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.
659
‘Oh this?’ Lansbury lifts up the book, turning it over in her hands. ‘This is just one of the books I found in those ruins, when we met you. They’re from the shadow war – yes, this is a thousand years old.’ She opens the book again, smoothing down one of the yellowed pages. ‘The parchment is enchanted so it will never age. This one in particular is an account of the war from a mage’s apprentice. Fascinating reading.’
She looks down at the other books resting next to her chair. ‘Finding these was a perilous business. But it was worth it. Some of what they contain may even help us in our upcoming struggles.’
Turn to 597 to ask another question, or 553 to leave the tent.
660
‘Let me give you a gift,’ hisses Sharroth. ‘A taste of what is to come.’
You give a choking gasp, as something – a fierce, burning cold – races up the base of your spine and into your skull. There is a momentary flash of pain, like knives stabbing deep into your very being, then you open your eyes.
And you remember.
Memories come flooding back. You see yourself as a general – a mighty warrior and mage, leading regiments of shadow spawn across countless battlefields. Everything that lies before you is laid to waste by your power. You had respect . . . you were feared.
‘Yes, Nevarin,’ rasps Sharroth. ‘Remember who you were. Who you are.’
‘No!’ you grit your teeth as rage and anger build inside you. The images have shifted to ones of pain and misery. The gate has been closed and you have been cut off from your world. You see yourself running – always running – a fugitive, a monster that nobody trusts. Fists and weapons have all been turned against you . . . angry faces, accusations. ‘Shadow spawn!’
Power crackles from the mark along your arm, fuelled by your anger and resentment. ‘A thousand years, I have been hunted,’ you spit, advancing on Avian in cold fury. ‘I have been judged.’
The mage backs away, shaking his head. ‘Do not do this, Nevarin! Don’t let the anger overtake you. I trusted you. I still trust you. You can change!’
For a moment your steps falter. Avian’s look of sincerity, of honesty, has disarmed you. Then an image of Mathis flashes before your eyes. The inquisitor is staring at you with loathing and scorn. The inquisitor who would see you burnt at a stake for the mark that you carry.
Rage courses through your veins once more, pumping crackling energy into your shadow mark. It spits and hisses as it begins to change . . . distending outwards to form a set of curved spectral claws.
You have gained a new special ability:
Dark claw (pa): For every double that you roll (before or after a re-roll), your hero automatically inflicts 4 damage to their opponent. This ability ignores armour.
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 682.
661
You awake to find yourself partially buried beneath the rotting carcasses of the undead. Grimacing with disgust, you push the corpses aside and get to your feet. Your head is still buzzing with pain, although a quick examination of your body finds no sign of a wound. You suspect that your shadow mark has healed you once again.
Everywhere you look, there are undead corpses – most of which are blackened and charred. Lansbury is propped up against the side of the statue, holding a hand to her bloody shoulder.
She looks up as you approach, smiling through her obvious discomfort. ‘I really must examine you closer, shadow born,’ she says, arching an eyebrow. ‘Not a blemish on your skin. They say, when your kind dies you turn to shadow energy for a short time. That energy then remakes your body.’ She gives a bemused snort. ‘Immortality . . . what I wouldn’t give for that.’
You glance around at the remains of the battle. With regret, you note that none of the others survived the conflict. Laine’s warhorse is the only mount remaining, standing loyal guard at his fallen master’s side.
‘The statue activated just in time,’ explains Lansbury, as you help her to stand. ‘Although, if I had just been a little quicker . . .’ She sighs, shaking her head. ‘No use regretting what might have been. The living need us now – we should return to the camp.’ The hand pressed to her shoulder glows brightly for a second. When she removes it, you see that the wound has healed.
‘A shame I can’t use my powers to bring back the dead,’ she grumbles, as you pass the fallen bodies of your comrades. ‘We will return and give them a hero’s burial.’
You help Lansbury onto the warhorse, then slip into the saddle behind her. With a flick of the reins, the healer guides the horse down from the hill, now under the watchful protection of the stone angel. Turn to 731.
662
The necromancer throws out his left hand, his fingers grasping at the air. From the darkest corners of the room, tendrils of shadow began to move – swirling and twisting as they are drawn along the ground.
You jump aside as a black shadow brushes past your legs, to join the others that are swirling around the mage, forming a dense circle of darkness. Then, from out of this shifting gloom, shapes began to form . . . like devilish silhouettes.
‘Shades!’ growls Nyms. ‘He is summoning shades.’
The dark phantoms grow long, thin arms – each one ending in a frightening array of black-curved claws. Between their broadening shoulders, tentacles of fog ooze into ghostly faces with hollow eye sockets and toothless mouths.
