Legion of Shadow (64 page)

With the plugs of bees’ wax blocking your ears, you are now immune to the countess’s wailing. (You can remove the
bees’ wax
from your hero sheet.) With
the odds a little more in your favour, it is time to finally face the count:

Special abilities

If you defeat the count, the infernal screaming stops and the painting of the countess becomes still once again. Turn to
487
. If you lose the combat,
turn to
424
.

546

You feel a rush of wind above you. Looking up, you see a regiment of red-robed mages streaking overhead. As their magic carpets sweep past the bone giants, they release their
powerful spells. You are thrown to the ground as the horizon explodes in a fiery maelstrom of light and heat. A wave of ash washes over you, causing you to cough and choke. When at last you can see
clearly again, you discover that the bone giants have now been reduced to a few fragments of scorched bone, sticking up at irregular angles from the burnt earth.

Ravenwing is already on his feet and charging forwards again. Wiping the dust from your eyes, you follow his lead, sprinting across the cratered ground. Turn to
728
.

547

A lucky blow cracks into the knight’s head, sending his helm flying through the air. The face that is now revealed is one of black smoke and ghostly red eyes.

‘Finish it!’ hisses the knight. ‘Free me!’

You drive your weapon into his exposed body, extinguishing the knight’s unholy life. If you are a warrior, turn to
719
. Otherwise turn to
726
.

548

Inside the treasure trove you find 100 gold crowns. You may also help yourself to one of the following special rewards:

Finding little else of interest, you leave and take the other doorway, through into the next chamber. Turn to
496
.

549

You offer to help find the crown. Sahna lifts her eyebrows, nodding appreciatively. ‘So, you like a challenge, huh? Good. Follow me and I’ll brief you.’

The warrior leads you into a nearby tent. Inside, a single table dominates the space, covered in numerous maps and charts. Sahna points to one of the larger maps, which looks as though it has
undergone numerous corrections and revisions. Between all the markings and crossings-out, you can see a pattern of squares and rectangles, arranged along a grid of lines.

‘This is the city,’ she explains. ‘It took a while for us to get this accurate. Some of the earlier scouts gave us conflicting reports, so I used one of my own men, who I
trust.’ Her finger travels across the map, stopping at one of the larger squares on the western side. ‘The few treasure hunters who did make it back,’ she glances up at you,
grimacing. ‘There wasn’t a huge amount to get out of them. They raved about sea monsters and ghosts, and refused to set a foot in the lake ever again. However, Raolin has talents. He
used magic to . . . well, not sure what he did exactly but it was like he was drawing out their memories – seeing what they saw.’ She shudders at the thought. ‘Anyway, we’ve
pieced together the reports, sketchy though they are, and we have established where the king’s treasure house is. It is here.’ She taps the square building with her finger. ‘I
sent two of my best men in there, hoping to find the crown so we can pack up and leave. But they never came back. Then some mercenaries offered their skills. They looked the business and all, but
not seen hide or hair of them since.’

The crunch of dirt and gravel announces a visitor. You both turn to see a dark-haired, dark-eyed man with a waxen beard standing at the entrance to the tent. Sahna bows respectfully.
‘Master Raolin,’ she says. The man glares at you stubbornly, until you follow suit.

‘Do we have a fresh volunteer for the lake,’ he asks, in a greasy-sounding voice. ‘I am getting tired of waiting for results.’

Sahna nods quickly. ‘Yes. This adventurer has agreed to the mission.’

The mage pulls an unimpressed sneer. ‘Hmm, a weak-looking specimen but then we are getting desperate. OK, fetch the worms.’

Your eyes widen in surprise. Sahna gives you an apologetic look as she hurries out of the tent. Moments later, she returns with two guards flanking her, and a big jar held in her hands. Sloshing
around in the briny water are two black, flat-bodied worms, the size of your hand.

‘Hold them down,’ orders Sahna. ‘Let’s make this quick.’ Turn to
572
.

550

Inside the cabin, you are met by an unsettling scene. Furniture lies in broken ruins, papers and scrolls litter the floor, and blood covers one of the walls. As you wander
through the debris, it becomes obvious that a fight took place here. There are areas of the walls where the stone has been nocked by sword blades or burnt away by fire. One cupboard, still left
standing, is sliced entirely in half, from top to bottom

Searching through the papers and scrolls you find little that provides any insight into what happened. Then you notice a loose floorboard, raised slightly above the other panels. You kneel down
and pull it loose, revealing a small cavity underneath. A roll of parchment and a bag lie inside. You take the parchment and unroll it. To your surprise you find that it is written to you.

You open the bag and discover a
plain gold ring
inside (make a note of this on your hero sheet). You pocket the ring before turning your attention to the other objects,
which you may take:

Looking around at the chaotic ruin, it is clear that Cornelius failed to make it out of the cabin before the stalker arrived. However, there is no sign of a corpse –
unless it was buried or taken. Confused, you exit the cabin. Turn to
562
.