The man about town

The best of us

Game recap: 06 November 2013

The crew (minus Krylsteln) decide to set an ambush for the would-be ambushers of Raydo in the Grand Bazaar

Maximus and Lareth disguise themselves (or are disguised, in the case of Lareth) as half-orcs to act as Grax's bodyguards

Glaskanon disguises himself as the redoubtable Raydo

Koge remains undisguised

Grax, Maximus, and Lareth head to Grax's booth in the Bazaar. Grax continues to pretend to be selling wares while Lareth casts Aid on Maximus. Grax scolds Lareth for not being surreptitious enough. Lareth and Maximus head a few steps away and pretend to 'take a whizz' against a wall while Lareth also casts Bear's Endurance on Maximus. The casting of Align Weapon unfortunately fails.

Meanwhile Raydo struts through the Bazaar greeting random folk and generally acting as the flamboyant playboy that he is. A slaver beckons him into his tent to inspect his wares and Raydo is taken by one young woman. After much heckling skillfully played (and a secret casting of Charm Person) by the indubitable Raydo they agree on a price and the money is exchanged. Raydo then begins to insult the slaver and curse him for his despicable business to which the slaver replies that by paying him Raydo has only contributed to his business. Outwitted but not to be outdone Raydo then makes a grand show of freeing his newly purchased slave.

Raydo and the ex-slave Jessica then exit the tent and head to another in order to get Jessica some new clothes. Having only just freed her Raydo then shackles the woman once again -- but this time only metaphorically -- with his declaration that she is now 'his woman' and that they will 'get married'. Jessica is understandably beside herself and doesn't know what to make of the sudden life changes she's rapidly going through.

Koge has in the meantime spotted a suspicious looking man whittling a stick near the area where Raydo and Jessica have been shopping. She communicates this telepathically to Glaskanon/Raydo. In order to spring the trap he moves towards the man that Koge told him about.

The trap is sprung: Two crossbow bolts hit our man Raydo in the chest and he takes 9 HP damage plus Constitution damage from a poison on one of the bolts, lowering his ability score by 1 and HP by an additional 13. The snipers reveal their locations to be on nearby rooftops and the man who had been whittling stands up and draws a sword.

Initiative is to be rolled...

Synopsis and character round-up

Having received their mission from Count Drake to eliminate the healers' camp illegally setting up within Scornubel's borders our loosely held together group of antiheroes had a week in which to settle affairs that had been kept waiting. Glaskonon, fittingly having taken the leadership role, arranged to hire the spy and assassin Ydenzyk to scout out the camp's exact location and to ascertain its defenses. Full details of the personnel can be found in the The Healers post. Belvor, the healers' leader, is a well-known paladin famous for slaying dragons, demons, and undead. He also has a number of sexual predilections that tend towards the unspeakable but these are kept well hidden from his comrades. Ydenzyk overheard talk of how the healers' would conduct a defense but was unable to get any details; he did, however, learn that the group expects crowds of those needing healing to begin gathering at dawn every morning that the camp is in session conducting its services.

Guido Osky also informed our lads of his knowledge of Raydo, one of Glaskonon's disguises, seeking out information on what he ought not to be. Osky has not indicated any awareness of Raydo as a disguise for someone else and appears to believe the cover story; Osky also does not seem to know that he was scried upon with the kidnapped Iprar Tair. To move Osky's suspicion away from the three of them personally Krylsteln told him that they had learned of the doppelganger to be sent against the Count via one of Glaskonon's contacts and Glaskonon was then able to further deflect Osky from pressing the matter by shifting the topic towards the healers and kept his contact's identity secret.

Grax, nephew of Stromm

Added to all of this is the rumour that the indefatigable Stromm, Lord of the Waste Lords, Sorcerer of the Barren Lands, and Cleric of His Holiness the Punisher: Gruun of the Eight Arms, has sent his nephew Grax to infiltrate Scornubel on a mission of suspected usurpation. Count Drake appears quite concerned over the reports and would also like Grax killed if possible.

Where and who the doppelganger is in all of this remains a mystery, as does who was behind the recent assassination attempt on Count Drake. Osky's role is also unclear, and Krylsteln at least suspects him of using the Stromm story to distract attention away from himself, particularly if he did intend to send the doppelganger in Iprar Tair's guise to kill the Count. Schemes of such magnitude are difficult to keep hidden, however, and so it may be best for our three tentative adventurers to stay focused on the task at hand with the healers' camp while keeping their eyes and ears open for more information on the background political subterfuge.

15 March 2013 - Socks pulled firmly up

G decides to visit Wainrur and tell him that the plan is for G to tell Vorg everything and hope that Vorg then relays the information to Kevorkian. G asks Wainrur to have Vorg spied on to make sure that Vorg does indeed pass on the pertinent information.

Wainrur offers to have some men and women keep an eye on Vorg and his crew, and relays that Vorg and Kevorkian are quite close friends.

G then thanks Wainrur and heads out to visit Captain Vorg. En route he gets a 15 know local and 24 gather info (diplomacy) and learns that Vorg is on his rounds and currently at The Ugly Harpy, surrounded by Thieves' Guild members and with his crew sitting around the well outside the pub. Vorg is confident enough to leave his crew outside while he alone is with the TG. It is known that Vorg takes handouts from the TG and is also known as a toughie combatant, lowlife, and chronic drug user.

G plays the room in his ladies' man costume, flirting away and keeping a keen eye out on the premises while he moves from table to table. G discovers that the women in the room are of the working kind and pays one a coin, acting like he's paying for a drink. He gets a 21 perception check and sees that one boy is watching him but trying to pretend that he isn't looking at him.

Vorg is in his element, appears to be high and possibly physically enhanced by drugs as well, he is being plied with drinks by the thieves and appears to be having a great time. He is sitting next to the fire and there are four men along the back wall playing a game of dice.

G approaches Vorg and, gazing into the fire, tells a joke with a perform check of 30. Those around the fire laugh and appreciate it, but a few also look a bit askance at him wondering who this stranger is. G tells another joke at a check of 25, and all around are taken in by G's joke and paying close attention to him. G then bursts into a bawdy song about a man who mistakes various barnyard animals for his wife at different points in one evening, the song is G's take on a well-known tune and he gets a perform check of 35. Those listening love it and are quite impressed, slapping their thighs, patting him on the back, and asking for his name. G gives his name as Raydo, from Sombar but has traveled around since the age of 10. The crowd hates Sombar and G says he does too, he wanted to come to Scornubel because he heard that it was a fun place.

G/Raydo then attempts to engage Vorg in conversation, getting a diplomacy check of 29. G/R says he is looking for a place to work where he can tell jokes, sing, and find women. He charms Vorg quite thoroughly, telling another joke at a check of 22. This joke does not go over as well but Vorg says that if G/R wishes to speak with him further he can do so outside and then Vorg does a series of actions that are obviously a signal to someone, and has something passed to him that then vanishes.

Vorg heads outside and his men form a protective group around him, heading down Gold Street. G/R finishes his drink and heads outside, Vorg is speaking to his men in a strange language. G/R gets a 15 on a linguistics check and realizes that they are speaking in a type of pig-latin, with Vorg laughing at the easy pickings of simply showing up and getting paid.

G/R heads down Gold Street towards the Eastern Gate in the same direction as the guards. It is now just starting to get dark, the time is 4:30pm and the season is late autumn. The square grey building near S on the map is the East Watch Guardhouse. The Eastern Watch guards are somewhat looked down on but monitor the main gate to the city. Vorg and his crew are worshipers of Hextor and are quite notorious for their prowess and lack of graceful virtues.

G/R goes to the Eastern Watch guardhouse and tells the man watching the door that he would like to speak with Captain Vorg, getting a 29 diplomacy. A sergeant comes out and says that the captain is busy. G/R offers to wait, giving his name and where he met Vorg. The sergeant goes into the building and about 25 minutes later reappears and calls for Raydo. He leads G/R into the building and up the stairs. The second floor is very nicely furnished and built, G/R is searched in preparation of seeing Vorg, the guard does a search check of 24 and finds nothing. He then leads G/R into a large room where Vorg is leaning back in a large leather chair, a polar bear rug on the floor before him. There are two men on either side of him.

Vorg asks G/R who he is and why he should be trusted. G/R gets a 29 on a diplomacy check and says that he had wanted to meet Vorg and is hoping to get some allies in the city. Vorg signals to his men and they surround G/R and block the exits. G/R says that he was at a club recently and heard about Vorg, offering his gift of opium by placing it on the desk. G/R gets a 28 on sense motive and can see that Vorg is trying to hide his true feelings but hasn't had any opium for a long time and is very excited. Vorg offers his help and G/R says that he wants a long-term alliance with Vorg and his men. Vorg asks who he is again and where he's from, G/R gets a 29 on bluff and repeats his background from The Ugly Harpy, adding that he can be trusted and is looking for protection. G/R says that he knows of Kevorkian but thinks that Vorg is more approachable, he wants Vorg to smooth his entry into the city. Vorg warns him that crossing any of the guilds will get him killed and wants to be paid regularly in both drugs and gold. G/R says that he can't regularly get drugs in Scornubel yet, and Vorg replies that he is disappointed and begins smoking opium. G/R says that he's heard some rumours about a plot to kill the Duke and that a dancer has gone missing and replaced by a shapeshifter. G/R sees that Vorg feels like he needs to act on the information but is passing into his fix. Vorg calls one of his men over and speaks in the pig-latin again, mentioning that Aenius is to be called for and told to send for Keeanu. Vorg's eyes then roll over and he descends into a drug-induced stupor. G/R then turns to leave and the men let him go, two of the guards leading him out and two taking turns with the opium pipe themselves.

