Legion of Shadow

by Michael J. Ward

  The war room? — 607

  The infirmary? — 597

  554

  As you pass through the runes they suddenly start to glow red. You snatch the crown from the pedestal and begin running back towards the stairs. However, to your dismay, you see a stone slab sliding down to seal off the exit. There is no way you will be able to get through in time.

  A thunderous cracking sound forces you to turn. The statue of the king is now rising up off its throne, its crowned head almost touching the ceiling of the vast chamber. Behind it, the throne begins to break up into spinning stone shards, which quickly rearrange themselves into humanoid shapes. With ground-trembling steps, the stone giant advances towards you, with its golem army marching at its heels. Trapped and with nowhere to run, you must now make a final stand:

  Special abilities

  Knockdown: If your hero takes health damage from the giant, you must lower your speed by 1 for the next combat round.

  Body of rock: Your opponents are immune to piercing, impale, bleed, venom, thorns, barbs and lightning.

  Stone golems: At the end of every combat round, you automatically take 1 point of damage, ignoring armour, from each golem that is still alive.

  If you win a combat round against the stone giant, you can choose to direct your damage towards the giant or one of the stone golems. If you defeat the giant, all remaining stone golems immediately crumble into dust.

  If you manage to defeat this colossal foe, turn to 443.

  555

  ‘For the king! For Valeron!’ shouts Redguard. Together, the four of you charge into the bone giants, each of you pairing off against one of the immense constructs of bone:

  Special abilities

  Knockdown: If your hero takes health damage from the giant, your speed is lowered by 1 for the next combat round.

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

  If you defeat the bone giant, turn to 722. If you are defeated, turn to 732.

  556

  You climb the make-shift ladder and pull yourself up onto the narrow ledge. The wall in front of you has been blasted open, its edges scorched with black spears of soot. Beyond, you can see a rubble-strewn passageway sloping away into a twisted network of metal beams and charred rock.

  Will you:

  Enter the blasted-out tunnel? — 603

  Climb back and follow the flooded tunnel? — 619

  557

  Legendary monster: The blob

  The foetid smell of evil permeates every stone of the old mausoleum. You pass warily along its dark corridors, towards the glow of lights and the sound of chanting. Arriving in a large, circular chamber, you see a ring of black-robed necromancers surrounding a raised stone slab. Lying across it is a huge, zombie-like creation, its bulbous body sewn together from various limbs and other body bits. At the head of the circle is a wild-haired man in a blood-splattered white coat. He is giggling insanely, rubbing his hands together as he watches the beast.

  Your foot knocks into one of the bones littering the floor. It skitters across the stone tiles, alerting the necromancers. On seeing you, their chanting takes on a frenzied urgency. Suddenly, black lightning flares from each of their hands. It arcs through the air, striking the metal plates that have been sewn into the monster’s flesh. The body spasms and jerks, the enormous legs and arms twitching as the lightning crackles back and forth across its corpulent form.

  ‘It’s alive!’ gasps the mortician, hopping up and down with insane glee. ‘It lives!’

  The hulking monster pushes itself off the stone table, scattering the necromancers. As it steadies itself on its squat, trunk-like legs, you see the true horror of its foul existence. The creature is a chaotic mishmash of human and giant body parts. Thick purple stitching criss-crosses its puffy flesh, holding together the monster’s bloated, patchwork form.

  ‘Go my beauty! Destroy this intruder!’ commands the white-coated mortician, spittle flying from his lips. ‘Show me what you can do!’

  The giant zombie takes hold of a spiked mace and then starts lumbering towards you. ‘Me destroy!’ he booms. ‘Me make master happy.’

  Special abilities

  Knockdown: If your hero takes health damage from the blob, you must lower your speed by 1 for the next combat round.

  Bloated body: The blob is immune to piercing, impale, barbs and thorns.

  If you manage to defeat this hulking brute, turn to 616.

  558

  The shadowstalker may be fast, but she proves no match for your powers and abilities. As she staggers and falls, you feel a sudden tingling sensation in your arm. You draw back your sleeve to reveal the mark, its three entwined snakes writhing and twisting beneath your skin.

  ‘No! Spare me!’ The shadowstalker gives a startled cry as her body begins to slowly unravel, becoming ribbons of shadow magic that curl through the air.

  Without thinking, you raise your arm. Almost immediately, the swirling tendrils of magic flow towards it. As each one comes into the contact with the mark, there is a crackling flash of purple light as they are absorbed into the skin. You feel a cold, rushing sensation as the magic surges through your body, filling you with a newfound strength and vigour. (You may now increase your maximum health by 10.)

  Once the last of the shadow magic has been absorbed, the snakes cease their agitated motion and the tingling sensation stops. You lower your arm, bewildered and amazed at what you have just experienced. If you are a rogue, you can now learn the shadowstalker career (turn to 586). Otherwise, turn to 729.

  559

  As the giant crows soar overhead, you take aim and prepare to fire. You will need to take a speed or magic test (using whichever of your attributes is the highest).

  Speed/Magic

  Headshot

  24

  If you are successful, turn to 531. If you fail, turn to 579.

