In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding Government

Also, although I appreciate that no one does anything for free, I don't know why we are operating in such an open/free market society here. I would think we would want to strike trade/bartering agreements with our friends or potential friends. We don't have a lot of cash, but we do have muscle and experience to trade for the magical things we need from the school, for example. We don't have lots of capital but we gave hundreds (perhaps thousands by now) a FREE place to live...This is worth fealty....not to get too medieval, but we provide land and governance, and subjects provide goods, services, and when needed, manpower to do the jobs that need to be done. This isn't paid for, anymore than the land we gave for their use was paid for by them. Workers provide labor, risk their own capital, and kings get rich by taxing workers' incomes or goods and services. Kings didn't have to pay for the services of the local weaver. We can switch to a pay system, but if we're paying everybody, then it makes sense that we, the state, would allow private ownership of land; private owners need to buy it from us, and the we should tax their property, tax improvements to property....etc. We should be licensing professionals to work, charge for the use of resources like water, charge citizens for the protection we give (a dome which cost us dearly in lives, levels and treasures lost), etc....if everything is for a fee, then why aren't we charging?.

It may be that we are transitioning from one form of governance to another. If so, then we need to talk about policy in more depth. For example, maybe we could offer property deeds to those citizens who help us build the road system. We might get 200 or 2000 or 20000 volunteers. People do crazy shit for the chance at owning their own property. Regardless, instead of paying for an M-U to cast out regular mud to stone, or other spells which eventually makes a road, this should be something we should approach as, "this is a way that you can help make our kingdom self-sustaining, and in return, we become the force that can actually meet BH on the battle field and win." Hurray, no more protective domes, no more hordes of undead smashing and killing everything. Or, do this for us, and we will perform an equal service for you, no strings afterwards on either of us.



Why such an open/free market system? Several reasons.
1. That's what's in the DM and PLAYERS handbook
2. I think that's what logically develops given the situation. This situation is a Lawful Good Figurehead Monarch left unchecked for 20 years ruling over a band of Neutral Good gypsies with a strong "we are all family," "in the end we're all the same," "work hard for a fair price" work ethic.
3. It's easy, it works and I like numbers.

Oh sure, there is plenty of trading/bartering going on with friends/potential friends. The Huts and Keepers trade openly for differing foodstuffs (meats vs. produce), textiles & services. The school is currently operating as a free clinic and always willing to send over a few druids for crop dusting or veterinary assistance, and we give them very little. After a long run, many of the Yando Rivermen will ferry goods from the Huts over to Castle Lapspell for nothing more than free drinks and a soft bed to sleep it off in. Meutar itself every so often looks the other way and lets a few carts cross the border and head to the city Beolon on the Downs. That is whenever they are changing troops and you get a military escort both to and from the city. Here again there is no real cash exchange going on. We are trading our out of season foods and spices for our TOTAL metal requirements. We have no metal mines and our blacksmiths are dependent on those few trading shipments to bring back our requirements for repairs/upkeep & creation of new weapons (bullets for one).

The school is always willing to trade for your muscle and experience. Their current request is proof of that. But you did NOT give The Wandering People a free place to live. What you gave them was a SAFE place to live where they could turn your dead, barren, scrubland into the fertile breadbasket it is today. A place where they can toil all day and pay you taxes for the privilege to do it. And fealty has been pledged. The people are grateful, happy and content with their lot in life, largely based on the system as is. You provide the land, to the most part the people are self governing (but this is slipping away and there is a growing respect for the court system) and they do provide goods, services and when needed manpower. But this IS paid for, one way or another. Workers provide labor, there is no risk, and you guys hope to get rich by taxing a person just for living in the kingdom (whatever the age). In your example, the king can pay the local weaver by allowinf the weaver advertising that HE is "The Weaver to the King," and therefor can charge a little more from townsfolk. If the king however put the weaver in the tower and asked him to weave SOLELY for the king, what would the poor weaver do come tax time? In our current system, the king pays a fair price for hard work allowing the weaver in the tower to pay his taxes at tax time, and also buy a beer or two so the bartender can also pay his taxes and buy beer from the brewer who can now pay as well.... all the way back to the farmer who grew the hops on YOUR land and paid his taxes to do it.

You can allow private ownership right now if you want. The problem is most of the people under the dome wont go for it. Remember they are less than one full generation away from wandering around the world in wagons. Wandering for several centuries taught them that when you settle down and get land, sooner or later some other guy will bring an army in and claim it for his own and force you to pack up and move on. Its not that they don't trust you guy to protected them, its just that today these particular people don't really want to own land. Now some of the scum who have moved in from the huts will jump at the idea, but they are few and far. You can try selling land at the Huts, but those people are already under the impression they own their land. Now you can try taxing that land and the land improvements and licensing professionals and charging for water, gas and dome, but if all that is included in living under the dome (or in the kingdom) then wouldn't it just be easier to raise the tax you already have? That would be simpler. Sure, if you raise it too high you might get a revolt or at least a bunch or people starting to wander again, but if you do it right (say with a charismatic speech and a pretty paper announcement tacked up on the job board) you would probably get some sympathy.

"In my day, this was all shit and scrub grass!
You kids ought to be glad you have land to work on.
You only need to pay a little more taxes to build a road.
You could be LIVIN' IN A WAGON, DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!"

If you want to change the government then we will need to discuss policy in more detail. But for now the people are VERY happy, and happy people will bend over backward for their monarch. Like now, everyone knows how important roads are. If asked nicely, your workers would start working on credit if... oh say... free food was supplied. Knowing this the school would be happy to supply, free of charge, a couple of clerics to cast "Create food and water" spells to feed them all very well. AND, you could probably get a cook or two to go out and turn the clerics (described as rather bland) food into something special. Compare gruel to all you can eat stew (or chili or soup or gumbo or pizza in a cup or....) and see how fast people sign up to build that road.

In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding Roadwork #2

First question: Why can't we use concrete to pour roads, or to cement together quarried stone or to form our own stone from our abundance of sand? Concrete, basic quicklime, has been around for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks used it, the Romans used it, people in Thailand and Vietnam probably used it. We're more familiar with the Eqyptians NOT using it, but they had the luxury of tens of thousands of disposable backs to break in service of the pharoah. Portland cement, the stuff we're used to, is a recent invention, but basic concrete, quicklime paste, is really old, and really durable. Using quarried stone and quicklime/cement, or concrete made of lime and sand, I think we could greatly speed up construction, lower costs, increase the number of unskilled laborers, and get a strong, hard road done in a relatively short amount of time. Also, in places where rainfall is low, a hard packed dirt road is just as good as a stone road. So, like any project, we would probably want to build different roads in different places. Wider stone close to our cities, gravel or brick roads further out, to hard packed dirt in the outlands.
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I do think that offering some kind of Homestead Act would help finance the labor of the road building project. Also, you can bond to raise funds (go into debt) and then expect to pay off the debt by increased tax revenues generated by increased amounts of trade, and/or by tolls on the road. As far as that goes, why don't we see if we can employ the dwarves to build the road in exchange for a lease on the roads, in which they get a toll from citizens who use the roads? That might work too.

There are some very good reasons why you cant use concrete to pour the roads.

1. I didn't think of it.

2. I thought of it earlier, but forgot about it.

3. Other.

As to the history of concrete... Per inventors.about.com

Concrete is a material used in building construction, consisting of a hard, chemically inert particulate substance, known as an aggregate (usually made from different types of sand and gravel), that is bonded together by cement and water.
The Assyrians and Babylonians used clay as the bonding substance or cement. The Egyptians used lime and gypsum cement. In 1756, British engineer, John Smeaton made the first modern concrete (hydraulic cement) by adding pebbles as a coarse aggregate and mixing powered brick into the cement. In 1824, English inventor, Joseph Aspdin invented Portland Cement, which has remained the dominant cement used in concrete production. Joseph Aspdin created the first true artificial cement by burning ground limestone and clay together. The burning process changed the chemical properties of the materials and Joseph Aspdin created a stronger cement than what using plain crushed limestone would produce.
The other major part of concrete besides the cement is the aggregate. Aggregates include sand, crushed stone, gravel, slag, ashes, burned shale, and burned clay. Fine aggregate (fine refers to the size of aggregate) is used in making concrete slabs and smooth surfaces. Coarse aggregate is used for massive structures or sections of cement.
Concrete that includes imbedded metal (usually steel) is called reinforced concrete or ferroconcrete. Reinforced concrete was invented (1849) by Joseph Monier, who received a patent in 1867. Joseph Monier was a Parisian gardener who made garden pots and tubs of concrete reinforced with an iron mesh. Reinforced concrete combines the tensile or bendable strength of metal and the compressional strength of concrete to withstand heavy loads. Joseph Monier exhibited his invention at the Paris Exposition of 1867. Besides his pots and tubs, Joseph Monier promoted reinforced concrete for use in railway ties, pipes, floors, arches, and bridges.

So there. Nyaaah.

Seriously, I'm really glad you brought this up. I have always thought that, technologically, you guys are somewhere between Ancient Egypt and the fall of Rome. WAY pre renaissance, but not exactly the dark ages either. Each country is a little different, but all of the human countries are WAY beyond the Assyrians and Babylonians. In the last roadwork posting I didn't go into too much detail, but just assumed that you realized Plan A was a stone road and the stone would be cemented together. Plan B was to use homemade bricks, but where I kept thinking "mud and clay" I never really said. I think that making concrete bricks works just as well and we need not change any of the numbers there. The mortar used to fasten them together would BE cement. Look back on your list of workers you have in town. I believe there is at least 1 limeburner. He would be the one to supply products to the stoneworkers guild and get paid from their profits, so he was not included in the calculation. I didn't want to go too deep, but I have always been under the assumption that you guys are using cement and concrete. As for pouring an entire road of concrete, I don't think THAT'S a very good idea. This is still low tech concrete here. It would crumble like peanut brittle with the constant heating and cooling of the sun and seasons. Segmented bricks and stones allow the road to breath somewhat and you get less (not none but less) breakage due to weathering.

Now, as to breaking up the road types... feel free to break up the numbers any way you want them. Just let me know where you want what kind of road and their lengths and I will calc the time and cost (or check your numbers if you want too) and then we will set up a table for determining upkeep. How much and how often, that sort of thing.

Now as for financing the road... I don't know about the homestead act. There are problems with giving some of your people land. I will explain this fully when I post about government and free trade market. As to bonding, feel free. That is just some more STUFF to do. You guys have scribes, they can make you paper money that is good for paying off debt.

As to dwarf labor. You will need to ask them. Dwarves aren't usually found outside of their kingdoms, but if you got them, they would run rings around YOUR masons!

