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<blockquote data-quote="Richards" data-source="post: 9169247" data-attributes="member: 508"><p><strong>ADVENTURE 61: THE WILL AND THE WAY</strong></p><p></p><p>PC Roster: </p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 13</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 7</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 7/paladin 6</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 7</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 13</p><p></p><p>NPC Roster:</p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Robin the Balladeer, human bard 4</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> Scarlie Besker, half-orc commoner 5</p><p></p><p>Game Session Date: 14 October 2023</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>The heroes were sitting at a tavern enjoying a meal when Thurloe suddenly jerked upright. "I'm getting a <em>sending </em>spell," he said, and the conversation stopped all around him so the spellsword could concentrate on the telepathic message being delivered directly into his head.</p><p></p><p><Thurloe Pulver,> said the voice of what sounded like a human male, one Thurloe didn't recognize at all, <you're an inheritor in Andrea Jandoval's will. Be in the Sinclair Law Offices one week from today for the reading. Please respond.></p><p></p><p>"<Understood. I'll be there,>" Thurloe replied both verbally and telepathically, his thoughts being sent back to the sender as part of the original <em>sending</em> spell. Then, seeing the concerned looks on the faces of his compatriots, he explained what the sending had all been about. "Andrea Jandoval was the wizard who first taught me arcane spellcraft," he said. "I must have made a pretty good impression, since she put me in her will."</p><p></p><p>"How did she die?" asked Alewyth.</p><p></p><p>"No idea. I guess I'll find out at the reading of the will - which is in Port Duralia in one week's time. Can we make that traveling normally, or do we need to do some cloud-horse delivery with the rest of us in the lamp?"</p><p></p><p>Xandro gave it some thought. "We should be able to make Port Duralia in five or six days," he hazarded. "That way, we don't have to leave the mounts and wagon behind." It was technically possible to get their assorted riding mounts into the extradimensional space of <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>, but there was no way to bring their wagon along.</p><p></p><p>"Well, let's drink up, then," Thurloe said, wolfing down the last of his meat pie and draining the rest of his mug of ale. "We don't wanna be late."</p><p></p><p>They weren't; after six days of riding, they pulled into Port Duralia in the late afternoon of the day before the reading of the will. Thurloe swung by the Jandoval estate, to which he'd been before when studying spellcraft with Mistress Jandoval, and met up with his teacher's live-in goblin butler, Borlick. The goblin professed no knowledge of what provisions Mistress Jandoval might have left in her will, but he was able to tell them she had been called away to the continent of Talonia on some urgent business many months ago and had not been back since. He was also able to direct the spellsword to the Sinclair Law Offices; not surprisingly, they were on Law Street. "Okay, great," said Thurloe, slapping the butler on the shoulder. "I guess I'll see you there tomorrow morning."</p><p></p><p>"I look forward to the encounter with nothing but eager anticipation," replied the goblin in his droll fashion.</p><p></p><p>Like normal, they stabled their animals and reserved a single room for Scarlie in a decent inn, and their wagon driver then brought <em>Hesperna's lamp</em> into his room with him. The six adventurers would be spending their night inside the extradimensional space as normal, free of charge.</p><p></p><p>Borlick was already there at the Sinclair Law Offices when the heroes arrived and were ushered into the office of <strong>Amberville Sinclair</strong>, a regal-looking man of some sixty or more years who introduced himself as Andrea Jandoval's legal representative. He took a seat behind a large desk of polished mahogany, while the heroes joined Borlick around a table facing him.</p><p></p><p>Once everyone was seated, Amberville read Andrea Jandoval's final will. It stated that she had departed on a voyage to Talonia in search of the Forbidden Lands and had set up arrangements with Amberville to transmit a <em>sending</em> spell every week to check in with him. If she ever missed two weeks in a row, she was to be presumed dead and her will was to be enacted. Amberville then explained that he has not heard from her in over three weeks now, and thus the remainder of her will was being effected.</p><p></p><p>"The Jandoval Estate is granted to Andrea Jandoval's arcane pupil Thurloe Pulver, contingent upon the following provisions. Provision the First: That Thurloe, and the companions of his choosing, follow the path Andrea took to the continent of Talonia to fetch her body and bring it back to Port Duralia for a proper burial. Provision the Second: That in complying with the first provision, Thurloe cross the ocean upon the vessel captained by the halfling Rose Brightpetal, to be dropped off at Talonia where Thurloe will meet up with members of the Fleetfoot tribe of halflings, who will be able to provide a guide taking them along the same path Andrea took in seeking out the Forbidden Lands. Provision the Third: That Borlick be retained as a butler to the Jandoval Estate, continuing to keep the house in working order during Thurloe's absence, his salary being increased by 20%. Provision the Fourth: Until such time as Andrea's body is brought back to Port Duralia, Borlick will serve as executor of her estate and will provide Thurloe access to the house so he might remove from the house anything he deems necessary to bring with him to Talonia to retrieve her remains."</p><p></p><p>Amberville then pulled out a sealed envelope and passed it over to Thurloe. "She also left this for you," he replied. Thurloe opened it up and read the letter within aloud. It read:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Thurloe,</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">The following are some items you should consider when you plan your voyage to Talonia:</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> 1. The halflings on the barge all speak fluent Common, but this is not always the case on Talonia. It might be best to have some means of translating foreign languages and having your own speech made clear to those who do not speak our tongue.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> 2. I don't know how you're set up with healing, but you won't likely find healing temples as common on Talonia as you're accustomed to upon Armaturia. Plan accordingly, and consider means of counteracting poison as well as dealing with physical wounds.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> 3. It's not a bad idea to bring along any magic items you might have accumulated over your travels, even if they are of no use to you. Many of the more primitive peoples of Talonia engage primarily in barter. Coins and gems mean nothing to them.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> 4. Talonia is much hotter than you're used to in Armaturia. You may find wearing metal armor problematic. Plan accordingly.