The Big Drain

A Desilu Production

In which Lucy goes to work at a candy factory and eats more than is good for her.

Drained, Charmed, and Robbed

After the last adventure, we split up the party and went our seperate way. So when each of us in turn were ambushed by the Pale God cultists we later called the Desilus, we were vulnerable to their level draining rod and charm spells (except Jean Valjean, our long-lost true elf comrade, who, resistant to charm, simply negotiated from his position of strength as a first-level thief). There were five Desilus, and the talkative rod-wielding mage I called "Lucy" seemed to be the leader.

Enlightened by Heffalumps

We found ourselves able to communicate in dreams. We compared notes, realized we had all been shanghaied, and decided to gather together.

Marvin and I met up near Bug Village and sailed north on an elf ship towards New Avalon. On the coast just south of Avalon we met a treasure-hunting dwarf, with whom we fought pirates and found some treasure. We then went with the dwarf, named Sven, north to Avalon.

In Avalon we met Nomad, Abrac, and Jean. There we learned that the Eternal House had been destroyed, Darla was cold, and folk in New Avalon in general were turned against us.

We traveled via tree to a grove south of Shoal with the Druids' help. They told us about a disturbance to the south and asked Kazz for help. We checked that out, and found a new ISLAND had risen in the Great River between Shoal and New Avalon. On this island was an ancient temple shaped like a stepped pyramid. The pyramid was supported in three cyclopean steps by a great many giant stone elephants, called Heffalumps. We found that this Heffalump Pyramid was home to a new cult-like group of people dedicated to the destruction of the Psionists in Albany. The guru-like leader, called Serve as Guardian, helped Nomad, Marvin, and Sven gain "enlightenment" in the form of Wild Psionic Talents. Truthear, ESP, and Teleportation, repectively.

Welcomed by Dwarves

We then reported back to the Druids, travelled to Shoal, picking up cash, rail metal, and bulette plates, and sailed north on a merchant ship. We arrived at Albany, where Abrac warned the leader there, Tatyana, about the Heffalumps. We travelled on to New Orc City, where Marvin turned in his badge of office. Passing through the mountains, our trip of five months finally brought us to the DwarfHome.

There we found that the Dwarves had been forced from their ancient home by a curse. In exile, they lived in treehouses and dreamed of a time when the "Star People" would arrive to lift the curse.

It seems some force friendly to us Eternals had sent a meteor to the area some 300-odd years ago, Lothar time. The dwarves of the past used metal from the meteor to make weapons, and found a gem inside. They cracked it open and brought the curse on themselves.

We said, "What the heck -- we're the Star People." So the mayor, named Bjorn Delverson, and the local Druid, named Axel Treesmith, welcomed us and asked us to go lift the curse. The mayor and our buddy Sven offered smith-work in return, and we could keep anything we found there. They told us the curse centered in a secret underground temple. So we went to talk with the last Dwarf Cleric of the secret Dwarf god, named Doc, and convinced him to come with us.

Burned by Goblins

We explored the old Dwarf temple, killing many goblins, who used monkish skills and threw mini-fireball Orbs of Flash-Fire. We also killed two trolls and a human mage who Abrac decapitated. Or so we thought.

Here are maps of the secret temple.

Upon our return to town, we found out that the mage we killed was the respected and well-regarded local wizard named Sebastian! And at the mayor's suggestion, we gave the mayor some compensation for his next of kin. Then we returned to the Temple.

Eternally Experienced

We found the inner sanctum of the temple, as well as a fire elemental who had been imprisoned for a very long time. We agreed to help him return to his home in exchange for not attacking us. We found a trove of Mithral, We also found the shattered gem of our quest, and after putting its shards together without touching it directly, found this message engraved on the surface in ancient Teth common "Greek" and in "Egyptian" hieroglyphics:

THIS STONE IS THE EMERGENCY BACKUP SUPPLY OF ETERNAL ENERGY. USE SPARINGLY. NO ADDITIONAL WILL FOLLOW. BUT THIS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE GREAT TASK.

We tried to mend the gem, but failed. But we found that if an Eternal touched a shard, he gained a lump of experience! There were seven shards, and six of us Eternals (and Kazz and Doc). So each of the six of us touched a shard. Then we attempted to meld with Kazz as he touched the last shard -- the subsequent transformation enabled him to at last recall his past lives and experience as Dave, including the ability to cast mage spells! So for the first time, all seven Eternals were together on this new world.

Forged and Flummoxed

Upon our return to town, the Dwarves were happy to be free of the curse and free to return to their old mountain home. Sven finished our bulette shields and forged new weapons for us out of the mithral.

We also found that Sebastian was not dead! In fact he was in town, and with the mayor's approval he wanted the magic items we had taken from him. My magic showed him to be neutral good, so we gave him what was left of his stuff. But Steve's Truthear showed that he intended to return to the old ruins.

We took some time for training, and I researched a spell.

