The Eye of Winter's Fury
Page 34
‘Well, that really depends on you, doesn’t it?’
‘Me?’ You startle in surprise. ‘You mean, do I want the throne? To try and win it—’
The room shudders then lurches. You stumble into the bed, which is rattling on its iron posts. Everard backs into a corner, bracing himself as the tremor continues, filling your ears with a resounding bellowing roar. You expect it to stop at any moment, like they always do – but this one lingers a little longer. Stone shifts, dust showers from the ceiling.
Then it is over, leaving silence in its wake.
‘They’re getting worse.’ Everard steps away from the wall, brushing the dust from his shoulder plate. ‘At this rate, no one will need to attack the walls, they’ll just step over them.’
Your eyes linger on the elderly knight, the previous conversation still working through your mind. ‘Cardinal Rile now rules in my absence. My people think me dead or captured by the Wiccans. Do you really think I have a chance of returning – of winning support?’ You take a step closer, arms wide by your sides. ‘The people of Assay would sooner welcome Conall and his Wiccan dogs, than . . . this.’
‘You’re still the heir.’
‘Saying it means nothing.’
‘No, it’s about believing, Arran.’ Everard steps closer, meeting you with his steel-grey eyes. ‘I believe you can lead, Arran. Not because of what you are now, but because of what you were.’
‘A weakling?’ You move your jaw, hearing it click
Everard snorts, shaking his head. ‘You have not known strength before. You know what it is to be weak – yes. You know what it is to be the underdog. That is a quality that most of our leaders lack.’
‘And having been the underdog will win me back my throne?’ You laugh, a hacking dry rasp.
‘No.’ Everard grits his teeth, grinding them back and forth. After taking a deep breath, he turns and starts towards the door. He hesitates with his hand on the latch. ‘I came here to deliver a message. Well, three in truth. I judge you are ready for some proper training – and I’m not alone in that. Segg believes you have a talent for magic and would like to tutor you further. Trainer Orrec, on the other hand, fancies you as a soldier of the keep and awaits you in the yard.’ The latch clicks back and Everard opens the door.
‘You said there were three.’
‘Oh yes.’ Everard glances back. ‘If guile and shadow are more to your tastes, then Rook will meet you in the chapel.’ He grins to himself before leaving.
Will you:
Visit Segg to learn the path of the mage? 118
Train with Orrec to learn the path of the warrior? 459
Meet with Rook and learn the path of the rogue? 211
370
Searching through the wreckage, you find one of the following items:
Soul mirror Night whispers Spirit charger
(necklace) (talisman) (head)
+1 speed +2 brawn +1 speed +5 health +1 speed +2 brawn
Ability: darksilver Ability: immobilise Ability: recovery
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 755.
371
You throw the riftwing back across the room, buying yourself enough time to ready your weapons. When the creature comes at you again, shrieking and jabbering with rage, you are able to meet its attack with steel and magic. It is time to fight:
Speed Brawn Armour Health
Riftwing 2 1 1 28
If you manage to defeat this winged fiend, turn to 217. If you lose the combat, remember to record your defeat on your hero sheet. You may then attempt the combat again or return to the map.
372
The walkway hugs the contours of the tree, delivering you to a tunnel-like opening in the trunk. Stepping inside, you find yourself in a high-ceilinged chamber, its gnarly walls pitted with hundreds of hollowed tunnels. Shafts of light spill from these tiny openings, illuminating the pale-winged moths that flutter and dance through the dusty air.
As your eyes steadily grow accustomed to the light, you hear a deep rustling from above. Scanning the ceiling, you spot a giant shape crawling across the knotted wood. It is a moth, like the others that dwell here – but this one is nearly ten times their size, its pale translucent wings as large as a ship’s masts.
You watch as it scurries over to a position on the far wall, where its wings snap open to cover several of the openings. To your surprise the light passes through the wings, forming glistening patterns on its silky membrane. These patterns are shadowed on the floor of the chamber, where dazzling circles of rainbow light are now converging.
