Crystal armour (mo): (requires Syn’s heart) Instead of rolling for a damage score, you can cast crystal armour to coat yourself in barbed ice. This raises your armour by 3 and also inflicts 1 damage to all opponents at the end of every combat round. Once crystal armour is cast, if you lose a combat round and are unable to avoid your opponent’s attack (by using dodge abilities such as sidestep or vanish), then you must roll a die:
or : Your crystal armour is shattered, inflicting 4 damage to your hero.
or : Your crystal armour is shattered, but you suffer no damage.
or : Your crystal armour is unharmed.
(Note: If your crystal armour is shattered, you no longer benefit from its ability/powers for the remainder of the combat.) When you have made your decision, turn to 602.
432
‘Well, I got three left, as yer can see.’ The man folds his arms, looking proudly along the row of sleds. ‘I’ll cut you the best deal I can, but I’ll be straight with yer – there’s no one else gonna be selling sleds in Ryker’s – so you can love it or lump it, your choice.’
If you wish, you may purchase one of the following sleds (Note: you may replace an existing sled with a new one, but all sled upgrades will be lost):
Speed Stability Toughness
Northern light (100 gc): 2 2 1
Tundra runner (180 gc): 2 4 2
Glacier’s edge: (240 gc): 2 5 3
(Remember to record the details of your sled on the second part of your hero sheet.) You may ask about sled upgrades (turn to 322) or explore the rest of the compound (turn to 106).
433
Your eyes dart to the paladin’s stash, and its promise of food and water. Life for Anise. You drop your weapons by your side, letting your anger subside.
‘I see you have supplies,’ you gesture to the pack. ‘We are hungry. We have another with us, a girl. We desperately need food and water.’
Skoll glares at you questioningly, probably sensing some ruse on your part. His hand is still gripped tight around his axe.
You catch his eye. ‘For Anise,’ you whisper.
The paladin nods. ‘I have little, but enough to restore your party’s strength. If I may?’ He is still watching the Skard, awaiting his reaction.
‘Thank you.’ Your words are meant for the both of you. Your insistent stare is only for Skoll.
The warrior grumbles something next to you, some curse in Skard. But there is no conviction to it. His shoulders are slumped, resigned to surrender.
‘Food,’ he sighs. ‘One meal.’ His eyes flick to the bird. ‘Then that cursed thing can eat me for all I care.’
Maune moves towards his pack, patting the bird as he passes. ‘Come. Let us attend to your needs, then. The One God provides for all.’ Turn to 21.
434
You squeeze through the narrow space, your eyes adjusting quickly to the gloom. Thankfully, the tremors appear to have stopped – for now.
After several hundred metres, the crack widens into a rubble-strewn opening. Clambering over the rocks, you freeze when you hear voices from the cave ahead. Cautiously, you creep forward to get a better view.
You have emerged in a natural cave, with a high ceiling dripping with glowing stalactites. A group of goblins are gathered around an area of rubble to the left of the cave. The largest is grunting with exertion as he squeezes his arm between a space in the rocks.
‘I is almost there,’ he mutters, sweat and grime glistening on his yellow-green skin.
Two of the smaller goblins are trying to pull away the surrounding stones, without a great deal of success. A fourth is cowering underneath a dented shield, casting wary glances at the ceiling.
Across the other side of the cave is a slope leading up to another tunnel. Reaching it shouldn’t be too difficult with all the rocks and boulders strewn across the room.
Will you:
Surprise and attack the goblins? 567
Attempt to creep past them? 493
435
You crash down onto hard-packed earth, sending clouds of red dust billowing into the dry air. Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, you roll over onto your back, eyes scanning across crimson skies and the torn wreckage of your surroundings. Flames lick around the burnt hulks of metal machines, their shape and function alien to you. Oily waters lap close to the sandy shore, its wide span overshadowed by a broken bridge, its twisted girders bent like broken fingers.
‘Wake up!’ you croak, coughing on the dry dust. ‘All I need to do is wake up.’
A noise. A clatter of metal.
Long spindly fingers close over the torn wreckage. Then a pair of pale arms twist into view, pulling a thin body behind them. The demon is little more than a skeleton, its skin drawn tight over ragged bone. There is no face. Instead, a wedge-shaped mask of mirrored metal is nailed to its head – smooth and featureless, save for your own terrified visage staring back at you.
‘She won’t thank me for this,’ hisses the now-familiar voice. ‘But your soul is too tempting. Too delicious. Playtime is over, and now it’s time to feast!’
You hear the crash of shifting debris. Frantically, you glance to your right, to see two ugly, scaled brutes clambering onto one of the wrecks. They have wide toad-like faces, their fat bodies bubbling with giant pustules. You watch in revulsion as the pustules grow bigger, then one of them bursts, depositing a squirming reptilian creature onto the soil. Another breaks open, releasing a second. These small parasitic horrors rise up on bowed legs, tongues licking between sharp fangs. More are starting to appear, squirming to free themselves from their toad-like hosts.
