When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 197.
383
You help lift the sack onto the back of the cart. As the sun starts to dip towards the horizon, you leave the canyon and head back to the keep. (Make a note of the keyword trader on your hero sheet.) You may now return to the map to continue your adventure.
384
Caul spits into the palm of his hand, then holds it out. ‘Looks like you can handle yourself,’ he grins, nodding to your weapons. ‘I’d wager we’d be a good match for whatever these caves decide to throw at us. I’m in.’
You take his hand and shake it. ‘Good. We should start by finding your belongings. Which way should we go?’ You look around, scanning the chamber for exits.
Caul steps past you, heading for a narrow opening in the far wall. ‘This way, but stay sharp. There’s death here, my friend – things gone bad.’
You follow his lead, hands clamped tightly to your weapons. ‘I don’t fear death,’ you reply bluntly. ‘It’s the living I’m more concerned with.’
Caul glances back at you, the green light reflected in his eyes. ‘Oh, you think so?’ He flicks his dagger into his hand, then heads into the tunnel. ‘You’re in for a few surprises.’ Turn to 765.
385
As the passageway curves to the right, you notice a yellow-green lichen covering the walls, snaking between the cracked stonework. It grows denser as you continue, until you finally come upon a thick growth spread across the ceiling with the skeleton of a guard hanging suspended within it. The mould has almost entirely covered his body, creeping over his sagging skull and pushing into the vacant eye sockets. You sense a strong magic around the growth.
Will you:
Search the dead guard? 465
Leave him and continue onwards? 366
386
‘Got any nice boxes?’ he asks, his rheumy eyes looking over your person. ‘I can open anything – no lock can keep ol’ Sam Scurvy out. But know this – I take half of what’s inside. That’s ma price.’
If you have a locker and wish to open it, turn to 641. If you have the hunters’ chest and wish to open it, turn to 8. Otherwise, you decline Sam’s offer of help. Turn to 563.
387
You go into an immediate dive, taking yourself out of range of the towers’ defences and putting you straight into the path of the winged creatures. As they near, you realise they are much larger than they first appeared, with teeth-lined beaks and long bony crests that sweep back over their scaled bodies. Cawing and shrieking, the devilish birds set upon you in a berserk rage. It is time to fight:
Speed Brawn Armour Health
Terrordactyl 12 12 9 35
Terrordactyl 12 12 9 35
Terrordactyl 12 12 9 35
Terrordactyl 12 12 9 35
Special abilities
Dive bomb: Each time a terrordactyl rolls a double for its attack speed you automatically lose the round, even if your attack speed was higher. For the remainder of the round you cannot use combat or modifier abilities.
Fire at will: You may use your nail gun or dragon fire ability in this combat.
If you manage to survive this aerial assault, turn to 29. (If you are defeated, remember to record your defeat as normal on your hero sheet, then turn to 506.)
388
The ground gives a violent shudder, strong enough to almost throw you off balance. Unlike previous tremors, this one does not abate, continuing to rattle and judder as you feel some powerful force start to build.
‘What’s happening?’ You look to Segg, who is clutching the arms of his chair with white-knuckled hands.
The mage’s answer, if he ever gave one, is lost to the groaning and shuddering of the walls. You start for the exit, but the ground shifts underfoot, throwing you back across the room. The candles fall from their alcoves, hot wax spattering across the ground. A table shatters, books spill onto the ground, their covers ripping. All of a sudden you are in a familiar darkness once again. You try and focus, but everything is shaking around you. Over the din you think you hear an explosion, then a gut-wrenching crack. You cover your head, half expecting the ceiling to come in, to be buried underneath a deluge of rock.
A moment of silence. The quake has stopped . . .
Then you hear the screams. And a relentless drumming, like fists pounding against a barrier.
‘The wall . . .’ Segg is clambering to his feet, his outline sparkling green in the darkness. ‘Something’s assaulting the walls.’
