20170728 Recap - Against the Slave Lords - Stockade Part 2 Rescuing Breeda

Against the Slave Lords – The Slavers Stockade Part 2 - 20170728 Rescuing Breeda

Man-Tis (Tri-Kreen Barbarian – Ross), Raistlin (Elf Wizard – Arthur), Gird (Human Monk – Art), Souldun (Human Warlord – Vic), and Bannor the Bloodguard (Human Fighter – Brendon).

After putting the madman ghost to rest, the group decides to take an extended rest, both to heal up and to let the "heat" die down. They learn from Cindy the escaped slave that the guards don’t venture here as they think the area is haunted. She also tells the group that in the northern most rooms that are across the other side of the garden courtyard is a large barracks with several dozen guards. She does not know what lies to the south of the garden, nor to the southwest or southeast or upstairs. She only knows that in the far northeast corner of this floor there is a large concentration of guards. Thus, our heroes find themselves deep in the heart of the main keep and hopefully the alarm has been called off. Noises at the door alert the party and they prepare for battle, but it turns out to be a portion of another infiltration team; a dwarf, an elf fighter, a priest of Avandra, and a heavy fighter. Having lost both their ranger and rogue, they ask if Cyrano can assist them for a bit and they head out.

Waiting a few minutes, our heroes head out also. Passing by the doors to the garden, they run into a patrol. There are about a half dozen patrol hobgoblins, a leader with twin swords and a shaman blasting with thunder blasts. Gird engages with the leading guards as does Souldun and Bannor. The shaman blasts with thunder cones, knocking some of the party prone. Mantis leaps back, Raistlin counters with his own magic downing several of the line hobgoblins. Trampling over the bodies of his comrades is a huge ogre swinging a long cleaver, knocking down Souldun just after he had gotten up. Mantis attempts to charge and Bannor throws his axe and then wades into the battle, fighting the hobgoblin leader who is using the doorway as cover. The shaman continues to blast with thunder and Raislin hails him with missiles. Gird downs his opponent and then lands a round kick to the ogre’s thigh. The ogre continues to pound the party, dealing a heavy blow to Souldun. Raistlin disables the hobgoblin shaman, pinning him in place so he teleports away with a stunning clap of thunder and the puff of a black nimbus cloud. Souldun yells for Bannor to strike the ogre from high and right and Souldun himself strikes an arching blow cutting across from right to left. The ogre hesitates and both blows land home, downing the ogre.

The group moves forward and Gird opens the door at the end of the hall and a huge bear lunges forward. A pit opens below Souldun and then closes, cutting him off from the rest of the group. Raistlin and Mantis attack the bear but their attacks don’t seem to have any effect. The bear lands on Bannor and Gird and turns out to be a stuffed bear. The party rests and Raistlin explores the keyhole to the north and sees halls. The group moves to the door to the south and after only traveling a short way, two mummies appear at the far end of the long hall. Raistlin, Mantis and Bannor attempt to used ranged attacks which seem to have no effect. Everyone except the wizard charges down the hallway to close the distance. Raistlin manages to get off a magic missile which shatters a mirror in the hall, revealing that the hall turns to the right and the "mummies" were around a corner. Suddenly, a secret door opens up behind the party and seven guards fill the hall, surrounding Raistlin and threatening Mantis who was near the rear of the group. One of the mummies throws a grease bomb and Souldun is down again. Raistlin teleports out of the mob and Mantis strikes once and then leaps over the grease and attacks one of the mummies. Gird moves back and delays the mass of guards. Raistlin blasts the packed hallway repeatedly, doing tremendous damage but downing only two of the seven attackers. Meantime, to the front, Souldun is up and prompting Bannor to keep attacking. Mantis downs one of the mummies, who turns out to be just a hobgoblin. Bannor slashes the other mummy and Souldun finishes it off. Raistlin unleashes yet another powerful blast toward the rear and downs several more enemies. Mantis and Gird manage to dispatch the weakened survivors.

After another short rest, the party makes their way down a carpeted and curtained hall. They find an empty storage room. Gird finds a pit and Mantis rearranges the curtains by climbing over the wall. Gird tries to jump over the narrow pit and hits the near invisible wires on the other side, falling into a pit of spikes. Mantis tosses the bleeding monk a rope and Souldun heals Gird’s wounds. The party finds a room full of trade goods a short time later and fills up Bannor’s haversack and Raistlin’s bag of holding. A bit further, the group find one of the water sources for the complex, a water storage room with a stairway leading to a well.

Continuing forward, the party finds a tiered room and Bannor’s sister is among the many numb slaves here. Souldun and Mantis are moving along the northern side of the room, and Bannor and Raistlin are attempting to free Breeda. Gird is guarding the back. Bannor and Raistlin get off a quick attack as a huge cloaker descends down onto Raistlin. Raistlin quickly leaves the area and uses his magic to pin the cloaker in place. The entire party swarms the creature, and chops it to bits before it can engulf and slay any of the party. The slaves snap out of their trance and two allied characters, a dwarf and a human fighter arrive and as they were separated from the rest of their team, offer to escort the slaves up to the area where the "ghost" lives. The slaves free and arm themselves as best they can, and follow their escorts to a safer area. Some of the slaves tell the party that past the cloaker room is a long hallway with several turns and most of the side doors lead to guard quarters and any fighting in the hall will trigger the alarm in this area. The slaves also say that the door at the very end of the twisty hall is made of iron and although none of the slaves know what lies beyond it, several of them say that they have seen the blind fighter, his assistant who is a huge armored half ogre, and a the females spell caster leaders coming out of that doorway. To be continued…