For a while, it looks like we might get started quickly, throwing all into confusion and terror. Fortunately, we get sidetracked by a discussion of battlefield logistics and the horse-dominated diet of German soldiers on the Russian Front, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Everyone, in this case, of course includes Tim (Antok of the Storm Tribe), Chris (Gruul), Chuck (Arnoux Urag), Paul (Marik) and Bruce (currently gushing over with enthusiasm about having found Sparks on the web).
When last we left our valiant heroes it was the 27th day of the 3086th Stay, with an estimated 223 days left to go (according to Marik's prediction). The characters had recently come into a large sum of money, thanks to running into a murdered bausker carrying almost 30,000 clavars. Everyone is in Doorway City, getting some much-needed rest at the townhouse of the erstwhile Faian filth-traders Jomon and Maratelle. Several of the group's members have only recently ordered quite a lot of nice things from the bausker weaponsmith Ulgutulgun, and have some thirty days to wait for delivery.
Some of the characters hear that the Red Tower is spreading the terrible jumping fever. This is a matter of some concern, given that they had planned on going to the Red Tower to deliver the three sacks of blue flowers they brought back from Aeldrine. Not wanting to go near the stinking place (where he would surely become diseased), Gruul suggests paying an oorthoi to do it instead. Marik points out that people always think the Red Tower is spreading disease. Thus far, the characters have heard stories suggesting that they are also spreading the blacksore fever and ravettes. He explains that the Red Tower are really just healers, and have nothing to do with actually spreading any disease. Gruul's expression clearly indicates that he doesn't believe Marik's nonsense for a second, but he eventually relents, announcing, "If I get sick, I kill the twisted dwarf thing first."
The characters bid their farewells to the corpulent Maratelle and walk across Doorway City towards the Red Tower. On the way, Gruul stops to purchase a waterskin, then fills it with clean water. Antok of the Storm Tribe tries to be helpful by pointing out, "I can create mystically pure water - it comes from my armpits!" Gruul is repulsed, grumbling, "I'm not using your water!" He does not believe Antok's claim to have just been joking.
As usual, there are several groups of wretched, diseased people camped out around the Red Tower. The characters pass by two groups of them. The first is surrounded by a perimeter of yellow banners. Most of them are covered by thin blankets. The characters are able to see spasmodic leg twitches underneath the coverings. Marik concludes, "They must have the jumping fever!"
The second group of sufferers are Holy City humans. Three Food-Makers lie collapsed upon the ground, their skin covered in horrible black sores. A couple of dozen Folk cluster around them, some attempting to wash the Food-Makers' skin with damp cloths. Most of the Folk are also diseased, and all of them are almost skeletally thin. A couple of weak-looking Living Weapons cast disinterested looks at the characters as they walk by.
As the characters watch, the Red Tower's gate opens and three members of the order emerge. All of them wear the traditional red cloaks, keeping their faces covered. The leader carries a twisted staff in his melted-looking hands. The characters wince to see the bloated lumps of flesh hanging from his fingers. His two assistants wear thick gray gloves and carry large, shallow brass bowls of liquid. The Red Tower folk walk towards the Holy City humans. The characters give them a respectfully wide berth.
The characters enter the Red Tower and talk to one of the available functionaries, who quickly brings them to a side room and arranges for the magician Gullug to be brought. Gullug shambles his way in a few minutes later, greeting the characters in a husky, slurred voice that makes no secret of the fact that most of his teeth are gone. Antok, remembering how he lost his lunch after an inopportune glance at Gullug's face during the characters' last meeting with the Red Tower magician, quickly places an Illusion Disguise of a bland-faced youth upon him. Gullug doesn't particularly seem to mind (or notice).
Gullug is quite pleased to learn that the characters have brought him three bags full of the blue flowers, and asks what they would like in exchange. Marik immediately pipes up, asking for magical instruction. Gullug reacts quite well to this request, and congratulates Marik upon his eagerness to join the Red Tower order. Marik is none too happy to see this condition appear, as he has no interest in becoming any more deformed than he already is. He clarifies his comments, much to Gullug's disappointment.
After a few moments of discussion, Gullug departs to assemble an offer for the characters. A female acolyte with decaying hands brings bread, cheese sealed in wax, and an ewer of water, all balanced upon a wooden tray. Ever the suspicious one, Marik carefully casts Test Food upon all of the items, concluding that the cheese and water are okay, but that the bread is infected with something. Antok cuts off a big piece of cheese and eats it. Nobody else touches the food, choosing instead to look at Antok as if he was insane because he doesn't remove the wax. Marik looks at Antok with mock horror, exclaiming, "You ate the wax? But only the cheese was safe!"
Gullug eventually returns. Two more acolytes carrying a wooden box follow him. He is glad the characters tried the cheese, commenting that the order makes it themselves down in the Warrens. Antok almost horks up what he ate in horror. Gullug chooses not to notice Antok's theatrics, instead opening the wooden box to show the two items he wishes to offer:
Gullug demonstrates the Blade Hand, much to the characters' interest. Antok, eager to test it, tries it on immediately after Gullug removes it. This time, it is Gruul who cries out in horror, "Antok! His hand was just in that!" Antok notices something moist dribbling down his arm. Antok makes a HT roll.
After a polite amount of bargaining, the characters agree to exchange the flowers for the two items. Antok keeps the Lying Orb. Everyone agrees that Marik is the best person to carry the Blade Hand.
Before the characters leave the Red Tower, Marik remembers a rumor he heard some time ago, and asks Gullug what his relationship with bausker matriarch Calchithra is. Gullug explains that he is unaware of any strange dealings with her (despite what the rumors say), saying that he is only aware of providing some curatives to some of her family members. Marik nods in a moderately unsatisfied manner.
