This week we had a strange occurrence, one of the Player's bought the pizza and Honor points awarded accordingly.

++++ START OF SESSION ++++

Where we left off, all the NPCs and several of the Players were still at the bottom of the well. Kiki had taken Kmaregh's silk rope up to the top to Doriel and he held tight. Huang, while still in the side tunnel heard the commotion and let down his hemp rope. Meanwhile down below melee ensued between the tentacles and anyone randomly determined they would attack. (There were eight tentacles.) While the fighting wore on, the remaining party members were able to climb the rope in time. This left the NPCs, Numrendir, and Junkbot still at the bottom engaged with the tentacles.

Numrendir, taking into consideration he was at the bottom of a 20 foot diameter well filled up to 4 feet of water, and also taking into consideration his Staff of Sunflame (acquired in Module DA3) emits 8d8 damage 20 foot fireballs, without warning, decided to fire one off at the base where the tentacles were emerging. Only Tubbs made his an Wisdom check and decided to duck under the water. Junkbot and all the other NPCs died *, saving throws notwithstanding. Even Numredir (forgetting the Staff effect) was brought down to one hit point and had to be healed. Junkbot had to play a HackMaster card on himself to invoke a Minor Raise Dead. Fortunately for them, the ropes made their saving throws versus fire. The tentacles also survived, but stunned and dispatched.

* Including NPC Rockford, who appearing in this write up was fictitious. Any resemblance to other fictitious persons is purely coincidental.

I forget how they accomplished the rest, but they extricated Junkbot and Numrendir, and I think also Tubbs who was otherwise unharmed. Probably Tubbs tied Junkbot & Numrendir to the ropes while the rest of the party pulled. So half the Party ended up at the top with Dorian and the other half was midway in a side passage.

Not sure why anyone wanted to heal Numrendir up from his last remaining hit point, but they did. It should be noted he also earned several negative Honor Points for "Unnecessary Deaths During the Course of an Adventure".

Lauren made it to the top, andI had the lower half investigate the side passage, which went on for 25 or so feet and ended in a wooden door. Junkbot had a sneezing fit, seems he just acquired an allergy to wood with that Minor Raise Dead.

Meanwhile back topside. To refresh your memory, the next paragraph is a quote from the last Summary and it also includes a correction, as it was Doriel who made it to the top, not Lauren:

<quote>
Doriel made it to the top, and I described the level he was appeared to be a platform on the side of a cathedral. To one side the was a door with the multiclor lighted sign saying: "Upfitter's Emporium, specializing in all that's fit to go up and stay up." There were also three stained glass windows. Window #1 depicted food menacing it's victims. Window #2 showed a huge blob in the center of a web of pipes surrounded by smaller blobs and spiders. Window #3 displayed the image of a fat orange and black striped cat with bulging eye sitting on a black book surrounded by a dozen multicolor keys. Higher above the flying buttresses was a faint rectangular outline beneath the shining letters "EXIT". Over the parapet on the opposite side it was pitch black. Although if one looked carefully you could see faint reflections of light which seemed like pairs of eyes.
</quote>

The fresh characters examine the areas from last report and decided to enter Upphitter's Emporium, where they are greeted by Upphitter, the purple lobster proprietor of the establishment. After a CAREFUL reading of the magic inventory in stock, the party topside (comprised entirely from new characters) deemed it out of their price range. They proceed to investigate further the stained glass windows, and one of them notices the Fire Opal key in the 3rd Window is real. So the only way to get at that is to break the window. Immediately they are attacked by MORE tentacles, ARMORED this time but at least no one was caught and dragged into a window. They survived the tentacles (again).

The next "natural" plan of action would be for the party below to continue past the wooden door. But of course upon hearing of the magical goodies awaiting purchase at Upphitter's Emporium, they abandon the door and made haste for topside. (I'm still wondering "how could they have known" about Upphitter's magic store? I'm tempted to award more negative honor point for acting out of character knowledge.)

What followed was a buying spree of ascendant equipment. But having outfitted, (err, Upfitted) themselves including Upphitter's Violet Garnet key hanging around his neck, the party moved on.

What remains next is either for the party to attempt to make it to the "EXIT" sign at the top of the Cathedral spires or to go down below to the side passage.


++++ CHARACTER ROSTER ++++

PLAYERS

Kmaregh Dismal, Evoker
Junkbot Jackson - Tracker/Adept
Huang - Monk Master
Honda - Samurai Bushi
Kiki - Prestigitator and Pixie-Nixie
Sir Doriel, an Elf Waghalter.
Sir Lauren, a Half-Elf Veteran
Sir Ulfberht Axewieder, a Dwarf Veteran
Sir Claven, a Touched of Tyr

PNP's (Players Not Playing), but appear every so often:

D'Vine Justice, Elf Initiate of the 5th Circle (Semi-retired)
Count, Elefus, Human Male Deacon

NPCs (living and recently deceased):

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

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