G takes a circuitous route back to Wainrur's place, getting a 32 check on stealth and 20 on perception. He notices that he was being followed by the person has lost him. The man following him was one of the Eastern Guards. After G realizes that he is no longer be followed he casts invisibility on himself and goes to see Wainrur.

On the map:
A2 is Galoodle's Magic Emporium
To the east of A is the Great City Well
The Mirth that Counts is on the street that winds diagonally to the northern wall near there, where Wainrur's place is also. That street is the Entertainment District in this area.

01 March 2013 - Double-talk and re-attached limbs

It is 3pm

G goes back to his club and sends a servant to invite K for the evening's performance

K declines and remains in his office

Benlin is compared to Falstaff by Nick

Benlin says Guido Oskey is very dangerous, sorcerer of high level, has had trouble with people stealing an object from him recently. Whispers of OD temple relation but cannot be proven. No new guards, still in same house, strengthened house defences. B can get more info if needed.

B disguises himself as a merchant from Sombar and takes 500gp from till to get info, leaves and heads West, 3:30pm

[Count Drake is said to love gladiatorial fights and often has private bouts at his house]

G goes to speak with arena master, 24 diplomacy gather info. Upcoming bout will be billed as Sombar vs Scornubel, the Duke's seating area is being prepared. All are excited for the ball following the bout. G tries to get himself invited to the ball. The arena master [Kevorkian] agrees to have Koge be in his guard retinue. G wants to be in there too, and Kevork is suspicious. G smooth talks him and Kevork agrees with some reluctance.

G returns to The Mirth That Counts and finds it fairly empty of customers. G keeps a sharp eye out for 'anyone who might know anything'. G gets a 21 on know nobility and 15 bardic know on customers as they arrive.

From all his info gathering and Benlin's to boot G learns that there have been rumours that Guido Oskey has employed Aelfric Dortmund. G does bardic know, arcana, and level check on AD and has heard of him as a renowned assassin who was thought to have been long dead but is making his way on the High Road to Scornubel and will arrive the next day. G says Guido is a real problem, and B agrees. AD is a doppelganger, a shape-changer and ne'er do well.

G goes to Wainrur and tells him all he knows, and Wainrur says that he thinks the assassin has been employed by Guido to kill Count Drake. It seems odd to Wainrur but he feels that despite Guido's public friendliness with the Count he is out to kill him.

G goes to visit the mighty Krylsteln, the most intelligent and capable necromancer of them all.

K gets a 29 on know arcana, 33 know local, 33 know nobility, 27 know history. K is a very knowledgeable man. During the Great Fissure K knows that Gracus Dio prevailed and ruled as a dictator for 10 years and employed AD, but AD was rumoured to have been killed by Mordenkainen, who is one of the current Wizard's Council Member of Five. For AD to be alive and for Mordenkainen to have failed seems implausible and highly incredible. AD's background bares out, and Guido is known to be a Teifling sorcerer. A high order member who is craven in all his desires and filthy in all his preferences. He is part of the Sorcerer's Faction, a less powerful sub-group in the council.  K knows that Guido has worked closely with the Count in the past and is one of the reasons that the Count is now able to rule, having curried favour to the Wizard's Council and allowing the Count to run the city as he sees fit. The city is a chaotic mess of the various groups vying for power with the Thieves currently on top. To K's knowledge all who have worked with AD in the past have been killed, K cannot believe that AD is alive.

K tells all that he knows to G and G relays all the info he has got from Benlin. K is a bit doubtful of Benlin's info and G likewise thinks it odd that Benlin would have been able to get all that info despite his relatively low level. K doubts that Guido Oskey would work against the Duke having worked so hard to establish him. Wainrur's fear of AD impersonating Iprar Tair seems likewise dubious but cannot be ruled out.

K says that no matter how small a risk there may be, the Count should be warned. G thinks it best to warn the Count in a manner that does not reveal their identities. K knows that the Count has a lot of protective magic and could well see through any disguises. G suggests feeding the info via a person who will tell it to Kevorkian. G says that Captain Vorg will pass on the info if he is made aware of it. K agrees. G disguises himself and goes to tell Vorg the relevant info.

G gets some drugs to feed Vorg's fix and takes that to meet him but first gets info on Vorg from the mighty Krylsteln via his knowledge local. K tells him all that he knows (a check of 33) and G puts that to good use to find Vorg

G dresses as a ladies' man type.

To be continued...

Notes: Battle with Wraiths

S shoots Wraith. Wraith dissipates. 
Front wraith hits B. Drains him of str.


K casts command UD on last UD. Wraith fails. 12 hours for both.

K orders wraiths to attack B. They attack.

B points at K and says "We know your true colors." Teleports away.

Move into valley.  See wraiths to all sides. 

Head down tunnel of trees.

Encounter two wraiths in path, 60 ft ahead.

Init: Shine 22 Kryl 16 Enemy

Valley of the Lost Notes

Kryslten money raised: 24,000
Shine 60/40 from Lethanda: 5100 pp=(3000pp to shine)

Fighters come to Krysteln's study.  One looks like a muscular blacksmith.  One looks like a beggar. One looks like a fishmonger. Fishmonger has a cleaver. Beggar has daggers. Blacksmith has mallet.

Shine is dressed as a swordsman. Name is Varin. Claims to be from the fighter's guild.
Shine punches the blacksmith in the gut. Knocks him out.

Krysteln casts cone of cold and kills all of them. Then turns them to skeletons.

Shine goes back to temple to set up meeting with thieves. 

Look at this dickhead

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/120827-genitalia-head-fish-sex-animals-science/?source=hp_dl2_news_genitalia_head_fish20120828

The Crew: Round Deux 06/19/2012

Initiative:
Cube rogue surprise attack--fails
Ydenzyk 25
Cube rogue 25
Prolth 24
The Crew 13
DroGANas 10
Madak 9

Round 1:
Ydenzyk shoots arrows at Crew cleric, gets 3 hits, damage of 15, 17, 14
Cube rogue hits fighter once and misses once, sneak attack in the ribs, damage of ? (but considerable); rogue then tumbles beautifully away at 40' to directly behind Ydenzyk
Prolth yells out, "Friend rogue! We will help you vanquish these scoundrels and free you from the Cube of Ragnar!" He then shoots two arrows at the cleric but misses with both.
The rogue says, "I'll reward you if you aid me."

The Crew's fighter moves 40' away from our group and drinks a potion.
The Crew's cleric casts a spell on herself and moves 30' to be near the fighter (spell unknown by us)
The Crew's rogue attacks with his blowpipe, aiming for Prolth, and hits. Prolth does a fortitude save of 18, the poison doesn't affect Prolth but the sneak attack damage is 26 points. The rogue then tumbles 30' towards the cleric and fighter.
The Crew's sorcerer casts a spell, cone of cold, and all do reflex saves. All make the save and all have evasion so no one takes any damage. He moves 30' to be next to the cleric.

DroGANas' turn. Ydenzyk thinks "Kill that mage!" DroGANas does a pounce attack on the cleric, but can't get any closer to her than 10'. She has evidently cast a defensive spell on herself. DroGANas then instead casts stoneskin on himself (100 HP, ignore first 10 HP of each attack).
Madak notices DroGANas' inability to hit the cleric and thinks to all, "What's going on?" He does a perception check of 24 and an intelligence check of 13 and works out that a spell is stopping DroGANas from proceeding against the cleric. Madak rages and charges the sorcerer using his Boots of the Battle Charger, hitting with his greataxe for 24 damage. He then attacks regularly with his remaining attacks and gets 26 damage, 66 damage (CRITICAL!), and kills the sorcerer outright, striking right through his body and even severing his robes.

Round 2:
Ydenzyk shoots 2 arrows at the fighter, one of which has dragonbile poison on it. The first shot, with the poison, hits, and the second shot hits as well. The first arrow does 13 damage and the second 19. The fighter fails the poison save and takes 10 strength damage. Ydenzyk then hides at 36.
The Cube rogue does a full round movement action and gets behind the fighter, positioning himself for next time.
Prolth moves 40' closer to where The Crew is grouped and hides at 49.