  560

  You walk along the sheer-sided ravine for several hundred metres, before finding a suitable route into the scar: an overhang of rock that slopes down onto a narrow ledge. Perspiring from the heat, you start to make your way carefully down the slope. The loose ash and gravel underfoot is treacherous, and within moments you are slipping and sliding through a choking black cloud.

  You land in a heap on the ledge, your hair, skin and clothing caked in ash. After scrubbing the stinging dirt from your eyes, you take stock of your new surroundings. To your left, the ledge snakes around the upper edge of the ravine, before dipping down into a cave-like opening. To your right, the same ledge descends steeply towards the bottom of the ravine and the rivers of lava.

  Will you:

  Enter the cave? — 519

  Follow the ledge down to the lava? — 543

  561

  There is the noisy clatter of steel as the swords fall to the ground, their dark magic finally extinguished. With the guardians of the chamber defeated, you can now help yourself to the best that the king’s armoury has to offer.

  If you are a rogue, turn to 567. If you are a mage, turn to 598. If you are a warrior, turn to 581.

  562

  Outside the cabin, you are shocked to see that Bern has gone. Worried that something may have happened, you ready your weapons and scan the nearby rocks, fearing that whoever laid the trap has returned.

  You are relieved when the ranger finally reappears, rounding the side of a large boulder. He looks to have recovered from his ordeal, although he still walks with a slight limp.

  ‘I was checking for tracks,’ he explains. ‘What did you find inside?’

  You tell him that it appears a fight has taken place, but there was no clear victor. The blood on the wall suggests that someone was wounded.

  The ranger nods. ‘Yes, that would seem to make sense. I found two sets of tracks. The first are about a day old. The second are fresher and are following the first, although I found no traces of blood. Both were headed south.’

  You thank Bern for his help.

  ‘Good lu
ck finding Cornelius,’ he says. ‘He is a good man and I would hate for him to come to harm. As for me, I must return to the grove. The queen has other assignments for me.’ He walks over and takes your hand, shaking it firmly. ‘I think I misjudged you,’ he says, smiling. ‘It was an honour to have fought by your side.’

  With that, he turns and heads back towards the dark forest, leaving you alone on the cliffside, deep in thought. Return to the quest map to continue your journey.

  563

  Your curiosity gets the better of you. Striding over to the nearest chest, you put your hands to the stone lid. The moment your hands come into contact with the glowing runes there is a thunderous crack. You step back, wondering if the sound came from the chest itself – but then you become aware of movement.

  The stone statues are coming alive. The cracking sound is coming from their huge wings, as they slowly begin to beat, freeing clouds of age-old dust from their surface. The nearest statue throws back its head and emits a bone-chilling howl. Then it takes off into the air, its wings lifting its squat body with ease. The other statues follow suit, their eyes now glowing with the same light as the runes on the chests.

  You ready your weapons and prepare to fight as, one by one, the gargoyles swoop towards you, their dagger-like claws and fingers raking the air:

  Special abilities

  Body of rock: Your opponent is immune to piercing, impale, bleed, venom, thorns, barbs and lightning.

  If you defeat the gargoyles, turn to 571.

  564

  Legendary monster: Chilblain

  A piercing wind blows across the frozen lake, scattering the flakes of snow that drift down from the grey sky. This strange place, trapped in a permanent winter, is a magic anomaly, or so Lansbury had called it – some strange fusion of nature and the leftover residue of powerful magic.

  As you head out across the lake, you notice the ice ahead of you cracking and splintering. Something appears to be forcing its way out. You start to back away, but lose your balance and fall, slamming down onto your back. Only metres away, clawing its way free of the lake, is a creature made entirely of ice. It is humanoid in shape, with a pointed, half-moon face crowned with icicles, and long spindly arms ending in frost-dripping fingers.

  You quickly find your feet again, as the beast cracks open its jaws and gives an ear-splitting wail. As if in answer to its cry, four giant pillars of ice burst up out of the lake, glowing with blue fire. At first you wonder what purpose they could serve, then you notice that the creature appears to be drawing in their energy – the cold fire settling over its frozen body to form a suit of sparkling, spiked armour. You must now fight this deadly, magical monstrosity:

  Special abilities

  Ice armour: * While all four ice pillars are standing, Chilblain has an armour of 20. If the pillars are destroyed, his armour is lowered to 10.

  Frost bite: Your hero takes 4 damage at the end of every combat round. This ability ignores armour.

  Body of ice: Chilblain and the ice pillars are immune to venom, disease and bleed, but take double damage from sear, fire aura and burn.

  If you win a combat round against Chilblain, you can choose to apply your damage to Chilblain or an ice pillar. If Chilblain dies, all surviving ice pillars are automatically destroyed.

  If you manage to overcome this frosty foe, turn to 584.

