Happy Days for Jo of Kell

AK510-40 Cool Summer End Week 4 [Charon Guiding, Shale Resting, Cycles Watching]

Shaleday (afternoon)

The day Tanner appeared in the village and told Jo of Kell to pack his bags was a joyous one indeed. He would never have left his beloved tavern, his lab and of course his two lovely wives, if not for Tim's persuasive powers. The town council were not best pleased that their defenders had left them in the middle of the war, but Tanner had persuaded them that he and the others would return soon enough and that their absence was required by the Gods. While his wife had agreed with all of Tanner's decisions in public, Jo and his wives had noted heated discussions coming from their home after nightfall. The anger had turned to passion later in the cold night and Jo assumed that a reconciliation had been made. His wives had made several visits around the village, each time passing the Tanner home, in order to keep him appraised of developments. When gold was in short supply gossip was the next best thing. We three are made for each other he thought.

Jo could barely contain his excitement at the unprecedented treasures he had found in Kysiatch's lair. Such wondrous facts, intelligent insights and esoteric ingredients. The face of alchemy would never be the same again. It certainly wouldn't have any eyebrows, that was for sure.
Admittedly it was a bit tedious having to make polite conversation with the count's men but he managed to make that a little more tolerable by spreading all manner of outrageous rumour among them. It really was fun to watch. And that young lady who was so taken with Stuffitt, certainly did enjoy a bit of gossip. He had to admire her facility for spinning the most innocent fact into a beautifully crafted deceit. She was wasted as a knight he thought, she would be better suited to the life of a merchant or even a publican. Stuffitt was a lucky man to have so much of her attention. Especially when it was she who defended him against the nastier accusations from among the count's guards.

The sombre but melodic tones sounded from the control panel and he went to investigate. It was those lunatics returning from another delve into the ancient golem factory. While he was eager to explore the place, he was also happy to let the others explore it for a while and encounter some of it's more dangerous elements. He called out to them using the panel's magical arts.
"What is the password?"
The party looked at one another in some confusion. They were pretty sure that no password had been agreed. Unfortunately once Jo got an idea into his head there was little point in trying to dislodge it.
They decided to guess.
"Ka-Boom?" ventured Tanner.
"Correct! Come on in!" Jo opened the door and the Ibixians flooded eagerly out into the tunnels. A massive battle ensued with the lizardfolk. This time the count's knights had decided to get involved in the fighting. The Ibixians had convinced them that this was the only way to restore their honour after the fall of Darkkeep. In the confusion the party slipped through the shunt and into the arrivals area. The battle raged around them and the Ibixians were really enjoying themselves. A mutual admiration was beginning to grow amongst the Charon priests and the knights. The rages being initiated by the gutworms were having a very beneficial effect on the knights combat abilities and even though the gutworms were fallen creatures, the Ibixians were happy to let the infestation slide temporarily as long as the rages were put to good use. It was best, assumed the Ibixians, to let Vedic Tim Tanner wrestle with such issues.