The Eye of Winter's Fury (97 page)

If you manage to defeat this frenzied thicket, turn to
608
.

682

Skoll leads the charge, an axe in one hand, magic in the other – chopping and blasting through the bodies that block his way. Behind him Anise hollers a defiant cry, swinging her sword to sever heads from bodies, clipping limbs and frozen weapons, leaving a trail of ice and writhing corpses in her wake. Turn to
761
.

683

Quest: Eye of the storm

(
NOTE
: You must have completed the blue quest
The dead and the damned
before you can access this location)

You drag your wrecked body over the rocks, blinded by the whirling red dust. All around you the incessant heat presses close, a wrongness that seeps from the dead, cracked earth. Through the crimson veil, you can dimly make out Skoll. The Skard is pulling himself up the last of the tumbled boulders, his grit and determination driving him ever onwards – ever north.

Since abandoning your transport and advancing on foot, your body’s deterioration has become worryingly evident. Your arms and legs drag like lead, wracked with frequent convulsions that leave you kicking and squirming in the dirt. Black blood continues to stream from wounds that refuse to heal, whilst torn muscle and cracked bone throw even the simplest movements into dizzying lurches.

Your body, your dead body, is finally giving up – the magic that once nourished it no longer able to stave off its inevitable decay.

Keep it together.
You hiss the mantra through cracked lips while your rictus-hardened fingers scrape across the rocks, futilely attempting to pull you across the endless desolation. You look back, reminding yourself of your one last hope – the inspiration that keeps you going . . .

If you have the keyword
repentance
on your hero sheet, turn to
31
. Otherwise, turn to
660
.

684

You move to another circle, hoping to call on its power. However, despite your concentrated efforts you cannot influence or fortify the runes. Whatever magic was once held in the summoning circles has now been spent. You acknowledge defeat, much to Caul’s relief.

He enters the room, stepping warily around the runic carvings. ‘That was . . . interesting.’

You heft your weapons, then start for the exit. ‘I have a feeling that was just a taste of the magic that still dwells here.’ Turn to
732
.

685

‘Wait, you hear that?’ The eye roves back and forth behind the peep hole. ‘Scratching. Scratch, scratch . . . You hear that too?’

You shake your head, frowning.

‘Hmm, maybe just the wind then.’ The eye continues to flick around in a paranoid fashion. ‘Always gotta watch the angles, sonny. Skards can creep up outta nowhere. Crafty ones, those north men.’

686

As you take your position at the centre of the circle, you feel a sudden prickling along your skin. It is as if a door to the Norr has been flung open and its freezing chill has flooded into you, turning your limbs to ice. You give a startled gasp, your throat clicking as it involuntarily constricts.

‘Relax.’ Sura nods to the staff she gave you. ‘Try and push it into the staff. The totem will hold your magic.’

Your hands are shaking as you fight to turn your head, to look down at the finely-carved bone staff. The head is sculpted into a bear’s paw, the claws curled inwards. Gritting your teeth, you raise the totem and let the chill magic of the Norr pour through your body and into the staff. It blossoms into a bright green light, the claw snapping open as if coming alive.

‘Yes!’ Sura cackles with delight. ‘Now, do it again – and this time, step out of the circle. You are strong enough. I see it.’

You continue to practise under Sura’s instruction, learning to channel the magic of your ancestor spirit to power various spells and enchantments.

You may now equip the following item:

Phantom claw

(left hand: totem)

+1 speed 2 magic

Ability: boneshaker

(requirement: mage)

The shaman has the following special abilities:

Power totem (co + pa):
(requires a totem in the left hand.) Instead of rolling for a damage score you can imbue your totem with magic. This costs 1
magic
to activate (your
magic
is restored at the end of the combat). Once activated,
power totem
inflicts 1 damage to all opponents at the end of each combat round – and also heals you for 1
health
at the end of each combat round – for the duration of the combat.
Power totem
can only be cast once per combat.
Totem blast (co):
(requires
power totem
– see above) Instead of rolling for a damage score, you can invoke a totem blast. This causes two dice of damage to all opponents, ignoring
armour
– but cancels the effects of
power totem
.

Once you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
197
.

687

‘Well, that’s a real shame, honey.’ The woman settles back in her chair, absently playing with a stray lock of hair. ‘Not often my charms fail to win over a gentleman, but then you are something special, aren’t you? Hmm, if you change your mind, then you know where to find me. I see you’re a thinker – you need to mull it over, work out if you can trust me. I like thinkers. Means you’re smart. And that also means you’ll be back.’

You rise from the table, readjusting your weapons. ‘I’m not here to make friends, Talia.’

‘Oh, who said we have to be friends, honey?’ Her eyes follow you as you edge past, the corners of her mouth twitching with amusement.

‘You talk a good game, I’ll give you that.’