You frown, still confused. ‘What do you mean?’
‘That’s the sound of the wards – they’re being tested, broken.’
For a moment you envision the high walls of the keep and the holy writing etched into the rock. What manner of creature would throw itself against them, enduring such pain?
A grating rumble makes your stomach turn. You hug the floor, fearing another quake. Instead, a doorway in the opposite wall slides open, filling the room with a bright white light – daylight.
‘To the roof,’ says Segg, passing through the opening and out onto a narrow balcony. A set of stairs wind away out of sight, presumably to the top of the tower. You follow without question, half running and half stumbling through the dust and debris. Turn to 41.
389
For defeating the witch, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Gorgon’s gaze Glacial orbit Death cycle
(talisman) (necklace) (ring)
+1 speed +2 brawn +1 speed +2 brawn +2 brawn
Ability: petrify Ability: piercing Ability: cleave
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 538.
390
With the spiders defeated, you run to the boy’s side. He is squirming in pain, his limbs leaving churned furrows in the snow. Pushing back his hood you see that his skin is filmed with sweat, his eyes already glazing over – their life fading.
His body shudders and then lies still.
As you lay him to the ground, you hear a man’s guttural roar. Before you can react you feel hands grab your jerkin, then you are tumbling backwards, a weight dragging you through the snow. A woman’s voice calls out – but the words are drowned by the smack of cold water closing around you. Hands are suddenly around your throat, tightening, pulling you down.
For a second your attention catches on the fern-like plants at the bottom of the lake, the tips of their feathery fronds glittering with globules of light. At least one mystery has been solved. As for the other . . .
You twist and kick, loosening your assailant’s grip just enough to pull him around. You stare into the angered face of a Skard warrior, his long braided hair billowing through the water like a medusa’s snakes. Bubbles spill from his nose and mouth as he goes to reach for you again, his intention evidently to drown you in the freezing waters.
But you can’t drown the dead.
You clamp hold of his arms, surprising the Skard. Grinning, you watch as he starts to buck and wrestle, the frigid cold of the water quickly stealing whatever breath he still had left.
The scene offers you a moment of curious reflection: to watch a man’s life ebbing away before your very eyes. To see his fear. To know that you have bested him – that you have been proven the victor.
It would be so easy just to hold on. To see it through to the end.
No. I am better than this.
You release his arms, watching as he goes kicking upwards. You follow, breaking the surface of the light-flecked waters. The Skard has dragged himself onto the shore, coughing and shivering, his clothing waterlogged. Behind him you see the boy who ran from the spiders, his eyes glaring at you with a mixture of fear and anger. By his side stands a woman, bent with age, her face weather-worn and creased. A few white whiskers protrude from her upper lip. In her gnarled hands she holds a staff, carved from bone and wrapped with dyed leathers.
‘Verka! Verka!’ The boy is pointing at you, tugging on the woman’s sleeve. She nods, her grey eyes narrowing.
The Skard warrior has tugged a knife from his belt, turning to face you with teeth bared. You merely watch him with a cold detachment as you rise up out of the lake, using your magic to lift you back to the shore. As you alight on the rocks you look down at the gathering of Skards, awaiting their next move. Your hands settle warily on your weapons.
Only then do you realise that they are all staring at your chest – and the necklace of bear claws that Taulu gave you before he was killed.
‘You have what belongs to us,’ says the woman, her voice unusually deep and resonant for one so frail-looking. Her use of the common tongue also surprises you. ‘How did you come upon such a thing? Did you kill him?’
You step down from the rocks, forcing the boy to skitter away. The woman holds her ground, the warrior edging closer to her, his hand still tight around his dagger. ‘Taulu gave this to me. I did not end his life. That was down to another – one he called the witch.’
The warrior’s eyes widen. He looks nervously at the woman, awaiting her response.
‘Smurt Imnek!’ hisses the boy, finding his confidence again. He stabs a finger at you. ‘Smurt Imnek!’
