The Heart of Fire

by Michael J. Ward

  Ventus stands by the table. When he sees you, he bows his head in greeting. The dean strides over, his long robes rippling out behind him. ‘Do we have the information?’

  Ventus winces, shaking his head. ‘It’s been difficult. Trying to get him to focus . . .’

  The dean turns, fixing you with an unflinching gaze. ‘This man is our weapon in the war against the Wiccans.’ He points to the ragged traveller. ‘He has a unique gift – one that will root out the truth.’

  Will you:

  Ask about the traveller’s gift? — 429

  Ask about ‘the truth’ they seek? — 394

  Ask about the war with the Wiccans? — 491

  155

  The wicker man is brought crashing to the ground, its rune-painted wood splintering into plumes of dark magic. Elated with your victory, you and your companion search what remains of the strange creature.

  Each hero finds 100 gold crowns and may choose one of the following rewards (heroes may choose the same reward if they wish to):

  Harvester

  Solstice

  Garland of sacrifice

  (ring)

  (main hand: staff)

  (head)

  +2 brawn +2 magic

  +1 speed +3 magic

  +1 speed +2 brawn

  Ability: regrowth

  Ability: channel

  Ability: atonement

  Eager to leave this bewitched hilltop, you and your companion head back into the mist-shrouded forest. There you rejoin the road to Carvel, hoping that the warmth and merriment of an inn will ease the dark memories of this infernal night. (Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.)

  156

  ‘Oh, it’s nothing to worry about,’ he says, with no hint of mockery. ‘The situation is well in—’

  A man’s pained cry echoes back from the rock. There is another dull boom followed by an ear-piercing shriek. You can’t tell if the latter was human or something else.

  ‘What’s going on?’ you insist, craning your neck back to take in the dark, high walls of the bluff.

  ‘Extreme sports,’ replies the old man, holding his tea cup to his lips. A sudden tremor sends more dirt and dust pluming into the cleft. The man’s tea cup shakes in his hands, spilling tea down his coat. ‘Oh, how bothersome,’ he grimaces, putting the cup aside to brush at the stain.

  You frown, confused by the man’s actions. He doesn’t seem remotely bothered by what is happening. ‘Perhaps we should investigate,’ you urge, stepping out of the way out of a falling rock. It is accompanied by an anguished roar and a series of hollow thuds – as if something large is beating against the ground. Each one sends a tremor through the rock walls, rattling the porcelain tea cups on their tray.

  ‘Very well,’ sighs the man, pushing himself to his feet. ‘But I do assure you, my master is an expert at what he does.’

  There is another wailing scream.

  ‘Extreme sports?’ you ask, with a quizzical frown.

  ‘Just a little spelunking,’ he proffers with a shrug. ‘Cave diving . . . he likes the adrenaline rush.’

  Suddenly there is an almighty bang, as the side of the bluff explodes outwards, hurling rock and dust through the snow-drenched sky. Turn to 200.

  157

  ‘These lands are not as safe as they once were,’ says Benin, resting his staff across his shoulder. ‘May I suggest we travel together – at least for the time being? Where are you headed?’

  ‘Crow Rock,’ you reply, tugging the map from your pack.

  Benin’s eyes narrow suspiciously. ‘Really?’

  ‘You know of it?’ you ask, noting his sudden change in manner.

  ‘Of course,’ he states briskly. He turns and points up the hillside, to where a series of boulders mark the start of a steep expanse of rocky scree. ‘When I was growing up, the children used to dare each other to touch the rock.’

  ‘Why – what’s so special about it?’ you ask, shielding your eyes against the brightening sun.

  ‘Oh, you’ll see.’ With a smirk, Benin starts up the rock-strewn slope. You fall into step behind him, not entirely sure if you trust this strange traveller. Turn to 169.

  158

  Legendary monster: The restless knight

  Rising out of the fenlands is a ragged bluff known as the ‘Witch’s Wold’. Its bleak hilltops are said to be haunted – by all accounts, a place to be avoided. And yet you find yourself deviating from the overgrown trail that would have taken you safely past them, your curiosity piqued by tales of ghosts and lost treasures.

  As you rise higher into the hills the temperature drops suddenly, plunging you into a chill fog. The only visible landmark is an outthrust of rock, arching like a black finger across the marsh. Frost crunches underfoot as you make your way towards it, passing through a copse of dark stunted trees. The hard ground is littered with bones, sparkling with coats of ice. The remains of unfortunate travellers perhaps, although the spattering of rusted weapons and shields suggest a larger battle took place here.

  You stumble onto the black rock, the mist shifting to reveal its summit. There, silhouetted against the broiling white clouds, is the figure of a knight, dressed for battle. His tattered cloak snaps back and forth in the wind – the only thing that moves in this still, bleak wasteland.

  Your heart thuds in your chest as you advance closer, picking your way past the frost-covered boulders. The knight is watching you – of that you are certain and yet you sense there are no earthly eyes within his winged helm, only a seething, angry darkness.

  There is the scrape of metal as the knight draws his sword from its scabbard. The translucent blade glitters like a shard of crystal ice, its inscribed runes humming with magic.

