Billy has decided that his family is more important to him than hanging around with his layabout friends, so he's giving us the miss. The rest of the group still includes Paul (Marik), Chris (Gruul), Chuck (Galen), Tim (Antok Six-Hearted) and Bruce. We mourn for our missing comrade, but we speculate upon what terrible fate might befall the noble Sai'aggo. Chris suggests that he should be painfully emasculated by carnivorous mushrooms, a suggestion that is defeated only by the unfortunate local scarcity of mushrooms of that type.
The characters spend some time sleeping on the Sentry Rock, inside the igloos created by Antok Six-Hearted. They wake no longer sure if it is day or night, or what day it is. Their prisoner, an Ungulfinling deep in the shadows of nuf withdrawal, is even less certain.
Once the characters are certain that their prisoner is awake they start up a rousing interrogation session, using the Tongue-Twisting Circlets to make language barriers meaningless. Marik takes the lead as Antok plays with the fellow's nuf pipe. They find the experience deeply frustrating, as the fellow is an inveterate junkie who can't think of anything except his pipe for more than about ten seconds. Gruul is eventually forced to draw upon his experiences with the Israeli Army and subject the prisoner to some "vigorous shaking." This works well enough to let them learn that the Ungulfinlings on the Sentry Rock are (obviously) sentries, and that they're supposed to tell the razor kite in the hollow on the far side of the island if they see anything. The prisoner reassures the characters that there is only one razor kite on the island, though there are whole flocks of them on the Eater's Lip. All through his explanation, he rather hopefully maintains a chorus of, "Can I have my pipe?"
Disgusted with the sight of even a degenerate creature like an Ungulfinling pleading for his fix, Gruul hits the man in the stomach. It takes seven minutes for the fellow to regain the powers of speech. Gruul complains to the other characters, "But I pulled my punch!" Marik reminds the big demek, "Look at him, he's a career junkie. He's scrawnier than Galen. Of course he's going to fold up like paper when you hit him." Gruul spends the next seven minutes grumping.
After the prisoner recovers, he starts describing razor kites. The characters get the impression that a razor kite is a winged construct of leather, wood and bone, built around a wickedly-sharp blade protruding from its ventral surface. The prisoner explains that they attack in long swooping dives, slashing their targets apart. He claims that the effect is even more stunning when they attack in swarms. Gruul surprises everyone by saying, "I'm not too wild about fighting these things." Marik looks at the illustration the junkie draws and asks, "So, they're non-Euclidean?"
The characters persuade their prisoner to draw them a map of the Grotto and the island of the Eater's Lip. Gruul studies the place, taking careful note of place names, then turns to the other characters and says, "Hmm. Black Throat Stream. Let's not be drinking anything while we're there." He turns back to the map, then pipes up once again, "Hey! I bet I know which village provided these guys! They have to come from Dope!" Marik examines the map and gently explains to Gruul that the place is actually called Dulp.
The prisoner doesn't seem to notice the insult. He explains that the island residents are fond of catching skulfish from Skulfish Stream. He describes the fish as bony and gray, but really good eatin', then once again returns to his chorus of "Can I have my pipe?" Antok responds by breaking one of his fingers.
Antok tells the other characters, "I get the idea these razor kites are inactive unless you cast a spell on them." The prisoner, still gasping from his broken finger, tells Antok, "No way, they fly around all the time. You can talk to them." The characters fret that there might be dozens of these things flocking around in the darkness above them. Marik suggests Apporting the prisoner up to the cavern roof. If it starts raining blood, then they know that Levitating to the Eater's Lip is a bad idea.
At this point, Galen gets the idea of asking the prisoner how his people get around. The prisoner explains, "We have a boat. Can I have my pipe? There are beaches at Boguk and Yuguk, shallow enough to land at. Can I have my pipe? There might be a couple of guys fishing on the beach, except at night. Can I have my pipe?" Galen restrains Antok from breaking another of the prisoner's fingers, and asks, "How do you know if it's night?" The prisoner explains, "We can't tell, so there's probably a couple of guys out fishing on the beach." Gruul groans, "He's definitely a junkie. Look at the crack vials stuck in his boots."
