The Eye of Winter's Fury (83 page)

Remove the word
scripture
from your hero sheet, then turn to
697
.

594

Legendary monster: Gjoll the gaoler

The ground shakes at the giant’s passing, his black steeled boots thudding deep into the cracked earth. Your eyes rove across the malign runes carved into his flame-red skin, each one rippling and crawling over the slabs of hard muscle.

‘We can’t hope to defeat it.’ Anise draws back behind the boulder as the giant stomps past, making his circuit of the cauldron-shaped basin. In each of his meaty fists he carries a warhammer, their stone-carved heads bigger than an ox-cart.

You need no more convincing. ‘This is folly. Let’s go . . .’

‘Wait! We can’t let this suffering go unpunished.’ Skoll’s eyes haven’t left the dragon, chained by runed manacles to the floor of the canyon. The sorry-looking beast is writhing in constant agony, flames and lightning roiling across its tortured form. Many of its scales are broken and seeping with decay. A milky film covers one eye. Teeth are missing, a horn broken.

And yet, even in its tortured state, the dragon is still an awe-inspiring sight. Its size dwarfs even that of the giant – its black-scaled form stretching nearly a hundred metres from head to tail, its wings arching back to obliterate the skies.

‘I was a prisoner once,’ says Skoll, looking to you for support. ‘Those chains are Dwarven, bound by powerful rune spirits. They are trying to break the dragon’s will – to force it to serve the witch. Not all their kind choose to ally with such evil.’

Lightning courses over the dragon’s body, forcing it to jerk and convulse. You are immediately reminded of the chains that the einherjar
used to restrain you, when you first sought an audience at Vindsvall. The chains that bind the dragon are twice their size, the runes worked into them of a far deadlier precision.

And they have given you an idea.

‘Okay, keep the giant busy.’ You are already moving before Skoll can reply, using the rock-cover to get closer to the dragon. Behind you, a barbaric battle cry rends the air as Skoll leaps atop the rubble, banging his twin axes together. The giant’s head snaps round, a torrent of flame billowing from his nose.

Skoll’s distraction has worked. The giant issues a ground-trembling roar, then charges the Skard. Your way is left clear. Quickly, you hurry across the dusty canyon, towards the manacles that hold the dragon prisoner. If you can break them open, then perhaps they could be used against the giant . . .

All of a sudden, each of the manacles starts to glow – the air around them distorted by magic.

Four spirits coalesce into being around the dragon – the rune spirits that have been bound into the evil irons. The largest is some beast of fur and ice, with a bestial face riddled with fangs. Another is fashioned from threads of flame, its thin body resting on four splayed legs. The third is a shadowy figure, almost humanoid-looking, with serrated blades for arms. The final spirit is a bloated pig-like creature, its devilish form obscured by a cloud of pestilent decay.

You glance back towards the giant. The beast is roaring and bellowing, trying to catch Skoll and Anise, who are dodging around the giant’s blows, issuing taunts and keeping him busy. You know they won’t be able to hold the giant’s attention for long.

The rune spirits surge towards you, four deadly adversaries each with their own potent powers. You realise you will need to overcome these prison guardians in order to break their manacles. It is time to fight:

	Special abilities
	Prison guardians : (*) Each prison guardian has an ability. Once a prison guardian is defeated, their ability no longer applies. The abilities are:
	–	Sephix’s pestilence: You must lose 2 health at the end of each combat round.
	–	Raurg’s fires: You must reduce your armour by 1 at the end of each combat round. (You cannot regain lost armour until the combat is over.)
	–	Anod’s reflection: Each time your damage score/damage dice inflicts damage to an opponent, you must take 2 damage in return (per opponent struck).
	–	Wendigo’s chill: You must lower your speed by 1.
	Shackle the giant : Each of the prison guardians (Sephix, Anod, Raurg and Wendigo) is guarding one of the manacles holding the dragon prisoner. If you defeat a prison guardian, you gain control of their manacle. This can immediately be used on Gjoll to help you defeat him. The manacle abilities are as follows:
	–	Sephix’s manacle: Gjoll is inflicted with pestilence and must suffer 5 damage, ignoring armour , at the end of every combat round (starting with the round after Sephix is defeated).
	–	Raurg’s manacle: Cruel fires melt through Gjoll’s armour , reducing it to 4 for the remainder of the combat.
	–	Anod’s manacle: Gjoll’s hammer becomes a shadow of its former strength, reducing the giant’s magic to 4 for the remainder of the combat.
	–	Wendigo’s manacle: Ice encases the giant, reducing Gjoll’s speed by 3 for the remainder of the combat.
	In it together : Abilities that strike more than one opponent can be used on Gjoll and the prison guardians as normal. All opponents are viable targets for such attacks.

