Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

Still in pursuit of the crazy leader lady.

After getting all the rescued slaves to safety, Ezekiel and Raven collected their caveling friends to join us for the “battle”…though none of us knew where our enemy might be hiding. Some of the cavelings armed themselves with stone axes and such, but others just had their bizarre, unnatural claws. No two are exactly alike…and no description will do them justice.

We headed south down the passage, and the first branch-off we came to ended in a door. Raven and I hid behind the corners of the passage – just in case another lightening bolt came ripping out (you never know!) – and Ezekiel opened the door.

I could just barely hear a woman’s voice asking how he dared intrude (Ezekiel dares all kinds of things) – then Ezekiel called Raven up to join him. They say it was a beautiful, elfin lady in studded armor, who spoke with an imperious tilt to her head…but who answered all Ezekiel’s questions about Sudderheim without flinching or trying to bluster. Ezekiel says she was far too cooperative to be believable…but they didn’t get much time to evaluate the situation. Continue reading →

Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

We headed south, to the hallway that led out of the “cross-roads” room, and Penn indicated the first door we came to (opening west). We shuffled him a bit back in the group, and then Ezekiel and Agnar threw open the door.

Ezekiel yelled, “Get the guards,” and the two of them rushed in – Raven vaulting over their heads to join in.

Heiron and I finally reached the door, and took in the scene. Banks of floor-to-ceiling cages stretched into the room on either hand (turns out there were four rows in total), while a group of hobgoblins stood watch on a raised platform opposite us. The three vanguard had already charged up the stairs and engaged…Heiron and I just picked off the survivors.

Ezekiel searched the guards for keys, and he and Raven each started down a side, unlocking cages. Ez cast Protection from Evil on Raven so he could check for doppelgangers at the same time.

I tried to remember names at first, but had to give up. There were ninety-one – yes, I declare, ninety-one poor creatures snatched away from their homes and forced into servitude…and that’s not even counting the “special” ones in the north cell! Separate from the others, we found a group that must have been up with the Cloaker…they were all standing quietly and staring blankly at nothing (doesn’t look encouraging for the shadow-room-people we left in Homlette). Continue reading →

Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

We all felt strong and ready to go this morning. Once at the bottom of Ichar’s ladder, we spent some time in a narrow corridor until Agnar found a lever to open a door into a larger passage. Ezekiel and Agnar, who were at the front, found some chained guard-wolves on the other side, but Agnar only killed one before Ezekiel called Mikael up to befriend it. I was up for exploring a bit instead of listening to Mikael’s long friendship song once again, but I was stuck in the back with the archers once again.

When we all finally made it out into the main passage, Raven was working on the lock of some big double doors to our north (since Ezekiel always goes right…and, well, that’s as good a system as any). Tunnels stretched away to our west and south, as well, but we’ll have to get to those later. Turns out, the doors were probably barred on the other side, but Ezekiel and Agnar decided to put stealth aside “just this once,” and punched them open.

Almost the same moment that the doors crashed back into the room, a blinding light tore down the hallway through us. I think I turned to catch the blast on my shoulder, but I heard Mikael’s badger scream briefly…and as I blinked my eyesight clear, I saw Usin standing rigid, clutching his heart, his clothes smoking gently – and somehow I could tell that all his hair was standing up.

Ezekiel was at the front, and his lit shield shone into the pitch-dark room ahead of us. As soon as my eyes adjusted, I spotted the little misshapen figures of goblins, and started dropping them with arrows. Continue reading →

Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

With those three “lost souls” found and stashed safely in Homlette, we crossed the fortress and found the stairs to take us down to the shadow-room. Just as before, my skin crawled as I approached the doorway…and the sight of all those men and women just sitting there, not feeling the cold or reacting to our presence or anything, would make anyone’s neck-hairs stand up. Ezekiel’s continual light didn’t seem to have changed anything, although it kept the shadows behaving normally. Raven went through the other door to check on the hobgoblin (and maybe to get out of the room), and sure enough, it was still standing in the hallway like we left it yesterday or the day before (time blurs together sometimes).

Ezekiel drew our attention to the faint moaning sound, and insisted it had something to do with the mystery. I tried really concentrating, but nothing started to glow like it was magical (except all of us, of course). Finally, Mikael pointed at one of the cloaks hanging on the wall behind the bleachers of slaves and said that it was moaning.

So Ezekiel went over and did that other Ezekiel-thing he does – poked the cloak with his mace. Darkness seemed to wash over me for a moment, and by the time I blinked it away, everyone else was gone…everyone except Ezekiel and Heiron (and the giant ant Marie Ant-oinette, but she doesn’t really count, she just stood there rubbing her antennae together). I think I heard shrill screaming somewhere in the distance, but I had other things on my mind.

Heiron launched an arrow, which stuck in the cloak in a way arrows and cloaks do not normally interact. The cloak spun around, and we saw it had much more substance to it than first met the eye — also had glowing red eyes that glared at us from the top area where the hood should be, and two clawed “hands” at the far corners of its body. I had my sword ready (since some things take magic to be hurt), but before I could get that close, Heiron launched another volley and the thing dropped to the floor with a squawk. We all instinctively drew sighs of relief as the air seemed to clear, and though we prodded it a few times to be sure, it was pretty clearly dead.

