For the next few minutes you are tumbling in darkness, dimly aware of the forest debris whipping past. Then you break above the surface, grateful to see a river bank blurring by within arm’s reach. Quickly you grab hold of a tree root, using it to steady yourself against the rushing force of the water. Then you slowly pull yourself up onto the bank.
You lie there panting, shaken by your ordeal but glad that you are still alive. After taking a few moments to recover and catch your breath, you set off again – following the banks of the river. Turn to 703.
654
The phoenix implodes, drawing heat and flame into the centre of its body. There is a bright flash, then the spirit is gone – vaporised into wisps of smoke. No trace of the phoenix remains, save for a single glowing feather, which drifts down to land at your feet. You stoop to retrieve it, noticing that its crimson fronds are beaded with glistening tears.
You may now take any/all of the following items:
Phoenix tears (1 use)
(backpack)
Use any time in combat to restore 6 health
Phoenix feather
(backpack)
A fiery feather from a phoenix’s plumage
With the ghostly spirit defeated, you decide to leave and head up the stairs. Turn to 775.
655
It is a fierce and desperate battle as you struggle to beat back the relentless tide of snapping fangs. Thankfully Scar-face comes to your aid, his claws and teeth ripping through the bodies and making short work of the remaining creatures.
Exhausted, you turn to look at the carpet of bodies that surround you. There must have been over a hundred of the strange creatures. Thankfully, everyone survived the encounter – only a couple of the tigris have minor wounds.
Scar-face picks up the nearest body and stabs his claws into its back, ripping open the black-furred carapace. You grimace with disgust as he proceeds to scoop out the white pulpy flesh. ‘This looks good,’ he smiles, taking a taste. ‘Want some?’
If you wish you may now take any/all of the following:
Skitter sausage (2 uses)
(backpack)
Use any time in combat to raise your brawn or magic score by 2 for one combat round
Skitter legs (2 uses)
(backpack)
Use any time in combat to raise your speed score by 2 for one combat round
After a brief rest the party continues across the cave, making for a tunnel in the far wall. As you are about to follow, something on the ground catches your eye. You hurry over to investigate, stooping down to take a closer look. It turns out to be a golden compass, rare and valuable – but its glass face has been smashed and the needle bent. On the back of the compass an inscription reads: My dearest Sebastian. May your heart always point you in the right direction. Ellie. You wonder what could have happened to Sebastian, to make him drop such a prized object.
You look up to see a ledge, jutting several metres above the tunnel opening. The pitted wall to either side offers a number of potential hand and foot holds, providing you with a means of reaching it. Grey-hair looks back, as the others head into the tunnel.
‘Let it go, bright claw. We keep moving.’
Will you:
Stay behind to climb the rock wall? — 535
Leave with Grey-hair? — 513
656
You awake to find yourself lying next to the dirt track, your wounds bound by palm leaves and vines. A sickly scent wafts up from the makeshift bandages, where a thick poultice seeps around the edges. It seems that the tigris are not without some skill with herbs and natural remedies, which may well have saved your life.
Surprised to feel no pain, you lever yourself into a sitting position. There is no sign of the other tigris. You are reminded of the Sheva leader’s words at the compound: ‘Those that fall we leave. They are lost to us.’
True to their word, the tigris have left you behind. You have no hard feelings – your wounds would only have slowed them up, and the dangers they face are many. After retrieving your pack and weapons, you start back through the forest. Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.
657
Exhausted, you sag back against the rocks, watching as the seawater rushes in around the three bodies, leaving bloody smears across the sand. These three old crones must have once been sirens, luring sailors to this cove to prey on their remains. The maps were just another part of their seductive game, tempting travellers with false tales of paradise. At least you have finally put paid to their dastardly schemes.
For defeating the sirens, you may now choose one of the following rewards:
Comb of sailors’ fingers
Eye of a kraken
Shawl of skulls
(main hand: fist weapon)
(talisman)
(cloak)
+2 speed +2 brawn
+1 speed
+1 speed +2 armour
Ability: disease
Ability: greater heal
Ability: purge
(requirement: mage)
You follow the crones’ footprints back to a small cave. As you expected, it is full of bones and other gruesome trophies. Not wishing to stay any longer than necessary, you quickly rummage through the contents. You find several pouches of gold (you have gained 100 gold crowns) and the following items, which you may take:
Snakebite shake
Flask of healing
Kalamari cocktail
(1 use)
(backpack)
(1 use)
(backpack)
(2 uses)
(backpack)
Use any time in combat to remove one venom effect from your hero
Use any time in combat to restore 10 health
Use any time in combat to raise your speed by 2 from your hero for one round
The putrid stench finally forces you back out of the cave. Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.
658
Halfway to the bottom of the gorge you pass an opening in the rock wall. Its angular shape and smooth edges suggest something man-made rather than a natural feature. You also notice several strange markings cut into the stone around its edge, but they make little sense to you.