The Crew's sorcerer appears dead, limp at our feet.
The Crew's fighter turns on the Cube rogue and drinks another potion. He then moves 40' away from everyone, further down the road (remaining on the road).
The Crew's cleric casts a cure spell on herself and her wounds heal.
The Crew's rogue shoots his blowpipe twice at DroGANas, hitting with one. DroGANas gets a fortitude save of 22 and makes the save, and takes no damage. The rogue then moves 40' down the road in the other direction of where the fighter had gone.

DroGANas says, "That blowdart feels like those boils on your butt that you get." He then runs after the rogue and does a pounce attack, hitting with both claws and his bite (a critical on the bite!). The damage from the claws is 13 and 18, the bite does 22. DroGANas then does a grapple on the now bloodied rogue and secures that, earning two more claws as a rake attack. Both his rake attacks hit as well and do 14 and 16 damage. DroGANas the tiger clawed his guts out, bit his head, and still has his head stuck between his teeth.
Madak charges the fighter and hits with a critical(!) in the fighter's back for 54 damage. The fighter makes his heavy-damage morale save but is bloodied.

Round 3:
Ydenzyk shoots four arrows from his hiding place at the fighter, hitting with 3 of them. The damage is 18, 12, and 14. The three arrows hit him in the chest, with the third buried in his sternum and he falls down. The fighter's spirit separates from his body, floats up in the air, and gets sucked down into the Cube with his screaming face now appearing on one side.
The ex-Cube rogue does an intelligence check, doesn't do well, and tries to attack the cleric but is once again stopped 10' from her. He then moves in a circle around her towards Madak.
Prolth does two snipe attacks on The Crew's rogue and hits with both, the first in his jugular and the second in his rib cage hitting for 26 and 25 damage, the rogue falls down to the ground utterly lifeless.

The Crew's cleric leans down on one knee, touches the sorcerer's body and casts a spell. She then disappears taking the sorcerer's body with her.

OUT OF ROUNDS

Ydenzyk searches the bodies while DroGANas changes back to his half-elven form and puts on his Dragon Mask to see if anyone invisible is present.
DroGANas does a scrying spell on The Crew's cleric and succeeds, he is now able to see both the cleric and the sorcerer. They are in a temple of some kind, with pews around and an altar nearby. DroGANas recognizes that she is in a temple to Olidammara. The sorcerer is there too, lying on the floor. In the ten minutes that DroGANas is able to watch them, the cleric deactivates the spell on her, goes away, and comes back with a high cleric. They then lay out the sorcerer's body and prepare it for a (presumably) resurrection spell. The cleric appeared very distraught during this time, and tells the high cleric that Nak and Killdor have been killed.

The plan is to do detect magic, searches, and loot the bodies before completely destroying the remains of The Crew's rogue and fighter.

6/ 5/ 12  The Cube of Ragnar and the Concubine 

they are all readied in action. 

new round.

Y. is first remains hidden. 

P. licks D’s talons. 

M. relays P.’s information and moves closer toward the dropped bad (60 ft away) where D. dropped it before rescuing doggy P from the fighter. 

D flies down and returns to human form and says, “Hold, we agree to your terms but we need to heal up and we can agree to your terms tomorrow.”

the woman doesn’t think D’s telling the truth. and questions him.  and the offer stands, but we have a short time to heal up. 

half elf sorcer explains the cube of Ragna. 

fighter, diviner, soceress, deamon, concubine, rogue.

out of rounds so M’s fatigue has ended.  

halfling says we need information so if letting them heal would help them win then we could get the information.  

socerer turns to female cleric and speaks in draconic. female says , if each of you leave your most precious magical item with us we will scry on you and come back here and meet you in the morning. 

Y. thinks to D and D says we will do this if you change our friend back and casts a spell. 

P. is back to normal form.

D. takes off his bone shirt. 

M. takes off his ring of feather fall and hands it over. but it gets refused.  M gives up his belt of giant strength. 

P. gives up his gloves of dex. Y. gives his ring of camelon power. but they want his comp . long bow. but settle for gloves of dex. then the crew touch each other on the shoulders and disappear. 

P says he’ll take the first watch. 

Y. survival check. 30 

we get berries and M. gets a ganaberry (like a pig).

P. is a bit messed up. 

camp out for the night. Vernak’s body and monks are getting smelly. survival check turned up various tracks of various beasts. 

D. says lets build a pire. M and Y build a pire for all the monks and Vernak. 

they were disciples of the bitter cold.  we won’t burn their furs or boots which are keeping up warm.  

P. sneaks away during his first watch. D wakes up and can’t find P so wakes up Y and M. 

Y rolls 31. we think for P to come back but he doesn’t want to come back.  

P. comes back and says he was only fooling. 

5;30 in the morning.

morning comes and the day is gray and overcast. the funeral fire is burnt our and there is an oily residue on the ground. 

a few hours pass teleported into the intersection is the crew. no wounds on them at all. holding a sack, the halfling, and tosses the sack on the ground and we put our items back on. 

they ask if we healed ourselves. and we say yes. 

mad. stands behind the cube as to be flanking the being. 

P calls the cube to him and draws it out and (rolls a five) and a beautiful woman comes out with a dagger dripping with a black ooze. 

initiative. Y 19 , D 20 , M. 7, P. 14. 

she gets 14. 

D Y P female M 

D does a pounce. first att. 35 second att. 35. third att 26 all hits. damage: 63 total. bits and hind legs rake down her thigh and belly. and she bleeds a lot and moans. 

Y. shoots 4 arrows at her. first 29, 33, 32, 20.  three hits 2d6 . dam. 19, 10, 15= 44 dam. arrows in gut, shoulder and last into her eye socket. and she screams and her body disappears back into the cube. 

socerer tells P. he must ask her , where is the fabled treasure of King Eclastes? 

concubine’s face is visible in the cube. 

she answers: it is burried at the southern most tip of the fallen lands. burried within the catacombs of the tribe of the Naeta. Halfling is writing this down. 

her face resets to the concubine’s place in the cupe. sorcerer says put it back in the bag. Y. says throw it at them and P does. 

socerer calls out in draconic, cover your eyes. socerer covers her eyes . cleric covers his eyes, halfling covers his eyes and fighter sees it. out of cube, a mist comes out of the cube in leather armor and wielding two short swords (a rogue). 

P. messages, lets attack them. 

cube is 30 ft away from them. 

initiative to be rolled. 

Prolth Becomes the UGLIEST Little Dog in the World!!!!

Prolth Becomes the UGLIEST Little Dog in the World!!!!

Game Date:  May 29th.

D flies up and away and we all retreat. 

Y mental messages we should retreat NW and meet up and heal up.

M starts to run that way and  we all start to go NW. 

the woman heals up her elf wizard companion .  the warrior ran very close 50 ft. away. halfling 100 ft. (bloodied). wizard is at pace with P. 

D is observing them and relaying their movements to us. 

Y heals M for 14 hp. with the wand. 

P hits wizard for 45 hp of damage. 

D cast stoneskin on himself. D changes ‘bite of ware tiger ‘ for cure serious (gets back 83 hp). and moves to a height of 220.  

Fighter gets next to P and drawing out a rope from a bag at his side. 

Magic user (bloodied) casts a spell on himself.

woman gets 120 closer to P. 50 ft away.

little dude gets to P and gets out a rope. 

NEW ROUND>

Y heals M extra 23 pts. says start moving back 40 ft back to P. 

M tries to keep up with Y and drinks FLY. (60ft. movement) 

P. confused, will save (62. flee away from caster). will save (20 which fails). 1,2,3 confusion. 4,5,6 command. the roll is a 3, so he flees. 

fighter punches P and gets a 23 which is NOT a hit. 

Halfling punches at P 29 which is a HIT, 2pts damage. 

D. drinks resist energy FIRE. flies 220ft. up  and 25ft. on their Right hand side. 

Halfling and Fighter flanking and keep up with P. fighter’s strength is still reduced -12. fighter has breast plate and boots of springing and striding. fighter’s move is impeaded by his heavy armor. med. ... (I didn't catch the rest of this) 

woman moves quadruple movement,  120 ft away from P. 

wiz, fighter and halfling runs next to P.

they are 370 ft away from Y . Y heals M to 99 hp.  and Y moves 30 ft. M drinks Barkskin (plus 4 to AC) when rage finishes AC will be 26.  

P: rolls confusion , will, 31. attack caster with weapons.   P. shoots arrows at woman (caster): first 31 and 28 on second. 28 misses.  damage is 12. not bloodied. 

figher and halfling misses punches. wizard wacks at P with staff. P ac is 28 so he misses. 

D: casts stoneskin on himself. 220ft high and flies same distance as M is flying. 

fighter attacks on P to get rope around him. grapples P. grapple check succeeds. halfling gets rope on P. grapple check. 28. P gets away. 

wizard says , "what’s going on, this is too dangerous.", in gnomish , "I will incapacitate him and we can use him later." hits P with spell from staff. P fortitude save is 19 which fails. P is turned into a small mangy dog like a miniture poodle.  doesn’t  lose his mind as per partial will save. 

