Legion of Shadow (12 page)

If you defeat the ruffian, turn to
55
.

71

‘Humph, how charming!’ snaps the girl, sticking out her tongue. She reaches into her basket and pulls out a sharp-looking kitchen knife. ‘Don’t worry
about me, I can handle myself thank you very much!’ With a sniff, she turns and marches off into the woods.

You retrace your steps, to find yourself back on the main trail.

72

Quest: Down the well

At the top of the hill, a crowd is gathered around the stone well. You see that several of the villagers are peering over the side, their faces looking both concerned and
horrified. The rest are currently drawing lengths of straw from an elderly man in white robes. He turns as you approach.

‘May the One God have mercy,’ he says. ‘Are you a sword for hire? Will you help us? Our well has dried up – first time in a hundred years. I sent my son down there, to
see if it needed repairs. Then we heard . . . we heard . . .’ The man puts a hand to his mouth, trembling. After taking a deep breath, he continues. ‘We heard screaming . . . terrible
screams and then, just silence. I fear something terrible has happened. Would you go down there and investigate. Please?’

The other villagers are all looking at you, nodding their heads eagerly. You notice one man, who clearly drew the short straw, nodding more enthusiastically than the others.

73

The old woman shakes her head. ‘It was a cleansing totem. Those spirits were there to spook the farmers and keep them away, while it did its work. I wasn’t banking
on someone like you to come along.’ She continues to hastily pack items into her sack. ‘That field had been tainted – by a summoning ritual. There is a demon loose in Tithebury,
and that is why I came here. To root it out.’

74

You slide the key into the lock. To your surprise, you find that it fits perfectly. A quick twist and you are rewarded with a satisfying click. You eagerly push open the lid,
expecting valuable treasures to be hidden inside. However, your excitement is short-lived. Inside the locker, all you find are a few gold coins and another key – this one fashioned from
silver.

You have gained 20 gold crowns and may now take the
fine silver key.
If you decide to take the key, simply make a note of it on your hero sheet (it does not take up backpack space). With
little else of interest in the room, you decide to leave via the archway. Turn to
154
.

75

The farmers fall silent as you approach, looking you up and down suspiciously. You quickly explain that you are a traveller, and wonder if there is any work for a hired sword.
The farmers glance at each other, then begin chuckling behind their pipes. One of them beckons you closer, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth.

‘I tell yer wha’ yer can do,’ he says in a thick accent. ‘Go kill the witch. She’s the one tha’ be bringing the curse to this land.’ The other farmers
nod, mumbling in agreement. Before you can ask any further questions, they turn their backs on you and resume their conversation. Turn to
11
.

76

Fetch backs away from you. ‘Fool,’ he hisses, spitting blood. ‘I expected better of you. Especially from one who carries the mark of shadow.’ He points
to your arm which has become partially exposed in the fight. The brand pulses with a purple light – the heat from it prickling your skin.

‘What is this?’ you demand angrily. ‘Do you know what it means?’

Fetch simply raises his hands skywards, throwing back his head. There is a flash of black lightning then he is gone. On the spot where he was standing, there is a small charred crater –
the smell of sulphur is strong in the air.

You kick at the blackened soil in frustration. What did he mean by ‘the mark of shadow’ you wonder. You cover it up quickly, before heading back to the village. Return to the
map
to
continue your adventure.

77

Despite being short and ungainly, the goblins prove to be accomplished fighters. It takes all your skill just to fend off their frenzied attacks. At last, just as you are
starting to tire, a sudden opening presents itself – allowing you to deliver a fatal blow. With a gurgling cry, one of the goblins topples to the ground dead. On seeing its companion fall,
the other goblin gives a cowardly whimper, then turns and starts running for the nearby trees.

You start to follow when a voice brings you up short. ‘Hey! Hey! Excuse me!’ The young girl is glaring at you angrily from her up-side-down vantage point. ‘Well, don’t
just stand there gawping like the village idiot,’ she snaps. ‘Cut me down from this tree, this instant!’

78

Martha spoons the turnip into a bowl and covers it with a thick layer of pastry. The pie is then placed in a small clay oven to cook. The gaunt children sit in silence, eyeing
the pie hungrily as the smell of freshly baked pastry fills the room.

