Legion of Shadow

by Michael J. Ward

  ‘A nice display of magic,’ says Lansbury watching as the ghouls below her snap and hiss in anger, making futile leaps into the air.

  ‘They’re not giving up though,’ sighs Janna.

  Indeed, when you look down, you see that the ghouls are swarming back around, as if answering some unspoken command, and are now chasing after you.

  ‘The hill is defensible,’ calls back Laine, guiding his flying mount over the jagged stones that surround the hill. ‘We can hold them off while Lansbury does her work.’ Turn to 694.

  772

  As you sprint towards the bone constructs, there is a piercing shriek from behind you. The wyvern that had been diving towards Janna has altered its course to tail you instead.

  You contemplate halting your charge, but one of the bone constructs is already turning to face you, its fanged mouth opening to emit a bone-chilling roar. Too late, you realise that you are pinned between these two enemies, and will have to suffer the attacks of both:

  Special abilities

  Raking claws: The bone construct rolls 2 dice for damage and uses the highest roll for its damage score.

  Wyvern’s talons: At the end of every combat round, you automatically take 2 damage, ignoring armour, from the creature’s talons.

  Body of bone: Your opponent is immune to bleed and venom.

  If you defeat the bone construct, turn to 695.

  773

  You dig your heels into your horse’s flanks, urging it towards the armoured knights. Ahead of you, Redguard and the others have already met them head on. You catch sight of swords and shields clashing with a thunderous din, men toppling from their saddles, the flash of magic . . . then there is just swirling dust, obscuring the combatants from view.

  You gallop into the dust cloud, dimly aware of frenzied melee to either side of you. A cry forces you to twist round, as a black hammer – crackling with magic – almost knocks you from your horse. You parry the attack, turning your horse to meet the knight’s next deadly swing.

  As your weapons clash, you realise that your opponent is no earthly knight. Between the thin slit in his helm’s visor, you see two red burning eyes, glowing with hellish fury:

  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 defeat the Tor Knight, turn to 547. Otherwise, turn to 732.

  774

  You shake your head in defiance. ‘No! I will never join you!’ As you advance on the monster, your shadow mark blazes angrily with dark fire. There is a bright flash as the shadow energies spark against Avian’s white magic – then you feel a strong jolt of power race up your arm, turning the halo around your mark into a bright glittering shield.

  You have gained the following special ability:

  Bright shield (mo): Use this ability to raise your armour by 4 for one combat round. You can only use bright shield once per combat.

  When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 782.

  775

  Piles of mouldy bones litter the mouth of the passageway as you cut a swathe through the skeleton horde. As the final necromancer goes down to your mighty weapons, a silence settles over the hilltop. Exhausted, you drop to your knees in the blood-splattered snow, wondering how long you will be able to keep up the fight. Already you can hear the thunderous footsteps of the bone giants approaching.

  Struggling to your feet, you take a moment to catch your breath before searching the bodies. You find 50 gold crowns and may help yourself to one of the following:

  Iron curtain

  Forked crest

  Bag o’ bones

  (left hand: shield)

  (head)

  (talisman)

  +3 brawn +2 armour

  +1 speed +3 brawn

  +1 magic

  Ability: iron will

  Ability: charge

  Ability: curse

  (requirement: warrior)

  With your heart pounding in your ears, you hurry back to the stone angel, where Lansbury is still in a magical trance. Your eyes scan the hilltop, wondering where the next attack will come from. Turn to 758.

  776

  The creature beats its wings furiously, struggling to keep up as you dodge and weave about its body. Despite its strength, the wyvern is an ungainly fighter and it isn’t long before the beast is finally brought crashing to the ground in a heap of bones and dust.

  From its remains, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

  Wyvern jaws

  Wicked claw

  (head)

  (main hand: dagger)

  +3 magic +2 armour

  +1 speed +3 brawn

  Ability: critical strike

  (requirement: rogue)

  As the dust settles, you quickly scan your surroundings, taking in the current state of the battle. Turn to 666.

  777

  The key fits the lock perfectly. Trembling with excitement, you lift open the lid and look inside. Your face soon drops with disappointment, however. Instead of gold and rare treasures, you find yourself looking down at three peculiar items, resting on a silver cushion. One is a small white bottle containing a glowing liquid. Next to it is a winged locket, fashioned from polished wood. You open it up to discover a lock of black hair curled up inside. Lastly, you find a pair of fluffy dice, tied together with string – the significance of which baffles you.

  You may take any of the following items:

  Elixir of life (1 use)

  Winged locket

  Fluffy dice

  (backpack)

  (necklace)

  (backpack)

  Use any time in combat to restore your health to full

  +5 health +1 armour

  The ultimate in backpack accessories

  Ability: courage

  Once you have updated your hero sheet, return to the quest map to continue your journey.