I still want to stress Plan F, asking the school. Researching new spells can take around 1 week per level of new spell. If it works, then you may need to only bond one establishment rather than your population who will more than likely use any marker you give them to pay their next taxes. Also, if they can get some of that new oil everyone is chatting about... hmmm... how does a "Wheel of Road Creation" sound? But then again the school is busy and they cant do everything. We need to limit what the school can do for you while your out getting shit done. Lets say one thing for each area of research; potions, spells, items, history/lor. Let me know if you think of anything else.

In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding The Cube

I have been thinking about our timestopped cube. I think there are possibly several solutions that are within our grasp. First, it may be possible that a 3rd level dispel magic spell may dispel this spell-like effect. In the handbook, it says that the dispel magic effect won't affect artifacts or relics, but might affect some of their spell-like powers. I think it is possible that the highest level m-u's at the school can and should attempt to dispel the magic effect of timestop, several, several times. Sure they may have to roll a 20, considering the m-u level differences, but given enough time, it will happen.

Next, if that doesn't work, they might try an anti-magic shell, (6th level) which will cancel all spells and spell like effects within the shell. Again, it is subject to DM's discretion whether a particular spell-like can be canceled or not.

Next, a limited wish, very specifically worded, could cancel the timestop effect. Essentially, the limited wish power fits the nature of our task well---we need a very small, very specific element of reality changed---we need simply stop the timestop function. If indeed the cube is treated like an artifact, and is untouched by dispel magic or anti-magic shell, then it becomes more likely that a limited wish would be a good bet---by design, they can only be used to change small things effectively, or to changed durations, or or or.

However, if that doesn't work, then a couple of 9th level spells probably will: Wish, or timestop. Wish, obviously, can permanently reset elements of reality. Timestop, cast on the timestopped cube, I think, will have the effect of allowing the cube to actually reach infinity and deactivate. Timestop inside would be cancelled by timestop outside. Again, if the cube is an artifact, then I think it would survive any major effects.

Although I keep talking about the cube as if its an artifact, I am under the impression that the cube is not an artifact for several reasons: One, it was affected by magical fields, when other bonafide artifacts, such as the Wand of Orcus, was not; Two, previously, cubes have been damaged and/or destroyed by relatively normal means. Artifacts are usually tougher than that. Cubes have been misused and not functioned correctly. Artifacts usually do their thing regardless.

Cubes seem like very powerful devices, but not artifacts. Even if they are artifacts, then it appears that their spell-like effects can be affected by magic. If so, then I think that Dispel Magic should actually do the trick. Rabbo will lend his considerable luck to improving an m-u's ability to successfully cast dispel magic at the die roll needed to dispel. I think we should try that next game.

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Also, we need a simple way to bring the cube back to its original size. I'm sure Bes would not stick us with a miniature cube, miniature boat, etc. I am appealing to your rational nature---allowing us access to the Cube, and all the stuff in pop-out is not a "gimme" in this game. Without magic, without access to magic, when we fight even low level magical creatures, we are likely to get our asses handed to us. I can't imagine going on a solo mission to rescue the queen or retrieve the green box/crystals/cube without magic rings, ioun stones, my cloak and weapons. In fact, without a high level cleric, or several potions, scrolls, or wands, I don't want to go outside and take a leak! I don't want to sound like a punk, but I thought we would have access to that stuff.

First, as to weather the cube is an artifact or not. That is a judgment call for you players. It could be, or it could just be a really strong item. It was affected by magical fields, but this is its native plane. Things can work differently on the native planes. The cube was damaged and artifacts are usually tougher. But what about the Machine of Lum The Mad? The Rod of Seven Parts? Dragon Orbs can be shattered. The Ivory Chain of Pao has a 5% per day chance of breaking. True, the cube has malfunctioned at times, but hey! It's damaged! What do you expect? Also, most artifacts have some kind of curse associated with them that can take effect and cause some kind of chaos during play. ...like malfunctioning??? As DM I really cant say at this point as to if it is or is not. I know, I just don't want to tell you. But lets do examine how me might fix the cube at the school.

OK. As discussed some time ago, the timestop function of the cube is NOT like the spell timestop. The cube literally creates a pocket of time outside the normal flow of time and that pocket remains until the time inside of it (and everything else) goes to infinity. The creation is the magic. The pocket is what is created. Here is the problem. When magically reversed, the cube created a pocket of time outside the normal flow of time that didn't flow at all. That pocket will remain until time outside of it (and everything else) goes to infinity. How do we free the cube?

Dispel magic - No. There would have been a chance to dispel the created pocket of time shortly after it was created. Now it is firmly affixed within our reality and can't be dispelled any more that a blade of grass. The pocket itself is not magical nor a spell-like power, but if tested the cube inside (as well as some of Felix's crap) would radiate magic.

Anti-magic shell - No. Same thing The pocket is not magical nor a spell-like power.

A limited wish spell - You would think so. One problem is that MOST MUs shy away from casting this spell as it ages them a full year. Not to worry, the school could be talked into it easily. The problem is that although the spell is designed to change things like "duration," we are dealing with INFINITY here. I think THAT by its very nature negates the "limited" aspect of this. We could easily wish away the entire pocket, but we want the stuff inside. No, this is a MUCH harder problem.

A Wish spell - Now were getting some where. Yes, this could do it. It would age the MU 5 years and more than likely kill him in the process, but it could be done. Creating a pocket of eternity around the cube, or how ever you want to wish this it's all about the same, would prove so stressful on time, space and the frail form of the MU's body he would literally need to give it his all. As this means the loss of an 18+ MU (and probably one of the last remaining deans), lets call this plan B.

Timestop spell - Maybe. The Timestop spell does create the pocket of time we need, but it only exists for its own 1-3 rounds before expiring. It needs to remain forever. Enter the 8th level spell "Permanency". This spell is a MUST for making magic items and crafting charges and such. It also makes some spell effects permanent. The casting time is 2 rounds. That gives us a 66.66% chance of casting the Timestop and then possibly making it permanent. It does lower the MU's constitution by 1 for each casting, but that a hell of a lot better than killing the poor sap as in 4 above. Stepping out of the timestop area would also negate the spell, so the old boy would also need a teleport spell. That would get him out and leave the rest of the spell for the cube. Now, Permanency spells may not always be permanent either. Sometimes they give out after a few thousand years. That's just a drop in the bucket for eternity. SO maybe we can boost that up with the limited wish spell. It MIGHT work. MIGHT! IF permanency works on timestop and IF the MU can get the second spell off in time and IF the limited wish can keep the permanency going for eternity. There's also the problem of getting the cube to NOT touch the side of the timestop spell before eternity is reached. The air and ground atoms will in time float away and touch the sides, but we need to keep the little pain in the ass from doing the same when the ground goes away. So now we need a levitate spell, another permanency and another limited wish. So far that 1 9th level spell, 2 8th, 2 7th, 1 5th and 1 2nd. Our 18 level dean can do it, but he will lose 2 points constitution and age 2 years (not to mention get some sort of metal or citation or grant from the school). That is IF the permanency works on the levitate and IF the limited wish works on the second permanency. THAT'S 5 IFS! And no, Rabbo cannot help. All the other spells will need to be cast within the timestop area, and that only effects the MU. So this is a big maybe, but well worth investigating BEFORE we stampede to a full wish spell in plan B. Lets call this plan A.2

What is plan A? Glad you asked! One of our up and coming Abjurers at the school was studying in alchemy class and began wondering if Moriamus's potion of time travel might be of some use here. She hoped that by converting the potion into an oil, that the new "Oil of Time Travel" might be put on the cube and when it reached infinity and "opened" the now pocket of real time would be send back to our present when the oil was places on the cube. This idea was eventually dropped when it was decided that the oil would need to remain active on the cube permanently, and the permanency spell does not work on potions or oils. The class was instructed to continue their studies and help find a way to improve on plan A.2, but the young woman was not dismayed. Her first class at the school was under Moriamus and the young woman was positive that Potions could solve all of our problems, cheaply and effectively. She secretly entered the restricted area of the library and began researching ways to make potions and oils permanent. What she discovered was Gorson Longtree.

Gorson was a member of the School during the days of the old Eaters of Wisdom. He was the youngest person to head the potions department in the school's history and his ambition knew no bounds. It was he that discovered that Unicorn horn makes a cheaper and easier to make potion of healing. He eagerness to explore new and alternate ingredients eventually led to the school insisting on him taking a sabbatical. He was furious, but agreed. When he returned a year later he claimed to have a slew of new recipes and ideas for improving potions. When he claimed the a better potion of longevity could be made from living elfin fetal tissue and extracting marrow from the foot bones of halfling children made an improved growth potion, the school was appalled. It was when he suggested breeding elves and halfling specifically for research that he was deemed insane, striped of his title and asked to leave. He produced a well of many worlds and opened it. "You fools," he said. "You have no idea what your small minds are giving up. I have created an oil of permanency!" He then produced a potion and began rubbing it over the well. "When you are ready to apologize and seek my forgiveness, this well will now permanently open to the same place." He entered the well and was seen walking away into a cloudscape world. The well was closed and placed in the closet of forbidden things.

So our young Abjurer, risking disciplinary action, brought this to the attention of her teachers. The possibility was discussed and the Dean himself opened the closet of forbidden things. The well was removed along with a note saying that a small group of students used the well 200 years ago and never came back. The well was opened. It did indeed lead to a cloudscape world. If this "Oil of Permanency" does exist and a quantity can be brought back to the school, it could solve MANY problems. Not just with the cube, but also with the production of magical items.

• Plan A: Mixing potions is never wise, but with luck a new special effect can be achieved. If we coat the cube in this oil of permanency and drop it into a beaker of Potion of time travel, it is possible (with Robbo's help) for a reaction to occur around the cube and achieve on a limited basis the "Permanent Oil of Time Travel," There may be other effects to deal with, but in the schools opinion, the advantages outweigh the dangers. Once the cube is back, its just a matter of some growth potions or enlarge spells and a few more coatings of the new oil and the cube will be back to size.

So here is the deal. If the party agrees to go through the well and retrieve some of this Oil of Permanency (At least 2 doses but hopefully more for the school), the school will agree to perform plan A free of charge. As well as supply you with what ever they can for the trip. If no oil can be brought back, the school will still perform plans A.2 & B for free.

In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding New Characters & Missions

Also, gamewise, we might want to consider creating some new characters to play some of the other concurrent adventures that could be happening that don't necessarily involve the higher level members of the group. For example, if it is important that Rabbo and group go to Immer, but it is also important for another group to go the crater, and important for another group to visit the king of the dwarves, then we can split time up and run different groups.
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Perhaps once we get a few diplomatic missions rolling, we can discuss what missions we can actually undertake with a chance of success, given our limitations. Perhaps people at the school could help supply us with a list of those kinds of things. Personally, I would love to go up against the Lepers, but not without disease protections, magical weapons, perhaps some high powered clerics or lots of potions to cure disease...that's if this leprosy is actually real leprosy, and not some magical effect caused by the leper god....