 Y heals M to 121. M’s rage disappears  hp drops to 116 but M drinks bear’s endurance and hp goes to 140.  

P does will save for command 18 , fail.  confused 54, flee away from caster as top speed.  

fighter tries to catch ugly, mangy, little doggy P. 

the halfling grabs P and P is grappled. 

woman casts a heal on socerer, magic user. 

Y. moves 80 ft. closer. 210. 

M. flies 180 movement. 

P. confusion finished.  can’t sqwarm out. 

D swoops in at tremendous speed and pick up the mangy little REALLY ugly doggy P. D rolls 17 and pulls P out of halflings hands and is next to the halfling. 

Battle at the (Bar) T Intersection 4/16/2012

Y、Yells, let’s kill them all and does a rapid shot. two missed and one hit, (10pts damage) and fourth shot misses. Y’s hawk flies 120 ft above the battle. Y takes a five foot step away.

initiative order: Y M P D them .

the female human (cross of palor) says “let’s not fight, let’s talk this out!”

Y. . and M feel she’s a scared female.

Prolth feels she’s a lying bitch.

Mad races behind the human woman and says, Yeah, let’s not fight, let’s talk.” and slams his great ax into her soft beautiful flesh. (22 damage) she screams in pain.

P. pulls his mace and misses with a 12 then stays there and screams like a little girl. “I’ll get you my big pretty.”

D. had thunderous roar spell ready. Can get warrior , half-ling and magic user. wiz. takes full brunt of damage. fighter and wizard knocked over. they all take some damage. dam is 11 pts. wiz. takes full 11 pts and others take five pts of damage. and D changes into the Dire Tiger and stands over the warrior.

they go: female next to prolth steps back 5 ft. and casts and disappears.

D. does a spell check and finds she did invisibility. (Ya think?)

Warrior stands up which produces an attack of opportunity from D (dire tiger) (27 misses the warrior) Warrior draws sword and swings it at tiger head. critical hit on D. dire tiger. double dam. with a long sword. (37 pts dam.)

Halfling tumbles away and shoots blowpipe at madd.

Wiz (still prone) does a lightning bolt and tries to hit D. P.

P. dodges the bolt but D gets hit (34pts of dam.)

Vernak runs in as a charge with no weapon and tries to punch the wizard on the ground but misses.

new round:

Y: shoots halfling twice for 12 pts of dam. but halfling makes the poison dc check.

M: goes behind warrior and swings great ax and misses with a 28.

female casts confusion on P. and D. (will save P. 16 , D. 28) P. fails. feels confused doesn’t know what to do.

Hlfling. does blowpipe, five foot step away from Mad into the bush and blows Mad twice (hehe). second one is a hit. mad fails his fort. save and takes 72 pts of dam. !!!!!!!!

wizard does snow cone, or ice cone (whatever) and gets D. who is reduced to zero hp. !!!!

this could be the end. it don’t look good for us..

Battle with the monks at the crossroads

Ydenzyk casts fell the greatest foe on himself.
DroGANas changes into a dire tiger and casts stone skin on himself.
The monks attack with flying kicks. They are so lame.
Madak rages and attacks a minion, chopping him twice and bloodying him.
Prolth hits for a mighty 28 dmg with a snipe shot.

Ydenzyk shoots four arrows at the leader, the first is deflected, the next two hit and the last misses.
DroGANas does a tiger bite on the leader, goes for a grab and grapples him, then hits with a rake attack, keeping him grappled.
The monk leader tries to break free but cannot, and calls out to the minions in a strange language. The minions then move in to attack DroGANas, flanking him, one misses and another gets a punch in.
Madak gets another strong hit in with his axe and takes down one of the monk minions.
Prolth snipes again for a stunning 27 dmg, proving yet once more his breath-taking prowess with a bow. Not to mention his winning personality, charming musicianship, and superb dance skills.

Ydenzyk fires four arrows at one of the remaining minions, hitting with three while the first arrow was deflected.
DroGANas fails to maintain the grapple and the leader is freed.
The monk leader calls out again in his language, takes a step away, and disappears from sight, catching one final claw attack from DroGANas in the process. The remaining two monks flee the scene, running at a very fast speed up into the mountains.

With the battle won, Prolth steps out and begins speaking with Vernak. Vernak expresses his admiration at our having bested the very monks he was thinking to join.
Ydenzyk then fires arrows at the backs of the fleeing monk minions, and takes one down.
DroGANAs then changes into an eagle and flies at maximum speed towards the final monk who is still running away. He makes it to a position above the monk.

Madak comes across to speak with Prolth and Vernak, saying that he isn't even wounded and needs a stronger foe.
Prolth tells Vernak that he should study with Madak to learn how to fight, and Vernak agrees. Madak then offers to teach him and Vernak asks to join the party. Madak, Prolth, and Ydenzyk assent. The four of them all have a nice chat.

Meanwhile, DroGANas casts flame strike on the fleeing monk and hits with excellent damage but not enough to bloody him. The monk continues to sprint. DroGANas attacks with another flame strike but the monk makes the reflex save and takes no damage. DroGANas continues to follow and hits the monk with a moonbolt, draining 8 points of strength damage. The monk, however, manages to maintain his current speed. DroGANas follows.

Aleska's Allegiance: Alien Alignments

After my unsuccessful yet ultimately profitable pursuit of last night's fezed fakir, I returned to the gnome's place to find the others already gathered. Cloistered behind the door to his private quarters, the wizard continued his reticence despite all our summons, but such behavior is to be expected from someone of his profession. Exhausted and spent, the lot of us decided to get some much needed rest, and bedded down in the workshop.

The next morning we woke to find the wizard bright eyed and bushy tailed with a full breakfast all ready for us. That he did it all in the same room where we slept was a wizardly wonder in itself. Famished, we fell into the feast with fervor. Scarfing two sausages, I then reached for a delicious-smelling mushroom stew, but the second before it reached my lips, Madak batted it from my hands crying, "Treachery! Death cap mushrooms, or I'm a blushing maid in her bridal bed."

Having worked with the mushrooms myself, I know them quite well, and seeing the contents of the stew spilled out across the table, it was plain the half-orc spoke true. But why? Why would the gnome try now? With poison no less. The thoughts flashed through my mind as I raised my eyes the short distance to look into the wizard's face and see the glazed look of the ensorceled.

In an instant we sprang from our chairs as our former ally began casting defensive magic. Having fought so many wizards in the last few days, our group was beginning to gain an instinctive coordination: We spread out to lessen the effects of a far-too-frequent fireball and to make the most of our martial makeup. Madak moved in for a grapple while the other two and I prepared to pepper the provocateur with projectiles.

But as the half-orc's massive arms closed around the wizard, he suddenly winked out, leaving Madak grasping nothing but air. Finding his quarry escaped, Madak ripped the great axe from his back, and after a quick look around the room, his eyes fell on the double doors behind him. With a roar he charged the stout oaken barrier and reduced it to splinters in a massive crash of steel and sinew, revealing, in a smaller room, the errant Aleska.

No sooner had the doors come down and the wizard been revealed, than Droganas, our dutiful druid, let loose a moonbolt, grazing the gnome, who jumped aside and then disappeared. Prolth and I moved cautiously toward the door as the room around us was suddenly engulfed in flame. A quick dive for cover kept me from getting burned, and after the fireball dissipated, I saw the others had not been harmed either.

Invisibility has always been my weakness, but I've learned a few tricks over the years. Moving cautiously into the room, I cast Tremorsense on myself. Instantly I became aware of every vibration around me. Madak made great rumbles, and just opposite him, towards the far wall, I sensed the movement of the wizard. "He is 30 feet directly in front of the right door!" I called out to my companions. Prolth, already with bow in hand, wasted no time in firing two arrows into the space I had indicated. I felt, as well as heard, both thunk home into the gnome. He did not cry out, however, and I remembered the Stoneskin spell he had cast on himself.

Droganas, our dynamic druid, changed form into a massive devil tiger and moved towards the door. Madak, desperate to sink his axe into something, into anything alive and meaty, stared ahead of him in bewilderment. "Which portal doth it be which thou hath so vaguely alluded to-- be it that which stands to the right as we first entered this room, or is it that standing to the right as we would depart?" called out the enraged barbarian.

"As we entered!" I called out. And in the instant of that clarification the half orc launched himself forward, leaping clean over an intervening table, and slammed his axe down in the place the invisible wizard stood. Again, the wizard silently bore the injury despite the ferocity of Madak's attack.

The battle was escalating and I began to fear our struggle would end with great casualty to both ourselves and our erstwhile ally. Drow poison was my best chance to safely incapacitate the enchanted wizard and end the fight quickly. But it is so weak and prone to failure. Thinking quickly, I knocked first an arrow coated with black lotus, followed by one with drow poison. The first poison just might weaken the wizard enough for the second poison to do its work. I fired.

