The DM let us have five days game time to cut loose and take care of personal business/pleasure (my wizard took out several key leadership figures at the Thayan Enclave in Hillsfar who had their eye on opening one in Zhentil Keep, which would have destroyed her Thayan boytoy's business, and therefore, was quite clearly unacceptable). Disguised as a slavegirl at a party (and in the background where the Red Wizards couldn't really see her), she cast a bunch of summon monster spells and "owned" the room, LOL, all without ever being spotted or attacked.
Summon Monster VI: Dao from MoP (wall of stone at will, passwall at will), Osyluth (dimensional anchor so targets can't teleport away), Nishru (from MoF, eats "magic" and uses it to heal itself beyond its normal HP total, feebleminds arcane casters caught in its cloud body); Summon Monster V: Achaierai (insanity cloud 3/day); Summon Monster IV: Skiver (from CC2, scorpion-centaur daemon) Summon Monster III: 1d3 Obake (from Creatures of Rokugan, can cast summon swarm 6/day).
The primary target was dimensional locked by the Osyluth preventing him from escaping by teleport/dimension door/etc., prevented from casting any magic spells or using any magic items by the Nishruu, sealed off by walls of stone from the Dao (thus keeping most of his troops out of the battle), and his allies kept busy/insane by the Achaierai, torn apart by the Skivers, and harassed by the Obake's swarms. He was quickly feebleminded and tried to crawl away under the table for cover, lol, where the osyluth and Obake swarms stung him to death. His buddy red wizard went insane and was torn to pieces by the Achaierai, while the Dao kept casting wall of stone to seal the area against any rescue attempts. Then I teleported home, my first magical assassination attempt a stunning success proving the superiority of the conjuration school over all other wizard schools.
Anyway, then we cast modify memory on the Thayan boyfriend so he wouldn't remember hiring me to assassinate the Red Wizards (in case they showed up and interrogated him, hehe), it was for everyone's protection, and the additional memories we modified were relatively harmless, ensuring he really, really l loved me, LOL. Couldn't trust the slippery little devil even in that respect.
So then the **** hits the fan, as my vampirized father kidnaps my boyfriend (shortly after we modified his memory---so hopefully, no one will ever know that I was the one who did the hit on the Red Wizards), trying to lure me home to a trap and vampirize me, but I got the hell out of there after he cast finger of death on the half-dragon PC and he dropped dead after rolling a "3" on his Fort save. I chalk that up to his faith in Bane wavering (he actually considered my father's offer to join him in undeath). Once again, Summon Monster VI and my old friend, the Dao, saved my bacon, walling my father's forces off while I teleported out with the dead half-dragon. My DM says the Dao is "broken."
He might be right, as I could just summon a bunch to cast wall of stone and quickly build myself a walled fortress dirt cheap.
Anyway, my emotional raid on my father's house to rescue my lover was also effective in turning the Zhentarim against me (I'd had orders to leave my father alone after he legally disowned/disinherited me), and there were "reputable" Zhentarim witnesses in the house besides my father (under his control). Apparently, now the Zhentarim itself is being subverted and turned into a tool of my enemies to be used against me. The Zhentarim secret police (Gestapo) are after me, I've lost just about everything I've worked so hard to build up, including my entire revenue stream, the "love of my life" (now a vampire as I couldn't save him), and my position of authority in the Zhentarim. I've been branded a "rogue agent" and am on the run from friends and enemies alike... Which very nicely serves to motivate me to go on the City of the Spider Queen adventure, as there's nothing left for me except REVENGE! This time, it's personal.
Rather heavy-handed of the DM, but far better than just trying to jam us through CoTSQ without motivating us properly, LOL. Apparently, this is Bane's way of saying:
"Do my bidding, or your torment will know no bounds! You will be hunted down like dogs by friends and enemies alike. There is nothing in this world for you except that which the Black Hand allows you to have.
Your disobedient delay to indulge in such trifling mortal matters has cost you dearly, and if you fail me in this quest, your mortal suffering shall be nothing compared to that which awaits you in my Realm Beyond."
So, off we go to Maerimydra to get the Rod... again, this time with no nagging distractions left behind to whisper in our ears promises of sweet relaxation and personal triumph.
I've thought it would be a good idea to at least attempt to contact Fzoul, Scyllua, The Council of High Imperceptors (governing body of Bane's church we made up to deal with the crap Fzoul doesn't have time for, with his appointee, the Imperator, serving as its head), Manshoon, or anybody high enough up to let them know about this plot within the ranks to unseat them and subvert everything they've built up, just to try and save a few lives and avert some damage to the Keep and the Zhentarim, but doubtless they wouldn't believe me, or if they did (and maybe already knew about it), would just tell me to go on the mission anyway, and that matters would be put right when I returned triumphant. I could use a sending spell or something, as I can't risk going back to the Keep...
We haven't made it much past the Bebiliths/Roper area, though this time I used my new charm outsider spell (from Joe's Book of Enchantment---an excellent pdf resource for enchanters--buy it at RPGNow) to charm the demon doppel-ghoul (whatever its name is), promising it easy meals if it tags along and helps show us the way. We've got three House Jaelre drow with us to help, and a handful of cannon fodder" for the frontline, plus an extra wizard (8th level evoker). We just took out a drow checkpoint, capturing one of four and killing the rest. We will interrogate her for info on the cult of Kiaransalee, the Rod, and what horrors await us en route to Maerimydra. We will leave behind shattered, tortured corpses in our wake with warnings that the "Doom of Kiarnsalee is nigh" or some such, possible spelled out in drow entrails.
