Chapter #77

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                                +
                              +   +
                            +       +
                          +           +
                        +               +
                      +                   +
                    +                       +
                  +      THE ADVENTURERS      +
                    +                       +
                      +                   +
                        +               +
                          +           +
                            +       +
                              +   +
                                +



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+    The various characters contained in these writings are   +
+  copyright 1992 by Thomas Miller.  Any resemblance to any   +
+  persons or characters either real or fictional is utterly  +
+  coincidental.  Copying and/or distribution of these tales  +
+  is permissible only under the sole condition that no part  +
+  of them will be used or sold for profit.  In that case, I  +
+  hope you enjoy them...                                     +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   THE PARTY:                                                +
+                                                             +
+   Alindyar      11th level drow elf mage              (N)   +
+      Lyra        7th level female drow elf mage       (N)   +
+   Belphanior     8th/8th/9th level high elf w/m/t    (CN)   +
+   Ged            9th/9th level grey elf priest/mage  (NG)   +
+      Arnold      7th level human warrior             (NG)   +
+   Mongo          9th level dwarf warrior             (CG)   +
+   Peldor        12th level human thief                (N)   +
+   Rillen         9th level human warrior              (N)   +
+   Rob           10th level human priest              (LG)   +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+   Date:   7/14/571 C.Y. (Common Year)                       +
+   Time:   early morning                                     +
+   Place:  the Yatil Mountains                               +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++





          LXXVII.  Bosco II - The Exorcism





  The party has left for the mountain town of Targ,
to the north.  Their mountain man guide, Shakar, has
done a good job of guiding them through the peaks
and trails of the area, and after a short night's
rest and some fast riding, they expect to reach Targ
within the hour.  Their mission is simple : find the
possessed (and extremely dangerous) halfling, Bosco,
and exorcise his demon, through strategic use of the
priests' spells.

Ged:  Targ?  What kind of a name is _Targ_, anyway?
  The inhabitants must then be...TARG-ets!
Alindyar:  I am sure that Bosco feels that way, as
  well.
Peldor:  Poor, poor Bosco.  Where did he go wrong?
Ged:  I'd say when you let him draw from that deck
  of many things, and his soul was forfeit...
Mongo:  Hey, it's not _his_ fault, what happened.
  Something's got him, took over his body!
Rob:  ...and it forces him to do its evil bidding.
Ged:  Of course it's not Bosco's fault!  It's
  _Peldor's_ fault!
Shakar:  (looking ahead)  The town of Targ is up
  the path a ways.  Maybe I'll stay the night there
  before returning to Lud.
Belphanior:  Whatever.  We certainly don't expect
  you to stay and help us apprehend Bosco.  (musing)
  Though, realistically, we may have to kill him...
Lyra:  I agree.  If we don't stop the little one now,
  he will just fly away again, somewhere else.  I'd
  say we will be lucky to even find him in the town
  ahead.
Rillen:  Find him, and smash him.  (raises his staff
  menacingly)  He has quite a punch, for such a puny
  little fellow.
Shakar:  (points ahead)  Behold - Targ!

  The town of Targ, nestled as it was within the Yatil
range, was barely visible from the trail.  It seemed
heavily fortified, with a pair of guard towers flanking
the entrance ahead.  Of course, both of the towers were
aflame...

Mongo:  Aha!  The little fucker's been here!
Lyra:  Maybe he is _still_ here.  We had best be very
  careful.
Ged:  I am ready for him.  I've got the Dispel Evil all
  ready to cast.  Rob?
Rob:  (waves his hands)  My Abjuration is prepared.
Belphanior:  Then, what are we standing around here for?
  Let's go!  (rides into the town)
Shakar:  (being a simple mountain guide, and wanting no
  part of this business, heads somewhere else)

  It was readily apparent that Bosco had been through
here.  A number of smaller buildings were on fire, and
a few craters in the ground could be seen.  Dozens of
corpses littered the streets, some dismembered, others
burned.  There was some kind of commotion coming from
the center of the town, so the group headed that way.

shortly...

Alindyar:  Look up there!  (points into the air)
Bosco:  (floating above the town's temple, eating a
  large haunch of mutton as he blasts the place with
  bolts of flame)  Chomp, chomp!
Ged:  Shh!  We must be discreet.
Alindyar:  Aye.  (casts Invisibility on Ged)  Perhaps
  he shall not see you when the crucial time is at
  hand.
Ged:  Thanks.  Can somebody get Rob too?
Belphanior:  (grumbling)  Okay.  (casts Invisibility
  upon Rob)
Rob:  Wow!  (trying to see himself, unsuccessfully)
Mongo:  (hefts his hammer)  Well, I guess someone has
  to bring him down from the air...
Rillen:  Yes.  (pulls out his sling and one of his
  magical sling stones, the blue one)
Alindyar:  Not so hasty.  Allow Lyra and I to prepare
  spells to assist in the endeavor.  (they all chat
  for a moment, and then the plan is put into action)
Ged:  (casts a Dispel Evil spell, and dismounts)
Rob:  (prepares his Abjuration spell)

Lyra:  (casts a Wall of Ice - the "sheet" variant -
  in the air above Bosco)
Bosco:  What?!?  (looks up, as the sheet falls on top
  of him, knocking him towards the ground)  Argh!
Rillen:  Smashing.
Alindyar:  (casts a Web on top of the ice fragments,
  anchoring the whole mess to the ground)  Ah.  Most
  excellent.
Mongo:  (watching the silent mass of webs and ice
  fragments)  You don't think he's dead, do you?
Ged:  (invisible)  Not for a minute.  (moves a bit
  closer, though not between Mongo and Rillen, and
  the web)

  Suddenly, the webs trembled, and then erupted in
flames.  The ice began to melt, as did the webs, and
the Bosco-thing floated out of the conflagration,
grinning evilly.

