tentacles. They bowl into the soldiers, knocking them to the ground – their stinging tentacles crackling with magic as they latch onto their stunned victims.
As you hurtle into their ranks, you realise that the tentacled creatures are not attacking you. Instead, they are concentrating their attacks on the soldiers. You glance down at your shadow mark and quickly realise the reason; these creatures must think you are an ally and not an enemy.
Turning this to your advantage, you move behind the packs of creatures, cutting and swiping at their exposed flanks. Soon, your weapons are slick with their slimy ichor, the ground around you littered with bodies.
Then darkness clouds your vision as you are hit by the swarm. Evidently the beasts have some rudimentary intelligence and have realised you are now a threat. You swing out with your weapons, trying to bat away the buzzing locusts, but they are everywhere, chewing and biting into your armour. Several of the tentacled monsters are now headed in your direction, evidently looking to join the fight. You must now fend off both of these deadly adversaries at once:
Special abilities
Sucker punch: Once you take health damage from the horrors, you must lose a further 2 health at the end of every combat round. This ability ignores armour.
Nasty nibblers: The swarm of locusts are chewing through your armour. At the end of each combat round, roll a dice. On a result oforyou must lower your armour by 1.
If you win a combat round against the horrors, you can choose to direct your damage against the horrors or the locusts. Once the horrors have been killed, the locusts will immediately swarm away to find an easier opponent.
If you win the combat, you must continue this quest with the health and armour that you have remaining. Turn to 602.
765
In a cloud of feathers and tattered
black cloth, the undead beast is finally brought down. Amongst its rotting remains you find 50 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:
The morgue
Nemesis shroud
Funeral wraps
(head)
(cloak)
(chest)
+2 speed +4 magic
+2 speed +3 brawn
+2 speed +3 brawn
Ability: leech
Ability: dark pact
Ability: bleed
(requirement: mage)
Return to the quest map to continue your journey.
766
The shadow gate. You had always imagined it to be some kind of door or a magical archway, similar to the portals that you have used to travel the lands of Valeron. But what you see before you, filling the immense chamber, is something entirely alien.
It is a machine – a vast misshapen mass of cogs and wheels, all moving and spinning in a frenzied dance. Plumes of whistling steam belch out into the chamber, forming a dense haze through which more pulleys and wheels can be seen, clattering and humming with life.
In the middle of this chaotic contraption is a set of rods, hanging suspended from an arched frame. Lightning crackles from their tips, converging at the centre of a raised podium where a black shape hangs suspended in the air. It looks like a rip or a tear in the very fabric of space . . . a black gash, beyond which you can see a vast, infinite void.
A gateway to another world.
You make your way along a gantry that spans the enormous machine. To either side of you, the air hums with the motion of the cogs and wheels. As you near the central podium, something catches your eye, drawing your attention to a higher scaffold. There, a man in white plate armour is clambering up onto a narrow walkway, his feathered cloak hanging in scorched tatters from his back.
‘Avian!’ you call.
The man whirls round, his hands raised to summon a spell. When he sees you he hesitates, his eyes narrowing. ‘Nevarin,’ he growls hoarsely. ‘Don’t try and stop me!’
‘Wait! It’s me – your apprentice!’ you implore, lowering your weapons. ‘I come with word from Jenlar.’
Avian turns his back on you and starts limping towards a wall of spinning cogs. ‘I must remove the Nexus,’ he wheezes. ‘I’ve come too far now . . .’ In the middle of the complex jigsaw you see one large, stone wheel, its surface covered in glowing runes.
‘The Nexus!’ you gasp. ‘Avian, no!’
The mage summons white flames into the palms of his hands. ‘I must finish this!’ he declares fiercely. ‘Before I am too weak.’
‘It’s a trap! The Nexus is trapped!’
You leap over the side of the gantry, landing on one of the spinning cogwheels. Leaping from cog to cog, you try and make for Avian’s position, but you stumble, mistiming your step from one rotating island to the next. Unable to regain your balance, you tumble backwards. For several heart-stopping moments you are in freefall, then you slam down onto another cog, the breath knocked from your body. High above you, Avian draws back his arms to fling his magic against the Nexus. Turn to 609.
767
‘I need to find Captain Redguard,’ you explain weakly. ‘I must find him, it’s important.’
The swordsman looks back to the others. ‘I told you he was a spy.’
‘Enough!’ the woman comes forward, pushing past the swordsman to stand in front of you. She drives her staff down into the ash-covered dirt at your feet. ‘Tell me all. Why do you seek Redguard?’
‘Jenlar Cornelius gave me a message – a warning.’ You squint up at her in the grey light. ‘I am not your enemy.’
The woman appears to recognise the name Cornelius. She lifts her staff and prods your arm. ‘This is a shadow mark. Why would you not be our enemy?’
With a sigh, you explain your story – from the moment you awoke in the knight’s camp to the fight with the shadowstalker and Jenlar’s last words. When you have finished there is a heavy silence. Nyms, the swordsman, finally whistles through his teeth.