Antok encases the prisoner's head in ice. The group walks off, leaving him behind to die. They decide that Sai'aggo can stay behind and guard the island. And if it looks like he's never coming back then he can explore the razor kite hollow.
Before the characters leave for the Eater's Lip they search the remains of the Ungulfinling camp. They find that the place was originally occupied by five scavengers and two sorcerers, all of them now deceased. And George Clooney as Sparky the Gay Chihuahua. They manage to gather up:
Antok takes the amulet. The rest of the goods are divided among the characters, except for the nuf, which Gruul puts into a bag for possible use as a trade good.
The characters locate the sentries' boat and paddle out into the darkness. From their prisoner's description, the journey is about 25 kilometers long and should take three to four hours.
The initial part of their journey is none too eventful, at least until something leather-winged whistles down from the darkness to take quite a slice out of Antok's back. The other characters are horrified at the amount of blood the Dost-man takes, but he doesn't seem to notice or care all that much. Marik notices quite a great deal more, and brings out a Major Healing spell to alleviate the wound.
The shock and surprise lasts for mere seconds. The characters swiftly realize that they have drawn the attention of at least one razor kite, and that it's probably bearing around for another attack. The local darkness penalty is -5, so many of them (those that cannot see in darkness) are not particularly sure how many attackers there are, or where they might be attacking from.
Antok, drawn back from his moment of inattention through a combination of pain and sudden healing, casts an illusion of the characters and their boat about three meters away from the real thing. Gruul pulls out his lux gem to provide light, then sets to receive a charge. Galen stands to back him up.
The razor kite reappears, but Galen is ready for it. He swings his bastard sword (unwilling to try using Ghelghul's Terrible Heartseeker upon a magical construct) and cuts the thing into ruins. A second razor kite rushes by, barely missing Gruul.
Marik decides to make the playing field a bit more favorable to the characters by letting fly with a bevy of Haste spells, granting everyone in the group +1 Move and Dodge. He offers to cast Flight upon selected folk, but the other characters turn him down.
Moments later, two razor kites make another pass by the characters' boat. This time, nobody gets hurt: both the kites and the characters swing wide. Once again, Marik asks, "Are you sure you guys don't want to be flying when you do this?" Gruul grumps that Marik should try it himself if he's so keen on becoming a juicy morsel for a razor kite.
On the third pass, Gruul manages to connect with a razor kite with his mace. The creature's shattered remains sink down into the cold, cold water.
The rest of the characters' journey to the Eater's Lip is uneventful. They notice that there is a noticeable current towards the island, doubtless an effect of the Eater just beyond it.
The Eater's Lip eventually comes into view, looming out of the moldering twilight like a calcified sore. It seems a dank, miserable place of rocks and slime, interspersed with forests of tall, craggy mushroom. The characters think that it might be a good place to build a resort.
The characters land on the beach near the village of Yuguk, near the Black Throat Stream. They are able to barely see the fields of mushrooms on the slopes above the village. Marik notes that some of the cultivated mushrooms look like the raw form of the drug nuf. Antok investigates the thick, black and lumpy water of the Black Throat Stream. He is cautious at first, but eventually determines that the liquid really really is water, enough so that he can cast both Shape Water and Purify Water upon it. Antok winces as he watches a local woman draw a bucket from the stream and take it back to the village. Yuguk appears to contain about twenty buildings ranging in size from tiny to massive, but only eight villagers are visible among them.
