Chapter #504
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+ THE ADVENTURERS +
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+ Epic III +
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+
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+ Many of the locations, non-player characters, spells, and +
+ other terms used in these stories are the property of TSR, Inc. +
+ However, this does not mean that TSR in any way endorses or +
+ authorizes their use, and any such items contained within these +
+ stories should not be considered representative of TSR in any +
+ way, shape, or form. +
+ The player characters contained in these writings are copy- +
+ right 1991-7 by Thomas Miller. Any resemblance to any persons +
+ or characters either real or fictional is utterly coincidental. +
+ Copying and/or distribution of these tales is permissible only +
+ under the sole condition that no part of them will be used or +
+ sold for profit. In that case, I hope you enjoy them. +
+ +
+ Thomas Miller +
+ tmiller@cimmeria.ns.gatech.edu +
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+ Alindyar 17th level drow mage (N) +
+ Lyra 13th level female drow mage (N) +
+ Arnold 13th level human barbarian warrior (NG) +
+ Belphanior (14th)^3 level elven warrior/wizard/thief (CN) +
+ Otto 8th/10th level dwarven warrior/thief (CN) +
+ the wispy thing +
+ Mongo 18th level dwarven warrior (CG) +
+ Gorin 10th level dwarven warrior (NG) +
+ Nenya 8th/9th level female elven fighter/wizard (NG) +
+ Peldor 20th level human thief (N) +
+ Tanya 5th/11th level female human warrior/thief (N) +
+ Bosco 12th level halfling thief (CN) +
+ Rillen 18th level human monk (N) +
+ Songa 13th level human huntress (N) +
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+ Date: 7/2/576 C.Y. (Common Year) +
+ Time: evening +
+ Place: Alindyar and Lyra's mansion, in Greyhawk +
+ Climate: cool +
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+ "Prefer knowledge to wealth, for the one is transitory, +
+ the other perpetual." +
+ - Socrates +
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DIV. Bitter Spoils
Since most of the adventurers have attended to necessary affairs,
the time is now right for one final bit of unfinished business: the
division of the loot gained from Oonga's island lair.
Mongo: Man, I can't believe we're doing this.
Lyra: What, would you rather all this treasure be donated to charity,
or perhaps dumped in the ocean?
Otto: (muttering) The sharks would feed richly, if not well...
Mongo: Well, no...it's just that-
Peldor: It's just that every other time we've ever done this, we
were all in much better spirits.
Rillen: Well said.
Alindyar: In any case, all of our pain and suffering was, in a
sense, for this treasure.
Lyra: (ESPing to Alindyar) At least, that's what we like to think.
Gorin: (looking over the treasure, he scratches his beard) That's
a lot of stuff.
Otto: Maybe too much stuff.
Peldor: (hands a folded piece of cloth to Belphanior) Thanks for
loaning me this thing.
Belphanior: It was nothing. When you've gotta move some stuff,
well...you've gotta move some stuff.
Peldor: And move it I did.
Alindyar: (smirks to himself)
Lyra: (ESPing to Alindyar) Do you know something I don't?
Alindyar: (ESPing to Lyra) I did...but now, not for long.
Lyra: (her eyes widen) Ack! (ESPing to Alindyar) He hid all of
that in _our_ home?!?
Alindyar: (ESPing to Lyra) Calm down.
Lyra: (ESPing to Alindyar) I'm calm, I'm calm...why us?!?
Alindyar: (ESPing to Lyra) He - they - needed someone they could
trust...someone who the thieves' guild would never bother...some-
one with whom the funds were assuredly safe.
Lyra: (smiles thinly, ESPing to Alindyar) Do we get a holder's
fee?
Alindyar: (frowns)
Gorin: (to Bosco) So, what're you gonna do now that the inn's
gone?
Bosco: I was thinking about visiting my old stomping grounds...I
know they'd be glad to see me.
Gorin: Are you sure?
Bosco: Sure I'm sure! (he pauses) Hey, wait...why wouldn't they
be?
Gorin: Oh, I just thought I once heard you say something about
relieving the mayor there of certain valuables...
