����������� Book Five, Chapter Seven �The unexpected arrival of Bowlhead�

����������� 20/04/2002

Which Order does Sir Martyn actually belong to? I have it recorded as the Order of the Chequered Shield in the notes but last session he was in the Order of the Lady of the Paladins. - Well he says Our Lady of Paladins.

New Bardic Songs - I have assumed that the Inspirations Songs are a combination of the Paladin and Bardic spells. So that the range is 50� but may be modified by the Song Sounding spells on the Sound Projection list. Is this correct? - Correct says Robin.

Everyone knows whose birthday was on the 17th, I wonder if anyone remembered whose it was on the 18th. I�ll bet its no one, that�s who. Well CB did.

We are in Tashal and its still 15th Kelen - it�s been a bloody long day. Or should that be it's been a long bloody day. We only got to Tashal yesterday and we are not having a good time. Sir Martyn Yanyez De Barbudo has only his right hand operative despite the fact that he currently has 3 left hands. Zytsi of Orinane is not at all happy about with the deliberate sabotage of his favourite building project. Aruth Hempstead isn�t happy and is running out of spell points without his normal multiplier. The plucky Bard Daniel Fichelscher has only 7 power points left but is happy that the party finally found a use for his Bardic Spells.

So here we are standing in a bloody dining room surrounded by dead bodies. Sir Martyn is taking a Temple of Naveh single-handed. Zytsi is avenging the sabotage of his building project. Aruth and Daniel are just trying to stay alive. Balatar is not being seen; in fact I wouldn�t mind betting he�s still in the basement somewhere. And just who sent which hand to Sir Martyn?

The above was written before the game and then the Bardic laptop died on arrival. But Mike fixed it, probably.

The cook is getting better! It�s Bowlhead, �who?� chorused Aruth and Daniel. He�s covered in a golden glow. Edward Lickspittle a.k.a. Bowlhead as run by Stuart Hall. An old new party member who can�t remember how he got here. Last thing he remembered he was in the pub thinking about the Jarin Liberation Front. Unfortunately he does remember Aruth shooting him and Daniel hacking him down. Err um sorry about that, never seen you before mate.

Come with us we are assaulting a Temple of Naveh. Just before the Woodwalls expire an alarm goes off. �Slay the Ivinians� yells Bowlhead, great another fascist bastard. Cancel Woodwall into the dormitory, which is empty. Sir Martyn goes in and a hail of shurikens is thrown in his general direction. One gets through for some minor damage! There seems to the contents of a cutlery draw at his feet. There are about 20 monks on the balcony. Then there was another rain of similar stuff and Sir Martyn is knocked down for two rounds.

Zytsi charges out going for the stairs, almost stumbled on the junk around Sir Martyn. Followed by Bowlhead, Aruth and Daniel who ran over Sir Martyn. Then everyone except Daniel spots the other monks who jump down from the other side of the gallery and lay into Sir Martyn.

�We are the Trobridge Boot Boys� sings Daniel to give our team +10 to all rolls. Aruth Lightning Bolts two of the monks on Sir Martyn, one hobbles away and the other one is too stunned to do anything. The other four will get a go, and there are a few more up there. Zytsi goes back for Sir Martyn. Bowlhead is warming a spell up so Daniel stays to protect him. Aruth looks for cover behind a pillar and Daniel thinks this is a good idea and looks for similar.

A hail of missiles goes for Zytsi, who survives quite well. Two go for Zytsi and the other two continue kicking Sir Martyn. Bowlhead is trying to Calm one, not really a idea given how well the Bardic Calm worked. Aruth Lightning Bolts two of the ones of the balcony who didn�t jump down. They are the two Paladins, yeah cheer the party. One is incapacitated by a lot of stuns and the other ones dies when he becomes a lightning conductor. The other two are probably Paladins, though one may be a Cleric as he cast a spell that Blinded Aruth.

