Slave Pits of the Undercity Continued

Date: Sunday December 2nd, 2001

John Alicia Wilkins Thief5 HumanfemaleNG
Nigel Serena Hon Wujen 4(Oriental MU) Ninja 4 HumanfemaleCN
Dale Fletcher Brazen Ranger 5 Elf, maleCG
Bryce Durak Ironshield Cleric 5 Dwarf, maleLN

Adventure Details
The adventurers are hiding out in the ruined slums of Talon's Gate. They are approached by an elf and a dwarf who are also looking to infiltrate the Slavers stronghold and the four decide to join forces (the adventurers awoke one morning to find that Garet Jax had vanished without trace).

The brainstorm a way into the fortress and decide to try the sewers hoping that there is some sort of connection to the dungeons beneath the temple. They locate a sewer grate near to an orc barracks and then spend a couple of days reconnoitring the barracks to see what is the best time to try and make a break for the grate. There seems to be little activity during the middle of the day so they decide to give it a go and manage to get into the sewers without being spotted.

They search several tunnels two of which could lead to the catacombs beneath the sewers but are turned back before finding out for sure (nobody was keen to swim through the muck0 so eventually give up. The mission isn't a total waste of time though as they find several entrances to the leaders quarters. Under the cover of darkness Piskie goes out to try and locate a secret entrance to the temple and soon fnds one. She also spots two ogres near to the bridge and decides to pick their pockets! She sneaks up okay but is caught with her hand in the pocket of an ogre and barely escapes with her life, and staggers back to the others who patch her up. They wait until it is nearly morning and then head into the temple via the secret entrance. They explore a few rooms until they enter one and are jumped by several ghouls. Durak is paralysed almost straight away and Piskie also succumbs before the party triumphs after a bloody battle. Durak was almost killed but was saved in the nick of time (-9hp) by Brazen who uses his only healing potion to revive the dwarf.

Once rested the party presses onwards and makes it as far as the main courtyard without being discovered. The four guards are soon put out of action and the party presses onwards into the temple. Piskie spots a trap on the floor which is avoided and they burst into the main temple where some sort of ceremony is taking place. The priest starts to parley but Brazen will here nothing of this and lets off an arrow, but mistimes his shot and hits Durak fair in the back, the already injured dwarf collapses with an arrow jutting out of his back...

Quote(s) of the Day:
I pick the ogres pockets! (Piskie aka. John).
Piskie is reconnoitring the Slavelords temple and finds a secret door (so successfully completes her mission) then spots two ogre guards nearby and decides to pick their pockets! She fails and is all but beaten into a bloody pulp by the ogres but manages to escape with an ogre in hot pursuit. She hides successfully then leaps out at the ogre as it passes his position (thus blowing her cover) and again fails to backstab it and is really badly hurt before escaping. Once bitten... twice bitten.

"I fire at the priestess" (Brazen- Dale)
Unfortunately he then rolls a 1 and fumbled (rolling an 85) and did a normal hit on friend. The dwarven cleric is hit and falls having taken 12hp damage, after all Brazen is a bow specialist!

Date: Thursday December 6th , 2001

The battle continued. Piskie and Serena were quickly held by the priestess and Brazen was left to save the day. He managed to fight off the orcs until the enchantment wore off and then the three adventurers slew the priestess after a bitter fight. Unfortunately by that time the stalwart dwarf, Durak had died of his wounds.

The temple is quickly searched. A slave is rescued from the altar and agrees to join the party (new players character). Serena notes an enchantment in the poor box, opening the lid a troll leaps out and quickly resumes its normal size and attacks but it is no match for the party. After a search of a couple more rooms the party reaches an overgrown garden and are half way though it when a harpy begins singing and Serena and Darioron are charmed. Darioron walks into a glade and the harpy picks him up and flies off. Brazen fires and the harpy releases the human warrior, unfortunately Brazen hit the human, not the harpy! He takes 16 hp from the point blank shot then more damage from the fall!

