My next HackMaster game is Tomorrow at World's Best Comics, 9714 Warwick Blvd Newport News, Virginia 23601. Start time is somewhere around 5:30PM or shortly thereafter.

Last week had a Canadian Bacon and Pineapple pizza.

++++ START OF SESSION ++++

After placating the Minitaurs with "meat" from the crates, they were placed in the care of little Culum McCreedy, although only after one of the party members gave up a robe which they cut out into tunics for them. (We couldn't have little naked men with bull's heads running around.)

The next event, as the party contemplated their next move, was the sound of loud metallic footsteps coming down the hall and up to the door of this office. As the door opened, the was the instant recognition of their long absent friend Elefus. After much handshaking, backslapping and other greetings, Elefus announced "Lets go shopping! You know the drill, everyone hand over their extra-dimensional spaces and get in the bag! Everyone not going stays here for the night."

So party members not present, and NPCs stayed behind for the night. (Henchmen, the Minitaurs, little NPC Culum McCreedy, Lucius & crew).

The party then transported themselves back to the University of Blackmoor where Elefus was greeted as welcome Alumni which a 10% discount at the University gift shop and student bookstore. Elefus had determined that his Ring of Protection +5 wasted +4 unused points of protection so he bought a +1 ring had gave his +5 ring to Kmaregh. Elefus purchased 5 other rings from the University store to be given the party later. Everyone had a good night's sleep at the Comeback Inn and they teleported back to to the room they left the next day. Fortunately, those left behind paid attention and stayed in the room. Elefus transports out again, saying "I'll be back in a couple of days."

Keeping with the pattern of turning to the right the party entered one of the two doors from Zando's office, discovering 20 feet of hallway and ending with a door with a slip of paper sticking half way out. Kmaregh ,recognizing his sheet of paper left earlier and learns the passageway. Going back to Zando's office, they tried the remaining unused door, found another 20 feet of hallway ending in a door. Going through that the find themselves in a room with a shark tank (complete with sharks) behind a set of iron bars.

Leaving well enough alone the party turns down the only other open passageway and another "Y" intersection. Keeping to the right they find themselves in a 40 foot cavern with instead of the usual stalactites and stalagmites in the vertical position, they they are horizontal from wall to wall and a hole in the floor covered by an iron grating. Following their usual suspicions they send Ensign Pulver in to investigate. He makes it to the grate and reports several large mushrooms milling about the bottom of a pit. Taking his next queue from the party he starts walking closer to the walls. But as soon as he got within several feet, a few of the stalactites with a loud whooshing sound ejected themselves from the wall straight at Ensign Pulver, most missed but he got hit for a few points. Those so expended have a sharp pointy end but the other side appeared deflated. (Jet propelled Piercers, apparently.) Then he decided to crawl on his hands and knees towards the opposite exit.

Following suit, the rest of the party crawls also, taking note of the mushrooms in the pit as they pass to the next passageway.

They come to the upper-left point in another "Y" intersection and note that the passageway looks familiar, including the chalk line drawn by Kmaregh on his previous route. Turning left they found themselves again in the chamber with the regular stalactites and the door leading to Zando's office. However an intelligence check discovered an item hitherto not seen, a dark circular object against one wall, behind some joined columns the party had not ventured to.

Once again they send Ensign Pulver to investigate.

About the size of a black beachball, he finds a solid object, after giving it a few taps, it sounds hollow inside. After getting an order to break it open, it explodes causing damage to all the Henchmen in the room. The party members where conveniently outside the blast radius. After making and/or failing a few saving throw for choking on the dust, they move on.

Leaving this section of the Zoo back to the Monsterburgers and Ale, they turned into the hallway marked "This way to the tremendous monster of gigantic proportions." Twenty feet along, they find another sign that reads "Sixty feet this way to the monster of gigantic proportions." (Twenty feet further they find another sign decremented by twenty feet. Until at the end of the passageway the come across an empty 30 foot diameter conical cage marked with a sign, you guessed it: Gigantic Monster of Incredible Proportions". The door to the cage was bent, twisted and against a far wall.

There was one other exit the party took marked "Herbivore exhibit, this way."

Coming to a large balcony overlooking a huge 100 by 80 foot chamber with a stream running through it, the party sees a two headed tormenting a man in a 10 foot cage.

"Dad!" cried Culum McCreedy, and his pet Minitaurs yelped in unison.

Thus gaining the attention of the two headed giant, he turned and charged the balcony. But to make a long story short was blasted away by the older members of the party with energy weapons from an earlier adventure.

Thus having rescued Zando from the clutches of a Cretin (like an Ettin but not as smart), the party makes a deal with Zando for the continued operation of the Zoo with a percentage of profit. (This is against D'Vine's wishes of course but a deal is a deal.) The deal was evenly divided five ways between Zando, Kmaregh, Junkbot, Honda, & Huang.

Colum then walks up dear old Dad holding out his hand asking for this 15 Silver. "A deal is a deal, you owe me, man!"

"Here kid," says Zando, "take your 15 silver and get outta here, ya bother me!"

"You mean he's not your kid?", asked Kmaregh.

"Nah, I just rented him check out on me in case of emergency." replied Zando.

As Culum was leaving, a few arrows hit their mark on the Characters on the balcony, as they were suddenly attacked by a small party of Goblins below. They were also easily dispatched by blaster fire but not before a couple escaped down a formerly concealed passageway.

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

++++ CHARACTER ROSTER ++++

PLAYERS
Kmaregh Dismal, 2nd level Evoker
Junkbot Jackson - Tracker/Adept (RGR5/CL5)
Huang - Monk Master (Monk8)Honda - Samurai Bushi (S7)
Lucius - Rutterkin (A2) (a.k.a Lucy)
Balentine - Plant Killer (MU2)
Elefus, Human Male Deacon (CL12) - (Coming out of retirement.)

NPCs
11 Henchmen
3 Hirelings

TEMPORARY NON-PARTICIPANTS
Snizzlephish, Gnome Male, Visionist (Illu6) & Footpad (T2) (Multi-class.)
Fundisha - Swordsman/Creep (F3/Infiltrator3) (Character on maternity leave)
Fist_Beard 4th level Berserker (Player absent)Tak - 3rd Level Infiltrator (Player absent)

RETIREES:
Numrendir, Human Male Coercer. (Conj6).
Slim - (new) 1st Level MU/Thief
Mysery Reigns, Halfling Female (Rogue6).
D'Vine_Justice, Elf Female Initiate of the 5th Circle (D7). (Semi-Retired)
Weasel, Human Male, Guild Soldier (T14), Enchanter (MU7), & Myrmidon (F6).