Episode 5: Against the Slavers

Today's adventure was almost canceled due to the weather; as it was, the snow kept half the players away, which sucks. But we did finish the adventure, so that's a bonus. Hopefully we'll have better attendance for the next part of the campaign.

The party checked their resources one last time. Erf decided to down his potion of invisibility in hopes of  catching the slavers by surprise from behind. As their preparations were completed, they burst through the door at the end of the bridge. Upon entering, they found a large throne room, in which a pair of dwarves were haggling over a chained-up child. Three other children were chained to a post, and the dwarf in armor turned and glared at the newcomers.

"What are you doing here, interrupting my negotiations?" he demanded.

Thinking quickly, Arthur Morgan spoke first. "We're here to bid on the slaves," he said quickly, shaking a purse of money. Jax looked at him askew for a moment, but said nothing.

"Those three are already sold," replied the dwarf. "You can bid on this one." He shook the chain holding the boy. "What's your offer?"

Unsure of the going rate of a slave in this market, Arthur blurted out a price of one thousand gold pieces. Both dwarves' eyes widened in stunned amazement. Before the second one could speak, the armored one gestured to Arthur. "Show me the money," he said suspiciously.

Arthur stepped forward, flanked by the invisible Erf. As the gnome positioned himself behind the dwarf, the room was filled with the sound of a deep, bone-chilling howl. Turning quickly, Erf found himself under attack by a horrible cross between a mastiff hound and a porcupine. The porcu-dog leapt at the gnome, who sidestepped just at the last second. Before Arthur could react, the dwarf whipped out his battle axe and swung. The elf desperately dodged, but the axe struck true, and the elf fell, unable to stand.

Even as the blow was struck, the rest of the party rushed forward to engage the dwarf. The second dwarf muttered a few words in an infernal tongue and vanished from their sight. Their attention focused on the axe-wielding dwarf, they paid no mind to the would-be slave buyer. Erf threw a dagger at the porcu-dog, dispelling his invisibility but striking the hound on the flank. The howling beast shrugged off the dagger and struck, nipping the gnome and nearly taking his arm off.

Meanwhile, Alexandria and the dwarf faced off in a battle of axes. The dwarf was immensely strong, and his axe was unusually sharp. Jax was able to strike the dwarf, but the powerful foe struck back, nearly killing the paladin with a single blow. Yaervan was the next to strike at the dwarf, and he, too, was nearly struck down in return. Alexandria could not find a way past the dwarf's defenses, but struggled gamely to keep him occupied so as to keep him from finishing off her allies.

Erf found himself under assault from the porcu-dog as his allies were too busy with the dwarf. Gandolf, who had held back, now rushed forward as the battle moved away from the fallen elf, and handed him the last healing potion they had. The draught restored the elf, who struggled to his feet and turned to help the gnome. The howler then fired some of its quills at the gnome, who barely avoided being struck.

The bigger battle raged on as the dwarf got through Alexandria's defenses with a mighty blow. Staggering, she kept to her feet and finally found a hole in the dwarf's defense, returning his blow with one that, while it was not as strong as his, nevertheless found its way through his armor and bit into his flesh. The other warriors did their best to help her, but the dwarf was equal to all three of them.

The howler sensed Arthur's approach and turned to leap at him. Thinking quickly, the elf set his spear on the ground and met the beast's leaping charge, piercing it in the chest. The shocking blow caused the creature to miss the elf with its ferocious jaws, and Gandolf peppered it with daggers, proving to be surprisingly accurate as he whittled away at the creature.

Then, they heard the sound of booted feet, and a quartet of hobgoblins entered the room from where the party had come. Assessing the situation, they threw javelins at the paladin and the half-elf. Their aim proved to be inadequate, although the sudden reinforcements made their situation even more desperate.

Reluctantly, the injured Yaervan and Jax backed away from the dwarf and rushed toward the hobgoblins, leaving Alexandria to face the dwarf alone. The dwarf grinned in savage anticipation and renewed his assault. Bleeding but defiant, Alexandria fought on, holding her own against the mighty dwarf. She struck another blow, this one strong enough to stagger her opponent, and dodged his response before nearly slipping on a pool of blood.

Out of weapons, Erf quickly moved to the post where three of the children were still chained, feverishly working to pick the locks and free them. He was successful on the first attempt, freeing the dwarven boy. But before he could do anything else, three more hobgoblins entered the room from the opposite door, surrounding the party.

Then, there was a flash of bright light, and in the midst of the group hovered a creature out of nightmare: A beholder, its baleful eyes staring at the combatants. Even the dwarf took a step back in fear as the beholder scanned the room. In a guttural voice, it spoke.

"I have come for Terrem Kharatys. That boy should not have been taken from Cauldron. I intend to see that he is safely returned to his orphanage. You can keep the others. They are of no consequence. Come, Terrem – you will be safe with me."