The pattern shifts and changes, rising up into motes of dust which quickly coalesce into the shape of a Skard warrior. His features are indistinct, little more than shimmering colours, washing back and forth in rainbow hues – yet his dangerous intent is clear. He moves towards you with a light-footed grace, his arms distending outwards into two bright blades of light. Then, with a hollering roar, he charges. It is time to fight:
Speed Magic Armour Health
Rainbow warrior 6 4 5 50
Red aspect (*) 5 4 3 20
Green aspect (*) 6 5 5 20
Blue aspect (*) 7 5 6 15
Special abilities
Spectrum of spirits (*): At the start of the third round of combat, the rainbow warrior transforms into his red aspect. You must defeat the red aspect before you can return to attacking the rainbow warrior again. After another two rounds of combat, if the rainbow warrior is still alive, he transforms into his green aspect. Again you must defeat the green aspect before you can return to attacking the rainbow warrior. After a further two rounds of combat, the rainbow warrior (if still alive) transforms into his blue aspect. Once this is defeated, you may return to attacking the rainbow warrior for the remainder of the combat. (Note: aspects can only be damaged if they are in play. While an aspect is in play, the rainbow warrior is immune to all damage.)
Colour of magic: Your opponents are immune to all passive effects, including bleed, barbs, disease and venom.
If you manage to defeat this multi-coloured villain, turn to 423.
373
Talia drops into the chair opposite. For a moment, you both exchange a wry grin. ‘You came back,’ she says, removing her hat and flicking out her hair. ‘Does this mean we can finally get down to business?’
If you wish to take Talia up on her offer, then remove the word covert from your hero sheet and turn to 585. Otherwise, you return to the taproom. Turn to 365.
374
‘Back again,’ grunts a familiar voice from behind the barricade of iron. ‘Least I don’t need to remind you o’ the rules. No funny business, now. Remember, I taken all the necessary precautions.’ He sticks the barrels of his muskets through the holes in the wall. ‘See, I’m all loaded up and my fingers are mighty twitchy today.’
(If you have the keyword hunted on your hero sheet, turn to 92.)
Will you:
Ask to see his wares? 151
Ask about trading? 327
Ask about his ‘precautions’? 549
Ask if he has any news? 450
Trade items? (requirement: permit) 730
Leave? Return to the map
375
The acolytes’ attention is focused on the ritual. You move quickly, sliding around the pillar and advancing towards their exposed backs.
Nanuk. You open up your mind, letting the bear’s strength pour into you.
Spectral claws flash from your fingers. You punch through the two acolytes standing closest to you, killing them before they even have a chance to react. Then your weapons ring out of their scabbards, your advance barely slowing.
One of the acolytes turns. And gives a cry of alarm.
The woman spins, her eyes widening then narrowing to slits of rage. ‘Insidious was a fool!’ she snaps. ‘We will not make the same mistake! Kill him!’ It is time to fight:
Speed Magic Armour Health
Coven matriarch 11 7 8 40
Coven acolyte 10 7 4 30
<
br /> Coven acolyte 10 6 4 30
Coven acolyte 9 6 4 20
Coven acolyte 9 6 4 20
Special abilities
Matriarch’s malice: The matriarch has magical wards carved into her skin. While the Matriarch has health, you cannot use modifier abilities during this combat.
Dark mending: At the end of each combat round, each opponent will heal themselves for 2 health. This cannot take them above their starting health and once their health is reduced to zero, this ability no longer applies.
Outnumbered: At the end of each combat round, you must take 1 damage from each surviving opponent, ignoring armour. This ability only applies while you are faced with multiple opponents.
If you manage to defeat this dark gathering, turn to 230. If you are defeated, remember to record your defeat on your hero sheet. If you wish, you may return to an earlier point to select a different option (providing you meet the item requirement.) Turn to 627.