I think I could probably get in and out with the green box, crystals, cube, on a "secret" mission, by myself, or with Eyar, and or with a cleric....using god questions and psionics, I think I could construct a plan to sneak in and grab stuff. Maybe not.....either way, that wouldn't be much fun for the whole group. So, let me know what plans of action the learned people at the school suggest, or what the stewards of the Crystal Keep suggest.

As far as new characters go, I don't have any real problem with that. But what I would NOT want to do was try to keep track of two adventures going on at the same time. Per your example, if Rabbo and Eyar feel they need to go deal the king of Immer, you guys can roll up new characters and head out to find crystals with the kids. This would give them a chance to get up in levels to match you biggies, but the Rabbo/Eyar stuff would not be something we would play or get experience for.

There are things that need done that do not require the adventuring party (lets call this getting stuff done). Some things do require the adventuring party (lets call this getting shit done). I really don't want to run more than one "getting shit done" game within the same time frame. It would be simple enough to say that when Rabbo smashes the evil temple statue he unleashes the godlike plague of Super-yeast on the world, and then see how this effects any and all NPCs that are out there getting STUFF done. But its totally different when you have already finished getting shit done somewhere else and it SHOULD HAVE been effected. It would be like... last game way all "Hey Aphrodite! Can we have your huge tube of Vagasil?" "No Problem," she says. "It's not like there's a godlike plague of super-yeast going on." Now we gotta go back and redo all that.

Remember, you have a perfectly good ambassador at home. Feel free to send him and any other non-player out to do your bidding. Adam Kelly and a squad of men (with the new poof guns) just might make a REALLY good impression on the leaders of the military state of Muetar. Alexander is MORE than capable of negotiating passage/housing for the elves. Now the crystals at the crater in Rombune... There is where you sent some non-players to get some shit done and it didn't work. That's a problem. You don't always know if its stuff or shit that needs to get done. A good rule of thumb is, if it seems to be stuff, treat it like stuff until it turns to shit.

Example of apparent stuff that needs done
(no particular order):
Dealing with Immer
Dealing with Muetar
Dealing with Pon
Dealing with Shucassam
Roadwork
Census of and taxing the scum
Possible expansion outside the dome

Example of apparent shit that needs done
(* indicates most important):
Dealing with the cube*
Dealing with Elfland*
Dealing with lepers*
Dealing with crater (this ones 20 years old)
Finding EOW
Finding, rescuing, resurrecting old NPCs
Little Alex
Finding more crystals

Probably, the lepers are the least of the most important. The disease they carry can be both magical and non-magical. They are only now approaching the borders of Shucassam, so there is time here. But we really should get someone down there to talk to Shucassam so we just don't leave them hanging. It is an army of lepers so it would be best to have protection and weapons of magic before going in. Same with Elfland. The Schools suggestion of a small adventuring party was ALL of you guys. YOUR party and what ever non-player/s you wanted to take. It would definitely be better to go with magic stuff, so the most important shit to get done is the cube.

That I cover in another post.

In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding Roadwork

Also, we must begin working on a road system, first to and from the Huts, and next, to and from the border of Shucassam and Muetar. We need to negotiate with those countries, and also with Pon, to join roads together for our mutual benefit. Muetar may be surrounded, and a little nervous of us, but they control large amounts of river water resources. We have to be able to work together, maybe capitalizing on our friendship with the Yando rivermen.

Negotiating with other countries is a must. Muetar does control vast riverways, but the military would LOVE a road system. Most of their roads just lead to more river docks. New roads would help make friends with them a lot (especially if you paid for it), and yes the Yando rivermen have ALWAYS put in good words for you. Negotiating with them would be fairly painless. You have had next to no contact with Pon. Little is known about how they would feel about a road system. But as a kingdom thieves, don't you think they would like a secret backdoor getaway? Shucassam is another story. They have little use for roads as they are always getting covered over by the sands. They rely on tried and true trade routs. But still, roads could be built as far as the sands and trade routs can be adjusted or added or trading posts can be built. This can all be worked out. For now, Shucassam has more pressing matters and has politely asked for any and all help regarding their leaper problem. At this point, they are rather afraid of being invaded. The Keep has sent no reply as of yet.

The big problem with the road project is money. How do we afford it? We currently have just enough money to keep the keep afloat for 1 more year. Assuming that we start taxing the scum soon, or the party brings in a large infusion of cash with their next adventure, there are several ways to do the road thing.

Road Project A: Stone Roadway. Just like the Romans did, you could get a bunch of stone and make a road. This may be the most costly, but would need little if any upkeep for several years. For this you would need an Engineer (you have the only one in the kindom, a master, on retainer at the keep. This might be a good time for him to take on a few Apprentices), stone masons (a mason can oversee unskilled labor in the quarrying process as well as construction), bricklayers (they too can oversee construction, but not quarrying), unskilled labor, and a quarry or supply of stone. The Banished Lands has crappy stone. Mostly sedimentary. It can be used but would need yearly upkeep. For the good granite and stuff you will need to deal with a country that has mountains. Closest are Shucassam or Pon.

Time/Cose: Rules say a mason can build a road (using a wall laying down) 1' thick by 10' wide by 5' long in one day. (Lets make our road half as thick and twice as long or .5x10x10). We will say the same build rate for bricklayers and assume that Apprentices work at the same rate, but for half cost but can NOT oversee others. Lets also say the unskilled labor can work at half that rate, 1 man can quarry enough stone for one days labor and any master can only oversee 10 laborers at a time.

So, since the distance to the Huts is 6 x108 miles = 648 miles = 3,421,440 feet = 342,144 worker days

We currently have 5 master stone masons(4gp/month) and 5 Apprentices(2gp/month) = 50 labors (1gp/month) +5 = guys quarrying (80gp/month). We currently have 10 master bricklayers(4gp/month) and 5 Apprentices(2gp/month) = 100 labors (1gp/month)+5 = 55 workers(150gp/month). Total cost = 230gp / month.

342,114 worker days / 55 workers = 6221 days = 17 years. Not too bad for 161 guys.
Total cost = 230*12*17= 46,920 gp.

Road Project B: Brick roads. This would be like project A, but instead of stone we use our own homemade brick. Upkeep on the road would be yearly, same as local stone, and quite a bit more costly. Manpower would be the same, but bricks can be made in one-third the time as quarrying, building rate is twice as fast and unskilled labor can move at full rate.

So, with 4 master bricklayers = 40 brickmakers. That leaves 6 master bricklayers and 5 master stone masons over seeing 110 laborers + 10 Apprentices = 120 mason types.

342,114 worker days/2 / 120 workers = 1426 days = 4 years. Better.
Total cost = 230*12*4 = 11,040 gp.

Road Project C: Hard packed dirt roads. This could be done relatively cheaply with skilled/unskilled labor, but has the drawback of needing almost constant upkeep of one kind or another. The build rate is 8 times that of stone and the engineer can oversee 10 skilled workers (2gp / month) to oversee 100 unskilled.

342,114 worker days/8 / 100 workers = 428 days = a little over 1 year.
Total cost = 120*14 = 1,680 gp.

Road Project D: Magic Mud to Rock roads. The end result here would be the same as using our local soft stone (except this one could be dispelled). 1 9th level MU can change a 180 cube of mud to rock. So, if we have a working crew churning up mud and making it flat, the MU can change it into a rock road. Lets say that making mud is the same as hard packed dirt and 1 man can make a 1x10x80 patch in one day. That's 1x10x10 and hour. We would need 180 men making mud to fully use the MUs ability. As in C above, we only have 100 laborers without bringing in more Masters. So lets bring in 8 master Bricklayers who know all about mud and can help the engineer with the skilled laborers. The spell takes 1 hour to memorize and cast, so the MU could cast it 8 times a work day.

3,421,440 feet/180 feet/spell / 8 spells/day = 2376 days = 6.5 years.
Total labor cost = (180 + 20 + 32) * 12 * 6.5= 18,096 gp.
Magic cost = 500 * 8 * 2376 = 9,504,000!!! Even with a discount THIS SUCKS!

Road Project E: Magic Wall of Stone roads. The spell requires that the stone created be connected to existing stone. That makes this idea impractical and sometimes impossible.

Road Project F: Magic Wall of Iron roads. The end result here would ba a 1 inch thick, 10 foot road that only needed repair every few decades (except, again, this one could be dispelled). 1 9th level MU can create a length of 10 foot road 405 feet long. The spell takes 1 hour to memorize and cast, so the MU could cast it 8 times a work day. We would need a small work crew with horses or mules out there to help level off and possibly dig out bumps and fill in ditches and whatever. I would think that 40 men under 4 overseers would do. We could also get the keeps blacksmith to fashion clamps to hold the iron tiles together.

3,421,440 feet/405 feet/spell / 8 spells/day = 1056 days = almost 3 years.
Total labor cost = (8+40) * 12 * 3= 1,728 gp.
Magic cost = 500 * 8 * 1056 = 4,224,000!!!

Road Project F: Ask the ISOT. The school is always willing to research new spells for you guys. "Create Road" or "Transmute Field to Road" sound good. They will need time and sometimes money to research new spells. But if it works.... you KNOW if would help.

In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding Elfland

We have to communicate with the Elves ASAP. If we can't turn the tide of their battle, then we have to offer them asylum, or arrange for their safe passage to other lands, such as Immer, or to the protected grounds of the Invisible School.

Communication possibilities are as follows:
1. scouts (sent out from School as it would be faster) would still not know how to find what elves to talk to. Remember, you talked to a gorilla type group on the fringe that was out of touch with any main body or army. Scouts on foot would need weeks to get there and those sent magically could be put down behind enemy lines with no idea where to go and again who to talk to.
2. Magic communication again has the problem of who to contact_Normally it is the Elves (Fairy Queen) that contact the school, but this time they didn't or couldn't.
3. The school suggests that contact be made by a small stealthy "Adventuring" party that can be sent in close to or AT the Mires (Enemy HQ). From there it might be able to find out where the elfin stronghold (if any) may be. It is almost certain that prisoners have been taken there as well as the green box and crystals.
4. Plan B is to send the same type of party in #3 to Centaur Isle, home of the fairies. This is where the party made contact last time. But the school is concerned that that lack of contact from the Fairy Queen may mean that the fairies have been overrun and scattered. If this is so, then the party will need to make the trek to the Mires on their own.

As to Immer, well they have been kinda your buddies since you saved their king and never called in their IOU marker. I think that king may now be dead, but with any luck his son will know the stories and honor the debt without the paperwork. Chances are very high that your ambassador Alexander can get them to at least allow refugees to travel through the kingdom unmolested. As for housing them, that may be a little harder but you do have the "lowly Immerites helping the great and wonderful elves" factor on your side. That was sarcasm if you couldn't tell. Another problem may be the all encompassing pride of the elves. They just may rather fight to the death than leave their beloved forest.