I felt both arrows sink in. The appearance of the wizard winked back into sight, but only to reveal him falling to the ground. Thinking my gamble had worked, I moved forward. The rest of the party moved in as well. We checked his pulse and found it weak. And then I realized my great error. Black lotus is very potent upon contact, but as it works its way through a victim's body, it continues to damage it, very often leading to failure of the vital organs.

Admitting my fault to the party, I advised we quickly heal him and find some help--after all, killing a member of the Wizard's Council in his own city would not bode well for our reputation. "Tie him up while I heal him." I said to the others.

Madak obliged by first stripping off his boots and socks and stuffing the latter into Aleska's mouth. He then bound his legs, but before he got to the arms, the satyr called out "Wait! Let's smash his hands so he can't cast anything!" and before I could stop him, his mace was out and he was sadistically swinging at the poor gnome's fingers. With a crunch the offending hand dissolved into a fleshy sack of meat and bone splinters.

Damage done, I healed the wizard with my wand. With a glare he came to, only to find himself gagged, bound, broken, and held fast by the steely thews of the half orc Madak.
"He is stabilized for now, but I am afraid of what the poison in his system still may do. We need to get him to the priest. It will probably cause a scene to carry him through the streets. Druid, you know the priest well--How quickly can you get to the temple?"

"It will take about 15 minutes," Donzabel, our daring druid, seemed to reply through his feline countenance, "or even faster if I stay in this dire tiger shape." And with a last, silent yet meaningful glance that seemed to say " I will get the priest and bring him back as soon as I can," the horse-sized, demonic-looking tiger left the workshop to go charging down the main streets of the city to be seen by all of the busy merchants preparing for the day, and to eventually meet with the priest, Father Mulcten, and carry him back in the form of a horse.

Meanwhile, the poison took its toll on the small, frail, gnomish body, and the glare went instantaneously from blazing to dead.
"Shit." I thought, less with remorse than with foolishness. "How the fuck am I going to explain this one?"

Twenty minutes later, Donzabel, our dashing druid, returned with the priest and his butt-boy.

"He's been poisoned!! Who would dare do this to our Aleska?!" Father Mulcten shouted upon entering the room to find his friend already perished. "Who would dare bind and mutilate a member of our own wizard's council?!' The priest bore his gaze down over us with the force of a hurricane. "You dare..."

"I'm sorry good priest, I am afraid that the wizard's death is ultimately my fault. But it is not as it seems. He was possessed by some unknown power." I began to explain.

"He tried to poison us! He cooked us a meal full of poison mushrooms, and it was only due to our quick senses that we didn't eat it!" Drogonas, our determined druid, testified.

"It is true. He first tried to poison us, and as we prepared to defend ourselves, he called down a fireball upon us." I continued.

"It is true I see the char and sulfur left from such a spell, but Aleska would never attack those he calls allies. It will be very difficult for me to believe you. How can you assure me this is as you say?" spoke Father Mulcten.

I am a terrible liar, which is a great flaw in someone of my profession. But I am what I am, and no excuse would save us. "I will submit to whatever interrogation would use, but I tell you truth." I said.

"Well then. It just so happens that I have a spell that will reveal all. " spoke the priest as he moved towards the center of the room. And then, with words most likely often heard by his young practitioners, he invited "If you will all be so good as to come upon me."

"Gladly" I replied as I moved close.
"This spell is called 'Zone of Truth." he explained, waving his hands in a spell. I felt an invisible weight settle over me. Again, he questioned us. Again we answered. And this time, he believed us.

"Who would do this? Who would be capable of doing this?" Father Mulcten puzzled.
"We have been attacked by both Ak'Chazar and Tatian, two evil sorcerers. " I answered. "We think it was one of them. In fact--Father, will you excuse me for a moment. I would like to search the rooms for evidence of intruders. "

Prolth and I went back into the workshop where we found definite evidence the rakshasas had indeed been in the workshop.

Assured of our innocence, Father Mulcten, after wrangling out a promise of 10000 gold from Droganas, our derelict druid, took Aleska's body to the temple to be resurrected. Left to ourselves, now penniless and wondering over our next move, our thoughts returned to the fezed fakir, and we decided to scry upon him.

Droganas, our divining druid, with the help of a masterfully illustrated picture drawn by Prolth, managed to see him flying a carpet over a forest resembling the distant lost hills...

The No-Action Game: Saying Goodbye to Donzabel, AGAIN!

After the seemingly catnip driven frenzy of the un-Hellow Kitty-like kitties in the market square in Sombar, our mauled and much scratched up adventurers await the arrival of the city guard, albeit rather late. Our intrepid band of comrades was just coming to grips with the all too familiar loss of our druid friend Donzabel when the city guard surrounded us and demanded that we explain the bloody event that had just taken place. Ydenzyk was nowhere to be seen.

The captain of the guard identified himself as captain Alex and uneasily awaited our explanation. We thought the scene self-explanatory, but to appease the strict-minded law man's demands, offered as our defense the slain corpses of the cat people and appealed to his sense of logic. He conceded that indeed we had done Sombar a service, but that our own identities were still in question and that it would serve the public interest if we would accompany him to his command post to ascertain our identities and how we ourselves entered his beloved Sombar.

Obviously injured and a bit disoriented after such a horrendous battle which cost the life of not only Donzabel but also the life of his "wolven life partner, and Aleska's latest creation" we were reluctant to be rushed off in a manner befitting criminals, and repeatedly made our case to captain Alex. Madak even appealed to the good people of Sombar, who had just witnessed the attack of the cat people and the defense of their city by the stalwart group, to step forward and give witness in our case. Alas, dazed and confused by the bloody brawl they had been subject to, as well as their own losses, they only wept and or stood dumbfounded with heads hung low.

Only one person stepped forward in our defense; the simple-minded-Prolth-charmed hottie, Cathy Baker (no relation to Tammy Fae Baker) ironically holding a very apt symbol of her personality; a beautifully crafted but oh so empty bucket. Ydenzyk was nowhere to be seen.

Just when we thought our case was looking up, it was made a bit worse with the verbal mumblings of Prolth, who at one point let slip that "We entered Sombar magically, by teleporting." When captain Alex attempted to follow this line of questioning Prolth adeptly retorted, "What? Hu? Um, I don't remember."

Needless to say, we weren't inspiring confidence with captain Alex and he called even more city guard with weapons in-hand who surrounded and menaced us. In our present condition it would have been madness to fight with the guard and captain Alex, who was, after all, only doing his job as a peace officer of a lawful city. Therefore we acquiesced to his demands with the proviso that we first visit the Cathedral of Paylor for some much needed healing, lest we expire en route to the command post, a wonderful suggestion made by the ever cerebral Aleska. Ydenzyk was nowhere to be seen.

At the Cathedral, Father Mulkton was made aware of the hair-raising Cat-astrophe including part 2 of the continuing saga of The Demise of Donzabel. Father Mulkton, also known as "Papa Mulky" to the choir/ altar boys, sympathized with us and healed us of all our wounds. Some discussion ensued about who would take the again vacant place of our again fallen comrade, and as quick as you could say "wizard council's conspiracy" there in the room was a handsome, more-than-capable elf druid to do just that, take Donzabel's place. "Wow, how convenient!" you say? Well, that's just how Madak saw it. Magic users and all they're trickery aren't worth a beautifully crafted bucket of warm ogre spit. Although to his credit, Father Mulkton vouched for the unimpeachable character of Aleska, thereby throwing us all in a good light with captain Alex, which made clearing our names in this meow-mix up all the easier.

The capable looking elf's name is Dragan-Ass, though I am sure it is pronounced differently in his mother language, it started a subtle chuckle-wave about the room that, it seemed to Madak, even the holy and venerable Father Mulkton gave a chortle, albeit masked as a sort of a cough. Ydenzyk was nowhere to be seen.

We were in great need of food and drink but also had to attend to our fallen brother-in-arms. As Prolth lay across Donzabel's body wailing and slobbering in an obvious attempt to extract his due compensation for allowing Donzabel, while living, to be the actual friend to the mighty Prolth, Madak quipped, " Watch his hands." We decided to first accompany the lawful captain Alex to the command post to clear up the litter concerning the bloody cat-brawl of Sombar, as it was later to be famously known, and then say our farewells to Donzabel, and THEN seek food and drink. "Friends before Food" as we half-orcs say, truly a motto to live by.

We accompanied the good captain and his retinue of puny underlings to the command post where our identities and motives were soon made clear and we were released on our own recognizance to bid a, let's hope, FINAL, final farewell to Donzabel.

We returned to the cathedral to find Dragonass in possession of all the hard fought rewards that had once been proudly brandished by our fallen brother, who lay, body still warm, on the cold brick and tile floor of the cathedral. "This is how followers of Paylor are treated in Death?" thought Madak, and a hardened half-orc warrior of many bloody battles with many scars inside and out, had to turn away from the cold butchery of religious greed and frivolity. Yet, I digress.

We each spent a quiet and private moment with the remains before Dragonass was to take the body to a serene place for burial.

