Scourge of the Slave Lords VII: Plots and counterplots

Campaign Narrative
The conversation underneath the slavers' stockade takes an interesting turn. After agreeing to betray his erstwhile masters, Blackthorn the Dai-Oni (whatever that is) gleefully gives the players lots of information. It turns out that not only is he well aware of the machinations of the Dharzi sorceress Markessa, but also that there is a further split developing within the ranks of the Dharzi themselves. "House Eilservs is the Dharzi noble clan that has been entrusted by Lolth the Spider Queen to infiltrate the Lands of the East," he continues. "However, the matriarch of that House, Lady Eclavdra, has ordered her agents in the Slavers' organisation to sabotage it, thus subverting the deal between Lolth and Stalman Klim, the High Priest of Xiombarg. He is the man who summoned me to this plane, and for that I owe him a debt of treachery. I should have been passing on this information to him, but sometimes the juiciest part of betrayal is the subtle nuance rather than the grandstanding action. My kind savour the possibilities produced by simply withholding tactical or strategic knowledge. It is amazing what the tiniest detail can do if applied to the correct nerve point. The thing is, I do not know why the Dharzi, or some of them at least, are starting to rebel against their Spider Goddess. Perhaps her plans are not working out, and they feel the time is right to end her thousand-year domination of their people."

Blackthorn tells Destiny his True Name (Togekuro) and the discussion continues. According to Blackthorn, Klim has been building a citadel in the mountains by the name of Suderham, using the proceeds of the Slave Lords' activities plus Dharzi help to fund the place; he is also in league with the Warrior-Priests of Chaos. He is hoping to lure the forces of Eshmir deep into Changshai by creating a power vacuum, and then strike them with the full power of his forces plus the might of the alliance. If he can destroy the Eshmirian army, the way will be open for him to conquer that country, and so directly control the whole of the easternmost part of the continent. "The chances are that he will then betray Lolth and the Dharzi anyway," says Blackthorn. "There is actually little love lost between these factions. It will be intriguing to find out which side strikes the first blow." Blackthorn lists the leaders of the Slave Lords, an inner group of nine major personages:

• Stalman Klim, usurper of Changshai and High Priest of Xiombarg
• Edralve, senior member of Dharzi House Eilservs and representative of Lolth
• Brother Milerjoi, council member representing the Chaotic Warrior-Priests of Phum
• Eanwulf, leader of the Slavers' Guild of Sellswords
• Nerelas, leader of the Slavelords' Guild of Assassins
• Theg Narlot, depute to Nerelas
• Lamonsten, Master of Illusions, a sorceror
• "Slippery" Ketta, former leader of the Thieves' Guild of Suderham
• Ajakstu the Diviner, another powerful sorceror

Picture of the Slave Lords' inner council, from the module. Interestingly, Edralve doesn't have what would become the trademark white hair of the Drow in AD&D; maybe this was painted just a bit early for that. They are all 'name' level characters in their own right, so each is rather powerful.

Blackthorn gives some useful pointers about the people on the Council. "Edralve may well be willing to betray the others, of course," he says. "Ketta's loyalties are not certain; until recently, the Thieves' Guild in Suderham was unknown to the slavers, but when they realised its existence, she betrayed her own organisation to save her life. It is possible that she can be turned against them; it is also possible that not all of her guild members were rounded up, and there may be some in the Resistance who will be able and willing to help you. Oh, and watch out for Ajakstu; he seems to have some sort of scrying device or ability. Even though Klim has been expecting Eshmirian intervention, your infiltration has made that seem much more sudden and decisive than he was expecting, so they will be using all means at their disposal to find out as much as they can about their enemies."

At this point, Destiny's Demon of Knowledge coughs politely from its hiding place in an expensive brooch. "Ahem! Mistress, if I may?" Destiny nods assent; her servant responds maliciously: "Yes, well, there is a way to cause great disruption to such magical methods of information gathering. May I suggest that you summon and bind a hybrid Demon of Protection, with a Wardpact against sorcerous scrying? It could then take appropriate action." Blackthorn likes the sound of this; it would be using Chaos against Chaos, which seems massively appropriate in the midst of all these machinations. 