In a heartbeat, there are six of the creatures surrounding the necromancer.
Suddenly, one gives a horrible banshee-like wail. It springs forward, its sharp talons raking through the air. Nyms reacts instantly by ducking beneath its blow and thrusting his twin blades through its middle. With a howl of agony, the shade is blown apart – sending whirling ribbons of shadow flying in all directions.
‘Take the mage,’ orders Nyms. ‘I’ll handle the shades.’
As the swordsman spins his blades into the mass of dark bodies, you charge the necromancer:
Special abilities
Heightened magic: You cannot use sidestep, evade or vanish in this combat.
Venom: Once you have taken health damage from the mage, at the end of every combat round you must automatically lose 2 health.
If you manage to defeat this powerful mage, turn to 649.
663
You open the jar and stick your hand inside, pulling out a handful of the slimy, squirming maggots. ‘I know medicine is never tasty, but this . . .’ You bring the maggots closer to your mouth, trying not to choke from the wretched smell.
Will you:
Swallow the maggots? — 679
Head into Raolin’s camp instead? — 696
664
You search the body of the two-headed giant. In a pouch around its waist is a bag containing 100 gold crowns. You may also help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Grasping grimm
Devourer’s grips
Diadem of mastery
(left hand: wand)
(gloves)
(head)
+3 speed +3 magic
+1 speed +4 magic
+2 speed +3 magic
Ability: rake
Ability: rust
Ability: dominate
Special achievement: If all four heroes – Gull, Laine, Janna and Klaret – are still alive, you may r
eceive an extra reward. Turn to 735. Otherwise, turn to 731.
665
There are cheers from the surviving fighters as the orb smashes into the ground, spraying gooey black slime in a wide radius.
‘Nice work,’ grins the mage, lowering his carpet to the ground. ‘We’ll make an airborne regular out of you yet.’
You hop off the carpet, thanking the mage for his help. Surveying the gooey wreckage, you notice a few salvageable rewards. You may now help yourself to one of the following items:
Cerebral helm
Lens of blasting
Orb stinger
(head)
(left hand: shield)
(main hand: dagger)
+2 speed +3 magic
+ 2 speed +3 armour
+3 speed +4 brawn
Ability: overload
Ability: lightning
Ability: shock!
(requirement: mage)
(requirement: warrior)
(requirement: rogue)
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Ravenwing and his soldiers have brought down the other monstrous creation. The remaining ranks of shadow spawn collapse into a full-scale rout, outnumbered and outfought by the defenders. The pursuing soldiers make short work of the fleeing remnants and soon cries of victory are echoing around the camp. Turn to 757.
666
Nyms and Caeleb have made short work of the bone constructs, while Janna has dispatched the wyverns using her magical arrows. However, there is little time for celebration. Echoing from the valley walls comes a gibbering, chattering crescendo. As you regroup, you turn to see a horde of ghouls scampering around the corner, scattering ash and dust as they race towards you. Behind them, almost matching their pace, is a man dressed in fur and leather. In one hand he holds a whip, which he cracks constantly, driving the bestial ghouls to greater feats of speed.
‘Ghouls and a packmaster,’ grins Nyms. ‘You must have really made ’em angry, Janna.’
‘We can’t fight them here,’ snaps Caeleb. ‘They’ll overrun us.’
‘In here!’ Janna starts sprinting towards a nearby doorway, cut into the side of the cliff wall. Raising her right hand, she calls up a golden flame, to light the way as she rushes into the darkness.
You follow her into the earthen passageway. Once you are all inside, Janna turns and begins chanting a spell. The light in her hands turns to green fire, which she hurls at the tunnel entrance. The moment the magic hits the ground, a wall of black thorns bursts up out of the soil.
‘That should hold them for a while,’ she says. Turn to 608.
667
Sahna escorts you to the edge of the camp. ‘I fear Raolin will not give up his search. He will send more good people down there to find that rotten treasure. I can only pray that fortune favours us – or else I fear the worst.
‘Good luck with your adventures,’ she says. ‘I have a feeling we will meet again, one day.’ The warrior salutes you, before turning and heading back into camp. Return to the quest map to continue your journey.
668
‘The inquisition is a sacred order,’ explains Laine. ‘We are the king’s finest – carrying the sacred flame of truth and honour in our hearts. It is our mission to root out evil in all its forms and to uphold the laws of the land. Our methods can be seen, by some, as,’ he licks his lips, choosing his words carefully, ‘direct. But we are dedicated to the cause, as are our faithful spies and agents, the witchfinders.’