You glance at the woman.
‘He says you killed the boy. His name was Imnek, second son of Vierlod Eddervun.’ The woman nudges one of the spiders with the end of her staff. ‘Is this true? Speak of what happened.’
You recount your discovery of the boys and the fight by the lakeside. The woman translates to her two companions. When you mention the second boy running, the warrior’s face darkens with anger. He rises to his feet, pushing his dagger into his belt. Then he grabs the child roughly, gripping him by his ear. The boy gives a whimpering cry of pain. Words are exchanged, the man obviously berating the boy for his cowardice.
The woman cuts over them, giving a sharp order. ‘Pul tista dek. Imnek it fader.’
The male hisses, then quickly acquiesces to her command, stooping to pick up the dead boy.
Satisfied, the woman’s grey eyes shift back to you. ‘I am Sura of clan Bear. You will come with us.’ She speaks in the same authoritative tone that she used for the warrior. ‘You will meet with Taulu’s brother. You will do this.’
The woman doesn’t wait for a response. She turns and heads up the bank, moving with the surety and stride of someone half her years. The warrior follows, spitting into the snow at your feet. His evident distrust is shared by the boy, who stays close to the man’s side, glowering at you with a sulky frown.
You glance up at the darkening violent-streaked skies. It seems the tranquillity of twilight is over – and a storm is on its way. Stepping over the corpses of the spiders, you trail behind the three Skards as they head out over the snow-whipped plains. Turn to 307.
391
From your vantage point, you can see the cart and one of the Skards standing next to it – the tall warrior who spoke with Kirk. There is no sign of the other hunter or his dogs, which provides some small relief.
While you debate your next move, the Skard pulls a short wand-like object from his belt. He steps closer to the cart, holding it out towards one of the barrels. Suddenly, the end of the wand ignites, glowing with a brilliant red flame. In alarm, you realise his intentions – he is going to set fire to the cart and the barrels of tar!
If you have the word resolve on your hero sheet, turn to 340. Otherwise, turn to 300.
392
As you cross the chamber, the door suddenly creaks open of its own accord. From the room beyond you hear a man’s voice, raised in anger. ‘No! I will not serve you, Zabarach! I will not!’ There is a cry of pain, then the sound of metal scraping across stone. Gripping your weapons, you edge slowly into the next room. Turn to 548.
393
Clumps of rotted meat litter the cavern floor. Searching through the remains of the mutated creature, you find one of the following items:
Entrapment Green mile Longest yard
(ring) (feet) (left hand: grapple)
+2 brawn +2 magic +1 speed +2 magic +2 speed +3 brawn
Ability: immobilise Ability: sidestep Ability: barbs
(requirement: rogue)
Talia has pulled her scarf back over her nose. Returning to one of the worktables, she snatches up a sheet of parchment and begins to roll it up.
‘What’s that?’ you ask with annoyance. ‘What’s really going on here, Talia?’
The bard’s eyebrows knit together. ‘I told you, Mandaleev was a chemist. I got what I came for, now let’s go.’
You grab her arm as she walks past you. ‘What’s in those canisters? Are they dangerous?’
Talia struggles against your grip, then appears to surrender, slumping her shoulders. ‘Okay, sweet pea. I was hired to obtain a formula for the virus that Mandaleev was working on. It’s a weapon, a very deadly and powerful weapon. But I don’t care about that – I care about my own life and making a better one for my daughter. So, if you would be so kind.’
‘Daughter?’
‘Yes, I’m getting paid a handsome fee for this, honey. Enough that I don’t have to risk my neck again. Trust me, disappearing has its price. And those,’ she nods to the canisters, leaking yellow smoke into the cave, ‘are probably what Mandaleev hoped would transport his virus. Look, relax. I’m going to lock this place up. No one will ever know.’