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"> 5. Try to travel lightly, as you'll spend much of your time riding on a mount with only as much as you can carry comfortably. Items providing extradimensional storage are an extraordinarily smart investment.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Best of luck to you, and many thanks in advance for doing this final task for me. I think when you find my body, all will be made clear as to why I found it necessary to try to seek out the Forbidden Lands. I won't ask you to pick up where I left off after you've returned my remains to my estate for burial, but what you learn may result in your taking up my cause after I'm gone.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Andrea Jandoval</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">P.S.: I hope you've kept up with your arcane studies. You showed a lot of potential in the wizardly arts.</p><p></p><p>"If there are no questions, I have some paperwork for you to sign." Amberville had Thurloe and Borlick each sign statements (in triplicate) that they had attended the reading of Andrea Jandoval's will and understood its provisions. They were each given a copy of the paperwork.</p><p></p><p>"Well, let's go back to her place - or I guess I should say 'my place' now, huh?" said Thurloe.</p><p></p><p>"As you wish, Master Pulver," replied Borlick with a stoic expression on his unperturbable face. He led the way back to the Jandoval estate, a small stone building with a second story off to the right side, the entire property enclosed by a wrought-iron fence embedded within a thick hedge. The goblin opened the gate to the fence and walked between two statues, one on either side of the front door: one was a winged panther and the other a gynosphinx. "The statues animate if anyone tries to break into the door," Borlick informed the spellsword. "We will have to get you added to the people who can open the front door without incident."</p><p></p><p>The six heroes followed Borlick into the house. "I will prepare refreshments and bring them into the study," the goblin stated. "Please feel free to look around the house in the meantime." He went off to the left, where the kitchen and dining areas were located. The study was off to the right, as Thurloe already knew from the times he had been here earlier, as Mistress Jandoval taught him the basics of arcane spellcraft.</p><p></p><p>Robin and Xandro made themselves comfortable on a sofa in the study, the former singing softly to herself and trying to get Xandro to join in. Alewyth examined the paintings in the study with curiosity. Thurloe, Zander, and Wakuren all went straight into the arcane library, through an open doorway to the north of the study. Thurloe had done much of his studying right there at the table in the middle of the room, but he asked the elf to check for magic items in the room, eager to see what all he might wish to take with them to Talonia. Zander cast a <em>detect magic</em> spell and turned around the chamber, calling out the magical auras as he found them. "The window's magical," he said, indicating the only window in the room, a glass-paned structure in the center of the north wall. "So's the face on the door." The east wall had a thick, wooden door, currently closed, upon which hung the image of a bearded man of considerable age. "All four statues," - there was a statue of an angel in each corner of the room, between the bookcases, each bending over with their hands before them such that they could be used to hold an opened tome for study - "and that little statue of a tiger on the bookshelf, as well as that row of books on the bottom shelf there." Thurloe headed straight for the row of books the elf had indicated, deciding they were Andrea Jandoval's spellbooks (he supposed she took travel copies of her spellbooks with her Talonia, so nothing would happen to the originals - but he could keep them safe inside <em>Hesperna's lamp</em>), while Zander headed for the little tiger statuette, his familiar Petey perched on his shoulder. That, he decided, was likely a <em>figurine of wondrous power</em> like his own <em>jade cooshee</em>. Wakuren cast a <em>detect magic</em> spell and went to the window, looking out at the small back yard; there was about a 15-foot distance around the entire house that made up the totality of the estate's grounds. Andrea Jandoval, it seemed, was not the least bit interested in gardening; the only vegetation he'd seen on the entire estate were the hedges providing privacy and the ivy climbing up the sides of the stone building. But he didn't see anything particularly magical about the window itself, for that matter.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth had just entered the room to check out the angel statues, noting the fine workmanship - and the fact there was a sword at the angel's hip, when a gasp came from the east side of the room. The grandfather plaque hanging on the door woke up, saw the four figures inside Andrea Jandoval's arcane library, and called out, "Intruders!" It gave a mental command and a metal door slid along a groove in the doorway leading to the study, slamming shut with a thud. Then he called out, "Attack!" and the four angelic caryatid columns animated in the corners of the library, grabbing up their swords.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe set down the spellbooks he had been piling onto the table and cast a <em>mirror image</em> spell, causing an additional five Thurloes to pop into sudden existence all around him. He went straight to the wooden door and tried to open it, and as a result a wave of strength-draining energy flooded through his body. And the door had been locked, so there was no exit that way.</p><p></p><p>Out in the study, Robin leaped up from the sofa at the sight and sound of the metal door sliding into place, locking those inside the library there and preventing those outside from getting in. She ran to the door, looking for a way to try to open it, but there was no handle or knob or anything. "I'll go get Borlick!" she offered, then ran to do just that. Borlick was in the kitchen, having gathered a pile of cookies on a silver tray and currently involved in heating a pot of tea, totally oblivious to the excitement going on in the eastern side of the small manor.</p><p></p><p>Inside the library, Zander cast a <em>wall of force</em> spell diagonally along the northwestern corner, imprisoning one of the caryatid columns within the blocked-off space. That was one taken care of, in any case! But the one in the northeast corner stepped forward and swung at Wakuren with her sword, catching the half-orc unprepared for the attack. The statue in the southeast corner swung her sword at two of the Thurloes standing within reach before her; they both popped back out of existence, being nothing more than illusory <em>mirror images</em>. The southwestern statue attacked Alewyth, striking her in the side with her sword, as the fourth one slammed helplessly into the solid plane of force energy before her.</p><p></p><p>Xandro tried listening at the metal door but could only hear indistinct noises - nothing to give him any kind of a clue as to what was going on in there. He pulled the <em>Dardolian Lute</em> from his back and started playing the song of inspirational courage, hoping the magic of his tune would be able to be heard inside the arcane library. (It wasn't.)