The Final Fun Facts to Find

[OGRE MAGE]

Much of the group finally seems to be getting fed up with the ongoing questionable and sometimes downright evil acts from the party's elf. The sudden agonizing death of the woman doesn't seem to bother Orando much at all. He simply commands his porter to replace the ring on her finger, thinking that it should make everything right again. It doesn't.

As soon as the magical ring is replaced, the terrible wounds begin to heal once again but, the woman remains deceased. Angella swipes at the unseen servant, hoping to dispel it, but finds it hard to see. Epi rushes to the woman's side, prying at her restraints, slowly freeing the woman from the horrible chains. Epi and Orando mix unfriendly words. The ranger ponders more of the facts, finding flaws in the logic of all of this.

With the help of Tyr's priest, Brother Tomas slowly gets to his feet. He is barely able to walk but, still does everything in his power to get into the room to see who is in the cage. When he finally sees that his first love is lying dead on the floor of the cage, he drops to his knees and begins to bawl.

I knew it! I knew it was her all along!!!

He looks around a bit more, taking in what he thinks has just occurred.

What has happened here? If April still wears her family's heirloom, how could she have passed away? The magic of the ring is supposed to prevent the wearer from dying.

[Scott308]

Father Dowling

Well, we have had some events occur while you were unconscious. Unfortunately, Orando had his unseen servant remove the ring, effectively making her the second person he has murdered today. He is also responsible for your sore ribs, believing that kicking a wounded and incapacitated priest is an action that a rational person would take. It appears we have not only defeated a demon, but have managed to see the true colors of a reprehensible criminal, who, I believe, should be apprehended and turned over to whatever authorities the town of Brotherton will eventually appoint.

Sorry guys, I didn't realize I hadn't posted in as long as I had.

[Grognardsw]

Orando Magnus Gallus, mystifex

Orando sighs. Humans.

"Come now, you are getting quite righteous. Guilt is altruism's stock-in-trade, and the inducing of guilt is its only means of self-perpetuation. Were you in my shoes, getting strangled by Brother Tomas, not knowing what magick the demon or possessed priest would strike us with next, you would see things differently."

"Brother Tomas, I will accept your apology and in turn grant mine. And the sheriff? Please, he and his guards would have made short work of us after the demon dispelled the enchantment upon him."

"My efforts contributed to stemming the tide of violence against us, allowing the fighters to focus on the demon. Did you see me getting upset when Epi and Ugghra attacked us, or killed other humans? The man-orc's soul is black on one side, and white on the other."

"We just saved the town of Brotherton! Let us look at the forest, not the trees. We solved the mystery. Given many people a reason for their loved one's disappearances. Granted closure."

"The ring was removed for but a moment, to prove Ugghra's theory, and the party was in agreement. I will admit, the result was unexpected. Rings of a regenerative nature, I have heard, typically restore even the dead. April will be remembered as a hero of Brotherton, who gave her life to serve the people. We will erect a statue. Rename the town Aprilton. I will write an elven poem in her honor."

I assumed taking the ring off would not plunge her down to death, given time off her finger. Also that the ring of regeneration was of the by-the-book type, which would bring her back from the dead.

[ChubbyPixie]

Ozwaldus listens unmoved to Orando's soliloquy. "If one bent over backwards to do so, one could almost imagine that some of your actions were "accidental" or "necessary," but not quite. We are not fools, Orando. What is most telling is the obvious pleasure you take in making jokes about poems for this man's true love right after you effectively murdered her. So petty. You are soulless." He will then approach Brother Tomas. "Sir, I'm afraid we have mucked this up. Is there no prayer or ritual that can restore April to life? A temple we can take her to? If we hurry..."

[Inferno]

Sir Ugghra, half-orc aristocrat:

Seething, the heinous hero suddenly, savagely strikes at Orando with the flat of his sacred blade. "En Garde, Villain!" he declares too late to serve as anything remotely close to fair warning.

"Quite Right, Father! This Vile, Evil Miscreant Must Be Confined For The Safety of The Innocent, In The Name Of All That Is Good and Right!"
Then, to the person in question: "Lying, Despicable, Obscene, Depraved Malefactor! You Are Without Virtue and Beneath Contempt!"


