Episode 37

"Boudoir of the Apes"

(c) 2002 by Matt Grossman and J. Sage Schreiner

Nigil Palom, noble from a far-distant land -- Kevin Osborn
Tron, a resourcefull elf -- Matt Grossman
Sapphire, a blood thirsty gnome warrior -- Corey Paganucci
Norel, a big ranger of the Adri forest -- Tom Morin
Laurallie, an unlucky Elf priestess -- Claudia Darcy
Ian McLaren, a smooth talking gentleman -- Paul Skavland

All others -- Sage Schreiner


Several days earlier:



A man wanders through the trackless waste of the underdark.

Suddenly, he sees several drow elves.



Man: (in Elvish) Excuse me, have you seen two elves go by

here recently? Very mean looking -- darkish clothes, perhaps?

Drow#1: Sure, come closer and I'll tell ya which way they went.

Man: Ok.

Drow#1: (headbutts the man in the face)

Man: Oof! (falls)



The drow immediately start kicking and stomping the prone figure.

After a couple minutes they stop. The man does not move.



Drow#2: Hey, did you hear that?

Drow#1: I got his wallet, let's go!



The drow run into the darkness. Several minutes later, a shadowy

figure passes, pauses near the unmoving body, then continues on.

Later, the man struggles to his feet and staggers away, desperately

searching for a way out.



**************************************



The party decides to spend the night on the balcony, rather than in

the temple.



Norel: I don't like the idea of staying in a place like this.



As they emerge onto the balcony, they see a prone figure lying in the

stream at the bottom of the cave. Tron climbs down to check it out.



Tron: It's a guy, it looks like he was beaten up pretty badly. He's

wearing a red and black cloak. Should I kill him?



After some debate they bring the body up and camp on the balcony for

the rest of the day.



Laurallie: I don't have any more magic left, but I can make sure that

he heals naturally. His billous humors are ascendant, while I fear the
great depression of his sanguine and choleric threaten his vital force.



The night passes uneventfully, and the next day the man is conscious.

It turns out that his name is Ian McLaren and he was searching for two

evil elves who destroyed his village. He originally believed they were
drow, but since meeting drow now wonders if this is no longer the case.



Ian: ... and then I was mugged by these drow. I wandered through the

underdark until I collapsed.

Laurallie: Just as well you didn't find those two elves.

Tron: (in Elvish) Do you know something we don't?

Laurallie: (in Elvish) I've heard of two evil wood elves of great

power who roam this land. I'm sure they would hand his ass to him on

a platter if he tried to take them on.

Ian: (although he says nothing, he seems to be listening)
Laurallie: (notices)

Nigil: What are you guys talking about?

Tron: Nothing.

Norel: Did you see a pillar anywhere?

Ian: Pillar? I saw a pillar a ways back that way, I think.

Danic: Well, let's continue exploring.

Ian: Gahh! What's that smell?



They go back into the room where they fought the vrock, and decide to

explore down the highest corridor. They have some difficulty hoisting

the lion back up.



Nigil: How did we get it up here before?



The end of the corridor is a T junction.



Tron: The right hand passage just dead ends in a trap. The left hand

passage has promise.



They go to the left and come to a door. Tron and Ian inspect it.



Ian: I consider myself a gentleman of no fixed occupation.

Tron: I consider you a thief. But that's ok.

Ian: I prefer the term rogue.



They find no traps and open the door, revealing a temple. The floor

is black and the walls are dark red. There is a wooden door on the

right side of the room. In the center of the room is a huge stone

altar, apparently wrapped in chains. In the middle of the far wall is

a great arch opening on a blank stone wall. The arch is set with gems

and apparently plated with gold.



Ian: Sweeeet! You guys are ok!

Nigil: I don't like the looks of that altar.



Ian and Tron move to inspect the door on the right, while the rest of

the party moves into the room behind them. Suddenly the altar comes

to life. Golden eyes around its base start glowing and two chains

rise into the air.



Altar: Is that you, wizard? Why have you not freed me after seven

years, as you promised? Grrrrr!



The chains lash at the party members. It looks as though they are

long enough to reach anywhere in the room.