In the Interim (Spring 2008) Regarding The School

Next, I think one of the things we should do if we are not already, is apprentice kids from the Crystal Keep and from the Huts to become M-U's at the Invisible School. Also, if the school isn't thinking like this, they need to be thinking as if they are preparing for war. It would be better to have 1000 M-U's who can each cast a couple of magic missles than an untrained mob who might be able to pick up clubs or pitchforks. And in the course of actively teaching new students, we'll find some who are really adept (new NPC's).

We should begin to utilize the school's pool of resources (simple spells on objects, charms, potions, continual light coins, etc) and create high demand items (black market or not, depending) to bring in money. In exchange for the service they provide, the school's apprentices get practice, and we provide protection and the adventuring muscle to advance the cause.

Not to worry. The School has ALL the new apprentices it can handle right now. (Thanks to the Eaters of Wisdom (eow)) The loss and destruction that occurred 15 years ago is just now being fully overcome and the school feels that now it is really back on its feet. They have ALWAYS been prepared for war. Before and now the school has, I think, 1000 troops ready. (Its Hard to see on the map, but I think the school has a 5 on it. That's a troop of 500 there and a similar value in the general hexes around the School.) But due to the loss, the troops are less experienced. The Keepers have helped out as much as they could and the end result is that the School is MUCH more helpful to you guys, but there is just not as much that they can do as they use to. As far as new NPCs FROM the school... not likely. The higher level guys are still training the lower level ones and the lower level ones are busy learning and training. The school is still pretty hard up. They will supply you with as much as they can (which aint much) including a buttload of hirelings. Hell, they will even let you have them on credit, but you gotta pay.

As to the school and items... Well right now the most important thing the school is focusing on is training in spellcasting. Yes, there are some simple items being created (scrolls and potions mainly) but not items so much. As you know, most items need the 'Enchant an item' spell and possibly the 'Permanency' spell as well. That requires a 12th and 16th level MU and they are in short supply and great demand right now. Not to mention that those spells can and DO drain constitution points... so, most item production has been put on hold. In the past the school could utilize the mirror to "change" magic items to fit what was needed. Now most of the Deans are gone and it simply cant be done. As for smaller items, the eow did try passing out trinkets when they did their trading and locating of underground movements. The problem is there is very little demand. Those people who would use such items still live in fear of being burned at the stake for even owning them. Small things are being made and stockpiled for later use. If you have any ideas on what to make other than scrolls and potions, let them know. They will look into it and again credit you if you guy can move any of it. Otherwise it will stay in storage until we get enough powerful wizards to activate the mirror again and start massing into REAL items.

In game terms, the school has had it's average level cut in half. This effects its army as well as its ability to do stuff for you. But unlike when you first met them, they are more than willing if they can. Basically, they are right behind ya buddy!

Special Note: Regarding continual light coins -- they are NOT permanent. The item that a continual light spell is cast on does eventually get used up. It may take hundreds or thousands of years depending on the material, but it does go away. Also, before he was killed, Toomonga declared a religious holiday to commemorate the merging of Alexander and his wife and the destruction of the Wand of Orcus. It took him and the glass blowers almost a year, but they did manage to create 300 glass vials filled with a continual light spell. These vials are worn around the neck on thin leather straps during the day of celebration, and hung on the tree of life that night. So, in one of the wearhouses you got a big box of all that. Not sure where the holiday fits on the calendar. Need to check the old notes for that time.

Fall of 1987...Back to SIU after summer break!

The party is at the Invisible School of Thuamaturgy. The school is being sabotaged. The reflector is broken. We have to find the Faerie Queen in less than a month because she has a magic wand that can fix the reflector. We find out that Salem’s in cahoots with BH. The Oracle Skull is gone in permanent pop-out. Salem was the one that slashed Muad’ib up in Timestop. Moriamus, the magic user joins the party. We fly to Elfland. On the way, we notice that celestial music is coming from the Cube in the pouch of Destin. The Fortress side is glowing. We uncork the Fortress, and Rabbo comes out of the doors. He now has dice for eyes. Onward to the Elf City. we decide to go to the Lost Library for information about the locale of the Faerie Queen. Gargoyles are flying toward us. We do Sanctuary and land on an island in the lake. Rabbo has Cube now. We are trying to hide from the gargoyles on the island. Net drops on Rabbo, then Eyar 1. Taygo speaks to the centaur that has the net. Moriamus sets out to prove our magic to the centaur. Centaurs release Eyar and Rabbo. They take us to a place of safety---the centaur city, and small village called Stronghold. They offer to help. They take us to the old man in the forest. The old man says, “Black Hand,” to show us that the black cloud of gargoyles isn’t much of a threat in this protected place. The old man says the Queen has been captured and been taken to the underworld by the undead that Taygo unleashed in the Elvin Woods. Trees advance. We retreat. Go back to the centaurs. A satyr named Sim comes to lead us to the Queen. Satyr charms Driel and Eyar 1. Prince Thea is the Keepr of the Vol. The Underworld is in the Mires of the Sinking Kind. We see sparkles in a tree. M of some sort are attacking Destin. They are dragging him up the tree. Gets loose. We decide to check for crystals in the tree. Point Northeast. Rabbo gets message about the nearest crystal. A squirrel has the closest crystal---“he keeps it with his nuts.” It’s about a day’s carpet ride away. One hex right and below the Sacred Stones. We continue on to the Mires. We arrive. As the muck deepens, we decide to fly to the Sunken Towers. We go down in the first tower. Muck is getting deeper. A slithery thing drops on Taygo (giant constrictor). Rabbo kills giant snake. One jumps on Fred, and he kills it. Taygo steps on a skull in the muck. It is elven. Destin finds a hand with a ring on it, and finds the binding of a magic book. We decide to dump the book. The ring is magic. Rabbo finds the remains of 1 human and four elves, a wand, a scroll (transmute mud to rock) and a scroll tube. We go back up after finding no way into the Underworld here. We plan on looking into the next of the three towers. //

Rabbo kills Salem. Salem had the mark of BH on the back of his head. He could hear only out of the back of his head. We resurrect him. Driel says “black hand” while telling an update of events… Gargoyles attack. We run down into Tower 2. fly down the center of the tower. The entire place is covered in webs. We’re stuck! Work loose. We trip a magic mouth alarm. Rabbo decides to take Salem back to the School. This next part in the notes gets chaotic, because it sounds like two battles are going on at once---Rabbo and Salem teleport back to the school. Rest of party goes down on the stairs. Golems attack Rabbo and Salem at first. There are creatures at the bottom of the tower, according to Destin. Salem gets his dragon out, and a golem injures the dragon and it turns back into a figurine. Moriamus dispels web. Destin falls but catches himself. Meanwhile, Rabbo punches a big golem and takes him down 30 hp; We think that there are kobolds at the bottom of the tower. Salem fireballs golems. It seems that BH only affects Salem when he is asleep or unconscious. One golem grows from the fireball, while one seems unstable. Salem casts lightning bolt at them, but they grow again. Back in the tower, the stairs begin to collapse because there were rigged. Moriamus drops to neg. 3; Driel is at 0 hp (and is also invisible!) Eyar kills a bunch of kobolds. Rabbo and Salem pop back. Salem decides to go back to the school to get his dragon. Rabbo gets Taygo and flies down the center of the tower. Salem hasn’t popped back yet. He’ll have to wait about five rounds. Fred sucked up by floor, kobolds coming out everywhere. Salem back, but he doesn’t know exactly the length of his absence. Salem gets Driel back up by using his Keoghtum’s Ointment to heal her wounds. Eyar is up by Driel. There is a hole in the center of the tower. Rabbo, Taygo, and Salem go in. It’s a cave. Fred goes in too. Then the rest of us follow. We are in a corridor in an underground city. We discuss Taygo’s dream of Loth. We’re going through a mist. Beyond the mist is a real bad smell (methane). Salem blows the mist away. A wall appears at the end of the hall. Pass wall through wall. We can’t get all the way through. Fred scouts an area down a ladder and gets fireballed. We go into a cavern because we’re being sealed in. come to and cross a rope bridge cautiously. Destin hears a bell in the distance (behind a rock). Bridge collapses with Taygo, Rabbo, and Destin scouting it. The bell quit right before. Rabbo gets out the carpet and they fly down to examine the river below. Salem with them on his broom. Bridge was trapped. Rest of the party goes down on a carpet. Moriamus goes down on broom with Salem. We explore cave. Find an “up” corridor, and go up it. Find trail reptillian. Umber Hulk. Taygo light spells it in the eyes, but misses! Fred kills it. Salem takes a tusk. We go on and encounter 2 more umber hulks. This time in the fight, Fred fumbles his weapon!

Eyar, Rabbo, and Salem pop out. Test for crystal. Muad’ib pops in. Taygo scouts ahead. Finds room. Umber hulk in the room. Salem in. Fred, Muad’ib, Driel, Salem, Moriamus, and later, Destin venture into the tunnel. Taygo attacks monster, and “It’s pissed!” Fred kills it. Taygo cuts the umber hulk open and inside, it is sparkling. Salem is sparkling perhaps because he drank some of the water? Moriamus casts a detect magic spell and discovers the whole room is very magical. Destin is glowing because he stuck his face in the water. Salem dispels magic. We go on. Moriamus dispels Salem’s sparkles, and Salem dispels Destin’s glow. More magical water comes up from a spring. Get boat from Cube. Half of the party are on the boat, half on carpets, and the magic users are on the broom. Destin and Muad’ib are in boat. Taygo, Fred and Driel are on the carpet. Hear weird sound from behind. We come to a huge water-filled room with very tall ceiling. We go up about 200 feet and the ceiling is not yet in sight. We go up 200 feet more. We see the broken rope bridge again. We go to the other side. We find a cavern in a hall (rampart). There is a drow elf at the base of the spiral stairs. Salem turns invisible and goes down on his broom to check it out. There is another staircase and an elf. One elf almost webs Salem. He lightning bolts her. As she dies, an alarm sounds. Another elf comes to fight. Driel throws a silence spelled coin to keep her from spellcasting. Three armored dudes are coming down the rampart. They are stopped by Salem’s wall of ice spell. Destin fights an elf. Taygo tries to jump on her. Destin kills elf. Another magic user shows up and flame walls Moriamus, Fred, Driel, Muad’ib on the carpet. The carpet is okay. Taygo tosses coin of silence near the new elf. Taygo, Destin and Muad’ib attack elf. Destin killed another. More elves come up the stairs. Salem casts a web on an elf, and Taygo kills it. Driel pillages dead elf. Moriamus went down stairs earlier! Then Salem, then Taygo. Destin, with his ring of free action also goes down the webbed stairs. Destin kills another elf. Driel pillages other elf. A fireball comes from the webbed stairs. Go down other stairs, 200 feet to a library. Moriamus goes to a spinning, crystal ball in the center. Moriamus walks in the ball. Beams of light start hitting the books from the crystal. Taygo goes up to the ball, but there is nothing. Salem goes up to it, becomes visible, and looks in. There seems to be a path leading to BH. Salem saw Moriamus being tortured and BH enjoying it. Salem puts an ice wall around the crystal. Driel, with her helm, checks out the books. Stairs are sealed off, approx. 100 feet. Help book, pg. one and three. Next book. Alter Reality book in back pack. Moriamus and librarian book. She’s been trapped by Salem, but the school will help. Someone is with her. Moriamus helps us find book on Lori in the religion section. Directs us to six volumes about Alexander. Taygo takes these books. Driel looks into crystal (a reference device) and finds six Lori language books. Back into crystal. Five clerical spell books. Tomes Shelves open to secret passage. Salem and Driel find another room. Appears to be an alchemist’s lab. We poke around. Driel becomes a ferret. Destin gets Driel. Taygo becomes a white mouse. Muad’ib turns into a snake. Salem tries to dispel, and Driel returns to normal, but Taygo and Muad’ib are still animals. Salem’s limbs fall off! He dispels magic. We cross room, go through the door and look into a cavern. /

