The strange man watched as Cor began his spell. The cleric almost smirked as he thought about the surprise he had in store, there would be no questions of the dead this day only more dead. Totally unaware of the deception, the stranger watched Cor cast his spell and then in an instant ceased to exist as the spell took effect. It had been a long time since the elder knight-cleric had cast a slay living spell. "Father Odin understand the necessity." he prayed. For a few moments all was calm; then things went wrong. The trees themselves seemed to close above them and the sound of arrows filled the air; together these two actions seemed to blot out the sun. Cor reflexivly drew his shield and axe; dropping to one knee and raising his shield overhead to provide cover from the arrows. He heard Connel call out that the trees seemed to be on the odd man's side in this fight and he had to agree. "If anyone has a fire spell, now would be a good time to use it on the trees!"

Cor tried to catch a glimpse of were the archers were as best he could under his shield.

After seeing the true name of the man standing in front of them Ulthok was quit sure he had no intention of staying here and paying any price to this stranger. He had made his way back to the boat and had just climbed in as Cor was finishing his spell to talk to the dead. something however did not seem quit right not real familiar with cleric magic but knowing about magic in general the sound of the words and the inflections Cor was uttering just did not seem right for the spell he was to be casting.

and,
As seems to happen once and awhile with this group one of them acts in response to their own moral judgment without all of them being prepared for the consequences of the ones actions and that is what happens next. Instead of talking to the dead Cor cast a slay living spell and directs it at the stranger who being totally unprepared for any attack the stranger could only smile as he died. At first all seemed quite but that did not last long for suddenly there came a great moaning sound and the light from the sky begin to disappear. As he watched Ulthok could see the tree limbs and branches close together and block out all light suddenly it was as dark as any moonless night. Lucky for Ulthok he could see in the dark but he knew some of them did not have that luxury. Then as he was trying to make up his mind as to his first move the air was once again filled with flying arrows. Watching as Conall shoved Althena under the one canoe he thought that was probably a good place to be at least until the wave of arrows passes so grabbing the side of the canoe he quickly tips the thing over using it for cover from the arrows falling from the sky.

Thinking to himself Ulthok realizes that this could be bad for the party already down one with Althena out of it, and two of their number not being able to see in the dark. He knows he must bring light into the clearing, and then he hears Cor "If anyone has a fire spell, now would be a good time to use it on the trees!" He could be right and it may supply some light. However not knowing which trees where supplying cover for the archers or if the trees themselves where actually firing the arrows he really doesn't want to blindly fire off a fireball, so he does what he considers the next best thing. He reaches into his backpack and removes two vials one is “oil of fiery burning” and the second is a vial of common oil.
Sizing up the area around him Ulthok looks for what tree he wants to make his first target, he is looking for the biggest and most gnarled tree in the lot and if it is within his throwing range he will target that one if not he will target which ever tree meets that criteria and can be reached by him.
So once the arrows sound as if they have stopped falling from the sky he will slip out from under the overturned canoe. With the flask of the “oil of fiery burning” in hand he will take aim and throw then wait for the liquid inside to do it's thing, and as he throws the flask he lets the others know.
OK brothers and sisters hopefully light is on it's way. Once he releases the flask and it is in flight he will go back to his belt pouch and his pack to remove at least one more of his oil flasks so that he will have two flasks of oil out.

Haila watched as Cor began his spell. OOh a speak with dead spell. I love spells! Was her initial thought until Cor raised his finger and she realized that that shouldn't be in a speak with dead spell. Turning to look at the short man who had introduced himself a Labinnac shatter into death Haila knew instantly that trouble would only come from this decision. She ran through her spells one last time as the world turned to darkness and a soft whizzing sound.

"If anyone has a fire spell, now would be a good time to use it on the trees!" Cor's call decides the spell Haila uses.

"Sorry Cynil, but the trees have to go." Haila mutters as she pulls the required ingredients from her pack and begins to chant the words. This spell was always fun. It was similar to shooting spit balls. Which is wierd since that's something you'd expect out Bigby instead of Melf but I guess when one's in a bind even Melf will go back to school yard tricks. I just hope There's no affect on the forest that keeps it from being flamable.
As she finished the spell she loaded the tube and fired the first of Melf's minute meteors.

Cynil calls out as things go bad, "The log pile is covered in oil."