Bosco: (his eyes light up) I was just borrowing that stuff! He
wouldn't have missed a few pieces of jewelry from his collection.
(he frowns) Would he?
Gorin: You tell me.
Bosco: Anyway, if I went back there...think of the possibilities!
Gorin: You mean...?
Bosco: Right you are! Bosco and his brothers! The wild bunch
rides again!
Songa: What bunch would that be? Like a bunch of grapes?
Bosco: Very funny, gargantua.
Songa: What?
Bosco: Nothing. (he prances away)
Songa: (glares at the halfling's departing back) Someday I'm
going to hang him from a chandelier...
wispy thing: (hovering near Otto) Brrrp.
Otto: Eh?
wispy thing: (flies into a nearby candelabra) Pffft!
Lyra: What the- ?
Otto: I think he's looking for a place to sleep.
Alindyar: (raises an eyebrow) He sleeps?
Belphanior: At least, we like to think he does.
Alindyar: What would it be like, I wonder...to never require rest
or sleep?
Peldor: (to Tanya) I've got an idea.
Tanya: You'd never be able to keep up, old man.
Peldor: Bah. O ye of little faith...
Mongo: (busy emptying his portable hole) Well, one thing's for
sure, my friends: we got a shitload of stuff this time.
The pile was indeed voluminous, a mixed batch of magical items,
coinage, gems, jewelry, and other assorted items. The party just
stood there and stared, for the most part.
Bosco: (a thin line of drool escapes his mouth)
Alindyar: Quite a haul...
Mongo: Well, it's sure been a while since we did this. (he produces
some dice)
A choosing order was determined, including Nenya on behalf of Ged's
share. With the help of Nenya's recently-developed identification
spell, the treasure was divided thusly:
plate mail +3 (human-sized) Songa
plate mail +2 (elf-sized) Nenya
shield +3 Gorin
shield +5 Mongo
dagger +3, of throwing Lyra
bastard sword +3, frost brand Arnold
battle axe +3 Arnold
8 arrows +2 Rillen
5 bolts +1 Otto
javelin of piercing Songa
ring of fire resistance Rillen
ring of spell storing (2/2/2 1st/2nd/3rd level) Belphanior
ring of spell turning Gorin
ring of djinni summoning Lyra
ring of feather falling Bosco
ring of protection +3 Nenya
ring of protection +3 Tanya
ring of protection (+4 ac, +2 saves) Arnold
cloak of protection +2 Tanya
cloak of protection +2 Peldor
cloak of the bat Otto
cloak of displacement Nenya
bracers of defense (ac 2) Belphanior
bracers of defense (ac 2) Rillen
shoes of Fharlanghn Tanya
boots of levitation Peldor
boots of striding and springing Gorin
girdle of many pouches Otto
girdle of frost giant strength Rillen
necklace of adaption Otto
bag of holding (10,000 coin max) Peldor
gem of seeing Bosco
periapt of wound closure Belphanior
rope of climbing (100') Bosco
Heward's handy haversack Songa
horn of Valhalla (silver) Mongo
Keoghtom's ointment Tanya
Keoghtom's ointment Songa
Merlynd's spoon Mongo
small gilded cage Alindyar
Boccob's blessed book (49 spell levels) Nenya
Boccob's blessed book (49 spell levels) Lyra
staff of power Alindyar
wand of conjuration (70 charges) Alindyar
7 gems (50,000 gp each)
6 gems (10,000 gp each)
10 gems (5,000 gp each)
10 gems (1,000 gp each)
10 gems (500 gp each)
10 gems (100 gp each)
10 gems (50 gp each)
10 gems (10 gp each)
10 gems (5 gp each)
much assorted gold, silver, and copper (mostly in the form of
crude jewelry)
The gems and such, once sold, totaled, and divided - then hit
for a donation to Ged's estate - still amounted to a small fortune
for each of the thirteen adventurers.
Belphanior: (to Songa) Don't take this the wrong way, but weren't
you fairly critical of magic items while we were on the Isle?
Songa: I was, but it seems that such items - or some, at least -
can prove useful. (she hefts her new javelin of piercing) Only
a fool would ignore the possibilities.
Belphanior: Hmm.