Will you:
Investigate the hollow? — 695
Continue along the ledge? — 689
659
As you gaze into the depths of the crystal ball, a scene starts to form in your mind’s eye. You are looking down on a store room filled with stone tablets. At its centre is a podium, fashioned from sculptured bands of black and red granite. Resting on it is a small carved statue. In the far wall there looks to be a doorway, but it is blocked by a row of metal bars.
You put your hands to the crystal, surprised to discover that it is warm to the touch. As you continue to hold them there, the scene in your head starts to change – the metal bars flash with magic then lift up into the ceiling, leaving the doorway open and the secret cache accessible. (Make a note of the key word barrier on your hero sheet.)
Will you:
Read the note? — 852
Search the shelves? — 711
Leave? — 858
660
You sever the creature’s wings, dropping it to the ground. As the drecko scrabbles in vain to defend itself, you step in quickly and deliver a killing blow.
You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Fang of the fearless
(main hand: dagger)
+2 speed +1 brawn
Ability: deep wound
(requirement: rogue)
Rainbow-skin brassard
(gloves)
+1 speed +1 magic
Ability: regrowth
(requirement: mage)
Brightscale hauberk
(chest)
+2 brawn +2 armour
Ability: radiance
(requirement: warrior)
Shaken by your ordeal, you decide to leave the rest of the jungle beasts safely behind
bars. Turn to 466.
661
The benches are set in two rows, the aisle way between them leading through to an open balcony. There, silhouetted against the bright haze, is a stone lectern. An open book rests on its slanted arms, the yellowed pages rustling back and forth in the breeze.
A grunt of pain draws your eyes to the foot of the pedestal. Quito is laid on his back, fingers grasping for his bag. His whole body is shaking as if gripped by some terrible fever. You hurry to his side, spotting a black snake – no longer than your arm – winding away between the pews.
‘Bla . . . black taipan,’ stutters the thief. His arms are now drawn into his chest, his limbs set rigid. ‘Antidote in . . . pack.’ He makes a feeble nod towards his bag. You immediately put a foot to it, nudging it well out of reach.
‘And why should I help you?’ you ask, scowling. ‘I wasn’t aware camaraderie was part of your code. Remember when you tried to stick me with a dagger, then feed me to a rat?’
The thief’s neck arches back, his throat clicking dryly. ‘I need . . . book. Thought you . . . here for it . . . also.’
You glance up at the spell book, lying open on the lectern. ‘Worth risking your life for, eh?’ You gesture to the man’s rigid limbs, which have now gone into spasm, entering the final stages of the poison. ‘And you assume I’m the forgiving sort?’
Will you:
Use the antidote and help the thief? — 522
Let him die and take the book? — 540
662
The valley widens into a bowl-shaped canyon, dominated by a vast pool of water. Sulphurous smoke crawls across the lake’s surface, an occasional belch of bubbles rising up to spout boiling steam into the air. You find the stranger, Lorcan, standing at its banks. As you move to join him you spot a number of carved rocks arranged around the pool. The largest has been smashed in two, but the others are still intact, shielded by cones of magic.
You look back at the bubbling pool, then at Lorcan. ‘So, this great monster we’re supposed to defeat. Did you forget to send the invite?’
Suddenly, the waters rush up in a broiling explosion of steam and smoke. You glimpse scaled skin and bright, crimson eyes.
Lorcan sweeps back his cloak, revealing elaborate armour and weapons humming with magic. ‘Concentrate on the shrines,’ he shouts above the roar of crashing water. ‘I can re-weave their magic, but you need to break the drake’s protective shields.’
You barely hear his words – your attention is rooted on the two reptilian heads swaying above you. As one, they open their gigantic maws and suck in the seared air with a keening cry. Then a torrent of fire streaks past their rings of teeth. You both race in opposite directions as the flames slam into the ground, super-heating the stone to shards of black glass.
You spin around, catching Lorcan’s crazed expression. ‘The shrines!’ he snarls, dodging the monster’s snapping heads. ‘It’s our only chance!’
You must now fight the following team battle alongside a hero from The Legion of Shadow:
Special abilities
Headstrong: At the end of each combat round, both heroes must take 5 damage from the drake’s fiery breath. This ability ignores armour. (If a hero has fire shield, then they are immune to this damage.)
Deadly bite: Once a hero takes health damage from Issakhar’s damage score, they are automatically inflicted with bleed and venom, taking 3 damage at the end of every combat round.
Fire shrine: If the fire shrine is activated (see below), then all heroes are immune to the drake’s flames and no longer suffer damage from the headstrong ability.
Water shrine: If the water shrine is activated, each hero restores 2 health at the end of each combat round for the duration of the combat.