As others call out with suggestions she decides to do one spell she never thought she would call on in a forest.

The next thing she knows is Conall grabs her and tucks her behing a canoe. As much as she would thank him she had to start her spell again

From behind the canoe she begins a spell to summons a Fire Elemental, for she has the pot of fire to draw from for its creation. and if anyone light the log pile there would be even more.

Once the spell is off she makes a prayer to Jord asking for forgiveness.

She hates the idea of burning the trees, the Druid in her cringes, but preverted as they are, like a diseased tree, sometimes you have to destroy one to save many.

In this case it would also save her friends.

Rayne has her shield passively on her arm but frees her left hand to prepare Hold Person and cast it at a tree where she sees the most shots coming from.

Her low light vision aiding her ability to preceive where the shots are coing from she releases the spell in the area of the camopy that hides the bowman from their sight.

With the pointing of a single dwarven finger, combat had once again come to the party. But though Cor’s surprise attack was successful, the Stranger literally blown away, it also came as a surprise to most of the rest and in their being unprepared for Cor’s action, wounds some did take......


THE CAMPSITE
Conall, knowing Cor better then any could tell the dwarf Cleric’s anger was up and somehow could almost predict his friend/mentors next act would be one of violence and not of learning.

Quickly finding himself the closet to Althena, he grabbed her and sprinted to the canoes as the trees finally closed off the little daylight left to them and the sound of arrows in flight could be heard. Shoving the semi-comatose women under the protection of the first of the two canoes, he next grabbed the lady Cynil who had almost been standing next to him and shoved her behind the second. But as he turned to kneel and raise his shield, he was seconds too slow as first 1 then a 2nd, then a 3rd and finally a 4th arrow striking the Paladin true.

The first lodged in his upper right arm as he went to raise his shield, the second into his raised knee as he went to kneel, the third into his left side, the fourth into his back all causing pain, blood, and tears. Though hit hard Conall was by no means out of this fight....

The next to act was the Thief/Mage Ulthok, having a varied knowledge of the works of magic including the clerical side, knew from the first syllable of Cor’s casting something was not right. With the Stranger’s death, the trees closing off the sky, and arrows in flight, the Halfling did as had the Paladin before him and sought quickly the cover of the canoes, reaching the second of them first. Though he was lucky to reach it and get down behind it with no arrow wound having taken, he found himself side by side with Cynil who he saw at once had not been as lucky as he....

Cynil having deduced the stranger’s true name and realizing the truth of things had quickly let her find be known by all. With Cor’s act and the following events, she found herself for a moment unprepared to fight. Then as if from behind her a pair of hands were grabbing her hard and throwing her to the ground, the hands belonging to the Paladin Conall.
As she thought of the feeling of strength in those hands and she fell towards the second canoe she was hit by two arrows and grazed by a third.

The first into her left side, the 2nd into her left leg and the 3rd just grazing the left side of her neck. Though in pain and bleeding, the halfling Ulthok now beside her, she began to conjure an Elemental of Fire. For the next six rounds she would be unable to do anything else, even heal, or the spell’s focus she would lose....

Haila though also well versed in the magical arts, though not as well versed in the Cleric nature of them as Ulthok, knew right away that Cor’s gestures were not correct for the spell he was supposedly casting. With the release of the Slay Living spell things in the clearing began to quickly change. With the loss of light, the Fighter/Mage found herself blind but not without her spells.

With a call to put the trees to flame she quickly thought of the right spell to use, with tube in hand she began to cast, aiming at the trees in front of her though she could not see them.

With the first Meteor on its way, striking a tree yards before her, it was her turn to feel pain. Having sought to cast the spell quickly she had given no thought to self defense or gaining any sort of cover and as such was hit by no less then 6 arrows!!

3 into her chest, 1 into her right leg, 1 into her right side and the last into her right foot, the shock and impact forcing her to fly backwards to the ground stunned, bleeding, and for the moment in a great deal of pain....

Rayne as with the other party members was unprepared for the Knight Clerics start of hostilities. Having just said goodbye to her Pegasus mount and having claimed her gear from its back she turned to ask of which canoe she would travel in.

With only 2 canoes and her added weight now having to be loaded in one, the distribution of such would be critical.
But with Cor’s spell released and the death of the stranger the thought of such was gone. The trees moved, darkness fell and with the sound of arrows in flight, her shield was up and she was crouched.