A new magic user pops in (Lawful Neutral). Driel has the Help book. We come to more mist. Ultravision debate. Eyars and Driel pass out in the mist. Fred and the new magic user grab them. Find rubble covering and blocking the stairway. We pass by the wall. Rabbo goes ethereal, and then Fred faints in the mist with the rest of the party. Taygo realizes that his dream is coming true. There is a spider in the mist. The lesser god of the kobolds is here, underground, like in Taygo’s dream. Salem goes to Taygo. Taygo is trying to kill the oncoming spider alone as in his dream. No one else can see the spider. Rabbo pulls Taygo away, but the spider follows him. Taygo tires to disbelieve. Taygo attacks the spider again! Taygo becomes a Fighter Again! Destin is being weird. Fireball shoots down the other hall. Salem absorbs it. Rabbo and Salem go to kill the magic users. Spider is getting bigger and its turning to stone. Kobold god is after Taygo. Destin is rubbing his groin on the ground? Taygo is now at -1 hp. Destin thought he was a slug because of random potion in the lab at the library. We are all in the cave. Driel heals Taygo. All in web except Taygo. Drow elf. Destin has a knife dipped in potion, comes back from elf and stabs himself! Drow elf does fireball. Rabbo disbelieves web. Fred and Driel can’t disbelieve web. Three more elves are coming. Possibly more illusions. Find room (Salem and the new magic user. Drow in room. Lightning hits people still in the hall. Salem casts a forget spell at a big drow. Drow elves are casting spells into black glass column. We attack. Fred gets dumb idea and pours a water breathing potion down Eyar’s throat. Salem webs the elves. Destin with his ring of free action, goes through the webs and kills the elves. Salem casts a shatter spell on the column of black glass. We heal the Eyars with an elixir of life. Rabbo kills Drow Queen. //

Eyar and Driel pop in late. Heal Rabbo and Taygo. Cube doesn’t work. The black column shatters. Dragon came up. Fred kills dragon, then falls into the pit. Fred dies. Salem gets Fred. We use timestop TWICE to heal Fred all the way up. Went down a passage, and found a concealed door. Led to a room with a throne and a bunch of drow elves. We kill a bunch. Salem flies over a force field and sits on the throne. Flame strike on Salem! Taygo has changed alignment to Lawful Neutral after reading the Alexander book. Salem hears swishes, but can’t see anything with his robe of eyes. We are thinking they are elementals. Salem falls to ground because Rabbo fires at the swishes with no effect. Destin goes up and wacks Salem on the head with a rod. Destin is knocked over by a swish. Salem dispelled on the swishes. Destin hits himself on the head with the rod. Sparks fly out and he’s down. Driel removes curse on Destin’s rod. Salem trades for Destin’s rod. Driel detects evil, and the rod is very evil. Salem points the rod at the throne. Driel performs remove curse on Salem. Salem puts the rod in his bag. He says that the wand wanted him to kill Rabbo. It made Destin hit Salem on the head. Salem tosses it down the pit. Salem and Driel save from a spell. Taygo scouts. Drow statue behind a barrier. Thunderbolt inside. Phase spider with drow rider. Drow statue stabs Fred. They kill her, and go down the hall. //

Thanos, magic user. Driel gets Rod of Absorption back from Taygo and green box back from Rabbo. Taygo uses last of healing drought. Fred tires to break a wall of force Destin found. Driel heals Fred’s wounds. Destin tries to dispel wall with a rod that up until now had only detected magic. His unknown ring glows blue and fades. Driel tries to dispel the wall three times. Rabbo and Thanos fo ethereal with Salem in the Orcus Garden in the Castle. Pop back. We’re attacked by archers. Salem gets ready to take Eyar and Driel ethereal. We go to the other side of wall of force. Fred down from a poison arrow. Other Eyar and monk taken ethereal. Drow are the archers. Coming down toward Taygo in the opposite hall from the wall of force. Salem fireballs drows and kills them. We are now all ethereal. Driel slows poison and heals Fred. Fred gets up! Destin walks into darkness-Driel’s coin no longer gives off light. We’re in a cave, and see drow and kobolds eating. We go back and try a different direction. We see drow bodies. We see 4 live drow talking. Illusionist fires wand of wonder. Something happens to Rabbo. Salem knows that he’s absorbed it somehow, but should not have. Drows have noticed us yet. Taygo attacks. After Taygo, Eyar, and Driel charge, the drows figure it out. The party decides to run toward a hall next to the drow. Rabbo seems to know where to go. Taygo runs past drow. We’re still ethereal. Salem hears a high pitched squeal from behind. He goes back to look. It’s a mouse running toward us. The mouse is squeaking Salem’s name. It’s a familiar. Salem can see and hear through the mouse’s eyes and ears. We’re all still ethereal. Muad’ib pops in and is ethereal, too (because the crystals are also ethereal) Rabbo says to go right at the next fork. Thanos zaps Salem with the random Zowie wand to recharge Salem’s staff. We see a room with several drow down the hall. Room seems to be a torture room. We decide to go in waving weapons to scare. We see some doors. We pick door on the left. Hall with doors. Taygo and Rabbo stick head through doors. Rabbo sees woman with burnt off legs. She’s been tortured. She’s milk white and her hair is silver. Taygo see the same thing. Rabbo and Taygo go in the room. They get their attention. Rabbo’s motioning to go away. She’s carrying a wand. Taygo is motioning to chains with her wand. Salem takes Taygo and Rabbo to the prime material plane. The Faerie Queen says that Rabbo and Taygo can’t save her. A female must take the wand and become the Queen of the Faeries. She must remain Queen of the Faeries until death. Destin fucks with a major fat drow. Salem goes ethereal to get Driel. She goes with into the Faerie Queen’s cell. Driel is back on the prime material. The Dark Queen of the Drow wants the wand. She wants Driel to be the next Faerie Queen. Must not let mortals touch the wand. Must protect and live for the Faeries. This responsibility may interfere with being a cleric. Driel becomes the Queen. Never forget the magic of our race---in human form, be always fair and kind, brave and bold, and soon the two will mesh. There is a bluish explosion, and the old Faerie Queen turns into a spot of vapor. We go ethereal. Salem gets Driel and Taygo to the school. Now in the prime material. Rabbo, still in the dungeon, fires at drow elves and kills a bunch. Rabbo tells everyone to go to the school. Driel and Taygo and Salem walk towards the school. Everyone on the ethereal plane goes towards the school. Rabbo dimension walks to the school. Muad’ib, Fred, Thanos, Destin, and Eyar 2 all are now out of the underground. Eyar 1 is still missing, stuck there for awhile. Back at the school, good ol’ golems. Salem tries to teleport us to the school. That group ends up on a large crater below, with a cave behind. We hear booming laughter. It’s an efreeti. Efreeti has statue of Eyar. We leave. Back at the school. IN THE TOWERS: In the underground city. Monk lights fire and disappears. Fred, Muad’ib, Thanos, and Eyar 2 head for the Invisible School of Thuamaturgy. Fred disappeared. Driel asks wand its powers. It restores her health completely. Driel says “destroy golem,” and it glows warmly and makes her feel perturbed. It does the same thing when she asks it to defend here and her friends. Salem flies with Driel over the golems and Taygo stays to fight (When Salem slept last game, he was bound tightly, and nothing bad happened). Driel asks to be let in the school, and feels embarrassed. She is not really acting like the Queen of the Faeries. Destin is in a strange white castle. Someone speaks to him telepathically. He tells it he’s a god. It chuckles. It’s captured by the cloud king. It says it will help Destin if he frees him. So Destin does. It’s a Ki-rin. He hops on and they fly off. It flies him to the school. Driel heals Taygo with the wand. Her skin is pale and her hair is turning lighter. Can’t turn a golem with the wand. Driel tries to command golem. Beams come out of the wand and the golem falls over. So far, it heals and directs commands. Driel is changing in the Faerie Queen. Back to Destin. he finds Fred and saves him. Ki-rin tells Destin that Rabbo’s not in range and Eyar is also not in range. They are either south of Troll wood or east of the forest of Lurking. Driel commands the golems to halt, but only one falls. Driel invokes the spiritual hammer through the wand. The wand gives her a weird feeling. She says Halt again. The wand gets angry when Driel commands the golems to die, but misses the mark and kills some grass. Next try, the grass stands upright, and the now halted golems stop quaking. Taygo kills golem. Destin with help from the Ki-rin find and tows Eyar 1, Muad’ib, and Thanos. Wand of Rulership?? Tell Golems to fight approaching golems. All are killed except one under Driel’s command. The Ki-rin gets us all to the prime material, on top of the shield and leaves us. Rabbo made a right turn at Albequerque and got lost dimension walking. Ki-rin pops off to get Rabbo. Rabbo brings him to the top of the shield. School finally lets us in. Flame hand has Salem taken off to be cured.