</p><p></p><p>Alewyth responded to being struck by an angel's sword by casting a new spell for her: <em>ethereal jaunt</em>, which caused her to fade from view as she transitioned into the Ethereal Plane. She was now, she noted, pretty much a ghost: able to see what was going on in the Material Plane all around her but being unable to affect anything in the physical plane, while likewise being unaffected by anything present there. She backed over to the west wall, noting she moved more slowly than she was accustomed.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren activated his ring and likewise slipped into invisibility, stepping away from the animated caryatid column attacking him as it got in a final blow on him before she could no longer see him. But then the grandfather plaque called out another word: the command word to the <em>tourmaline dire tiger figurine of wondrous power</em>, which Zander had just placed down on the table. It sprang to full size and readied to pounce down at the elf.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe, now down to three <em>mirror images</em>, decided to cast one of his own new spells, <em>greater invisibility</em>. He faded from view - but not before the caryatid's next sword strike wiped out another <em>mirror image</em> - leaving Zander Quilson and the pseudodragon perched on the elf's shoulder as the only visible foes in the library. The spellsword's two remaining <em>mirror images</em> doing everything Thurloe did as part of their magic, likewise had faded into invisibility.</p><p></p><p>"Borlick! A metal door just slammed shut in the library! Thurloe and most of the others are inside!" Robin called out as she entered the kitchen, seeing the little goblin butler standing upon a step-stool so he could reach the controls on the magical stove using a <em>heat metal</em> spell to warm the tea. He sighed in exasperation, muttered "Of course it did," to himself, and moved the teapot off the metal plate to a marble counter before climbing down from the stool and rushing out of the kitchen. Robin followed him.</p><p></p><p>Zander, with a crouching dire tiger about to pounce upon him and three caryatid columns turning to face his way - not to mention the grandfather plaque already facing him - cast one of his own newly-learned spells as well. The <em>mislead</em> spell turned him and Petey fully invisible and he stepped to the side, leaving behind the image of himself and his familiar at the spot where they'd been when he first cast the spell. The timing was perfect, too, for the dire tiger launched itself at the false image and leaped right through it, landing on the floor in puzzlement before sniffing the floor and picking up the elf's scent. Zander stepped out of the way as a caryatid column came ambling in his direction, bringing her sword smashing through the illusion and stepping back as if to reassess the situation. The other angelic statues, as if assured there were no longer any intruders in the area, all stepped back to their original positions, swords sheathed and hands cupped as if to hold an open tome.</p><p></p><p>Xandro decided his music probably wasn't making it into the library and opted to try to find a way inside. He searched along the wall by the metal door but could find no keyhole which he might try to pick. Then Borlick and Robin came up behind him, the goblin calling out, "<strong>Grandfather</strong>! Stand down! These are guests, not intruders!" But it was impossible to tell whether the grandfather plaque could even hear the goblin butler, let alone heed his words. Grumbling, Borlick said, "We should try around back," and headed for the front door. Xandro and Robin followed.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth learned she could walk in any direction on the Ethereal Plane, even straight up, and did just that. She popped through the roof above the library, seeing the narrower second story just before her. She walked through the side of the wall, finding herself inside a walk-in closet. There was a glint of light coming from the west; examining it, she found a secret passageway that opened up onto the roof of the building, apparently a hidden exit in cases of emergency. But the rest of the closet was filled with women's clothing, leading the dwarf to imagine the entire upper level was Andrea's private quarters. Future explorations had her discover the late wizard's bathroom and bedroom, the latter of which had a wooden door along the east wall that led to a set of winding stairs leading down to the library - no doubt through the door upon which Grandfather hung.</p><p></p><p>Wakuren, still invisible called out to the grandfather plaque, "Sir! We are not intruders; we are guests of Andrea Jandoval!"</p><p></p><p>"Hmm?" replied Grandfather, before sputtering, "Nonsense! Saw you with my own eyes, looting!" Then he called out another command word, causing the window to explode into shards of broken glass. The sharp glass cut into Zander and Petey without even apparently knowing they were there, before the explosion reversed course and took on the semblance of a humanoid figure, as the glasspane horror invoked into service by Andrea as a guardian altered to one of its two combat forms.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe saw the thing take form and figured a <em>shout</em> spell might do extra damage to a creature made up of glass fragments, so he called out for any of the heroes to get out of his way before he cast the spell. Zander hurriedly ran around the table to stand behind the spellsword. Wakuren was about to do the same when the dire tiger deduced his presence by his scent and took a swipe at the half-orc, his vicious claws scratching across Wakuren's <em>shield of Cal</em>. Fearing the canine might have picked him up due to the vibrations on the floor as he walked, the half-orc cast an <em>air walk</em> spell and stepped about a foot above the floor, heading over by the grandfather plaque so as to be out of range of Thurloe's <em>shout</em> spell. Realizing the spellsword wasn't able to see him, he called out, "I'm clear!"</p><p></p><p>Thurloe cast his spell, catching the glasspane horror, the dire tiger, and the northeastern caryatid column in his area of effect. The glasspane horror responded by pulsing out a blinding light which caused Thurloe's vision to blur; he could only see flickering lights, no matter how hard he blinked. Fortunately for the dire tiger, he managed to close his eyes in time, and Wakuren's back had been turned when the blinding light manifested, so he was likewise spared the blindness Thurloe was currently experiencing. And Zander and Petey had been back far enough away and off to the side that they weren't affected.</p><p></p><p>"Take that, intruder!" called out Grandfather, spitting a <em>magic missile</em> spell at Zander and Petey's false image, revealing it as the illusion it was to the construct hanging on the door. He sputtered in indignation before calling out, "Foul trickery!"</p><p></p><p>Thurloe still couldn't see a thing but knew that the grandfather plaque was the source of all of their troubles. He headed toward the sound of the thing's voice, activating his <em>ring of silence</em> as he did so. Once Grandfather's outraged mutterings faded from his ears he knew the old construct was within range of his <em>silence</em> spell. <em>Let's see the old coot activate anything else!</em> the spellsword thought to himself.