20170915 Recap Against the Slave Lords - The Slaver Stockade - Spider! Dungeon Level 1

Against the Slave Lords – The Slavers Stockade _Spider! 20170915

After capturing Icar and defeating his were-boar barbarian guards, our brave adventurers rejoin their allies in the haunted section of the slaver complex. With about a dozen allied members present, the larger group decides that a small team will act as an advance force, clearing out guard patrols and other obstacles so that a larger force can venture deeper into the slaver complex. The advance force will then return to the haunted area and support a couple of the team members who stayed behind, and then attempt to move the rescued slaves (many of which are now armed) and the slaver prisoners (including Icar) out of the complex, drawing more attention away from the adventuring force penetrating deeper into the complex.

With Walster, Nero and Beldin acting as the clearing force, the main group of; Raistlin (Elf Wizard – Arthur), Bannor the Bloodguard (Human Fighter – Brendon), Cyrano (Drow Rogue - Kenji), Souldun (Human Warlord – Vic), Grid (Human Monk – Art) and Mantis (TriKreen Barbarian – Ross) give the advance team a twenty minute head start and then follow them in. Passing by a number of slain enemy patrols, our heroes meet up with the advance team in the kitchen where Icar was captured. Soudun gives the wounded advance team a pep talk and they look healthy enough to make it back to the haunted area. After bidding Walster, Nero, and Beldin good luck, Gird easily locates the secret door in the rear of the pantry which leads to a stairway to the lower levels. At the bottom of the stairway, there is a long hallway and at the end of the hallway, Bannor is suddenly pulled into the wall at the end of the hall, his metal armor and weapons stuck against the wall. Souldun rushes to help but also gets stuck. Gird moves around the corner toward a side doorway but is ordered by Souldun to move back toward the stairway when hobgoblin guards begin pouring out of a secret passage near the base of the stairs. Raistlin blasts a small group of guards and then rushes down the hall and around the corner. Cyrano and Mantis meet the initial attack and then Cyrano backs up and continues throwing his dagger while Gird takes his place, somewhat blocking the hall. With a heroic effort, Bannor wrenches his axe away from the wall and manages a good throw at one of the guards fighting Mantis. Soudun tells Mantis to strike the same guard just as Bannor’s axe hits, allowing Mantis to also strike on the follow through, downing the first guard. A pair of guards, one of them wounded by Raistlin’s spells, attempts to rush by Mantis in order to strike at the more lightly armored monk and drow, but Mantis clothes lines the first with the haft of his weapon and skewers the second, downing them both. Gird spins and hits a passing guard, but two more press the monk back. Gird fully engages his two enemies and becomes a blindly fury of powerful kicks, series of rapid punches, and a weaving shield of blocks with his staff as the guards press the attack. Several guards near the stairs continue to fire arrows down the hall, answering Cyrano’s throwing knives. With a devastating side kick to the jaw, Gird downs one of his two opponents and Mantis charges up and together they finish off the other. Souldun continues to shout encouragement to the team and manages to slide down the hallway enough to free himself from the magnet. Bannor throws a couple more times and also frees himself. With their numbers diminished, the guard leader orders a retreat and the remaining four guards continue to fire arrows and move up the stairway. Mantis, throws his chakra and downs one archer and then charges and finishes off the leader. Raistlin and Gird determine the side door leads to a small room and the group takes a short rest there.


Continuing on, the group comes across a ghostly figure in the hall. Raistlin blasts it with magic to no effect. Gird moves forward and a huge spider drops down on him, he gets nipped in the leg and manages to fight off the deadly poison. The spider webs several party members with a blast of webs and then shoots some sticky strands down the hall and immobilizes Souldun, who continues to shout orders. Cyrano shouts to Gird to not hurt the spider or the wrath of the spider queen will fall upon the group. Bannor ignores the drow and charges forward to aid the monk, striking with a mighty blow. A second huge spider drops down and Gird deflects the spider’s pounce with his staff. Mantis throws his chakra and then two swarms of smaller spiders flood out of the hidden area in the ceiling. Mantis strikes at the swarms and squashes only a few spiders and seeing this, Raistlin blasts the swarms with magic to great effect. Gird, has fallen back and dodges dozens of small spiders, stomping rapidly, squishing a score or more and hammer fisting a dozen spiders against this own body. Cyrano is alarmed and screams for Gird to stop as the drow starts burning incense as he prays to the spider god. With his multiple arms, Mantis takes out one large spider swarm. Bannor cleaves twice, hitting both large spiders and then when Soldun sees an opening, he tells Bannor to use a powerful blow to chop one in half. After untangling himself, Soldun is webbed again but once he is finally free, he charges forward toward the remaining large spider and hits it from the front while yelling for Bannor to hit it from behind. Both armored warriors hit the beasty, finishing it. The party stomps, swings and squishes the remaining swarm of spiders. Bannor and Souldun are splattered with spider guts and Gird, not having a shield, is covered from head to toe with spider pieces. Mantis comes over to Gird and helps clean the monk off by licking off a portion of the tasty (to Mantis) goo. The party then investigates a couple of side doors and one is a storage room and they rest there.

Bannor, Souldun and Gird discover a storage room. For a moment, all three see a ghostly figure and Bannor and Souldun fall to the floor in fear, Gird stands there unimpressed. The group moves on and come to an open pit in the floor and a doorway shortly beyond the pit. Gird checks the door for traps and hears a groaning sound like wood under stress. The group moves back, some around the corner as Gird tries the door. There’s a loud cracking noise as the entire wall explodes with several huge spiked log like rollers speeding toward the party, filling the hall. Everyone tries to run to make the corner, except Bannor who just runs to the end of the hallway. Gird gets clipped by a log and gets bruised in the leg as he makes a perfect spinning landing. Souldun gets solidly hit by a couple lots but avoids getting crushed as his armor protects him. Bannor gets smashed and the logs hit each other into him but he uses the wall as a brace to help absorb the shock. The rest make it around the corner in time. After helping Bannor out, the group walk over the logs and find a hall behind the false door and under the ramp the logs rolled down.

The group comes to a long hallway with six inch iron grates on the floor, ceiling, and both walls. The grate is coated with a thick, non flammable oil. Gird begins to make his way across and a small creature, using teleport portals, tries to slash the monk but a quick jump and a spin causes the small creature to over reach. Gird easily hops to the other end of the hall. Mantis rushes across without issue. Bannor dashes with a huge burst of speed and leaps the last twenty feet. Cyrano, not to be out done, also rushes over and ends with a beautiful spinning landing. Souldun runs and falls, gets clawed a bit, stands up and stumbles the rest of the way over. Raistlin moves across and with Mantis’ help, gets pulled the last half of the way. Cyrano tries to throw daggers at the little teleporting creatures and gets his gloves and boots taken. Bannor tries to help him and gets his belt snatched. Cyrano lobbies for the group to make a hole in the bars and attack the little beasties. Gird points out that there’s more than just the two and that even if the group can wound one, what’s to stop it from just teleporting away? The party moves away from the edge of the grated hall and takes a rest as the debate goes on.

To be continued…

Mantis went through the cage and got to the other side first. Gird was one of the last ones to the other side as he went 15' in and stopped.

@Mantis... thank you for the correction. I always try to get the story straight. I thought Mantis was highly effective this last adventure, especially during the first encounter with the guards.