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="Haraash Saan" data-source="post: 5100186" data-attributes="member: 46615">We found him soon after, charred, burnt and in shock. He mumbled something about being attacked by something from within a tree.     “Arms came out of the tree!” he spouted excitedly. “They tried to drag me into the tree but I managed to fight them off.”    “Then a horrible tree like face with fangs came from within the tree and tried to maul me!” he continued.    I do not doubt that the others felt the same as I, Argonne was hysterical. It had been his watch, and there was no doubt that something had happened, but nothing he had said so far sounded plausible.    “But just as it launched itself at me again a huge lightening bolt struck the tree sending me sprawling and totally destroying the tree and hopefully the thing in it.” He said breathlessly.    Just as I was about to pacify and calm him in an attempt to ease his delusions Moxadder spoke.    “Sounds to me like a Tree Troll.” He said in a rare moment of clarity. “I heard me about them. Real nasty buggers. Best keep our eyes open for it. I doubt that lightening would have fried it.”    Even as we tried to get more information from the Fastendian his eyes glazed over. He was back in his happy place.    An uneasy night followed. Nightmares of wicked trees trying to catch me as I ran through a forest consumed my mind.    I was exhausted when I woke, but relieved that only my mind had tried to torment me.    At midday we found the source of the stream. The map had been right!    A large pool had formed underneath a waterfall that spewed forth from a cave mouth some fifty feet above the water. This was the bandit’s lair! Or so we thought.    As we peered at the landscape before us a strange little blue creature popped out of the water next to the waterfall, fish in his mouth, and scampered up the slippery rock face before disappearing into the cave.    My first thought was that it was some strange pet of the brigands. As was to be proved later I was not entirely wrong.     We watched the cave and its environs for two hours and saw no more sign of life.    There was no obvious path to access the cave and the sheer cliff above it allowed us no entrance if we were to climb the hill that it sat in.    “I’ve an idea.” Said Mortec slyly.    And so he did. He had discovered some time ago that a ring that he had fancied and taken as part of his share of Rumscully Jack’s treasure was one that enabled its wearer to walk over water!     He suggested the Moxadder borrow the ring, use it to cross the pool and try to make his way up the cliff, then drop a rope down for the rest of us to climb.    It was a sound plan with only one catch. There was no way I was going to swim in some unknown pool, filled with who knew what.     The others, full of empty sympathy suggested that I act as the rear guard. Taken aback at their lack of respect I huffed away and tried to find another way up to the cave.    I found a worn animal track, to narrow for a human, that seemed to wind its way up from the right hand edge of the pool, to somewhere near the cave mouth.     With this new news I hurried back to the others to find that, to a man they had already taken Mortec’s damp route. Even as I looked Strav clamoured over the edge of the cliff. He stood for a moment as if assessing what was before him, blew the horn he had taken from the booty of Rumscully Jack, and charged into the cave!    Something was happening, but from my vantage at ground level I could not see. Nor could I hear over the pounding of the waterfall.    There was nothing for it. I had to swallow my pride, and private fears, and braved the waters. I stripped down to my undergarments, strapped my rapier to my back and strode into the chilly waters.    I shivered involuntarily as the water soon engulfed me and I swam as best as I could to the dangling salvation that was the rope.    The water itself was refreshingly cold. There was no imagined slime or grasping plant, but I still paddled with apprehension. I would be much happier with earth (or rock) under foot.    The roar of the waterfall crashing against rock and water alike was deafening. The rope swayed, moved by the force of the falling water, as I groped for it. My grasping hand closed, once, twice, three times on air until finally I managed to clutch it.     I hauled myself slowly out of the water, and managed to prop my legs against the rock wall. Hand over hand I took care to check my grip each time I pulled myself up the rope.     Even as I child I had never been a climber. I had not ever had a need to climb. Perhaps that is why I felt strangely invigorated by such a simple thing. I could feel my lungs puffing and my heart pounding within my chest. My arms felt knotted and I felt alive.    In short time I stood at the cave mouth, covered with dirt that clung to my saturated undergarments although at that moment I did not realise it for I now understood why Strav had charged into the cave.    Even though there was the remnants of a strange fog still licking at their heels, I could see that my comrades were hard pressed in combat. Mortec, Strav, Argonne and Zhontell stood toe to toe with a huge monstrous tree like creature and a huge wolf! The Forest Troll, for that is what I took it for, towered over them, and even as I witnessed the spectacle it struck Argonne with a mighty blow that crashed him against a wall. Morgan already lay in a pool of blood at its feet!    I felt something within me stir. I was furious! Even now I know not why I felt the rage that I did. Was it the mortal peril that my comrades faced? Or perhaps it was the contempt I felt for myself for not being here with them earlier? Whatever it was it woke some strange power within me.    I strode forward and cried out words I did not understand, and unconsciously thrust forward my palm. A jet of flame shot out from it and struck the troll in the chest with such force that the massive creature stumbled back, fighting for balance as it slapped its chest trying to put out the flames that now encased it.    My comrades wasted no time! They renewed their efforts and began hacking and slashing it with great gusto seeking to gain the advantage.     Mortec, perhaps sensing that Morgan was losing his fight for life took the opportunity to lay his hands upon him whilst mouthing some ancient prayer to Todesmagie.    Morgan’s eyes flickered open and in an instant he had leapt to his feat, sword in hand and delivered the killing the thrust that penetrated the trolls bark-like skin so much so that the sword was buried to the hilt in the beast and was ripped from Morgan’s hand as it fell backwards.    The wolf, seeing the troll downed, fled past the blades of my comrades and disappeared out of the cave mouth.    “Come back ‘ere!” screamed Moxadder from behind me.    I spun quickly, for I had noticed him before. He had been in the shadows of a natural passageway fighting (judging from the three corpses) strange little blue creatures like the one we had seen crawl out of the pool.    Now I saw Moxadder running, screaming toward the edge of the waterfall. He was in hot pursuit of one of the creatures. However it took no heed of the height of the cliff and dove straight off to plummet into the waiting pool below.    Such was Moxadder’s determination and catching his foe that he almost followed suit, but managed to catch himself even as he slipped at the lip of the rock. Instead he sated himself with more cursing.    I discovered that my comrades had encountered several of the large wolves and the blue creatures in the caves and had been attack by them. Whilst the combat raged the Forest Troll had appeared from a corridor had had decisively swung the confrontation in our opponents favour. Thankfully I had arrived when I did to tip the ultimate balance to our advantage.     Although my companions questioned me ad nauseam I could not satisfy their, or my own, questions about what it was that I had done to cause the flame. There was no doubt that it was magical, but it was almost as if I had been acting without will. I would have to query Isabella about the strange event. If I could learn how to control it, I would have a powerful weapon at my disposal.       </blockquote>

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