</p><p></p><p>Zander activated his <em>scout's headband</em> and granted himself the ability to <em>see invisibility</em>. Immediately, Wakuren's form came into view, as did three separate Thurloes, all hunched over and feeling around with a left hand, their own <em>Spellslicer</em> gripped in their right hands. The dire tiger had picked up Thurloe's scent by this time and slashed out at the blind spellsword with a clawed paw, but missed by happenstance, not even cutting into an invisible <em>mirror image</em>.</p><p></p><p>Alewyth dropped through the floor of Andrea's bedroom and found herself back in the library. Nobody was currently fighting, so she decided to continue on with her explorations, walking through the eastern wall and into the kitchen. From there, she explored a laundry room and what could only be Borlick's own quarters, somewhat spacious for a goblin the size of a gnome. Back in the library, Wakuren ran over to the metal door to see if he could open it, but there was nothing upon which he might even get a decent grip. Just then, the glasspane horror, wounded by Thurloe's <em>shout</em> spell, altered into its secondary combat form: its body of glass shards exploded again - this time not catching anyone in the explosion - and reformed into a small whirlwind. It had tremorsense in this form, and was able to pick up Thurloe's position merely by his footsteps upon the carpeted floor. The whirlwind shifted position and started heading in his direction. The grandfather plaque was still sputtering in indignation, but as he was inside a field of magical <em>silence</em> nobody could hear him.</p><p></p><p>Thurloe had had some training with his sword in absolute darkness, and while his vision was currently the exact opposite - flashing lights obscuring all vision, not shadowy gloom - the effect was the same. Invoking the power of his magical <em>torc of the titans</em> to replenish some of the strength touching the door had leeched from him, he spun about and swung <em>Spellslicer</em> into the dire tiger, who was surprised at the sudden (and unseen, for the <em>greater invisibility</em> spell kept Thurloe's body outside the spectrum of visible light) attack. The blade dug deep into the canine's shoulder, causing him to roar in pain and spill blood upon the library floor.</p><p></p><p>Zander cast a <em>chain lightning</em> spell at the dire tiger, sending arcs of electricity flowing off to strike the glasspane horror and the three caryatid columns not protected behind a <em>wall of force</em>. The dire tiger had no idea where the lightning attack had suddenly come from, but it did know Thurloe's rough location and swiped at him with a claw, this time actually connecting with the spellsword's leg. (Had he merely turned around he would have seen Zander and Petey, now quite in full view after the elf having cast the <em>chain lightning</em> spell which canceled their <em>invisibility</em> effect.) Wakuren, deciding there was no way he was getting the metal door open, repeated his attempts to appeal to Grandfather's reason. "We are invited guests of Andrea Jandoval!" he called out. "We are <em>not</em> looting the library!" Little did he realize that none of his words were even making it to the grandfather plaque.</p><p></p><p>Robin was running alongside Borlick as they rounded the side of the house, when Xandro cast an <em>expeditious retreat</em> upon himself and ran up behind the goblin, catching him up under the armpits and getting him to the back window much faster than Borlick could have managed on his own. As Thurloe got in another hit with his bastard sword that caused the dire tiger to revert back to its statuette form, Zander cast a <em>cone of cold</em> spell that was enough to cause the whirlwind of glass shards to collapse in upon itself, leaving quite a mess upon the floor. Wakuren, who had been about to cast a <em>gust of wind</em> spell in an attempt to push the whirlwind outside, stood down from that approach, as it was already too late to try to resolve the situation without actually destroying the active defenses in the Jandoval manor library.</p><p></p><p>Xandro held Borlick up to the open window leading into the library and the little goblin scrambled inside. "Stand down, Grandfather!" he called. "These guests are not to be harmed!" Alewyth took that moment to wander back into the library, although nobody could see her do so as she was still ethereal. When it became apparent that the grandfather plaque hadn't acknowledged the goblin's commands, Borlick sighed again and explained, "He's been in the Jandoval family for four generations. He's getting a little senile, I fear." Again, it was apparent that Grandfather was sputtering in fury, but no words were coming out.</p><p></p><p>It was this that caused Petey the pseudodragon to realize that Grandfather was inside a field of magical silence. Using his inherent telepathic abilities, he called out to Thurloe, <Hey, the goblin's telling the grandfather plaque to stand down - you might want to turn off that <em>silence</em> field so he can actually hear him!> Thurloe, still blinded, did as asked and the room was once again filled with Grandfather's sputtering. "In all my days, sneaking in as bold as you please! Why, I never!"</p><p></p><p>Borlick repeated his commands, purposefully neglecting to mention Andrea Jandoval's death but stating Thurloe and company were guests of the estate and that Thurloe was going to be added to the list of people in charge of the manor house. "Well, I, uh, he should have said something!" Grandfather grumbled. With a telepathic command, the metal pocket door to the study rolled itself back open. Seeing combat had been resolved, Alewyth dismissed her <em>ethereal jaunt</em> spell and returned to visibility, and Wakuren likewise deactivated his <em>ring of invisibility</em>. Thurloe did likewise, although it was apparent to the others that the spellsword still couldn't see anything just yet.</p><p></p><p>"Well," observed Borlick in an unimpressed tone of voice, "I can see you are off to a wonderful start as the head of this household. If you will excuse me, I will be back shortly with a broom and a dustpan." He looked in resignation at the pile of broken glass shards on the library carpet. "I will also bring refreshments to the study, if you wish to wait for me there. I would consider it a personal favor if you would refrain from trashing that room as well during my brief absence." And with that, the goblin walked out of the now-open doorway leading to the study with his standard unflappability.</p><p></p><p>"I think he really likes you," Wakuren observed.</p><p></p><p>"Shut it," sniped Thurloe.</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>The rest of the game session was spent making plans for their upcoming ocean voyage, which I informed them will take two months of game time. Following Andrea's suggestions, Alewyth opted to spring for a scroll of <em>permanency</em> so Zander can have the <em>tongues</em> spell cast on him permanently - he'll be their translator as needed in Talonia. The players who hadn't already spent their "dragon hoard" money came up with ideas of what they wanted to spend it on: Alewyth is planning on having the <em>holy</em> weapon enhancement added to <em>Sjondra</em>, for one thing; Xandro already had <em>Deathwhisper</em> upgraded to be both <em>keen</em> and a <em>wounding</em> weapon, and Wakuren's <em>shield of Cal</em> now has the enhancements <em>bashing</em> and <em>shock</em> as well as <em>holy</em>.