This week we had the house special pizza minus pepperoni.

We also had cameo appearances by both D'Vine and Elefus. (Elefus healed survivors from the prior level.)

First of all the Players who had deployed for a short time reported success at completing the next level. (For those tracking the game, they're were in the WG7 module Level 3 transplanted into the ruins of Vestfold.)

They sadly reported that NPC Henchman, "Hanibal" didn't make it. (Of the "A" team, that leaves only BA_Baracus and Face.) They were able to hire the cooks.

++++ START OF SESSION ++++

The Party was topside in the ruins of International Exports when they heard a scream.

They rushed outside to find the Baroness of the Lakes (the King's wife) against a wall while her guards were getting splattered by the ugliest monsters you had ever seen. After some effort the monsters were despatched. During the battle D'Vine appears (presumably due to a distress call from the Baroness, as she's always on call, 24/7), to find the monsters already taken care of.

The party took this opportunity to iron out things between Zando's Zoo and D'Vine's theme park. Apparently they decided they could cooperate rather than compete, 'nuff said. However the latest monsters coming out of the portal are more than the Zoo can handle and the source needs to be located and terminated.

Thus the next adventure. Note, no one asked the Baroness what she was doing there.

The new cooks they sent topside with the short giants.

In any case Zando remembers in order to stop the monsters, they should find the dungeon manual (and RTFM) for the dungeon. In order to do that, they need to find twelve keys. Then he remembers he has one of the keys! Rummaging through his chest, past The Hidden Manna, Urim and Thummim, The Holy Grail, and The Spear of Longinus, he finds it and pulls out a sparkling skeleton key made of a single ruby.

I judged that the glowing wall behind Galomohgen's tomb on Level 3 led back to a secret portal in International Exports (saving time and expense to get back down to level 3), the party goes back through the portal and down the stairs to level 4.

Arriving at room 1 they came to the perennial 8 foot circular stone door carved in the likeness of a pumpkin face. Above which is a sign that read: "Are you prepared for the eternal Autumn?" A successful search reveals the obvious keyhole in the mouth.

Inserting the ruby key, the door opens.

They find themselves in a 20' x 25' larger room with a tapestry at the far end a small sign next to it a doormat, and a pile of pumpkins in one corner covered in frost. The tapestry depicted angelic beings walking up and down a glowing staircase. Inscribed above the stair is a motto: "Be Prepared". The sign next to the tapestry read: "Ereh eb ey eterces emot of elbamitseni segdelwonk." The doormat says "Welcome".

ONE of the Players makes a successful Wisdom check and finds another key like the first, but made of sapphire underneath the doormat. (I forget who, I suspect a reply here will tell me.)

No one looked behind the tapestry.

One of the Players (again I forget who) decided to be Gallagher and smashed one of the pumpkins.

Taking a GM's opportunity, and rather than deal with the rigamarole behind the tapestry, I had the character who smashed a pumpkin disappear. The other players not wanting to let a good thing pass started smashing pumpkins one by one.

Each character in turn started falling perpendicular to a forest. In essence each character had the opportunity to grab the tops of any branches as they fell. A successful dex check meant the character grabbed a branch, a successful strength check meant the character got to hold on.

Every round falling was 1,000 feet. Every two rounds the character failed to catch a branch inflicted 1 hit point of damage. Ensign Pulver fell the farthest landing on an Ochre Jelly but destroying it in the process. Taking all but one point of damage. The rest of the characters fell varying distances but most of them caught a branch right away and crawled down their trees to the "ground".

The majority of characters landed near the ruins of a grand staircase but no building. Next to it was a historical marker saying: "On this site about an eternity ago, Verticulus Vibratiuncle built the first stair, symbolizing the belief that the only way out of Eternal Autum is up." 500 feet above the ruined staircase is a glowing door in the sky. Above the door in glowing red letters is the word: EXIT.

Out of sorts and with a desire to collect the rest of the party scattered over several miles, the party headed off in one direction, and within near a quarter mile they found Ensign Pulver in dire need of medical attention.

++++ CHARACTER ROSTER ++++

PLAYERS

Kmaregh Dismal, Evoker
Junkbot Jackson - Tracker/Adept
Huang - Monk Master
Honda - Samurai Bushi
Elefus, Human Male Deacon - (Coming out of retirement.)
Doriel, an Elf Bravo.
Lauren, a Half-Elf Veteran
Ulfberht Axewieder, a Dwarf Veteran
Claven, a Touched of Tyr
D'Vine Justice, Elf Initiate of the 5th Circle (Semi-retired)
Elefus, Human Male Deacon


NPCs:
Hireling Ensign Johnson (upstairs as invalid, performing gate guard duty in the former International Exports building
Hireling Ensign Pulver
Henchman Tubbs
Henchman Face
Henchman B.A. Baracus
Henchman Magnum
Henchman Rockford
Henchman Simon (#1)

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