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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Selm" data-source="post: 85791" data-attributes="member: 1592">Episode 6-2Episode SIX - NEVER EVER left anyone behind - Part 2(It can always turn worse, even now.) <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":o" title="Eek!    :o"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":o" />- Waterday 19th Planting, early afternoon -End of morning at Hommlet, the rescue team pass by the keep, there isno thought to discretion today, they are in a hurry. They advance quickly on the dusty road and reach the cross between theroad to Nulb where they are and the old track towards the moathousefor midday. There is no time to loss, they enter the swamp track. Thesmog is strong today, the more they go trough the swamp towards themoathouse the stronger it becomes. They aren't far from the moathouse anymore, when the scouts (Gandigootand Alahija) hear the sound of a waggon on the road before them. Theyslow their advance and rousing Fox joins the two scouts. He just getsby them when he hears a voice casting a spell a few dozen meters inthe fog, Alahijaalso heard it and they cry to warn theirfriends. Useless, they will know soon enough. The dark form of a creature appears in the fog in front of them, itapproaches revealling itself as a huge dark wolf, its red glowing eyesonly seems to seek the death of the party. It's no more time to speak,the weapons are drawn out and the fight starts. Killasha charges the creature to protect Alahija from itsattacks. Ezekiels starts to cast his battle's spells (Endurance,Bull's Strength). Rousing Fox and Alahija fire on the creature ... butshot the paladine insteed (you know that you should have got thisprecise shot feat), who is quite surprised but has more importantmatters to care. The fight is engaged, Killasha draws the first blood but the creatureseems to have plenty of life to endure. Ezekiels joins the fray tworounds after, his first strike connects with the flesh of the beastand the damage falls ... 17. This priest is not a friendly one forsure. The Dire Wolwerine stops its attacks onthe paladine toconcentrate on the foolish berserker on its side. But if Ezekielsuffers bad wounds from the fight, the creature is not able to survivethe third round of priest's bashing. During this time, Gandigoot has started to advance towards thespellcaster on the bank of the track. He is very cautious, but is itusefull with his friends? ... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /> Just after the death of the monster, Rousing Fox and Alahija alsoadvance silently on the track. And Killasha hurries (not as silently)to protect the young half-elf. Gandigoot only has the time to hear another spellcasting before ....A ball of fire inferno explodes centered on Killasha who was trying toprotect Alahija with her shield. The monk is able to escape the blast,but Gandigoot and Killasha are badly hurt ... Alahija is on theground, lying still and heavily burned. It is getting bad ...At this very instant, Rousing Fox sees a monster appear in the mistjust in front of him within an arm's reach.It is huge, as a very big monstrous hyena covered by big spikes overits whole body. The monk does not hesitate more, this is anothersummoned monster for sure, before the creature even understand thesituation a fury of blows strike it. The fight is engaged and themonster is quick to respond. The monk is pierced by some spikes and issuffering greatly from the wounds but is also dimished in hisabilities, hindered by the bony spikes stuck into his body. He criesfor help.Killashalandilis is unable to help him, still trying to save Alahijanearly killed by the fireball which striked them not even a minutebefore. But Ezekiel hears him and charges the foul beast.The beast seems to enjoy the fight with the monk who quickly seems tohave more spikes than the monster itself. But the priest is a lot lessfriendly with it. As we all know Ezekiel now, his first strike was for17 damage and another score more than 10. The first hit was respondedby a terrible howl from the beast, an horrible sound not known onOerth, the horses nearly all fled but our adventurers courageouslystand their ground. On the second strike, the creature drops itsplay with the monk (now pierced by more than 5 spikes and nearlyunable to strike it) to send all its attacks towards the priest. Ezekiel, already heavily wounded by the fight against the direwolwerine starts to feel the wounds in all his body. He uses a roundto cast a healing spell upon himself, and is able to escape thecreature's attacks this round while casting his spell. But he can'tscore another hit on the creature before falling to the ground,bleeding from numerous wounds ... and perhaps even dead ... Will this be the end of our heroes? Do