This week we had a quorum, so we got a Extra Large Bacon pizza, (real Bacon, not Canadian Bacon which is really just a Ham.)

Next Tuesday, the Player for Elefus will be out, but we have an opportunity. Next Monday is a U.S. Holiday, I move we change for a one-time game from Tuesday to Monday next week.

Any player that votes "No" vetoes this option, and we'll play a board game. (Illuminati is on the table.)

Also, it seems upon receiving his fate, the Player for Aeon did not return. Expect another 6 month absence.

As explained probably in other eMails elsewhen, D'Vine declined Elefus' request for equipment.


++++ START OF SESSION ++++


The party moves above ground to 18.5 miles to within 2.5 miles of the Well of Souls.

Since Elefus retrieved Weasel's "Pick Axe of Tunnel-ease" it was determined upon reading the description that the device lets you create a tunnel at a rate of 10 feet per round. So instead of sneaking towards the Barbarian encampment, the party decided to simply tunnel towards the caldera at the Pick Axe's rate, they would get there in 26.4 hours. So the Party's marching order was thus, the "freed" slaves Elefus had recruited into his "army" would be first, and would rotate duty with the Pick-Axe. Followed by the Party members, then by Baron Oktagern, his Knights and the 'Brothas' of the Greenwood.

[Thus as GM, I was given my task. The module DA4 had no table for Subterranean Encounters, I had to use the standard HackMaster encounter table. I rolled for an encounter every hour, but after the 24th hour, I realized I should have been rolling every Turn, which would have been 144 rolls instead of 24. So when they got within 2.4 hours away, I started rolling every Turn (10 minutes), 16 more rolls].

The first encounter was a Muck Golem, how it got there I have no excuse. So I had it appear in one of the latrines they were making along their tunnel route. Unfortunately one of the so-called 'freed' slaves Elefus had recruited into his Army was taking a dump and perished. It was messily dispatched by the Party.

What followed was an Player argument about the "freeness" of the still emaciated but "freed" slaves being put to work digging the tunnel even though earlier Elefus used his "Recruit Army" skill to gain their allegiance. And PAY was never discussed. (This took about 30 minutes. I also decided to award Elefus an alignment infraction point for continued use of slave labor). So it was decided to put the "Army" in the rear on light duty, renumeration to be discussed later. A new marching order was declared starting with Numrendir using the Pick Axe followed by Weasel, the Big Red Guy (the Sollux), and Elefus line abreast behind. Everyone else in the party in-between with Dolmin (the new Dwarf) bringing in the rear with the Baron and the Brothas following as before. They also decided to widen the tunnelling from 10 to 20 feet wide thus halving their rate of progress.

The next hour passed with no encounters, and the Pick-Axe was handed off to the Big Red Guy, and Numrendir took center position behind him.

Next encounter was with a Dire Aardvark. Seems they tunneled into its lair. Now having acquired a totally paranoid Party, they attempted to micro manage the encounter by starting to cast spells. I interrupted them saying, "By the way, the Pick Axe of Tunnel-Ease is also a +5 weapon and it's just an Aardvark." So the Big Red Guy killed it and they moved on.

The LAST encounter, I rolled a tribe of 120 Grimlocks. Being of fine hearing the Grimlocks were aware of their tunneling approach and were waiting armed and ready, including their mascot Mind Flayer named Zoidberg. The Grimlock tribe really had no animosity towards the Party, save they were intruding their space. So Zoidberg, being the only member of the tribe to know Common (and being able to see), politely asked the Party to surrender and lay down their weapons.

Based on initiative rolls the Party slowly and quietly started to lay down their weapons. But Weasel, on initiative 6,while obviously laying down his weapon with one hand activated his Rod of Rulership with the other. The Rod, taking 5 segments to complete, would activate on initiative segment 1 of the next round. Weasel (and the Party) waited for the next round.

The Grimlocks, gained no superior initiative so the Rod kicked in on Segment 1. Weasel rolled a 4 on 4 sided die, giving him control over 500 levels of victims (1d4*100). Which meant Weasel gained control of all the Grimlocks, and the Mind Flayer also massively failed his saving throw, so was also under Weasel's control. Asking a few pertinent questions it turns out the Grimlocks were aware of the Barbarians and the Well of Souls, but were not otherwise interested, treating them as well Lawfully Evil and well-behaved harmless neighbors, since they mostly stayed above ground and in the volcanic chamber nearby.

This proved fortuitous for the Party, as the Grimlocks lair was 120 feet across and comfortably warm since it was near the volcano, shortening their tunneling project to within 50 feet of the Well of Souls. The Party decided to keep tunneling, using the Mind Flayer's ESP ability to detect where the underground Barbarian leadership were. Something struck me as odd, so I checked on ESP, seems it won't work through more that 2 feet of rock, so they decided to keep tunneling until they got withing a foot of breaching the Barbarians.

Having made their approach, to the Well of Souls, the Mind Flayer's ESP brought the party to close to where the Barbarian High Priestess, her pet Magic User the Captain of the Guard, four Efreeti, and of course Aeon the captured party member who is about to be sacrificed to the Well of Souls.

It was decided to bring all the Grimlocks forward and rush the High Priestess and her followers upon breaching the remaining one foot of rock.

After all Aeon has been through, can it only be sufficient drama to have Aeon be next in line for sacrifice? Especially if the party is about to breach the wall.

++++ OUT OF CHEESE ERROR ++++


Tracy Johnson
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PART 2. CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

PLAYERS:

Dolmin, "Wrathaxe", Dwarven Swordsman (F3)

Weasel, Human Male, Guild Soldier (T14), Magician (MU6), & Myrmidon (F6). (Multi-class. How'd a human get that way? Don't ask.)

Snizzlephish, Gnome Male, Visionist (Illu6) & Footpad (T2) (Multi-class.)

Elefus, Human Male Deacon (CL12)

Numrendir, Human Male Demander. (Conj5).

Junkbot Jackson - Layman-Courser. (CL4/Rgr4)

Fundisha - Fighter/Infiltrator (F2 / Infiltrator2)

Aeon, Half-Elf Male Veteran (F1) (Captured by Barbarians.)


NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS:

Jallapierie, a 17th level Wizard (MU17), (taken offline for defensive scrying against Rahl).

Hieronymous Castagere (F13), a 13th level Fighter and ship's navigator, assigned to them by the Royal Blackmoor government. (Captured by Barbarians)

Gerry Castagere, a Fingersmith (T7), daughter to the ship's navigator who has fallen in love with Elefus.

Bosero the Drunkard, a 14th level Wizard (MU14), seconded in to replace Jallapierie in the party since Jallapierie is busy.

Kridor the Sollux, (F14), module NPC.


INACTIVE CHARACTERS:

Mysery Reigns, Halfling Female Killer (Rogue6). (On maternity leave, just gave birth to twins, Halfling Half-Orcs.)

D'Vine_Justice, Elf Female Initiate of the 5th Circle (D7). (Semi-Retired)


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