Decision Making Under Uncertainty

Episode Five: An Unstable Tactical Situation

AK 594/9/11 (1960 PK)

Around 10am on the morning after Frankel's visit to the Moon Temple, Silvator's slimy assistant came out to the party's Leomund's shelter in the courtyard, saying something about Silvator having a demon in his basement and needing help. Though the assistant was flustered, the party got that Silvator was in a protective circle, and the demon was big and black with acid drool. Since random summonings don't fit with Silvator's cautious nature, the party was somewhat suspicious of this story, and when the assistant started to dash off, Frankel tried to grab him. He got AC -2, but oddly, that wasn't quite enough, and the assistant ran out, yelling to people in the courtyard that Silvator was in great danger and that Frankel was possessed.

Beeel, Yves, Ganeth, and Stealth dashed into the trading post while the others tried to delay the assistant. The assistant started casting a spell, and various party members noted that his hands were on backwards -- at some point Silvator's assistant had been replaced by a rakshasa. Pepper interrupted the assistant, but another rak in the crowd (disguised as a member of the Fighter's Guild) got off a fireball. (Being stoneskinned helped.) At the end of the round, a wall of fire went up, blocking the entrance to the trading post; this may have been an automated defense in response to the fireball (the hot side was facing out).

After hearing the fireball, Beeel ended up going back outside, where the party had a big combat with the raks and three summoned trolls, who'd arrived already primed for regeneration. (Beeel found strangling rakshasas especially satisfying.) At the end of many rounds of fighting, party members were quite beaten, one rak was dead, one was captured at zero hit points, and an actual Guild fighter had almost but not quite bled to death.

Inside the post, Yves, Stealth, and Ganeth took up a defensive position at the bottom of the basement stairs, figuring that if the rakshasas wanted whatever Silvator was doing interrupted, the party probably wanted it finished. Stealth got a bat sense off, the sound of Silvator calling for help came from behind the door (assumed to be ventriloquism), darkness fell inside the trading post, and eight summoned grey spiny-edged flatworms tried to slip past the party and get under the door; they didn't make it. A mage hold person was cast from the darkness, getting nobody. Up top, someone dressed like a Helibane priestess dropped a dispel magic (7th level) on the area, dispelling (among other things) the basement door's wizard lock, the ventriloquism/illusion (the sound of Silvator's yelling stopped), and the darkness...revealing the Thin Man standing at the top of the stairs.

The Thin Man started casting again. Ganeth attacked him, and many interesting things happened: Elissa's special effect went off on a 19, indicating that the Thin Man isn't a simple mortal spellcaster. He was not stunned, which is rather unusual. He took 32 points of damage, indicating major spell potential. And after taking those 32 points of damage...he kept on casting and teleported away.

Yves also discovered a special ability of his sword: On a 20, it does extra damage, casts an aid on its wielder, and says "Blood!" in Orcish. (He later found that after multiple 20s the bonuses from sword's aid spells stack.)

The priestess approached G (who was at the top of the stairs, where the Thin Man vanished) and wanted to know what the problem was; he replied that someone was trying to break into the basement, but the situation was under control. She said she wasn't sure whether to trust him or not, so she said she'd cast detect evil -- and she probably did, since she reported that none of the party were evil but Yves' sword was.

Random person in crowd:

"Is that a sword of life stealing? Do you want to sell it?"

Someone started yelling about a giant rat running under a table, the priestess warned that it could be an imp, and sure enough, it poisoned someone. (An odd first thought for a Helibane, no? Sure was a good thing she was there to save the innocent bystanders, right?) Sensing a distraction, Yves looked around and saw a small transparent acidic ooze (called a Slithe, as the party later learned) dribbling along the side of the stairs; he then splattered it (taking a bit of acidic splash damage in the process). The priestess reported that the imp had gone invis and asked for "someone competent" to get it. And Stealth dropped a glitterdust across the top of the stairs, making it rather difficult for anything else to try sneaking down.

Meanwhile, peeking under the door...

"You see what looks like Elbleem's body, in a very advanced state of ageing, lying in a pentagram. Silvator is kneeling beside it, also in the pentagram, holding what looks like an amulet. He is in? trance. There are several skeletons guarding in the room (9) and what might be a flesh golem."

Back in the courtyard, Councilman Boutros arrived with a bunch of guards and an anemic-looking grey-robed mage with a wand. At this point, the only remaining active hostile was the rak who'd impersonated the Guild fighter; when Frankel asked him to surrender, he said that he had to go down fighting. After Beeel changed the rak's active status, Boutros promised him a reward: his weight in copper (ooh aah). ("Your unencumbered weight. Last guy tried to come in wearing plate with his warhorse.") While trying to pound downed creatures off the plane, Rogroc (who'd entered his berserk battle fury) criticalled and tossed his war club away; nobody was hurt, but "Rogroc has left a dent in Silvator's building that people will note for years to come." Frankel eventually pushed the downed rak off the plane, getting a promise of 10ep (golly) from Boutros for his trouble. The mage used his wand to dispel the wall of fire, burning out the item as he did it. Silvana put up a see unseen.