</p><p></p><p>They also decided to leave behind a generous stipend for Scarlie Besker to remain behind in Port Duralia and tend to their various mounts, which they've decided not to take with them on a two-month ocean voyage to a jungle land filled with dinosaurs. They figure they'll get new mounts in Talonia, long enough for them to track down Andrea Jandoval's remains and return them to Port Duralia (and find out what was so important in the Forbidden Lands).</p><p></p><p> - - -</p><p></p><p>T-shirt worn: An all-black T-shirt with nothing else on it, to represent mourning for Mistress Andrea Jandoval.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Richards, post: 9169247, member: 508"] [B]ADVENTURE 61: THE WILL AND THE WAY[/B] PC Roster: [INDENT]Alewyth Putterpye, dwarf priestess of Aerik 13[/INDENT] [INDENT] Thurloe Pulver, human fighter 3/wizard 3/spellsword 7[/INDENT] [INDENT] Wakuren, half-orc cleric of Cal 7/paladin 6[/INDENT] [INDENT] Xandro Silverstrings, human bard 6/rogue 7[/INDENT] [INDENT] Zander Quilson, elf sorcerer 13[/INDENT] NPC Roster: [INDENT]Robin the Balladeer, human bard 4[/INDENT] [INDENT] Scarlie Besker, half-orc commoner 5[/INDENT] Game Session Date: 14 October 2023 - - - The heroes were sitting at a tavern enjoying a meal when Thurloe suddenly jerked upright. "I'm getting a [I]sending [/I]spell," he said, and the conversation stopped all around him so the spellsword could concentrate on the telepathic message being delivered directly into his head. <Thurloe Pulver,> said the voice of what sounded like a human male, one Thurloe didn't recognize at all, <you're an inheritor in Andrea Jandoval's will. Be in the Sinclair Law Offices one week from today for the reading. Please respond.> "<Understood. I'll be there,>" Thurloe replied both verbally and telepathically, his thoughts being sent back to the sender as part of the original [I]sending[/I] spell. Then, seeing the concerned looks on the faces of his compatriots, he explained what the sending had all been about. "Andrea Jandoval was the wizard who first taught me arcane spellcraft," he said. "I must have made a pretty good impression, since she put me in her will." "How did she die?" asked Alewyth. "No idea. I guess I'll find out at the reading of the will - which is in Port Duralia in one week's time. Can we make that traveling normally, or do we need to do some cloud-horse delivery with the rest of us in the lamp?" Xandro gave it some thought. "We should be able to make Port Duralia in five or six days," he hazarded. "That way, we don't have to leave the mounts and wagon behind." It was technically possible to get their assorted riding mounts into the extradimensional space of [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I], but there was no way to bring their wagon along. "Well, let's drink up, then," Thurloe said, wolfing down the last of his meat pie and draining the rest of his mug of ale. "We don't wanna be late." They weren't; after six days of riding, they pulled into Port Duralia in the late afternoon of the day before the reading of the will. Thurloe swung by the Jandoval estate, to which he'd been before when studying spellcraft with Mistress Jandoval, and met up with his teacher's live-in goblin butler, Borlick. The goblin professed no knowledge of what provisions Mistress Jandoval might have left in her will, but he was able to tell them she had been called away to the continent of Talonia on some urgent business many months ago and had not been back since. He was also able to direct the spellsword to the Sinclair Law Offices; not surprisingly, they were on Law Street. "Okay, great," said Thurloe, slapping the butler on the shoulder. "I guess I'll see you there tomorrow morning." "I look forward to the encounter with nothing but eager anticipation," replied the goblin in his droll fashion. Like normal, they stabled their animals and reserved a single room for Scarlie in a decent inn, and their wagon driver then brought [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I] into his room with him. The six adventurers would be spending their night inside the extradimensional space as normal, free of charge. Borlick was already there at the Sinclair Law Offices when the heroes arrived and were ushered into the office of [B]Amberville Sinclair[/B], a regal-looking man of some sixty or more years who introduced himself as Andrea Jandoval's legal representative. He took a seat behind a large desk of polished mahogany, while the heroes joined Borlick around a table facing him. Once everyone was seated, Amberville read Andrea Jandoval's final will. It stated that she had departed on a voyage to Talonia in search of the Forbidden Lands and had set up arrangements with Amberville to transmit a [I]sending[/I] spell every week to check in with him. If she ever missed two weeks in a row, she was to be presumed dead and her will was to be enacted. Amberville then explained that he has not heard from her in over three weeks now, and thus the remainder of her will was being effected. "The Jandoval Estate is granted to Andrea Jandoval's arcane pupil Thurloe Pulver, contingent upon the following provisions. Provision the First: That Thurloe, and the companions of his choosing, follow the path Andrea took to the continent of Talonia to fetch her body and bring it back to Port Duralia for a proper burial. Provision the Second: That in complying with the first provision, Thurloe cross the ocean upon the vessel captained by the halfling Rose Brightpetal, to be dropped off at Talonia where Thurloe will meet up with members of the Fleetfoot tribe of halflings, who will be able to provide a guide taking them along the same path Andrea took in seeking out the Forbidden Lands. Provision the Third: That Borlick be retained as a butler to the Jandoval Estate, continuing to keep the house in working order during Thurloe's absence, his salary being increased by 20%. Provision the Fourth: Until such time as Andrea's body is brought back to Port Duralia, Borlick will serve as executor of her estate and will provide Thurloe access to the house so he might remove from the house anything he deems necessary to bring with him to Talonia to retrieve her remains." Amberville then pulled out a sealed envelope and passed it over to Thurloe. "She also left this for you," he replied. Thurloe opened it up and read the letter within aloud. It read: [INDENT]Thurloe,[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT]The following are some items you should consider when you plan your voyage to Talonia:[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT] 1. The halflings on the barge all speak fluent Common, but this is not always the case on Talonia. It might be best to have some means of translating foreign languages and having your own speech made clear to those who do not speak our tongue.[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT] 2. I don't know how you're set up with healing, but you won't likely find healing temples as common on Talonia as you're accustomed to upon Armaturia. Plan accordingly, and consider means of counteracting poison as well as dealing with physical wounds.[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT] 3. It's not a bad idea to bring along any magic items you might have accumulated over your travels, even if they are of no use to you. Many of the more primitive peoples of Talonia engage primarily in barter. Coins and gems mean nothing to them.