The others trickled back into the room (we’re not talking about it), and we went around prodding the other cloaks – but they all seemed to be normal cloth. The slaves still didn’t react or show any sign of stirring, but the whole place seemed warmer and cheerier for some reason I couldn’t put my finger on.

When Agnar showed up, he looked over the dead thing, and called it a “Cloaker” from the Underdark. He says they use shadows, their mimicking skills, and their effect on people’s emotions to confuse their prey…and that they can move shadows around to disorient people. Obviously a light spell messes with that, I guess. Agnar says he had a distant uncle who tried to bring Underdark monsters to family get-togethers from time to time, and laughed a bit. I guess my brothers still have some competition.

Lydia unlocked the chains on all the slaves. They kept staring into empty space, although when Ezekiel handed each of them a ration, they ate it contentedly. I still don’t know what the point of this would be… Raven pointed out that the slaves would be way easier to transport this way — but they still need some way to “wake them up” to make them useful servants. Unless, as Ezekiel said, they want them passive and docile like little zombie workers. I mean, I guess they don’t “know” they’re slaves right now, but it still seems even creepier than normal slavery.

Lydia took Raven and Lulu to escort her back to the front wall, so she could readjust the portal entrance. Raven says they didn’t spot any troops along the way, but I can’t believe the fortress is completely deserted. Unless the leaders (like that Mistress Somebody) fled through the well-tunnel or something, they must be holed up somewhere, waiting where they have the advantage of terrain. I’m sure we will find out sooner or later.

We walked the slaves through the portal to Homlette, and Ezekiel says he has arranged for their care and feeding while we research how to help them. Homlette is going to be a much bigger town by the time we’re done here. Hopefully some of them stay to give Sir Rufus a hand in his guard-tower. Raven said he took care of the hobgoblin, too – having the blacksmith take care of it for the time being. I’m disturbed they haven’t told me much about this “blacksmith” (and what is he going to do now that the fortress is depopulated?) but Ez told me to come on, and we headed to the blind leader’s suite for the night. The merchant’s “servants” Cari and Filch are still fast asleep near the stairs; either something’s wrong, or they haven’t slept in years and just need to catch up.

Our plan for tomorrow is to head down the ladder under Ichar’s bed and start clearing the dungeon. Lydia says they must surely have another entrance – besides under some guy’s bed, that is – but I think the fastest way to find it would be from the other end. We’ve been up and down this fortress from the top-side, and explored everything to the best of our ability…what goes down can also come up.

Speaking of Raven’s cooking — just kidding.

We all passed around healing, and I think everyone is feeling themselves again. Heiron is trying out Ichar’s bed, and he says it fits pretty well.

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Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

Today we rescued more “lost souls” – some more conclusively than others.

We started the day with fitting the ladder together so we could climb down to the courtyard (Ezekiel says there’s nothing left in the hall to be dangerous, but this way is more direct).

We retraced our steps through the courtyards, through the portcullis, into the keep, through the barracks, and to the disused hall where Raven saw the white figure. All the while, we saw no sign of other living things…so any of the garrison that we haven’t killed must be lying in wait somewhere.

We advanced with due caution, with Ezekiel opening the door first, followed closely by Agnar.

As Raven had warned us, as soon as we stepped through the door we saw a white figure with black eyeholes floating beside the fireplace, swaying gently. Something rattled in the corner behind the door.

Ezekiel marched right over to the figure – and pulled the sheet off the cord that was holding it up. Agnar went around the corner and asked Ez, what do ye want done with yon windchimes? (None of us had a use for windchimes.) Ezekiel stuck his head up the chimney to find the draft that was flapping the sheet, and found the flue blocked open with a small silken pillow.

A door at the far end of the room opened into a hallway. After Raven checked it, he opened it – to find the corridor blackened with soot and ashes. I didn’t see any tracks in the ashes (until we walked over them), which further pointed to this wing being abandoned…but we weren’t satisfied yet. Continue reading →

Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

You kinda get used to waiting around in dungeons, so it wasn’t all that long relatively before Ezekiel emerged from the dark doorway and asked Heiron to come investigate a trapdoor that he couldn’t reach.

Fraught nerves suddenly relieved, we demanded of Ezekiel if it really took him that long to just notice a trapdoor.

Eventually, this is the story we dragged out of him:

He advanced into the abandoned apartment, eager to use the “exorcism” he had been given. The bone fragments we had noticed on the floor followed some dark brown smears into a short hall, where an oil pot sat ready to repel attackers in the gatehouse below…except now it was crusted with age. Stepping gingerly around it, Ezekiel entered the next room – beyond where we could easily hear him cry for help – where he spotted a skeletal hand lying on a table.