The inquisitor has the following abilities:
Cleansing light (pa): Automatically heals the hero for 2 health at the end of each combat round.
Avenging spirit (co): When you take health damage from your opponent’s damage score, you can inflict damage back to them equal to your armour. This ability ignores your opponent’s armour. (Note: you cannot use modifier abilities to increase this damage.) You can only perform Avenging spirit once per combat.
Once you have updated your hero sheet, return to the quest map to continue your adventures.
669
With your hands still tied, you follow your captors out of the ruins. The land beyond is an endless plain of grey ash, littered with bones. The sky above is almost the same shade of grey – heavy and ominous. It is almost impossible to tell where one meets the other.
‘What is this place?’ you ask, as you trudge across the silent wasteland. To your left, there is the enormous skull of some ancient creature, grinning at you as if in mockery.
‘The bone fields,’ explains the plated warrior, who is carrying the sack of items from the ruins. ‘I guess you don’t remember anything, do you?’ When he looks back, you see pity in his eyes. ‘Perhaps you better explain, Lansbury.’
The woman nods, dropping back to walk beside you. ‘This is where the last battle took place,’ she says. ‘When the shadow gate was closed, a thousand years ago, the last of the legion faced the mages of Talanost here. There was an epic battle. The accounts say it lasted forty days and forty nights.’ She waves her staff across the grey expanse before you. ‘This is what was left. The wreckage of a terrible war.
‘The legion was defeated,’ she continues. ‘Many heroes were made in that war. Most of them mages. They were the ones who proved instrumental in ending the legion’s reign of terror. That is why the gate was dug up and moved to Talanost – where it could be kept safe beneath the university, under the watchful eyes of the Arcane Circle.’
Nyms gives a dismissive snort. ‘Yeah and that worked out just great, didn’t it.’ He gives you a sideways glance, scowling.
‘Ah, here we are,’ says Lansbury, breaking the tense silence. ‘Home, sweet home.’
You crane your neck over the next rise to see the grey ash turn to red, scorched sand. It drifts in lazy swirling clouds around a series of rocks, arranged to form a wall or barricade. Behind it is a tall crumbling tower. Several parts of it have already broken loose – but instead of having toppled to the ground, the fragments hang suspended in mid-air, as if trapped in time and space.
‘What is that?’ you ask in wonderment.
‘A relic left over from the war,’ explains Nyms. ‘Caeleb, you’re the engineering expert – tell him.’ You look to the plated warrior, who you assume he is referring to. The older warrior nods.
‘The mages built a number of towers like this. They used their magics to pull the stone up out of the earth.’ He motions with a finger, tracing the line of a deep rift, cutting across the ground. ‘Took a day to build, if the records are true. Fine craftsmanship too . . . for mages.’ He arches an eyebrow in Lansbury’s direction. The woman smiles at the comment.
‘Come on,’ she says. ‘Let’s see what Redguard makes of our new visitor.’ Turn to 683.
670
You bring up the small matter of the lamprey worm, which you can still feel wriggling around inside your stomach. The mage frowns impatiently, as if such matters are now beneath him. ‘Oh, Sahna, take this vagabond from my tent now. I will not have my valuable time wasted.’
You start forward angrily, your fists clenched. After all that you have gone through, the least you expected was to be treated with some respect. Sahna intercepts you, grabbing your arm and gripping it tightly. She leans in close to you, speaking between clenched teeth.
‘Don’t do it,’ she says. ‘Just come with me.’
You relax your muscles, glowering at the mage who has already turned his attention back to the crown. Sahna leads you out of the tent and across the camp. ‘It’s best you don’t cross him,’ she explains quickly. ‘Raolin is a powerful mage with powerful friends. Trust me, you can’t afford to get on the wrong side of that one. Come on, in here.’ Turn to 646.
671
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 mark,’ he leans back in surprise. ‘What happened?’
You glance down, to see that the purple mark has grown bigger – stretching from the tips of the fingers to your chest and neck. Its purplish light seems to glow brighter than before, thumping with newfound power. ‘I guess there’s no hiding what I am now,’ you smirk dryly.
‘What you are is what saved us,’ 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 Betrayer. 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.)
672
‘I’ve been stationed here for twenty years now,’ says Lansbury, with a hint of pride in her voice. ‘Yes, a long time – some would say too long. Oh, I know this is a dead-end garrison, but for me this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The bone fields have barely been explored or studied in any great detail. Those plains are filled with relics from that great war, not to mention magics that are now long forgotten.’
Legion of Shadow Page 39