[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT] 4. Talonia is much hotter than you're used to in Armaturia. You may find wearing metal armor problematic. Plan accordingly.[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT] 5. Try to travel lightly, as you'll spend much of your time riding on a mount with only as much as you can carry comfortably. Items providing extradimensional storage are an extraordinarily smart investment.[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT]Best of luck to you, and many thanks in advance for doing this final task for me. I think when you find my body, all will be made clear as to why I found it necessary to try to seek out the Forbidden Lands. I won't ask you to pick up where I left off after you've returned my remains to my estate for burial, but what you learn may result in your taking up my cause after I'm gone.[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT]Andrea Jandoval[/INDENT] [INDENT][/INDENT] [INDENT]P.S.: I hope you've kept up with your arcane studies. You showed a lot of potential in the wizardly arts.[/INDENT] "If there are no questions, I have some paperwork for you to sign." Amberville had Thurloe and Borlick each sign statements (in triplicate) that they had attended the reading of Andrea Jandoval's will and understood its provisions. They were each given a copy of the paperwork. "Well, let's go back to her place - or I guess I should say 'my place' now, huh?" said Thurloe. "As you wish, Master Pulver," replied Borlick with a stoic expression on his unperturbable face. He led the way back to the Jandoval estate, a small stone building with a second story off to the right side, the entire property enclosed by a wrought-iron fence embedded within a thick hedge. The goblin opened the gate to the fence and walked between two statues, one on either side of the front door: one was a winged panther and the other a gynosphinx. "The statues animate if anyone tries to break into the door," Borlick informed the spellsword. "We will have to get you added to the people who can open the front door without incident." The six heroes followed Borlick into the house. "I will prepare refreshments and bring them into the study," the goblin stated. "Please feel free to look around the house in the meantime." He went off to the left, where the kitchen and dining areas were located. The study was off to the right, as Thurloe already knew from the times he had been here earlier, as Mistress Jandoval taught him the basics of arcane spellcraft. Robin and Xandro made themselves comfortable on a sofa in the study, the former singing softly to herself and trying to get Xandro to join in. Alewyth examined the paintings in the study with curiosity. Thurloe, Zander, and Wakuren all went straight into the arcane library, through an open doorway to the north of the study. Thurloe had done much of his studying right there at the table in the middle of the room, but he asked the elf to check for magic items in the room, eager to see what all he might wish to take with them to Talonia. Zander cast a [I]detect magic[/I] spell and turned around the chamber, calling out the magical auras as he found them. "The window's magical," he said, indicating the only window in the room, a glass-paned structure in the center of the north wall. "So's the face on the door." The east wall had a thick, wooden door, currently closed, upon which hung the image of a bearded man of considerable age. "All four statues," - there was a statue of an angel in each corner of the room, between the bookcases, each bending over with their hands before them such that they could be used to hold an opened tome for study - "and that little statue of a tiger on the bookshelf, as well as that row of books on the bottom shelf there." Thurloe headed straight for the row of books the elf had indicated, deciding they were Andrea Jandoval's spellbooks (he supposed she took travel copies of her spellbooks with her Talonia, so nothing would happen to the originals - but he could keep them safe inside [I]Hesperna's lamp[/I]), while Zander headed for the little tiger statuette, his familiar Petey perched on his shoulder. That, he decided, was likely a [I]figurine of wondrous power[/I] like his own [I]jade cooshee[/I]. Wakuren cast a [I]detect magic[/I] spell and went to the window, looking out at the small back yard; there was about a 15-foot distance around the entire house that made up the totality of the estate's grounds. Andrea Jandoval, it seemed, was not the least bit interested in gardening; the only vegetation he'd seen on the entire estate were the hedges providing privacy and the ivy climbing up the sides of the stone building. But he didn't see anything particularly magical about the window itself, for that matter. Alewyth had just entered the room to check out the angel statues, noting the fine workmanship - and the fact there was a sword at the angel's hip, when a gasp came from the east side of the room. The grandfather plaque hanging on the door woke up, saw the four figures inside Andrea Jandoval's arcane library, and called out, "Intruders!" It gave a mental command and a metal door slid along a groove in the doorway leading to the study, slamming shut with a thud. Then he called out, "Attack!" and the four angelic caryatid columns animated in the corners of the library, grabbing up their swords. Thurloe set down the spellbooks he had been piling onto the table and cast a [I]mirror image[/I] spell, causing an additional five Thurloes to pop into sudden existence all around him. He went straight to the wooden door and tried to open it, and as a result a wave of strength-draining energy flooded through his body. And the door had been locked, so there was no exit that way. Out in the study, Robin leaped up from the sofa at the sight and sound of the metal door sliding into place, locking those inside the library there and preventing those outside from getting in. She ran to the door, looking for a way to try to open it, but there was no handle or knob or anything. "I'll go get Borlick!" she offered, then ran to do just that. Borlick was in the kitchen, having gathered a pile of cookies on a silver tray and currently involved in heating a pot of tea, totally oblivious to the excitement going on in the eastern side of the small manor. Inside the library, Zander cast a [I]wall of force[/I] spell diagonally along the northwestern corner, imprisoning one of the caryatid columns within the blocked-off space. That was one taken care of, in any case! But the one in the northeast corner stepped forward and swung at Wakuren with her sword, catching the half-orc unprepared for the attack. The statue in the southeast corner swung her sword at two of the Thurloes standing within reach before her; they both popped back out of existence, being nothing more than illusory [I]mirror images[/I]. The southwestern statue attacked Alewyth, striking her in the side with her sword, as the fourth one slammed helplessly into the solid plane of force energy before her. Xandro tried listening at the metal door but could only hear indistinct noises - nothing to give him any kind of a clue as to what was going on in there. He pulled the [I]Dardolian Lute[/I] from his back and started playing the song of inspirational courage, hoping the magic of his tune would be able to be heard inside the arcane library. (It wasn't.) Alewyth responded to being struck by an angel's sword by casting a new spell for her: [I]ethereal