A shadow of a person like shape perhaps seen in the trees, a Hold Person spell on her lips to cast, only to be lost as her concentration was taken from her by the hit of 2 arrows.

The first entered her left hip, the second her right shoulder, causing her shield arm to dip slightly from the impact. Though in pain and losing blood she was like Conall not out of this fight yet....

Cor his attempt of slaying the Stranger successful had perhaps not thought of the ramifications of such. As the trees began to cover the lone opening and arrows helped to block out the little light left the dwarf Knight Cleric immediately raised his shield and went to one knee, not a moment too soon.

Cor, the shield and his size making him hard to hit, felt and heard the impact of no less then 10 arrows land on the ground around him and 5 upon his shield, only his strength keeping him solid. With axe in hand and no wounds the next move of the instigator of this fight was up to he himself. But as he tried to spot the archers in the trees not a one did he see....

The last to act this 1st round of battle was the Halfling Fighter Divot. Finding himself too far from the canoes to reach them in time, too far to reach the woods, and no real cover around him, he did the only thing he could think of...he dove for cover behind the pile of skulls!

To his amazement not a single arrow came his way, it was as if the arrows, or better the archers, knew not to fire in their direction. What kind of meaning did these skulls have to the archers within the trees to avoid their fire?
With nowhere else for the moment to go Divot had time to think.....

The rain of arrows for this round over, all but three of the party having been hit, it was with a sense of “Oh S**t” that the party heard another flight of arrows incoming towards them.
Yet with the bad news there was also some good news, if one wanted to call it as such. For with the impact of Haila’s lone Minute Meteor a small fire had started upon a tree and was slowing getting bigger. The blue and red flames providing a good source of light....

(OOC: Ok good posting all. Eol sends his apologies but once again he has been slammed at work these past weeks. Never fun to be a contracter for the Military .

Jenth for the moment at least Haila is down, stunned, but not unconscious so next round you can perform a half action. Crawl a quarter of your walking speed, grab a potion of healing, but not drink it, start mouthing the words to a spell, fire off another meteor at a -3 to hit etc...
If you have any questions about an action you wish to do feel free to email, PM or post it on the Q/A.

Ok next topic, I was going to put the game as I said on Haitus but have decided instead to do this. If by next Wednesday the majority of characters have posted I will post Rd 2 of this fight. By majority I mean 5 players or more, if I get 5 of you I will post if not then I’ll post the 2nd of January as stated in my post of last week.

Again good posting and for those of you who took hits please check your character sheets in the character thread for damage. Also to all of you no matter if I have RL contact with you or not. I wish you the best of this Holiday Season....Merry Christmas!)

Cor waited beneath his shield. He heard teh "think" of arrows landing and the muffled crys of pain from his companions. Best he could tell there had been over 20 arrows fired and so they faced at least 10 enemies. He knew that the only way to defeat archers was to close with them and take away their advantage. Keeping his shield above him, the knight-cleric ran into the woodline in the general direction the arrows came from using thier orientation in his shield as a guide. He planned to search them out and engage in close combat.

Haila shot off the first of hopefully many minute meteors setting the tree she had luckily hit afire. But she had no time to congratulate herself as her entire body burst into pain. Blast, I should have known better. Taila always told me that I needed to guard myself better. As the arrows dug their way into their target Haila dropped to the ground. She crawled towards her pack to pull a potion from it, hoping it'll be enough to save her.

Cynil blinked back tears of pain, she cannot let the pain interrupt her spell. Asking for strength of her goddess she begins the incantation that would summons a Fire Elemental.

Some of the anger she had felt earlier she draws around her as a shield bolstering her determination to aid her comrades. They were in need and she would suffer the pain of her wounds in silence to give them what they needed.

OOC: sorry DM I know I always (well not always) write more than one action in some of my post thanks for keeping me in line
BIC:Having been lucky and found cover quickly Ulthok took no damage from the flying arrows. Cynil who lie next to him was not so lucky as she took 2 arrows into her body. As he listened he could tell she was now in the process of casting a spell so Ulthok deceides it best not to try to help her right now or he would disrupt her spell.