You drag your attention back to the demon. It is crawling towards you, its mirror-like mask reflecting the tortured landscape. ‘Look, look and see,’ the demon jeers. ‘The end of all worlds, the end of everything!’ It is time to fight:
Speed Magic Armour Health
Insidious 10 6 6 70
Seeper 10 5 5 20
Seeper 10 5 5 20
Parasite 9 4 3 8
Parasite 9 4 3 8
Special abilities
Endless tide: At the start of each combat round after the first, each seeper will produce another parasite, with the same stats as above. If a seeper is reduced to zero health, they can no longer produce parasites – but any parasites already in play will continue to attack.
Sinister arts: Each time you take health damage from Insidious you must sacrifice an unused ability of your choosing or else take an extra 5 damage, ignoring armour. A sacrificed ability cannot be used for the remainder of the combat.
Parasitic pests: At the end of every combat round, you must take 1 damage, ignoring armour, from each parasite currently in play.
To win the combat, you must defeat all opponents (including any parasites currently in play). If you are able to defeat this menacing horde, turn to 771.
436
You feel a buzzing sensation emanating from your backpack. Opening it up, you discover that the book Hergest’s Hauntings has started to glow with a ghostly white light. Quickly, you flick through the pages until you arrive at a section labelled Ryker’s Island. Following the author’s directions, you uncover a loose stone in one of the nearby cells. By pulling it out of the wall, you reveal a secret crawl space.
You scramble along the tunnel, until it widens into a jagged cleft of black rock. The floor is panelled with iron, leaking sickly-yellow vapours through open vents. The putrid smoke seems to be coming from a hidden room below. Despite your best efforts, the grilles cannot be removed. Instead, you focus on the cleft itself.
Ahead is an area that looks like a nest. Dirty rags and gnarled bones form makeshift bedding, on top of which are various pilfered items, some looking half-chewed. As you are about to investigate further, you hear the pattering of tiny feet behind you . . .
A swarm of white rats are scampering over the rocks, their albino-red eyes glowing with an insatiable hunger. Each rat has a number stamped on their hind-quarters, suggesting they might have once
been test rats. Frantically, you ready your weapons and prepare to take on the frenzied host. It is time to fight:
Speed Brawn Armour Health
Test rats 5 4 2 20
Test rats 5 4 2 20
Test rats 5 4 2 20
Special abilities
Disease: Once you have taken health damage from a rat’s damage score, you must lose a further 2 health at the end of each combat round, ignoring armour. (You can only be inflicted with disease once.)
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 these vile vermin, turn to 491.
437
The necromancer’s bones lie strewn across the room, his robes hanging in tatters from your hands. You are still dazed, having little memory of the fight save for fleeting, savage images – teeth biting, nails clawing, fists battering and punching. Somehow the bear was inside you. Its ferocity, its rage had taken over.
You stand, trembling, watching as the cloth slips from your black, bruised fingers.
Whatever power once had a hold of you, it has now drawn back to the recesses of your mind. In its absence, you are left with an aching emptiness – a death-like cold that no heat is able to dispel.
For your victory over the necromancer, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Lich’s gaze Dread mantle Grave light
(head) (cloak) (ring)
+1 magic +1 speed +1 brawn Ability: blind
Ability: insight Ability: fear
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 283.
438
‘Think I’d fall for that one?’ growls the guard, snatching you by the collar. ‘He ain’t got a tab ’ere, Eaton ain’t payin’ for the party. And you’re a dirty liar.’
There are gasps and cries from the party-goers as they watch the guard drag you back into the taproom of the Coracle. He gives you a final shove before turning and heading back into the private room. It appears your attempt to get inside the cellar has failed. Turn to 80.
439
You hack at the wall of roots, severing them with ease. However, as each root comes apart you hear the creak of the branches tightening around the imprisoned warrior. You desperately hasten your efforts, pulling the last of the roots away to push yourself through the gap and into the cell.
But you are too late. The branches have snapped closed around the warrior. His head lolls back on his shoulders, his body hanging lifeless within its thorny prison. As you watch, the warrior’s corpse starts to fade – his spirit breaking up into fractured shards of dark light. Within seconds there is no trace of the prisoner, save the gnarled branches that once held him captive.
You turn back to the pedestal – but of the dagger, there is no sign. Evidently it was just an illusion to torment the poor warrior. Searching the cell, you find nothing else of interest. With no other option, you leave and continue your journey. Turn to 6.
440
For defeating the mighty yeti, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Braveheart mantle Chest beaters Big foot
(cloak) (chest) (feet)
+1 speed +2 brawn +1 speed +2 brawn +1 speed +1 brawn
Ability: savage call Ability: knockdown Ability: rebound
You have also gained a sasquatch pelt (simply make a note of this on your hero sheet, it doesn’t take up backpack space). When you have updated your sheet, turn to 631.
441
The guard removes the three of stars from his hand and places it face down on the discard pile. He reaches into the pouch and takes another stone at random. He has now gained the two of stars:
The guard rubs his chin thoughtfully. ‘Still a fool’s pair,’ he whispers out of the corner of his mouth. ‘Let’s hope it is enough to win.’ Turn to 570.