  I did my duty! How I could I have been so blind!

  The words reverberate all around you, sharp and cutting as knives.

  I dedicated my life. But I was betrayed! Betrayed!

  The knight starts down the slope towards you, his movements eerily silent and weightless – like something trapped between worlds, in a dream perhaps, or a nightmare. Raising your weapons, you prepare to meet this ghostly knight in battle:

  Special abilities

  Frost fire: Once you have taken health damage from Gairn, at the end of every combat round you must automatically lose 1 health.

  Corpse dance (*): At the start of the fourth combat round, Gairn raises the skeletons from the battlefield to help defend him. You must defeat the skeletons before you can return to attacking Gairn. (Note: during this phase, Gairn surrounds himself with a magical shield. All passive effects, such as bleed, are removed from Gairn. He is also immune to any further abilities, such as thorns and fire aura, until the skeletons are defeated and he drops his shield.)

  Book of Binding: If you have the Book of Binding then you may use it to weaken your enemy. If you win a combat round, instead of rolling for a damage score, you can use the book. This automatically lowers Gairn’s speed, magic and armour by 2 for the remainder of the battle.

  Body of bone: The skeletons are immune to bleed.

  Undead minions: You may use your holy water and holy protector abilities (if available) against the skeletons.

  If you manage to defeat this spectral villain, turn to 124.

  159

  The captain listens to everyone’s reports with interest. It appears that the original crew were indeed pirates, smuggling and pillaging along the west coast. However, something must have happened to them out at sea as the entire crew have strangely disappeared, leaving their ship – the Celeste – to drift into this cave. The hold is flooded, but it looks to have contained a large number of explosives, some of which have been taken.

  The captain looks around at the ragged corpses of the goblins. ‘Somethin’ must have really spooked them to want to hole up here as a last defence. Goblins hate water.’ His gaze shifts to the far shore, where the banks are littered with the remains of the ant-men. ‘I think I can guess why.’

  Lower
ing the gangplank your party leaves the ship, crossing back to the rocks. As you follow the ledge around the cave, Surl spots the entrance to another tunnel. It winds deeper into the mountain, leading you through into another large cave. Turn to 229.

  160

  Amongst the piles of wind-scoured rock, you find a silver casket containing 50 gold crowns and one of the following items:

  Squall

  Circle of storms

  Bracers of frenzy

  (left hand: axe)

  (ring)

  (gloves)

  +1 speed +2 brawn

  +1 armour

  +1 speed +1 brawn

  Ability: savage arms set

  Ability: lightning

  Ability: compulsion

  (requirement: brigand)

  When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to 239.

  161

  You push on the door, surprised to find that it is locked. As you step back, looking for any clues as to why the shop is closed, a passer-by calls over:

  ‘She’s gone, my friend. Shut up shop a couple of days ago.’

  You turn to the man who has addressed you. ‘What happened?’ you ask worriedly. ‘Was there trouble?’

  The man shrugs. ‘My wife’s one of Anna’s patients; I collect medicine for her every day. I turned up and Anna was packing her bags. She looked in a hurry – in a panic, I’d say. Gave me enough medicine for a month. I heard those inquisitors had paid her a visit. Don’t know the ins and outs, none of my business I suppose.’

  You offer a nod of gratitude. As the man heads away, your thoughts wander back to that fateful night when you came seeking Elysium. Perhaps Anna’s dealings with the Wiccans have put her in danger. With a sigh, you step away from the shop and resume your journey. You may now head to upper town (turn to 77) or lower town (turn to 36).

  162

  ‘We knows to mind our own business; not get involved.’ The leader breathes a heavy sigh. ‘There was some battle, off in the moorlands. A Wiccan – a woman – came to our farm, begging for succour. She had a child. I suppose she got lost, separated. We took ’em in. What else could yer do? They were poor, desperate things, tired and hungry.’

  The broad-shouldered boy snorts. ‘Yeah, no one listened to me. I knew she were a witch.’

  ‘You helped them?’ you ask, puzzled. ‘But you said—’

  The leader nods. ‘We gave them food and rest. A few days, we thought they’d be gone. But then . . . the others came.’ He trembles at the memory, both fear and anger in his hard stare. ‘Because we helped one, they thought we’d help them all. Grain, livestock – they wanted it all. Everything I worked hard for.’

  ‘And they offered nothing in return?’ you ask.

  The leader falls silent. You look to the boys instead, searching for an answer. It is the youngest who finally speaks. ‘Mother was ill. The healers at the church couldn’t do nothing. But the Wiccans said they could. They had a mage – one of them druid types. She said she could give her life again – make her walk like she used to.’

  ‘Enough!’ the leader, who you assume is the father, snaps angrily. ‘I won’t be listening to it! I won’t!’

  You turn back to him, frowning. ‘So you agreed – you let the druid heal her?’

  ‘Heal?’ The leader glowers, almost choking on the word. ‘It were a curse. She became something else – one of their demon kind. It was out of control, destroyed the farm. Destroyed everything. And those Wiccans let it happen. They just watched it all burn. That thing is still there now. It ain’t my beloved Dags no more.’ (Record the word duty on your hero sheet.)