To win the combat you must defeat Gjoll. Once Gjoll is defeated, any remaining prison guardians are also defeated. If you manage to overcome this ferocious giant, turn to
739
.

595

Raising your hands you trace the circular patterns with your fingers, connecting the lines and whorls with the magic that now flows through you. The runes start to flicker and then glow, illuminating a trail to the centre circle, where purple energies crackle above the podium. For a brief moment you glimpse some creature trapped within the bright maelstrom – a writhing ball of shadow, with tentacles whipping out through the air – then it is gone. The energy sparks out and the runes dim.

When you walk over to the podium you discover that your item is now sparking and hissing with trapped shadow magic. (Congratulations! Your chosen weapon/item of equipment now has the
darksilver
ability.) When you have updated your hero sheet, turn to
684
.

596

You manage to pass through the web unscathed! The dragons are less fortunate, however, slamming through the web and ripping it from its island tethers. The ragged threads catch around their bodies, sending crackling bolts of magic ripping into their flesh. Shrieking with anger, the dragons twist and shake to free themselves of the glowing netting – but not before they have suffered significant wounds from its evil magic. Record the word
frazzled
on your hero sheet, then turn to
773
.

597

The topmost branches of the tree curl inwards, meeting at the centre of a wooden platform where a man hangs suspended from their grasp. He is naked, save for the tattered remains of a loin cloth and a few strips of leather that may once have been a shirt. He dangles by his feet, body twisting and writhing in agony. Every inch of his flesh has been scoured with deep gashes, forming channels that run from his feet to his scalp. A steady stream of venomous ichor drips from
the branches, sizzling and steaming as it courses down the lacerated markings, inflicting great pain and torment to the captive prisoner.

‘Skoll!’

It is unmistakably the Skard warrior you were sent here to find – his huge, muscular body and the long golden hair match the entombed half-giant you saw at Vindsvall. The manner of his torture is nightmarish and cruel, his deafening screams ringing like thunder in your ears.

You push past the knotted branches and step out onto the platform.

‘Rata-rata-tosk!’

The giant squirrel scampers out in front of you, its head flicking from side-to-side as it sizes you up. ‘Strong as ironwood. Yes, yes. But you climb before you can walk, rata-rata-tosk!’

‘Out of my way,’ you snarl, taking an angry step forward. ‘Are you responsible for this?’ You gesture to the tortured prisoner.

Ratatosk flexes his shoulders, dark claws extending outwards from his paws. ‘The witch has dominion here, rata-rata. But I’ll be generous, that’s my nature. I’ll let you leave, take word – whisper, whisper – back to Vindsvall. Tell them of what you have seen. Tell them all, rata-rata, of what befalls those who seek to hinder the witch’s plans.’

‘This is your last chance.’ You raise your weapons, magic flickering around your tensed body. ‘Out of my way!’

‘So be it,’ snickers Ratatosk, stalking around you. ‘Stubborn as oak, fiery as the buckthorn. You would have been wise to listen to me, rata-rata-tosk!’

‘Likewise.’ You charge the creature, who dodges swiftly, diving past you in a red-brown blur. He scampers up the nearest wall, leaping over you as you charge in again, your weapons cutting futilely through the air. Spinning round, you spot the creature digging into one of his many pouches. With a flick of his clawed hand Ratatosk lifts a grey acorn to his shoulder, then throws it hard at the ground. There is a flash of dark light and then a twisted shape starts to emerge from the smoke, its gnarled limbs snapping and creaking as they unfurl. Within seconds you find yourself facing a spider-like tree with crimson eyes glowing from its soot-coloured bark.