Burned Again

Meanwhile, the Dwarves started to return home. But they told us that one area was too full of monsters for them to clear out. We went there and found one last goblin nest, as well as more trolls and Sebastian! This time Jean took him out with his new Bow of Slaying. He still managed to regenerate and tried to flee invisibly. We finally tracked him down and burned him up.

Sebastian had done research on trolls' blood and had invented the strange combusting devices, the Orbs of Flash-Fire and flame throwers. After we killed all the vermin, Tim was glad to discover samples and notes on the explosives research. We took Sebastian's lab equipment and library, and went back to Dwarfhome. There we alerted Mayor Delverson to Sebastian's true nature, and spent time doing Identify spells.

Desilu Redux

Meanwhile, the Desilus were running out of Top Power Gems and were headed back toward us, we think, to force Abrac to make more. We found that out after contacting the Druids. We got a message from the Desilus, delivered by a Raven inviting us to a meeting at Doc's house. We decided to go to our Druid contact and use a favor to arrive at the meeting place early -- surprising anyone there. On our way to the Druids we noticed the Raven and killed it with magic missiles.

The Druids tree-blipped us to Doc's house, and we found that in killing the Raven we also killed Lucy himself -- we deduced that the Raven was Lucy's familiar. As we took an inventory or Lucy's items, Nomad picked up the nasty level-draining Rod, and was possessed. After much stress, we subdued Nomad and freed him of the Rod's power by putting the Rod, with the body of the mage, into a newly acquired Bag of Holding. Then we fled, fearing confrontation with more Desilus.

So we hid in a nearby cave, but to no avail -- their Ranger was evidently able to track us down. Three more Desilus showed up, and after a desperate frantic battle, we prevailed, killing one, a Ranger, and knocking out two, a Cleric and a Fighter. It was a tough fight and a few of us almost died.

Finally, the last Desilu, a Cleric, showed up in the Top, and crash-landed it. Nomad, Tim, Abrac, Marvin, and I flew on our new flying carpet to the Top (Tim flew as a Gargoyle). Therein we found ourselves confronting the last Desilu. He took out three of us with a Symbol of Despair, and held Abrac. The last Eternal left (me), sensing utter defeat, cut the Bag of Holding and so lost the Rod and Lucy's body. Then the Top crashed, and Kazz ran up.

The Desilu Cleric had five Eternals captured, and Kazz and Jean had three Desilus, one dead. Glad that the Rod was gone, the last Desilu negotiated a deal, and we let him escape with the bodies of his two living friends. We took the dead Ranger and all the loot we could find -- from the mage and the three other Desilus we defeated -- and retreated to the Top.

Anticlimax (post-Reunion events)

Upon our return to the Top, we discovered that all the pre-theft Top furnishings and supplies were still in place -- including the two Regeneration Tubes. So we popped the dead Ranger into one!

Representatives from DwarvenHome came by to visit, and saw the Top. They offered to fashion a "Garage" for the Top, with about 5' clearance on all sides, with 20' of space between the entrance and the Top. They are doing this in thanks for our recent help. They would be willing to fashion a lead-lined interior for the cave (they think lead will keep out most scrying attempts) and a Top "stand" with wheels that runs on rails leading into the Garage. The Garage door would be made of stone on the outside, lead inside -- double doors that swing out. A crank must be turned inside the garage to open the door -- a combined 18+ strength can easily open or close the door using the crank. Otherwise, a lift gates roll is needed to swing each door by hand (two doors, two successful rolls). A smaller, concealed man-size door with lock is in the middle of the door on the right as you face the Garage from outside. It can easily be opened by any man-sized creature, if the door is unlocked. The Garage space can be fashioned from the cave at the last battle, taking two to four weeks to excavate a good space for the Top, another two months to complete the lead lining, and one more month for the concealed doors (both big and small). The Dwarves have also agreed to give us space in their delvings (the ones we helped them clean out) for apartments. The Garage is 1/4 day travel from the "Front Door" of the delving (two hours). NOTE that the Dwarves have offered another favor to us in the future as part of their thanks.

Some training took up about a week for Tim, Jean, and Whorfin to advance in level. This training was in skills and levels previously known, so only a week was used in training -- to relearn takes less time than to learn, the DM said.

The Top was damaged in its crash and needed to heal itself. Abrac secured the Top and specifically changed the access codes and cards on the Top's access board so that only Eternals were keyed in. It turned out that only Marvin, when he was charmed by the Desilus, made any access changes -- the Desilus themselves didn't alter the settings. Abrac gave one Top key to Tim Zoltan and kept one for himself.

The dead Ranger was placed in a healing tube and emerged alive. He was placed in the secure cell in the Top. Nomad went off on some errand of his own (he said he was headed to Shoal and other places), but the rest of us (Kazz, Tim, Jean, Me, Abrac, and Marvin) talked with the Ranger and then let him go.


Site Map | 10 February 01

copyright © 2001 by Michael Moran Alterio, Michael Babriecki, Harry Ching, Stephen Martin, and Donald R. Parrish III (all rights reserved)