When Monkeys Attack, Part 2

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About the Saga

Rumors of pratical jokes running amok in the Strange Quarter draw the adventuers into a confrontation with a mage who'd been polymorphed into a monkey ... and retained enough of his magical knowledge to be exceedingly dangerous.

Timeframe

Cast of Characters

Notable Quotes

"How did you get turned into a chick?" -- Thom, after seeing Corash's new feminine form. "I prefer the term female ... this is just a minor setback."

What Has Come Before

No adventure summary available.

The Saga

Harvester 22, 591

A Trickster's Tale

Vargas goes to Silver Princess, hears others talking about recent incidents in the city:

  • Harvester 12: Drunken Giant ran amok in the Strange Quarter.
  • Harvester 16: Storm of Mice Attacked a residence in the Strange Quarter.
  • Harvester 19: Intense Hail Storm pelted one part of the Strange Quarter.

The talkers dismiss the incidents as being too crude for the Cartaographers, whose capers are usually far more complex. Others say they're merely running out of ideas. Also begins scouting out locations where he can pull a prank involving a large beetle, a large light source, and shadow magic. He decides on doing this near the Temple of Pelor, with the temple of a light source.

Guild Genesis

Salsar goes to MEI to talk about starting a guild, and speaks with one of Mal's associates. Speaks about the cost of forming a guild -- 25 people at 10 gp each. Also need permanent residence, purchasede within 3 months of establishment of guild (letter of intent required0. Recommends forming an association instead, which requires 10 people, no meeting place, and 5 sp each. Agrees to draw up papers and have them ready in two days. Salsar leaves to do recruitment.

Searching for a Scroll

Corash attempts to buy a scroll. Talks with a bartender, named Penso, about places to buy scrolls,who tells him about the College of Laughing Song, the Amber and Blood, and finally, whispers about the Order of the Broken Staff. Finally demands that he pay 25 gp to keep his mouth shut about him asking around about secret soruces of scrolls. Also learns of Magical equivalent of gun shows held every four months.

The Light Meets the Earth

Kerth goes to the High Quarter, wandering through High Quarter trying to familize himself with the city, then heads over to the Mudsitters District looking for people to help, but not aggressively so. Runs into a volunteer group of Temple of Earth Dragon servants, including a young boy who tries to get him to donate money to the church, saying that the Earth Dragon will strike down the city's enemies if they prove their loyalty and obedience of the dragon.

Kerth responds by saying that Pelor also serves the people, but the boy responds that Pelor is distant, and that the Earth Dragon encompasses all people of the Earth. Kerth makes a rock glow to show that Pelor too is here, but the boy screams "blapshemer" and runs back to the servants dishing out soup, who eye him steely. He ignores them, then they move on.

Wonderous Changes

Corash heads over to the tree, hires a boy to knock a fruit down. As this happens, he's suddenly very surprised as the ground beneath him disappers, forming a 30 foot shaft that plunges through the street, into the sewer below, causing a small pool that starts to form a pool.

Then the monkey causes the lanterns around the street to explode with pyrotectnics, causing those around it to be stunned. Corash shrugs off the effects, and then his owl spots the perpetrator: a monkey wielding a gilded, ornately carved rod. The elf targets it with a sleep spell, but it fails to take hold on the primate.

The monkey responds by gesturing with the rod. Suddenly Corash realizes that he has been transformed into a woman. Panicking, he snags the purple fruit of the ground, and runs.

Monkey jumps to a building, makes an obscene gesture at the elf, and runs.

Retreats to Maurgiir's dwelling, knocks on the door. His master answers, asks "who the hell are you?" Corash identifies himself, but the mage doesn't believe, saying it is a joke by his apprentice, demands that he/she leave.

Heads to the The Ruby Rose, a dress store in the strange quarter, speaking with Aurore, shop properieter, who offers to sell him a leather and cloth pant suit with lots of pouches and spell components. Costs her 20 gold, to buy a blue pants suit, and spends an hour to get necessary adjustments.

Confused Revalations

Salzar sees the explosion, runs out, gets account of what happens, and then shrugs and decides to go of to Fire-eaters.

Kerth goes down to investigate. Here's all sorts of wild tales, detects powerful transumation attack. Speaks with Sergeant Samus, who is happy to hear he's from the church of pelor. Then tells him the tale of explosions and female elves. Gathers information on the elf, learns that he looked to be an outlander, and had been spending a lot of time in the quarter lately, and thinks he was staying at the Black Quill.

Heads back to the Black Quill, where he gets a room for the night, paying 1 gold rather than the longer term fee of 1 gp.

Vargas goes to the Temple of Pelor to pull of his stunt. Casts distort shadow of the cat, then has it start tearing and rending dolls. Stunt goes off well, then goes to talk about it at the Fallen Princes Inn, who critique the stunt.

Harvester 23

Rumors of the Broken Staff

Corash spends three hours looking for clues about the Order of the Broken Staff, only to find that getting that information would be exceedingly difficult, ad members of the order try and stay low. Returns to the Dragon's Chicken to speak with Penso, who demands 50 gp,then 60, for the information. Corash refuses.

Seeking an Elven Made

Kerth talks with Peldonious the next day, who is shocked and horrified about the possibility that a monkey might have a rod of wonder.

Thom, Salsar and Kerth go to talk with the Blackrazors and speak with George. Fillerman, who tells them a tale of a wand of wonder found in the ruins of Greyhawk castle, but left there.

Meet up with Corash, but don't realize who he was. Finally figure out who Corash is.

"How did you get turned into a chick?" -- Thom "I prefer the term female ... this is just a minor setback."

"I'm surprised how quickly you adapted to this new role..."

To Catch a Monkey

Talk about the monkey, decide to talk with Vargas about trapping it. Try and determine how to lure the monkey into trap, possibly by tricking it with shadow monkeys, and drugging the fruit Corash found.

Vargas and Kerth go to the High Quarter buy a whole bunch of liquier soaked fruit and a live cage. Meanwhile, Thom and the transformed Corash go looking for a poisoner dealer selling subdual poison.

Scatter the fruit around the commons, monkey investigates but isn't interested in any of the alchol fruit; seems to be glowing slightly red, perhaps only eats that kind of fruit. Corash decides to use his purple fruit as bait. Tosses it out into the middle of the street. Monkey notices, happily starts eating, then Corash shoots it with a poisoned arrow.. The monkey is shocked, and looks a little sluggish.

As the heroes take cover, the monkey strikes out wildly, firing off the wand and throwing up a wall of peanut brittle between himself and where the shot came from. Monkey turns itself invisible, apparently using a ring. He then flees to the tree, climbs up it and passes out.

Kerth uses detect magic to find the sleeping invisible monkey, and then Vargas dispatches his cat familiar to capture the monkey. It shakes the primate, causing the various magic items -- a battered looking, once-gilded rod as well as two rings. Once the invisibility wore off, the cat dropped the monkey to the ground, where the adventurers caught it.

The Grateful Magister

They then return the monkey to Lord Orman, who had offered a 50 gp bounty for the return of the monkey. The lord promptly summoned a mage from the Guild of Wizardry, who dispelled the polymorph on the monkey, returning him to his original form: that of Orman's magister, Eldton.

The mage did not know where the rod of wonder originated from -- it was not among his lord's belongings, but was very grateful to the adventurers for capturing him, as well as for returning both of his magical rings. As a measure of his gratitude, he offered to craft each of the adventurers a wondrous item of up to 1000 gp (or two lesser items who's combined price does not exceed 1000 gp).

Experience

480 xp each