Nigil: Quick, get that door open! I don't know if we can take this

thing!

Laurallie: (runs into the room) Wait! How can we free you?

Altar: I must see light! Die! (chains lash at Nigil and Sapphire)
Sapphire: Are you sure we want to free it?

Ian: I don't see any traps! Let's get through this room!

Tron: Here goes! (he flings the door open)



The elf sees a study, with a trunk on the floor, a writing desk, a

strange looking armchair, a door on the far side, and a glowing symbol

on the floor. Then a red tide of madness sweeps over him. Norel is

also caught in the effect.



Tron: Die orc! (Cuts Laurallie deeply with his scimitar, then runs
her through. His orcish scimitar seems strangely eagery to shed Elvish
blood)

Laurallie: Foul demon, how can we make you... urk. [thud]

Norel: No! I must get away from them! (runs out of the room)

Torquann: Uh oh. (casts Darkness, masking the corridor)

Danic: What's going on up there?

Ian: The priestess is dead!

Nigil: Looks like Tron's gone mad. Again. (clobbers Tron)

Sapphire: This is what, the second time? [punch kick]

Nigil: Third. [punch]

Tron: Oof. Daisy, daisy, daizhy, deesshhy... (falls unconscious)

Ian: What are we gonna do?

Nigil: Only thing we can do, let's smash the altar.



Nigil, Ian, Danic and Sapphire run up to the altar and start smashing it.

The chains lash at them, but do not do much damage. Possibly whatever

is directing them does not really want to stop the party. Finally,

Sapphire breaks through the altar and sees something slimy and scaly

inside.



Altar: Free! Free at last! See you in the Nine Hells, fools! Ha ha

ha ha!



The chains clank to floor, and it seems that the evil presence has

left.



Nigil: I'm not sure if that was a good thing to do.



They try to figure out how to capture Norel.



Sapphire: Maybe if I hide in the darkness and... no. I can't see anything.

Norel: (walks out of the darkness) Quick, tie me up. I'm sane now,

but it won't last.



They quickly wrap up Tron and Norel in chains from the altar.

Meanwhile, Ian has been searching the study. He opens the trunk and

finds a cloak, a bedroll, a bag of money, and some sort of rod or

wand. On the desk are two books. He leaves them.



Ian: They won't miss this. (pockets some of the money and the rod)

Sapphire: What are you doing in there?

Ian: Just checking for traps. Look, a bedroll!



Ian also searches the desk (with Sapphire looking over his shoulder)

and finds an incense burner (with incense), a pewter dagger, and three

vials of liquid.



Ian: I'm glad I decided to hang out with you guys.

Sapphire: Are you sure that there wasn't anything else in that trunk?

Ian: Nope.



The party tries to figure out what to do next.



Danic: I need a day of rest to identify these magic items.

Torquann: I think that only an extremely powerful cleric can cure this

type of madness. It is beyond a mere sickness of the mind.

Nigil: What is that arch thing?

Torquann: Hmm... After studying the magic writing, I'd say it's a portal
which could transport the user to another plane. I'm not very interested 
in such things myself.
Ian: (observing the sorcerer closely, he sees that Torquann is in fact

very interested in such things)



They decide to go back out onto the balcony and rest for a day, so

that Danic can memorize his spell.



Nigil: We can get the pillar too.



The time passes uneventfully. Danic stays with Tron and Norel while
most of the party goes to get the pillar. Ian is able to lead
them to it. It looks as though some gnomes tried to carry it off, but were
attacked by an umber hulk. Their shattered skeletons litter the ground.



Sapphire: Rest in peace, comrades. I wonder if they were svirfneblin?

Ian: Smurfs-what?

Sapphire: Watch it.



They carry the pillar back to the teleport room.

Tron: (twitch twitch twitch)
Nigil: Is that where we left the priestess' body?
Danic: What?


The next day Danic identifies the magic items.



Danic: Ok, the incense increases your intelligence while it is

burning, the dagger is a brooch that protects from magic missiles, and

the potions are potions of gaseous form, healing, and greater

restoration.

Torquann: That potion of greater restoration can cure the insanity

that affects the ranger and the elf. But it can only cure one of

them.