not forget Gandigoot, hearingthe cries of his friends, the gnome drop his project of getting thespellcaster. At the very moment he rises from his cover, he sees aform disappearing in the mist a few meters in front of him, magic onceagain ... but the gnome does not have any time to think about it, hisfriends are in great need of his help. He runs towards the monster and attacks it from the back, thisdistraction is enought for the paladine to find a breach trough itsdefense and strike it with all her faith. With a last roar the monsterfalls ont he ground ... its corpse is not long to disappear as thehuge wolwerine ... as they thought, they were summoned monsters. But the situation is not good, Ezekiel is still unconscious, as isAlahija. Rousing Fox is only barely alive and the two others are alsowounded ... they do not have the choice bu to go back to Hommlet,abandonning their friends to their destiny ... -- Once again, return to Hommlet, you should get used at it --The wounded party comes by the keep, the guards notify them that Rufuswant to see them. But they are too much wounded for now, they areescorted by the guards to the temples of Pelor and St Cuthbert. Asalways, Killasha goes to the Pelor temple to see Yether, takingAlahija with her (the young half-elf is still unconscious). The othersgo to the St Cuthbert church were Calmer helps them and heals thewounded. After this short rest, they are brought to the keep, it is now nearfive hours in the afternoon, the come back was long with two friendsso heavily wounded and unconscious. They speak with the lordof Hommlet, the old fighter Rufus. Thedecision is taken to go to the moathouse tomorrow with a big part ofHommlet milicia under the command of Elmo himself. They must rid thisplace from all opposition, which seems strong according to the newinformations of the party, about a powerfull spellcaster forinstance. Elmo refused to go to the moathouse right now as it is already toolate. Even if they were able to go immediately, and it will take timeto bring the milicia together, they will not be able to get to themoathouse before dusk. Elmo doesn't want to send his men to death byengaging them in a dangerous fight by night at the old fortress andagainst unknown opponents. The destiny of Lywen and Diane is anywayprobably already set and all they risk is to lose their life too. Elmo also tells them he will try to get some help from some of Hommletinhabitants, especially the druid named Jaroo. Gandigoot goes to speak with Naddy (the female gnome who runs theleatherworker shop and is one of the head of Hommlet gnomishcommunity) after their stop at the keep. Gandigoot asks her for thehelp of the gnomes of Hommlet, as he says "Anything could help, andold magic dagger, an unused and perhaps expired healing potion...". Without any promise Naddy tells him that she will pass theword. With sorrow and sadness they go back to the Inn of the WelcomeWench. It is now nearly lunch-timeand they only take a handfull ofminutes before it. Eveaning lunch is quiet today, no bard and no happystory of fame and glory, they all await the dangerous fight oftomorrow and fear for their friends. At this very moment of mourn, a guard from the keep hastily enters theInn, he nearly runs towards their table and asks them to go to thekeep immediately. His face is white and full of fear ... They do nothesitate and run to Hommlet fortress. A surprising number of Hommlet folk are gathered in front of the keep,even more suprising, the guards are preventing anyone from enteringthe fortress. However they let pass the party. The sight into the fortress is hard to withstand ... Lywen and Dianeare back ... or what remains of them. Their corpses were brought back on the back of two horses says them anearby guard. They advance towards their lost friends. The two corpses have been puton ground beside their horses, Elmo is near them and make a signtowards Ezekiel when he sees him. They are still alive !! But what heyendured is terryfying. Their nearly naked bodies are covered withbloody scars, they were tortured and mutilated ... even more horrible,the scars seems to draw some design ont their bodies and some were"colored" in green using an herbal mixture ... someone used theirflesh to practice her "art". I will not describe here the effect of such a vision on the guards ofthe small town, it is enough itself. Even the courageous adventurerswhere shocked, they start to understand that what they fight is evil,real tangible EVIL and that their opponents will not recoil from anyact as inhuman as it can be ! But why where the two send back alive?... to be continued ...-----------------------------------------------------------Episode SEVEN - Interlude, Verbobonc and Chendl - Part 1(A Trip in the Astral Plane ...)</blockquote>

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