ADVENTURE 26: Sex and the Single Cleric

The Characters

Telok: Elf cleric of Obad-hai, divine disciple, level 12 CG
Jerry Springwater: Human Fighter-Paladin-Justicar, Level 12 LG
Jestyn: High Elf Wizard, Level 12 NG
Verrof: Earth Genasi Ranger-Foe Hunter, Level 10 LG, ECL 11

ADVENTURE 26: Sex and the Single Cleric: Eventually all the PCs were resurrected, though at the cost of nearly all of the partys money. (Verrof had fortunately pre-paid for his.) The next several weeks were basically spent waiting in the city and doing various small tasks that needed to be done. Telok decided to do his usual rounds healing the poor in the less fortunate areas of the city. While doing so, he encountered a beggar who was more than diseasedan undead ghoul, a remnant of the mosquito-virus. Immediately the cleric ran, casting a wind walk spell and going far away, deciding to land when he heard the screams of other poor people being ripped apart by the ghoul. As he realized that he could cast no spells in air form, he landed and began the transformation back to corporeal. By the time he got back to where the ghoul was, it was surrounded by five bodies of the people it had slain, and was feasting on one. In anger, the cleric immediately fried it with some searing light. Then, feeling guilty he took all of the bodies back and personally raised each one, though at great strain to both his mind and finances. The rest of the party decided to spend some time both waiting for Verrofs rust shield to be uncursed, as well as waiting for Jestyn to be allowed into the wizards academy. Meanwhile, they briefly visited Rappan Athuk and defeated some specters near the former temple of level four, slaying the three undead with some difficulty but few injuries. Some interesting treasures were found on them, and while Jerry received a lawful two bladed sword, the others were mainly sold. When the characters tried selling them, they were told by shopkeepers that the economy was growing worse and they could not get nearly the full value for magical items, as people simply couldnt afford to spend that kind of money any more. Thus they sold their excess gear for a fraction of the former cost, though with much frenzied complaints from Telok. In the weeks that followed, Jerry prepared for an upcoming festival of his church, Verrof received his shield and considered fighting in the arena (he was dissuaded when Gorbash beat him easily in a fight). Jestyn finally got his plot of land, the deal having been approved by the former owner. Telok, meanwhile, was busy looking for a woman. Not just any woman, mind you, but a beautiful, perfect and rich woman. He looked in the bars and in the streets, spending a few weeks at a vain quest that was constantly thwarted by his poor manners and rude demeanor (as well as a few crappy rolls). As he wasnt willing to spend the cash to go to the truly high-class locales, he didnt meet any high class women, and he wasnt satisfied with anything else. He even tried hitting on High Priestess Karsyla, who easily dismissed him. When Jerrys festival came, there was a big feast and party held at the temple. Many people were there, listening to a stirring and well-though out speech by the Justicar, who had the attention of all the crowd. Telok tried picking up a young woman named Melissa, a devotee of Muir who seemed to admire Jerry a lot. As he knew the paladin, she went with him to dinner, and as he regaled her with tales of their heroic deeds, she seemed impressed. Yet this was soon ended by Teloks blatant sexual innuendo and rude comments. As she slapped him and walked out, Telok went after her briefly, insulting the young girl and basically calling her a whore. She left, wanting nothing more to do with him. Eventually, Telok just got a prostitute. Meanwhile, Jestyn met with old professor Ratcliffe, an ancient wizard at the academy who interviewed him and gave him a gigantic written test to fill out, as proof that he was worthy to join their organization. Taking him more than a week to fill out, this test was endless monotony. Afterwards, he was also made to take a practicum, where he used basic magic and asked some ethical questions. Eventually, Jestyn was readmitted to the wizards academy. Now, the party was ready once more to take on the dungeon.
Teleporting back to level four, they descended the stairs and entered the fifth level. Here was a great room of ancient crypts, the air unnaturally chilled and the walls hued from a darkly blue stone. Immediately, the party was attacked by five undead things, dry-skinned and black-clawed, which they easily defeated. Jestyn now decided to cast a Detect Secret Doors spell. Luckily for him, the nearby hallway contained a secret door, which was Arcane Locked. Opening it and going south, the party came into another room, filled with more undead, these being zombies in plate armor, who were also easily killed. In this room they found a strange pit trap, which they did not disturb. Through another door they went, and into a room filled with cages. Here, horridly disfigured experiments sat, hybrid mutants made with some foul magical device. All mewed and clawed at their bars, desperate either for death or release, perhaps both. A great cage in the rooms center contained a huge female tiger and her cubs, all intact. A towering flesh golem was currently feeding the animals, and turned to greet the characters as they entered, speaking awkwardly of his master and briefly questioning them. Verrof spoke to the tiger using his ranger abilities. She told him that she was caged here by an evil man who tortured and butchered animals in his experiments. Soon that evil man came through a secret door, though only visible to Jestyn. The golems master, his name was Banth and he seemed quite the madman. (Jestyn remembered him as a senior wizard who had been expelled from the wizards academy for evil practices. Supposedly he had a young apprentice). At first he tried speaking to the characters, as he had so many defensive spells up that he didnt fear them at all. But sensing his evil, the party attacked! Banth stepped back and cast a wall of force, blocking their path to him. Jestyn immediately disintegrated it. Then Telok used a greater dispelling to dispel every one of his protective spells. Then the warriors attacked him and Jestyn finally fried the wizard with a chain lightning, ending his evil life. The battle against his golem was equally brief, although it did hurt Verrof greatly. They freed the tiger and her cubs, put the other experiments out of their misery, and looked around the lab. The room behind the secret door was an alchemy lab, filled with all sorts of strange potions as well as some evil looking torture devices. Banths personal room was beyond, containing some books of his and personal items. On his body they found some magical items as well as four dead mice, fried by the chain lightning. In a nearby chamber they found Kupra, Banths terrified young teenage apprentice, a pretty girl who seemed to be here mostly against her will, having become the wizards apprentice when he was masquerading as a decent man. She was disgusted by his evil experiments, and willingly went with the characters. Though she looked to be only about fifteen or so, Telok hit on her too, even giving her a gold piece (though she claimed that she could easily go back and live with her parents). Victorious, the characters went back to town.

DM’S COMMENTS: A bit of a silly game this time, and a bit too much sitting around town and doing minor things. But we all had a good laugh and so it wasn’t time wasted.