NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Edena_of_Neith" data-source="post: 2789068" data-attributes="member: 2020">What has gone before:  Claire was a member of a party treasure hunting in Damara.  They ran into enemies and defeated them, but their party cleric was killed.  Claire, unwounded, was sent to find a healer known to live in this area, by her wounded and incapacitated party.  A desperate act, by a desperate group.  Claire, now tired herself, sat down in a clearing in the Damaran forest, at midday, and began eating.  And resting.  Narrin was a brigand who dreamed of restoring ancient Damara, starting with his own fortress and army.  He waylaid treasure hunters, killed them, and stole their items.  He allowed wanderers to pass, if were are not treasure hunters.  Narrin had a hideout at the top of a hillock, magically protected, and a loyal squire to help him.  Narrin also had friends.  One of them, Grom, was in the local area, tracking a dire bear.  Narrin spotted Claire in the clearing, for it was in a line of sight, 3,000 feet away.  Narrin resolved to go down and kill the person who is obviously a treasure hunter and a very powerful and dangerous wizard.  He sneaked down successfully to the edge of the clearing, ready to shoot and kill the unprotected Claire (not knowing she cast protection from arrows earlier.)  Meanwhile, the dire bear had caught the scent of Claire, and was heading her way also.  Grom was following the bear.  Neither the bear nor Grom had sighted Claire or Narrin, and vice versa.  Narrin had not sighted his friend Grom or the bear, and vice versa.  Meanwhile, Tordek, Mialee, Jozan, Hennett, and Lidda were at the top of another hillock, only 500 feet away from the glade.  They saw Claire, and Lidda spotted Narrin sneaking through the woods towards her.  While everyone else fell back out of sight, Lidda was sent down to watch events and gather information.  Lidda stopped at the edge of the clearing, reaching it before Narrin, and had been there ever since.  Neither Narrin or Claire had spotted or heard her.  Narrin, upon seeing a beautiful, but obviously naive girl sitting unprotected (and taking no protection) in an open clearing in the middle of the dreaded Damaran wilderness, decided to be chivalrous.  He advanced out into the clearing, hands free of weapons, and introduced himself.    Claire was very suspicious of this stranger.  She revealed she was here to find the healer, but would not reveal why her party was in Damara in the first place.  Not buying Claire's false explanation for her party's presence, Narrin guessed she was a treasure hunter, and demanded she accompany him to his hideout.  He explained it was for her own good, since she would not last the night in these woods alone, much less find the healer in his secret retreat.  Claire, intimidated by the sneering and chivalrous tone of Narrin, decided he was a brigand out to rob her (and probably worse), told him to be off, and when he told her she had no choice in the matter, threatened him.  After a brief round of threats, both Narrin and Claire prepared to battle each other.  Just then, Lidda spotted the approaching bear, now only 100 feet off, coming out of heavy  underbrush and pines.  Lidda, having a kindly heart, whispered down to the two bickering individuals that a dire bear was on the way.  But Lidda had her crossbow out and loaded, and aimed, in case she had to conduct a sneak attack, and by great misfortune both Claire and Narrin rolled natural 20s on their spot checks, sighting the hidden Lidda and her aimed crossbow. (Otherwise, they would have seen nothing.)  Narrin decided it was a trap set up by Claire after all (it had looked like a trap to start with.)  He became furious at the 'treasure hunters' and resolved to kill the assassin (Lidda.)  Claire mistook the voice for someone in the enemy group who had killed her party cleric and wounded her friends.  She whirled, and after spotting Lidda, decided to kill her also (and unfortunately, there had been a halfling in the group that attacked Claire's party.)  The dire bear decided it was hungry, and would have both Claire and Narrin for dinner.    Grom, hearing Narrin shouting about traps and assassins, decided to rescue Narrin ... from Claire, whoever else Narrin was screaming about, and the bear.  At the top of the hill, Mialee, Tordek, Jozan, and Hennett all heard the shouting.  All decided to run down to help Lidda.  Unfortunately, most of them ran into a nest of Damaran vipers.  The vipers gained surprise, bit Tordek and Mialee, and Jozan was forced to stop to help both of them.  All three of them were knocked out of the battle.  Hennett, however, continued the charge.  Jozan yelled at him to stop and help them, but Hennett yelled back that he had to save Lidda.  This alerted everyone else to the presence of the party at the top of the hill (along with Mialee's cry of pain, Tordek's snarling, the sound of combat with the vipers, and Jozan's neutralize poison chanting.)  Initiative was rolled:  Lidda goes first.  Then the dire bear.  Then Claire.  Then Grom.  Then Hennett.  Then Narrin.</blockquote>

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