Category:The Zookeepers

The Zookeepers

Clock Zoo is the leader, although Bobby sometimes acts like she should be. Clock Zoo often consults with Konnack, and sometimes Asuidal Asuidal, before acting. Konnack is obviously the strongest, although it is hard to say who is the best fighter: Konnack, Dust, Montpar, or Xiphoid Mary. Dust and Morning Star are tied for the fastest. Note that there is a ninth character listed here but not on the wiki: he is Konnack’s henchman.

History

The Zookeepers were founded by Clock Zoo for the express purpose of killing the mad emperor Pirinim. Pirinim dwelt always within an anti-magic shell, and further no one (including guards) was permitted in his presence with weapons or, in fact, clothing, which made his assassination problematic; so certain parties were willing to make it well worth the assassins’ while, and, let’s face it: Pirinim deserved to die. Clock Zoo and Asuidal Asuidal, who were the only surviving members of a long-suffering party that went up against one lich too many, recruited several people for the task.

Konnack, Galamar and Montpar, along with an elven thief named Evan the Fletcher, were veterans of several adventuring groups, looking for a cleric. Konnack had rescued Galamar from slavery in the drow gladiatorial pits some time ago, and Galamar had been following him ever since. Montpar, who had his own grudge against the drow teamed up with Konnack, Galamar, Evan, and Zoe, a priestess of Eris, for several raids against the underdark; the last one went poorly, and Zoe got disintegrated by a beholder. They were all too willing to join Clock Zoo once they learned that Asuidal could fix up their slowly healing wounds.

Bobby had adventured briefly with Clock Zoo and Asuidal back in the day (she’d left long before the lich debacle) and joined the party for her own reasons; Clock Zoo figured he needed another mage.

The Zookeepers, as Clock Zoo called them, launched their attack. Clock Zoo and Galamar received an audience with the emperor, going in unarmed and naked; Asuidal, whose druidic abilities, Clock Zoo had found, were not stopped by an anti-magic shell, entered the chamber from the elemental plane of earth with two non-magical weapons of a sort Clock Zoo had invented, and, while Galamar with his bare fists and Asuidal in the form of a saber-toothed tiger (she and Clock Zoo had encountered one in the jungles of Derni when they were like fifth level) fought off the guards, Clock Zoo used his crazy weapons to kill the emperor. Konnack and Montpar, meantime, had assaulted the palace from the outside, drawing guards away, while Bobby, snuck into the palace through Evan’s stealth, was supposed to magically disintegrate a path through a sidewall for Clock Zoo and co. to make their escape (Asuidal just disappeared back into the plane of earth). Something went wrong and Bobby, misestimating, found herself inside the anti-magic shell; she managed to get out, and, although she has never revealed how, it is clear that she had to do something unpleasant; Clock Zoo and Galamar fought their own way out of the palace, whereupon they rendezvoused with Evan; Clock Zoo then (perhaps with a teleport scroll? the details are fuzzy) rescued Konnack and Montpar as they were on the verge of being overwhelmed. Overall, a successful mission. They decided to stick together and try some dungeons.

They soon encountered Morning Star riding through the forest on Dust. The two had finally left a group they had adventured with for years when the members started settling down to get followers: Morning Star and Dust were not the settling down kind, not when adventure called. The party was glad to get another cleric, and Dust, who had brought with her the party’s saddlebags of holding (they had no use for them anymore, and couldn’t really wear them anyway), soon proved a valuable asset in combat as well.

Xiphoid Mary joined most recently, at Bobby’s instigation (they apparently knew each other form somewhere, and Bobby really put the pressure on to let her in), just before the party went on the quest to acquire the Jacinth of Inestimable Beauty. Upon completion of the quest (during the course of which Evan fell through a horizontal prismatic wall, dying several deaths and his corpse ending up on another plane), there was controversy about who should wield the jacinth, which was, after all, a powerful artifact. Clock Zoo, Bobby, and Mary (who, as newbie, had little claim) all obviously wanted it, but they all knew the jacinth drained intelligence from the wearer, and none were willing to take the hit. They had pretty much decided to give it to Morning Star, but she herself suggested Dust should have it. Dust assented on the condition that it not be a loaner, but be her for real, body and soul. You can’t really share an artifact, so the group assented. Not everyone is necessarily happy with the decision, but it has kept the peace.

What will become of the Zookeepers next?

Players:

• Sam
• Noah
• Chris
• ET