The Heart of Fire (131 page)
One by one the ghostly spirits raise their arms. Motes of green light streak from their fingertips, surrounding the dwarf in a halo of swirling magic. ‘Yes! YES! THE POWER!’
The dwarf rises up on the streaming currents, his frayed robes dancing about his thin body. ‘The power of the Illumanti is mine!’ He blurs forward, bolts of magic lancing from his
rotted fingers. You leap over the deadly barrage, wings stretched taut as you sweep in to meet his attack. It is time to fight:
Special abilities
Spectral synergy: While the spectres remain alive, they boost Molech’s power. At the end of each combat
round, Molech heals 6
health
(this cannot take him above his starting
health
of 100). Also, Molech’s attacks drain your strength. Each time you take health damage from
Molech’s damage score/damage dice, you must lower your
brawn
and
magic
by 1 for the duration of the combat.
In this combat you roll against Molech’s speed. If you win a combat round, you can choose to apply your damage to Molech or the spectres. Once Molech is reduced to zero
health
, the combat is automatically won.
If you manage to defeat Molech, turn to
681
. (Special achievement: If you manage to defeat Molech with the spectres still alive, turn to
880
.)
843
You pull open the hinged doors, backing away as a wet mass of tubes spill out onto the ground. Covering your nose from the oily stench, you peer inside the exposed cavity. The
tight space is filled with cogs and axles and grease-covered pipes. Pushing your hand deeper into the gooey innards, you discover something cold and hard at its centre. You rip it free from the
wreckage, surprised to find that it is an unblemished crystal, still humming with magic.
If you wish, you may now take:
Golem core
(backpack)
A pulsing crystal filled
with dark energies
When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
870
.
844
You retrieve your pack. When you look back towards the pool, you see that Lorcan is untying the golden rod that was previously strapped to his back. He lifts it into the air,
its magical radiance brightening as the flower-shaped headpiece starts to revolve.
You stare at him, baffled by the strange device.
His eyes meet your own, his scarred face attempting a semblance of a smile. ‘I will see you again, prophet.’
‘Wait!’ You lunge forward – but you are too late. There is a bright flash of golden light, then the man is gone. Angrily, you kick at the stones where he had been standing,
furious that you have been left with so many unanswered questions. But then your gaze falls on the far side of the canyon and the volcano, rising high into the hazy gloom. Thanks to Lorcan, you are
now a step closer to Tartarus – and your final showdown with the demon, Cernos. (Return to the quest
map
to continue your adventure.)
845
Congratulations! You have created the following item:
If you wish to create a different spell book, you can start the process again (turn to
850
). Otherwise, you may now leave the chamber and continue your journey. Turn
to
866
.
846
Your eyes stray to the demonic bow. It is fashioned from lengths of wood and iron, twisted together to form a tangled arch of thorns. Even the grip is bladed and sharp, capable
of drawing blood from anyone brave enough, or foolish enough, to want to hold it.
If you wish, you may now take:
Agilax, the string of tears
(left hand: bow)
+2 speed +3 brawn
Ability: blood archer career
While this item is equipped, the
blood archer
has the following special abilities:
Blood hail (co)
: Instead of rolling for a damage score after winning a round, you can use
blood hail
to shower your enemies with
arrows. Roll 2 damage dice and apply the result to each of your opponents, ignoring their
armour
. If any opponent is already inflicted with
bleed
from a previous round, then they take
an extra 4 damage.
Blood thief (pa)
: For every
you roll for your damage score/damage dice, you may
instantly restore 4
health
. This cannot take you above your starting
health
.
Once you have made your decision, turn to
855
.
847
The iron doors have been barred from the inside. Together you lift the metal blocks and shove them aside, before pushing open the doors. They grate and squeal against thousands
of years of grime, slowly opening out onto a narrow bridge. Across the other side you can see a projection of volcanic rock, crowned by four tower-like chimneys. Each one is belching a steady
stream of smoke into the air, forming a dark pall above the nightmarish city. (Return to the quest
map
to continue your journey.)
848
The golden mirror rests perfectly between the two hands. The moment it clicks into place the sun’s light hits the reflective disc, sending a golden beam streaking
southwards through the cloudy mist. You cannot guess what purpose this device serves – perhaps some kind of signalling device. If you decide to leave the golden mirror in place, make a note
of the keyword
sun seeker
. Otherwise, you may remove the mirror and take it with you again. When you have made your decision, turn to
587
.
849
The hat and gloves float off towards the back of the shop. They disappear through a small doorway, returning a moment later with a silver chest. The ghost places it on the
dusty counter, then flips open the lid. Inside you find several rare and unusual items.
You may purchase any of the following for 700 gold crowns each:
Runed rod | Onyx blade | Golem core |
(backpack) | (backpack) | (backpack) |
A splintered length | A crescent-shaped blade | A pulsing crystal |
of black metal | for a mighty weapon | filled with dark energies |
If you wish to make further purchases, return to
557
. Otherwise, you thank the ghostly proprietor and resume your journey (return to the
map
).
850
You begin by sliding the bronze plates into the metal frame. These plates contain the runes for your book. If you wish to choose the
runes of shadow
, turn to
530
. If you would prefer to use the
glyphs of light
, turn to
624
.
851
Virgil’s sneer betrays a grim pleasure, as he drives his blades into the spirit’s body. The hapless creature quickly unravels, leaving a shiny ring to drop to the
ground. You crouch to retrieve it, surprised to discover that it is as light as air, its translucent bands fashioned from curls of dark smoke.
If you wish, you may now take:
With little else of interest in the room, you decide to leave. Turn to
875
.
852
You are surprised to discover that the note has been written in common, not dwarvish. Smoothing out the cracked parchment, you begin to read:
I must leave with the others. Too late now to save the city. The demons have no mercy. Trapped between two enemies. We should never have turned to them. I tried to stop
it. Molech and the false whites. Blood rituals. They think it will save us.
The writing on the second part of the note has become more erratic, as if it was written in haste:
I did my duty. The demons are all around us. Tartarus will fall. No one can say I didn’t do my duty. The secrets are safe. If only I was stronger. Molech and the
demons have control. Barahar will fall. They will destroy the sword. But the price is too high. Too high . . .
The writing ends suddenly. You are unsure if is deliberate or if the scribe was distracted and never got to finish their message. ‘Who are the false whites?’ you ask Virgil, handing
over the note. The witchfinder studies it with a frown.
‘Possibly Illumanti. I’ve heard them called white robes on account of their attire. They are the high sect of mages in each dwarven city. This confirms my suspicions.’ He
crumples the parchment in his fist. ‘They summoned demons to fight Barahar. And in doing so, they lost their city.’
