Recap 20180223 - Escape from the Island of the Slave Lords - EPIC Conclusion!!

Recap 20180223 – Escape from the Island of the Slave Lords – Epic Campaign Conclusion

After escaping from the dungeons of the Slave Lords, Grid (Human Monk – Art), Mantis (TriKreen Barbarian – Ross), Cyrano, (Drow Rogue - Kenji), Raistlin (Elven Wizard – Arthur), Bannor (Human Fighter – Brendon), and Souldun (Human Warlord – Vic) the group has recovered their equipment from the Water Dragon, the slave lord’s ship, and are making their way to the docks as the Water Dragon was destroyed by one of the many earthquakes. Selzen advises the group to head to the docks as soon as possible. Another earthquake shakes the island and the party can clearly see that large portions of the forest behind them are on fire in the distance. There appears to be much lesser amounts of smoke coming from the city ahead. The crater to the distance south can be seen shooting occasional balls of lava and smoke and lava can be seen oozing from the crater.

The group comes across a field of about thirty five dead cattle; a few bulls, lots of cows and a few calves. They are in a very large fenced field and are concentrated in the northern part of the field. There is a fine yellow dust over the field. The group moves on and are confronted by a pair of humanoid fire elementals. Rather than battle the human torches, the party (wisely) flees to the north toward the city. As the party flees, two more Magmen arrive, but the group has made good their escape. When it becomes apparent that the Magmen cannot catch the group, the fiery humans go back to happily setting things on fire. The group walks along briskly, choosing to stick to open farm land and low hills, in the open, looping east. This avoids the rubble of the city, and perhaps avoids moving too close to the forests, parts of which are on fire.

Coming over a low ridge, the group stumbles across Ajakstu Red Wizard and Master JilerJo of the Scarlet Brotherhood, two of the slave lords and a dozen of their guards and a number of chained slaves. They are moving some of the more valuable slaves toward the docks to get them off the island. The party launches into combat, with Raistlen immediately downing two of the guards. Bannor charges forward in a mighty sprint toward the wizard. Master JilerJo engages Gird in an intense whirl of spinning kicks, lightning deflections, and powerful jabs. Mantis also charges toward the wizard. Raistlin, guarded by Selzen move to the west. Souldun, Gird, and Cyrano concentrate on the enemy monk and about a half dozen guards who chase after the fleet footed red robed monk. Gird lands a great spinning low hook kick, putting JilerJo on his back and Gird follows up with a dazing roundhouse to the head, dazing him handily. Raistlin flies into action and fires several area spells, downing three more slaver thugs. Bannor downs one thug and then lands a powerful strike on the Red Wizard, chopping through the wizard’s invisible magical shield. The wizard is so severely injured by the blow, he teleports a short distance away. Souldun and Cyrano continue to battle the thugs moving toward Master JilerJo, and by doing so supporting Gird who is exchanging strikes and insults with the evil monk. Raistlin downs another thug, as Selzen continues to guard the wizard by blocking any thugs who seek to down the elven spellcaster. Selzen downs one thug and falls back to intercept another. Mantis by passes several thugs and downs the barely standing evil Wizard. Raistlin downs a thug next to Bannor as does Mantis. Bannor charges over toward the second slave lord and is intercepted by two more thugs. The evil monk, being battered again and again by a whirling Gird, manages to barely stand when Mantis charges in and finishes the monk off for good. Raistlin downs another thug next to Bannor and then still another next to Souldun. Bannor moves over and also downs a thug, ending the fight. Raistlin frees the slaves who immediately flee toward the city, as much as flee away from the erupting volcano.

The group catches a quick breath while they search the fallen slave lords finding only a ring, a cloak and a dagger. Pushing ahead, while crossing an open field, out of some bushes and the general smoky haze, burst several swarms of hungry stirges. Raistlin’s area spells are very, very, effective, allowing the weapon wielders to swat and smash the pesky critters. Souldun is right there to help any who are overcome and are getting their blood sucked. Bannor uses the flat of his axe to swat and chop one group while Gird is a blinding being of kicks, stomps and strikes; killing many stirges each round. Mantis kills the last few stirges in a couple of swarms that Raistlin has thinned out and the very few remaining stirges disperse.

