So we teleported to a few hours away from the enemy castle (the REAL Kyer could have done it in one fell swoop, being a Grand Imperial Wizard or some such, but our cut-rate version could only manage a few of us at a time). Still, Malif can TELEPORT! Hot damn. Me, I can just punch a little harder. No, actually, that's not true. I also got Kestrel to teach me his "Cleave" trick - might come in useful someday.

Vaugner and I went in to do our scouting thing (the party having the appropriately low expectations on our likely success, of course). We jumped the moat, climbed the wall, and made our way to the grove of fancy magic trees, where our secret agent met us and "introduced" us to the alien-detecting tree ("Tree, meet Blink. Blink, this is Tree" "Pleased to meet you, Sir Tree" "Likewise, I'm sure"). The spy disappeared, being quite reasonably a little apprehensive of hanging around while V. & I did our thing.

We were hoping to "mark" the tree for Malif by having someone sitting below it at 3PM the next day, but that was a non-starter, so we went back to the others to report, and described the layout (which grove to look for, etc.) Note: a SUCCESSFUL sneak by Vaugner and Blink! One for the record books.

Then we snuck back in (we are SO good), found an unused barn to hide in, and Vaugner went off solo to see if he could find where the big baddie (Franken) lived. He got as far as the front door of the biggest building, but it was protected by a some physical device AND a password, which Vaugner couldn't overhear. So we settled in to wait for the rest of the party to teleport in on the appointed day.

Right at the planned time (dusk the next day) all the fancy alarm trees in the universe started jangling (LOUD!). Vaugner made me invisible (always fun) and I went off to the grove to meet the others. Vaugner planned to go and see if he could hold the front door open for us.

As planned, the rest of the party all teleported in invisibly, and while the diversionary battle raged, we all ran for the front door. I managed to keep track of Vernon to make sure he didn't jump into the fray and heal an ailing demon, or something. We reached the door, to find that Vaugner had managed to hear the password, but couldn't figure out how to work the device (seeing and hearing simultaneously not being on the Vaugner skill list, apparently). Errol (now known as "Errol Notmyjob") managed to rouse himself from thinking about suckling pigs in black bean sauce and fluffy big four-poster beds and suggested that we just dimension-door and gaseous form through the thing. Very nice. Door, what door?

With the battle raging outside, we rushed up to the top floor, and found the fanciest door, locked, of course. Vaugner fails to pick it (surprise!). Impasse. I suggest that Malif put a "rope trick" thingie right over the door, so that we can climb up one side, and down the other (wheee!). That works, and we climb up (party name changes to "the Doormasters"). Sticking our heads out the other side, we saw a rich purple bedroom. Must be Franzen's. We settled down to wait...