Sacred Sword: To Hit: [1d20+5] = 20+5 = 25, Damage: S/M:[1d10+6] = 7+6 = 13, L: [3d6+6] = 12+6 = 18 Natural 20.

[Storm11]

Angella will look to see if the ring is working. If not she will move to take it. "This could help restore poor limbless Steve could it not, for there is clearly nothing to be done here now, thanks to Orando!"

[Cauchy]

Epi

With a heavy sigh the ranger lifts the lifeless body of the true Mayor from cage. She starts to say something then stops and just sadly shakes her head. She decides that she trusts Angella to hold the rings and lets the monk remove it for safe keeping.
___________________

"This could help restore poor limbless Steve could it not"

Only if he had a finger to put the ring on.

[Grognardsw]

Panguine, unseen servant

"Master?" words whispered, unheard among mortals.

The elemental force held the elf's hand.

Unconscious Orando's hand raised a few inches, then lowered.

It swirled about its invoker, unable to take action, waiting out its release.

[OGRE MAGE]

Father Dowling takes the time to inform the good Brother Tomas about what exactly has transpired in the last few moments. Both priests now look mad enough to kill. Orando pompously offers up yet another cute elven rebuttal that proves to be both irritating and offensive to every other member of the group. Even the usually reticent Ozwaldous gets in on the questioning, completely unimpressed with the elf’s sly and uncaring response to the priest. He then speaks with Brother Tomas, hoping there is still a way to save his love.

Angella suggests the possibility of the heirloom’s power being able to help out the others, namely, Positive Steve. Since the dead mayors wounds are still healing, she leaves the ring on her finger so at least she will be whole when her dead body is brought back to town. Epi agrees, gently breaking the woman’s bonds and carefully carrying her prone form out of the disgusting cage. The girls are also totally frustrated with Orando’s actions as of late but, they decide to try to keep her emotions in check.

The noble and upstanding Sir Ugghra has seen and heard quite enough of this nonsense. He has considered the elf’s actions to be most vile and evil in the past but now he is certain that something needs to be done about it. He draws out his huge sword and lunges at the murderous elf. The massive halforc spins his sword sideways and strikes with the flat of the blade, still unwilling to kill him outright. By the time the others have figured out what is going on, it is already too late to make any difference.

Orando barely has time to lift his arm in self defense as the blade strikes him perfectly in the side of the head. With a deafeningly loud crack, the blade makes contact with Orando’s skull, sending him instantly to the floor, crumpled up in a heap just like Brother Tomas was a few minutes ago. The priest walks directly up to the unmoving body, quite ready for a little payback. The old man lifts his boot, ready to stomp out whatever life still remains. His foot drops down hard but the old man comes to his senses just as he is ready to end the elf. He does not go through with his plan and instead addresses the remaining party.

I have sensed the evil in this one from the beginning, no matter what kind of twisted spin the fool wants to put on his moral beliefs. He seems to enjoy, nay, even revel, in the hurting and killing of others. I think you have all sensed this as well, yes? I believe his actions against the sheriff AND against my April were absolutely deliberate. The old man continues to hold his painful and badly broken ribs as he speaks.

Only someone with a black heart would do things like this. I have thought that all along but now I am convinced. The only reason he would ever even think to remove the ring is because he coveted it for himself. He needs to be bound here and now, to be brought back to town to pay for his vile deeds. With each of you as witnesses, it will be an open and shut trial. I will go to my grave seeing to it that this monster is punished for his evil crimes.

The priest turns to Ozwaldous, contemplating his suggestion. Yes, yes. Perhaps if we can get April to one of the larger temples in the city of Chendl, the high priests there might still be able to save her. We must hurry though. The priest rushes back to the shaft and shouts up to Ernie, rousing the two unconscious guards as he does so. Dear boy, we have found the real Mayor but she is in grave danger. We must act immediately if she is still to be saved. Get the horses and wagon ready! We must leave here right now. Tomas develops a confused and irritated look that crosses his face.

