The Eye of Winter's Fury (66 page)

Inside the pack you find a
muttok pelt
, a
yeti pelt
and a wrap of
seal blubber
(if you wish to take any of these items, simply make a note of them on your hero sheet, they do not take up backpack space.)

Caul is already making for a tunnel in the opposite wall. As you move to follow, you notice a line of grooves cut into a smoothed area of floor. Your eyes trace their pattern – a winding spiral that twists towards a centre point, where a raised serpent’s head has been carved into the stone. You realise that the grooved spirals form its coiled body.

Caul is waiting for you by the entrance to the tunnel. ‘Leave it,’ he growls impatiently. ‘There’s something I want to show you – this way.’

475

You hear the stamp of hooves and a snorting bellow. The herd has fled southwards but one muttok has remained behind, standing its ground – the grey-haired giant with the barbed antlers. Lowering its head, the beast springs into a full-on charge, the spiked tips of its antlers aimed straight for your chest. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	Head rush : Any round in which you do not play a speed ability, you are automatically caught by the elder’s antlers. These cause 4 damage, ignoring armour . (This is in addition to any further damage the stag may cause, if it wins the combat round.)

If you manage to defeat the lord of the herd, turn to
324
.

476

You twist your weapon into the skeleton’s ribcage, using it as leverage to rip the bony monster from its prison. There is a sucking, squelching pop as the skeleton finally comes free, its once-animated bones rattling lifelessly to the ground, no longer powered by the magic of the mould-beast.

With the skeleton defeated, you set about cutting through the remaining tentacles, finally driving your weapons and magic into the ruptured hole where the skeleton had once been. The resulting explosion sends clods of mould and dirt flying in all directions. You twist away as it spatters across your clothes, filling your nostrils with the reek of decay.

‘Lovely,’ grimaces Anise, standing with arms held to her side, looking down at the muck now coating her from head to foot.

‘Mould bath,’ you grin sheepishly. ‘It might grow on you.’ After wiping the grime from your eyes, you set about searching through the creature’s remains. As well as 30 gold crowns, you also find one of the following rewards:

When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
525
.

477

Leeta becomes increasingly animated as she shows off her collection of dog toys – a grisly array of whips, spiked collars and what she terms ‘incentives’. ‘Look, look, this is my favourite. Meat on a stick,’ she laughs, lifting up a wooden pole. You note the frozen carcass dangling from one end, unsure if it is animal or human. ‘Stick this in front
of their little faces and you’ll be rocketing across the finish line. Cute, huh?’

You may purchase any of the following upgrades for 40 gold crowns each:

(Note: You can only buy each item of equipment once. Remember to make the necessary adjustments to your hero sheet.) You may now view the lead dogs (turn to
502
) or explore the rest of the compound (turn to
106
).

478

Three of us. There were always three of us. That was balance.
The woman shakes her head, her eyes unfocused as she recollects a memory.
I am Kismet, the spinner. I create the threads, the lives. Gabriel was the weaver, set the course of each and every fate. And Aisa . . .

The woman stops, her normally serene features suddenly twitching with anger.
She was the cutter. The ender of life. For all things must come to an end.

‘Where are the others now?’ You look around at the dazzling weave, bright against the void. You see no sign of anyone else. Instead, there is only a feeling of emptiness. A sadness. The woman has started to scratch at her head again.

Aisa’s desire was too strong. Not happy, not contented to end lives. She wanted to end the plan, the work. She wanted to destroy the weave.
The woman twists her head to look at you, blood seeping from the fresh cuts above her brow.
Aisa created Hel. The chaos, the shroud. It touches all worlds. Seeks to engulf them. Swallow them. I watch the threads die. Hundreds. Thousands. More. I hear the music soften. I hear it.

You watch and listen, no longer sure if this woman speaks the truth or is spouting some crazed nonsense; just another spirit trapped here like yourself, driven insane by solitude. ‘And what of Gabriel?’ you venture, playing along with this peculiar story.

He had to restore balance. Eight worlds gone, only one left to save, only one. Dormus. He gave everything he was, the loves, the sacrifices, the tears, the very essence of being. He put himself in you, in every thread that still existed and every thread that was yet to come. He shared his light and his love. He took his choice, his power over destiny, and gave it to each and every one of you.

Your gaze strays to the web, a million strands all converging and bisecting in a bewildering array of shapes. There seems no pattern or form to the weave, just a mayhem of chaotic confusion.

Yes, you see it too. There is no plan. No plan!
The woman taps manically at the sides of her head.
He only made it worse. No symphony now. Only noise. A disharmony. Sometimes I wish. I wish it would just end!

(Return to
713
to ask another question or turn to
760
to end the conversation.)

479

Congratulations! You have gained the
captain’s conch
. This gives you control of the
Naglfar
. (Simply make a note of this item on your hero sheet, it doesn’t take up backpack space) Your ship has the following attributes (record these on the second part of your hero sheet):

If you have the
Pandora
in your backpack, you can reattach the figurehead to the ship, restoring the vessel to its former glory. This will increase the ship’s
speed
and
toughness
by 2. (Remove the
Pandora
from your backpack.) Once your hero sheet is updated, return to the map to continue your adventure.

480

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 four of stars:

Next, the hooded ghost discards a stone from his own hand and takes another from the bag. A cold, cackling laughter comes from the shadows of his cowl as he studies his new hand.

‘What should I do now?’ whispers the guard. ‘I have a Queen’s Wave. This could win me the game.’

481

‘I keep seeing ’em, always lurking at the edges. Shadows you never get a proper look at. Even heard their whispering.’ Caul snorts, giving a nervous laugh. ‘I know. When I hear myself, I think I’m losing it too, all kinds of craziness going through my head right now. You see . . .’ He drops his voice, flicking a nervous glance over his shoulder. ‘Those explorers, back in the canyon. This place got me thinking. What if . . . you know.’ He nods his head, grinning with yellow-stained teeth.

‘I’m not sure I do,’ you reply, confused.

‘I once heard a story, over at Ryker’s. Of a spirit that haunts the coast. A drowned sailor. Those that saw him said he was searching for something – something he lost. Theory is, he’s trapped here until he finds what he’s looking for. Some think it’s a treasure, others his dead crewmates.’

‘Are you saying . . .’ You pause to swallow, feeling your throat constrict. ‘Reah and the others were . . . ghosts?’

Caul leans back, the green light etching strange patterns across his grimy face. ‘This place plays tricks on you. I ain’t trusting nothing no more.’

482

To your surprise you spot another figure clinging to the back of the demon, their arms wrapped tightly around one of its spines. A thickly-muscled man, 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, readjusting his grip on the slippery spine. ‘Together at the end. Let us make it a fight worthy of the ballads.’ Turn to
777
.

483

Not wishing to risk injury by going for the opening, you let the platform carry you back to the cave. With nothing else of interest in the chamber, you decide to leave via the passageway. Turn to
2
.

484

Using the
chemist’s notes
(you may remove this item from your hero sheet), you are able to make your own deadly potions and powders. However, their effects aren’t always reliable!

If you wish, you may now learn the chemist career. The chemist has the following special abilities:

Chaotic catalyst (co):
Instead of rolling for a damage score, you
may douse your opponent in a volatile concoction. Roll a die to discover the result:

or
Your opponent heals 6
health
.