jaunt[/I], which caused her to fade from view as she transitioned into the Ethereal Plane. She was now, she noted, pretty much a ghost: able to see what was going on in the Material Plane all around her but being unable to affect anything in the physical plane, while likewise being unaffected by anything present there. She backed over to the west wall, noting she moved more slowly than she was accustomed. Wakuren activated his ring and likewise slipped into invisibility, stepping away from the animated caryatid column attacking him as it got in a final blow on him before she could no longer see him. But then the grandfather plaque called out another word: the command word to the [I]tourmaline dire tiger figurine of wondrous power[/I], which Zander had just placed down on the table. It sprang to full size and readied to pounce down at the elf. Thurloe, now down to three [I]mirror images[/I], decided to cast one of his own new spells, [I]greater invisibility[/I]. He faded from view - but not before the caryatid's next sword strike wiped out another [I]mirror image[/I] - leaving Zander Quilson and the pseudodragon perched on the elf's shoulder as the only visible foes in the library. The spellsword's two remaining [I]mirror images[/I] doing everything Thurloe did as part of their magic, likewise had faded into invisibility. "Borlick! A metal door just slammed shut in the library! Thurloe and most of the others are inside!" Robin called out as she entered the kitchen, seeing the little goblin butler standing upon a step-stool so he could reach the controls on the magical stove using a [I]heat metal[/I] spell to warm the tea. He sighed in exasperation, muttered "Of course it did," to himself, and moved the teapot off the metal plate to a marble counter before climbing down from the stool and rushing out of the kitchen. Robin followed him. Zander, with a crouching dire tiger about to pounce upon him and three caryatid columns turning to face his way - not to mention the grandfather plaque already facing him - cast one of his own newly-learned spells as well. The [I]mislead[/I] spell turned him and Petey fully invisible and he stepped to the side, leaving behind the image of himself and his familiar at the spot where they'd been when he first cast the spell. The timing was perfect, too, for the dire tiger launched itself at the false image and leaped right through it, landing on the floor in puzzlement before sniffing the floor and picking up the elf's scent. Zander stepped out of the way as a caryatid column came ambling in his direction, bringing her sword smashing through the illusion and stepping back as if to reassess the situation. The other angelic statues, as if assured there were no longer any intruders in the area, all stepped back to their original positions, swords sheathed and hands cupped as if to hold an open tome. Xandro decided his music probably wasn't making it into the library and opted to try to find a way inside. He searched along the wall by the metal door but could find no keyhole which he might try to pick. Then Borlick and Robin came up behind him, the goblin calling out, "[B]Grandfather[/B]! Stand down! These are guests, not intruders!" But it was impossible to tell whether the grandfather plaque could even hear the goblin butler, let alone heed his words. Grumbling, Borlick said, "We should try around back," and headed for the front door. Xandro and Robin followed. Alewyth learned she could walk in any direction on the Ethereal Plane, even straight up, and did just that. She popped through the roof above the library, seeing the narrower second story just before her. She walked through the side of the wall, finding herself inside a walk-in closet. There was a glint of light coming from the west; examining it, she found a secret passageway that opened up onto the roof of the building, apparently a hidden exit in cases of emergency. But the rest of the closet was filled with women's clothing, leading the dwarf to imagine the entire upper level was Andrea's private quarters. Future explorations had her discover the late wizard's bathroom and bedroom, the latter of which had a wooden door along the east wall that led to a set of winding stairs leading down to the library - no doubt through the door upon which Grandfather hung. Wakuren, still invisible called out to the grandfather plaque, "Sir! We are not intruders; we are guests of Andrea Jandoval!" "Hmm?" replied Grandfather, before sputtering, "Nonsense! Saw you with my own eyes, looting!" Then he called out another command word, causing the window to explode into shards of broken glass. The sharp glass cut into Zander and Petey without even apparently knowing they were there, before the explosion reversed course and took on the semblance of a humanoid figure, as the glasspane horror invoked into service by Andrea as a guardian altered to one of its two combat forms. Thurloe saw the thing take form and figured a [I]shout[/I] spell might do extra damage to a creature made up of glass fragments, so he called out for any of the heroes to get out of his way before he cast the spell. Zander hurriedly ran around the table to stand behind the spellsword. Wakuren was about to do the same when the dire tiger deduced his presence by his scent and took a swipe at the half-orc, his vicious claws scratching across Wakuren's [I]shield of Cal[/I]. Fearing the canine might have picked him up due to the vibrations on the floor as he walked, the half-orc cast an [I]air walk[/I] spell and stepped about a foot above the floor, heading over by the grandfather plaque so as to be out of range of Thurloe's [I]shout[/I] spell. Realizing the spellsword wasn't able to see him, he called out, "I'm clear!" Thurloe cast his spell, catching the glasspane horror, the dire tiger, and the northeastern caryatid column in his area of effect. The glasspane horror responded by pulsing out a blinding light which caused Thurloe's vision to blur; he could only see flickering lights, no matter how hard he blinked. Fortunately for the dire tiger, he managed to close his eyes in time, and Wakuren's back had been turned when the blinding light manifested, so he was likewise spared the blindness Thurloe was currently experiencing. And Zander and Petey had been back far enough away and off to the side that they weren't affected. "Take that, intruder!" called out Grandfather, spitting a [I]magic missile[/I] spell at Zander and Petey's false image, revealing it as the illusion it was to the construct hanging on the door. He sputtered in indignation before calling out, "Foul trickery!" Thurloe still couldn't see a thing but knew that the grandfather plaque was the source of all of their troubles. He headed toward the sound of the thing's voice, activating his [I]ring of silence[/I] as he did so. Once Grandfather's outraged mutterings faded from his ears he knew the old construct was within range of his [I]silence[/I] spell. [I]Let's see the old coot activate anything else![/I] the spellsword thought to himself. Zander activated his [I]scout's headband[/I] and granted himself the ability to [I]see invisibility[/I]. Immediately, Wakuren's form came into view, as did three separate Thurloes, all hunched over and feeling around with a left hand, their own [I]Spellslicer[/I] gripped in their right hands. The dire tiger had picked up Thurloe's scent by this time and slashed out at the blind spellsword with a clawed paw, but missed by happenstance, not even cutting into an invisible [I]mirror image[/I]. Alewyth dropped through the floor of Andrea's bedroom and found herself back in the library. Nobody was currently fighting, so she decided to continue on with her explorations, walking through the eastern wall and into the kitchen. From there, she explored a laundry room and what could only be Borlick's own quarters, somewhat spacious for a goblin the size of a gnome. Back in the library, Wakuren ran over to the metal door to see if he could open it, but there was nothing upon which he might even get a decent grip. Just then, the glasspane horror, wounded by Thurloe's [I]shout[/I] spell, altered into its secondary combat form: its body of glass shards exploded again - this time not catching anyone in the explosion - and reformed into a small whirlwind. It had tremorsense in this form, and was able to pick up Thurloe's position merely by his footsteps upon the carpeted floor. The whirlwind shifted position and started heading in his direction. The grandfather plaque was still sputtering in indignation, but as he was inside a field of magical [I]silence[/I] nobody could hear him. Thurloe had had some training with his sword in absolute darkness, and while his vision was currently the exact opposite - flashing lights obscuring all vision, not shadowy gloom - the effect was the same. Invoking the power of his magical [I]torc of the titans[/I] to replenish some of the strength touching the door had leeched from him, he spun about and swung [I]Spellslicer[/I] into the dire tiger, who was surprised at the sudden (and unseen, for the [I]greater invisibility[/I] spell kept Thurloe's body outside the spectrum of visible light) attack. The blade dug deep into the canine's shoulder, causing him to roar in pain and spill blood upon the library floor. Zander cast a [I]chain lightning[/I] spell at the dire tiger, sending arcs of electricity flowing off to strike the glasspane horror and the three caryatid columns not protected behind a [I]wall of force[/I]. The dire tiger had no idea where the lightning attack had suddenly come from, but it did know Thurloe's rough location and swiped at him with a claw, this time actually connecting with the spellsword's leg. (Had he merely turned around he would have seen Zander and Petey, now quite in full view after the elf having cast the [I]chain lightning[/I] spell which canceled their [I]invisibility[/I] effect.) Wakuren, deciding there was no way he was getting the metal door open, repeated his attempts to appeal to Grandfather's reason. "We are invited guests of Andrea Jandoval!" he called out. "We are [I]not[/I] looting the library!" Little did he realize that none of his words were even making it to the grandfather plaque. Robin was running alongside Borlick as they rounded the side of the house, when Xandro cast an [I]expeditious retreat[/I] upon himself and ran up behind the goblin, catching him up under the armpits and getting him to the back window much faster than Borlick could have managed on his own. As Thurloe got in another hit with his bastard sword that caused the dire tiger to revert back to its statuette form, Zander cast a [I]cone of cold[/I] spell that was enough to cause the whirlwind of glass shards to collapse in upon itself, leaving quite a mess upon the floor. Wakuren, who had been about to cast a [I]gust of wind[/I] spell in an attempt to push the whirlwind outside, stood down from that approach, as it was already too late to try to resolve the situation without actually destroying the active defenses in the Jandoval manor library. Xandro held Borlick up to the open window leading into the library and the little goblin scrambled inside. "Stand down, Grandfather!" he called. "These guests are not to be harmed!" Alewyth took that moment to wander back into the library, although nobody could see her do so as she was still ethereal. When it became apparent that the grandfather plaque hadn't acknowledged the goblin's commands, Borlick sighed again and explained, "He's been in the Jandoval family for four generations. He's getting a little senile, I fear." Again, it was apparent that Grandfather was sputtering in fury, but no words were coming out. It was this that caused Petey the pseudodragon to realize that Grandfather was inside a field of magical silence. Using his inherent telepathic abilities, he called out to Thurloe, <Hey, the goblin's telling the grandfather plaque to stand down - you might want to turn off that [I]silence[/I] field so he can actually hear him!> Thurloe, still blinded, did as asked and the room was once again filled with Grandfather's sputtering. "In all my days, sneaking in as bold as you please! Why, I never!" Borlick repeated his commands, purposefully neglecting to mention Andrea Jandoval's death but stating Thurloe and company were guests of the estate and that Thurloe was going to be added to the list of people in charge of the manor house. "Well, I, uh, he should have said something!" Grandfather grumbled. With a telepathic command, the metal pocket door to the study rolled itself back open. Seeing combat had been resolved, Alewyth dismissed her [I]ethereal jaunt[/I] spell and returned to visibility, and Wakuren likewise deactivated his [I]ring of invisibility[/I]. Thurloe did likewise, although it was apparent to the others that the spellsword still couldn't see anything just yet. "Well," observed Borlick in an unimpressed tone of voice, "I can see you are off to a wonderful start as the head of this household. If you will excuse me, I will be back shortly with a broom and a dustpan." He looked in resignation at the pile of broken glass shards on the library carpet. "I will also bring refreshments to the study, if you wish to wait for me there. I would consider it a personal favor if you would refrain from trashing that room as well during my brief absence." And with that, the goblin walked out of the now-open doorway leading to the study with his standard unflappability. "I think he really likes you," Wakuren observed. "Shut it," sniped Thurloe. - - - The rest of the game session was spent making plans for their upcoming ocean voyage, which I informed them will take two months of game time. Following Andrea's suggestions, Alewyth opted to spring for a scroll of [I]permanency[/I] so Zander can have the [I]tongues[/I] spell cast on him permanently - he'll be their translator as needed in Talonia. The players who hadn't already spent their "dragon hoard" money came up with ideas of what they wanted to spend it on: Alewyth is planning on having the [I]holy[/I] weapon enhancement added to [I]Sjondra[/I], for one thing; Xandro already had [I]Deathwhisper[/I] upgraded to be both [I]keen[/I] and a [I]wounding[/I] weapon, and Wakuren's [I]shield of Cal[/I] now has the enhancements [I]bashing[/I] and [I]shock[/I] as well as [I]holy[/I]. They also decided to leave behind a generous stipend for Scarlie Besker to remain behind in Port Duralia and tend to their various mounts, which they've decided not to take with them on a two-month ocean voyage to a jungle land filled with dinosaurs. They figure they'll get new mounts in Talonia, long enough for them to track down Andrea Jandoval's remains and return them to Port Duralia (and find out what was so important in the Forbidden Lands). - - - T-shirt worn: An all-black T-shirt with nothing else on it, to represent mourning for Mistress Andrea Jandoval. [/QUOTE]
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