  778

  You are surrounded by the steaming corpses of the ghouls and their packmasters. Searching the bodies you find 50 gold crowns and may take one of the following rewards:

  Bone headdress

  Chains of binding

  Leader of the pack

  (head)

  (left hand: chains)

  (ring)

  +3 magic +2 armour

  +2 speed +3 magic

  +1 brawn

  Ability: charm

  Ability: shackle

  Ability: dominate

  (requirement: mage)

  You barely have a moment to catch your breath before you hear another force approaching up the hill. Turn to 768.

  779

  ‘Fool!’ snarls Sharroth, fresh ooze billowing from its mouth. ‘I promise you power. Why do you fight for their cause? What have you got waiting for you through that portal? They distrust you – they despise you. You are, and always will be, one of us.’

  ‘Do not listen,’ gasps Avian, struggling to stand. ‘It isn’t true.’

  ‘Look at you,’ hisses Sharroth. ‘Look at what you have become, Nevarin. You thirst for power and reward. I can give you those things. I can give you whatever you desire. Here, with the shadow legion, you will not be judged. You will only stand proud, at the head of your very own army.’

  Your eyes flick between Avian and Sharroth.

  ‘Prove yourself to the legion; strike down this mortal fool and take your rightful place at my side!’

  ‘No, don’t listen.’ Avian summons flames into his hands. ‘Come, apprentice. If we die here, we die as heroes – with honour.’

  You look around at the regiments of shadow spawn, line after line of them, trailing back as far as the eye can see. What force could ever hope to overcome such a vast, monstrous army?

  ‘Make your decision, Nevarin,’ hisses Sharro
th. ‘Death or power, it is your choice.’

  Will you:

  Join with Avian and attack Sharroth? — 774

  Choose power and the path of shadow? — 660

  780

  You meet up with the riders at the edge of the rubble-strewn gardens.

  ‘You’re alive!’ laughs Nyms, jumping down from his saddle. ‘Which life is it this time? I’m losing count now.’

  You stop and take a deep breath of fresh, morning air. ‘I feel alive for the very first time, my friend.’

  ‘Your arm,’ he leans back in surprise. ‘What happened?’

  You look down at the mark, which now glows like veins of silver beneath your skin. ‘Avian’s magic. Somehow I think it fused with the mark.’

  ‘So, a Nevarin no longer, eh?’ he grins. ‘Come, you’re to be the guest of honour at the king’s feast.’

  ‘We won then?’ you ask, arching an eyebrow.

  ‘All thanks to you,’ nods the swordsman, patting you on the back. ‘All thanks to you. Look.’

  Above the jewelled spires of Talanost, a squadron of mages soar through the skies, their magic carpets trailing rainbow hues that sparkle in the sunlight. As they pass overhead, bright fireworks burst from their raised staffs. The dazzling shards rain down across the liberated city, while in the distance the blare of horns sing of a triumphant victory.

  Congratulations, hero! You have overcome the challenges set before you and have earned yourself the title, The Champion of Light. Thanks to your efforts and decisions, you have helped save the kingdom of Valeron from the sinister Legion of Shadow! (Bonus: A special quest has now been unlocked! turn to 798 to join the resistance and help rid Talanost of the last remaining shadow spawn.)

  781

  The ghouls are everywhere, filling the passageway like a swarm of ants. Some have leapt onto the walls and ceiling, using their powerful claws to dig into the earth.

  ‘Watch out! Above you!’ shouts Nyms.

  Almost too late, you dodge aside as one jumps down, its claws missing your shoulder by inches. Even as you fend off its continued attack, you can see more of the spindly creatures out of the corner of your eye, skilfully using the walls and ceiling to outflank you.

  Special abilities

  Piercing claws: The ghouls’ attacks ignore your armour.

  If you defeat the ghoul pack, turn to 756.

  782

  Sharroth rears back, its shell-like armour crackling with magic. ‘Then you have chosen death.’ From the creature’s mouth, a series of black drooling tentacles spew forth. One slams into Avian, knocking the mage to the ground. The rest attempt to wrap themselves around you, their lengths dripping with acidic venom.

  Special abilities

  Oozing tentacles: At the end of each combat round you automatically take 2 points of damage from every tentacle that remains in battle. This damage ignores armour.

  If you win a combat round, you can choose to strike Sharroth or one of the tentacles. If you defeat Sharroth, all remaining tentacles are also defeated.

  If you are victorious, turn to 657.

  783

  (If you have already met Waldo, turn to 830. Otherwise read on.)

  There is a commotion at the edge of the camp. You lower your weapons, tired from the morning’s sparring with Nyms.

  ‘Trouble?’ you ask, peering past the swordsman.

  Nyms cocks his head, watching as soldiers hurry past. ‘Looks like something’s stirred up the ants . . .’

  A wooden cart is rattling its way through the camp, led by a single piebald pony. The driver has removed his cap and is waving it through the air in greeting.

  You fall into step beside Nyms as you head over to the new arrival. ‘Perhaps it’s a tinker.’

  Nyms spins the grips of his swords with a smile. ‘Hope so. They may bring word from the south. And a lot more besides.’

  Soldiers are jostling each other to get a better view inside the cart, but one by one, with much grumbling, they break away and return to their duties.