Prolth, ever lacking fitting words, played his heart out through his magical instrument and shed a tear or two. Madak, in the way of his kind, gave Donzabel a good "smash" in the face goodbye, but not too hard as to ruin the stuffy druid burial ceremony. Each in his turn, and each in his own way said a bitter goodbye to Donzabel, once and for all. All of us, as we stood over the expensive corpse, secretly in our heart of hearts, wishing that we could get even a partial reimbursement of that 25,000 gold that we so innocently paid to have this boob resurrected, and vowing NEVER to do that for another beloved comrade again. Ydenzyk was still nowhere to be seen.

With heavy hearts and empty stomaches we found our way to Maxine's Utter (Bar and Grill) to lighten our hearts and fill our stomaches. As always, the jester was there delighting the crowd with his antics and buffoonery. Madak gave the familiar half-orc fist shake to the barkeep, who was also a half-orc, and with gratitude in his heart and a gruesome grin on his scare-ridden face, he replied in kind. Despite his pleas for the now disjointed band of brothers to sit at the same table and share the grief, most of us decided to keep a vigilant watch from different vantage points and not let our guard down one bit. At least, that was Madak's reasoning for shunning Prolth's warm gesture. Madak also didn't care to sit with the stolen-articles-adorned unproven peacock, Draganas, as the half-orcs' loyalties are not so easily shifted from a beloved comrade to an unknown-elf-of-dubious-loyalties-not-yet comrade.

Also in attendance was the slippery Dugal and a dark and dastardly duo sitting at a table near the entrance. One of them had tattoos on his bald forehead and a hidden but noticeable pair of dangerous dangling daggers which hung at his sides. As Grun would have it, there was an empty table behind the sinister pair. Madak took advantage of the gruesome gift from Grun and stealthily moved to occupy the strategically sound sitting position. Prolth, ever watchful as well as playful, noticed Lazarus sitting alone in the corner opposite the jester and made his way over to him with his bucketload of a woman in hand, and with a load of a bucket in her hand. They exchanged salutations and pleasantries, and Lazarus commented that perhaps the girl would fit in better if she dispensed with her ornate yet burdensome looking companion. She hesitated, then, after consulting her newfound soul-mate, Prolth, reluctantly laid the bucket down.

This is where our friends, our brothers in arms, are left for now. Frozen in time, until the next time we meet again for...... the game.

P.S. This took me a long time to write, as I am literally literarily handicapped, so if you don't like it just keep your snide comments to yourself and ask someone else to write the blog next time. If events are out of order, left out, and or mixed up in any way I apologize and will rectally, wait, no, rectify your whiny and anal-retentive concerns and complaints as they flood toward me in a torrent of tumultuous tirades. I would also like to thank the dictionary in my Mac, without whom the spelling would have been atroshious, wait..., atrocious.

Sincerely and with all humility,

Dave (Madak)

Cats in the Marketplace--or--Why DonZAbel really should have embraced pacifism this time around

Prolth's keen senses were tingling. Something was very wrong with the woman standing by the stall and the man lounging near the deck adjoining a well kept-up building behind him. After all, how could they not be enjoying his dancing and Pan pipe playing?

Once again Prolth's superior intelligence had assessed the situation and he had immediately taken the action necessary. He, Madak, and Ydenzyk had just been joyously reunited with a resurrected DonZAbel and the gnome that had made that possible, good Aleska. Prolth knew that a conference was in order, there were topics that needed to be discussed and plans that needed to be made, but that would be hard to do with far too many ears around them. And so Prolth danced. He danced a jig that far out-jigged the kinds of jigs these somber Sombarians were used to, and topped it all off with his ever-charming Pan pipe playing. This of course gathered a crowd and not a small number of coins at his feet--these Prolth entrusted to a somewhat slow man that was eager to speak with an entertainer of Prolth's caliber. Sent on his mission to provide ale and bread for all those gathered, the man set off to the sound of Prolth's clapping and heartfelt proclamation of his new mayorship--we all need to feel good about ourselves from time to time--followed by nearly all of the other villagers who had been gathered in the marketplace. They now had the privacy they needed.

Yet for some reason his comrades failed to follow Prolth behind the building where he wished to speak with them and remained in the center of the market, gawking lamely and milling about. Ydenzyk had the good sense to go and hide himself, keeping his eyes on the suspicious layabout near the deck, but Madak, DonZAbel, and Aleska stood there with their hands in their metaphoric pockets, chewing the cud as it were. Realizing that only his superior leadership could salvage the situation, Prolth quietly moved back towards the group; it was then that Fortune smiled on him as she often does on her favored creatures, the satyrs. Prolth noticed that the woman standing near the stall was nodding in a conspiratorial way at the man near the deck, in a way that indicated to him that she was not at all what she seemed. Wasting no time, Prolth reached for his magically baned mace and swung through the air near her with enough force to make his point but not enough to hurt the woman should the blow have landed. Startled, she cried out in a falsetto so false that Prolth's worst doubts were confirmed.

Madak, seeing what had happened, called out to Prolth asking what was going on. Prolth informed him that the woman and the man were evil spies and ne'er-do-wells, information which sent Madak into a howling rage and caused him to charge at the woman, swinging wildly with his greataxe. Yet even the mighty Madak missed his mark, this was a foe indeed. Battle had been joined.

The lounger near the deck now started lopping towards the group still in the center of the marketplace, joined by what appeared to be a little girl, heading straight towards DonZAbel, his wolf Gorak, and Aleska. Hedging his bets, DonZAbel turned himself into a canary and took flight, chirping happily in an apparent bid to amuse his attackers, and ordering Gorak to stand his ground should he be attacked. Aleska, on the other hand, reached into his magical bag and produced out of it a creature of awesome skills and power, a mechanical Xill that he called Igor and that looked like its four arms could slice through just about anything. Ydenzyk, quietly watching all this from his hiding place near the building with the deck, waited for his chance to strike.

The woman flanked by Madak and Prolth squealed some nonsense about being innocent and rushed to the other side of the stall, getting a taste of Madak's potent greataxe as she went. The blade cut deep but seemed to not do the damage it might. Prolth, ready once more to defend his allies and promote justice for the downtrodden as he wrought havoc on evil oppressors everywhere, fearlessly and without heed for his own safety drew his bow and struck the little girl with an arrow that pierced deep into her flesh. He was not afraid of this female child.

Aleska took to the air, flying above the now bright yellow DonZAbel, and ordered Igor into the combat. Gorak growled and prepared to bite as the man and girl in front of him suddenly metamorphosed into hissing cat-men armed with swords and wearing shields. The woman near the stall changed into a similar creature, hideous to behold in her feline frenzy, unarmed but blistering with magic. She pulled a scroll from her bag and cast a mighty fireball on the group in the market, scorching a helpless civilian along with the party, and then moved to crouch behind a nearby building.

DonZAbel, Gorak, and Igor took the brunt of the damage, while Aleska managed to dodge most of it and Madak elegantly avoided all of the blast. DonZAbel struck back with a lightning storm on the wretched sorceress, doing mighty natural damage to her. Madak moved in to strike at one of the cat-men, his axe's sharp edge finding home but then somehow, inexplicably, dropped to the ground. Gorak lay unconscious on the ground, his soft breathing reminding DonZAbel of how he looked in sleep, and his canary heart filled with affection for his animal lover. Igor too struck out at a cat-man, but the damage done was not what one would expect it to be, and Prolth's arrow too failed to find its mark this time. Aleska's magic missiles, however, did not, and burned into one of the cat-men.

Ydenzyk then acted with the ferocity common to his kind, unleashing a flurry of arrows into the sorceress and doing terrible harm to her. She answered with another raging fireball that consumed DonZAbel, Gorak, and Igor completely. A pair of tears rolled from Prolth's eyes as he saw DonZAbel, only just brought back to life a mere week ago, once more slain in the midst of battle. At least this time he died with his beloved, though not, unfortunately, snuggled amidst Gorak's legs. Madak struck out, bringing down a cat-man with the terrible might of his vegenance, Aleska once more hit back with his magic missiles, and Ydenzyk let loose another storm of arrows that sent the sorceress cat-woman to her goddess. Prolth, taking careful aim from a hidden position to make the most of his stunning marksmanship, drew and released an arrow that was shot so skillfully one could easily have mistaken it for magic. Prolth's arrow splintered through the remaining cat-man's shield, entered through his eye and came to a stop deep in his head, bringing down the last remaining foe.

Satisfied with the sound of the approaching city guard, whom Prolth had been calling on the remaining stunned villagers to summon, the party looted the bodies of the dead and then informed the newly arrived guardsmen of Prolth's heroism in discovering such vile evil-doers who had somehow infiltrated the good city of Sombar, and the party's prowess in dispatching them. The day had once more been won, but the party mourned the loss of their druid friend, his wolven life partner, and Aleska's latest creation. A bittersweet sensation filled Prolth, and he knew that this would not be the last they saw of these cat-like creatures.