442
You hit the pool with a painful thwack, bones splintering and muscles ripping free of their tendons as you plunge into its dark, bubbling depths. (You must roll twice on the death penalty chart and immediately apply the effects to your hero. You must also lose one backpack item.) Then turn to 696.
443
You let your weapons fall to the ground, raising empty palms in a show of surrender. Your action surprises the Skard, who hesitates in his advance, his brow furrowing as he looks down at your discarded weapons. One of his companions shouts something, drawing a barking laughter from the other.
‘Fegis!’ The hunter echoes their name-call, spitting with derision.
You shake your head, trying to indicate you don’t understand.
He steps forward, raising his boot and kicking you in the leg. It drops you to the ground with a painful crunch. When you try and rise, he pushes you down again with the heel of his boot.
‘Fegis . . .’ he grunts again, shaking his head. He turns and gestures to the shaven-headed hunter. ‘Slur den.’
The smaller Skard saunters towards you, his axe resting back on his shoulder. Turn to 656.
444
The palace walls start to flicker and fade, slowly washing away to reveal a void of darkness. All around you the laughter echoes once again, a snickering cruel sound.
‘Enough of this!’ you bellow in challenge, backing away from the creeping blackness. It is closing in from all sides, eating up the stonework until you are left standing on a rapidly-diminishing island. Your words are met by another peal of laughter.
This way.
A woman’s voice. Soft and gentle.
You turn, surprised to see a white rift of light slowly opening against the dark void, spreading wider and wider until it has formed a glowing portal.
This way. The voice becomes more insistent.
The darkness continues to rip away at the stones. Looking down, you are shocked to see the edge is formed out of fingers, hundreds of them, raking the ground with sharp nails, tearing through the very fabric of this dream.
You look back to the light – and make a snap decision. Quickly, you race to the edge of the island and throw yourself out across the abyss. With legs kicking to maintain your momentum you make the distance, hitting the portal of light and passing through into a blinding radiance. Turn to 713.
445
Working together, the keep’s defenders whittle away at the demon’s defences, gradually slowing and weakening it. Once the beast is on its last legs, Henna delivers the killing blow – sinking her glowing blade into the creature’s brain. A blast of noxious air and bile is blown out of the creature’s mouth as it breathes its last, then a welcome silence follows.
A lone soldier raises his fist into the air. ‘For Valeron!’ he calls defiantly. ‘For Glory!’
His mantra is quickly picked up by the surviving guardsmen, accompanied by an echoing clamour of victorious cheers. If you are a warrior, turn to 553. If you are a rogue, turn to 395. If you are a mage, turn to 57.
446
You place the ‘three of snakes’ on the discard pile and pick a new stone from the bag. You have gained the ‘two of moons’.
You have the following stones:
The monk decides to play his hand. Turn to 593.
447
Quest: The bear necessities
Twilight can last for hours in the north, the pale light of day giving way to green and blue hues then slowly darkening to a vivid purple. In those hours, there is almost a serene beauty to the expansive, snowy plains – a tranquil calm before the night comes, and with it the inevitable blizzards that sweep across the ice, unleashing their cruel fury without remorse.
Twilight, when there is a moment of peace, a time when you can almost appreciate the wonders of the landscape. Like the lake that stretches out before you, its sparkling waters aglow with dancing lights.
You veer from your intended course, keen to discover what phenomena might be responsible for the peculiar display. However, a splash and a disturbance on t
he water forces you to duck for cover, falling into a crouch behind a mound of wind-blown snow.
The sound of children laughing.
You raise your head, quickly scanning the banks of the lake. Two boys are crouched by the water’s edge, both clad in thick animal furs. They appear captivated by the same lights sparkling up from the lake’s depths – one holds a spear and is prodding its shaft into the water, goaded by his companion.
They must be Skards. Both look no older than ten – the child with the spear is the brawnier of the two, with dark brown hair braided into plaits. The other is red-haired and freckled, giggling as he points to the swirling motes of light.
Distracted, neither child has spotted the predators moving quickly across the rocks behind them. Three multi-legged creatures, each a metre in length, resembling white-translucent spiders. You leap up and shout out a warning.
Both boys look up, mouths falling open in surprise. They don’t see the first spider pounce. It lands on the ginger-haired boy, its legs wrapping around his chest. He screams and squeals as the mandibles pierce through his leathers.
The other boy starts forward to aid his friend, but draws back when he sees the other pair of spiders dashing in. He throws his spear in haste, missing his target. Left unarmed, he turns and runs, ignoring his companion’s screams.
You race around the lake, fearing you may be too late to save the boy’s life. The two spiders immediately turn and scuttle towards you, their mandibles dripping with a blue-tinged poison. The third quickly releases the Skard’s limp body, then rushes to join its companions. It is time to fight:
Speed Brawn Armour Health
Water spider 5 4 3 20
Water spider 5 3 3 20
Water spider 5 3 3 20
Special abilities
Paralysis: If you suffer health damage from a spider’s damage score, you cannot use special abilities in the next combat round (passive effects that are already in play will continue to do damage).
The Eye of Winter's Fury Page 38