This time my group had an extra-large sausage pizza. I had originally ordered a large but it turns out one of my sons was working the pizza parlor that night, so the mystery is assumed solved.

Games are on Tuesdays sometime around 5:30PM at World's Best Comics, 9714 Warwick Blvd Newport News, Virginia 23601.

++++ START OF SESSION ++++

The first hour of this session was (again) mostly maintenance for characters because they had leveled up. Some had to chose their new level benefits. It was like being at the yearly benefit meeting with your employer where they explain how your health plan will change next year.

While Numrendir was in shul for leveling up, various member of the party did some things.

Elefus decided he needed a human sidekick, so we went through the trouble of converting Curly's character into a 2nd level Paladin.

Honda boarded a hundred displaced Tenian refugees onto his boat and took them back to the Duchy of Ten. (For a small fee of one silver piece per mile of course, there is money to be made on human misery.) The trip to Ten and back took six weeks taking the Southern river route to avoid the North which is closely watched by the Egg of Coot and his minions of Cooters.

Elefus being rather angry for being had, went to the University of Blackmoor student store where he had bought the bogus magic items for well upwards over a hundred thousand in gold. Once there he found the door sealed off with yellow tape marked with saying "Police Line - Do Not Cross" in bold Palmer Runes. There was a town constable standing by the door.

Elefus demanded to know what is going on and the constable told him that this was a crime scene. The owner is being investigated for fraud and he has disappeared. Either by skipping town or has gone into hiding taking his ill gotten gains with him. If you have more questions you need to speak to the Chief Constable.

Ignoring the copper's advice Elefus went directly to the office of the King's spymaster, Fletcher William to ask if he knew anything. All Elefus got was that it was a police matter, the Kingdom's spy services have better things to do. "Don't you have a Locate Person spell?", asked Elefus. "Are you kidding?" replied Fletcher.

(There is no such spell in HackMaster, if it existed things would be too easy for the Players in any case.)

Elefus then went to the Chief Constable's office where he was told to describe what was lost and his name will be added to all the other claimant's of this scam.

On his own, Elefus tried to track the proprietor of the former store, where he finally noticed the "Wanted for fraud" bills pasted all over town showing a fairly accurate drawing of the alleged perpetrator. He visited the stables to see if the perpetrator rented, bought, leased a horse and or service leaving town to no avail. There was not even an Uber account. Elefus then tried the docks to see if the perpetrator booked passage out of town. (He may have boarded Huang's ship of returning refugees, but that ship had sailed.)

Frustrated, Elefus dithered until 10PM Player time and his Player went upstairs to the use the facilities.

While the Player for Elefus was upstairs, the Player for Weasel popped in after an absence for six months. Weasel is the party's sometime high level Thief, this was like pennies from heaven, so I briefed him. Basically the story is thus:

A pair of medium level crooks, a Thief and a Magic User bought out the University of BlackMoor's Student Store and stocked it with worthless junk. Various mundane items had a minor dwoemer cast on them so they would appear magical if Detect Magic was cast on them. The shopkeeper could claim it was anything a customer was looking for. For example, "Do you have a Ring of Protection plus 5?" "Sure right here buddy..." would be the answer. The face of the false proprietor was known (but he could have been disguised) and the Magic User was behind the scenes. Oh and of course, they were both dues paying members of the local Thieves Guild.

No, these guys will never be found.

Weasel, also being a member of the Thieves Guild, exercised one of his membership options and took his cut of the profits, which enabled him to level up.

After all this the party was between adventures. Rather than bait them into an adventure, I let them choose one for their average level. I offered them the Giant series, the Slaver's series, or the Temple of ELEMENTAL Evil series. All familiar D&D product names. They chose the last one.

Of course what they don't know is that this is the HackMaster version, called the Temple of EXISTENTIAL Evil.

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

PART 2.

++++ CHARACTER ROSTER ++++

CHARACTERS (Both PCs and NPCs)
Count Elefus, Human Male Abbot
Sir Huang - Master of the North Wind of the Stone Tiger Order, Baron of Catan
Dame Honda - Human Datai Samurai, Steward of Catan.
Numrendir - Human Conjurist
Slade Wilson - Dwarven Professional (Left behind at Catan.)
Gargoyle - Elefus's sidekick.
Rubbio - Redeemed Footpad
Curly - Insane Keeper
Twitch - Raised from the Dead Treasure Hunter
Sir Weasel, Human Guild Soldier, Warlock, & Champion and nine Pilgrim henchmen of various levels. (They wear hoodies.)

Sum Dum Gai - Male 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)
Won Hung Lo - Male 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)
Bang Mi - Female 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)
Stin Ki Poo - Male 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)
Yu Too Fat - Male 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)
No Tsmo King - Female 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)
Hu Yu Hai Ding - Male 1st level Monk (a.k.a. Grasshopper)

MISSING or CAPTURED CHARACTERS (PCs or NPCs)
Junkbot Jackson - Tracker/Adept
Gerry Castagere, Human Fingersmith, and ever loving devotee of Elefus
Fundisha - Half-Elf Swordsperson

BT







BBBB

++++ RECORD KEEPING ++++

PART 3.

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