  565

  The phoenix consumes itself, adding its ashes to those that already fill the nest. You may now take one of the following items as a reward:

  Phoenix claw

  Phoenix feathers

  Phoenix ashes

  (main hand: dagger)

  (cloak)

  (talisman)

  +1 speed +2 brawn

  +1 speed +1 armour

  +1 magic

  Ability: immobilise

  Ability: charm

  Ability: heal

  If you have Lorinwold’s Field Guide to Roots, Herbs and Leaves then you may pick 1 bramble thorn and 2 fire grass from this area. (Make a note of the herbs on your hero sheet.)

  You cross the island and take the other pathway, which winds through the bubbling, hissing lava. After several minutes you come to another rocky shelf, littered with stone debris. Amongst the rocks you spot some long, tattered strips of cloth and pieces of scorched wood.

  Will you:

  Search the rocks? — 447

  Continue onwards? — 439

  566

  ‘All eyes are on Talanost,’ whispers Jenlar, blood now coating his lips. ‘The legion is contained there, for now. But . . . the resistance is not seeing the real danger, the real threat. They are weak . . . exposed. Their true enemy will strike from the rear. They will be crushed. I have seen it!’

  The man starts shaking, his hands grasping like claws. ‘A necromancer, a powerful mage with power over the dead, is amassing an army. His name is Zul Ator. He was the traitor who opened the gate.’

  You find yourself picturing the hooded man who you met in your strange dream – the one who took the last piece of the Nexus from you. ‘I know him,’ you mutter, under your breath.

  Jenlar is now gripping you tightly, his fingers digging into your skin – into your mark that now buzzes and tingles with its own unearthly energies. ‘Zul is creating an army that will march south and crush the last remnants of Talanost’s resistance. The king’s army won’t get there in time . . . the city will fall and then . . .’ The old man becomes silent. For a moment you fear he has already passed away, then his eyes suddenly flick open, focusing intently on you.

  ‘You must stop this army. You must warn the resistance, warn them that Zul is the real threat.’ Again he waves away your attempt to ask questions. ‘Listen! Listen to me and don’t speak. Avian is in grave danger. He thinks he can close the gate. But he can’t . . .’ Jenlar breaks off into a fit of coughing. It is several minutes before he is able to speak again, his voice hoarse and almost inaudible. ‘In the last war, the mages closed the shadow gate by removing its heart, the Nexus. Avian thinks he can do the same again. But if he does . . . he will die.’

  ‘Then how can we close it?’ you ask, your own grip on the frail man tightening. ‘I must know how we can close it!’ Turn to 580.

  567

  The weapons and armour are some of the finest you have ever seen. If you wish, you may now take one of the following:

  Vorpal sword

  Spellbreaker

  Nightguard gloves

  (left hand: sword)

  (main hand: mace)

  (gloves)

  +2 speed +3 brawn

  +2 speed +4 brawn

  +1 speed +2 armour

  Ability: vanquish

  Ability: disrupt

  Ability: steadfast

  After casting a final, wary glance at the Dour king’s statue, you exit the chamber, taking a wide staircase down into a flooded annex. Turn to 610.

  568

  Gouts of whistling steam billow out from between the knight’s armour. Then the giant topples to the ground, his armour falling into disparate pieces as they hit the stone floor. There is no sign of a body. Instead there is just a cloud of ash hanging in the air.

  You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

  Scorched tunic

  Vambraces of might

  Destroyer’s drape

  (chest)

  (gloves)

  (cloak)

  +1 speed +2 armour

  +1 speed +2 armour

  +2 speed +1 armour

  Ability: charm

  Ability: parry

  Ability: backfire

  If you have Lorinwold’s Field Guide to Roots, Herbs and Leaves then you may pick 2 bramble thorn and 1 fire grass from this area. (Make a note of the herbs on your hero sheet.)

  If Hal is with you, turn to 573. Otherwise turn to 551.

  569

  You dive down into the turquoise-blue waters of the lake. With powerful strokes, you are soon passing over the dead city, lying at
the bottom of the basin. Most of the ruined buildings are covered in coral and kelp, making them look almost indistinguishable from their surroundings. Others, like wedge-shaped pyramids, still retain their magnificent grandeur, looking other-worldly in the dappled, rippling light.

  The size of the city is almost overwhelming. As you turn in the water, looking down at the sprawling expanse, you marvel at the scouts and adventurers who have helped map this place for Sahna. Your thoughts also wander to those who didn’t make it back – for those who gave their lives for Raolin’s cause. The twitch in your stomach reminds you that the next ‘deader’could be you.

  Regaining your focus, you swim down towards the building that was marked on Sahna’s map – the treasure house of the king. On the map it was a small square; one amongst hundreds of other small squares. But here, in reality, it is a huge triangular building, not dissimilar to a shark’s fin. Its sloping side is covered in plates of black metal, which shimmer in rainbow hues beneath the ever-shifting light.

  You make several circuits of the building, looking for an obvious door or entrance. All you find, instead, are two irregular holes with scorched blast marks around the edges. You assume that your predecessors used some kind of magic or explosive to blow their way inside. One hole is near the base of the building and the other is nearer the top, just below the pointed tip.

  Will you:

  Swim into the hole at the top? — 510

  Swim into the hole at the bottom? — 470