At the invisible School. Eyar 1 is still missing. We turn over some of the books to the folks at the school: book 1: Index to the other 5; book 2: Defines the Religion (and changes alignment of those who read it); Book 3: discusses law and order of the universe (sacred text); book 4: Discusses the life and rights of all living things; book 5: on fighting skills; book 6: (most powerful) on the duties of Alexander’s clerics. When Taygo read those books, it changed his alignment, increased his experience, and changed his class to fighter/cleric. Meeting at the school. Salem is hovering 5 feet off the ground in a glowing red cube. He is an almost exact replica of Salem which has a second subconscious that takes over whenever he is asleep. We can never leave him alone, or turn our back on him. BH isn’t watching directly, but is spying. Wand won’t do anything evil. It’s chaotic good, of some kind but unknown intelligence. Wand serves the Queen. We’ll need to check with Faeries to find out more about the wand. Driel hasn’t changed any more since she entered the school. This change could cause problems with her religion. Golems are coming and going, possibly through gate. Lich was controlling them. We had something to do with their arrival. Salem is a spy for BH. The Salem construct has something from the original. We intend to try to get the medic to fix him. Rabbo asks about letting us in and knowing about Eyar 1. Our stuff has been energized by the school’s magic. Entrance spell. When all our items are in 50 feet of the dome opening. If something is missing or not in our plane, it will open, but if he’s restrained or unconscious. School agrees to give Eyar 2 a location device to find Eyar 1. Barter. Weird rifle is gone from the fortress. Rabbo still has hippogriff coin. Hilt, maces, weird gun, balls, gone from the fortress. Salem’s blue dragon is now a black dragon. Possible BH effect. Taygo set up worship place in the Invisible School. Eyar 2 gets Jerik. Party stuff: Carpets, to Driel and Taygo. Sword of Law is at the Lori temple teaching religion. We get the medic out. Compare old and new Salem. Brain waves operate differently. Untested shock wave therapy on Salem. Didn’t work. Rabbo gets genie through the crystal to get an original bone from Salem. The genie says, “One does not exist.” Gods of destiny and leaders of fate at Temple of Kings. We need to see them if we expect to get Salem back. //

The guys go out to fight golems (Fred, Destin, Rabbo, Taygo, and Maud’ib) Driel is taken to a big room (the council of wands) to fix the reflector. It is an artifact. Driel does many experiments with the wand. First, she grew a daisy from an elm seed, and then willed it to change into a rose. She talked to the daisy and to a ferret. She commanded a dead cat to live, but the wand only felt sorrow. Tried to will a shape change. No go. Tried to talk with a warg, but the wand only felt hatred and sorrow, but no response from the wolf. Tried to change the warg’s alignment to good, no go. She smashed a vase, and commanded it to mend, sorrow, misunderstanding. She pictured the vase coming back together, and there was a short burst of faerie dust, and as she touched the pieces, they danced up on each other, and came together, but with many cracks. Tried to think of it without the cracks and touched it, (misunderstanding, sorrow and wanting). She told a piece to move away, it jumped and danced to Driel. Driel thinks about each crack melting into each other, and touches---nothing. It won’t hold water. She asks wand to show her what it wants and needs, and faerie dust came out, it glowed slightly, and pulled her towards a door. The council follows. Goes to a local tavern. People there are drinking and listening to music. Wand feels excitement and expectation. She sings to the wand, sings “King of Pain” There is a blast of light and sorrow, hurt, unbelief. Suddenly, it gets darker. BH is attacking. Guys fight golems. All are attracted to Rabbo. After Taygo casts invisibility to undead. No, some converge on Taygo also. A BIG one comes and attacks Rabbo. Thanos sends five shadows after the big golem and they converge on his arm, which turns black, although it still seems to be under the golem’s control. Rabbo kills the big golem and shadows disappear. Sun dims out! Eclipse. Back to Tavern, Driel sings opposite King of pain but the wand sends mixture of emotions, great fear depression, and confusion. Black amorphous cloud like creatures with silver linings and sparkles are flying and moaning up in the sky. Driel tires another rhyme and the wand feels happy. Rabbo gets carpet out. The sun is back to normal. Wails and moans sound more painful and they start falling. Driel makes a rhyme to get rid of the golems and passes out with faerie dust all over her body. When she wakes up she’s Neutral Good. The golems fade and go away. Small black holes have appeared in the sky and the black things are going through them. The mages take Driel to the infirmary. The guys arrive back inside. Salem swallowed a crystal that puts him the red cube every time he enters the shield. Sword requests a meeting with Taygo. Driel has milk-white skin, golden bronze hair, and liver eyes with green flakes. Driel wakes up and wand feels sorrow, fatigue, and hunger. Driel prays, and receives a vision. Her path is forked. One path leads to the Elysium Fields, in which Ishtar resides, and the box on that path said, “Wand.” The other path led to Elfland with a box that said “All else.” The boxes are like toll boxes. She feels out of touch, with the party, feels lonely, doubting her religion, humans annoy her. Taygo goes to talk with the Sword of Law. He was told not to return to the temple until he redeems himself. Everyone goes to fix the mirror. They take us to the basement to a huge lecture hall. Sit down and flamehand draws back a curtain. There is a huge mirror, 50 by 50 ovaloid, around the sides inlaid with very sparkly gems. 30 ft cracks go up one side. Driel says rhyme. With Rabbo’s help. After she touches it, it fires, but all of the gems fade. Upstairs, there is pandemonium. The screen is down. The wand feels uselessness, hunger, sorrow, loneliness. Flamehand gives Rabbo small mirror, and stones (small pebbles). Rabbo timestops and asks where their stuff is. Flamehand says that the reflector feeds on the gems, and the reflector must have been dying, it hadn’t been using as many gems. Massive energy used to repair the mirror and possibly starved the gems. Mirror and pebble are ways to contact the wagons

Rabbo tries to call a genie to help us with the reflector. It works. Noble Genie appears and grants Rabbo’s wish. “Permanently recharge reflector.” Supplies full complement of gems and information about location of most powerful gems on the plane. Mirror is now fixed. School’s okay. Crater of the Punishing Star near Rombune is the location of the gems. Large meteor made a crater during the cataclysm. near Paros (iron, precious gems and industrials. Rabbo uses crystal knowledge and lucky guess to find its location. Temple of the Kings may be able to cure Salem. Crystal information: small hut, closest to school, rolling hills at the source of a little river. Above Tatafat, source of the river Ebbing. We go to kill golems that are inside the school. Gave back the communication pebble and lense. 7 small golems and one big one are tearing down buildings and attacking people. Lich shows up ethereal with Rabbo, we don’t see it. Rabbo pops back to prime material, and the lich doesn’t follow. It’s a minor Death. Skeletons show up. Salem pops in. Fred kills big goelm. Rabbo attacks Minor Death. Killed it. Rabbo goes ethereal. Drops crystals and Cube. Senses psionic presence deep in ethereal. Lich. Rabbo attacks with psionics---kills it. There’s still a presence only weaker. It attacks. There seemed to be a bunch of psionics grouping in the ethereal. Destin picks up cube and crystals. Two fighters (paladins) and 3 magic users show up from the school to help us. Fred killed little golem. Something we are unaware of happened to Rabbo on the ethereal plane. Paladin heals Driel. Eyar kills golem. Destin kills golem. Driel kills golem. There is nothing on the ethereal plane now. We leave through the top. The school detected an ethereal gate that opened while the shield was down, and closed before the fight was over. We are headed out for the closest crystal. Get $ out of bucknard’s purse and put in green box. We arrive at the hut. Destin goes up and knocks. Jerik uses its clairaudience. Man sleeping inside, so Destin creeps in. Jerik, locate object. Eyar finds bag with 4 gold 3 gems and the crystal (#46). There are empty bottles and the place smells like 503 Hayes after a party. A boulder hits Salem. A dwarf giant shows up with another boulder in his hand! 12 foot tall dwarf, black skin, fire red hair, etc. Salem is killed after fireballing the dwarf-giant and the dwarf giant tosses the second boulder at him. Driel Driel neutralizes poison on drink and wakes him. Rabbo asks his name, Henry. He keeps puking. He’s a wine maker. He does some stuff when we tell him about the giant. Fred killed the giant. Fills up a bucket with river water and changes it to wine 9 Maybe the influence of the crystal or Demeter, his god). Can occasionally make ale. Giant wanted wine or maybe ale. Destin joins crystal. It emanates white light and then goes back to normal. Apparently no effect on Destin. The school taught the winemaker how to turn water into wine. We’re off to Stubstaff Keep. Before we leave, we do the arrow thing again. “In a cave in a coffin filled with evil.” Next crystal info. Due east from the mouth of the Ebbing river.//

As we open this game, Eyar, Destin and Salem are in pop out. We’re off to Stubstaff Keep. Thanos learns how to fly the carpet. Driel misses “Eve’s Curse” and is worried. It’s been one month and one week since the incident with the satyr. Taygo is staring transfixed into the sun. Thanos shakes him and he comes out of it, but he knows something. The sword has spoken to him. To save himself he must find Toomonga, in the Village of the Yando rivermen. Muad’ib remembers him from before, when he was part of the party before the current party. Toomonga is a cleric. So, we decide to stop and look for him when we get there. Muad’ib notices that there’s a big black shape blotting out the sky. It puts off not heat (Maud’ib uses his infravision). It’s going west. Thanos, Mauad’ib, and Rabbo go to check it out. Driel, Fred, and Taygo go on to agreed landing point. It begins to come down so they go up. It dives, generates lots of wind, looks like a big cigar. It lanced Rabbo with an incredible burst of negative energy which knocked him down 3 levels! It is void of psionics. It seems to be from up close, just a giant glob of blackness. Thanos lightning bolts it and it dives. Can’t see it anymore. they land and search for it. They decide to go on and meet Driel, Dred, and Taygo. Rabbo takes the green box, gives Driel the Cube, and goes to the river Ebbing by dimension walk to get the cleric to restore his levels. Driel’s wand feels like it is dying. Driel thinks it may need to go back to Elfland. About five hours after Rabbo leaves, something (undead dragon) grabs the carpet with Muad’ib and Thanos. Thanos lightning bolts it after it bites the carpet. Taygo can’t turn it. So, Driel, Taygo and Fred turn around to come around behind it. It comes at us and it hits Fred with a black lance (breath weapon) and Fred falls off the carpet. Driel goes invisible and continues around. It spits a lightning bolt at Thanos and he dies. Muad’ib’s (he’s now 5th level) carpet is unraveling. He dives to catch Fred. Dragon flies off to the West. The dragon disappears about a ¼ mile away from us. Muad’ib’s carpet shreds as he grabs Fred and they all fall. Driel and Taygo goes to catch them. They catch Fred and Maud’ib. Fred has black eyes. Taygo catches Thanos. Taygo flies carpet. Driel doinks Thanos. Fred is tied up by Taygo and Muad’ib. He’s dead, but wakes up and groans. He’s undead. Driel tries to turn him with no luck. Fred breaks ropes and stands up. Thanos lightning bolts Fred and he falls off the carpet. We land. Fred is up. Driel rolls up the carpet. Thanos lightning bolts him again. He falls in the portable hole and we close it. We take carpet and fly to meeting point.//