‘Well that was an impressive story,’ he admits. Something has changed in his expression, you notice. You sense there is a newfound respect there – and perhaps even fear.
‘Help them up,’ orders the woman. ‘We’re taking this one with us.’ Turn to 669.
768
A horde of skeletons spill out of the west passage. (Remember which rod you placed here, as it will help you with this battle.) Most are armed with crude spears and rusty swords but a few have more impressive-looking weapons and shields. Behind them, you can see a group of black-robed necromancers. Their hands crackle with dark magic, as they raise up more skeletons from the ground, to bolster their ranks.
Special abilities
Raise dead: At the end of each combat round, the necromancers use their magic to raise more skeletons. This raises the health of the skeleton horde by 10. (Note: This can take the skeleton horde above their starting health, increasing their health by 10 each round.)
Body of bone: The skeleton horde is immune to bleed and venom.
At the beginning of each combat round, choose the opponent that you wish to fight, rolling against their attack speed. If you win the combat, you must direct your damage against your chosen opponent (unless you have an ability that can strike more than one opponent, such as ignite). If you lose the combat, both opponents get to strike against you. If it is a draw, the round ends as normal.
If you manage to defeat the horde, turn to 775. If you are defeated, turn to 723.
769
‘Enough talk!’ You run at the monster, looking to drive your weapons into its saggy grey flesh. However, the moment you begin your charge, the mark on your arm flares angrily, sending hot pain lancing through your body. You stagger, almost falling to the ground as you grit your teeth against the waves of agony.
Sharroth’s mouth curls into a garish smile. ‘Have you learnt nothing, Nevarin. Your people are slaves to the legion – you surrendered so that you could join us . . . so that you could become immortal and save yourselves from death. That mark is a reminder of your weakness, your enslavement.’
The magical bonds that surround Avian suddenly fade and disappear, dropping the mage to the sandy ground. He looks weak and exhausted, his face twisted with pain.
‘I will show you what you are capable of,’ hisses Sharroth.
The mark flares again, jolting your body into motion. With slow, faltering steps, you advance on Avian, your weapons raised. Despite your efforts to stop yourself, you find that you can no longer control your own body – Sharroth is directing your actions as if you were a puppet.
‘No!’ you cry out. ‘Stop this! Stop!’
Avian looks up at you, his eyes widening as he realises what is happening.
‘Kill him!’ orders Sharroth. ‘Kill him, slave!’
As you go to strike the mage, Avian raises his hand and sends a bolt of white light into your arm. It hits the glowing snakes, forcing them to hiss and sizzle. Fresh pain wracks your body, driving you to the ground.
‘No!’
The cry comes from Sharroth who is rocking back and forth in rage. When you open your eyes, you see your mark is now surrounded by a halo of white light. A coolness slowly washes over you, taking away the pain.
‘That will . . . protect you,’ gasps Avian, the effort clearly having taken most of his remaining strength. ‘The charm of submission will no longer work.’
You rise up off the ground, realising that your movements – your actions – are now your own again. Turn to 779.
770
The ground shakes as the giant bone monster crashes to the ground, its enchanted bones scattering across the snow. You find 50 gold crowns and one of the following rewards:
Horn of courage
Tenacity
Deathgrip robes
(necklace)
(main hand: dagger)
(chest)
+1 speed +1 brawn
+2 speed +5 brawn
&nb
sp; +2 speed +3 armour
Ability: courage
Ability: deep wound
Ability: corruption
(requirement: warrior)
(requirement: rogue)
(requirement: mage)
The fight is far from over. You look up see a pack of snarling ghouls racing towards the foot of the hill. In the air, wheeling in circles above them, is a flock of bone wyverns. They screech and holler, their piercing cries making your blood run cold. Then your eyes catch another dust cloud, moving in from the east. You count seven bone giants marching across the wasteland, leading a fresh horde of reinforcements.
You realise that you cannot hope to defend the hill from such an immense army. Raising your weapons, you take a deep breath, preparing yourself for what is to come. You can only hope that your valiant last stand will buy Lansbury the precious seconds she needs to complete the ritual. Turn to 678.
771
To your surprise, Laine urges his horse onwards. He shows no signs of slowing down or changing course – he is charging straight for the ghouls. With no other option, you fall in behind him, wondering how any of you will survive the fast-approaching wall of death.
‘Hold on!’ shouts Laine. He raises his right hand and suddenly it flares with a halo of white light. From the sides of his horse, a pair of ghostly white wings appear, beating as fast as the beast’s hooves. Then, it takes off into the air, soaring high above the snapping, howling ranks of undead.
You lower your head, bracing yourself for impact – but a sudden lurching motion forces you to lift your eyes. With a whoop of joy, you realise that your own horse has been affected by the same spell and is now climbing skywards. Behind you, your companions are uttering similar exclamations of surprise and relief, as their mounts rise up on glittering wings.
Legion of Shadow Page 46