The characters then tell Blackthorn that Eshmir has already taken both of the main cities in Changshai, and that a large marine force is in fact following closely behind them. "Excellent!" says the treacherous creature. "Since your arrival here is still unknown, I can sow dissension from underneath the stockade. I have already suborned many of the troops as part of my preparations for conflict with Markessa; we'll just need to deal with her first."

"That won't be necessary," says Sir Blanque. "She has already fled the complex - permanently, by the looks of it."

Marion interjects: "We have already made friends with Markessa's former lieutenants, and freed the slaves in the pens. Some of them may be able to join in the attack from below."

Blackthorn is then introduced to Markessa's double; her boyfriend; the Bull-man created by Markessa; the engineer; the alchemist; the three warriors who had been turned into lycanthropes; and the Lawful monk they saved from the cells. The characters are rather worried about trusting Blackthorn, since he is such a specialist in duplicity, but Destiny assures the others that knowledge of his true name has given her a substantial hold over him - "Besides, he is getting an inkling that we are not to be trifled with. He sees us as a useful way to gain revenge on his summoner and his friends." 

The upshot is that their new allies will make contact with the Eshmirian marines when they reach the vicinity of the stockade. A two-pronged assault will then be launched: a reasonably standard attack from outside to draw the attention of the fort's defenders, and an incursion from behind and beneath with Blackthorn's help. In order to seal this new agreement, Blackthorn gives them the fort's treasury, which it turns out was secreted in a room at the far end of a narrow pipeline only he could access in his misty form. There is a huge amount of money in there, along with some potent magical items: scrolls with runes, some potions, and other bits and pieces, all of which will come in really handy. 

Finally, the three main characters decide to head off to Suderham to keep up the momentum of their infiltration. Destiny sacrifices the small but exquisite orrery they found way back in Auquhol's estate and uses that to summon and bind a particularly nasty demon to ward against scrying. Blackthorn gives them directions to Suderham, which lies in a bowl in the middle of the mountain range to the west of their current location. A trail leads up the mountains through a fortified pass and thence down into a lake. Suderham is located on an island in the middle of the lake, next to a still-smoking volcano. "There is, though, a hidden tunnel that leads through the mountains, eventually emerging on the outskirts of the shanty town outside Suderham proper," he says. "I'll give you the location, but be warned; it is also guarded. If you are are careful, though, you may be able to sneak through there in much the same way you have been doing here."

Sir Blanque has been thinking about all of the money they have just acquired; this sojourn to the east of the Young Kingdoms is becoming extremely profitable, and they are going to have difficulty carrying all that loot. He does, though, have a suggestion: "You know that we have passed through portals to various small planes? Could we make a little bubble of our own and stash our loot in that? Perhaps Destiny could summon a Demon thing that could take the form of a satchel or bag or something that would be the entrance to a secret hidey-hole." The others think this is a great idea, and Destiny does so. The players then wave good bye to their new friends and continue on their journey.

Umpire's comments

The players sussed very early on that the slavers have a propensity for secret escape routes, based on their initial investigation of the tunnels beneath the temple in Zoshai. In effect, this means that they did not interact with most of the above ground locations there and in the stockade. That doesn't bother me. I am not going to inflict every single aspect of a module on them just because I happen to have it, and clever play deserves to be rewarded. This is becoming a commando mission by three very powerful individuals, and they have been using Eshmir's forces to sweep up the opposition after they have found out what they need and then moving on to the next stage. It's working so far, and capturing Blackthorn has paid dividends, the treacherous sod.

One final note is that Thomas (Sir Blanque) happened across a reference to the famous Bag of Holding on a D&D discussion forum somewhere, and came up with the idea of translating it to Stormbringer magics. The players already know that many of the magical effects in D&D can be simulated by clever use of sorcery, and this is a great example. They had just better not lose it...

It really is fascinating watching the players deal with D&D tropes, creatures and items for the very first time.