The hail of cutlery makes Zytsi a pincushion and he ends up at being on -80%. Sir Martyn tries to stand up, it�s a routine manoeuvre and he rolls down big time and falls over again. So he Inspires +30 every one. Zytsi staggers over towards the Healer but falls over after getting half way. The Healer rushes out and drags him under cover of the overhead balcony. Sir Martyn casts the Larani Give Me Ears Aura spell, B Slashes version.

Aruth tries to shoot his bow at one, he misses but not by much. The various drugs and Inspirations bonuses cancel the penalty for being blind. Bowlhead starts sucking the wounds out of Zytsi, it will be interesting having a Healer on the party, and he�s got his work cut out for him.

Things are beginning to turn our way and Aruth�s second arrow hits a paladin, and it wasn�t ours! Bloody Paladin was cheating. Zytsi is getting better as he loses one wound a round to Bowlhead the Healer. He must be an absolute masochist to be one of those. Sir Martyn finally stands up and the combat starts. There are two operationally monks who fail to hit him. Sir Martyn swings his morning star with a mighty blow that does times four damage. He smashes the two operational monks. Aruth, being fed up at having spells being chucked at him so he makes it go Dark for 10 foot around him. Cops everyone one on our side except Sir Martyn. We neglect to object. Sir Martyn�s Aura takes more monks down. The cutlery hail continues.

Sir Martyn puts away his morning star and goes to pick up his sword and fails due to sarcasm, which prompted a bad dice roll. So he kills the last monk with his mailed fist attack. The cutlery hail continues, and continues to have little or no effect on Sir Martyn. Bowlhead has finished sucking wounds out of Zytsi and does a bit of first aid on himself. Zytsi is waiting out some Must Parries.

Zytsi goes to the stair and parries against the doorman and goes up the stairs. Sir Martyn grabs his sword and goes for the other stairs. The hail of missiles doesn�t arrive, Sir Martyn looks round and they seem to be standing round. Zytsi arrives at the top of the stairs and gets the hail of cutlery, which pisses him off but they only do a trivial amount of damage.

Sir Martyn arrives and the Aura kicks in on the two Paladins and the Cleric. One of the Paladins drops and dies. Sir Martyn saves versus their Aura�s. Sir Martyn fails the RR versus the Absolution spell, but a spirit of the lion appears for a re-roll that also fails. Barrel scrapping ensues and the sword Cancels the Spell before it hits, tough about the re-roll. Sir Martyn switches the light on his sword that gives all evil types a -20.

Hack and slash starts and the front rank Paladin, the other one stands behind for the Bladeturns. (Ah ha, the Aura only works against servants of Larani (and similar) here. So the Bard shouldn�t have lost his ear before. He is not a servant of Larani so there).

Zytsi has got two Paladin as well. Is Zytsi a servant of Larani? Very probably. Well Sir Martyn takes the front rank Paladin on damage. Zytsi hits the first attacking monk with one blow and then the next two. The fourth monk gets a trivial wound in.

There was an exchange of rival temple Paladin magic complete with Cancels and RRs. Lucky this is a low magic universe. Sir Martyn wins by smashing the Paladin�s sword arm elbow with his Aura and then hitting him a couple of times. Zytsi sees some bloke run out of a bedroom and rush down the stairs. He yells out. Now Aruth is blind and in a darkness spell, he is following Daniel around. Bowlhead is not currently in the darkness and the only one who can see downstairs. Zytsi is facing a monk and a Paladin with some extra monks coming in for next round.

The darkness goes down. Daniel goes to the foot of the stairs where Bowlhead already is and the man whose ran down the stairs arrives. The Cleric turns and runs and Sir Martyn casts a Spiritual Manoeuvre spell, there is first time for everything. The Cleric is getting away so far but Sir Martyn is changing to mace. Bowlhead knocks the man over. Apparently every time he hits someone with his staff has died, will the legend last. Its on a chance.

The Cleric jumps down taking the 20� foot drop, followed by Sir Martyn. The Cleric takes some damage and a critical and keeps going. Sir Martyn jumps down, bounces and follows. Zytsi is Must Parrying and the Paladin and three monks have a go at him. One puts him in a leg breaking hold downed, pinned and 15 stuns. And another one has an additional stun and a courtesy -10 to combat.

