Legion of Shadow (22 page)

If you defeat the hobgoblin, turn to
199
.

185

You get to your feet, feeling more than a little awkward as Martha and her tribe of children glare at you intently. Even the two babies have stopped bawling and appear to be
appraising you with interest.

Offering a weak apologetic smile, you brush a chunk of turnip from your hair, then quickly turn tail and run – slipping and sliding your way across the pulpy garden, and back down the
hillside. Turn to
58
.

186

The flooded tunnel is longer than you thought. With no end in sight, you start to panic, aware that you are running out of air. The next few minutes are a mad scramble, as you
head back the way you came, desperately pulling yourself along the sharp, rocky walls.

Flailing amidst a sea of bubbles, you fight your way free of the tunnel. You twist round, frantically trying to gain your bearings. The dark waters are disorientating and you no longer have a
sense of which way is up or down. Thankfully, you catch sight of a faint shimmering light. With a final determined effort, you swim towards it, coughing and gasping for air as you finally burst out
of the pool.

Shivering with the cold, you drag yourself out of the chill water, your chest heaving as you greedily suck in great lungfuls of air. Once you have recovered from your ordeal, you retrieve your
torch (add the word
torch
to your hero sheet) and then head back to the main junction, following the tunnel westwards. Turn to
103
.

187

You push aside the painted screen to reveal a small, semi-circular room – nondescript save for the black-wood door in the facing wall. A number of strange glyphs are
etched into its panels, each one glowing with a soft white light. Behind you, you can hear the ghouls closing in. You must make a quick decision:

188

Avian folds his arms. ‘A simple adventurer, you say?’ He tilts his head to one side as he appraises you. When his eyes come to rest on your arm, you notice his
expression change. Despite the fact that your mark is covered, you sense that he knows it is there.

‘How odd,’ he says, furrowing his brow. ‘I have been expecting you. A friend of mine foresaw your coming – but . . .’ He shakes his head, clearly bemused by
something. ‘I would never have guessed . . .’

Avian turns and gestures towards the courtyard. ‘I am looking for a new apprentice. Perhaps someone of your talents would like to consider the post.’ Turn to
126
.

189

You attempt to break through the sticky tendrils. They are stronger than they look and it takes several attempts before you manage to sever the silken cords. As you start to
widen the gap that you have made, you hear a skittering sound coming from above. Looking up, you see a giant spider clambering down the web towards you.

‘My web!’ hisses the spider angrily. ‘No one touches my web!’

You must now fight:

Special abilities

If you defeat the spider, turn to
147
.

190

You offer out a hand in friendship. With a smile, the man steps forwards and shakes it heartily. ‘I am Manni,’ he says. ‘Please, join me. It would be a shame
for good food to go to waste, don’t you think?’ The succulent smells emanating from the cooking rabbit make your mouth water. You keenly agree and take a seat around the fire.

‘So, what brings you out in these woods?’ he asks, placing a pan of water onto the fire.

You tell Manni the full story about the woodsman’s daughter, and how she is intent on making a love potion to run off with her ‘handsome’ huntsman. Manni nods solemnly.

‘I fear it is my fault,’ he sighs. ‘She has been visiting me – her company has been warmly welcomed.’ He stops stirring the water and looks up at you. ‘The
locals don’t trust my folk. My people are seldom welcome in the towns and villages. But she accepted me at least, and I repaid her generosity by sharing stories of my travels. I had no idea
that she . . .’

At that moment you hear the baying of a horn. Manni jumps quickly to his feet, drawing his axe. ‘Raiders,’ he says grimly. ‘The fire and meat must have attracted them.’
He points down the hill, where you see four hooded figures emerging from a copse of trees. From their short stature and ungainly, shambling walk, it is obvious that they are goblins. One is
slightly larger than the others, a thick animal pelt resting across its wide shoulders. In its hands it holds a rusty meat-cleaver, caked in dried blood. With hooting cries, the goblins charge.
Turn to
242
.

191

You provide the tinker with the damaged shield and the piece of crocodile skin (deduct these two objects from your hero sheet). Using these materials, the tinker knocks together
the following item, which you may now take:

If you do not want this item, then the tinker agrees to pay you 20 gold crowns for the shield. Once you have made your choice, turn to
175
to have another look at the
tinker’s items, or turn to
46
to leave.

