Legion of Shadow (16 page)

Suddenly, you catch something out of the corner of your eye. Turning, you see a hooded man standing by the side of the lane. You feel his eyes upon you, even though they are hidden deep within
the shadows of his cowl. The hairs on the back of your neck begin to prickle. You never heard the man approach – glancing around, you cannot see any trees or undergrowth where he might have
been hiding. The man walks slowly towards you, his boots making only the faintest whisper of noise.

‘Good evening, stranger,’ he says, in a thin velvety voice. ‘Your reputation precedes you in these parts. A brave adventurer, to be sure. I was wondering if I could make use of
your . . . services.’

If you have already completed the quest:
The witch hunt
turn to
210
. Otherwise, turn to
249
.

112

You push aside the stone lid – far enough to reveal the interior of the tomb. To your surprise, you find that the hollow cavity is empty, save for a thin, grey funeral
shroud and a silver necklace resting on top of it. You may take:

You find little else of interest in the room, so you decide to leave through the archway. Turn to
1
.

113

Which of the following crimes will you accuse the witch of:

114

You provide the clothier with the bat leather and the crocodile skin (deduct these two objects from your hero sheet). Using these materials, the clothier creates the following
item, which you may now take:

If you do not want the item, then the clothier agrees to pay you 20 gold crowns for the garment. Once you have made your choice, turn to
68
to look at
more of the clothier’s items, or turn to
46
to leave.

115

The book contains a history of Tithebury and the adjoining regions of Black Marsh and Mistwood. The corner of one page has been turned down. Flicking straight to it, you
discover a page entry describing the stone circle. You quickly scan the text for any clues as to the purpose of the circle. You discover that it dates back over a thousand years and was built by a
sect of druids to commune with ‘rune spirits’.

Something has been written in the margin of the book. Turning the page around, you read the spidery writing. It says: ‘
Dwarf runes. Much older. Possibly dark age. Hill burial ground for
king
.’

116

You do your best, within the confines of the rubble-filled tunnel, to defend yourself against the enormous creature. At last, you manage to pierce its thick, bulbous skin. From
the wound, a fountain of white acid sprays across the tunnel. It catches you, searing through your armour. (You must deduct 1
armour
point from any one item you are currently wearing.)

The creature squirms and writhes in pain, then finally lies motionless – acid pouring out of its gaping mouth. You retrieve your torch, then walk cautiously past the dead maggot, coming to
a halt at the edge of the newly-burrowed hole. Your torchlight picks out the craggy sides of the pit dropping away into darkness. From somewhere far below, you can hear the roar of an underground
river.

117

A glowing white portal has appeared at the centre of the circle. The bird is flapping around it excitedly. ‘This is it! This is it! It’s just like the magic doorway
that my master entered! Quick – get in before it closes again!’

You take a deep breath before stepping into the bright, glowing light. Turn to
207
.

118

By some small miracle, you are able to defeat the frenzied crocodile. You may now take any/all of the following rewards:

As you wipe the mud and pondweed from your clothes, you become aware of the girlish giggles coming from the far shore. The woodsman’s daughter is hopping up and down, waving her arms above
her head. ‘Oh that was so exciting!’ she gasps. ‘You were almost as brave as my handsome huntsman!’

You wade back across the mire, muttering several obscenities under your breath.

‘Come on! Give it to me quick!’ demands the girl, holding out her hands. ‘It’s all I need for my potion!’ Angrily, you fling open your pack and hand her the
findlewort. ‘Perfect!’ she smiles. ‘You’re a hero after all!’

Suddenly, something hits you in the chest, sending you flying backwards into the swamp. Coughing and spluttering, you surface to find yourself face to face with a goblin – the same one
that ran from you earlier. He holds a knife to your throat. Over the creature’s shoulder, you see the woodsman’s daughter sprinting into the forest, chased by another of the
goblins.

Before you can hope to rescue her, you must defeat your foe:

If you defeat the goblin, turn to
143
.

119

You push open the farmhouse door and step inside. The musty interior is little more than a squalid mess of broken furniture and rotting debris. You note a number of gleaming
bones lying amongst the waste – evidently picked clean by rats, or something far worse. Across the room, a staircase leads up to the second level. To your right there is a closed door, its
green paint faded and peeling.

120

A wild swing connects with the bat creature, knocking it to the ground. Quickly, you step in and deliver the final, killing blow. You may now take the following item:

You decide to ignore the other bundles and make your way across the cave to the tunnel opening. Turn to
266
.

121

The changeling is a more powerful foe, thanks to the black book that it now reveals in its clawed hands. As it advances towards you, the infernal creature surrounds its body
with a crackling ring of black fire. ‘You will burn,’ it snarls. ‘Like all those who dare stand in my way!’

Special abilities

If you defeat the changeling, turn to
133
.

122

‘Wha’? Ya clobbered me!’ The troll teeters back onto its heels, then falls backwards onto the rope bridge with a thunderous crash. You grab hold of the sides
as the bridge’s wooden slats ripple and shudder. Several come loose, spinning off into the mist below, but thankfully the ropes tethering the bridge manage to hold.

You search the troll’s body and find 30 gold crowns. You may also take one of the following items:

You edge past the troll and cross to the other side of the ravine. Turn to
140
.

123

Valadin Roth drops to his knees, his sword rattling to the ground at his side. As the mighty warrior takes his last, wheezing breath, a pale white mist slips from between his
parted lips and rises up into the sparkling moonlight. Then the withered, undead body crumbles to dust at your feet.

A second later and there is an angry rumbling sound, followed by a loud crack as the lid of the tomb shatters in two. You hurry over, peering into the hollow cavity that has now been revealed.
There is no body or remains inside, only a plain black leather-bound book. You take it out of the tomb and open it up. Flicking through the pages, you find that it is full of strange runes and
markings, but nothing that is intelligible.

A little disappointed, you slip the black book into your backpack and then leave the tomb. Turn to
146
.

124

The huntsman raises his axe and prepares to meet you in combat. ‘I fear I have done you some ill,’ he says. ‘Perhaps I misjudged you – as you have
misjudged me.’ You must now fight the huntsman: