Legion of Shadow (42 page)
You roll over onto your elbows, to see another of the green-skinned females standing over you, a curved knife held in each hand. From the cold-hearted glare she is giving you, you suspect her
method of interrogation is not going to be pleasant.
‘Hold! All of you!’
To your surprise, it is a man’s voice. You turn your head, to see a warrior in forest green leathers emerge from the trees. He has long blond hair, braided with feathers and cords, and
about his neck hang a number of beaded charms. ‘Since when do the dryads hunt so openly,’ he scowls, ‘and without judgement or mercy?’ He starts forward into the clearing, a
yellow glow cascading down his arms to gather along the tips of his fingers.
‘Bern Farstrider,’ sneers the knife-woman. ‘This is none of your concern. Stand down or face the consequences.’
From around the circle, there is the creak of bowstrings as the archers nock arrows and take aim at the warrior.
He shakes his head sadly. ‘Has it really come to this – that my return is welcomed with an arrow in the back. Well, so be it.’ Turn to
474
.
364
Legendary monster: Snapjaw
A wet mist rolls in across the forest, coating the tangled trees in a sheen of glistening dew. As you stumble blindly through the haze, you suddenly become aware of a creaking,
scraping sound coming from behind you. In a flash, you are thrown forwards as something whips across your back. Rolling onto your front, you turn to see a giant vine thrashing through the air.
Another is slithering out of the undergrowth and begins to wrap itself around your feet. Within moments you are being lifted up and carried through the air, towards a hungry pair of snapping
jaws.
Frantically, you bash and tear at the vine, severing it in two. You fall to the ground, landing heavily on your side. Looking up, you see a gigantic plant towering above you, its bulbous head
splitting open to reveal two sets of spine-like teeth. All around you, more vines are sliding across the boggy earth, seeking to entrap you in their deadly embrace.
You must now fight for your life against this fearsome carnivorous plant:
Special abilities
Strangle vines: Your hero automatically loses 2
health
at the end of the first combat round from
Snapjaw’s constricting vines. As the combat continues, these deadly vines wind tighter and tighter around your hero – increasing their damage by 2 each round. (Your hero takes 4
damage at the end of the second round, 6 damage at the end of the third and so on.) This ability ignores
armour
.
If you manage to defeat the mutated plant, turn to
346
.
365
You take a long run up, sprinting towards the edge of the ledge. At the last possible second you launch yourself into the air, kicking your legs to power yourself across the
yawning chasm. It is a miracle, but you make it to the other side, grabbing hold of the hive wall to stop your fall.
After taking a moment to catch your breath, you begin to explore the strange hive. You discover that the honey-combed holes are actually narrow tunnels that lead deeper into the structure. You
duck down into the nearest tunnel and begin crawling into the clammy darkness.
After several minutes you find yourself entering a large chamber, lined on all sides with glowing green eggs. At the centre of the chamber is a gigantic bee, with immense diaphanous wings that
glitter with magic. You guess that this is the queen – and she isn’t happy that you have invaded her hive. The queen beats her wings and immediately, as if in answer to her unspoken
command, a swarm of drones sweep towards you from out of one of the tunnels. You must fight this deadly swarm as a single enemy:
Special abilities
Stingers: The bees’ stingers can punch through anything. Your
armour
is useless in this fight.
If you manage to defeat the drones, turn to
358
.
366
Instead of following Bern, you make a bee-line for the escaping wreekin. You guess that the stolen horn could be inside the sack that it is carrying. As you get closer, a ball
of golden light whistles past your ear, slamming into the ground ahead of the wreekin. Suddenly, a wall of thorns rises up out of the boggy earth, cutting off its escape route. A quick glance over
your shoulder confirms that it was Bern – the palm of one hand flickering with yellow magic.
However, before you can catch the stunned creature, a barbed net whips around your legs, slicing into your skin. As you desperately try and cut it away, there is a warbling cry as one of the
wreekin pounces on you with its pronged trident:
Special abilities
Entrapment: You can only roll 1 die to determine your attack speed while you have the net around your legs. If
you win a combat round, you can choose to attack the wreekin hunter or the net. If the net is destroyed then you can roll 2 dice for your speed as normal. If the hunter is killed first, then
you can simply cut yourself free of the net.
If you defeat the wreekin, turn to
491
.
367
‘Now, here’s the real deal,’ says Bart, his expression turning solemn. ‘The good news is that you’re through to the next round. The bad news is
that, from here on in it gets a lot tougher. Knuckles here has been checking out your opposition.’ He gestures to the ogre, who gives a rumbling belch in response. ‘There are some big
names in this tournament – best fighters we’ve ever seen. I suggest you get some rest before the next round. You’re going to need it.’
If you are ready for the next fight turn to
382
. Otherwise, make a note of this entry number and return here when you are fully prepared for the next round.
368
You slice open the beetle’s stomach, backing away as its gooey entrails pour out of the wound. Hobbling on its spindly legs, the beetle attempts to reach the glowing tree
roots, seeking to draw more of the magic into its shattered body.
‘Stop it!’ shouts Shay. ‘If it feeds it will heal!’
You have no intention of letting that happen. Springing onto the beast’s back, you look for a soft spot between the creature’s armoured wing cases. Then you drive your weapon deep
into its fleshy skin. The beetle jerks backwards onto its hind legs, then, with a deafening screech, it collapses to the ground, sending a shockwave of dust and soil billowing out across the
chamber.
The beetle has finally been defeated. You may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:
Bone scythe | | Chitinous carapace | | Sap-filled gland |
(main hand: sword) | (chest) | (talisman) | ||
+1 speed +2 brawn | +1 speed +2 armour | +1 speed | ||
Ability: | Ability: | Ability: |
If you have
Lorinwold’s Field Guide to Roots, Herbs and Leaves
then you may also pick 4 root grass from this cavern. Make a note of these on your hero sheet. Then
turn to
461
.
369
‘I ain’t no good at it, as you could probably tell – but Mouse here, he’ll show yer the ropes.’ Afty nudges a younger child standing next to him,
who beams at you excitedly.
If you decide to learn the pickpocket career you will gain the following abilities:
Patchwork pauper (pa)
: When replacing an item of equipment in your chest, gloves, cloak or feet locations on your hero sheet, you can keep the special ability from the
old item but replace its name and attributes with those of the new item.
Loot master (pa)
: If you do not wish to choose a reward when you defeat an enemy, you may award yourself an extra 20 gold crowns instead.
While you are a pickpocket, you also have access to the thieves’ guild. You can visit the guild at any time, at the cost of 5 gold crowns per visit (the guild likes to take a cut of your
ill-gotten gains!). Once inside, you can purchase special items. To visit the guild, turn to
338
. Remember, you can only access the guild if you are a pickpocket.