It doesn't take long for the locals to make their presence known. The group of eight swiftly accretes around one particularly craggy-looking oldster, then approaches the group. The characters manage to determine that the only shared language they possess is ur-Naska, which only Antok can speak. Accordingly, he puts on the mantle of negotiator, a mantle that some might say fits him like a tutu fits an elephant. Antok takes no heed of his cosmic detractors and proceeds to try and trade some nuf with the leader in exchange for directions, or safe passage, or really anything at all. His efforts don't get far: the elder samples the pinch Antok offers, then wheezes out, "This came from our village! Where did you get it?" He snarls toothlessly.
Antok backtracks very fast, desperately searching for that magical combination of words that will make him look innocent of any wrongdoing. The other characters mock him for not being a very convincing merchant. One of them offers up, "Usually merchants have something to trade more than a couple handfuls of drugs."
Antok's efforts look like they are paying off when the elder offers the characters hospitality, suggesting that they might rest for a while in one of the village huts. The characters cannot help but notice that the hut is some distance from the others in the village, and has a very dry look to it. Almost a tinder-like look, once they think about it.
The characters act unenthusiastic about the elder's apparent plan to set them on fire. The elder reacts by making some magical gestures, almost too fast for the eye to see, sending a sickening wave of magical power at Antok. Antok resists the elder's magic ("That'll teach him to cast spells resisted by HT at me!"), then executes an aggressive floor lunge in return. The elder proves to be surprisingly spry, dodging back away from Antok's spear.
At this point, the other characters realize that any hope of peaceful negotiations are done for. They ponder the matter as they haul out their weapons, eventually deciding that this was the best possible outcome they could have hoped for anyway. They rush to the attack.
Things don't go all that well at the start. The elder, deciding that Antok is too hard a target, unleashes his powers against Marik, rendering him nearly immobile in agony. Marik, with great effort, manages to bonk his head upon the Dispelling Staff, banishing the charm and effecting a miraculous recovery.
The other locals rush Gruul and Galen. A vicious spear blow leaves Galen stunned. A second leaves Gruul wounded. Galen responds by remaining stunned. Gruul decides that a better plan is to go berserk. He wades into the locals, ignoring their blows as he chops and mashes from left to right.
The elder sends a series of detrimental spells at Antok, who finds himself unable to stab the fellow thanks to the efforts of his bodyguard. This situation lasts until Marik casts Consume Thrux Slave upon the elder with great prejudice. The elder screams in horror as he dissolves into a puddle of foul-smelling goo, a few blackened bones protruding from the center. The characters are gratified to know that they are at least fighting the correct people.
With the elder out of the way, Marik wades into the fray, Consuming Ungulfinlings right and left. Two of them attempt to flee, but only one gets away: Antok makes a truly amazing spear throw, killing one of them straight out. The other slips behind a hut and escapes.
Once all the danger is well past, Galen manages to recover from his extended experience with stun. His timing is actually quite good, as it lets him run for cover before the still-enraged Gruul squashes him like a stunned bug.
The characters inspect the bodies of the dead for valuables. They come up with:
Antok goes on a Chiron potion binge, drinking down eight of them. By the time he has swallowed the last few drops, he is down by only nine hits. The other characters are once again amazed at the sheer quantity of damage Antok can absorb before falling. Antok simply burps as he walks back into the square.
Gruul comes to on the shore of the Black Throat Stream, covered in blood. He doubts that he killed any of his friends, but he's none too sure. He makes his way back to join them. As soon as he sees Antok, he tells him, "Next time, we need a better plan. Some sort of signal beyond simply drawing out a spear and stabbing the leader." Antok points out, "You may think I'm foolish to rush into the middle of the party, but by doing that I put three people between me and Gruul." Galen and Marik both nod their heads in agreement. Gruul acts grumpy and put-out.
The characters divide up the Chiron potions. Antok takes the Flensing Knife and excises the hearts of the two magicians, "for later."
Gruul mentions, "Oh Little Spell Boy, I need someone to heal myself and my Lifewell Armor." Galen obliges. Marik heals up Antok, in exchange for the fatigue to cast the spell. Antok Minor Heals to get back the last point. Everyone feels good after the end.