It seemed “associated” with a human skull and rib cage (one could hardly call it “connected” by now), but the thing did not react to his polite salutation. Continue reading →

Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

Turns out the leader’s room wasn’t as deserted as we thought. Raven and Lydia were searching the place, when Raven gave a squeal (he insists it wasn’t a “squeal,” more of a “cry”) and we heard a female voice say, “Ichar, release me!” (with some kind of insult attached to it).

Raven yelled at us to stay out – and not look at whatever it was – while Heiron and Ezekiel both rushed forward.

Lydia’s version is that Raven opened up the closet, and found himself face-to-face with a lady with snakes for hair. While he tangled her, Lydia dug in her bag – and hurled an egg, making the ugly creature gag and puke.

Ezekiel rushed into the room and tried to throw bedclothes over the lady’s head – apparently this kind of creature can kill you if it looks at you or something. Ezekiel says – from the stories he’s heard – they’re like basilisks. When he said that, Heiron looked around, and grabbed the leader’s blind helmet and handed it over. The snakes hissed and lashed at Ezekiel, but he got the helmet over the lady’s head – and we all breathed a bit easier (except the lady, who was still choking and gagging even after Lydia dispelled the stinking cloud). Continue reading →

Alert: May contain spoilers for the adventure “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

Subtlety…what is that?

Before the sun rose, Mikael summoned a fog down on the castle, and Ezekiel put silence on a rock so we could sneak around to the east side of the castle. Once there, Raven scaled the wall and broke off some of the wooden spikes along the top so that we could actually reach the top. He disappeared over the edge, and we started following him with the rope of climbing.

Ezekiel left the stone behind, so as we approached the top of the wall, we could hear shouting and clanging and the rattle of arrows against stone. (Business as usual already, eh?)

When I jumped over the parapet after Ezekiel, I saw him waving at some hobgoblins to the left, while Raven was chasing some others to the right. I decided we didn’t want them raising any more of an alarm than they already had, so I went to back up Raven, drawing my sword (because my bow was still on my back, and besides I need to practice sometimes).

As we rounded a turn in the wall, we spotted a funny-looking little blue creature, plus a whole squad of hobgoblins piling out of a door. Raven went for the blue creature, so it didn’t start spitting lightening or something all weird, and I went for the hobgoblins.

I did have one fumbled strike – maybe because a wolf cub was darting in and out of the hobgoblins’ legs and nipping at Raven. Everyone seemed to be shouting (something like “ranger”? But I don’t speak hobgoblin), and the wolf cub ran under my feet and knocked me on my butt for a moment. I picked myself back up, and between Raven’s rope of tangling and me, we polished off the rest of the squad.e

Heiron was shouting at us to come on, so Raven told the wolf pup to stay, and we went back along the wall to where Ezekiel had shifted the rope of climbing to help us get down to the roof. There were still plenty of archers lining the wall, plinking Ezekiel’s armor, so I stood by him to make a shield wall while Raven led the others onto the roof and across to the chimney we could get down. Well…the “others,” except for Agnar. For a while, I wasn’t sure where he was at all, except that I kept hearing wild laughter in a dwarvish accent from somewhere up ahead.

Ezekiel and I backed up to the rope, and after the others had gone down, I followed – while Ezekiel kept shouting after Agnar to come on (I don’t think he could hear a thing…he was in his “zone”). As I came up to the others, they were battling some huge apes, as tall as Mikael. Lydia was squatted down, just watching the show, while Mikael waved his arm at one of them and sang a song, and Raven slapped one he had tangled in his rope.

By the time I walked up to them, the last ape was staring at Mikael, making hooting sounds through her lips, and the others were dead. We did have a moment when the ape sucker-slugged Usin, but Mikael told her we were all friends, nice friends, and she shouldn’t attack us. Continue reading →

Alert: Contains spoilers for the adventure, “Scourge of the Slave Lords”

The wildmen put us back on the right track to find the “Slaver City”…but even without that, the trail was pretty easy to follow. There’s been a lot of traffic here over the years, some of it more-or-less recently.

Arrived this evening. It’s set on a hill that overlooks the surroundings, with a ditch surrounding it – crossed by a drawbridge. Even from this distance, we can see scores of sentries – some posted in set positions, some making rounds on top of the walls. Bottom line, wiping out the garrison with a frontal assault won’t be so simple as it was in the Flind village (which, I must remind everyone, had some sketchy moments).

Lydia thought about sending a Wizard Eye down into the fort, but then she said it doesn’t last very long, and wouldn’t get far enough in to be useful. So instead, she’ll make Raven invisible (so he doesn’t have to worry about it wearing off), and he can sneak in first thing in the morning.

Mikael really, really, really wants to light up the place with lightening again…but we talked him down by reminding him there are probably slaves imprisoned here, and we need to scout before we do anything else. Ideally, Raven will find a back door right into the boss’s office, and we can start there like we always do.

****

[sketch of chess board, and like a million tick-tack-toe games]

Raven is finally back, and he has told us his story in his own words. I don’t think I can do it justice, but here are the crucial points…

[sketch of castle interior…] Continue reading →