192

‘Shiny fings! Lots of shiny fings. Give it ’ere,’ demands the troll excitedly, holding out one of his big leathery palms. You drop the gold into his hand
– then, while he struggles to count it all (‘One and two and three and . . . oh where woz I again?’) you quickly inch past him and hurry across to the other side of the ravine.
Your trick has worked! turn to
140
.

193

You cautiously search around the edges of the cave. You find little of interest other than lichen-covered rocks and glowing fungi. Just as you are about to give up, your foot
knocks against something. You kneel down and pick up the object, brushing away the age-old dirt and dust. You are holding a fine gold necklace, its length sparkling with jewelled beads. Who it
belonged to and how it got here is a mystery – but you may now take this special item:

You cut through the webbing and leave the cave. Turn to
189
.

194

The crusader leans against the tomb, his exposed ribcage rising and falling as he takes several long, wheezing breaths. ‘The book was given to me long ago, by one of the
Grand Viziers of See-Val. I was indebted to his family, so it was a matter of honour for me to do his bidding. The book is known as The Grimoire of Naraghost. A tomb robber found it in one of the
pyramids, on the edge of the dune sea. They say it came from the sky, with the godless elves that built those accursed cities.

‘The book is a thing of chaos, which cannot be destroyed by sword or magic. I tried . . . believe me I tried.’ He gives a deep, rasping sigh. ‘I took it north, seeking a
sanctuary where it could be kept safe. But the longer I held onto the book, the sicker I became. Eventually I could go no further.’ The crusader lowers his gaze to the stone tomb. ‘I
made the priest promise me he would bury me in these ancient catacombs – with the last of my possessions. I thought, at least here, the book would be safe.’ He looks up, his hollow eyes
burning into your own. ‘The book cannot leave here – do you understand this?’

195

You follow the map, sprinting along the overgrown path that twists and turns through the dark forest. At last, you come to a clearing where a small wood cabin sits on the edge
of the tree line. A grey gelding is tethered to a post outside, already saddled and laden with bags.

You hurry over to the door and contemplate knocking. Instead, you simply push it open and step inside. A plump old woman, with her white hair tied back in a bun, is in the process of stuffing
books and scrolls into a sack. She looks up as you enter, her piercing blue eyes twinkling in the lantern light.

‘Well, well. I wasn’t expecting you so soon,’ she says, squinting towards you. She puts a hand into the pocket of her dress and pulls out a pair of spectacles. She places them
on the end of the nose, then looks you up and down. ‘Hmm, you don’t look like one of those witchfinders. They dress with a little more . . . style.’ She raises one of her hands,
displaying a silver signet ring. ‘This belonged to one of their kind, once upon a time. The fool underestimated me.’ She returns to stuffing objects into the sack. ‘Are you here
to kill me?’ she asks, almost matter-of-factly.

196

Avian listens to your story with interest. For now, you leave out the part about your strange mark, although you notice the man’s eyes flicking to your covered arm several
times. ‘I appreciate your honesty,’ says Avian. ‘In truth, a friend of mine foresaw your coming. Let’s just say, he has a gift for that kind of thing.’ He turns and
gestures to the courtyard of his castle. ‘If you are going to be my apprentice, then I suggest we get started. I want to see what you are capable of.’ Turn to
126
.

197

Unfurling the scroll, you read out the strange words that have been scratched into the parchment. As you utter the last word of the spell, the scroll suddenly bursts into
flames. You hurriedly let go of it, watching as it floats away on the air, curling and blackening, until it is nothing more than ash.

When you turn your attention back to the door, you are relieved to see that the glyphs have vanished. You pull it open, revealing a steep spiral staircase descending down into the earth.
Vein-like cracks in the wall emit a soft, greenish glow, lighting the way.

Cautiously, you make your way down the stone stairs. At the bottom, you find yourself in a cold, stone passageway, the walls scabbed with fungus and lichen. At the foot of the stairs is a small,
iron chest.

198

Your lungs are already at bursting point. You grab the sides of the opening and propel yourself forwards – entering a narrower side passage. You will need to pass a
speed
challenge if you hope to continue.