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======30. Entry Thirty: Pelor Strike Team======

Feb-Mar 2019 (Side Quest)

[[Perry]] from the Church of Pelor gathered several [[team pelor#followers]] together and sent them on a mission: to find a missing agent of theirs, a Githzerai named **Xern**, who had gone to [[gehenna#the Teardrop Palace]] on [[gehenna#Khalas]], the first layer of [[Gehenna]].   He had gone missing looking for information on smuggling activities by the [[Black Lotus]] there.  He had a contact, Mara, at the Broken Mirror Bookstore, which seemed to be a front for her real business as a dealer in information. 

The Team consisted of [[Ranessa]], a Paladin of Freedom and her friend, Flick the Dragon, [[Felix]], a Fatespinner, Olwen, a Shadowbane Stalker, and Shabani, a Hadozee Swordsage. 

Olwen found several leads on portals, but decided on a portal that went directly to the Palace through a Shrine dedicated to Sung Chiang, God of Thieves.  The key was something made of bronze stolen by their own hands (and the other side required a set of lockpicks to return). 

They emerged into a temple devoted to Sung Chiang, and were asked to make a donation there.  Shabani obliged by putting about 65 Gold into the coffer.  Felix threw in 5 Gold and stealthily took one of the gems lying there.  As soon as they exited the temple, however, he was overcome by a crippling affliction (-6 Dexterity).  He returned the gem and asked if the Priest there could cure him, which he did for 300 Gold (which Felix borrowed from Ranessa).

In the marketplace, they soon found that pickpockets were everywhere, and lost some Gold and other items.  With Olwen's help, the Team eventually found their way to the bookshop, which had been broken into and looted.   

They flushed out a thief who had been looking for Mara's fabled stash of treasure.  Ranessa said she would let the thief go if he would move aside the shrine to Sung Chiang (which had not been looted), which he agreed to do.  After he left, the party found a Secret Passage behind the shrine, leading down a ladder, which in turn led to a narrow set of stone steps leading down.  Shabani instead punched his way through the wall on the first floor and joined the rest of the Team on their way down.  

After navigating a series of traps, the team discovered Mara.  She had been hiding out of fear of repercussions for being associated with Xern - he had shown up looking scared, and as it was rare for him to have any emotion, she took his warning seriously.  She gave them a crystal, and told them it was Xern's Mind Crystal - it was in several parts around the city, and they had to get them all and assemble it to see what it held.

She the briefly outlined the three important points in town that the Team should know about (The Colosseum of Fools,  run by a Harvester Devil, Zaffan, who gets recruits for the Blood War through his business; the Brass Cat gambling den run by Bau Feng; and a warehouse on the river Styx, which had received mysterious packages from some Black Armoured men, run by an Arcanaloth called Analax Noxus), before disappearing. 

The team decided to head to the gambling den first, and try to get information from Bau Feng, as he was said to know  everything that happened in the Teardrop.  Felix won about 1750 Gold, (and was saved from drinking poisoned wine offered by the staff by Ranessa and Shabani). The Team was escorted to meet the management to "congratulate" him on his winnings.   

When they described what he was after, Bau Feng's eyes showed recognition.  He told us Thrug, a Troll-Demon who was a favorite in the Colosseum, had it around his neck, and swore it was a gift from his maternal uncle.  

He said he would let Felix keep his winnings (despite realizing that they had been gained by cheating), and if the Team happened to kill Thrug while retrieving the object, he would reveal to them the location of the third object.  

After leaving the Cat, they headed to the Colosseum, and watched a show.  Shabani found that Thrug was a martial adept (likely a Warblade) who favoured the Stone Dragon school, and was probably at least a level 9.  He had only leather armor on, but had very thick hide, and regenerated as a Troll does.

Ranessa and Shabani signed up for the Fresh Meat contest.  The considered but turned down the insurance packages as they were very expensive (Bronze started at 5000 Gold).  

The fights would  start on the next day.  On a hunch, the Team went over to the Warehouse and again tried Locate Object.  Olwen and Felix Dimension Doored into the office where they had located the gem, and Olwen did a quick search, revealing the gem to be in an unlocked box on the floor.  Felix cast Detected Magic, and found an Alarm spell on the room.  Upon opening the box, they found the head of the Gith, with a note "You shouldn't be here" on it.  Some Demons Teleported in to surround them, but they Dimensioned Doored out quickly.  

In the meantime, the large demon who some of the Team had spotted earlier had shown up to attack Shabani and Ranessa.  Shabani was stunned by a Magical (or Psychic) Attack from the Demon, and Rannessa was holding him off on her own.  The fight did not seem to be going well even after the rest of the Party members returned, as reinforcements were likely to arrive soon, so they Dimension Doored (Ranessa first communicating with Flick in Draconic to tell him where they would be going), about 800 meters towards town.  They healed up, and decided what to do while awaiting Flick's arrival. 

(March 10th, 2019)

While waiting for Flick, the Party members activated their Scout's Headbands to Detect Invisibility and looked around.  They spotted a Jackal headed, robed figure flying above them,  looking down on them.  When he noticed they had seen him, he teleported away.
After Flick returned, they hastily retreated to the Colosseum, and slept there with the other contestants overnight.  

Shabani and Ranessa were scheduled as the third Fresh Meat fight the next day.  Felix and Olwen were given box seats as their "managers".  After Olwen investigated and found out that was unusual, Felix helped him to disguise himself and, he hid in the general audience.  Felix then cast Invisibility, Alter Self (to look like a different human) and Silent Images of himself and Olwen (just around the corner from the box seats doorway), and went up past the guard with the images.

Shabani, Rannessa and Flick found themselves fighting Thrug, rather than an easier Fresh Meat contest which they had expected.  They did some serious damage in the first couple of rounds, so another, scorpion-tailed Demon was sent in to attack them as well.

Meanwhile two Demons showed up in the box seat and attacked the Images.  Felix jumped over the balcony and cast Fly on his way down.  The Demons heard him cast, and spotted him (they could See Invisibility), so he Dimension Doored behind the door to the box seat, flew around the corner, cast a different Alter Self on himself, dropped his Invisibility, and hid in the crowd.

Shabani and Ranessa managed to fell Thrug, and Flick grabbed the crystal (which was on a leather thong around Thrug's neck).  Felix used Ghost Sound to instruct him to throw it in Felix's direction, but not trusting the voice, Flick instead flew 100 feet up in the air, where someone cast a Cloudkill spell on him.

He then spotted Olwen, and started flying towards him.  Felix used another Ghost Sound to urge Ranessa to tell Flick to throw the necklace in his direction, which he finally did, and Felix used Dimensional Reach to Teleport the gem into his hand secretly.

Another Cloudkill was cast at them, leaving Flick in a severely weakened state.  The crowd started to panic and try to flee the stadium.  The gates to the pit were closed, making it difficult for the fighters to escape.

Ranessa cut off the head of Thrug, who had been healing his wounds (due to being part Troll), and Shabani threw the body into the staked pit that surrounded the fighting area.  Olwen found the gate mechanism and opened the gate, and lowered the bridge across the spiked pit.  The Cerebrelith who been following the Team from the Brass Cat showed up again and blocked their exit.

The team  Dimension Doored to the gate to Sigil by the temple, and waited for Flick again.  By the time he got there, the Cerebrelith had used a Scrying Crystal to find the Party, but they managed to hold him off and get through the gate.   Ranessa was the last through the gate.  The Celebrith tried to Dominate her before she left, but she shrugged it off without effort.
They gave the head of Xern and the Mind Crystals to Perry, who paid for a night on the town for them, and told us them would soon be meeting the Planeswalkers.


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