376
The fight already seems lost. Through the swirling dust clouds, all you can see is death and carnage. The lizard-like monsters are everywhere, their massive swords cleaving the air, hewing down soldiers as if they were stalks of corn. One guard races towards you, screaming. Then his eyes roll back into his head and he topples forward, an axe protruding from between his shoulder blades.
You wonder if Anise is still alive. Desperately, you scan the wreckage, looking from one body to the next, half-hoping and half-dreading what you might find. Another soldier backs into you, flighty with panic. Your attempts to communicate are lost, your words drowned by the roars and screams. Everything is chaos.
You hurry across the courtyard, hoping to find Everard or a high-ranking officer. Instead, your way is blocked by two pockets of battle. To your left, soldiers are trying to scale a mound of rubble to where a short creature in hooded robes has its hands raised to the sky. Their advance wavers as chunks of rock fly up from the surrounding rubble, smashing into the soldiers and forcing them back. One guard takes a splinter in the neck, dropping to his knees, an arc of crimson spraying from the wound. The hooded creature gives a sibilant hiss, each gesture of its clawed hands ripping more stone from the pile to shower the beleaguered soldiers.
To your right, three reptilian warriors are hacking and slashing at anything that gets in their way. Behind them looms a mountain of scaled muscle – a giant troll-like beast with glittering black orbs for eyes. In each of its barrel-sized fists is a stone hammer, crawling with dark runes. Similar markings adorn its curving horns and the iron ring dangling from its snot-encrusted snout.
Will you:
Attack the mage? 135
Fight your way past the troll? 184
377
For defeating the captain, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Crow’s nest Barnacled eye Tidal chaser
(left hand: totem) (head) (main hand: staff)
+2 speed +2 magic +2 speed +2 magic +2 speed +4 magic
Ability: murder Ability: decay Ability: wave
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 479.
378
The girl is a determined fighter. Unable to block her frantic attacks, you take a blow to the head. The next thing you know, you are falling backwards – the cold ice rushing up to meet you with a thwack! The landing is painful, but not as painful as watching your sled pull away. The girl gives a victorious wave as she guides your craft round the final bend, passing between the fluttering banners that mark the finish line.
Without a sled you have been disqualified from the race – and receive no prize. Blue Angel is the official winner of the ice sled tournament, leaving you with nothing but a bruised ego. Replace the keyword veteran with underdog. Return to the map to continue your adventure.
379
The decay only gets worse, carpeting every surface in sight until you are stumbling through a constricted tunnel of green fungus. In the room ahead, you see something moving – a nightmarish mass of fetid mould, its bulbous peak scraping the ceiling. Various items are caught up in the folds of its corpulent flesh, including a broken shield, a sword and a dented helm. You suspect this creature is the source of the pestilence that has spread throughout the tower.
With a sense of impending dread, you enter the room – its only exit blocked by the rotting mound. As your boots sink into the muck that surrounds it, the creature starts to tremble and shake. Suddenly a pair of skeletal hands burst out from its body. They are followed by a grinning skull, then a mould-encrusted ribcage.
The skeleton makes a grab for you, its bony fingers settling around your arms and gripping them like iron. As you try to fend off your bony assailant the mould starts to produce festering tentacles, each one ending in a slime-dripping mouth. They creep towards you, branching and multiplying into hundreds of snapping maws while the skeleton continues to hold you fast, stopping you from escaping. It is time to fight:
Speed Brawn Armour Health
Moulder 2 2 1 18
Skelly 2 1 1 10
Special abilities
Many mouths of Moulder: At the end of each round that Moulder is still alive, roll a die. If the result is or less, you must lose 1 health from the beast’s deadly tentacles.
Skelly’s grip: You must lower your speed by 1, until Skelly is defeated.
If you manage to defeat this putrid duo, turn to 476. If you lose the combat, remember to record your defeat on your hero sheet. You may then attempt the combat again or return to the map.
380
Next to one of the beer barrels you find a sleeping drunk, his clothes dirtied and tattered. He is lying in a pool of spilt ale, drool dripping from his mouth. Every so often he gives a loud snort, mumbling to himself in his sleep.
