20170429 Recap Against the Slave Lords - Temple Level Part 3 - 9th Level

Against the Slave Lords – Slave Pits of the Undercity – Temple Level Part 3 20170428

Cyrano (Drow Rogue – Kenji) , Raistlin (Elf Wizard – Arthur), Man-Tis (Tri-Kreen Barbarian – Ross), Gird (Human Monk – Art), Souldun (Human Warlord – Vic), (Walster (Mul Warden) and special guest team member, Spinner the Bloodguard (Human NPC Fighter – Kristy).

After the group gather up maps, captured magic equipment, gold, and their prized half demon prisoner and head back toward the surface where, looking like any other group of slave buyers, they walk casually back to their encampment and reconnect with the rest of Baron Baltic’s forces. Together with the information gathered from the other teams of infiltrators, Baron Baltic’s Regent suggests one more coordinated raid on the Temple complex. Not including the party’s teams containing veterans of Team Manticore, three of the four other teams are represented at the encampment. As one team is missing and others have taken losses, Bannor joins up with one of the other teams. The Regent has the party posing as slave buyers, entering via the main entrance. The other three teams will enter via the secret passage, the stables and the stone worker’s shed. All teams will gather any more information they can regarding the slave lords, capture or kill any slave lords or their chief agents, rescue as many slaves as possible, and for this mission, put any orcs to the sword who are in the service of the slave lords.

However, before the party can enter the complex, they must get there. After a few day’s planning, rest, and training, the heroes are on their way and find themselves taking a meal break near a small bridge on the busy road to the slaver’s complex. One of the many groups to pass by the party is a group of half orc and black dwarf slavers. Suddenly, one of the slaves, Jadzea, recognizes and shouts to Raistlen to save her. Raistlen opens negotiations to purchase Jadzea and manages to buy her from the slavers. Jadzea pleads with Raistlen to free her friend Sally but when Raistlen refuses, the slavers start to move on, much to Jadzea’s cries of remorsefulness. At the point when Sally nears Souldun, the Warlord lunges out and releases her from her handler’s line and finding some immediate cover near some large boulders next to the tree line. At this point the half orc commander orders the orcs to attack. The black dwarves also join in and the party, spread out and on both sides of the road, defend and counter attack as best as they can. During the confusion, the remaining slaves escape. Raistlen moves back and blasts into the center of the enemies, about a dozen half orcs and four black dwarves. Raistlen’s initial arcane blasts, down three half orcs and wound three more. Gird and Cyrano battle one of the dwarves and a trio of half orcs at the north end of the trail. Walster, and Mantis are on the west side of the road while Souldun is in the woods with Raistlen in the east. Souldun battles a dwarf, a tough orc and two other orcs near his pile of boulders and he quickly downs one orc and moves to protect the women and Raistlen as well.

Cyrano moves to assist Mantis and Walster who are tied up with the majority of the enemy leaders in the middle of the battlefield. Mantis and Walster each down one of the half orc Savage Raiders Sgts and two of the half orc lightfootmen. Cyrano also downs two of the lightfootmen. With the support of some of Raistlen’s spells, Souldun downs one of the black dwarf hammer throwers. Gird is a flurry of kicks and punches as he finally downs his dwarven opponent just before Cyrano returns, threatening one of the escaping slaves. Suddenly, the half orc scout who was on point for the slavers, returns from his position up front and disembowels the escaping slave and delivers a serious slash along Cyrano’s back. Cyrano retreats with Grid distracting the orc scout. Mantis and Walster each down one of the dwarves, putting the slavers on the defensive, backing up the Black Dwarf Underdark Ranger and remaining half orcs toward the bridge. About that time, a squad of armed men emerge from the woods on the south side of the bridge. They turn out to be three Bloodguards and their men at arms, on a mission to rescue Bannor’s sister as well as a number of others who were taken by the slavers from the area that the Bloodguards call home. Having heard stories of Bannor’s companions from the Grong Island civil war, Ruan the Bloodguard easily recognizes Souldun and Raistlen, and once they tell Ruan what Bannor’s weapons are as well as what Bannor’s tastes in women are, Ruan and his men charge over the bridge and easily support the party as together they down the remaining slavers. Ruan and his men offer to escort Jadzea and the other freed slaves back to the encampment. Spinner the Bloodguard decides to stay with the party in the hopes of finding his cousin.

Not long after Ruan and his party have left, a fluttering sound from the woods alerts the group that a large swarm of stirges, drawn to the area by the smell of blood, is approaching. Gird and Cyrano in the north battle three large stirges. The rest of the group fight six large stirges as well as a cloud of small stirges. With help from Souldun, telling them to strike at their wings, Mantis and Walster each down one of the large stirges. Gird downs another one of the bigger stirges as does Raistlen. After beating off the larger stirges, Raistlen blasts the swarm and disperses the remaining beasties.

The group then arrives at the complex, bluffs their way in, and manage to set off a trap intended to discourage anyone posing as customers who really hadn’t made contact with one of the slavers brokers. Entering the temple, there are ten orc guards lead by a high priestess, a large human woman with one eye. Raistlen blasts the priestess and her guards. Although the guards move to block the doorway, Gird uses a flurry of kicks and pushes many of the guards back, enough for Mantis and Walster to rush into the room. After blasting the priestess, Raistlen is attacked from behind by a half orc rogue. Cyrano leaps around the corner away from Raistlen and takes out an orc footman and lands near the poor box. Walster and Mantis slowly push the orcs back. Gird takes down one of the larger orcs as does Cyrano, but then a huge troll bursts out of the poor box, pinning down Walster, Cyrano, Souldun and Spinner.

Mantis attempts to work his way behind the priestess but is dominated, dazed, and knocked prone. The priestess also dominates Walster who strikes Souldun. Gird continues to strike multiple enemies, downing one orc after another. Walster breaks free of the domination and Souldun and Walster combine to hit the troll repeatedly. Souldun then calls for a combined strike, Spinner aiming high, Walster low and Souldun mid-body, bringing the troll to its knees, allowing Cyrano to finish off the dying troll. Souldun and Cyrano then dispatch the orc rogue.

Gird and Raistlen, forced into the main room to escape the orc rogue, together with a weakened Mantis, continue to down the orc guards faster than the priestess can heal her allies. Finally, the priestess is surrounded and Cyrano subdues her. Raistlen rescues his friend Tuvok and then the party loots the temple, frees the other slaves in the room and with the captured priestess leaves the temple and returns to their encampment. Epilogue to follow.