Legion of Shadow (25 page)

Special abilities

If you defeat the ruffian, turn to
247
.

221

The moment you touch the stone there is a bright flash of light, followed by a dizzying sensation of movement. When the light fades, you find yourself on a rocky island, bobbing
on a sea of bubbling hot lava. At the far side of the island is a man dressed in black plate armour, his face hidden behind the visor of his helmet.

‘You trespass in the halls of ancient kings,’ booms a deep voice, from somewhere above. Looking up, all you can see are thick clouds of steam and smoke. ‘Many have come here.
All have failed. Now, fight my champions and prove your worth.’

The knight suddenly lurches into life, drawing an elegant sword from the scabbard at his side. Raising the sword to his chest, the silent knight marches towards you, his armour creaking and
clanking in an eerie, menacing manner. You prepare to defend yourself:

Special abilities

If you are defeated, you find yourself back on the hilltop, turn to
153
. If you defeat Voldring, the knight’s body turns to ash. All that is left is a stone rune with a
circle carved into it. If you take the
Rune of Voldring
, make a note of it on your hero sheet. There is a sudden flash of light and you find yourself back on the hilltop. Turn to
153
.

222

The skeletal knight crumples into a pile of loose bones and dust. You may now take any/all of the following items:

You find little else of interest in this mouldy, decaying room, so you decide to head through the archway. Turn to
1
.

223

‘Ah yes,’ grins the witch. ‘Sweet, love-sick Liselle.’ She reaches over and snatches a book from a nearby shelf. Flicking to a particular page, she hands
the book to you. It appears to be a simple recipe book for cooking sauces. ‘Look, is it really my fault the girl had cobwebs in her ears? The recipe I gave her was for a herb-and-mushroom
garnish. Ha! Love potion indeed. I suspect she got the ingredients wrong. Substituted the greenwort for findlewort. Can I really be held accountable for a young girl’s foolishness?’

224

You travel along several stone passageways before coming to the top of another set of stairs. You follow them down to a stone door covered in sigils and runes. Through your
clouded vision, you watch as your hands pass over the strange inscriptions, lighting them up one by one. Then the stone door grates open with an echoing boom, revealing a dark chamber.

You walk forward, past shelves stacked with boxes and chests. Everything is illuminated by a dull purple light. You realise it is coming from the brand on your arm; the three entwined snakes
giving off a strange, unearthly glow. At last, you come to a wooden box. Carved into its side are the words ‘Artefact 51’. You open the box and take out the stone fragment that is held
inside.

You are walking down more corridors – the edges of your vision obscured by a blurry fog. Turning down another passageway, you enter a large domed chamber. In the middle of the chamber is a
stepped dais that leads up to a curved, stone arch. Again you pass your hand through the air, making a series of arcane gestures. Suddenly the archway begins to glow with a golden light. As you
step closer, you see a scene slowly starting to form within the archway. It looks like a courtyard, bathed in moonlight. And a man is standing there . . . beckoning to you.

You clutch the stone to your chest and step through the portal. Turn to
263
.

225

As you pass along the passageway, you notice that the walls are not as smooth as those you encountered earlier – nor is there any acid coating the floors and walls. You
sense that you have entered a much older cave network. Turn to
231
.

226

You are at a stalemate. To proceed further with the game you must put more money on the table. Decide how much gold you will add – and the gambler automatically adds the
same amount. You must bet at least one extra gold crown. (If you have no more money, then you have lost and lose all your gold. Turn to
11
.) Then roll a die. If the result
is
or less turn to
259
, if the result is
or more turn to
67
.

227

You search through the backpack. There is little of interest, except for some dog-eared notes, scribbled hastily onto parchment, and a red leather-bound book.

228

The huntsman was a skilled warrior – but no match for your prowess. You search the body and find 15 gold crowns. You also find the following items, which you may take:

You settle down next to the fire to warm yourself as the chill of the evening settles around you. After helping yourself to some of the freshly-cooked rabbit, you spend the
night in the huntsman’s wagon.

You rise at daybreak. After washing yourself in a nearby stream, you leave the wooded hills and head back to Tithebury Cross. You decide to avoid a meeting with the woodsman, having failed to
bring his daughter home safely. Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventures.

229

It is late evening when Beatrice finally appears at the window. ‘Time for a nice slice of pie,’ she declares, licking her lips. The old woman picks up the pie and
takes it inside. You wait patiently in the garden, wondering what will happen to the woman when she eats it. Could it be worse than what happened to you on the hillside?

You creep towards the window, hoping to take a quick peek inside. At that moment, Martha comes rushing up to the garden gate, waving her arms around frantically. ‘I’ve changed my
mind! I’ve changed my mind!’ she cries. ‘We have to stop her eating it! Quick!’ Turn to
255
.

230

The leader backs away. ‘Think yer can best me, huh?’ he snarls. ‘It’s time to show yer what yer really up against!’ In horror, you watch as the
man’s body begins to change. His face stretches outwards to form a pointed snout, his nails and teeth lengthening into deadly claws and fangs. Coarse black hair erupts from the man’s
flesh, bursting through the seams of his ragged clothing. Within seconds you are staring at a man-sized rat, its pink tail whipping back and forth through the air. With a high-pitched squeal, the
ratling lunges forward, foamy saliva drooling from its jaws. With no time to heal, you must take on this foe with the
health
that you have remaining:

Special abilities