In the previous session, the party had managed to complete the specific task assigned by Augustus as well as one faction interview. This session sees the party continue with their quest to interview the faction members as well as figure out how to go about experiencing fear...

The game session started with the party gathered outside the main gate of a mansion in the Lady's Ward. They'd just finished burying one pissed-off seed in somebody's garden and were looking to get away before the other guards figured out that something had just happened.

The first problem of the night was to get out of the Lady's Ward. It being Anti-Peak, it's pretty much pitch black, save for the occasional lighted gate or passing Harmonium patrol. The journey went uneventfully, and mainly consisted of hiding from the Harmonium and convincing Dr. Fever that the middle of the street was not a good place to begin a "rest cycle". Once out of the Lady's Ward, Rusteen generously (?) offered to lead the group to his bar down in the Lower Ward - The Eye of the Beholder.

The bar turned out to be near the spireward edge of Sigil, just within sight of the Great Foundry. The Eye turned out to be, well, a dive decorated in early adventurer. (Stuffed heads of slain animals on the walls, used weapons, a very dead tree in a pot on the stage.) Que seemed to find the establishment particularly distasteful. Something to do with the combination of dirt, grime, and the presence of alcohol. Rusteen proudly showed off his position as part owner by securing rooms and refreshment for his new friends, as well as attempting to give some instruction to the serving wenches. (Again, the Fated made no mention of expecting to be repaid for his generousity.)

Que, Zin, and Dr. Fever passed on the refreshments and went up to a room to sleep. (As it turns out, Rogue Modrons do indeed snore, but at least it's usually in four-part harmony.) The rest of the party soon followed. The next morning saw a rather late start, as Dr. Fever had to perform precisely eight hours of rest followed by a morning meal. So, at a couple hours before Peak, the party got underway.

The first stop of the day was to visit the Armory, headquarters of the Doomguard. Que decided that there was entirely too much chaos present in the building and elected to stay outside. The rest of the group blithely strode in and looked for a factioneer to harass. Just inside the Exhibition Hall, Rusteen used his keen tracking senses to find the nearest elven female. As it turned out, both she and the human male she was talking to were members of the Doomguard. While Rusteen chatted up the elf (a gung-ho member of the faction, named Falcatta), Ginaea decided to take the lead and start interviewing the man, Hugh Phagus.

The group did learn a bit about the faction philosophy and Hugh's personal dedication to the "regulation" of mass murderers. About this time is when Zin decided to really question the man's beliefs and came close to insulting Hugh and getting a heavy crossbow bolt fired up Zin's nose. Rusteen, having determined exactly what the Doomguard's view of sexually transmitted diseases was, decided that now was a good time to leave. So they did.

After that local dose of joy, the group headed into the Hive Ward, looking for the Bleak Cabal. There was a slight delay at the Ditch, a local landmark that marks the border between the Lower and Hive Wards. The foul, filthy, slimy, blighted, and stench-ridden liquid seemed to hold a morbid fascination for your local Sensate (Ginaea), and she pondered what the stuff would taste like. Shazarr managed to talk her out of it by convincing her that any sensation gained, while exquisite, might also be her last.

Proceeding onward, the party entered the Hive and soon located the Bleaker's HQ. The party left Ginaea to pester the downtrodden who were waiting in line for soup from the local Soup Kitchen (the Cold Bowl), while the rest went on to the Gatehouse to find a Bleaker. They soon came across a pair of half-orc bards who were "entertaining" the crowds waiting to be admitted to the insane asylum. The group opted instead to find someone with a double-digit charisma. Nearby was an oriental warrior who was directing the incoming traffic.

Que, Zin, and Shazarr took the lead in interviewing the man (Tsuda), although only Que really seemed to understand what the man was saying. This is because he usually answered questions with odd, non-sensical statements such as "A camel standing amidst a flock of sheep" or "Try to steal a bell with your ears covered". While the party did get rather frustrated, they did also realize the point the Bleaker was making - nothing makes sense, it's not supposed to, so deal with it however you want and get on with the depression that is life.

After concluding the interview, there was a small delay in heading onward as Dr. Fever declared that he was now hungry, as it was Peak - and thus time for lunch. So, the modron stopped in the middle of the street and proceeded to eat a lunch during a time period that lasted precisely 30 minutes. Once the time was up, he got up and proceed on his way.

The next interview would prove to very upsetting for quite a few members of the party (Que, Zin, Dr. Fever) - for the subject would be the Xaositects. While the party was discussing how to find them without those who dislike chaos being involved, they blundered into the remains of a park and found a small crowd of Chaosmen. Having been spotted, they resigned themselves to approaching en mass, although Que did take the chance to turn himself invisible.

As it turned out, the Chaosmen were quite bored - a very dangerous situation. The party managed to ask a few questions before the leader of the group (a tiefling named Garr) tumbled to the fact they the answers were being recorded on mimir. At that point, the Xaositects declared that they would only answer more questions if the party played a game with them, and won. The game in question turned out to be "Tie Me Kangaroo Down" - with Zin chosen to be the party's kangaroo. Zin, thinking somewhat quickly (panic will do that) chose Garr as the Chaosmen's kangaroo rather than one of a pair of identical twin gnomes. With that, the two groups went to opposite sides of the park, and the game began.

Immediately, Garr cast hold person on Zin, but the githzerai managed to shrug off the paralytic effects. The rest of the Chaosmen rushed forward, hoping to quickly cover ground and tackle Zin. Meanwhile, the party split up. Rusteen headed around one side of the pond in the park, quickly engaging three of the Chaosmen. Ginaea headed around the other side, while Zin and Shazarr ducked behind a tree. Que maneuvered to place a grease spell on the ground, while Dr. Fever and Twig played cameraman (mimir holder) and color commentator (sarcastic comments).

Behind the tree, Shazarr cast a spell to make himself look exactly like Zin, and then the two ran off in opposite directions in order to confuse the Xaositects. Garr, unable to clone himself, elected to cover his end of the playing field with a large cloud of fog (obscuring mist). Meanwhile, Rusteen attempted to push one of the gnomes into the fetid pond, but found the gnome in question just didn't want to be moved. So, a mass fistfight erupted instead. Rusteen found the gnomes to be rogues who proceeded to flank him and attempt to pummel him with sneak attacks. At this point, Shazarr and Ginaea reached the edge of the fog cloud. A Chaosman blundered out and began trying to tackle the supposed kangaroo, while Ginaea ran through the cloud, trying to locate the other side's target.

This is where the session ended, as we hit midnight. So, the combat was paused and we'll resume it next session. Hopefully, Ron and Linda will be back and can join in the game.

Authored by: Ken Lipka E-mail me: krlipka@yahoo.com

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