Tied to his belt is a purse of gold, which you may take if you wish. (The purse contains 20 gold crowns.) If you have Hergest’s Hauntings in your backpack, turn to 406. Otherwise, with little else of interest in the cellar, you decide to leave and return to the taproom. Turn to 80.
381
You take the acorn that Ratatosk gave you and push it into the soil. At first, nothing seems to happen. Then, as the cold stinking sludge slides up around your neck, you hear a loud popping, cracking sound.
Suddenly wiry branches start to rise up out of the earth, splitting and forking as they climb up the shaft. Within seconds you are looking at a makeshift ladder, offering a possible escape route from the slimy mire. However, the pull against you is strong, dragging you deeper and deeper . . .
You will need to pass a speed challenge:
Speed
Climb or slimed 17
If you are successful, turn to 117. If you fail, turn to 7.
382
You hand the carved staff back to Sura, then approach the Skard. He lifts his chin defiantly at you, an ugly scowl pulling at the myriad of scars that cut across his face.
‘Framlin das!’ he spits, his nose wrinkling as if from a bad smell.
You look down at him. A growl rumbles in your throat.
For a tense moment, you wonder if a fight will ensue. But Sura quickly intervenes, speaking something in Skard. Her tone is brusque, commanding. The warrior furrows his brow, then mutters a grumbling curse before spitting into the snow. He turns away, showing you his back.
You give Sura an uncertain glance. She regards you with her usual unreadable expression. ‘Wait,’ she breathes.
You hear the clink of iron. The man is unfastening something, his abrupt movements making his anger evident. He holds out the weapon, refusing to look your way, saying nothing.
‘Go on,’ insists Sura.
With a shrug, you take it from him, surprised by its lightness as you coil it into your hands. On one end is a leather arm band, which evidently tethers the chain to your body. You proceed to fasten it around your arm, tightening each of the many straps that hold it in place.
‘Thank you,’ you reply, wondering if the Skard will understand. ‘Will you teach me . . . ?�
�
The man tilts his head, looking back at you from the corner of his eye. With a contemptuous sneer, he marches over to the mound of snow. Once there he replaces the bone targets, then steps away to a safe distance.
Pulling back your arm, you spin the chain above your head, feeling the weight and rhythm of its clawed end. Then you let fly, releasing the links – trying to keep your aim as straight as possible. Your first few attempts land wide of the mark, drawing mocking laughter from the Skard. But you persist at the task, pouring your magic into the weapon to help guide its course. Gradually, you start to hit the targets, your speed and aim improving – until you are not only able to hit them, but also snatch them up out of the snow with the cupped claw, drawing them back into your waiting palm.
Sura chuckles with approval. ‘Good. If we’re not to make a shaman of you, at least we gain a reaver.’
The Skard shakes his head, spits again into the snow then heads away, shoulders hunched – clearly looking defeated by your impressive show.
You have gained the following item:
Bleak reach
(left hand: grapple)
+2 speed +2 brawn
Ability: hooked
(requirement: rogue)
The reaver has the following special abilities:
Take the bait (co): (requires a grapple in the left hand.) If you win a combat round, you can attempt to grapple your opponent with the link chain. Roll three dice and add the speed modifier of your grapple to the result. If this total is equal to or more than your opponent’s speed, you are successful. This immediately inflicts damage to your opponent equal to your total (three dice plus the speed modifier), ignoring armour. It also reduces their speed by 2 for the next round of combat only. This ability can only be used once per combat. If you fail, you cannot roll for a damage score and the combat round ends. (You may use abilities that let you reroll dice to try and alter the outcome of your result.)
Spirit breaker (co): Once you have successfully used take the bait (see above), you can play a spirit breaker. This can be used in any subsequent combat round, instead of rolling for a damage score. This inflicts three damage dice, ignoring armour, and reduces your opponent’s armour by 2 for the remainder of the combat.