‘Oh, I like games. See, you’re curious.’ Talia waggles a finger at you. ‘You’ll be back. Until then, stay out of trouble for me, won’t you, handsome? Wouldn’t want that pretty face of yours getting ruined.’ The woman raises her mug in a toast, cocking her head. ‘To absent friends.’ (Record the keyword
covert
on your hero sheet.)

688

‘It is rare, but once or twice in a lifetime we find a child who is called by the dreams. One who sees the signs, who can enter the spirit world.’ Sura takes a long pull on the pipe, sucking in the smoke then releasing it through her nose. ‘The spirit world is like our own. Made of both good and evil. That is why we have spirit guides, good spirits who aid us and give us their strength, their wisdom.’

‘And Nanuk is one of these spirits?’ The pungent smoke has started to make you feel nauseous. At the back of your mind you feel the bear’s presence awakening, his curiosity aroused. ‘You have this power also?’

The woman grins, her eyes glowing bright in the haze. ‘We have totems, magic that lets us focus our minds, make our bond with the spirits stronger. When we have mastered our spirit, we go to the Hall of Vindsvall to complete our training. Every tribe has one shaman. To act as guide, mediator, teacher. The others become Asynjur and must remain at the hall. It is their duty to serve, to perform the Solkning – the spirit hunt.’

689

You put your fingers to the girl’s throat. Closing your eyes, you start to draw on your reserves of magic, lifting it out from its well of darkness and pouring it through your fingertips – letting it fill her body, taking the dead limbs and working them back to life. The effort is draining, the task more difficult than you had expected. (You must lower your overall
health
by 5 permanently.)

Finally, with your magic spent, you remove your hand and drop back, watching and waiting.

Nothing. You feel your eyes burn as they stare upon her own, looking for some flicker of life. But they remain vacant, fixed on the heavens, where a chill wind howls past the broken ruins. It wails mournfully around the chamber, beating at you with its bitter cold – but not cold enough to expel the aching pain.

‘No . . .’ You lower your head, admitting defeat – shamed by your own foolish belief in the macabre act you were willing to perform.
I have failed everyone. Nanuk. Skoll. Anise . . .

A wet gasp draws you from your reverie. You look back at the girl, almost sure you saw her eyelids flutter.

‘Anise . . . ?’

You lean close, convinced now that it was a cruel trick of the wind. Perhaps a reflex action, nothing more.
I’m a fool. I cannot bring back the dead . . .

Suddenly the girl spasms, her body arching, legs kicking at the ground.

You draw back, startled and afraid, no longer sure what your dark magic may have set in motion. You grab her hand, feeling its graven chill against your own. A cold that burns fiercer than any fire.

‘Anise?’

A green glow rolls across her body, softening the dark bruising to a pale, mottled grey. You continue to watch transfixed as the hands of time are wound back – flesh folds over bone, limbs reset, wounds close.

She jerks upright, a dark light blossoming behind her eyes. Shadows hug the contours of her face, its porcelain white now lightly dusted by a green and ghoulish pallor.

As she leans forward, clumps of hair fall loose from her scalp. She cups them in trembling hands. Locks as red as fire. Bright as blood.

You can only stare at her, frozen in the moment, no longer sure what you feel. ‘Anise, I’m sorry.’

Her dark eyes meet your own. From her lips, a hoarse-sounding croak – words struggling to find voice. ‘My . . . love,’ she finally gasps.

Anise falls into your arms. You hold her close, basking in her chill radiance. ‘I will never let you go, Anise. Never.’

You have gained the title
The Everliving
and the following special ability:

Bloody maiden (mo)
: You may add 2 to each die you roll for damage for one combat round. This ability can only be used once per combat.

You may now return to the map or advance to the final boss monster encounter by turning to
717
.

690

To your surprise, the emeralds fit perfectly into the hollow depressions. As they lock into place you hear a grinding screech, like stones scraping against each other. Suddenly, the floor of the chamber starts to tilt and then lower. Spinning round, you see that the coils are descending at different speeds and angles, turning the chamber floor into a spiralling pathway. Caul drops into a battle stance, his eyes wide with fear. ‘God’s teeth – this isn’t good!’

There is an echoing boom, then silence.

The snake coils have formed a winding slope, leading down past the snake head to a chamber below. You look to Caul with a triumphant smile. ‘Told you it wasn’t for decoration.’ Turning back to the carving, you try and prise the emeralds loose, but to your annoyance they are stuck fast. (Remove the two
flawless emeralds
from your hero sheet.)

‘I bet this was locked for a reason,’ says Caul. His eyes shift to the far wall, where the tunnel is now teasingly out of reach. ‘Pity . . .’

You draw your weapons, then start down the newly-made path. ‘No turning back now. May as well see what this serpent was guarding.’ Turn to
590
.

691

You reach into the blazing wreckage to grab the box. Roll a die and consult the following chart:

or
Your clothing has caught on fire. You must remove one item from your head, cloak, chest, gloves or feet locations. This item is destroyed and can no longer be used. (Remember to update any affected attributes.)