Hmm, seems like the Ancient Forces of Evil are smarter than we gave them credit for.
As DM goes into his chant-and-dance routine, he not only activates the mysterious portal to realms unknown (but suspected to be evil), but also renders the heroes completely helpless with laughter, effectively preventing them from interfering with his ritual. Could it be that it was planned like this? That, back in times immemorial, when the dark forces gnawing at the roots of the world set their vast conspiracy in motion, they stipulated that the dance of summoning had to be performed while wearing that particular relic on your head precisely with that outcome in mind? A key aspect of the plan, designed to be multi-purpose from the start?
Well, possibly. But probably not. They probably just thought it was funnier this way, and the hero-disabling aspect is just a happy accident. >_> Foresight is rarely 20/20, even if it’s magical foresight, and it’s even less reliable when you’re laughing at the thought of a short, gnomish wizard dancing around on an altar with an ancient necromancer’s dong on his head. It gets cold and lonely, down there at the roots of the world, and sometimes you just have to try and do something to cheer yourself up. >_>
And now they’ve got two things to be cheerful about: the funny dancing gnome and the fact that the heroes are unable to interfere with the ritual that will spell doom and destruction for everyone and everything, forever. Their week is definitely looking up.
More on Thurs…uh, Monday.