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="Medriev" data-source="post: 4495338" data-attributes="member: 21864">Chapter 5 - Bonds of Blood (Part 2)The six companions made their way hastily along the East Way until they came to a place where the worn dirt road curved to the southwest, bounded by an increasingly steep escarpment on the east and southeast. A large copse of birches clustered east of the road, and barrels and bags seemed to have tumbled from two wagons that had been overturned. The horses that once drew the wagons were nowhere to be seen.“I hear whispers behind the wagons,” said Mandratan softly. “Me too,” Audin hissed back. “Kobolds,” said Belrin. “I go left with Audin and Dau. Falain, take Gila and the wizard to the right.”Mandratan was the first to see the kobolds that crouched behind the wagon and no sooner had he seen them than they leapt from cover to the attack accompanied by the sound of scrabbling and hissing. He began hurling silvery bolts that struck the wagons as well as the kobolds. Gila came to Mandratan’s side and began firing crossbow bolts at the kobolds. One kobold fell, hurled back amongst its companions while from the other side of the wagons, Audin began loosing arrows into the kobolds. One of the kobolds returned fire, hurling clay pots at the ranger that burst on the grass and amongst the trees, setting turf and branch aflame as they burst. The kobolds came forward at Gila and Mandratan, stabbing at them with short spears. The two ducked back Dau hurled crackling, black, eldritch energy from the left at the kobold hurling the pots and then Belrin surged past her with his hammer in his hand and his shield on his arm. At the other side, Falain waded in amongst the kobolds and began smiting them down with the huge, two-handed hammer he wielded. A burly kobold with a long pike came forth then and stabbed the weapon into Falain’s shoulder. The dwarf cried out and fell back but then swatted the weapon away with his maul. Gila drew her hammer and fought beside her brother while Mandratan drew back and resumed his barrage of silvery bolts. Another kobold came at the wizard from the right and he was forced to put away his wand and raise his staff to defend himself. On the other side of the wagons two kobolds had moved to defend the hurler but they fell quickly to the onslaught of arrows and black bolts that Dau and Audin were raining down on them. Belrin charged the hurler then and set about it with his hammer. The kobold fumbled for its dagger and fell back before the dwarf. Audin drew shouldered his bow and his two swords from his belt before charging to aid the dwarf while Dau came with him, hurling black, crackling energy as she did so. Belrin smashed at the creature with his hammer and felled it with a mighty blow. Together, he and Audin leapt over the fallen kobold and rushed to aid the others.Mandratan was stabbed by another short spear and fell back, loosing a fierce burst of flame from his hands that scorched the nearby kobolds and felled another of them while Gila and Falain faught on next to him. A sly looking kobold with a short sword darted after him and again he drew back, seeking room to loose his spells. He retreated towards Falain, who was bloodied and sweating now and loosed another silvery bolt that flew wide of the kobold. The kobold darted forward again, pursuing the wizard but then Audin and Dau and Belrin rounded the wagons and attacked the kobold from behind. A kobold fell to Dau’s eldritch blast While Audin and Belrin came at the kobold with the pike from behind and drove the kobold towards Gila. Falain lashed out with his huge maul and felled the pike wielder and then all turned on the last of the kobolds. The kobold broke and fled, pursued by another of Mandratan’s silver bolts and struck by Gila’s hammer as it darted past her. Moments later, the kobold had disappeared into the long grass to the south of the road.“No signs of survivors,” said Belrin while the others tended to the various small wounds they had suffered..”Or bodies,” said Falain as he bandaged a cut on his arm.“So, someone took them,” said Dau sternly.“Most likely to the kobold lair,” said Mandratan through clenched teeth as Gila stitched a wound to his leg.“Then we head there,” said Gila without breaking concentration.“Sounds good to me,” said Audin. “Looks like we go kobold hunting.”</blockquote>

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