Going back to his original plan he scans the area and sees that Halia had managed to start a small fire on one of the trees burning in a red and blue light.so he thinks to himself no need to waste the potion of fiery burning since there is already a flame source.In his belt pouch he is carrying two flasks of oil so he will attempt to start an even larger fire and get the trees really burning.That is if the fire that is burning is within his throwing range.So while the air seems clear of arrows the halfling will get the vials of oil out and with one in hand target the now burning tree and throw with the idea to add fuel to the flames and to spread it around.

If the already burning fire is too far to be reached by throwing a vial he will then use the oil of firey burning instead.He will target thee trees as close to the already burning trees as he can. So either way he will be attempting to spread the already burning flames.

Conall’s right hand fell to his pouch on his belt and inside said pouch was a small pocket special made just a few weeks for an item that Conall know one evening would come in handy. “Now is the time I need you.” But as he went to retrieve the item an arrow found his right arm. Conall left the item in its place and went to lift his shield and as he did so an arrow found his knee as it now was unprotected by the lifted shield one then found his left side, “Well at least they fight with some honor, none have shoot me in the back.” Odin is full of tricks, as these words fell from Conall’s lips a fourth arrow found the center of Conall’s back.

Pain was now ripping through the Paladin’s body it was then his child hood training came to him, ‘Take the pain and use it! Put it deep inside and release it when it is called for. Do not let it take you away from the fight at hand!’ Conall lifted to his feet, spiting blood from his mouth and blinking the tears from his eyes he saw Cor closing the distance between himself and the trees, ‘Crazy fool, I must draw eyes away from him.’ Conall then put his own shield in front of him and with a great battle cry charged for the tree line waving his sword and swearing in the only dwarven he knew (which was insults learned from Cor himself while sitting around a keg of ale.) “Your Mother’s face is as smooth as an Elvin baby’s bottom.” Like a mad man Conall headed for the tree line.

As he tossed his fuel into the flames to try and ignight as many trees as possable Ulthok watches the drama unfolding out in the open part of the camp where the three Halia, Cor, and Conall where caught.Two of the three had been hit by the flying arrows with Halia it seemed taking the worst of it.

As he watched first Cor rising from his crouched postion rushes the trees like he knew where the archers where, then just seconds later Conall even with four arrows in him follows Cor and sprints out across the camp and towards the tree line. He knows they want to close on the archers making it diffcult for them to use their bows on them, but for some reason Ulthok has a bad feeling that archers they may not find.He is not sure and has no information that would let him come to this conclusion and he hopes he may be wrong, but he feels the trees are somehow firing upon them as crazy as that may sound, but the fact that the trees had also somehow cut off all the sunlight into the camp as if they had somehow bent over and reached out to join hands (branches) to block out the light.He feels very strongly that the trees are what needs to be attacked and destroyed of course he could be wrong.

Rayne's concentration is disturbed when she is hit by the arrows. Using her ring of communication she tell Arwen to attack anyone in the trees. Then she quickly looks about to check on the other. Rayne can see others have been hit some seriously and also spots Divot behind the skulls apparently unharmed.. She begins her spell anew as she walks over to Divot and ducks down using the skulls for cover. She wants to get this spell off first then most likely start healing.

Rayne does not have a lot of area of effect spells and few others of significant help in this situation. However she will do her best to help the party in every way she can.

The day had become night, arrows had drawn blood, an enemy, but for one, so far unseen. The tree’s themselves did appear dark and sinister, were they the true foe, the real enemy here, or were they just a trick of the gazer’s mind. Amidst the battle a fire growing larger......

THE CAMPSITE
Cor mayhap having been fast enough, or maybe small enough, but mostly lucky enough had not taken any hits from the15 arrows sent his way in the first flight.
Knowing to stay where he was would only provide a stationary target decided to close with the archers hidden within the forest. With a burst of speed and keeping his shield above him, the knight-cleric made to run into the wood line in the general direction most of the arrows had come from. In that, he was successful, but barely as two arrows did this time strike him true.

The first into the rear of his non-shield arm did strike, the second into the rear portion of the same side shoulder, both arrows cutting deep. With the combined momentum from both arrows, added to that of his running forward progress he made the trees but not on his feet, landing hard just within them. Gaining his feet once again, his action over, he gazed into the woods deep but no enemy did he find....

