No bonus xp for me.  I don't see a Monty Python reference in there.

Toughest challenge, here we come!  If it's tough enough, Balthazar will have to open the Iron Flask.  Hope it doesn't come to that.  We can also escape using the Cubic Gate.  In other words, we've got options.

Grail shaped beacon over the Castle Anthrax in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Please add the 5000xp to your character sheet and thanks for playing! Now onto that tough bastard and his tough bastard followers.

Merry Xmas all! I will be doing my best to kill all of your characters over this holiday season!

Don't make me open that iron flask!

LOL You guys always manage to throw a wrench in my horrible plans!

Ho, etc!

Merry and Happy, y'all!

Sorry guys I suck...no excuses.

Will get a post up soon and we will go from there. Horribly uninspired I am afraid.

If I were DMing this, I would be enjoying myself immensely.

Yurp!;)

And as much as I dislike the situation I like it much better than having to make the decision to jump through and help our friends!

I am not a sadist in the least bit:) This is fun though.

It'll be fun when Balthazar and I divvy the loot up between us and tell Loukas and A'kos that the chamber was empty! ;)

I knew that one was coming.  LOL.  Two things: if A'kos distrusted magic before, he'll really dislike it now.  And: he won't be in such a rush to look through mystical portals.


You know, I was thinking about it: can't recall ever facing this particular beastie before.  Interesting choice.

Interesting indeed!

For one, I'm not a big fan of 'interesting'... Mundane, now that's something I can really get into!

That said, yeah, I must say I wasn't expecting to see this and purposefully didn't ask if anyone knew that The Mad Arab was also known as an author, albeit not until the 20th century...

I've heard of him, for certain, so this wasn't entirely unexpected.

Fun, though!

I haven't faced an opponent like this before, or at least not since my teenage/munchkin years (no, I was not a teenage munchkin, hence the 'slash'!). It was very interesting, and very well done I might add.

We're really an amazingly powerful party, even if we don't have a full-time cleric anymore.

Recommendation: if the Grail does restore Jaleh, let's recruit a new player for her.  Having an assassin in the party is fun, and if we do go after the Emperor, indispensable.

I was toying with the idea of shutting the game down once we finished this arc but the last bit got the juices flowing again.

Glad to hear this, Nestor! I can't say that I've felt uninspired at any point (it's easier to be a player), but I've really loved what's gone on in the last week or so. Nicely done, Mr. GM!

That's understandable.  Probably overthrowing the Emperor would make a great ending, so start prepping ;)

I can prep all I want, you guys will throw a wrench in my plans;)

Ha!  Ain't that the truth!!!

Players play while DM's plan.  Its unfair, really - 90% of adventure work is wasted time...

Long running games are great, even if they go through slow downs or even the occasional hiatus.  And yes, GM plans rarely survive contact with players.  :)   One reason I find prepackaged scenarios bothersome -- they usually assume certain actions on part of the PCs, which can often end up like herding cats.

One of the reasons I always keep and NPC along for the ride is to hopefully be able to subtly guide the group where I need them to be but even then unless I get outright obvious, I get thwarted all the time.

Holy Sh!t!  So we not only come across the Grail, but the Golden Fleece?!!!!