When we last tuned in..

…the party had successfully snatched a rod bit from the hair of the matron of honor and fled back to Treflamme, There it is established that both Parker and Barada must seek additional training, and so the group spends 6 months journeying back to Thudheim, A six month stint in that fair …town… with some jaunts to Waterdeep and Daggerford keeps the rest of the group members occupied if not enthralled with life.

Soon enough, Barada returns and the group follows the now-familiar tug on his rod. Passing by the town of Orlbar and through Llorhk, over the Dawn Pass – being quite polite to the undead beholder – and onto the trade road that led to the desert city of the Invincible Overlord – now defunct.

Dalliance conjures up camels and the group abandons the open road for the gently undulating dunes of the southern desert. While the Feaster flies surveillance, the group meanders along. Eventually they make contact with some goat herders. Cheese is sought and bought and the party eventually beds down near the goat herder’s home village – a collection of a dozen or so mud huts. While there, it is established that the tug of Barada’s rod will lead them to an abandopned and haunted caravanserai. The bard and druid assume animal form and go off to scout the place for the next few days while Dalliance dallies amidst moist and fragrant cheeses. The group completes its purchase of goaty cheese and sets off along a much abused and quite weathered trade road.

Arraiving near the caravanserai – and armed with the knowledge that there are veiled women and purple-skinned bathers and a working forge and a cookhouse that seems to be in use – the group attempts to sneak in, Unfortunately for them, a donkey smells them and starts braying to be fed. The group hurries along and are passing by the forge when they are directly addressed by a group of bat-winged, turban wearing creatures that look like Gonzo from the Muppets. A brief exchange leaves the party breathing clouds of smoky soot and the creatures fleeing and cackling with delight. Dalliance lights them up with a hefty lightning bolt and the group springs into high gear.

Entering a courtyard, the group enters a room with an elaborate rug and stairs upwards and a door in the far wall. They investigate the upstairs and find living room sets and a desk and a talking raven and a statue acting as a clothes rack. They try to detect magic but are not successful, so they head downstairs. Heading towards the door brings them face to face with one of Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things – who admonishes them for being rude and asks that they wait in the courtyard so coffee may be served. The group is taken aback and agrees. In the courtyard, they make small talk with an apparently deceased trader until the decision is spontaneously undertaken that they will not waste more time in polite chatter – ACTION IS NEEDED NOW!

They start opening doors – eventually coming face to face with The Wild Thing and 6 medusa. In the melee that follows, Lubboch is poisoned and dies, Feaster has his leg torn out of the socket, Dallaince wastes her most potent magic on an illusion, walls of fire spring up and seal the party in the rooms they occupy and poisoned arrows start being shot through the flames and into the party. On the plus side – The medusa are slain and the Wild Thing is reduced to gaseous form.

Finding this situation untenable, the group reverses course and tries fleeing through the medusa harem. Upon exiting, they encounter 4 purple ‘humans’ – that immediately grow to 12 feet in size and start administering the beatdown. The party gives as good as it gets and wins through – only to fight another quartet of late arrivals. Much damage is dealt and more is taken. The group eventually seeks refuge in the upstairs and barricades themselves within. After some hours without losing massive amounts of blood – the group starts to wonder if the inhabitants have fled.

In desperation the suggestion is made that the statues should be questioned. Since Dalliance has the Stone to Flesh spell, she returns the clothes rack to the world of the living. Barada presents a rod segment and asks “have you seen such a thing?”. The former laundry depository flips back his cloak and produces two pieces of the rod – joined together. He presents them to Barada with his compliments. Some Q&A reveals information about the arcane processes required to join the rest of the segments. Some Alignment Detection reveals the Chaotic Evil nature of the former rod bearer and the party encourages him to be on his way.