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="DoctorB" data-source="post: 335265" data-attributes="member: 903">Under the Trees“I should have known better,” Selmi Hewflank thought to himself as the Champions of the Lady marched into the deep Tolnan forest to take on a corrupted Heart Oak.  A dwarven priest of the Mountain, Selmi had once done great deeds on his own in a group of adventurers who fought evil in Irmak.  He had known Cobbe only as a very intelligent and interesting Innkeeper who also happened to be his friend.He had become overconfident he now realized.  The group’s success had blinded them to the growing power and organization of the evil forces in Irmak.  They had not been prepared when a combined force of creatures had attacked their camp.  He had been the only survivor.  Despondent, he returned to Skiros alone.  He had heard of the legend of the “Straw-Hat Knight” but he had not realized that his old friend was that hero.Not trusting his own instincts anymore, Selmi resolved to place himself under the command of Cobbe and his Champions of the Lady.  He respected the Lady and the other good human gods even while he practiced the hard priesthood of the Mountain.  Selmi had met Cobbe again outside the Dwarvenrealm and had pledged himself to fight in the Champions’ cause.Never did he imagine he would be marching into a dangerous forest to battle a tree.  The head Druid of the wood elves, Galen, had left them at the edge of the corruption several hours walk from the Heart Oak.  At first, the woods seemed supernaturally quiet, as though waiting for something.  Slowly, the sounds of occasional small mammals and insects appeared nearby.  Those sounds seemed to follow the party as they penetrated into the haunted looking forest.  Only slowly did he and the others realize that increasing numbers of these small creatures followed their progress.  Soon they saw a female figure ahead of them.She would have been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen if half of her face and body had not seemed diseased and twisted.  She introduced herself as Crea and tried to talk Cobbe and the others into leaving the forest.  The Heart Tree had no personal grudge against them, she explained, but would have to destroy them if they continued.  Even as she talked, the small creatures around them gathered.  Naturally, after everything he had been through, he was not surprised when the squirrels attacked.Well, it wasn’t only the squirrels but every kind of small forest mammals.  Insects flew and crawled to that attack and every little creature seemed wrong somehow.  Either their limbs did not curve as they should, or their fur remained only in patches.  Though hundreds of creatures attacked them, Selmi realized that one intelligence governed their actions.The many small enemies were more of an annoyance than a real problem, though the cumulative effect of dozens of tiny bites began to tell.  More importantly, Selmi began to feel strange, as though his fortitude were being drained from him.  Only when Joy yelled did he realize that some of their attackers had come from below.  Worm-like creatures had burrowed into his skin and began attacking him from the inside while he had been distracted by the more obvious attacks.As soon as he realized that these strange grubs were attacking them, Cobbe cured disease on Joy and Liana.  Not waiting for his Lord to get to him, Selmi applied fire to his own wounds to destroy the creatures.Meanwhile, Arin transformed into a silver-grey dragon to help the others fight or escape the attack.  As soon as he did, Liana, wielding Huranel in battle, got a strange look and attacked him with the sword.  It was almost as if her left hand sword tried to stop the right hand from attacking him.  Selmi had heard the others talk about Huranel as an elven sword pledged to fight dragons, but it seemed the weapon had a mind of its own.  Fortunately, Toiva was skilled in the art of disarming and Huranel spun out of Liana’s hand.Soon the Champions had routed the remains of the furry mammal and insect army, at least for the moment.  The Champions gingerly managed to get Huranel back into its scabbard at Liana’s side as Arin changed back to a human form.  Selmi had the distinct feeling that the Tree merely tested them with the first attack.</blockquote>

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