But......but.......how can I go to save my love and still be able to watch over this criminal? I don't want him to escape while I am away! He points at the two guards as they rise to their feet, somber and still quite groggy. I don't trust either of these two dolts to do the job properly. Would any of you still be willing to help me out with this matter? We can't forget about those poor women laying in there either. I think they might be some of the missing girls that we were looking for.

[Inferno]

Sir Ugghra, half-orc aristocrat:

The beastly banneret bound and gagged the evil s/he-elf as he proudly proclaimed, "Dear Brother Tomas, I Would Be Humbled and Honoured To Aid You In Whatever Small Way That I May!
"My Beloved Home Is Chendl, The Crown Jewel Of Civilization on Oerth, I Am Sure You Agree. I Should Be Only Too Happy To Escort You There With All Due Haste. I Might Add That We May Consider Bringing Orando As Well, To Have Justice Smote Upon This Base Reprobate. Or We Could Administer Swift Justice Here and Now Which, In My Estimation, Would Be More Merciful Than The Vile Scoundrel Deserves!
"The Lawful Should Not Suffer The Lawless To Live."

[Scott308]

Father Dowling

I think bringing him to Chendl to stand trial is a good idea. Does anyone have any rope to tie him with?

[Storm11]

Angella gets out some rope and offers it to father Dowling. Once he takes it she will rummage in her pack and produce a vial of holy water, looking at Orando suspiciously. She will poor the holy water upon his face once he is bound and watch to see if it has any effect. If it doesn't she will be satisfied he is just an evil elf. If it does ......

[Cauchy]

Epi

The ranger shrugs, "Shall we see about getting out of this place?" She carries the Mayor to the shaft and gently puts her down. She works on tying a rope to a blanket to create a device to lift the lost/found women up.

[ChubbyPixie]

Ozwaldus frowns, finding the whole affair distasteful and uncomfortable. "I have no interest in taking part in any rough justice," he replies to Brother Tomas, turning away from the prone Orando. "Is there nothing immediate to be done for these poor women? Will they survive a trip back to town?... They look... awful. How will we transport them? I wish I had some spells that were... you know... useful."

[OGRE MAGE]

While the unconscious Orando is bound and gagged, Brother Tomas nods at Ozwaldous, accepting the fact that not everyone will have the same opinion about what is to be done with the elf. He smirks a little at the “useful spells” comment. Completely forgetting for the moment about the other girls, the priest goes back inside and begins to recite a prayer over the 5 of them. One by one they regain consciousness and slowly open their eyes. They are still frail and weak, their minds not yet accustomed to thinking freely on their own. They blubber and babble softly to each other but at least they can now be lead outside on their own.

The 2 burly guards also begin to snap out of their long time mind possession, coming around a little faster than the girls as their ordeal was far less arduous on them. They realize quickly what has transpired here and begin to help out in any way that they can, getting the others out of this hell hole being their first priority.

Once everyone is up and out of the shaft, Lady April’s body is carefully loaded on the wagon while the other girls are made as comfortable as possible as well. Orando comes to and finds himself bound tightly and unable to speak. He is also loaded on the wagon with the dead woman that he allegedly accidentally killed. Once in the wagon, Angella satiates her curiosity by pouring some of Brother Tomas’s own holy water on the face of the elf. Her suspicions are proved as the elf gets wet but doesn’t start to burn or dissolve. Indeed he may have evil tendencies, but he is not wholly a creature of vile darkness. He squirms and shakes in his bonds as the experiment runs its course but, seems no worse for wear from the whole episode.
Brother Tomas speaks up as the wagon is loaded.

Ernie and I must make haste to the Capitol immediately. Good Sir Ugghra, I was absolutely wrong to judge you as I have. I want to make a sincere apology to you sir. I had thought you to be nothing more than a pompous upper class snob but, you have proven me wrong with your more than generous offer. I felt like you and the elf were deliberately trying to disrupt the entire course of this investigation but here you are in my time of greatest need, still offering your hand to help? You sir are indeed a true noble and a gentleman. Even despite your frightening appearance.