Boutros was generally overbearing and annoying, trying to get the party to go away and firing the mage because he didn't happen to have ESP that day. Silvana stalled him, saying that the party had an obligation to safeguard Silvator's establishment, until Councilman Rheebuk arrived. Rheebuk took in the situation briefly, faded into Frankel's shadow, and seemed to be gone entirely. (Rheebuk is rumored to be the best thief in the city, and his HS skill is clearly outstanding.)

Boutros next tried to convince the downstairs portion of the party to come out...mainly by shouting across the glitterdust, since he wasn't inclined to walk through it.

Ganeth:

"Disturbing Silvator at this juncture may place his life in danger. Is that a risk you wish to take, Councilman?"

Boutros:

"We have reason to believe that the Mage Silvator is involved in a pact with Lower Planes and is threatening not only the life of Councilman Elbleem, but also the Great City of Cthul-Ra."

Silvana:

"Silvator would never do that. He is Lawful and would not traffic in dangerous Lower Planar magic. Perhaps your source of info was mistaken?"

Beeel:

"Sir, how confident are you in the source of that information?"

Boutros:

"I have come across weighty evidence which brings me to this sad conclusion. Please do not let this news spread beyond this room, for it may cause widespread panic."

Silvana:

"On the contrary, I believe that disturbing him might cause more dangerous reprecussions than allowing him to continue."

Matt:

"It's been so long since we've had an uncontrolled summoning." :)

Boutros:

"Councilman Elbleem is dead, and the God of Cthul-Ra rumbles. All the councilmen know this."

Beeel:

"Sir, we're in a prime lightning-bolt targeting area here. I'd advise you to stay upstairs."

Beeel:

" Ma'am, please be advised that you have arrived in an unstable tactical situation, and are in a prime lightning-bolt targeting area. I'd advise you to stay upstairs."

Shaqueel:

"Thank you. Maybe you can escort Councilman Boutros to safety while I examine the scene?"

Boutros:

"Please keep Councilwoman Shaqueel safe while I take a look at the room."

Frankel:

"Do you two have an ongoing rivalry I should know about, sir?"

Shaqueel:

"Councilman Boutros is an idiot. Besides that, I have nothing against him."

Boutros: [leveling a ring]

"I'm going to count to three. At that point, a force shall come forth from this ring and blast the door. It is your choice whether to be between my ring and that door."

Ganeth:

"I can take 3d6, sir."

Shaqueel:

"Hmm."

Boutros:

"HMMM??"

Shaqueel:

"Hmm. I must ponder this."

Boutros:

"PONDER?"

Shaqueel:

"Yes."

Boutros:

"WHAT DID YOU SEE?"

Beeel:

"Sir, please be aware that you have arrived in an unstable tactical situation. An imp is nearby, and we are all in a prime lightning-bolt targeting area."

Rikozum:

"Oh my! Well, why are you all standing in a line then?"

Beeel:

"That's a good question, sir. Shall we all move upstairs?"

Rikozum: [to everyone]

"Come, come -- the man says it's dangerous. Let's all go sit quietly in the garden and collect our thoughts. Now why are we here again?"

Silvana:

"We are on guard for possible occurences of lower planar creatures."

Rikozum:

"So where's this farastu then?"

Boutros:

"FARASTU?"

Shaqueel:

"What farastu?"

Rikozum:

"You know, farastu -- weakest form of gehreleth?"

Ganeth:

"I am familiar with them, sir. I have not seen one here."

Rikozum:

"There's probably one behind that door. Watch your back, kid."

G took another peek under the door, but this time he saw a black stone farastu figurine behind the door, ready to topple if the door is opened. The Council returned, and Shaqueel informed the party that they had chosen to investigate further -- Elbleem has not responded to sendings, but his amulet hasn't fully activated, making the situation unclear. The Council's next step was to take Elbleem's body to the Altar of Chthul-Ra, where Golam could decide what the situation really was...until G broke the news about the farastu figurine, confusing everything once more.

Shaqueel: [looking at Boutros]

"I don't want to point accusatory fingers, but I believe that this `farastu' problem is an inside job. While we cannot act directly against another council members, this has just the right level of indirection -- does it not?"

Treveel:

"Who were you working for?"

Rakshasa:

"Everyone knows that I can't answer such a question directly. I work for Chthul-Ra, of course."

Silvana: [to the sages]

"Do you want the rakshasa?"

Rikozum:

"No, it would be best if you held on to him. That way we can all blame you if it dies."

Ganeth: [to Shaqueel]

"Do you have any idea how long whatever Silvator is doing might take?"

Shaqueel:

"Mages rarely have the stamina to go longer than a day."

Treveel: [to party]

"I sense that you are unwitting participants in a greater game. I wish you well."

Nexus came by to warn the party that Frankel had hooked up with the mediator's party; he thought that they were planning to turn him into a demon and use him to rob the trading post. He also mentioned that one of that group is a dop, and their party is well suited to infiltration missions.

At dusk, Silvator opened the door to the study.

Silvana:

"Is Elbleem okay?"

Silvator:

"Yes, I'm fine."

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