However as the creature swoops down on Brazen Piskie leaps out of the undergrowth and slices off one of its wings (a critical) and the harpy plummets into the earth, dead. At this point the party rests up in the overgrown garden and during their rest hear the sounds of patrols looking for them. Once Serena has regained spells they press onwards and soon find a slave chamber. The slaves are being whipped by a large orc, or so it seems. Darioron and Piskie charge the orc but Piskie is struck in the back by one of Brazen's arrows and seriously wounded.

The slaves then turn on the party and all hell breaks loose, they were in fact half orcs waiting in ambush! The battle is long and the party almost falls as at one stage Darioron had been incapacitated by a command spell, Piskie knocked unconscious and Brazen overborne but the determination of the party wins through in the end and they manage to defeat the "slaves" and their fighter/cleric leader.

Sorely wounded they retreat back to the overgrown temple to rest while the complex goes on high alert. It isn't long before a patrol discovers them but the elf ambushes them with bow fore and the orcs flee for reinforcements. At this point the party scale the wall and prepare to bug out. Not long after a spell caster arrives on the scene and tries to lightning bolt them but the party drop down into the empty street and escape.

They head back to the human quarter and try to book into an inn but the authorities are already on to them and Piskie notices three ogres sneaking into the ally near their room. As more guards pile into the hallway the party takes to their heels and disappears over the rooftops and out of the city. Things are getting a bit too hot in Talon's Deep. Sometimes you've just got to run!

Thursday December 13th
Having fled Talon's Gate the party hides in the hills above the city. Both Serena (2hp) and Piskie (1hp) are badly injured so they don't travel too far under the cover of darkness. The next morning the skies are sullen and grey and the party is discussing their options when a caravan of four carts, loaded up with slaves, and more than two score orcs and ogres leaves the city and makes its way slowly up the hill near the party. As the caravan nears a nearby rise one of the wagons opens and the twenty slaves make a bolt for freedom with about half the guards in hot pursuit.

Three of the slaves head towards the party but two are brought down by arrow fire. The third hides amongst the rocks and prepares to make a last stand as 4 orcs approach his position. As the lead orc discovers him the party leap out and slay the creatures, thus rescuing Randall Fingleton, a wandering cleric of the Source (yep another NPC healer). The party then slink off further into the hills. They rest for a day or so recovering from their recent ordeal and then decide to find out where the caravan was heading.

The follow a trial deeper into the hills for about a day and a half away before coming to a secluded valley where they find an old, but recently repaired, stockade. Guards are visible on the battlements but they can't tell what race. As they watch the place a patrol of 20 creatures leaves and head south, back down the trial to Talon's Gate. The party decide to ambush them so work round in front of them and race to a narrow gorge at the entrance to the valley. Here they quickly plan an ambush using some loose rocks to create a rockslide. As the unsuspecting hobgoblins enter the gorge the trap is sprung. Six of them are crushed in the rockslide and two more are held by Randell's hold person spell.

Serena and song do leap out to engage in hand-to-hand while Piskie and Brazen snip from the recover of the rocks. In a few minutes it is all over and the hobgoblins are captured or slain. Four prisoners are interrogated 9then slain) and the party learns that there are several powerful leaders and two or three hundred hobgoblins in the fortress.

They create another rockslide to hide the evidence of the ambush then head off back into the hills. That night they are awoken by the howling of wolves, that gets nearer, and nearer, then stops. They wait for several minutes and then Piskie heads out to scout, as she does so several winter wolves attack. Brazen drops his with two well placed arrows, but they others are all injured by the wolves frost breath before finally overcoming the creatures. They then skin the wolves and decide to make cloaks out the pelts (killing a winter wolf is an initiation into the Winter Wolves adventuring Guild after all).

The following day they decide to head back to Talon's Gate but on the way are beset by a snowstorm and forced to hide in a snow cave for four days. At one point an orcish patrol passed very close to the party but they weren't detected.

Once the snow stopped they made it back to the city and snuck in. The headed to the ruined quarter to plan their next sojourn into the Slavepits of the Undercity...

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Monday, 22 April 2002