  The driver pats his cap down on his head as he brings the cart to a squeaking halt. ‘Ah, some more discerning customers,’ he smiles, watching you approach.

  ‘Perhaps,’ states Nyms, sheathing his blades. ‘You come from the south?’ He nods towards the glittering dome of magic that surrounds the ruined city.

  ‘Yes, from Talanost,’ says the driver, hopping down from his seat.

  ‘Talanost? That’s impossible!’

  You turn to see Lansbury, Redguard’s medic, striding towards the cart. ‘The city is taken. The mage’s have it guarded. No one can enter or leave.’

  The driver shrugs. ‘Where’s there a will, there’s a way.’

  ‘Not when it comes to the Arcane Circle,’ says Lansbury suspiciously.

  ‘Ain’t that the truth.’ Nyms walks around the side of the cart and starts to examine its contents. You join him, scanning the clutter of objects.

  ‘This is junk!’ scowls Nyms.

  For once, you find yourself in agreement. The wagon is filled with all manner of bric-à-brac, but none of it valuable – pots and pans, musty-smelling rags, a rusty spade, part of an old cabinet . . . there is even someone’s front door in there.

  The man shrugs. ‘Times are hard, what can I say?’

  Nyms start back towards the trader, drawing one of his swords. ‘How did you pass through the city unharmed? The shadow spawn would have torn you to pieces.’

  The driver shuffles round nervously, watching the swordsman warily. ‘Perhaps they took me for a fool, just like . . .’

  There is the scuffling of boots as Nyms surges forward, grabbing the trader by the front of his coat and pushing him down into the grey-black ash. The tip of his blade rests against the man’s throat.

  ‘Hey, I meant no disrespect!’ The panicked man raises his hands beseechingly. ‘My name is Waldo. I’m just a trader.’

  ‘Just a trader . . .’ Lansbury passes her hand along the side of the cart. At her touch, glowing runes and sigils blossom into being, revealing a dazzling pattern that covers every inch of the dark wood. ‘These are not Dwarf runes,’ she says, pausing to watch as the symbols glow and then dim to nothing once again, ‘ . . .and certainly not the work of an inscriber. What manner of magic . . .’

  ‘I found it!’ interjects Waldo quickly. He tries to sit up but Nyms forces him back with the edge of his blade. ‘Or it found me. I know nothing of magic. Just that it has its uses. Makes me go unnoticed . . .’

  ‘Really?’ Nyms offers the trader a sceptical frown. ‘Not working now is it?’

  Waldo looks to you pleadingly. ‘Talanost is in ruins. The legion destroys everything in its way . . . but they have no interest in the spoils of war. I have . . . things . . . items that I found amongst the rubble. I got a knack for finding it, see’. He looks back, towards his cart. ‘It would be worth your while to see what I got for you. Could decide the fortunes of this war.’

  Nyms snorts dismissively, but steps back from the trader. ‘A cart load of broken junk is hardly what we need to win this war.’

  Waldo stumbles back to his feet, brushing the dust from his weather-beaten coat. ‘Have it your way, swordsman.’ He gives you a sideways glance. ‘But appearances can be deceiving.’

  Will you:

  Ask Lansbury about the strange runes? — 860

  Ask Nyms for his opinion on the trader? — 898

  Ask to see the trader’s wares? — 795

  784

  Your opponent is a wild-haired man, dressed in a mud-spattered coat. In one hand he holds a black short bow, its arched length glowing with purple runes. As he draws back the bowstring, you see another bolt of black fire forming from thin air . . .

  You roll beneath the shot as it goes sizzling overhead. Springing onto to your feet, you barrel into the archer, knocking the bow from his grasp and sending you both tumbling into a fist-flailing tangle.

  With a bestial snarl, the warrior tugs a knife from his belt. At that same m
oment you notice the shadow mark glowing on the back of his other hand. You roll away, as a jagged set of black thorns burst out of the mark, wrapping around the man’s fist and pounding the ground where you had been lying.

  ‘That’s a neat trick,’ you grin, turning your arm to reveal your own shadow mark. ‘Want to teach me that one?’

  There is a flicker of surprise on the warrior’s face. Then his grubby face settles into another rictus snarl. ‘You are no Nevarin!’

  Before you can answer, the ragged man is surging forward, his deadly thorns pulsing with a dark and unnatural magic:

  Special abilities

  Thorn fists: Each time your damage score/damage dice causes health damage to your opponent, you must take 4 damage in return. This ability ignores armour.

  Heightened senses: You cannot use evade, sidestep or vanish in this combat.

  If you defeat the shadow ranger, turn to 925. If you are defeated, turn to 862.

  785

  Forced back against the shield, you are uncertain how long you will be able to hold off against these fearsome adversaries. Suddenly, a bright flash of light draws your attention skywards. From out of the smog, you see white shapes swooping down over the ruined city, their vapour trails blazing bright like comets. Beneath them, a series of explosions swell out across the square, cutting a vicious swathe through the tightly-packed ranks of shadow spawn.