The party decides to cure Norel since Tron will be easier to carry.
They force him to drink the potion, and soon he is better. They
decide to go back to Shapic and see if they can find a cleric who 
can raise Laurallie and cure Tron's madness.



Ian: I will stick with you guys.

Torquann: I'm not letting that medallion out of my sight.



The next day they arrive back in Shapic and speak to Bria, the wise

woman of the village.



Bria: There are only four clerics powerful enough to cure the elf's

madness. There is an old man in the Yencro islands named Gylf...

Nigil: Was. He's dead now.

Bria: Ah. Well, may he find peace in Elysium. Then there is the priest
of St. Cuthbert in Marner...

Norel: I don't think that a priest of St. Cuthbert would be able to

raise a priest of Obad-Hai.

Sapphire: Plus, he'd probably want a bigger cut of the treasure.

Bria: Okay, there is Neisha, the high priestess of Pelor. She is with

the king in Ratikhill, I hear. She is a trusted advisor.

Nigil: Gabriel will be there as well. That's no good.

Bria: Well, that leaves only one. I have heard that there is a

priestess among the wood elves who is very powerful. The elves live

in the north woods, but I have never seen them. I do not know how to find

her.

Norel: I guess that's the only chance.
Bria: I will cast a spell to preserve your cleric from decomposing
further, at least for a few days. Now where did I leave my syringe...



The next day, the party heads off into the north woods. After the

first day's travel, the deciduous forest of the Tarwood gives way to a

dense pine forest that stretches north into the mountains. They follow
a wide river into the forest. In the afternoon, two loggers on a wide
raft of logs slowly float by.

The party is soon deep in this primeval forest. The camp on land that
was clearcut many years previously.



Nigil: So, how do you find wood elves if they don't want to be found?

Norel: I have some ideas.



That night the ranger seeks out a wolf den. Using his rangerly magic,

he speaks to the wolves inside:



Norel: Hey! Anybody in there?

Wolf cub: Me! Me! I'm here! You smell like kitty! Oooo! Let's play!

Norel: Err... where's mommy?

Wolf cub: Over there! Watching! (starts gnawing on Norel's boot) You
taste yummy. Can I eat you? Ooop, time to pee.



Several more pups tumble out of the den and begin to play around Norel's
feat. A huge timber wolf emerges from behind a tree and approaches the

ranger.



Wolf: What do you want, hairless one? (Growl)

Norel: Do you know where there are more like me in these woods?

Wolf: No humans here.

Norel: How about elves? Pointy ears?

Wolf: The ones that smell not of sweat? Towards where the sun sets this
time of year. Two days travel for wolfkin. I only went once. In the winter.

Norel: I understand.

Wolf: Didn't taste good. Too stringy. Look for the great glade. They
are there.



The ranger returns to camp and the next day the party heads to the

north and west. After a couple days travel...



Danic: Bah! We're never going to find these elves! If there were

elves around here, I would've seen them!

Elf: (in Elvish) Hands up! Explain yourselves!



The party is suddenly surrounded by elven archers covered in twigs
and leaves. Fortunately Ian speaks Elvish.



Ian: Ahem. Greetings, wanderers of the woods and noble friends of 
nature! We seek aid for ones uhh... fallen in glorious battle.

Elf: Why is the dwarf with you?

Ian: Our priestess, who is an elf, has been killed, and another elf in our party
is driven mad by magic. We have heard of a priestess who dwells in these
woods who has the power to raise the dead and cure magic.

Elf: Why is the elf gagged? Undo the gag, that he may speak.

Ian: (in Aerdi) Undo Tron's gag.



Nigil removes the gag from Tron's mouth. Fortunately, the scout is

having one of his lucid moments.



Tron: (in Elvish) It's true. Our priestess is a follower of Obad-Hai, 
and I am mad... argh! (bites the horse) Piss shit hell death!
Horse: (Thinking) If I can juuuust slide him off, I can probably step
on his head before anyone can stop me...



There is some confusion until the horse is calmed and Tron is re-gagged.



Elf: Camp here tonight. Do not leave. We will ask the council.
Ian: We will wait here, forest friends.