Will you:
Insist Talia destroys the chemical formula? 752
Let Talia take the chemical formula? 89
394
You can use the forge to craft your own magical weapons. For each weapon, you will need a special backpack item. If you have the required item/s, you can make the associated weapon:
Blighted blaster Northern legacy
(left hand: wand) (main hand: staff)
+2 speed +3 magic +2 speed +4 magic
Ability: charm Ability: charm
(requirement: Fenrir’s fang) (requirement: giant’s backbone)
These weapons can then be improved using further items from your backpack. (note: When an item is used, it must be removed from your hero sheet. Items can only be used once.) The bonuses include:
Item Bonus (added to chosen weapon)
Winter diamond special ability: wind chill
Kraken oil special ability: agility
Venomous ooze special ability: blind
Maggorath’s rot special ability: decay
You may return to the frost forge any time between quests, to craft items or add abilities (make a note of this entry number on your hero sheet). Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.
395
For defeating the rift demon, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Crimson kernel Nadir Maxilla mortis
(talisman) (left hand: sword) (ring)
+1 armour +1 speed +1 brawn +1 brawn
Ability: critical strike Ability: rust Ability: gouge
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 503.
396
The rush of cold is sudden and fierce, punching through your chest, freezing your heart and stealing your very last breath. It fills you, numbs you, a coldness so intense that it burns the stone beneath your feet, cracking it to frozen splinters.
If you wish, you may now learn the glaciator career. The glaciator has the following special abilities:
Ice mantle (pa): You may permanently raise your armour by 2. You are also immune to any effects/abilities that would lower your armour in combat.
Brittle edge (pa): Each time an opponent wins a combat round and rolls for a damage score, your opponent immediately takes 2 damage, ignoring armour (whether they cause health damage or not).
When you have made your decision, turn to 677.
397
You find yourself in a large cavernous chamber illuminated by an eerie green light. It seeps through the cracks in the walls and ceiling, where you glimpse veins of black rock set back into the ice. As you advance warily, weapons drawn, you pass a number of cathedral-like pillars, st
retching all the way to the domed ceiling above. They are arranged in regimented rows, suggesting that they were sculptured with a purpose in mind. You examine the nearest one, noticing runelike glyphs glowing just beneath the surface. Their meaning escapes you.
The vastness of the space is daunting. In places the ceiling is pitted with melt holes, many of which stretch away to distant circles of daylight above. Some appear to channel the wind, filling the chamber with a chorus of ghostly moans. A fear creeps along your spine. Several times you glance over your shoulder, feeling like someone – or something – is following you. But each time you look for any sign of a pursuer, you are presented with nothing more than green-lit ice.
Jumping at ghosts. You berate yourself and head onwards, determined to find some clue as to what happened to the missing explorers.
A noise forces you to turn yet again.
This time you see a man, slumped on the ground, his back resting against one of the pillars. He is huddled in thick furs, his blonde hair matted across his ashen face. Both hands are pressed tight against one of his thighs. A smear of blood trails back around the pillar.
You immediately run to his side.
‘What happened?’ You kneel next to him, looking down at the leg. You rummage in your pack, wondering if you have anything that may help.
With a hiss the man lifts his hands, a dagger flicking into one of his bloody palms. He holds it to your throat, a wheezing snicker gasping from his mouth.
‘Think you’d trick me, eh? You another ghost, come to try your luck?’
You glance down at his leg – there is no wound there. Clearly the blood was not his own.
‘I think I was the one who was tricked,’ you reply guardedly, meeting the man’s pale eyes. ‘I’m no ghost – I came looking for explorers. Were you one of them?’
The man appears confused for a second, his gaze dropping to your armour and weapons. ‘Is this true?’ he rasps, his hand shaking as it grips the dagger.
You nod as best you can with a blade to your throat. ‘Tell me what happened here. The blood . . .’
The man lowers his dagger with a sigh. ‘Go look for yourself.’
The Eye of Winter's Fury Page 35