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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1829589" data-attributes="member: 1210">8/12/369 O.L.G., 4 p.m., Grey TerraceThe community that our heroes have come to is a small, mostly dwarven town situated on the edge of the Stern Mountains.  Here the hills rise up suddenly and dramatically; our heroes recall from their earlier journey through the mountains that some catastrophic geology must have been at work, for the features of the mountain are often sheer and jagged beyond belief.  Lita, once again wearing her noblewoman’s dress and jewelry, easily talks the group’s way past the community’s guards.  Our heroes explain that they are seeking escaped lunatics, and the scowling, unfriendly guards allow them in without any trouble.  Grey Terrace is an interesting town.  It spreads vertically, up a series of landscaped terraces in the hillside.  There are several levels, which one may pass between by a long set of stairs or via a clever elevator basket (for a silver piece).  Our heroes take the basket, and the ride is certainly less exertion than climbing the stairs would have been.  On the second level of the town, our heroes approach a farmer and explain their quest.  His face grows dark and he snarls epithets at our heroes before turning his back on them.  “They aren’t too friendly here,” comments Boddynock as the party heads back towards the stairs.  They’ve determined to go up to the top level and ask around there.  Perhaps the mood there is a little friendlier.It starts to seem unlikely, after a few more people are questioned and prove evasive or hostile; many of them seem to expect the halflings to try to steal from them for some reason.  Finally, though, the group finds a dwarf with a little mellower attitude, and they explain their quest to him.The dwarf- who introduces himself as Zendar- squints at the group for a moment, deep in thought.  Then, speaking carefully, he says, “Well, you know, lads, not everyone’s a big fan of that asylum.  There are even those that would say that a person locked up in there, well, might not deserve to be.  Maybe even some of those people are fine in the head, just- inconvenient to somebody.”Our heroes look at each other uncomfortably.“Now, I certainly don’t know of any escapees in town,” Zendar continues, “but if I did, and if that person didn’t belong in the asylum- why, I certainly don’t think I’d help him or her hide out, but I also don’t think I’d help anyone look for him.  Can I offer ye lads a pipe?” he inquires politely, extending a bag of Old Tobey towards the group.“Why, that’s fine halfling tobacco!” exclaims Lita.  “Sure I’ll have a pipe with you!” Sandy cries.  The group puffs together for a few moments.“So you see, lads, I don’t think you’re going to find anyone here in Grey Terrace.” Zendar blows a smoke ring.“I understand,” Sandy says, passing the pipe to his left.  “But you have to understand our position as well.  We’ve had a serious fine levied on us- and for each of these escapees that we return, that fine is reduced by 200 gold imperials.”“I see, I see,” Zendar muses.“I suppose if we were to ‘find’ 200 gold imperials here, along with serious evidence- such as the word of a good man such as yourself, Zendar- we could leave and not come back and report this place as ‘clean.’”Amazingly enough, shortly afterwards our heroes find 200 gold imperials, and taking Zendar’s word for things, they leave Grey Terrace behind, not to return.***6 p.m.Just north of town along one of the trails, our heroes stop.  They have no remaining leads on the escapees as such, but while in Grey Terrace they heard that there was a murder recently somewhere north of town.  Now they decide to see if they can find it.  They set off, criss-crossing the hills, the Stern Mountains looming over them only a few miles away.It’s just getting dark when Lita spots a sheet of webbing strung across the group’s path.  She stops abruptly, crying out a warning, and something scuttles forward.  Something... wrong.  It’s like a spider, but with a fanged wolf’s head.  Lita screams.The wolf-spider shoots a stream of webbing from its thorax, and Boddynock gives a shout of dismay as he is splattered and webbed in place.  The sticky strands are all over him.  “Get me out of this!” he shouts, struggling helplessly.Timothy cries, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!” and steps in front of Boddynock, blocking the monster’s approach with his body.  And as it scuttles forward on its arachnid legs, Timothy makes a few jerky motions with his hands, calls out a few strange choked-sounding words, and sprays the monster with violently clashing color!  The thing gives out a wolf howl, shaking its head and standing, stunned and insensate.Lita hurls a dart, which sinks deep into the thing’s throat.  It howls again, clearing its head, and springs at Boddynock, biting him.  The hapless gnome cries out in pain as the fangs pierce and poison him.  More clashing colors hit the wolf-spider, but fail to affect it this time.  Timothy follows up with a magic missile and the wolf-spider howls in pain and rage, springing at him and savagely pulling him from his feet.  Boddynock, meanwhile, finally manages to struggle free!  Gleefully, he casts a magic missile of his own.  Timothy color sprays the bizarre thing once again, scrambling away from it.  And Lita just keeps hitting it with darts.  As it is stunned again, she keeps it up, trying to catch it in the vitals as many times as possible.  “We’re wearing it down!” she cries, but then it shakes off the stunning again and snaps at Timothy, bringing him down!“Uh-oh,” Boddynock groans, barely able to stand.  He’s using a tree for cover, but the creature is clearly faster than him...But it’s also had about all it can take.  And to Boddynock’s and Lita’s dismay, it drags Timothy away, off the path, and through a camouflaged cave entrance not far away.Next Time: Can our heroes save Timothy??  He’s at -6 and dropping!</blockquote>

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