Bosco-thing:  So!  It's you people again!
Rillen:  Yes.
Belphanior:  Don't worry, we haven't missed you.
Bosco-thing:  (waves his hand, and a swarm of armed
  townspeople charges toward the party)  Behold my
  newest servants.  Charmed fools, all.  Attack,
  my slaves!  Destroy these adventurers!
mob:  (thirty or so in number, they move in on the
  party)
Belphanior:  Ah, I shall deal with these people!
  (waves his staff aloft, chanting)
Ged:  No!  Don't kill anybody!
Belphanior:  Don't worry.  (casts a wall of fire
  from the staff, blocking the charmed townspeople)
  There.  They won't die.  Not unless they walk
  into the wall of fire...and _I_ can't be held
  accountable for that.
Bosco-thing:  You idiots are as persistent as ever,
  I see.
Mongo:  Damn right!  (hurls his hammer at the entity
  and hits it square in the head)  Hah!  Take that!
Bosco-thing:  Ack!  How dare you?!?  You might chip
  one of my teeth with that thing!  (grabs for the
  hammer as it returns, but misses)  Damn.  (points
  at Mongo, and a grey nimbus appears around the
  dwarf)
Mongo:  Argh!  (he is overtaken by wracking pains)
  What the hell- ?!?
Bosco-thing:  Flesh to stone, you fool.  HA HA HA!
Mongo:  ARGH!  (his innate resilience to magic is
  acting to try and prevent this petrifying turn of
  events)  ARGH!  (falls to the ground in agony)
Rillen:  No more!  (fires his sling stone at Bosco,
  and the magical blue missile hits the halfling's
  chest, exploding in a puff of ice and snow)
Bosco-thing:  (encased in about 4" of ice, mouth
  agape)
Rillen:  I guess that shut him up for a while.
Mongo:  (nearby, has avoided the petrification, due
  to his dwarvish stamina and to his magical armor)
  Agh.  (lies on the ground in pain)
Bosco-thing:  (causes the ice mass to explode, and
  sprays the party with ice shards)  Bah!
Alindyar:  (nicked by a few ice shards)  Agh!
Lyra:  (sliced by an ice shard)  Ouch!
Rillen:  (gouged by a few small ice shards)  Ugh!
Bosco-thing:  (begins to float up into the air)
Peldor:  (telekineses a handy, nearby bag of flour
  onto Bosco, delaying his ascent)  Take that, brutal
  Bosco!
Bosco-thing:  What?!?  (coughs as the cloud of white
  powder grows around him)  Arg.  I can't believe
  that I have allowed this "battle" to continue this
  far...It is now time to-
Ged:  Boccob!  (charges, and pounces upon Bosco,
  triggering his previously cast Dispel Evil)  Be
  gone, foul one!  Leave this plane, and this body!
  (becomes visible as he yells)  Begone!
Bosco-thing:  Aaaaaaaaargh!  (fights this spell of
  banishment, successfully)  Hah!  Fool!
Ged:  Whoa...
Bosco-thing:  (swats Ged, knocking him backwards a
  ways)  Puny priest!  Your Boccob is nothing!
Ged:  Ugh!  (lands nearby)  Air strike!  Air strike!
Mongo:  Here!  (hurls his hammer at Bosco)
Bosco-thing:  (hit in the back by the weapon, reels
  somewhat)  Ouch!  You'll all die for that!
Rob:  No!  (casts Abjuration on the halfling, turning
  visible as he does so)  I banish you, demon!
Bosco-thing:  Huh?  (eyes bulge wide)  No!  Nooooooo!
  Noooooooooooooo!  (the body goes limp, and the eyes
  go blank - Bosco's body crumples to the ground)
Rob:  So!  He's banished to his own plane.
Alindyar:  Wherever that is.
Mongo:  You did it!
Ged:  (casts Detect Evil)  Yep.  The evil spirit's
  gone, all right.
Peldor:  Poor, poor Bosco.  Whatever will we do with
  him?  (cradles the scarred, beaten form in his arms)


  The party helped the townspeople clean up most of the
destruction, and Ged made a hefty donation to the town
to help them rebuild their damaged areas.  Peldor found
a group of nuns in the big temple, and asked them if he
could leave Bosco in their care for a while.  The holy
sisters agreed, and blessed Bosco even as they tended
to his battered form.  Ged and Rob both seemed to agree
that within the temple, the halfling's body was safer
than on the open road.  Peldor left a sack of silver
with the nuns, to pay for any expenses that Bosco might
incur.  The party rested that day, and prepared to depart
on the morrow, planning to continue along the trail and
leave the mountains from their northern edge.
  With the dawn, they left Targ, Bosco, and the wreckage
and rode northward.





next time :  Drow; the portal

ftp site  :  ccosun.caltech.edu, in pub/adnd/fluff/adventurers

notes     :  Understand that this whole Bosco affair was
           a "joke" adventure, not meant to be taken TOO
           seriously...
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++



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