The Spider Wasp Chronicles Chapter 7: Follow the Money
We last left our adventurers in the halls of Mayor Winston. Sul is whisked away on a promotional campaign around the city (the hero of Thamasa!), and Kai and Oshanda, the young monk and half-elven sorceress respectively, are dismissed. Back at The Fake Moustache, where room and board is being paid for by the Mayor, the pair meet up with Arnor the Paladin and Vahnya the Druid, who have ended up in Thamasa after wandering around Muras for some time. During an excellent bit of roleplaying we are reminded of each character’s stories, such as Arnor’s quest to find the person in blue or Kai’s initiation pilgrimage away from his temple.
The following day Mayor Winston summons the adventurers to investigate the Fanatical Sect of Pelor whose plans Sul so heroically foiled. After spending the day in the different districts of the city gathering information, they learn that the Sect will be hosting an information session for initiates that very evening.
At dusk, the adventurers enter the small church and take a personality test to determine their entrance fee. Vahnya ends up being the one “in need of most help” and thus ends up having to fork out 100 gold pieces just to hear some dude preach ridiculous shit. After the moving sermon, the adventurers mingle with the audience. They notice the priest disappear through a guarded door at the back. Oshanda, recently inducted in the ways of the Mind Bender, attempts to see through the walls and finds the priest locking some important-looking scrolls in a drawer.
Our heroes decide to visit the church again under the cover of night, but not before Vahnya manages to sneak past the guards at the front door in her cat-form. At midnight, Oshanda walks up to the guards and asks to get past, claiming that she has left her purse behind during the sermon. A confusing battle ensues, whereby Oshanda and Vahnya end up in the church trying to blast the life out of the guards inside while Kai and Arnor are locked in battle by the threshold with some other soldiers of the sect. When their opponents call for reinforcements, Kai and Arnor jump in to the church, bolt the door, and help waste the guards on the inside. They run up to the backdoor and, lacking a rogue who can pick the lock, bash it till it allows them to enter. The drawer on the office lying on the other side of the door receives similar treatment, and the characters retrieve the scrolls. Finding no other door in that room, our heroes (*cough*Kai*cough*) deduce that there must be a secret door. The young monk finds a switch and flips it to reveal a hidden stairway leading to a basement. At the end of the stairs they find themselves in an empty room with a single door in front of them. Establishing a carefully-planned marching order (paladin and monk at the front, sorceress and druid at the back), the melee heroes turn the knob and deftly avoid the trap fireball, which partially affects Oshanda and hits Vahnya squarely in the face.
On the other side of the room the priest stands expectantly, mace in hand. He’s been waiting for them. Arnor and Kai lunge at the priest but are unable to land a single blow (surprise surprise, Kai). The spellcasters’ magic is barely more successful. Sensing that the danger mostly comes from the ladies at the back, the priest takes a five step back and casts a column of hellfire which Oshanda dodges for half damage, barely hanging on to life. Vahnya, on the other hand, is immediately incinerated beyond all recognition.
You can almost hear an apology emanate from the priest’s lips. Changing tactics, the paladin takes a step back as Oshanda throws fireball upon fireball at the monk and the priest, a tried-and-tested strategy (cos, seriously, fuck the monk, eh?). Using his sixth sense, Kai is able to dodge most if not all of the flames, which is more than can be said for the priest, who eventually succumbs to the sorceress’ magic.
As Kai scoops up Vahnya’s ashes, Arnor and Oshanda read the scrolls to discover that the Fanatical Sect of Pelor was the money bloodline of the Spider Wasp network. By scamming hundreds of people out of their gold pieces the Spider Wasp had been able to sustain its secret campaign. With the church now ostensibly taken down, the network is surely weakened.
Up until now our heroes have always been one step behind. No more. No more defending now. The time has come to attack the Spider Wasp and avenge all those who have died by the Spider Wasp’s hand. For the people of Shallowshore. For Captain Oki. For Vahnya.