The night passes quietly, and the elf scout returns.

Elf: We will lead you to the Great Glade. All of you must be blindfolded.



They blindfold the party and lead them around in circles in the woods

for many hours. Finally, they remove the blindfolds. The party finds

themselves in a large clearing. A number of small wooden huts are

there. This is in fact a large permanent settlement of elves, with a

population in the high hundreds. An elderly elf with silver hair approaches,
leaning heavily on a cane. A young man escorts him. Ian greets them
with the perfect honorary due to an elf of his age and station, and
the crowd responds very favorably to an outsider that has taken the
time to learn their ways so well.

Silver-hair: (bows slightly) Show me the slain one.
Ian: (Pulls back Laurallie's covering. She smells a little ripe).

Several in the crowd gasp with recognition, or possibly nausea.

Silver-hair: Ahhh... we know this one. She studied here as a child. She was
sold into slavery many seasons past by her father. He wished to know the 
secrets of unlife, and the drow promised those secret rituals and
formulas to him. We bansished him.

The silver hair whispers a magical phrase and peers at the party.

Silver-hair: The dwarf is evil? why do you bring evil with you? Why
should we not kill him?
Ian: He is just hired help.

Silver-hair: So, Mr. Anderson, why did you hire him if he was 
evil? And he smells... unclean. It gets in my... nose. It makes me sick. I hate
the smell of --

Ian: We needed his skills. It's hard to find good help these days.
Silver-hair: I do not trust you, yet my heart weeps for those of our kind,
fallen in battle far before their time. Please follow.

The elves lead them into a particular hut. Inside, there is an extremely old
elf woman. She is old she is almost translucent. Ian translates for her, since
she does not speak Aerdi. Her voice is frail and she pauses often.



White Lady: You are the finders of crown and cup?

Nigil: Yes, we found these items. Unfortunately they are now in the

hands of evil-doers. Vodius the Ahlissan has the crown, and Gabriel

has the cup.

Ian: (in the middle of translating) What is this about?

Sapphire: We'll fill you in later.

White Lady: Already the Great Consumer has been partially freed by the cup.
He has devoured Celene. The evil ones think to use him as a tool, but he
will devour everything. Celestian, Kord, Wee-Jas, Telchur and Moraddin are
lost to their worshipers and utterly destroyed. Cuthbert as well, I have heard.

Sapphire: Good thing we didn't go the priests of St. Cuthbert, huh,

guys?

Norel: Could you give a bit more information about what is going on?



The White Lady recites a poem:



In the time before the waters rose,
Venyara guided the forge hand
Of an olven smith: gifts three.

Given by olven kings old to lords of men,
To unite, knit and ward,
Serving in peace, wisdom and war.

Then in darkness (cough cough),
The lord of consumption,
Rose to unmake the world.

Castout, bound and banished with olven gifts three,
Locked away beyond the Void,
Lost to all eyes until the end of the world.

Olven gifts corrupted,
Weakened, no longer serving,
Kingdoms sundered, gifts lost.

One, burned with a king (cough) of old on black sea,
One, buried with a king of old in stoney hills,
One, locked in deepest ice.

Lord of consumption, unmaker of gods,
Lost to eyes until the half-breed guides,
Prow-figure like, across the long sea.



Sapphire: Well, that makes sense. Not.

Ian: So run that poem by me again. What is this "Dark One"?

White Lady: Venyara is he whom you know as "Pholtus." The "Great
COnsumer" is Tharizdun, an ancient evil of immense

power. He was imprisoned centuries ago, but Nerull and

Erishkagal are trying to free him. The three artifacts, the cup,

crown, and throne, were ancient gifts from the elves to humans. They

were used to imprison Tharizdun, and became cursed in the process. If

the three artifacts could be gathered again, they could be used to

free Tharizdun. This would be the end of Oerth. A number of gods,

including Pholtus, are fighting to stop this. Even Hextor and

Hieronyous, the brawling brats, have allied against the Mad Twain.

Nigil: Is that throne the same as the Malachite Throne?

White Lady: No.

