The Eye of Winter's Fury (60 page)

If you are carrying the
moth wing
, turn to
704
. Otherwise, the room offers nothing of further interest. Cautiously, you cross the beams of light and continue onwards. Turn to
509
.

424

The guard removes the one of hearts from his hand and places it face down on the discard pile. He reaches into the pouch and takes another stone at random. He has now gained the two of stars:

He can barely hide his excitement as he shows you the stones. A full house and two crowns is a strong hand. It is now time for his opponent to make his move. Turn to
555
.

425

A shriek. A body tumbles past you. You try and grab it, but a sudden lurch of the creature’s body spoils your aim, your spectral hand closing round empty air. ‘Anise!’

You watch helpless as she rolls along the beast’s snaking body, falling further and further away . . . Until she is suddenly snatched up by a giant fist. You follow a thickly knotted arm, muscles bulging as they tense, taking her weight – to find another figure clinging to the
back of the demon, their other arm wrapped tightly around one of its spines. A burly Skard, blond hair whipped back behind his stone-grey helm. His face is bloodied, caked with filth and dust, and yet you can still make out the criss-crossed ridges of gnarly tissue that line his features.

‘Skoll!’ The word is barely given voice before it is ripped away by the roaring gale.

The warrior’s brow creases as his eyes strain against the brightness and the blasting chill of the wind. ‘Luck of the ancestors,’ he calls back. ‘Together at the end.’

He swings Anise, allowing her to grab a nearby spine. She hugs it tightly, gasping for breath, her eyes shut tight with fear.

Skoll looks back at you and grins, cracking the filth that cakes his face. ‘Let us make this a fight worthy of the ballads.’ Turn to
777
.

426

Torches flicker from sconces along the granite walls, their light trickling along the rivulets of filth and melted snow that run down the track. Here, the mood is solemn, your footfalls echoing back from the stony confines of the ravine. You feel eyes on you the whole time, not only from the occasional passer-by but also the groups of men and women skulking in the archways and alcoves.

Buildings have been carved into the rock – some look little more than squats, with graffiti daubed on walls and refuse piling up outside their doors and windows. One structure is a little grander than the rest, its hollows echoing with music and laughter. A tattered bed-sheet hangs crookedly from an upper-storey balcony, painted with the smeared words ‘Jailhouse Rock’.

To your left a sloping pathway tracks around the edge of the out-cropping, leading to its summit. A frost-coated skeleton sways back and forth from a noose, a wooden sign clutched in its frozen fingers. It points along the pathway, the scrawled letters spelling ‘Prison’.

To your right, past the noise and light of the Jailhouse, the track narrows into a tight alley, reeking of decay and squalor. It leads down to the docks, where you can dimly make out the masts of ships silhouetted against the rust-stained sky.

427

The troll looms over you, hammers raised above its horned head. You doubt you will be able to move fast enough to avoid the incoming blow. But the hammers never fall. Instead the troll jerks round, staggering sideways. You notice a ragged shape hanging from its back by a pair of daggers.

With a snorting growl the troll swings round again, trying to shake off its tormentor. Rook scrambles up onto the monster’s shoulders, then plunges his daggers into the nape of its neck. He somersaults away, leaving the beast to stumble woozily, blood fountaining across its back.

For a moment, all eyes are focused on the beast – awaiting the inevitable, willing its end.

The air is split by an agonised roar as the troll teeters forward, then begins to fall. You race out from beneath the widening shadow, hearing the rush of air getting stronger. There is a thunderous boom, followed by a wave of stinging grit. Once it has passed, you look back to see the immense creature lying sprawled at the centre of a ruined crater. Rook steps around its edge, brushing the grime from his clothing.

‘Another one bites the dust.’

If you are a warrior or a rogue, turn to
470
. If you are a mage, turn to
96
.

428

You can use the forge to craft your own magical weapons. For each weapon, you will need one special backpack item. If you have the required item, you can make the associated weapon:

These weapons can then be improved using further items from your backpack. (Note: When an item is used, it must be removed from your hero sheet. Items can only be used once.) The bonuses include:

You may return to the frost forge any time between quests, to craft items or add abilities (make a note of this entry number on your hero sheet). Return to the quest map to continue your adventure.

429

You push the stones aside, freeing the banner. As you lift it up, you see that the cloth is still bound to an iron cross-piece. Searching amongst the rest of the debris, you find a rusted support bolted to the stone. The wind continues to pound against you, making every effort twice as hard. It is several minutes before you are able to push the end of the pole into the support. Then you step away, gesturing for Anise to light the frayed edge of the banner using her torch. But, to your dismay, the magical fire does not catch. At first you assume it is just the wind, then you remember that the blue flames don’t give off any heat. ‘It’s no good,’ says Anise, stepping back from the banner, her shoulders slumped in defeat. ‘We failed.’ Turn to
580
.

430

Seethe lies sprawled across the rocks, his breath rattling in his throat. The savage wounds he has sustained have finally taken their toll. You slip your mind free from Nidhogg, letting the dragon resume control of his own body – to deliver the final death blow to his own brother, who chose to side with Melusine and let his kind be enslaved to her will.

With the deed done, you jump down from the dragon’s back to re-join Anise and Skoll. Both are still speechless from the spectacle they have witnessed. You simply nod with exhaustion, sagging against the rocks to regain your power; feeling every inch of your heavy, dead weight.

For defeating the elder dragon, you have gained the following special reward:

Venomous ooze

(backpack)

Freshly squeezed from the
glands of a corrupted dragon

A narrow pathway zigzags up the side of the mountain, leading to an angular doorway carved into the rock. Anise and Skoll have already started towards it. You pause, turning back to the dragon. His wounds are extensive, much of his body raked and burnt. And yet, there is a semblance of a smile on the dragon’s face.

Thank you. You have given me what I desired most.

‘Revenge.’ You nod. ‘I know its craving well
.
’

The battle is far from over. When you have need of me . . .

You pat the horn that hangs at your waist. ‘I know. We will fight again, my friend, I promise.’

You share a parting nod before heading after the others, your eyes drawn to the glowing peak high above. (Return to the map to continue your journey.)

431

Claws leap from your fingertips as Nanuk guides your hands, urging you to a point to the right of the demon’s scaled back. You rip into the hard flesh, pulling apart bone and tissue to reach the frozen heart. Tearing it free, you hold the trophy aloft, its frosted blood dripping down your arms.

If you wish, you may equip the demon’s heart and learn the valkryn career:

Syn’s heart

(left hand: unique)

+2 speed +2 magic

Ability: silver frost

(requirement: mage)

The valkryn has the following special abilities:

Frost hound (dm):
(requires Syn’s heart) When you defeat an opponent, you can transform the corpse into a frost hound. The hound will immediately attack another single opponent, inflicting 2 damage per round (ignoring
armour
) for the duration of the combat. You can only use this ability once per combat, to summon a single hound.

Crystal armour (mo):
(requires Syn’s heart) Instead of rolling for a damage score, you can cast
crystal armour
to coat yourself in barbed ice. This raises your
armour
by 3 and also inflicts 1 damage to all opponents at the end of every combat round. Once
crystal armour
is cast, if you lose a combat round and are unable to avoid your opponent’s attack (by using dodge abilities such as
sidestep
or
vanish
), then you must roll a die:

or
: Your crystal armour is shattered, inflicting 4 damage to your hero.

or
: Your crystal armour is shattered, but you suffer no damage.