Cynil was hurt, tears in her eyes, blood soaking the earth beneath her, the 2 arrows yet imbedded in her skin. With a new flight of arrows inbound she gave all no heed as she stayed focused on her spell of summoning. thunk thunk whump thunk whump 5 arrows landing around her 2 into the sand and 3 striking into the bottom of the canoe. crack a sixth arrow slicing through someone else's armor, crunch A seventh striking into someone else's flesh, all this did she ignore her mind as one, though her body bled. Five rounds to go....

Conall had been hurt yet was far from giving into the pain the arrows had caused. Crouched as he was he knew he was not in the best of places to be, clear that this enemy preferred the use of arrows to swords. His choices small his decision was made for him as he saw his dwarf mentor make for the tree line. Though hit by two arrows still had, the Knight Cleric made it and so would he. On his feet and running full out before changing his, mind the Paladin ‘charged’.

As with Cor before so to was Conall successful but also as with a Cor an arrow hit he did take, this time to his mid section on his left side, this arrow joining the 4 yet embedded within his flesh. 3 more arrows in due course slammed into his shield, the impacts threatening to impede his forward progress, but Conall like a charging bull had too much of a head of steam to be stopped by such. Reaching the tree line and the trees made his next action undecided, as he like Cor, no enemies did see, nor did he see his dwarven friend....

Haila was down; she was badly hurt and knew that to move would cause her much pain as 6 arrows yet resided within various areas of her body. Moving slowly to reach her pack, lost for the moment in pain, she had forgotten that all of her Extra-Healing Potions were on her in a hardened pouch at her side. Stopping she reached for one and hoped her movement, and by that, the fact she yet lived would go unnoticed by the archers hidden in the tree’s. However, it was her fate, that though her movement had not been seen, the arrows were not targeted but fired in volley into the campsite as a whole. The sheer number of them causing the good chance of a hit. And so did a 7th arrow strike her this time into her right hip it so lodged, but her Potion to hand the next round she could drink of it....

With the loss of her Hold Person spell, gone when she was hit and the casting disturbed, and having no real offensive spells Rayne for the moment found she at a loss as what to do next. Calling out to the owl Arwen she quickly sent him to attack any in the trees and looks to the rest of the party to see what aid she could give. Seeing the Halfling Divot in place by the pile of skulls, she makes for him at a fast walk. Somehow, in the midst of battle the thought to run lost, she was struck yet again by two fast falling arrows.

The first of these 2 new arrows slammed into her left arm to join the one already there while the 2nd slammed hard into her right knee the impact of which caused her to misstep and land hard on her left side, plunging the arrow already there deeper into her hip, and came to rest next to the Halfling fighter. For the moment lost in the pain of new wounds and old, Rayne was stunned and only able to act, like Haila before, in a limited role the next turn....

For Divot, the fight to this point had been for the Halfling fighter as if he was watching a staged play as no arrow or attack had come his way. His light crossbow of Speed in his hands seeking a target had found not a one and so Divot readied himself to, as had Cor and Conall, charge into the tree’s before him.

However, in the next moment that choice was taken from him as Rayne came crashing to the ground to lie next to him bloody and semi-conscious. Though no healer Divot knew that with 4 arrows in her, the one in her left hip in deep and clearly the worst of her wounds, and the amount of blood pouring from the Ranger Cleric she was in dire straits. Desperately he looked for any means of healing upon her person having nothing of his own, a Potion, a ring, anything, was shocked to find none! It seemed the Ranger Cleric though she was a healer had no healing other then spells to heal herself. Divot at a loss could only hope for the help of another and such did call out.

“I need help Rayne is down and dying I need something to heal her with now!”....

The last to act this second round was Divot’s Halfling brother Ulthok. Seeing that Haila had started a fire already he proposed to set it burning faster with the addition of a flask of oil. As he raised himself, flask in hand ready to throw he was hit almost at once by two arrows.
The first, blunted somewhat by his cloak and body suit, did only a small amount of damage, while the second into the armpit of his throwing arm did strike. The pain immense the Halfling Fighter/Mage did not let that stop him as the flask he threw.

Even in pain, his aim was on target and well within his range and the flask hit a tree and shattered. The next moment the tree exploded, the flames a bright yellow, the blast power so strong, it went out and up causing bits of flaming tree and bark to scatter everywhere at once catching other trees on fire around the campsite and acting as shrapnel. With his action over Ulthok made to hide once again behind the canoe but was struck by the force wave from the blast and thrown into the river at his back. The second canoe shattered, its wooden body as the tree before it having become like shrapnel.

