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="Morgaine" data-source="post: 161914" data-attributes="member: 2393">They follow a trail that leads into the craggy hills above them.  Morgaine sends Taylor ahead to scout and reports to the group that he smells ogre and something bleeding.  This further spurs the group to act quickly and they pick up their pace.  The group spends the day climbing and (at times) crawling over rocks, ledges and precipices.  It is grueling travel but they manage to maintain decent speed through the ascent.  By late afternoon, the party is weary and cross.  Though still following the trail of the ogre, there has been no sign of it or anything else.  They stop to rest, regroup and discuss their options.  Tired as she is, Marja stumbles and kicks some rocks loose.  They cascade down the steep incline and the group watches them fall in silence.  In doing so, they notice a lone goblin climbing the rocks to their left.  It does not appear to have seen the party.  Gemma’s arrows and Borin’s crossbow bolts wipe out this small threat in no time.  Fang stops short and growls menacingly, hackles raised as he points his nose in the direction of the dead goblin.  In the area above, they spy a cave entrance.  Kalina infers from his behavior that there are more of these spider-like creatures.  The party gathers together to discuss options, deciding to maneuver themselves onto the ledge just above the opening.  Upon closer look, the piles of what appeared to be rocks turn out to be heaps of bones, picked clean and gnawed on and then left to dry in the sun.  As they near the cave, Deke can hear three more goblins inside but he is too far away to understand what they are saying.  With his companions in place, ready for an ambush, Deke throws a rock towards the edge of the cave in an attempt to draw the goblins out.  His efforts are rewarded when a pale, green-tinged creature with spindly arms and legs wanders out into view, blinking rapidly at the sudden dazzling sunlight.  Deke readies his masterwork crossbow, aimed at the chest of the goblin.  He waits to fire until the creature is out of sight of the cave entrance.  When he is sure the goblin’s companions will not witness the attack, Deke lets a bolt fly with amazing accuracy.  Unfortunately, however, the bolt does not kill its victim, who runs screaming toward the cave.Borin jumps down from his perch on the ledge and with one sweep of his axe, destroys the goblin before he can sound the alarm.  Gemma also jumps down into the fray.  She notices the giant gong rigged up in the interior of the cavern, just before the path curves away into darkness.  In an extraordinary display of bravery and courage, she uses her body as a shield to prevent the creatures from calling reinforcements.  Both of the goblins fire crossbows at her.  Despite being startled and scared, they easily hit Gemma in the chest and stomach, who falls backward into the gong then forward onto the ground.  They watch triumphantly as Gemma’s blood pools around her unconscious figure, thinking she is their only intruder.</blockquote>

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