Norel: Let's see, the cup was underground, the crown must be the one

that was lost at sea, so the throne must be in ice. I'd guess it's

somewhere farther north. I wonder if this is connected with those

barbarian raids that have been happening recently.

Sapphire: It sounds like the half-breed will lead us to these things.

Who is this "half-breed"?
Norel: Is it Gabriel?
Nigil: What about about that half-orc smith?
Sapphire: Why would it be him?

Nigil: No, wait! I think it's Mira! That would explain why Gabriel
wanted her. And Skanda worshiped Pholtus, so there's a connection.

Ian: So who is this Mira? And what is this cup?

Norel: Read the write-ups, dude.

Ian: I can't read!
Tron: Mmrrph Grrmmm Usshy!



White Lady: I will cure your friend, (cough cough) and bring Laurallie
back to life.

Ian: You know her?

White Lady: Indeed. She is from our tribe. We heard she was lost to the
evil ones of the underdark. Now go. We will speak again tomorrow.



The elves throw a big party for the visitors.

The next day the White Lady brings Laurallie back from the dead and cures Tron's

madness.



Nigil: Not that we'll be able to see that much difference in his

behavior...
Tron: Damn it, I need to wash. I've got rash like you wouldn't believe.

Laurallie: I dreamed that was in land of unfettered wilderness. It was
beautiful. (Cough) I feel like crap.
White Lady: We will give you gifts to aid you. But now I lay a geas

upon you all: You must recover the cup, the crown, the throne, and

the half-breed, and take them all across the long ocean. If you turn

aside from this quest, you will suffer the torments of the abyss.

Torquann: I'm not even involved in this, and, uh... This blows.

White Lady: You must go. Do not fail.
Tron: As long as I get to wash first.



She seems very tired, exhausted by the great magic she has channeled.

Silver-hair: She will sleep now, and for a long time.

The party goes outside the hut, and elves bring them gifts.



Laurallie receives an amulet of hawthorne and oak that strengthens her
constitution. Nigil receives a silver-bound horn that, when blown, creates
a tone repungnant to evil creatures. Sapphire receives a bronze rod which can be
rendered immovable by pushing a button. Ian receives a greyish cloak that
enhances his ability to deal with others. Norel receives a magic longbow,
specially made  for someone of his great strength. Tron also receives a 
magical longbow, one that increases its potency greatly if he swears to kill
his enemy.



Elf: But be careful that you deliver the killing blow that day. If you do
not, the bow will be useless for a week, and you will be weakened as well.

Danic: What do I get?

Elf: Soap on a rope. And like it.

Danic: Bah.



It is not clear if Torquann receives any gifts. The party is also

equipped with arrows, provisions, and 10 loaves of elven waybread per

person. In addition they decide to let Laurallie wear the brooch of

shielding. Tron tries in vain to make some time with the

ladies, while Laurallie catches up on the news of her family.



Laurallie: You do know that my father sold me to the drow, in exchange

for magical lore?

Elf: Yes, he was driven from our tribe. We do not know what became of

him.

Laurallie: What about my mother?

Elf: She followed your father into exile.

Laurallie: Hmph.


Tron: Hey, you're really hot. Wanna breed?
Elf chick: Tempting! But... no. (Whispers to a friend). He is, like,
so un-cool, I mean, ohmigosh!


The other characters get to talk some with the elves.



Elf: You are half-orc, right?

Danic: Where I come from, them's fightin' words.

Elf: But, I mean, you look kinda like one. And you sure smell like

one. Lemme guess, one quarter orc? What do they call you, a dworc?

An orf? A dorc?

Danic: Someday the tables will be turned, and then... then... hah hah

hah hah hah! (walks off to sulk)

Elf: What a weird guy.



Elf Girl: It's terrible that a little girl like you has to go on a

quest like this. Would you like a teddy bear?

Sapphire: I'm not a child! I'm a svirfneblin warrior! Grr!

Elf Girl: That's soooo cute.

Sapphire: Bah. I'd gut you like a fish but then I'd have to clean
my blade.



Torquann: Now that I'm stuck traveling with you guys, you might as

well know that the ring I'm after is a magic ring. It protects you if

you travel to one of the inner planes and will also help you make
that journey. It's an heirloom of my family of great power.