The boy, who had been held by the dwarf, slowly stepped toward the creature. Behind it, a woman veiled to hide her face stood in a shimmering haze. She tossed a small sack to the floor as the beholder spoke again: "This will be sufficient payment for your troubles, Kazmojen. Dispense with these others as you will, and do not return to Cauldron's orphans again."

With that, the trio disappeared in a flash of teleportation magic, and the combatants all hesitated for a moment before resuming the desperate fight. Alexandria and the dwarf continued their fight, and though the dwarf was stronger and more experienced than she, the wounds he had received from the half-elf and the paladin had taken their toll, and Alexandria finally got through the last of his defenses and brought him down. Meanwhile, Arthur Morgan and Gandolf finished off the howler, the elf suffering a few more scratches in the process.

The remaining hobgoblins renewed their assault on the weakened party, until suddenly a new factor appeared behind them: A pair of half-elves slipped into the room and attacked them from behind, striking down two of them before they had noticed their presence. With the odds shifted again, and fresh enemies in the room, the remaining hobgoblins threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The half-elves introduced themselves as Fario and Fellian. Gandolf recognized their names as the investigators hired by the Lord Mayor, which they quickly affirmed. Finding a set of keys on the body of the dwarf, the party was able to free the remaining three children. They explained that they had been tracking the slavers' movements, but had not yet discovered Jzadirune. It wasn't until Ruphus returned with the first three prisoners that they were able to find the entrance. Accompanied by the cleric, they descended into the gnomish enclave and through the secret door to the elevator, arriving just in time to assist against the remaining hobgoblins.

One of the children asked if the party was going to free the other prisoners. Learning that they were being held in the western cells, the adventurers quickly went through the door and down the hall, leaving Fario and Fellian behind to guard the hobgoblin prisoners. Searching the southern hall, they found a cell block in which four more townsfolk were being held. Further seraching led to the discovery of a torture chamber in which another prisoner, an older woman, was suffering under the ministrations of a one-armed hobgoblin. He was quickly dispatched, and the woman released. She saw her walking stick in Arthur's possession, and upon receiving it back, she unscrewed the top and pulled out a small vial. Drinking it, she instantly shed some of the wounds she had received at the hobgoblin's hands. Erf muttered that he wished he had known the potion was there, but very quietly.

The woman introduced herself as Coryston Pike, a former adventurer who had been captured a few weeks earlier. She also informed them that there were a few other prisoners in the forge and the kitchen. Upon learning that the forge prisoners had been freed, she grabbed the hobgoblin's sword and led the party to the kitchens, where they found another townsman working as the dwarf's personal cook. The three goblins that accompanied him instantly surrendered at the sight of the battered but determined adventurers, and before long, the group was returning to the city, prisoners and freed kidnappees in tow.

Upon their return, they met Corporal Skylar Krewis, who had been sent to Keygan's Locks with a small patrol in hopes of joining the party below. They greeted him and turned over the prisoners and the freed slaves to the guards, then went back to the Temple of Diulanna to report back to Jenya.

The priestess was greatly pleased at their success, and informed them that Terrem, one of the children, had already returned to the orphanage, appearing on the front doorstep a short time earlier and seemingly none the worse for wear. With the return of the other children, she paid them the promised reward and said that she looked forward to working with them again in the future.

The party split up at that point; Alexandria, Arthur and Erf went to Skie's Treasury, a shop where they could get some of their magic identified and even purchase a few magical trinkets. Upon learning that the potion Erf wanted identified did not come from Jzadirune, she readily agreed to test it and inform him of its nature in the morning. Arthur purchased a magical arrow and a scroll that she had on display, using some of the treasure they had recovered from the dwarven stronghold.

The next day, the entire party received individual invitations to meet with one of the town's nobles: Lord Vhalantru, an elf who stood high in the city's political hierarchy. On the way there, Erf stopped at Skie's Treasury and learned that the potion he had found was in fact a potion of extra-healing. She offered to take the potion instead of charging him for the identification, but he paid the fee without complaint.

At Lord Vhalantru's estate, which was only a few houses away from Alexandria's home at the top of the cauldron's bowl, the six adventurers were brought into the elf's presence. He greeted them warmly, and informed them that as one of the Lord Mayor's advisors, he was always on the lookout for adventurers who showed promise and who would be helpful in dealing with the city's specialized needs. The meeting was brief, but Alexandria and Vhalantru got along very well.

And with that, the adventure was over, the party going their separate ways for the time being. Gandolf returned to the Bluewater Academy to continue his training, while Jax went to the Temple of Thor to report to his superiors. The rest of the party returned home, except for Arthur, who was staying at the Tipped Tankard most of the time.

The campaign continues in two weeks' time.