SESSION 31 July 16th 216 The party rescues "Hysinth" a stunningly beautiful plainsmen female that soon overstays her welcome with the group as her inane chatter drives people nuts. The group eventually knocks her unconcious and Jaenelle reads her memories rather than speak to her to discover what happened within the tower. Jaenelle says, "normally I could not condone violence, but I feel like we just saved ourselves a week". The group learns a lot of interesting tidbits about the vampires in the tower, but little is learned about Gulthias. The group takes Hysinth back to the Fallion tribe. The tribe is thankful but oddly taciturn. The party muse on this as they head back to the temple of Weejas. During first watch Alex is notified that Kiri is back and wishes to talk in the main Chapel. Alex takes Korvath with him to go speak with Kiri after waking Murgan to stand guard. Kiri is talking with several priests in the main chapel. Alex delays momentarily to admire a marble rendering of Weejas. As Alex and Korvath reach the priests their protective spells go down. The priests turn out to be armed thugs. Alex's momentary delay to regard the goddess's bust placed Korvath between him and the thugs so Alex turns and runs back towards the group while screaming bloody murder. Korvath also tries to retreat but quickly gets dogpiled even as Alex makes good his escape. Alex runs to the rooms only to find the corridors warded with silence and a vampire blocking his path. Alex crashes past the vampire and wrenches open the doors to the room. Quickly he slaps people awake even as thugs pour down the hallway behind him. The thugs are slowed down by a psychic grease spell Alex threw behind him in the corridor. Murgan sees Alex's tumultuous return and wakes Jaenelle. A wave of concussive force rocks both rooms stunning everyone momentarily. It is immediately followed by a wave of fire roaring down the hall. Guards burst into the party's rooms and try to grab the party members and hold them down. Party members are attempting to defend themselves but there is a silence effect and beefy guardsman are pinning most of the spellcasters Alex contacts Jaenelle mentally to scream "GET OUT OF HERE NOW!" Jaenelle grabs the helm of teleportation from her magical sack even as Murgan gets knocked down by a wave of force. Jaenelle pulls on the helm and teleport Murgan and herself away. Back in the other room Alex grabs the others and despite being grappled by guardsmen and a vampire he teleports to Burgandry. One of the guardsmen got caught in the spell. Safely beyond the reach of magic the party is able to defeat the guardsman. The party carefully evades armed patrols of horsemen and take shelter on a windswept spire for the night. During the night the group receive a telepathic sending announcing. "This is Tomoko. Jaenelle is safe at the colorless lodge. Korvath is prisoner of Lich. Will you come here?" July 17th 216 After a night of rest, Alex teleports the group to the lodge and Jaenelle questions the prisoner. The group learns that the party had violated the gathering's legal code. Tribal security (Gurecht Crowd Control) came to take them out. The GCC is led by a fairly high level female warrior and has a decent wizard cadre and a respectable number of people with advanced weapon skills. It also seems that the temple of Weejas felt betrayed since there was evidence the party had been working with the demons that attacked the temple and the tribes felt threatened by the party since dozens of tribesmen had died in earlier attacks on the party. Gurecht Crowd Control was hoping to take down Alex and Korvath for questioning and trial. The party send some letters to the temple of Weejas and the tribal council to find out more information. July 18th 216 THe council explains the list of offenses against the party and Korvath in particular. Better informed the party procedes to bargain for Korvath's life. During the time the group had gathered information Korvath been tried for a host of crimes and sentenced to death and dissolution. In the trial he was found guilty of lying, attempted manslaughter, perjury, treason, consorting with demons, killing priests, and a host of other offences. During the court case the judges were the blue camp's Shadowlord, a Priest of Weejas that had died in the demon attacks, Kiri-Joleth, a Fallion tribe elder, and captain from Laptier's government. Kiri adjucated the case but did not contribute except to note when Korvath was lying. The court case went badly for Korvath. He had lost his cool early on and after a bout of name calling and a break for freedom, he