The group again pushes forward, barely dodging a billowing sulfur cloud that kills a number of small animals near the group. Another very large earthquake strikes, but as the party is in an open field, only Raistlin’s butt is injured. Gird seems to remain almost motionless, Mantis is hardly bugged by the shaking. Bannor falls, but pops right back up. Souldun staggers a bit and is slow getting up. Upon reaching a small hill, the party is able to see the chaos at the docks. To the west, a very large ship is being fought over by about twenty five to thirty hobgoblins who are faced off against about a dozen aquatic ghouls (Lacedons). A large group of human guardsmen hold the dock, watching the fight and keeping all others away from the ship. On the middle pier, there is one fishing boat left and five or six others can be seen already well on their way away from the island. A group of about twelve town watchmen are holding off about twice their number of slaver thugs. A very few, heavily armored watchmen are keeping the thugs back while the remaining watchmen use the sides of the ship as cover and fire into any thugs who approach the watchmen on the front line. The party can see a second, slightly smaller group of slaver thugs fighting their way through the middle of the slums, moving toward the other thugs fighting at the middle pier. In this second group are Fleetla (the Slaver Leader 14th Lev), Theg the half orc Slave Lord (14th Level Barbarian), an unknown spell casting slave lord (14th Illusionist), a second slave lord monk (only 13th Level!), and Eldralve a slave lord fighter / wizard (14th in each, by far the toughest). These slave lords and their personal guard, hack down any towns people, ex-slaves, merchants, or town watch that get in their way. The very easternmost pier is a free for all with a dozen gnolls, led by a human dressed in black (16th Level CE Assassin) rapidly downing the many town folk, ex-slaves, city watch, slaver thugs, and other humanoids who venture near. The party chooses to move in from the west near the largest ship.

Raistlin and Bannor teleport over. Selzen runs across the dock rope to the ship. Mantis crawls across the rope. Cyrano swims across and climbs up the backside. Souldun and Gird are not far behind and soon everyone is on board. Raistlin yells in goblin and the desperate hobgoblins are only too glad to accept help in battling the undead. Bannor moves toward the bow of the ship and is help up and paralyzed in place and then stunned. Souldun runs past Bannor and Souldun chops the bow rope. The gang plank is shoved into the ever hotter water. Gird manages to down a weakened ghoul with a well placed side kick. Mantis runs another one through. A cloud of poison gas billows over the ship at the opposite end of the dock area and kills the vast majority of the people in that section of the docks. About a third of the gnolls drop. The remaining gnolls look up, just in time to see two large lava balls hit their ship dead center, causing the galley to explode in a ball of flames. Bannor is stunned and Souldun moves toward the stricken fighter. Gird downs a second ghoul but several ghouls down some of the remaining hobgoblins. Cyrano’s dagger bites deeply into a ghoul, downing it. Souldun’s nephew appears on the docks, yelling for help. Mantis teleports the lad to safety in the crows nest. Raistlin moves up the rigging and rescues a hobgoblin. The six remaining hobgoblins rally and down a ghoul. Gird downs his third ghoul and Cyrano downs his second with a sneaky attack while the ghoul is busy biting Gird. Mantis downs his second ghoul. Bannor, is taking a beating and recovers a bit, only to be bit again, and stunned yet again. Souldun is stunned, but recovers almost instantly and yells to Bannor to rally him and allowing him to take down the ghoul in front of him. Cyrano downs yet another ghoul and Gird, in prime form, bolstered from his confidence in defeating the evil monk, knocks a ghoul in the side of the head, almost tearing it from the undead creature’s neck. Several guardsmen are trying to grapple the ship but Mantis runs forward and cuts the rope. Souldun moves ahead and takes a mighty swing, downing a ghoul himself. Raistlin blasts the guardsmen and forces them away from the dock’s edge, then the wizard crawls to the bow of the ship and blasts the slave lord’s ship. The slave lord wizard responds in kind but from maximum range. Raistlin then turns his attention to getting the ship underway and toward the far shore.

On the way, the party can catch their breath as they see a few of the other escaping boats hit and sunk by flying balls of lava or overtaken by billowing clouds of poison gas as flows of fresh lava start to enter the lake near where the docks were. After reaching the far shore, the group flees over the edge of the crater rim and down the mountain side, barely escaping being incinerated. With most of the allies of the slave lords killed, along with at least four of the slave lords themselves, as well as Sunderham being totally destroyed, the party returns to Grong Island and report success to the allied Barons, Lords, and Nobles. Of the 24 allied agents that formed small groups to infiltrate the slave lord’s organization, only the six who fled on the Fire Lilly and four others managed to escape and return to a hero’s welcome.