"I'm going to write a word on a piece of paper. If you think my saying it would strike you blind, stay outside." - Joe 2006-10-01
En route to the Brass Trumpet, Gadrey notes that there are a bunch of wagons of noble and merchant houses from unusually far away.
The Brass Trumpet's trumpet still hangs on an iron sign over the door. The ground floor windows have been bricked over. The second story windows have been replaced with opaque smoked glass. Rassi tries to open the door, but it's locked. Aidan protects us with a mass shield of faith. With two strokes Rassi cuts the door down. (1) Metal slots in the front of the building open and the ends of crossbows stick out. I hit one of the crossbowmen with magic missiles. They fire back from the arrow slits in the and from slits inside the room beyond. Kyrin slays one of the men with his own volley of magic missiles. Aidan heads in and attacks the new wood wall. Shensen turns into a troll and reaches into one of the arrow slits, reaching for one of the men. I step in and start attacking with my wand of magic missile. Rassi moves in and attacks through arrow slits, slaying two of the men. Gadrey and Aidan cut through the wall and lay into the men beyond. Gadrey slays two. Shensen moves over to the other side, sticks her arm into the arrow slit, and crushes the final crossbowman. The bodies are all painted in Last Laugh face makeup: half black, half white.
I protect myself with a magical shield. We move further in. (2) Rassi opens the next door. A trap fires five heavy crossbow bolt at her, several of which strike her. Aidan enchants Rassi's sword with brilliant blade. Gadrey heads in and sweeps aside one of the curtains. (3) Beyond is a grid of iron spikes. Kyrin pulls the next curtain aside. (4) Four more Last Laugh members beyond open fire on Gadrey. Troll-Shensen steps in and tears the head off one. Rassi follows and cuts two down with her greatsword. The last one runs. Behind the curtains are yet more spikes.
Rassi runs up the stairs. There are seven more Last Laugh members, including one whose fist is glowing. Aidan heads up and invokes a holy word, instantly slaying five of the gang members. The remaining two a are paralyzed. Gadrey heads up slays the woman with the glowing fist. Kyrin and Rassi finish off the last gang member, another woman. Shensen flies up a bird, then turns back into herself.
"A cape of the mountain bike. When you arrive somewhere you don't have to lock it up, just *foof* and it turns into a nice light cape." Joe 2006-10-01
Gadrey uses his axe to cut a hole in the wall where Mirthan said the secret passage is. An alarm sounds. At the end of a short hallway is an obvious mechanism for a secret door.
From the far end of the passage a mist pours through and into the room. It solidifies into the form of a woman in robes wearing Last Laugh makeup. Kyrin hits her with an orb of fire. The blast throws her against the wall. Her body slumps to the ground.
(6) The next room is full of curtains. A man in a red cape is hanging from the ceiling. Instead of the normal Last Laugh facepaint, he has a red star over his eye. The man points a wand at Gadrey, holding him fast. Beyond is another Last Laugh member. Shensen hits the rank and file member with an infestation of maggots. He screams and attacks Shensen with a falchion, striking her. The man in red moves down to the ground, drawing a shortsword. Now that he's closer, it's clear that he's a halfling. He strikes Gadrey.
Shensen turns back into a troll, tearing some of the curtains in the process. The halfling and the gang member try to attack her, but their blade bounce off her tough troll skin. I break the enchantment on Gadrey, freeing him. Rassi moves into the halfling, swinging wildly. Gadrey cuts deep into the halfling's side with his axe. The halfling clutches at the wall, then disappears in a cloud of smoke. He must be the one with the cape of the mountebank. Shensen kills the last member.
Aidan notes a trap door in the floor in the far corner. It must lead to the street. One of the smoked windows has a small hole for peering out. Kyrin pulls the curtains down. On a table nearby is a chest, it holds Fellian's equipment and some gold. Instead of the Sasserine emblem, it has a laughing jester face.
Shensen points out the secret door. Gadrey cuts the door open with his axe. (7) The room is unusually tall; the floor to the attic above has been cut out. A light at the top faintly illuminates the chamber. Against the back wall Fellian is strapped to a large wooden X. Fellian's back is bloody. A woman inside smiles and jams a dagger in Fellian's neck. Also in the room are two more Last Laugh members in loose robes, as well as the halfling with the red star painted around his eye. Both the woman and the halfling are slightly blurry, they're probably magicallydisplaced.
"People are like elephants, Tarik. Some of them are just jerks." - Joe 2006-10-01
Shensen tries to hit the woman and one of the monks with arc of lightning. The woman dodges the entire arc, the monk dodges some of it. Gadrey moves in, slaying one and injuring the other. The woman runs up the wall into the darkness. The halfling moves up and attacks Gadrey, injuring him. A glowing dagger flies from the darkenss above, striking Gadrey. It seems to ignore Gadrey's armor. The dagger pulls itself free of Gadrey's shoulder and flies back into the darkness.
Kyrin fires a prismatic spray at the halfling, but misses. Rassi stabs through the wall with her greatsword, taking advantage of the brilliant blade enchantment. Her blows slay the halfling.
Aidan runs into the room and attempts to revivify Fellian. Fellian's wounds heal and he shudders, barely alive. Aidan heals Fellian with cure critical wounds, restoring him to conciousness.
Shensen enchants herself with master air, growing bat wings. Gadrey easily slays the last monk.
The glowing dagger again flies down, this time striking Aidan. A mundane dagger flies down and bounces off Aidan's armor. Kyrin launches a cone of fire upward. I grant Gadrey the power of flight. Rassi runs up the wall. The last rogue is Detrick.
Aidan invokes grace. The light brightly illuminates the room, revealing the rogues above. Shensen hits the woman with faerie fire, causing her to glow and making her a much easier target. Gadrey moves up to Detrick and strikes him. The woman hits Aidan with a dagger. Detrick says, "give this to Verana," drops the glowing dagger, grabs his amulet, and disappears. The woman screams, "Detrick!" Kyrin hits the woman with an orb of acid. Rassi charges across the wall and drives her greatsword into the woman's gut. The woman falls to the ground with a thump.
6 Last Laugh members
crossbow trap
4 Last Laugh members
5 Last Laugh members, 2 Last Laugh monks
1Last Laugh monk
1 Last Laugh member
Last Laugh female leader, Detrick, halfling with red star, 2 Last Laugh monks
18688=87614 (NOTE: Rounded up)
Looting the place, we find a bunch of magic items: 6 amulets, a shortsword, studded leather, the glowing dagger, 2 wands, a pair of gloves, a cape of the mountebank, a dusty rose prism ioun stone (armor), 2 pairs of slippers of spider climb. All of the coins we find are stamped with the laughing jester face logo.
One our way back, Gadrey stops to chat with one of the out of town merchants. He learns that the merchants are in town for the festival. There have been bards in Sasserine for the last two weeks hyping the festival. Apparently half of the trade costers in Sasserine are here for the festival.