spent the rest of the case in shackles with guards holding him down. Several witnesses testified against Korvath placing him at the scene of the crime and establishing motive. The entire case went down in flames once Korvath stopped contesting charges. He eventually got sentenced to death and dissolution for offenses against tribe and country, consorting with demons, destruction of property, attempted manslaughter, etc. A timely letter from Jaenelle put a hold on Korvath's execution. Jaenelle explained Moge's deception of the party and came up with valid legal excuses for most of the crimes. Also since the party was not told of their offenses before being attacked by Gurecht's enforcers they were in the position to file a countersuit naming the security force and the temple as defendants. Eventionally the two groups plee bargained. Korvath got an unremovable Mark of justice placed by Kiri himself. The party was sentenced to 200 days of communtiy service and became responsible for erecting the plainsmen school in return for their unwitting part in the attacks on the temple. (The school was being erected as payment to the creature that had helped raise people in the wake of the attacks.) There were still some damages to Blue tribe property from Korvaths attack, but Jaenelle manages to reduces the penalties to a reasonable amount that are then taken care of out of party funds. July 20th - October 28th 216 The party spent the next few months building the plainsmen's school. Alex is responsible for most of the design and execution. Jaenelle manages the workforce and finds hundreds of "volunteers" from among the plainsfolk. The others lend support in various lesser ways. Korvath spends most of the time tailed by a pair of imps and scrubbing at the Mark on his face. The "Red" dog tribe soon leaves the gathering. The Green dragon tribe arrives. The gathering peaks and begins to wind down after a month. The temple of Weejas helps build the school for the first two months before having to leave for another part of the empire. Kiri and the undead leave with the temple. Alex and Weejas Cadre have school mostly built by then. Korvath is still storming around in foul temper and curses a lot. Slight rivalry between 'Pelf the imp' and Korvath. Eventually the imps are convinced to give Korvath some space and he cools down a bit. Tribes begin to take off from the gathering. Blue tribe hangs around and Jaenelle makes a deal to kill Gulthias for the Gelugon amulet. Group finishes 600 days of community service and go back to attacking the tower. Oddly enough, during the construction of the school there were very few vampire attacks. October 29th 216B Back at the tower the group revert to their old ways. Most of the old holes appear completely patched up. Alex takes to kicking down doors to satisfy his trollish need for destruction. Herunaro torches all that swarm from the darkness trying to overrun the group. Overall the battle for the top floors go easily for the group and they are soon cleansed of vampires. As people are searching the bodies of the first group of vampires the group is beset by shadows that slip through the walls to strike at Korvath and Swiftwind. Korvath turns several, but another swarm emerges from the the walls to join the battle yet again. As most of the party battles shadows, Herunaro and Jaenelle concentrate on staking the vampires so they won't rise and attack the party from behind. Somewhere in the battle a shadow mastiff begins baying. Swiftwind panics and runs into the room of necroplasmic slime. Korvath turns the remaining shadows rather than have them hunt down Swiftwind and Alex destroys the remaining unturned shadows. Swiftwind's clothes start dissolving as the Necroplasm eats into his skin and bone. Korvath attempts to dispell the magical fear but fails, Alex flies into the room and grabs Swiftwind to teleport back to the others. Alex misses his destination but only by a few rooms. The goo on Swiftwind dries and flakes away once it is away from the living necroplasm. Korvath heals Swiftwind's legs and the party then tries to destroy the Goo several ways but attempts fail. The group then prepares to go downstairs and continue ransacking Gulthias's tower. SESSION END afternoon of October 29th 216B NEXT TIME : Gulthias's tower cleaning cadre. EXPERIENCE TOTALS (Session 31) ----------------- Korvath Alex Herunaro Swiftwind Jaenelle Murgen 59993 65025 61549 64158 63759 29367 NOTES ----- * Korvath gained mark of justice. * Korvath sentenced to death. * Party gets school auditorium named after them Jaesandervath Heromuganwind Auditorium.