Cynil was thrown to land upon the rivers bank 30 feet away, her body pierced by numerous small pieces of wood. Dazed, her spell of Summoning lost, she would still be able to act this next round....

The blast wave did not stop there and the whole campsite felt its power. The pile of skulls was gone in a second, the skulls thrown everywhere, Rayne’s body flung 10 yards from where it had been the Ranger Cleric unconscious. Divot fared a little better but not by much finding himself on his back 5 yards back, numerous pieces of wood in his body, but still conscious and able to act....

Haila was, other the Cor and Conall, the luckiest of those still in the campsite as the blast wave mostly passed over her. However, the strong passing wave of heated air did cause her to spill a dose of the now open Potion she still had three left and would still be able to drink this next round....

Cor and Conall having just reached the tree’s were lucky in that no direct damage did they take. Though apart from the others and not in direct contact with the blast both felt the power of it, the heat of the flames at their backs as the tree’s around them began to burn....

Somehow, as if a hand or god did look down upon the campsite the 1st canoe, with Althena under it was spared of all damage. The most important of the party for the moment once again unharmed....

The campsite for the most part engulfed in flames, the fire clearly out of control, no tree free of flames. The air now thin, the fire feeding upon it to give itself more life, more strength to burn, began to spread outward from the clearing and deeper into the forest itself. No arrows this round were fired, the archers dead or they themselves fleeing the flames, the party left behind to mayhap burn to death....



SOMEWHERE ABOVE
D**n him, Soulcatcher thought as she flew alone high above the ground, why did he still blame her for the fighting at that small human town. It was no big loss only a few hundred of them, only orc’s breed faster then human scum. Okay yes having to kill the town folk had caused them to lose the trail of the ‘one’ but surely; she was only a few days ahead of them. Once they were back in range of her, she would again be easy to detect and follow to the prize, so why the big deal. Deep inside Soulcatcher had enjoyed the killing it had been so long since any of the 10 had a chance to do so.
Her thoughts ripped to the present she saw a bright light erupt to the North a good 30 miles away; though small at this distance, the Shadow Wraith knew it was large blast to have been seen this far away.
Swinging Loftwyr to the North, she went to investigate....


SOMEWHERE ELSE
To her it was such a beautiful day stting here with Alasdair, one with his duties as the new captain of her father, the king‘s, personal guard were so rare. The sand was soft and the water gently caressed the the edge of the beach below as Alasdair walked from the water having taken what had seemed a very long swim. His muscular body wet and glistening was every thing she could want in a man, so lucky she was to have him. Her hand placed upon her swollen stomach she whispered to it
as are you to have him as your father As Alasdair reached her side, he did not sit as she had expected, in the background, a loud but distant boom was heard and the heat of the sun felt stronger, but stood looking down upon her with eyes so sad as if his heart was breaking.
Althena at once knew something was wrong.

“What is it my love what troubles you to make you so sad.”

“It is time Althena for you to leave here and return to those that need you. I have protected you till now but I grow weak”

“Leave but we only just arrived this morning and its only midday.”

“You must, our time for now is over, and so you must return”

“No Da***t I will not leave here without you I shall stay forever!”

Alasdair this time did not reply but continued to look to her with eyes so very sad....

(OOC: Ok here’s the mid Holiday post I promised if enough of ya posted, and yes it’s a long one but I decided to start a few side things I had been waiting on early thanks to Dragonmist and his nice use of Oil with a very hot magical fire. I had to look up the effects of fires in real life then compare them with the heat level of magical fire and the results above. A new bit of knowledge I did not have before so again thanks my friend you can never know too much.
Ok next post next Wednesday as normal and hopefully once the holidays calm down Eol will finaly return to the Inn and start posting once again.)

CHARACTER STATUS Conall: Active Cor: Active Cynil: Stunned but able to act Divot: Active Haila: Active but only able to do half action Rayne: Unconscious Ulthok: Active

Conall feels the heat roll over his back and then the forest is ablaze around him. “What in the depths of the underworld was that!?” with out thought did he yell. He knew another volley of arrows would be arriving soon so he kept his head down and shield up, but none did come. With a fire burning almost out of control around him he had but one thought, ‘To the river!’ So Conall did he get up and run to the river.