Sir Martyn shoots the Priest in the back with the mace on the heavy crossbow table, but to no great effect. He hasn�t heard Zytsi yell out he�s in trouble, but he heard Daniel shout after him. Bowlhead has gone up the stairs!

�Balatar. 5,000 to take him out.�

�10,000.�

�Done.�

Zytsi is smashed about a lot. Nearly dies, but the spirit of the bear turns up and there is a re-roll. However he is not very well. Bowlhead hits and its the end of a legend. The monk holding Zytsi survives. Bowlhead and Sir Martyn pass on the stairs. Daniel takes off braided belt and goes up stairs. Sir Martyn pushes past the monk and paladin to get to the paladin hitting Zytsi.

Daniel goes up the stairs sees a paladin and a monk and runs away. Bowlhead hits the paladin and the paladin hits back taking him out. The monk misses Daniel who can only parry, boy he didn�t half parry. Sir Martyn takes the paladin and a monk.

Balatar hits the priest in the back and does kill him out right. He thinks, oh shit as he is engaged in combat with the Priest. The priest chucks a spell, Balatar saves appropriate noises off.

Daniel�s belt takes out the monk but the paladin makes a mess of him, shattered knee and at -90. The monks upstairs start backing off. (Someone is smacking seven bells out of a piano on the football field next door.)

Balatar kills the Cleric and Aruth can now see.

Sir Martyn runs down the stairs and gets hit. But Sir Martyn knocks the weapon out of his hand and leaves him on one (1) hit point. He survives the Aura and Aim Untrues Aruth�s arrow and Sir Martyn�s thrown sword. Dies when he gets hit.

Monks run off out via the basement. Let them go says Sir Martyn.

The random man who ran was the man who gave us the box with the hand in the inn.

Aruth and Balatar want to do a little light looting while Sir Martyn fetches troops from the Temple of Larani. Bowlhead is standing and getting better, Zytsi is out of it, and Daniel is groaning and moaning about his knee.

There are four guys with heavy crossbows on a nearby roof. Thieves Guild? He ignores them and goes off to the Temple. He is avoided, being somewhat bloody and a little soup stained.

They move quite quickly on this. He gets a couple of guards to come back with him and a squad to follow. Ten minutes to get there, ten minutes there, ten minutes back..

Heleme and five henchmen turn. He has come for his goods. Takes the random man who gave us the box away. Takes off the hood of a Paladin and cuts his throat. Goes to the next one and Aruth says touch him and you�re dead. Heleme kills him. Aruth runs away. Heleme goes on killing them as neither Daniel or Bowlhead object.

Sir Martyn appears. With Heleme and all the Naveh men are dead. Aruth had continued to do a little light looting. He finds a box with a hand in it. He gives it to Sir Martyn.

700d in various bits and pieces. Bowlhead looks for his gear and finds his Hodiri Horn and an obsidian amulet from Fanon�s Gate. Sir Martyn says there must be a treasure room here, unless you�ve already found it. No says Balatar. Search the place and a hidden and trapped chest with 3,000d in it.

Sir Martyn wants us to use the basement entrance from the two Temples. Try to keep it quiet.

The Larani Priest refuses to heal Zytsi, well that�s not a surprise he did mouth off at him. They do heal Daniel. Bowlhead has power points channelled to him and takes Zytsi wounds.

Oh dear. Sir Martyn has three hands now.

�

Bowlhead has lost a year of his life and he can�t remember what happened during it.

Cleric had a ring and a staff. Not forgetting the new hand. And Balatar owned up to the ring and another 1,000d.

Organise house clearance for another 400d, take a few days I guess.

16th Kelen - Daniel has a look at ring and the staff.

Ring - channelling adder +1 per three levels of user, rounds up.

Staff - loads of evil clerical powers - multiplier, bonus to RR, Absolutions. Its an Evil item. But it raises the level of the base spells (only) by 5.

