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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Joshua Randall" data-source="post: 1135089" data-attributes="member: 7737">The Cener Strike BackIlthian explained that some humble kakarmi had found the Shard of Gareth lying carelessly abandoned at the edge of the forest, near the road to Hammerdal. Hearing this, Kell glared at Brogun, who looked at the ground and scuffled his feet in embarrassment. Clearing her throat to recapture the adventurers’ attention, the dryad sternly reprimanded them for their unnecessary slaughter of the plant-creatures. “But they attacked us!” protested Brogun. “Only because you were trespassing in their territory,” responded Ilthian. “You could have fled from them.” “And we thank you for the valuable lesson, fair Ilthian,” interjected Kell. “Now. Are you aware that the Shard of Gareth is a holy relic of the Herbalish faith?” Ilthian insisted that the Shard belonged to nature, and that as a creature of nature herself, she intended to keep it. Kell pressed his point, but the dryad was unyielding. The back-and-forth conversation prevented the debaters from noticing the two Cener rangers sneaking up on them. The party was surprised and subjected to a volley of poisoned arrows, one of which struck Ilthian, dropping her immediately. Moments later an entangle spell engulfed the area, and the already thick underbrush began wrapping around feet and ankles. The Company of the Red Kestrel was caught completely unprepared. Brogun had depleted his spells earlier in the day, and Otieno was reduced to attempting to cast ray of frost – an effort that failed anyway because of the entanglement. Kednor began trudging through the underbrush, relying on his armor to protect him from the continued arrow fire. Kell crouched down near Ilthian and closed his hand around the Shard of Gareth. Instantly, he became overwhelmed with a sense of one-ness with the forest. In a lifetime of nature worship, Kell had never felt so close to this ultimate fusion. He had also never felt a burning pain quite like that brought on by the two arrows that struck his midsection – or more precisely, by the poison coating the arrows that coursed its way into Kell’s bloodstream. The Herbalish scout suddenly found himself incredibly weak; the weight of his pack nearly bore him to the earth. The Cener continued their relentless assault. More arrows struck Otieno, who quickly succumbed to the strength-draining poison. Brogun was struck as well, but his dwarven constitution allowed him to fight off the debilitating effects. He joined Kednor is trudging through the entangling area. The two made little progress, however. Safely outside the area of the spell, one of the Cener unfurled and read a scroll of freedom of movement. Thus augmented, he dashed forward, easily evading Kednor’s clumsy attempt to stop him, and plowed into Kell.  Brogun finally burst out of the entanglement and charged the other Cener. The archer tried to drop his bow and draw a hand-weapon, but Brogun was too fast for him. With one mighty blow the dwarven cleric decapitated his foe. Several dozen yards away, the first Cener grappled with Kell. The two struggled together for several seconds, but in his weakened state, Kell could not prevent the Cener from wrestling the Shard away from him. With a sneer, the Cener kicked Kell in the face, then sped off through the forest. Kell and Otieno lay completely helpless on the ground, their strength completely drained by the poison. Ilthian was likewise incapacitated. Brogun and Kednor, though unpoisoned, were unable to follow the fleeing Cener – their clumsy tracking efforts foiled by his pass without trace The Shard of Gareth was now in the hands of their enemies.</blockquote>

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