Otto: (to Gorin) She's learning.
Gorin: Yeah...scary, isn't it?
Songa: Only if one becomes soft and weak as a result of becoming
over-dependent on magic.
Nenya: (smirks, then looks around) So...what now?
Alindyar: Lyra and I have much research and other catching-up to
do.
Lyra: We should be busy for quite some time. I've got a couple
of ideas on how to customize force-walls.
Alindyar: (holds up a finger) And silence-fields...and areas of
invisibility.
Lyra: Right-o.
Alindyar: And then I have my teaching duties...
Gorin: (to Nenya) And yourself?
Nenya: Deryck and I will...attend to the many needs of the lands
of Ged. Much work lies before us. (she shakes her head sadly)
Rillen: We're heading home. I have a tournament to prepare for.
Songa: And we also have to see about building our own home, out
of the village proper.
Tanya: If I know you two, it'll be pretty far from the village
proper...like in the mountains.
Songa: (smiles) Good guess.
Mongo: When's this tournament, and where?
Rillen: A few months from now...the exact place hasn't yet been
finalized. I'll try to let you know.
Belphanior: The last tournament was a chaotic mess. Why do they
keep getting hosts who have ulterior motives?
Rillen: A good question. If I knew the answer, I'd share it with
you.
Peldor: (to Mongo) What about you?
Mongo: I'm going to Greyspire.
Rillen: What's that?
Gorin: The home of the greatest general alive today...Lord Marcus.
Otto: (frowns to himself)
Alindyar: A general...why?
Mongo: (shrugs) I'm gonna check out an offer the man made me.
Gorin: Me too.
Belphanior: Greyspire, eh? Just watch out for a town filled with
fog.
Mongo: Huh? Why?
Belphanior: Just trust me on this one.
Rillen: (to Tanya) What of you and Peldor?
Songa: And Bosco? (she looks around) Where _is_ Bosco?
Bosco: (swinging from a chandelier) Ho!
Lyra: Get down from there! (she fires a spark from one finger,
zapping the obnoxious halfling in the posterior)
Bosco: Yie! (he falls, somersaulting in midair as his boots take
over and begin flying)
Lyra: No swinging from our chandeliers, got it?
Bosco: Eep. Sure.
wispy thing: (orbiting Bosco happily) Nrp, nrp, nrp.
Bosco: (rubbing his rear end) Ow...(he prepares to land on a book-
shelf, then thinks better of it)
Lyra: (ESPing to Alindyar) We need to have the servants give this
place a good cleaning, once we get rid of everybody.
Alindyar: (ESPing to Lyra, nonchalantly) Aye...
Gorin: (to Arnold) Where're you headed to, big guy?
Arnold: (shrugs) Somewhere...not sure where. Ah-nold must seek
his own fortune, and not in Greyhawg.
Nenya: (frowns)
Peldor: Tanya and I are looking into rebuilding the Green Dragon.
Tanya: (spreads her hands) It really depends on whether or not
we wish to remain in this city.
Peldor: It's definitely become a more dangerous place...(he looks
at Belphanior) And you?
Belphanior: Me? (he smiles thinly) I'm gonna go find a temple of
Orcus.
Otto: (taken aback, he turns to Belphanior) We are?
Peldor: Why would you want to find a temple of Orcus?
Belphanior: (smiling thinly) So I can destroy it.
Songa: (to Rillen) He may be crazy at times, but I like the way
he thinks.
next: things in Greyhawk heat up for those who stay
ftp: ftp.digex.net in /pub/access/dpm/rpg/stories/adventurers
ftp.nol.net in /pub/users/zac/rpg/adventurers/
ftp.tas.gov.au/misc/stories
www: http://www.access.digex.net/~dpm
http://www3.hmc.edu/~kshobaki/adventurers
homepage: http://www.gatech.edu/oit/oe/design/thomas/adv.html
mail: tmiller@cimmeria.ns.gatech.edu (preferred)
thomas.miller@oit.gatech.edu (emergency)
notes: In addition to the loot/haul/hoard already in place
from the module itself, I added a few things for good effect.
All in all, I've come to dislike big motherlodes - but they
earned it this time.
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