Half an hour later and the pie is ready. Martha takes it out of the oven and places it on the table. The children gather round it, watching it expectantly, as if something mysterious will
suddenly happen. Martha catches your eye and begins to explain her plan. Apparently Beatrice makes a pie every afternoon and leaves it on her windowsill to cool. Martha wants you to sneak back to
the woman’s cottage and switch the pies. ‘Whatever that potion did to those turnips, let’s see what it does to her!’ She smiles.

79

The women are grateful for your help. Soon, all the buckets are filled and loaded onto the wagon. One of the women begins tethering the mule, while the other rummages in her
pack and pulls out a bottle.

‘You might like to take this, as a thank you,’ she says. ‘It’s a little something with a kick in it – good for putting some fire in yer belly after a hard
day’s graft.’

You may take:

As the women prepare to leave, you decide to ask them about the weather wizard that they mentioned earlier. Turn to
61
.

80

‘No, it can’t be!’ The satyr drops to its knees, cupping its hands to catch the black blood that flows from its many wounds. ‘I am immortal . . . like
the forest. I will live for . . . ever.’ The creature’s eyes glaze over and then, slowly, it falls backwards onto the freshly dug earth.

The satyr is dead. You may now take one of the following as a reward:

One by one, the men return from the forest, relieved that the creature is dead. After tending to the wounded, the men offer you a day’s work, digging at the site. You
agree to help and earn yourself 20 gold crowns.

Thanking the archaeologists, you take the track that leads back to Tithebury Cross. You may now return to the
map
to continue your adventure.

81

The wizard heads into another room and emerges a few minutes later with a plain-looking staff in his hands. ‘This one will do,’ he says. ‘But it’s no
good until we have a new water spirit to put inside. It’s the water spirit that gives the rainmaker its power. Follow me.’

The old man leads you out of the tower and back down the stone steps. ‘There is a lake just over here,’ he says, striding purposefully over the crest of a hill. ‘See, down
there. That will do just nicely.’ He heads down the hill, towards a small lake of still water, its surface shimmering in the bright sunlight.

At the edge of the lake, the wizard takes his staff and pushes it into the ground, twisting it deep into the earth. Then he raises his hands above his head. ‘When the spirit
appears,’ he says, ‘it will try and attack me. I want you to keep it busy – so it doesn’t interrupt my spell. It will take me a few minutes to bind it to the staff.
Understand?’

You nod, readying yourself for combat as the wizard begins chanting his spell. A couple of minutes pass, before you spot a disturbance on the surface of the lake. It starts out as a series of
slow circular ripples, which soon become a swirling whirlpool of churning water. As it gains momentum, the water whooshes up into the air, forming a glittering column of spray. With a thunderous
roar, the column curls into a wave, rushing towards the wizard at tremendous speed. Two powerful-looking arms spring out from its sides, forming themselves into watery fists. Quickly, you dash in
front of the wizard, to protect him for as long as you can:

If you survive to the end of 5 combat rounds, turn to
234
.

82

The next morning, the girl is quiet and sullen. You eat a cheerless breakfast together then head back into the woods, following the trail back to her father’s house. The
girl walks in silence, huddled in her tattered red shawl.

Back at the cabin, the woodsman is overjoyed to see his daughter again. He asks what happened, and you take him aside to explain the sequence of events. The woodsman shakes his head.

‘My daughter should have known better than to trust that witch. Been nothing but trouble since that old crone came to these lands.’ Thanking you once again, the woodsman offers you
his prized sword as a reward for returning his daughter safely:

You may now return to the
map
to continue your journey.

83

You climb through the window and out onto the sloping roof. As you slide towards the edge, your foot dislodges a tile, sending it skating off the roof to smash onto the ground
below. You wince, cursing yourself for being so clumsy. A moment later you hear a voice from somewhere below.

‘Who’s there? Who . . . wait! Boss! Boss! We got a live one here!’ You spot the man from the roadside, sprinting towards the farmhouse.

84

The barman raises an eyebrow. ‘Yer want to pay Avian a visit do yer?’ He grins, revealing two rows of rotted, yellow teeth. ‘Good luck with that. The man keeps
himself to himself – lives right across the gorge, south of ’ere. Only ways across is a bridge, and I hears that a troll moved in now, made it his own. Unless you pay the toll,
it’s lights out for yer . . .’ The barman slams his fist on the counter, making you jump. His face cracks into another grin. ‘Truth is, I think Avian likes the troll –
otherwise he would have done something about it. Keeps strangers away . . . and I hear Avian don’t like strangers.’