Sir Martyn and Zytsi go to the Thieves Guild with Bowlhead (and his evil staff). It costs 100d. He�s a bit of a mess. But its agreed that if we heal him so they can start over again. So we can question him as much as we like. Missing fingers, eyes, toes. Broken limbs. Not forgetting the good kicking for organ damage. We are the good guys? Aruth and Daniel are very glad they didn�t come.

The Healer goes for it. Mad bastard. Sir Martyn�s threat is we�ll come back tomorrow and do it again. We�re the good guys remember. We get his name, Garlic. He has no position in the Temple Hierarchy. They were working for him. Whose he working for? No answer. Panaga? No. Repeated a couple of times and when magically assisted he refused to answer. He was ordered to sabotage the building but he doesn�t know why.

How does he contact his boss? Whispers something, repeat whisper. Sir Martyn leans forwarded and whispers I�ll tell you if promise as a knight of Larani to kill him immediate after. Sir Martyn goes back to magically assisted questions. His boss contacts him. Doesn�t know his name. He goes to one of the inns - the Iron Bell - where if they want to contact him they leave a message for him telling him where to go. He checks every day. Doesn�t know where the hands game from, any of them. Nor the powers. Doesn�t know of any other plots against Sir Martyn.

How did he know about the message for Sir Martyn at the Temple of Halea. Lucky guess. Sir Martyn fumbles the spell the first time. It was in his instructions. He ate them.

Sir Martyn asks for his clothes, but they are long gone.

Heleme says he�ll give Bowlhead 100d to come back tomorrow at 10 am to do it again. 200d and that�s my final offer.

17th Kelen - Hey the Healer might be able to do something addiction to stuff.

Daniel has a look at the hand. Reddish bronze laminated hand, left hand of course. Four known powers and one (not bad) unknown power. Any bleeding caused by the wearer of this hand are doubled. The other three are gets to choose spells from spell lists.

Origins - Very, very old. Made by the V�hir in Balgashang. It is culturally or historically significant. Well that will be an Agrik religious icon. But its not the Claws of Agrik, honest.

We sort of fill in Stuart about Sula and Sir Martyn relationship and the things we do.

The Agrik hand animates just like the others. The other ones have no Significance in the meaning of the spell.

Its four days (20th Kelen) before a message turns up for the Naveh spy guy at the inn. Be at meeting place 3 at 4 o�clock. Well that�s helpful. So it can�t be a trap as we don�t know where to go. So that�s a dead end then.

So where to now guys and which hand do you fit. The Aruth�s wand needs recharging.

We sell the perfumes and dyes for 10,000d, which is a large profit. The party is amazed as the bard has a trading skill of 105 as opposed to the merchant�s (Aruth�s) 45. So we are going to Trobridge, Elfland, then Setha Heath and Bejist. Threw the gate, deal with the demon and off to Midgaad. Bowlhead signs to the party for the duration. Does Balatar the fish want to come along. Do we want him? Apparently yes. He wont steal off us and we don�t expect him to get into get wired into combat. He signs on.

There was another long discussion about Bowlhead�s evil staff. It also +15 does addition crush and a Dark Stunning on contact.

We leave on the 21st of Kelen. And it takes 11 days to get there so that�s 2nd of Nolus. We get back to Trobridge. Two marriages passed on the nod. And one case of claimed paternity. Sir Martyn questioned the girl with the bun in the oven. It ends up that it could be the man�s, or even (very, very reluctantly) her father. The man says he isn�t, oh all right he might be. He goes off and consults the party. The peasant daughter shagger has two more daughters, 12-year-old twins. So he says the alleged father is the father and the twin daughters move in with them. The father does confess, in the end, but he was drunk at the time.

Off to Evael, this takes 7 days to Elshavel arriving on 9th Nolus.

Eps 8,000 each session. So Bowlhead gets 4,000d (and the forwarded 12,000 for two years wandering around the wilderness and a years cooking in the Temple of Naveh).