  Will you:

  Ask about Raven’s Rest? — 319

  Give them a gift of 5 gold crowns? — 326

  Leave and continue your journey? — 199

  163

  Team battle (advanced): The wicker man

  Outside Blight Haven there is a desolate hill, perpetually shrouded in a yellow-green mist. According to the ghost stories, whispered around the campfire, the inhabitants of this cursed village turned their back on the church, delving into witchcraft and devilry to try and save their people from the plague. In desperate times, people will resort to desperate measures.

  The wicker man stands as dark testament to the bloody practices that took place in the village: a giant effigy of wood and straw, bedecked with wilted garlands and tattered carnival ribbons. A crowd of ravens caw and peck at the sack-cloth head, where a crude mockery of a smile has been stitched beneath the hollow eye sockets.

  Bones litter the hillside as you clamber to its summit, a companion in tow. Some say many travellers and pilgrims were sacrificed here, to feed the wicker man’s insatiable hunger. And where there is death, there is bound to be treasure.

  The mist is thick, reeking of fetid marsh water. It curls in snake-like tendrils over the rooftops of the forgotten village, creeping around the wicker man and weaving between its skeletal frame.

  A creak of wood. A scrape of limbs.

  So the ghost stories were true, the wicker man has gained some semblance of life – infused by the demonic magics that were used to craft it. The giant lurches forward, its cage-like body falling open, ready for a fresh sacrifice.

  Your companion’s steps falter, their breath steaming in the cold.

  Then you hear it. An angry buzzing sound – growing louder and louder. Suddenly, from out of the sackcloth head, a dark swarm of bees spill forth into the chill air. Then a wooden hand descends, snapping around you and lifting you up towards the cage. You beat and kick in an effort to get free, but there is no escaping your fate. You find yourself flung inside the creature’s body, the door snapping closed behind you. Then the swarm of bees spiral into the cage, trapping you within a humming maelstrom of blinding, stinging death. It is time to fight:

  Special abilities

  Bee stings: The hero in the bee cage must suffer 4 damage at the end of each combat round, ignoring armour.

  Blood sacrifice: If the hero in the bee cage is defeated, then the wicker man’s speed, brawn and armour are increased by 2 for the remainder of the battle.

  Broken magic: If the hero in the bee cage wins (reducing the bee cage to zero health) then the wicker man’s speed, brawn and armour are lowered by 2 for the remainder of the battle.

  Straw and wood: The wicker man and bee cage are immune to bleed, disease and venom.

  Special rules

  The fastest hero (based on speed score) fights the wicker man and the slowest hero fights inside the bee cage.

  Each combat round is fought separately between each pair of combatants. Abilities that damage more than one opponent (such as ignite, cleave, thorns and fire aura) can be used by a hero, and their damage applied to the other hero’s opponent.

  If the hero in the bee cage defeats the bee cage they can join their ally against the wicker man, using the team battle rules for attack and support heroes. They also benefit from the broken magic rule (see special abilities above).

  If the hero in the bee cage is defeated, then the remaining hero must continue to fight the wicker man alone, using the blood sacrifice rules (see special abilities above).

  Once the wicker man is defeated, the heroes have won (even if the bee cage still has health).

  If the wicker man is defeated, turn to 155.

  164

  The tunnel is littered with bones and rusted weapons. A quick examination reveals that they were once goblins. If you wish you may now help yourself to any/all of the following items:

  Goblin bones

  Bug splatter

  Pot of speed (2 use)

  (backpack)

  (left hand: club)

  (backpack)

  These might prove

  +1 speed +1 brawn

  Use anytime in combat

  valuable to the

  to raise your speed by 2

  right person

  for 1 combat round

  After another hundred metres the passageway descends steeply, openi
ng out into a wide chamber. Here the glowing fungi are joined by green-glowing crystals, sparkling from the rock face. Their light gives the cavern a sinister, eerie feel as you silently advance, eyeing the shadows for any sign of attack.

  The skittering patter of feet is your first warning that you are not alone. Then a large rock smashes into the ground ahead of you, throwing up a thick cloud of dust.

  ‘We’re under attack!’ shouts the captain. ‘Form up! Form up!’

  Surl and Vas rush to his side, the latter pulling a pair of pistols from her belt. The skittering sound gets louder and louder, echoing in the vast chamber.

  Then you see them: a glittering swarm of black beetles moving swiftly across the ground, their abdomens glowing with a blood-red light.

  ‘What are they?’ cries Surl.

  Another boulder explodes nearby, raining shards of sharp stone across the cave. The captain staggers, holding a hand to his side. ‘Above us!’ he growls. ‘They got artillery!’

  You look up to see one of the giant ant-men perched on a rock shelf. It is lifting up slabs of heavy granite and tossing them into the chamber.

  ‘Someone get that thing!’ snarls the captain, turning to face the oncoming swarm of beetles. ‘Surl! Cover my back!’

  Vas levels her pistols at the rock-flinging ant. ‘I could do with some help here!’ she calls.