Antok drags the bodies into the "visitors" hut, then returns to ask the others, "Would you guys prefer that I go somewhere private to devour my hearts?" Gruul suggests, "I think going off alone right now is a really bad idea." Antok responds rather cheerfully, "Okay! Munch munch munch." Everyone else comments, "Ewwww..."
The characters see the other locals around the edge of the village and in the mushroom groves, building up the guts to attack. Gruul decapitates one body and throws the head at a large group of locals. They back off. Antok is able to count at least forty of them. Various plans to deal with them are suggested, including defensive semicircles of Glue, crossbow bolts with barbed wire tied to them, and setting fire to the village. Antok suggests prosecuting guerrilla war against them, moving from town to town, eliminating the population along the way. His enthusiasm is shattered when Galen points out that there are actually three villages, not just two.
The characters look around, trying to evaluate their defensive options. They discover that the biggest building in the village is the drug storehouse. Gruul offers, "If we destroy the drugs, they might go to another village..."
In the end, the characters decide that they'd really rather not start an all-out war with the Ungulfinlings. They decide to head to the fortress, Levitating over broken ground to get away from the locals. The characters think about burning the drugs until Galen mentions that nuf has been sold ever so often in the Galleries, for prices ranging from low to moderate. Antok chirps up that Prince Gufteng has a lot of gaurmen troops, and they're like the black ghetto dwellers of the Forward Gallery, so nuf could be like crack cocaine to them. Gruul moans, "We're all gonna burn for this."
The characters reach Tettek's fortress after a journey of a couple of hours. They find that the place looks more like a bunker complex than a medieval castle. The only features visible above ground are three towers, none of them higher than ten meters, and a recessed doorway in the center of the complex. They scout around very carefully, mindful that there are probably many razor kites in the area.
Once they have a clearer idea of the external layout, they commence debate on how to attack the fortress. There is significant debate upon the idea of breaking open a tower by dislodging pieces of the cavern roof. Everyone agrees that any effort to make a frontal attack on the main gate is nothing more than an elaborate form of suicide. Marik finally provides the answer by mentioning that he can turn people ethereal and get them through the walls. Unfortunately, the spell has a high enough fatigue cost that he can only send one person through at a time. Antok and Galen suggest that they can use large Lend ST spells to speed up the process.
The characters finally decide to send Antok in first, sending him into the ground floor of the tallest tower. He will scout the area, confirm that it is safe for the others, then wait for them to join him.
Antok enters the tower and finds a single sleeping Ungulfinling. Antok slits his throat. A few minutes later, Gruul joins him. Then Galen. And finally Marik, looking rather exhausted. Antok, Marik and Galen all suck down Chiron potions to recover their fatigue.
Everyone notices a pattern of heavy footsteps coming from the second floor of the tower. Gruul times them, determining that there are two sources, moving around the edge of the tower. Over a fifteen-minute span, the pattern doesn't vary by even a single footstep. The characters decide that whatever is up there, it can't be anything natural. Marik points out that the characters already know that Tettek can create magical constructs, as they've seen several of them.
The characters are of only one mind upon what to do: "Let's go up there and kill them all." Antok casts Might on himself and Gruul, then uses Chiron potions to recover the fatigue. Galen casts Dexterity on Gruul as well. Thus fortified, Gruul ends up with +5 ST, +4 DX, and a truly superheroic complexion. He thunders up into the tower and finds himself confronted by a bow-armed stone golem. A second archer-golem across the tower responds a moment later. Gruul and the first golem trade massive, crushing swings as the other characters rush up and intercept the second. The whole fight is a study in aggression: nobody really bothers to defend, they just make a series of all-out attacks on each other until finally, at long last, the golems fall to chips and dust.
The session ends with the characters in control of the top floor of the Great Tower of Tettek's fortress. Each character gains four experience points. It is the 163rd day of the 3086th Stay.