As for the rest of you, I would be thrilled for any other accompaniment on our journey. It is a full 2 day ride to Cherndl, and although the road is relatively safe, the more help the better. I have no problem if you would rather stay in town and await our return. With April’s standing and the help of Ugghra’s position, I have no doubt that the high priests will be able to bring my April back to us.

I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my old heart! I could have never dreamed of accomplishing even close to the things you have in the last few days. You have my eternal gratitude and indeed the thanks of the entire town.

The priest suggests bringing the girls to the temple and letting them stay with Positive Steve for a while before alerting anyone to what has happened to them. Once they have had some time to recuperate, we can look into who they are and see to informing their families of their return. Hopefully in time they will be able to function as productive citizens of Brotherton once again. The magic ring can be used to facilitate a speedy recovery for Steve and the other girls as well. Brother Tomas is still unsure about what exactly to do with Orando. He likes the idea of taking him to be judged in front of a real court but, also entertains the idea of dealing with him right here in town. Perhaps he should just be jailed for now and left to think about his transgressions? That might give everyone a little more time to cool off, allowing emotions to settle so the elf can have a fair trial. Yes, I prefer that to listening to him grumble constantly for the next two days.

Well, it was an unfortunate ending to the story but, that is pretty much it in a nutshell, folks. I will start writing up the wrap-up post for this adventure so, if there is anything else that you would like to do or say, please do so now. As much as I would love to hear the deposition between Ugghra and Orando, I don't think it is necessary to pile on one player just for the sake of closure. Unless of course the group would like to play that whole thing out that is.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Cap


With much honorable help from Sir Ugghra, April is raised from the dead by the high priests in Chendl. After a few days of rest, she is ready to travel back to see what remains of her beloved town. In the meantime, the magic ring has worked wonders on Positive Steve and the other captives. The real sheriff becomes completely whole again and is soon ready to resume his duties. He and Ernie see to the recovery of the girls as well, the magic ring slowly reviving their mental faculties.

Once the mayor is brought back and gets settled in, Ugghra, Epi, Dowling, Ozwaldus, and Angella are summoned before her. You have not heard any word yet about what has transpired with Orando and none of you has seen or heard from him since the mayors return.

The mayor proceeds to tell you that she was seduced by a man that came to town one day about 30 years ago. He was a tall, dark, and handsome stranger that immediately swept her off her feet. She didn't realize it at the time but this "man" was actually a demon that would use his strong mind altering powers to make her next three decades a living nightmare.

This incubus was summoned initially by the mage Mortimer who sometimes dabbled in the dark arts and conjurations. The powerful and crafty demon quickly overcame his servitude under the wizard and began doing whatever and whoever he pleased. He began tearing around the lands, seducing woman one by one, bringing them to the tower basement to have his way with them. He began to grow fond of his new playthings and always kept a bevy of young girls around to entertain himself with. That is when his real hunger started.

She pauses and stares at the floor for a while. She rubs at her arms, remembering all of the disgusting acts of torture and murder she was forced to witness over all these long years.

The mad wizard eventually just destroyed his own tower and fled town, knowing full well that he would never be able to regain control over this demonic monster. I don't blame the mage, though. I am just as guilty for allowing myself to be fooled by him. Before I realized what was happening to me, it was already too late. Luckily, the mage's conscience got the best of him as surely he must have left the demon prison amulet behind for us to use. It's the only thing that saved you all from certain death.......or worse.

The demon used to bring me out to the tower a lot. He always had illusions put in place to hide what was really going on down there. It all seemed normal to me at the time until one fateful morning when I woke up and could really see for myself what was actually happening there. The beautiful place that I had been coming to was actually an underground pit of evil and despair. I must have shaken off whatever powers he had over me and could finally see things as they were. I knew I had to escape. I tried to get the other girls to come with me but they were all madly in love with the incubus and never wanted to leave him.