Air shrine: If the air shrine is activated, the hero with the lowest speed may increase their speed by 4 for the duration of the combat.
Lightning shrine: If the lightning shrine is activated, both heroes’ weapons are imbued with lightning. This adds 1 to each die rolled for damage score, for the duration of the combat.
Magic shrines: The shrines cannot be harmed by barbs, bleed, disease, fire aura, thorns, thorn cage and venom.
In this combat, one hero must be attacking Issakhar at all times. If a hero chooses to attack the shrines, they do not need to roll for attack speed – they automatically win and may roll for damage as normal. When a shrine has zero health it has been activated, and the above benefits apply. Abilities that strike multiple opponents, such as cleave and black rain, can be used to apply damage to all opponents (shrines and Issakhar).
If you manage to defeat this ancient beast, turn to 551.
663
The accursed spear quivers and shakes, its runes suddenly emitting a blood-red glow. From the corpse a spectral light rises up into the air, forming the ghostly shape of a panther. Then it sweeps towards the spear, spiralling around blade and shaft. The runes flash and spark as the spear continues to tremble – then, with a distant, echoing howl, the spirit-light is gone, absorbed into the weapon’s dark runes.
Congratulations, you have gained the spirit of the panther. (Make a note of this on your hero sheet.) You may now return to the quest map to continue your adventure.
664
You jolt awake, coughing and choking on wood smoke. Then you feel a flash of pain shooting along your spine. Frantically, you push the charred wreckage from your body, gingerly testing the movement in your legs. Thankfully nothing is broken – most of the pain is coming from your back and head.
You lever yourself into a sitting position, dizzily surveying the smoky wasteland. Most of the compound is now a soot-blackened ruin – and of the tigris and hunters there is no sign. Many bodies litter the ground, one of them being the Sheva leader. It is hard to determine if there was a victory here – both sides have suffered heavy losses.
After salvaging a health potion to ease the pain, you retrieve your belongings and start back through the forest. Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.
665
Murlic is lying on the ground, his half-painted face speckled with blood and dust. Standing over him is the monk, Ventus. White balls of magic pool around his fists as he prepares to drive them into the defeated Wiccan.
Your foot knocks into a broken sword hilt, sending it clattering over the loose rock. Both combatants freeze, looking in your direction.
‘Sanchen!’ wheezes Murlic, struggling for breath. ‘Save me.’
The monk scowls, glaring at you with contempt. ‘Do not try to stop me, bright claw.’
Will you:
Attack Ventus and save Murlic? — 862
Stand by and let Murlic die? — 822
666
The magic stones burn with a fierce light as they seek to heal the lich and maintain its magics. However, they cannot keep pace with the ferocity of your attacks, each blow ripping through the rotted bandages and splintering the brittle bones beneath. With their magic finally spent, the runes flicker and then die, leaving the lich to crumble to the ground – finding its own death at last.
For defeating the lich, you may now take one of the following rewards:
Mortal coil
Shredded drape
Last breath
(main hand: sword)
(cloak)
(ring)
+2 speed +2 brawn
+1 speed +2 armour
+4 health
Ability: reaper
Ability: channel
Ability: regrowth
(requirement: rogue)
(requirement: mage)
(requirement: warrior)
If you are a mage, turn to 778. Otherwise, you decide to leave the tomb and head up the stairs. Turn to 889.
667
The ruins end at a deep ravine, crossed by a raggedy-looking rope bridge. You take comfort that someone has at least provided a means of crossing – although, after studying the rotted wooden slats, most of which are missing, and the thin vines holding it al
l together, you start to wonder if this bridge is really a disaster waiting to happen.
Will you:
Cross the rope bridge? — 684
Look for an alternative route? — 644
668
You cross the courtyard, stepping around the corpses of the poisoned undead. Ahead looms the second Lamuri ziggurat. You wonder what secrets it holds – and whether it will bring you any closer to discovering the whereabouts of the demon. Turn to 626.
669
Inside the compound, it is already a scene of chaos. The fire has spread fast, obscuring much of your surroundings in a thick black smoke. Roars and screams fill the air, whilst indistinct bodies rush back and forth, many locked in ferocious combat.
Quickly, you assess your options. On your left is what appears to be a weapons cache; spears and crossbows are stacked up next to a series of crates, some of which have been broken open, spilling bundles of arrows across the ground. Behind them is a canvas tent, the flaps pinned open to reveal a table covered in bottles and flasks.
‘Watch out!’ A body hurtles out of the smoke, knocking into you. As you swing around, ready to strike your attacker, you are surprised to see it is White Cloak.
‘High tower!’ she snarls.
Something tears past your shoulder, thumping into the dirt. It is followed by another series of thuds as the ground where you were standing is peppered with crossbow bolts. You look up to see a hunter in the nearest lookout tower – already loading another set of bolts into his repeater.
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