Sapphire: Ok. That's not something I was planning on doing anytime

soon.



Tron: So it sounds like we basically just do what we were going to do

anyway. The only question is do we kill Vodius first or Gabriel?

Norel: I only wish it was that easy...



The next day the party leaves the elves. Escorted by elvish scouts,
they make very good time. After two days they arrive at Shapic. Or 
rather, where Shapic was. There is now only a patch of ash, burned 
buildings and a few charred bodies.



Nigil: I wonder if whoever did this was after us?

Norel: There are some hoofprints leading into the mountains, but they

are several days old. I can't tell if there were prisoners taken. I see
a variety of foot prints -- obscured -- belonging to men and maybe a child
or a gnome.

Tron: I say we clean out the dungeon first, then worry about this. We

can't be sidetracked all over the Flaeness now that we've got this

geas-thing on us.

Laurallie: I think it would be ok to find out about this. But I

agree, let's do one thing at a time.



They head back to the tower. Toadstool is overjoyed to see them.



Nigil: Toadstool, have you seen anything unusual? Like bandits near

here?

Toadstool: Well... there was a big fire in the south a few days ago.

I think the fire drake did it.

Norel: Fire drake?!?

Toadstool: You can see it in the air at night.



That night they all go up to the top of the tower. A huge comet is

glowing in the sky.



Torquann: Ah! That's not a fire drake. That's just igneous vapors in

the upper air. A purely natural phenomenon.

Laurallie: Such omens foretell doom and the death of princes.

Toadstool: Oh.

Norel: That must be the comet that Abercrombie was tracking.

Sapphire: The surface world is truly a place of wonder. My people 
do not even have legends of such things.



Laurallie tries to tell Toadstool how to fix the roof of the tower,

but she is not really able to get through to him.



Laurallie: You need to chop wood.

Toadstool: Ok. (runs out in the woods and starts cutting down trees)

Nigil: You realize he's going to do that all night?

Sapphire: He'll fix it eventually. It's not like cold or rain really

bother him anyway.



The next day the party heads down into the dungeons again.



Danic: I will stay and study Toadstool some more.

Laurallie: You know... never mind.



They retrace their steps through the dungeon and soon find themselves

back in the study.



Torquann: I really don't like that chair.

Nigil: I wasn't planning to sit on it.
Norel: I do not recognize the grayish hide that it is made from.



The door on the far side of the study leads to a short corridor that

ends in another door. Tron and Ian search it for traps.



Ian: I'm really getting tired of this red and black color scheme.

Tron: Me too. Clear! (he pushes the door open)



The next room can only be described as a "pimp lair". There are

magical lights, plush carpeted floors, a hot tub (now empty except for

a thin green scum), a huge bed, and a dressing table covered in

jewelry. The ceiling is supported by six pillars carved in the shape

of palm trees, and the ceiling itself is carved like a forest, with

branches and leaves. There are statues of monkeys and snakes on the

ceiling as well. The bed and floor are covered with thousands of coins, 
jewlry, and trinkets. On the far side of the room is a mirror. Reflected
in the mirror is the room, but also reflected is Penfavasta.



Tron: Gahh! (averts his eyes)

Ian: I think it's ok. It must just be a magic thing. Let's check

this place out.



The rogues move into the room.



Nigil: I'll stay in the door, if that's ok.

Tron: Wuss. (he sees that the room behind the reflection of the demon

is subtly different, also that the demon is holding a scroll) It

looks like this is an image of the room as it was years ago.



Suddenly six giant, four armed gorilla-like creatures appear in the

room and attack Tron, Ian, and Nigil. They rake razor sharp claws
with inhuman strength and their eyes glow with a fiendish, red light.



Tron: Ow! (tumbles past the monsters and hides behind a pillar)

Ian: Ow! (turns himself invisible)

Nigil: Ow! Take that! [hack] These things are pretty tough!

Laurallie: Fall back into the study, we'll fight them one at a time!

Norel: Fascinating, they look like girallons, a savage apelike

creature of the southern jungles. Yet I sense that they are

somehow... fiendish.