I fled the place but, when I arrived back to town, I soon realized that I had been replaced as the mayor by his very own sister who he brought in to assist him in his diabolical plans. She made her appearance to look exactly like mine and before long, she had the whole town fooled into thinking that everything was totally normal. By day she ran the town as I once did and by night they were out there, converting the goodly Pelor fearing folks they had abducted into horrible disfigured evil fighting monsters. I hate to think about how many people they disfigured, only to send them off to the demon lords to fight on the battlefields of the abyss.

She pauses a long time again in deep thought.

When I tried to intervene, I was captured again. They locked me up in that cage, where I have spent the last several years of my life, while the town I loved crumbled into dust from the inside out. Once the demon realized how much he enjoyed the taste of human flesh, especially nobility, every living day I endured in there was utter agony and full on sensory exhaustion. My ring kept me alive and healed all of the terrible wounds, only so he could devour my flesh again, day after day.

I didn't know anything about the succubus really. I just hoped every day that she wasn't back here eating all of the townspeople. From what I have seen and heard so far, it sounds like she kept up a pretty tight facade while posing as me. She may have even began to feel guilty over the years about her brothers antics, as some evidence suggested. I don't know if she brought you here to help, hoping to keep the suspicions about herself to a minimum and thinking that you would surely fail. Or, maybe after all of that time here, she actually hoped you would succeed. Who knows. I am glad to be back either way. She smiles and looks at the five of you in turn, one by one.

I thank each and every one of you from the very bottom of my heart. I was told that you were offered a magic item each from my family's great hoard. Name your choice of any item that you desire. If I have it, or something close at least, it will be yours. If I don't have it, you can chose until I do. I am also happy to answer any questions you may have about what happened if I am able.

Be quick about it though, please. I still have much to do to set things right here in Brotherton.

[Scott308]

Father Dowling

Your Ladyship, let me first take the opportunity to tell you how happy I am that you are finally free of that horrible situation. It will do Brotherton good to have their mayor back to her normal self. As for receiving a magic item- it was not you who made that offer, so do not feel obligated to uphold it if you do not wish to do so. Having said that, I would be interested in a Rope of Entanglement if you still intend to honor that reward, assuming of course that you have one. That item could come in quite handy in apprehending criminals in the future. If you do not have one, feel free to select something in its stead, or alternately, a donation to the Temple of Tyr in Chendl could be made. I'm sure they would be quite happy with any gift of magic, gem or coin, and there are intangible benefits from making a donation to those who serve a higher power. I thank you, no matter which decision you might choose.

[Inferno]

Sir Ugghra, half-orc aristocrat:

The nightmare in shining armour said, "Madam, If I May Be So Bold... If It Is At All Possible, A Magic Shield Is All I Would Humbly Request, That It May Defend Me As I Continue To Defend the Laws and Traditions of Our Great Land From All Enemies.

"I Have But Two Questions, If I May:
"One: What Deserving Fate Shall Befall The Vile Reprobate Called Orando?
"Two: Kindly Forgive My Rude Indiscretion, But Whatever Shall Become of Your Relationship with Brother Tomas Now? You Should Know, Madam, That All Throughout This Dire Quest, Against Every Trial, Tribulation and Threat, He Comported Himself With Unflagging Bravery, Noble Reverence and Ardent Devotion For Your Esteemed Person; In Word And Deed, the Very Flower Of Chivalry and Of Courtly Love."

[Storm11]

Your great ladyship Angella
Begins bowing low. it was our duty to assist this town in its time of need. As for a reward, well if you have a ring of shocking grasps going spare I would be ever in your debt. Failing that a cloak of
Displacement or an enchanted halberd would be most beneficial, in dealing with those who are immune to mundane weapons. The monk bows again and steps back after grabbing her hand comfortingly.

[ChubbyPixie]

"Thank you, Madame. Very gracious. Perhaps a cloak or a ring that confers invisibility upon its wearer? Or a wand that sprays a fan of color to confound and bewilder foes? I leave it to you, but be assured, whatever the item, I will endeavor to use it for good." He looks down at his flask of ever flowing wine. "Perhaps you could add this to your coffers, in a sort of trade - I don't think I'll be needing it anymore... After a moment he adds:"It's great for parties."