Into the Wasteland

I've never failed a job. And in this game, your reputation is worth your weight in gold. Or in my case, platinum. Pocketing the reward after a successful mission is always a good feeling, but my reputation will keep me fed into my old age.
I've never failed a job, but then again, I've never taken on anything I didn't think I could handle. It pays to be cautious. So this time, when Stromm called me in to brief me on the situation, I weighed up the odds, and figured it'd be no problem. It's not the first time I've been wrong.

In the past, Stromm had always given me bounties for persons or monsters within the wasteland; this was the first time he had gone to measures such as teleporting me hundreds of miles. And into an active battle no less. Immediately I realized the import of this mission. He bid me help the group led by the wizard Aleska, and to surreptitiously recover a statue either from Praxis's house, or from his enemies. I was then to invite the party to Indel Stronghold and deliver the statue to no one other than my employer.
After defeating the Rakshasas and securing the item, I feared all would be undone by the unwanted arrival of a WC security force. Knowing I've never possessed the art of negotiation, I quickly hid to see how the situation would play out.
There was no reason to believe that these adventurers would cover for me; We had only just met. And for a moment, it seemed I might have to sneak out of the area and walk the 150 miles back to the wasteland in order to complete my job. But lucky for me, through the quick wit of that satyr, and the fortuitous ignorance of the wizard, the security force went back to their other futile efforts at peacekeeping.
Now free from distractions, I encouraged the party to travel to Stromm's keep using the teleport scroll he outfitted me with. The half-orc stubbornly demanded I show them the statue before they went anywhere, but that was not in my job description. And I've never failed a job. Yet again, the quick and subtle wit of the satyr helped me with my toil. A quick toot on those pipes of his seemed to mollify the barbarian like a rattle to a babe. I think I even heard an offer of lemonade...
It was then that a seemingly old companion of the group, the druid DonZAbel, flew in with tidings of a meeting between the outlaw Tatian and the ill-omened Al'Chazar. Thinking this to be news Stromm might like to hear, I figured it would not be a breach of contract to escort him as well.

Finally free of misgivings, the party agreed to travel with me and we teleported deep into the wastelands, a short march from Indel. I say short, but in that blighted land, plagued with all manner of monstrosities hungry for a morsel or a bit of malicious entertainment, no march is that short.
And no sooner had we set foot on the road to Indel, than we perceived an ominous speck on the horizon-- a dark form borne aloft on dark wings. If you are to survive in this wasteland, you quickly learn that a shadow in the sky usually means just one thing: a dragon.

With hardly a thought, we all agreed to hide, taking to the trees along the path. The dragon grew larger and larger as we sought to conceal every part of ourselves. And just as the dragon drew close enough to see the red gleam of its scales, we looked to see the druid with his feet and legs very visibly sticking out from his place of hiding. I've known many druids, and many druids like DonZAbel. At every other time, in any situation whatsoever that even slightly smelled of danger, I imagined DonZAbel changing into one of his highly adapted animal forms, physically and masterfully suited to hiding from all manner of creatures, even in their natural element. But of course I just met this druid and didn't know his habits.

At any rate, the dragon was soon upon us, and as soon as it spied the imperfectly-concealed legs of our companion, it let loose a great conflagration from the depths of its gullet, engulfing the entire area around the druid. Lucky for him he is better at diving for cover than finding it: Just as the fire enveloped the bush hiding him, he leapt out, seeming to avoid being burned too badly. His pet, however, was not so lucky.

Soon after seeing his friend burned, the satyr selflessly pulled out his pipes, hoping to once again mollify the situation with his haunting, goatish melody, but alas, this dragon seemed far too hungry to be dissuaded by a tune.

The rest of the battle was a blur. The brave druid, knowing it to be too late to hide, courageously rose up before the dragon, bearing forth all of his wrath. He raised his arms, and the clouds above grew black and began to churn in an angry spiral above the dragon. A quick, cutting motion from the druid brought down an arc of flashing blue lightning, wracking the beast and causing it to roar in frustration. Arrows rained into its scaly hide from my bow and the satyr's. Enraged, the dragon flew up, and then dropped directly down upon the satyr and his hiding place, crushing both him and the tree he was next too.
DonZAbel again sent forked lightning flashing from the black maelstrom above the dragon's head, and again the dragon bellowed its rage. Momentarily forgetting the squashed goat-man beneath it, it charged towards DonZabel, who valiantly stood his ground.

Meanwhile, the half-orc made the most of the beast's distractedness and moved close to the wizard, Aleska. Receiving powerful magic buffs, the barbarian charged into the dragon, smashing his axe into the tough, scaled flank. But alas, it would not be enough.
One final time, with the dragon's hot, putrid breath fuming out from a deadly, razor-fang filled maw, the druid pulled down a third charge of white-hot electricity, sending it full into the ugly face before him. Again the dragon screamed its hatred, but this time, without hesitation, it brought forth all of its fury in a full attack on the brave druid, using all of its formidable natural weapons. The satyr and I fired more arrows, but it was too late. In that flurry of fang and claw, the druid had met his match.
Madak, the loyal half-orc, seeing his friend (of just a few days) cut down, slammed home his axe again and again, finally finishing the work of the lightning and the arrows.

With the battle finished, the party secured the area, collected the brave hero's body, and posted a watch lest any other vile creature catch them unawares.
The wizard, Aleska, voiced his need for rest, but Madak and I, seeing the barbarian's need for new armor, and the perfectly sized hide of this red dragon, decided it was worth a few minutes to butcher the beast and carry the hide back to Indel Stronghold. After all, we both had much experience in the ways of survival, it shouldn't take too long. And in the meantime, there couldn't possibly be another threat this soon after two battles when everyone was exhausted of resources. Right?

Aleska the Gnomish Inventor

After being hand picked by the High Priest of Pellor (note LG high Priest) for an important mission, and then being summoned back by my kindly old sensei (note LG powerful mage) I discover that my true colours have been revealed - no I'm not LG as I thought I was all along, but quite the opposite (maybe watch Tootsie for some insights) so be prepared fellow bastards.

What Really Happened --or-- How Prolth saved the day and the party from disaster

The party was hard-pressed. Shine had just been killed by one of the mysterious cat men and all sensed the danger around them. If the group were to survive the encounter each member would have to act quickly and decisively--not a moment could be spared and each action required resolute determination and strength. All were keenly aware that their lives were hanging by threads. And so Prolth hid.

But he did not just hide of course, he also let loose a devastating sneak attack against the nearest cat man, rallying the party and inspiring them to continue the fight even in Shine's absence. Hearing the call resounding in the air after Prolth's arrow had whizzed by, Madak and Aleska found the courage to fight.

The tiger man was still nowhere to be seen and so Madak moved to the rear of the nearby hut to search for him while Aleska cast invisibility on brave Prolth. Emboldened by his now heightened ability for stealth, Prolth moved to the rear of the hut as well and it was there that his keen senses picked up two of the cat men although the tiger man remained at large. Paying no attention to the risk he was taking, Prolth moved by the two cat men and positioned himself behind them, yelling out to Madak that one could be found directly in front of him. Madak then struck a furious blow, and the feel of his greataxe slicing through the hidden cat man must have been very satisfying indeed.

No doubt frightened out of his senses by Prolth's proximity, the cat man nearest him scrambled up onto the roof of the hut, quickly followed by the other. Prolth dutifully announced this to all as well, and Aleska, flying overhead, spotted one and outlined him with some dancing lights so that the others could more easily spot him. Madak too followed suit, climbing to the roof himself with Prolth joining him at the far end.

A strange reptilian cry from a small lizard man on a boulder in the yard threatened to distract the party, but they overcame the creature's need for attention and focused on the task at hand. Madak delivered another furious blow to the prone cat man nearest him, pathetically trying to hide in the shadows of the roof, and cleaved its head clean off of its body, letting the fresh corpse roll to the ground below. Aleska then cast Levitate on the lizard man still screeching to be noticed afield and commanded his mechanical lion to move behind the building to where the cat man had fallen. The tiger man remained at large.

Prolth, once more risking life and limb in the valiant fighting style for which he is so well known, stepped forward to allow Madak to flank the remaining cat man on the roof, but this was not to be as the cat man struck out with lighting speed and dealt Prolth two devastating blows, one of which struck home as only a sneak attack can and damaged the mighty satyr almost beyond recognition. The cat man then leapt through the hole in the roof, leaving the bloodied but not beaten Prolth with no enemy in sight.

Madak followed the cat man down into the hole, but despite his darkvision he could not spot the creature in the confines within. Prolth, thinking quickly despite his terribly wounded state, pulled out his coin of light and also jumped into the hole, while the lizard man moved into position to shoot at the creatures within and Aleska continued hovering above.

The cat man could not be found, but there inside the hut things were being shouted in a language that only Aleska could understand, and the frantic cries of what must have been the tiger man were duly translated for the party's benefit by their wise gnome wizard. It was then that Prolth spotted a statuette of a woman bathing being lifted off the mantlepiece and disappearing. Yelling this out to Madak the barbarian half-orc then struck three times, hitting home with the last and revealing the position of one of the creatures. It was all that was needed.