Sapphire: Is that like an orangutan?



Nigil falls back to the study, badly wounded after only a few attacks.
The girallons crowd into the corridor after him, biting and clawing. 
Because of their great size and reach, two can attack at the same time.



Nigil: Time to use that horn! (he blows the horn given to him by the

elves)

Girallon: Arrrgh! (tries to hit Norel, but its blows bounce off an

invisible barrier)

Girallon: Rarrgh! (breaks through the barrier and hits the ranger)

Torquann: [bzort bzort bzort bzort bzort]

Norel: [twang twang twang] My arrows seem less effective than they

should be. But they still bite!

Torquann: I think that these things are resistant to nonmagical

weapons.



The magical effect of the horn prevents the monsters from overrunning

the party, but they still are able to do damage. Although two of them

are killed, Norel is struck down, badly wounded.



Laurallie: (drags Norel to safety) Obad-Hai, heal this ranger though he
worships the ravager of the forest, Ehlonna!

Torquann: [bzort bzort bzort bzort bzort]

Girallon: Raaargh! (claws Torquann, wounding him badly)

Sapphire: [twang] This crossbow is useless!



Meanwhile, Tron and Ian are watching this battle from behind the

girallons. Tron decides to do something.



Tron: [twang twang twang]

Girallon: Huh? Rarrgh! (it is badly wounded, but still on its feet)

Nigil: He did it! The mad fool!

Tron: Stupid bow!

Girallon: Rarrgh! [smash rend]

Tron: Urk. (falls to the ground unconscious)

Ian: (quickly turns Tron invisible and carries him away from the

enraged ape)

Girallon: Rarrrgh! (smashes at the ground where Tron was, then begins

sniffing around for Ian)



Sapphire: Let me through! (stabs the first girallon) Take that, ya

damn dirty ape!

Girallon: Urk.


One girallon is still in the pimp room with the two wounded rogues.



Girallon: [sniff sniff]

Ian: (blasts the girallon with magic, becoming visible as he does so)

Girallon: Raargh!

Ian: Uh-oh.

Torquann: (steps around the corner, exposing himself to the 
Girallon in the coridor) [bzort bzort bzort bzort bzort]

Girallon: Raa... urk. [thud]

Ian: Yes! I did it! (starts sweeping jewelry off the dressing table

into a sack)

Sapphire: (Guts the last Girallon in the coridor) What are
you doing?

Ian: Umm... just collecting this stuff. For the party treasury, of

course. In case we have to run. Or something.

Danic: Say! I see that you have skill with magic! Would you be

interested in sharing spell books?

Ian: I don't need a book.

Danic: $%#^*&%$ sorcerers...



Laurallie heals the wounded party members.



Ian: Why didn't you use the power of your bow and swear to kill the

girallon?

Tron: Because I was standing behind it and didn't want it to know I

was there. I wish I had my old bow back.
Ian: Wouldn't it be enough if you just whispered it real quietly? Or just
kind of "thought" about swearing?
Tron: Next time.

Laurallie: You seem to be better at backstabbing your own party than

the monsters.

Tron: Bah.



They search the room, and find a huge amount of wealth, probably all

of the wealth of Togan that wasn't sacraficed to demons or used for
mercenaries, slaves, drugs and magical ingrediants. They find a large
amount of jewelry, among which is Torquann's ring and another magical
ring. Torquann's ring appears as four interwoven strans of silver, gold
copper and platinum set with a black and a white pearl. The other ring
appears as two dolphins set with a sapphire. There are also tens of 
thousands of coins, valuable rugs and tapestries, and so on.



Torquann: (takes his ring and puts it on)

Ian: What does this scroll say? The one that Penfavasta is holding in

the mirror?

Norel: It looks like it had that verse on it that the elf priestess

told us about. Her hand is covering most of it up.

Nigil: Now the only problem is getting all of this money out of here

and back to Marner. Looks like about three cartloads. I don't know

how we're going to get carts in here. This will take days.

Sapphire: I think we should take these magical lights as well. One of

them would be really useful.

Tron: And keep in mind that there may be bandits out there. We really

should find out what happened to Shapic.



TO BE CONTINUED...