On the way out of the Red Tower, Antok walks over towards the cluster of diseased Holy City humans. He asks one of the tattooed Living Weapons if they are recovering from their sickness. The Living Weapon responds in broken Market Tongue, "We get no better, but we get no worse. But we starve." Antok gives them a satchel of food, including the rest of the cheese given the characters by Gullug. The Living Weapon thanks him in a dull, near-lifeless monotone.
The characters speculate upon the diseased crowds around the Red Tower. Gruul suggests that the magicians are carrying out experiments: they know how to keep a disease from spreading away from an infected group, and let their victims suffer on so they can watch the way various sicknesses progress. The other characters nod glumly, not sure if they agree or not.
The characters make it back through the Doorway City gates without much trouble. The pudgy Faian guard notes that they just came from the Red Tower, and proceeds to shake them down for five clavars. Given that he and his bausker sidekick don't look all that impressive, the characters are terribly impressed by his courage.
Back in town, the characters stop by Ulgutulgun's shop to verify that they'll still be able to get their goods if they leave for a month. They also ask if he has any crossbows in stock. They share a bit of loud banter with Ulgutulgun, and generally have a fine time right up until Antok walks out of the shop for a bit of air and finds himself face to face with a pack of zombies. The zombies are much more ready for Antok than he is for them: three of them club him up something serious, leaving him to stagger back into the shop trailing blood, ice water and brains. He screeches out a warning in time for the rest of the characters to see a half-dozen zombies plow into the shop.
Marik starts off the excitement with a moment's concentration and a wave of magical glue around the doorway that stops two zombies dead in their tracks (ha ha). Unsatisfied with simply immobilizing the creatures, he follows his glue trick with some magical fire, hoping to roast them where they stick.
Sadly, the sheer number of zombies is high enough that Marik can't get them all. As they swarm into the shop, Gruul and Antok bring out their weaponry and get to wreaking bloody vengeance. Gruul in particular demonstrates his mastery of the exotic Two Arm Chopping Technique, a little something he picked up during his service with Prince Gufteng.
Arnoux Urag notes that the zombies' torsos are encased in iron plates and decides that his trusty saber is unlikely to work well against the walking dead, choosing to take up a different plan. He drops his blade, deftly closes with one of the creatures, and pitches the creature into the midst of Marik's glue-and-flames maelstrom. The zombie responds by emitting a foul, smoky stench.
Hearing the chaos and commotion, four of Ulgutulgun's relatives scurry in from the tenting along the side of the building only to run into a mace-swinging zombie. Three of them watch as the zombie makes short work of their kinsman, then run back for the tent. The zombie follows them.
Within moments, the characters have managed to clear the zombies out of the shop, though Antok almost looks like a zombie himself, thanks primarily to his savage disregard of his own safety in the pursuit of his prey. Marik totters over to him and seals over the worst of the wounds with healing magic, just about in time to let Antok confront...
A dozen more zombies come plowing in through the side door, preceded by Ulgutulgun's rather terrified-looking relatives. The agile bauskers run into the back room, followed by two zombies, leaving the characters to deal with the rest. Ulgutulgun does his best to help the characters, drawing up a surprisingly substantial chopping blade that he wields with mediocre skill.
With zombies flooding into the room, Marik casts about for ways to stop them. He sees his chance when two zombies leap up onto a table, apparently intent upon skewering and clubbing Arnoux into a bloody mess. Marik sends another splash of magical glue onto the tabletop, but is heartbroken to see the zombies avoid it and leap down into the fray.
Arnoux is much less worried about his fate, accepting the onrushing zombies with the equanimity of the true desperado. He draws out his flowing cloak and entangles a zombie's mace with it. Unfazed by this development, the zombie pulls the mace free and draws it up for a strike only to be met by a series of rapid slashing attacks from Arnoux's saber.
Meanwhile, Gruul finds himself faced with three zombies, with only Ulgutulgun to back him up. A moment later, he finds himself alone as a zombie lashes out and sends Ulgutulgun flying. He responds to this new trouble by getting hit several times and flying into a berserk rage. The zombies are not impressed, though they should be: he lays about left and right, sending bits of severed zombie all over the room.
The battle ends with Marik and Antok near the doorway. Marik notes that Antok has managed to suffer enough damage to kill any three normal men, and resolves to help. He transforms himself into a tiger and, with Arnoux by his side, makes short work of whatever zombies Antok isn't able to spear into oblivion.
Having savaged all the zombies in the front room, the characters take a breath and take stock of the situation. Marik reassumes his normal shape and pushes the last of his fatigue into another healing spell for Antok, sinking into exhausted unconsciousness as he does. Antok draws upon his own powers to heal himself up to exactly zero hits, also draining himself into unconsciousness in the process.
Gruul and Arnoux venture into the back room, expecting to find Ulgutulgun's remaining relatives all turned into zombie meat. They are slightly surprised to find only one zombie (which they make short work of), and a pair of feebly kicking zombie feet sticking out of the forge. A short search turns up the answer: there are three clavar-locked hatches in the floor, one of which is sealed only with a red. The characters open it up to find the missing bauskers alive and well.
The bauskers emerge from their hiding spot and set to making things right in the shop again. Noting that both Ulgutulgun and the characters are still badly injured, one bausker chirps out, "I have some money, I go get healer!" He runs for the door just as Gruul remembers to blurt out, "Wait! Don't step in the... glue..."
The session ends with the characters licking their wounds in Ulgutulgun's shop, curious about where their eighteen zombies came from. Each character gains four experience points. Antok does his best to learn from his experiences by spending four points to buy off one of his levels of Reduced Hit Points.