Back to Rabbo: Arrives at hut and goes in and wakes up cleric. He pukes. He can’t help, he’s only third level, so Rabbo was going on to Port Lork. //

Back to party: We arrive at the meeting place. We open the portable hole, but had forgotten that we had one partially used potion of healing which had broken open and partially dissolved Fred into a puddle of goo. Rabbo arrives back, still down. Dragon is here again. Taygo does invisibility to undead spell. No one is afraid. Thanos fireballs it and Rabbo opens up the portable hole and jumps in. Dragon goes for Taygo and he light spells its eyes, but it didn’t work. Driel blesses decanter. The dragon breathes frost on the party as it passes. Thanos and Driel are down. Driel is still invisible. The dragon circles and lands. Rabbo kills the undead Fred. Muad’ib glances a bolt off the dragon. Rabbo closes the portable hole. Muad’ib hits it with a small crossbow bolt on the neck. Rabbo decides to eat. It black lances Muad’ib. He’s dead. It black lances Taygo. Rabbo doesn’t see the dragon. Taygo is now a 0 level cleric and 2nd level fighter. Muad’ib is a 0 level fighter and now has black eyes. Taygo runs up to it. Rabbo kills Muad’ib (undead?) Taygo attacks dragon, and the dragon completely muffs his attack. Taygo attacks again, and finally Taygo kills the dragon as it was attempting to take off. As it falls to earth, it lands on Driel. Taygo tries to get Rabbo to see the undead dragon. He finally sees it. They get healing stuff and raise Driel. Driel tries to cure insanity on Rabbo. Muad’ib is undead and comes toward us. Rabbo attacks. Rabbo takes cube and gives Driel the green box. Dinked Thanos again. A light spell shows up behind the dragon’s eyes. Everyone but Taygo goes in timestop. Taygo is staring at the dragon. We try to call Galbreth’s rod of resurrection through the green box. It causes Driel pain to hold it. Driel sets it down. Taygo seems mesmerized like when he was looking into the sun and when Rabbo shakes him he has the same message, then the light spell goes out. Taygo takes the rod of resurrection. He touches Fred and there’s a poof and a bright light and black vapor comes out and the rod disintegrates. Fred is fine except that he freaks when he sees the dragon. It dissolves when Driel pours water on it. Rabbo tries to dominate Fred to get him away from the dragon. He does. Driel creates water over the dragon and then blesses the area and the dragon says, “One of many” and then dissolves. Rabbo tires to activate timestop and it doesn’t work. We throw Muad’ib’s body in the portable hole with healing potions and head out to find Toomonga. Because of lance, Fred is at 0 level. We are walking to the Yando rivermen’s village. It’s a population of about 250, at most, very small village. Huts up on stilts, with ropes hanging down. As we approach, about a hundred people all run around us. They are excited to see us and lead us to Toomonga. Everyone shuts up as we approach a certain hut. An old guy comes up, he looks thoughtful when he smiles. Everyone cheers when he says, “Let the visitors be welcome!” He drops a rope to the hut and Taygo asks if we should all climb up. We all climb up after Taygo gives a signal. He pulled up the rope and goes in his hut. His altar seems to indicate that he is a sun worshiper. He’s always thinking. He asks Taygo why he came. Taygo and Rabbo try to explain. He takes out a gourd and light comes out, Taygo takes out his holy symbol. Tells us not to speak rivertalk. Toomonga makes Driel and Thanos go outside because the need no healing. He restores everyone. We go out and party and Toomonga and Taygo talk. Rabbo, Driel, Muad’ib and Thanos trip! We take off for Stubstaff Keep. After extracting a promise from all of us not to hinder Taygo, he gives us a crystal (#78). It increased Taygo’s charisma. Crystal info: An old craggen wood (desert like brush forest) in a spider sac in a spider web high in the trees---in the Thorn Flats, 4 hexes from Yando, SE. /

New character, Random, from the land of Amber (he is Neutral Evil) pops in. We set out for Stubstaff. 5 days travel. 350 (copper, elec, and platinum). Taygo has another vision at dawn. “After the fall of the Knight, the tree of life will restore all. To restore the tree of life, claim the staff and night will end forever, the circle of stone holds the…/ Thanos does invisibility, 10 ft radius with the zowie wand on the carpet. /Toomonga, with the walking stick of Alexander, Driel and Destin go to scout the keep and Salem pops in. The gates are not intact. Catapult in each tower. Ballista. Lots of oil around. 10 five story dorm type buildings. big white object lots of men laying down. Piles of dead people near the gate. We go and get some large sticks and the area smells back ???(its in the notes!) We go back to report. Another day passes. We camp and plan to attack at dawn. Rabbo sacrifices boots of striding and springing. “Now is the time of the neverending night. I have spoken, you will remember. The life of the night comes from the staff and the power of the night. The night must fall before dawn arrives and after the fall of the night…” this is the extent of Taygo’s vision at dusk. Destin called a giant eagle. He’ll stick around until dawn. Driel call portable hole through the box. Sam “penis breath” Eagle. Protection from Undead scrolls read by Thanos and Detection of Magic from Driel. Salem flies up and opens portcullis. Everything is magical, at least as Driel sees it. Thanos casts detect illusion, but there is not illusion. The place is very cold and smell bad!!!. Destin pulls one of the mysterious dead guys outside and detects magic. It can’t be dispelled. We enter Stubstaff Keep. We go through the gate. The keep is made of black granite. Through doors of black marble, with white marble skulls with pits of fire. We see old gross black tree. Detect magic again, same result! Rabbo object reads on a dead major guy, who leaves the impression that he had a lot of anger for having his meal disturbed. Then, “alarm sounding, not a drill; confused about explosion; which general is in charge and where is he?” try to get something about his death. Skull: white marble; ditch down from jaw with flames. Room inside skull room: 2 pots of oil, slots in floor, boxes, a couple full quivers of arrows, 10 dead guys, magical aura, glass bottles, and rags, a trap door with steps down. Salem takes two glass bottles. Random finds the shit house (one of the small huts). Rabbo uses psionics to find out the location of the Black knight. He is on the ethereal plane. Rabbo uses psionics to determine the quickest route to the staff. The tree is frightening Toomonga. Rabbo uses timestop on the Cube to regenerate his psionics. “Route to staff: Underground and Under Skull.” Skull jaw comes down when Destin cut some ropes and quenches fire, and we see the passage. We go into skull. Smells like petroleum. Rabbo uses psionics again for route. Underground, and forward. See throne in room we come to. Investigate door. Salem opens door. There are dead generals. Find some helpful papers on running the keep. Rabbos uses psionics: Which door? //

When Toomonga gives holy symbol and light comes out of it and touches Eyar, she is granted special knowledge of the Keep. The lich that was on the ethereal plane the last time Rabbo was fighting at the Keep killed everyone. He has made the magic user and cleric here a minor lich. The Black Knight has been following Rabbo on the ethereal plane. The knight is at first level. He goes into a circular room to rejuvenate. 3 feet into the wall in circular room. If we destroy knight liches will return and 200 dead bodies will rise. Call wand of zowie out of the Box. Head for circular room to find the staff. Eyar “locates object” using Jerik, but the staff is proofed against location. Rabbo uses psionics. We enter kitchen and Eyar and Jerik look for trap door in the corner. Rabbo checks a door on the south wall of the kitchen. Seems to be another dining area. Eyar finds secret door in the new room hall leading to throne. Same throne as thief and monk examined before. We go down stairs. Food storage. Taygo goes down north door, Muad’ib checks east door. Taygo finds a large room with 3 doors and the North wall and one on the east, one on the west, and a Lich! Taygo closes the door. Muad’ib finds a room with one door on the west, two on the east, and shelves with scrolls. We get ready to attack the lich. Protection from Evil cast on Driel and Fred. Rabbo busts door open. Protection from Evil on Eyar by Driel. Salem teleports in invisibly. Fred runs in and then Eyar behind him. Lich does blade barrier on Fred and in front and Eyar. Eyar goes through and so does Fred. Eyar is paralyzed, so is Rabbo and Fred. Destin is dead because of word. Rabbo tries to dominate the lich and can’t. Fred is deaf because of word. Driel does silence on coin but can’t get it through the blade barrier. Salem teleports out in to the food storage room. Muad’ib runs in. Fred kills lich.? A door opens and a duplicate lich comes out and attacks Fred. Fred disappears. Taygo dispels Driels’ spells and lich spells. Muad’ib attacks the lich. Resurrect Destin. Eyar teleports and attacks lich. In a puffof dust, the lich disappears and rematerializes in the door way. He touches Muad’ib and he is reduced to 0 hit points. Taygo can’t turn it. Toomonga attempts to turn the lich. Rabbo hits the lich with one of his stars and kills it. We rifle through the lich’s stuff and find a ring (_________). Toomonga dispels Salem’s paralyzation. As soon as Destin took the ring off the lich, it disintegrates. When Destin tries on the ring we respect him more. It is a ring which enhances charisma (cha: 18). Salem passwall’s floor 13 times. Nothing. Room where the lich was killed is a bed chamber. Head butler’s quarters. Rabbo finds another room with a guy and two girls dead in an intimate situation. Eyar finds a way down. Through a hall, find stairway down. Find a big room. Destin jumps in smelly stuff and starts to dissolve. Acid. Salem checked out altar and is now running around like a mad man. Salem jumps in a small pit, and comes up on his broom, covered in shit. Driel gives an elixir of life to Destin. Salem makes shit angels. Heal Destin with healing draughts. Salem dinks him with the staff of curing. He falls on the altar. He knocked over some figurines. A Cyclops covered in goo comes out of the acid pit. It’s Spollys??? Salem thought of him just before he appeared. Rabbo was mesmerized by the altar, Driel pushes him over. Salem lightning bolts Spollys and it grows about one foot. Rabbo attacks Driel, and she hits him with a staff. Salem looks at the altar and goes nuts again. Driel blesses the altar. And then, Driel gave Rabbo a blow job renounced her Faith, and became a streetwalker. Taygo smashing figurines. Spollys figure shrinks. Taygo gives Salem ½ elixir of health. Taygo and Toomonga consecrate the altar. Toomonga cleans everyone off with create water. Find a lounge with three doors. second door: Two dead people fucking. North wall door: torture room. SW Door, same as the SE. Secret door in torture room. Poison trap sprung by Driel. Salved and Keoghtum’s Ointment. Room is in range! Destin trips lightning glyph and dies. Salem trips additional glyph and is unconscious. Toomonga raises dead on Destin. Driel finds and gets Salem up. We continue on following Jerik to circular room. Black things fly around us---two on Salem, 2 on Driel, and one on Muad’ib. Come to tapestry and Salem flame walls it. Find room that is on fire. Driel and Toomonga pass out from smoke. Find another secret door with Jerik. Toomonga and Driel come around. Toomonga does precipitate. Eyar in the circular room poison dagger. Destin dodges another. Salem pops behind him and distracts him. Salem is down. Driel does hold person on Black Knight but he dispels it. Clerics attempt to combine and try it again on the Black Knight. The Black Knight attacks Destin and knocks him out. Toomonga holds the Black Knight. Rabbo shoots him dead, but the Knight’s ethereal intelligent armor takes him to the ethereal plane. Toomonga begins to cast locate object. Eyar heals Salem, and Rabbo goes ethereal. Black Knight is still held. Salem takes Muad’ib ethereal, but on the way, pops to Zards and decapitates Muadib and leaves his head at the tower. Rabbo removes helmet and rips his head off, and tears him to bits from the inside out. Salem disintegrates armor with the wand of zowie. We all come back to the prime material. Toomonga regenerates the Black Knight. Taygo finds and claims the staff and kills the Knight. Taygo’s holy symbol is glowing again. Toomonga helps Muad’ib and Rabbo checks for BH marks, but he is okay. Taygo puts the Staff back. Heal up and take off to battle liches. Find secret doors that are a quick way up. Rabbo goes ethereal and sees lich. Comes back and begins to prep for the lich fight. Driel gives silence coin to Rabbo. Monk, Rabbo, Taygo, Eyar, and Toomonga go to meet the Lich of Fire. Muad’ib and Driel cover the party’s back. Salem joins forces with the liches in the zombie fight. Salem teleports to behind the party, out of the silence, and casts fireball; Rabbo dies. Destin’s okay, Taygo’s fine, Eyar hurt bad, Driel and Muad’ib at half damage. Toomonga heals Rabbo. Eyar goes into room where Destin is fighting lich. Driel and Muad’ib charge Salem who has been held by Taygo. Muad’ib kills Salem. Eyar hits lich (zombie wish) Other lich shows up. Eyar kills another lich. Wish for duplicate ethereal of mirror at school and Rabbo goes into timestop to get psionics back, gets crystals, then before we get the chance Flamehand shows up and steps through the mirror. Sends shardenzar, who is part nymph, to be liason. Toomonga does a glyph on each of the entrances. We bring Salem back. Salem touches glyph and is teleported to outside the keep. The Crystal Keep! Divided into 10 shares.//

