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="Seravin" data-source="post: 898156" data-attributes="member: 6783">Rafting on the ChurnettA few days past Midsummer – a little over a month since the group metIt was raining.  That’s all it had been doing for the last three days since the flat-bottom river barge had left Milbourne.  Captain Peresten looked at the skies and cursed yet again while he pulled his cloak tighter about him.  Hard to believe it was only a week since mid-summer.  It was cooler than usual and the small, cold droplets of rain didn’t help.  Still and all the trip was quieter than the rumors suggested he had any right to expect and even if trouble did show, the new guards he hired had quite a reputation.  Orcs? He thought.  Let them try.  No, the only thing he had to worry about on this trip was the higher than usual river.  The Churnett was rougher than usual, almost like Dyanna herself was mad.  It had slowed their progress a bit as he was being careful.  They’d be at Parlfray Keep by tomorrow night though.LaterAshimar and Beren had guard duty.  Beren was one of the captain’s permanent boat handlers; a likeable fellow in most ways to Ashimar’s way of thinking.  Meaning that while on the job, Beren knew how to be quiet.  The captain had decided to camp a little early this evening, next to a small copse of trees that would provide shelter if the rain came back.The two of them were standing a bit away from the sleepers, just casually walking around in order to keep awake.  Neither of them was really expecting any trouble.  Sure, there had been bandit activity south of here a couple years ago, even rumors of werebeasts, but the guard post stationed at Widdenbred Dale had put those menaces down.  Sure, the cargo was obviously valuable (weapons and armor – Ashimar had checked), but it wasn’t the sort of cargo that was easy to carry away or easy to fence.So neither one of the two men was expecting trouble.  Which made it especially impressive when Ashimar heard the noise.  It was really just a faint rustling of the leaves followed by a bit of silence.  Ashimar had really good ears.Unfortunately he and Beren were just a little slow in moving and several arrows came shooting out of the darkness at him and his fellow guard.  “Bandits!”  Yelled Ashimar.  “Wake up!”  He urged as he drew his rapier.  In the darkness he could hear men approaching.  Seconds later two men charged out of the woods straight for the two guardsmen.  Ashimar and Beren met the attack head on and the battle was joined.Kellron was quickly up, followed by Kestral, Panther, Jallarzi, and the other three boatmen.  Kellron quickly gathered up his shield and sword and joined Ashimar in the fight.  Kestral drew her bow but in the darkness she couldn’t see much; unlike the bandits who seemed unimpaired by the darkness.  Panther and Jallarzi were able to help out by laying down light spells.The fighting was furious, made more-so when the hidden bowmen emerged from the woods to take up arms against the group.  Upon seeing them, Jallarzi hit the newcomers with a sleep spell, downing about half of them with a magical slumber.Then the voice came from the other side of the camp; an invocation to the darkness to steal away the slumber and the men awoke.  Jallarzi cursed and began looking for the new threat.  She wasn’t able to find him though until the newcomer invoked his second prayer, freezing Ashimar in place.  The new threat was a man of medium build with a ragged black cloak with his hood pulled low.  He was wearing fine chainmail and in his off-hand was carrying a large flail.Fortunately for the travelers, the tide of battle had started to turn in their favor.  Already the first two bandits had been laid low.  Kestral had been forced to drop her bow and draw her sword in order to defend Jallarzi, but she was doing moderately well, her slight strength not withstanding.Kellron downed the bandit he was fighting and charged the newcomer.  The newcomer smiled lazily and readied his weapon.  “I’ll dedicate your soul to Tresh!”  Threatened the dark haired man.Kellron’s eyes narrowed at the name of the Dark Tyrant.  With a yell he channeled all his might into his next blow.  “Sarath!”  The blow connected and drove the man back, but he gamely stepped forward and swung also.Meanwhile Kestral, Panther, Jallarzi, and the boatsmen were holding their own.  Two of Captain Peresten’s men were down, including Beren; but Kestral and Jallarzi were able to drop another bandit, leaving two left.  Panther was tending to the fallen boatsmen.The newcomer was no fool.  He might take the Sarathian fool in front of him; but then, he might not.  There was always another day and he had their measure now.  “Tevel.”  It was a nonsense word, bearing no meaning that he was ever able to determine.  No meaning except it caused his cloak to write and split, forming great bat wings.  “Next time, fool.”  He promised Kellron, leaping into the air and flying southwards.As the Treshan flew away, he passed the still frozen Ashimar’s line of sight.  The young man’s keen eyesight easily spotted the eyepatch the hooded man was wearing.The two remaining bandits seeing their boss flee tried to emulate him.  They made it about fifteen feet before Jallarzi’s next spell dropped the both of them.A search of the bodies didn’t reveal anything other than some empty flasks, some coins, and the arms and armor the bandits bore.  Although one of them had a well-crafted bow that Jallarzi confirmed as magical.As for the two prisoners they had captured, neither one cared to talk.  Even when threatened with the hanging they would almost certainly receive when turned over to the authorities in Thurmaster.  Their loyalty and reticence was unusual and both bore a faint fishy smell that was more in place of a seaside dock than out in the middle of the woods.For his part, Captain Peresten was well pleased of the protection he had bought.  It would have been very grim if these strangers hadn’t been around to help.  He probably wouldn’t have felt that way if he had known that the attack was entirely because of those strangers.  Just as well, really.The next morning it only took a few hours to get going again and make it to the banks of the river next to Thurmaster.  While Kellron and Panther helped unload the barge, Ashimar escorted Jallarzi and Kestral to go see Tauster again.  It had been a unanimous, if unvoiced, decision to make sure that Jallarzi was never left alone again.Tauster was pleased to see the white-haired sorceress again and was pleased with her progress when he quizzed her about various sections on the book.  When told of their recent adventures at the Library in Blasingdale however he grew quiet, and to Kestral he seemed fearful even.Still, the old mage brushed it off quickly enough and was quite interested in the ring they had bargained from the goblins.  It was likely he could have kept them there all day talking about it, but the three had to move on to catch up with the wagon train.  Tauster bid them farewell and promised to have some more information the next afternoon. </blockquote>

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