“chuff chuff chuff”…here comes Mr. Slippers!

Returning to the desert in search of the missing dwarven gem mine, the group is headed northward along the abandoned caravan road just beyond the goat-cheese making village, While the group plods through the desert sands, Bud and Barada scout about in bird form. Early one morning Barada spots the now familiar sight of a fez wearing figure shuffling along through the desert. “Tis Mr. Slippers! A brief debate is held about whether to fight or run, but in the end Dalliance opines that it might be better to take him on here and now as opposed to having him turn up later at a more inconvenient time.

Plans are laid: Lubbitch and Barada will soften him up with a few rounds of arrow fire. Reza will hurl Dalliance’s potions of explosion, Humbar will go berserk and ready the sword of Golem slaying (’cause everyone thinks he is a golem), while Bud circles about and will attack from the rear when the opportunity arises. Dalliance will loose some potent magic and stand by as needed. When Mr. Slippers comes within range he cheerfully calls out ‘I’m here to kill you’ – and the battle is joined, Brada looks upon him through the Gem of Seeing and reports that ‘yes, he is a golem’. Dalliance looses a powerful lightning bolt, only to see it grounded into the sand. The first round of missile fire rebounds upon the attackers, throwing parts of the plan into disarray. A second lightning bolt is similarly dispensed with, and more arrows are returned to sender.

As Mr. Slippers climbs out of a huge sandy crater making a distinctive ‘chuff chuff chuff’ shuffling slipper sound, the group attacks.
Berserk Reza and Humbar enter the fray, followed closely by Lubbitch and her flaming two-handed sword. Blows rain down and within a few seconds Lubbitch is dead, her head having been reduced to overripe melon consistency from a wicked blow, Mr. Slippers lights up like a flashbulb and nearly slays the attackers with bursts of magical energy. more missiles, more combat, more deadly damage. Alternating between drinking potions of extra-healing and nearly being beaten to death, Reza grimly battles on. Humbar strikes blows and is eventually felled by a smash from one of the slippered one’s fist. The creature engages Dalliance while the rest of the party flails away at it.
Dalliance takes a pounding, but distracts the creature long enough for Barada to get in a few blows as well as the flying fists of Feaster fury to deal some damage. Party members shoot and strike each other, Reza pops a strap on his magical bracers and it is all looking very grim as the battle rages past the one minute mark. Mr Slippers flashes again and more party members are sorely wounded. Finally, only a few hit points separate Bud from a future as worm food, Barada is dealt a few wicked blows and Dalliance might be considering the wisdom of flight when Reza snatches up the sword of Golem slaying from Humbar’s cooling hand and strikes a savage blow from behind that ends the threat. Total elapsed time from the first arrow…one minute, twenty five seconds.

The discovery is made that the golem is made of solid admantium and garbed in magical fez, slippers, pantaloons and vest. As Lubbitche’s ring of regeneration works it magic upon her, Dalliance teleports the body of Humbar back to the temple of Lathander in Thudheim where he is raised and healed. Rejoining the party, Dalliance summons elephants to drag the body back to Waterdeep, pausing in Thudheim to spread the news of the removal of the slippered threat. An honor guard is dispatched and the group travels to Daggerford, where they are fete’d by the town council. Finally arriving at Waterdeep, the group kicks off a three day long celebration. Amidst the festiveties, Dalliance and Barada are offered positions as Lords of Waterdeep (due to Mr.
Slipper’s removal of two of the previous lords). Dalliance seeks training from Rary and Barada makes sure to tell the tales in every tavern that he can frequent. The golem’s magical garb is found to be a fez of magic resistance, a vest of missile reversal, pantaloons of null gravity and slippers of wind and water walking. Divvy divvy goes the group, and items are distributed. Mr. Slippers is delivered to Lord Stumpy and melted down into bars, fetching a nice dividend of 200,000gp per party member. While Dalliance searches for Rary, the rest of the group ponders what they might do wile their mage is in training…

…say…wasn’t there some sort of dwarven gem mine to go look at?