Remember That Time.... or Too Much of a Good Thing

From an Email got from Rabbo's Player:

As I was fondly recalling an old game to a student at ___ the other day, I recounted the game on the Isle of Fright during which Rabbo was pretty much responsible for a nuclear detonation. At which point, the student said, "Geez, you probably killed several million people. That's gotta be tons of experience." And I said, "Hey, I think you're right!" Now, to be fair, I probably should have said something about it then, but since I didn't, I think 1 experience point for every dead person/mutant/creature would be fair :D

Responsible? DEFINITELY! For INDIRECTLY killing millions. As I recall the detonation was the result of Rabbo trying to remove Hi-Tech equipment from a futuristic nuclear-powered assault tank. He managed to remove the cooling rods from the reactor and couldn't get them back in so he just dimension walked about three miles away and let it go. You got experience for killing the tank, the army men, getting the medical robot, Adam Kelly, all the guns, ammo, grandees, land mines, air to ground missiles, mortar shells, mortars, and all that other cool stuff that you could fit in your backpacks and later helped vaporized most of the party when the red dragon breathed fire on it. The killing of several million people was just a byproduct of an accident. You may have sunk the 9 ball, but this aint no slop D&D.

Nice try though. :)

The Dungeon Master

The Beginning....Kind of......

Well, I have been threatening to post some of the notes from way back in 1987, when we first were playing. Back then, we might have had an awesome fight with giant golems, in which 11 of the party members nearly died, and it took two rolls of double zeros for one person to squeak through and save everybody the next game. However, in the notes, it looked like this: "Fought giant golems; all but Rabbo died."

Notes From The Campaign
(written by multiple sources over several years)

THE CUBE: The cube is an ancient artifact of the lost race of the Lori. Only the high priests and the emperors of the Lori possessed them. The major function of the Cube is the gate function (____________). With this function, the Lori roamed the plane. The second function of the Cube is fortress (____________________). The Lori used this function to provide shelter when they traveled. The emperor Cubes were rumored to have flying vehicles that carried them through the skies and heavens. The third function of the Cube provided water transportation to the Lori: a boat for rivers, streams and lakes, a ship for oceans and seas (____________). The fourth function protected the Lori from extreme temperatures (_______________). The fifth function of the Cube controlled a barrier through which nothing magic, matter or energy can pass (______________). The sixth function was never mentioned in legend. It creates a pocket in time (similar to the spell “timestop”) (_______________).

Players notes:

These notes are pieced together from many different players over the years. In some places, there are obvious gaps, but that’s the nature of the game. The notes begin somewhere after the adventure on the Isle of Fright. In terms of the game, this means that about 80% of the game occurred before any notes were taken. Oh well.

(This first part probably takes place in the late spring of 1987. )

Taygo and Salem say “Black Hand.” Eyar 1 and 2 and Driel fly off. Everyone else gates with the Wand of Zowie. Skon flies off. Eyar and Driel hear screams and go back. Turn 2 skeletons. Eyar’s holy symbol dissipates giant skeleton. Resurrect Fred. Party gates and we’re back close to the Haunts of the Lepers. Lost Marvin. Rabbo lost 2 psionic disciplines and went up in strength (cloud giant). He got his psionics back permanently (except for the 2 completely lost disciplines). Moving in the desert. Harry killed by Skon and Salem.

Attack by desert barbarians while following arrow to a camp in search of a chunk of the crystal. Naromi, Salem, and Driel go invisible and barbarians shoot arrows at party-fight ensues. Scared barbarians with Cause Fear spell. Blinded barbarian that was attacking Muad’ib. Cure Salem. With a Wall of Ice, Naromi kills many barbarians. Blinded 2 more barbarians. Resurrected Eyar. *See* Alexander at the Altar of the Grey Staff. We find out that BH is closing the celestial sphere to cut off any direct help from gods except through with spells. Alexander tells us to go to the Spires of the Sun and help the Order of the Hippogriffs. Avoid barbarians until at the Sacred Stones. Juulute Wolfheart is the heir to the King of the Barbarians. Avoid the Haunts of the lepers until we are strong enough to defeat their diseased god. Taygo must perform a penance for letting Salem kill the goblin in the Hermit’s Hut (*crystal #89). There is an argument between Taygo and Rabbo, and Rabbo leaves. Party gets the fortress out of the Cube, and the party discusses Rabbo’s destiny. The Invisible School of Thuamaturgy intervenes, with Rabbo. We cure him. *Blink dog shows up, seems to like Taygo. We joined 2 crystals (#89 + ____). Meet monks in the desert. Offer to Bless Taygo and Driel for being “Holies.” There is a Fire Strike and Taygo and Driel are killed. Rabbo tosses stars while three more of the party dies in the fire. Raboo hits two more monks. We remember that Driel is carrying a rug! Monks die. Everyone but Fred and Maud’ib carry leprosy. Magic users pray/study at the Invisible School of Thuamaturgy. The party is off to the Spires of the Sun. /

We meet up with the Order of the Hippogriffs. Talk to the leader of the Order of the Hippogriffs. (Taygo?) has a conference with the Oracle Device. The rest of us attend a banquet in our honor. Rabbo gets a medallion from a big hippogriff. Crystal #22 is there. The medallion calls the order for help twice only. Once, if in dire need, a small troop will answer the call. One last time, for the final battle. All the parties’ ailments are healed in a special room. Rabbo gets his arm back for real. Driel joins crystal, it recharges rod of resurrection, but it also does something else that we are not sure about) and also resurrects Polaris! The room raised Polaris because he went into the room without need. We talk about Ranger Orkill, the “twit.” Driel’s rod is not glowing and didn’t go down charges. Inscription on statue in special room carved by R.O. = “God of Stone and Wood.” *Run across some toll collectors. find some cash. Assassin kills Maud’ib and Galbreth. Driel resurrects Galbreth. Galbreth resurrects Maud’ib. Get papers out of the wagon of the toll collectors. Stubstaff keep to the castle of the Lorn. Cursed guy. Get in without much problem. He offers food. Poison. Hell breaks loose. Rabbo dies in the ethereal plane. Comes back. Become allies with immortal. Find another crystal. Galbreth joins crystal, which detects good (#83). Salem tries to cast polymorph other on the Black Knight and he goes ethereal. The shit hits the fan. Driel popped out for one adventure.
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Back! Golems and gargoyles are attacking the Invisible School of Thuamaturgy. Lich comes out of door in fortress. Driel goes down. Naromi turned to stone by lich. We gate. All dead, but Gonzales and Eyar 1. Rabbo’s body has BH’s mark on his forehead.

We gated with the Fortress out---first time we used two Cube functions at once. Party pillages Salem’s body. Got notes from Rabbo. New player shows up. Taygo puts coin on Rabbo’s chest and Rabbo’s body goes up in flame. No evidence of fire. Taygo’s two-headed coin now has one head and a tail: It’s Rabbo’s head on one side, and a funeral pyre on the flipside. At the castle: Muad’ib explodes, and Fred is hurt, from possibly a spell? (it’s a glyph) Everyone is moved to the ethereal plane to avoid the glyph (glyph of vacuum) We move to a room with strange arches: One of fire, sand, rain, and fog. There we find a map of the world, with flags on several places, such as Elfland, the Invisible School, and the Tower of Zards. The place is surrounded with gems. Skon moves the flags from the school to the isle. Eyar touches gems and the lights come on. Driel pours holy water and Taygo casts Bless on the map. We put map in portable hole. There is some fear that we will damage it, but it is okay. There are many rods, wands, etc., in cabinets by monk. Taygo is aged telekinetically by a rod of absorption in the cabinet until he dies! Driel takes Taygo’s stuff and a bone from his finger. Animate Taygo. Salem---pass wall. BH shows up. Fred fights (in one blow, is down 172 points!) We all jump in. Hall with moans. Salem is deaf from a glyph. Into a new room. Driel’s got the Cube and Taygo’s Mace of Disruption. Searching what seems to be a lab. Gargoyle’s attack. We run. Another lab with books, dead animals, and a pentagram. Vampires, and zombies. Taygo is back from a ring of regeneration. Rabbo finds gate. Leads back to bedroom! Get stuff, and go back to the gate and leave. The Invisible School of Thuamaturgy. //

Heal everyone. Muad’ib is carved up in Timestop. Go to school. Ask Poison about the Timestop incident. BH is not involved. Attack by golems at the Invisible School of Thuamaturgy. After golem fight, everyone dies. Salem puts us in fortress. Try to get into the school. No problem doing so. George possessed by BH’s minion. Polaris dead. left George in the ethereal plane. /