The lizard man rained down arrows on the creature from outside, and Prolth readied to do so as well from inside, when more orders came from the invisible tiger man. The cat man was to draw them outside! The cat man then fled the room, and it was soon revealed that the tiger man was outside as well, but the party would have none of it.

Aleska once more outlined the cat man with his dancing lights, and the tiger man revealed himself as he tried to strike with his greatsword near the very boulder that the lizard man had once been atop. Our heroes were of course too much for the villains, and as poisoned arrows sped into their feline hides and Madak's greataxe sang through their flesh, one after the other fell, the tiger man brought down by the lizard man's arrows and the cat man felled by a single shot from Prolth--not, of course, because Prolth can only shoot one arrow at a time, but rather because he only needs to shoot one arrow at a time.

Victorious, our party breathed a deep sigh of relief. The lizard man introduced himself as Ydenzyk, sent by Stromm of the Wastelords to assist them and invite them to the Wastelord's keep. The news that they would have the honor of meeting the four Wastelords, and especially the glorious rogue/bard Lyle, in person further bolstered the spirits of all. But Praxis was dead, and Aleska grieved for his former mentor. Madak made some cryptic remarks about filling shoes and attempted to de-boot the poor slain wizard as Ydenzyk grieved himself for Shine and collected a finger from him, also taking the statuette from the slain tiger man. Prolth searched the bodies of their enemies for loot, and, amongst the weapons, armor, and platinum pieces that he found, gallantly pocketed one of the seven gems that were among the fallen, being the true rogue that he is. His keen skills also discovered a ciphered message tucked into ankle pouches of each cat man, and Aleska determined that the code could be broken but that it would take time.

It was then that the party was met with an unexpected turn. Like true politicians, a security group from the Wizard's Council suddenly showed up, unlooked for and unwelcome. They offered no help but simply made demands, and despite Aleska's warm words to them all they could reply with was that they wanted the statuette that the tiger man had been after. Aleska, in a move that shocked all, baldly lied to them and said he had no idea what they were talking about. The leader of the security group, Leeadak, then turned to the mighty Prolth for assistance, no doubt recognizing in him a creature of immense integrity and wisdom.

Prolth, although he could not understand why Aleska would want to deceive those of his own order, and knowing that the group could scarcely afford to make enemies of the powerful Wizard's Council, then bravely and selflessly announced that it was Aleska who had the statuette and Leeadak should seek it from him.

Taken aback, the security group then prepared themselves for action, and the party once more felt its nerves on end...

Mortal Machinations

Side Adventure Synopsis

The rebel Veddek secretly rendezvoused with two other centaurs just across the border of the Protectorate of Sombar. These two had defected to Veddek's camp but when he revealed himself all were ambushed by Knights of the Duchy of Ulfland. In the following battle the defectors were slain and Veddek, heavily out numbered (and out-powered with the Eldritch Knight Eligos leading the guard) withdrew to find defensible ground. He knew of a nearby gorge and thought to defend himself atop it with his longbow until the enemy closed the range. But as he galloped into the gorge he adjusted his defensive tactics and, taking advantage of the terrain, stood his ground against the knights. To their vexation they found their initial charges were thwarted by Veddek's positioning. Unbeknownst to him a stranger appeared from hiding. Eligos fearing an ambush ordered his guard to immediately attack the bugbear bystander. Battle ensued and Veddek gave well of himself heavily wounding the scoundrel Sergeant Vrex. Alas he was outnumbered and hence lain low. Eligos thinking Veddek was slain proceeded to interrogate the bugbear named Hruug. Once he was satisfied with Hruug's story of happenstance he made an immediate withdrawal, teleporting away with his elite guard.

As official military of another state Eligos and his elite knights went beyond their jurisdiction by leaving their own lands and were in breach of state borders. This, if known, would cause an incident that the Wizard's Council would have to act upon.

After acquainting themselves the bugbear and centaur decided to couple their talents in the immediate pursuit of Veddek's cause. To this end Hruug accompanied Veddek to his clandestine meeting with his mentor Rath on the outskirts of Harting. This town lying just 20 miles away from Sombar City held one of Rath's many safehouses. After an indifferent appraisal of Hruug by the cleric Rath instructions were given to meet with Gordon, an intermediary of one Captain Lazarus of the Duchy of Ulfland. This meeting is to take place within the week for which time Gordon will be on hand at sunset of each day in the establishment known as Maxine's Udder. Rath knows little of Lazarus' motives but deems the gathering of intelligence worth the risk. To alleviate the threat of detection Rath has furnished the pair with Enhanced Hats of Disguise. Rath said he will be in touch and teleported away.

The pair left alone in the hut decided to pass the night in safety and set out early the next morning. On walking east along the road towards the Four Ways Well they were confronted by Gladys a peasant woman whose husband, Beagan, had proffered victuals to them the previous day. Gladys in a state of terror bemoaned the fate of her husband who lay gravely wounded not far distant. She led Veddek to his position, where Beagan lay bloodied and torn behind the trunk of an avocado tree. Gladys then moved towards Hruug imploring him to help. Hruug, either kindling a hatred for female humans or suspecting a ruse proceeded to punch Gladys full in the face. This did not have the intended effect of laying her low which alerted Hruug that something was amiss. At that very instance the wounded Beagan changed form into a feline humanoid and cunningly slashed at Veddek for great damage. Likewise the form of Gladys vanished to be replaced by a similar creature, similarly wielding two shortswords. Veddek and Hruug proved a formidable pairing using their many talents to best the cat men. The last surviving enemy tried to use his considerable stealth ability to flee the scene but was knocked unconscious by Hruug. The follower of the living universe then forgoing any restraint beat the prostrate enemy in the head intending to bash his life out of existence. Veddek sensing there was information to be garnered from the enemy dissuaded Hruug from further bashing. The enemy was stabilized, doubly bound then magically healed just within the limits of consciousness. Veddek, as a follower of St. Cuthbert the god of just punishment, cast his oft used Zone of Truth on the cat man. After many evasive answers and much execration the feline fiend revealed that he and his companion were minions of Ak'Chazar a dastardly Rakshasa necromancer of high order. Somehow he learnt of the pair's whereabouts and sent the feline men to assassinate them. Once enough information was gleaned Hruug dealt a Punishing blow to fatally reconstitute the fiend's form within the living universe.

The heroes are now on the outskirts of the farming town of Harting making their way to Sombar City...

Rath has tasked Veddek with uniting the centaurs that reside within the borders of Ulfland to help throw off the yoke of Duke Larrion. Rath has united rebels and refugees alike in various cells and bides his time to rise against the mad Duke. He sent for Veddek to meet with him in a secret location at the Four Ways Well on the outskirts of Harting, a farming town 20 miles walk (bipedal) to Sombar City.

Veddek through his own followers has connections with his own cells of centaurs within and without Ulfland. He too awaits the proper judgemnent from St. Cuthbert to strike. He operates 4 cells comprised almost equally of males and females. Two are within Ulfland with 27 and 29 centaurs, one is within the Protectorate of Sombar with 22 centaurs and another is in The Duchy of Argest with 25 centaurs. One hundred centaurs that are all eager to unite with their brethren and reclaim their plains in the north of Ulfland.

Rath, a human cleric of St. Cuthbert, has communed (Commune) with his god and has heard ominous tidings. Forces of evil beyond the power of Duke Larrion (said to be a high level Eldritch Knight himself) look to comprise a confederacy of villians. They seek all-powerful artifacts to unite their divination powers and seek out and destroy their enemies. Through his failure to scry (Greater Scry) on Duke Larrion, Rath has learnt that someone with great power now defends the Duke.

Recent Argest - Ulfland War

Duke Larrion launched attacks into the Duchy of Argest and crippled the army of Duke Gondar (Veddek was invovled in this war before coming to his senses). This was in breach of the laws set down by the Wizard's Council after the The Maelstrom Wars two centuries previously. Just as the Duke was on the verge of victory an attack squad of the Wizard's Council entered his headquarters and made his army retreat through various uses of enchantment and illusion spells. The Duke was geased and unwittingly led his army back to Ulfland. To his consternation and horror he found himself and his army back within his citadel in the capital Elturel.

Now he his faced with exorbitant fines imposed by the Wizard's Council. Fines that will invariably cripple the current ruling order. Many profess this is tacit approval of regime change. Duke Larrion rails against the judgement but continues to make his installments without seeming to overly tax his people or his coffers.

Maelstrom Wars

Once the Wizard's Council had interposed and ended the rule of the tyrannical Emperor God Faustian they were left the only significant power. They returned many lands to statehood but decreed new borders in order to separate these lands from each other. They do not wish to involve themselves in the machinations of states but reluctantly enforce their decrees, especially any cross border forays. This usually results in heavy fiscal penalties and an inspection from one of the Wizard's Council Attack Squads.