The Eye of Winter's Fury (62 page)

If you manage to defeat these vile vermin, turn to
491
.

437

The necromancer’s bones lie strewn across the room, his robes hanging in tatters from your hands. You are still dazed, having little memory of the fight save for fleeting, savage images – teeth biting, nails clawing, fists battering and punching. Somehow the bear was inside you. Its ferocity, its rage had taken over.

You stand, trembling, watching as the cloth slips from your black, bruised fingers.

Whatever power once had a hold of you, it has now drawn back to the recesses of your mind. In its absence, you are left with an aching emptiness – a death-like cold that no heat is able to dispel.

For your victory over the necromancer, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
283
.

438

‘Think I’d fall for that one?’ growls the guard, snatching you by the collar. ‘He ain’t got a tab ’ere, Eaton ain’t payin’ for the party. And you’re a dirty liar.’

There are gasps and cries from the party-goers as they watch the guard drag you back into the taproom of the Coracle. He gives you a final shove before turning and heading back into the private room. It appears your attempt to get inside the cellar has failed. Turn to
80
.

439

You hack at the wall of roots, severing them with ease. However, as each root comes apart you hear the creak of the branches tightening around the imprisoned warrior. You desperately hasten your efforts, pulling the last of the roots away to push yourself through the gap and into the cell.

But you are too late. The branches have snapped closed around the warrior. His head lolls back on his shoulders, his body hanging lifeless within its thorny prison. As you watch, the warrior’s corpse starts to fade – his spirit breaking up into fractured shards of dark light. Within seconds there is no trace of the prisoner, save the gnarled branches that once held him captive.

You turn back to the pedestal – but of the dagger, there is no sign. Evidently it was just an illusion to torment the poor warrior. Searching
the cell, you find nothing else of interest. With no other option, you leave and continue your journey. Turn to
6
.

440

For defeating the mighty yeti, you may now help yourself to one of the following rewards:

You have also gained a
sasquatch pelt
(simply make a note of this on your hero sheet, it doesn’t take up backpack space). When you have updated your sheet, turn to
631
.

441

The guard removes the three of stars 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:

The guard rubs his chin thoughtfully. ‘Still a fool’s pair,’ he whispers out of the corner of his mouth. ‘Let’s hope it is enough to win.’ Turn to
570
.

442

You hit the pool with a painful thwack, bones splintering and muscles ripping free of their tendons as you plunge into its dark, bubbling
depths. (You must roll twice on the death penalty chart and immediately apply the effects to your hero. You must also lose one backpack item.) Then turn to
696
.

443

You let your weapons fall to the ground, raising empty palms in a show of surrender. Your action surprises the Skard, who hesitates in his advance, his brow furrowing as he looks down at your discarded weapons. One of his companions shouts something, drawing a barking laughter from the other.

‘Fegis!’ The hunter echoes their name-call, spitting with derision.

You shake your head, trying to indicate you don’t understand.

He steps forward, raising his boot and kicking you in the leg. It drops you to the ground with a painful crunch. When you try and rise, he pushes you down again with the heel of his boot.

‘Fegis . . .’ he grunts again, shaking his head. He turns and gestures to the shaven-headed hunter. ‘Slur den.’

The smaller Skard saunters towards you, his axe resting back on his shoulder. Turn to
656
.

444

The palace walls start to flicker and fade, slowly washing away to reveal a void of darkness. All around you the laughter echoes once again, a snickering cruel sound.

‘Enough of this!’ you bellow in challenge, backing away from the creeping blackness. It is closing in from all sides, eating up the stonework until you are left standing on a rapidly-diminishing island. Your words are met by another peal of laughter.

This way.

A woman’s voice. Soft and gentle.

You turn, surprised to see a white rift of light slowly opening against the dark void, spreading wider and wider until it has formed a glowing portal.

This way.
The voice becomes more insistent.

The darkness continues to rip away at the stones. Looking down, you are shocked to see the edge is formed out of fingers, hundreds of them, raking the ground with sharp nails, tearing through the very fabric of this dream.

You look back to the light – and make a snap decision. Quickly, you race to the edge of the island and throw yourself out across the abyss. With legs kicking to maintain your momentum you make the distance, hitting the portal of light and passing through into a blinding radiance. Turn to
713
.

445

Working together, the keep’s defenders whittle away at the demon’s defences, gradually slowing and weakening it. Once the beast is on its last legs, Henna delivers the killing blow – sinking her glowing blade into the creature’s brain. A blast of noxious air and bile is blown out of the creature’s mouth as it breathes its last, then a welcome silence follows.

A lone soldier raises his fist into the air. ‘For Valeron!’ he calls defiantly. ‘For Glory!’

His mantra is quickly picked up by the surviving guardsmen, accompanied by an echoing clamour of victorious cheers. If you are a warrior, turn to
553
. If you are a rogue, turn to 395. If you are a mage, turn to
57
.

446

You place the ‘three of snakes’ on the discard pile and pick a new stone from the bag. You have gained the ‘two of moons’.

You have the following stones:

The monk decides to play his hand. Turn to
593
.

447

Quest: The bear necessities

Twilight can last for hours in the north, the pale light of day giving way to green and blue hues then slowly darkening to a vivid purple. In those hours, there is almost a serene beauty to the expansive, snowy plains – a tranquil calm before the night comes, and with it the inevitable blizzards that sweep across the ice, unleashing their cruel fury without remorse.

Twilight, when there is a moment of peace, a time when you can almost appreciate the wonders of the landscape. Like the lake that stretches out before you, its sparkling waters aglow with dancing lights.

You veer from your intended course, keen to discover what phenomena might be responsible for the peculiar display. However, a splash and a disturbance on the water forces you to duck for cover, falling into a crouch behind a mound of wind-blown snow.

The sound of children laughing.

You raise your head, quickly scanning the banks of the lake. Two boys are crouched by the water’s edge, both clad in thick animal furs. They appear captivated by the same lights sparkling up from the lake’s depths – one holds a spear and is prodding its shaft into the water, goaded by his companion.

They must be Skards. Both look no older than ten – the child with the spear is the brawnier of the two, with dark brown hair braided into plaits. The other is red-haired and freckled, giggling as he points to the swirling motes of light.

Distracted, neither child has spotted the predators moving quickly across the rocks behind them. Three multi-legged creatures, each a metre in length, resembling white-translucent spiders. You leap up and shout out a warning.

Both boys look up, mouths falling open in surprise. They don’t see the first spider pounce. It lands on the ginger-haired boy, its legs wrapping around his chest. He screams and squeals as the mandibles pierce through his leathers.

The other boy starts forward to aid his friend, but draws back when he sees the other pair of spiders dashing in. He throws his spear in
haste, missing his target. Left unarmed, he turns and runs, ignoring his companion’s screams.

You race around the lake, fearing you may be too late to save the boy’s life. The two spiders immediately turn and scuttle towards you, their mandibles dripping with a blue-tinged poison. The third quickly releases the Skard’s limp body, then rushes to join its companions. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	Paralysis : If you suffer health damage from a spider’s damage score, you cannot use special abilities in the next combat round (passive effects that are already in play will continue to do damage).
	Outnumbered : At the end of each combat round, you must take 1 damage from each surviving opponent, ignoring armour . This ability only applies while you are faced with multiple opponents.