Destroying the Slave Lords

Semester started with a bit of a bang back in September. I knew it was coming, but I didn't know exactly what would need doing, so I didn't have much time to compensate. As usual, of course, it stayed that way throughout. However, now that it's holiday time, I am beginning to catch my breath. This means that I can finally update the campaign blog. We have been playing steadily through the autumn, but this is the first time I've been able to put fingers to keyboard. The plan is to do quite a bit more of this over the next couple of weeks. You never know, if I get lucky I might be able to bring everything up to date...

We left the game with a cliffhanger at the kids' request, and it is just as well that we did. The intention always was to make the grand finale combat against the Slave Lords into an especially memorable event, so I reckoned we would need a full session for that and any consequences. The idea was to give the three characters a fighting chance of taking out the grand inner council. It also gave me the opportunity to use some of my dungeon tiles and equipment; although mostly unpainted, it would help to show the available space for manoeuvre and combat. I don't usually do this, because it can be very cumbersome and time-consuming in the middle of a game, but for a set-piece like this it's ideal.

To recap, here are the details of the leaders of the Slave Lords' organisation:

• 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

Opposing this lot are only three player characters: Destiny (Menastrai sorceress); Sir Blanque (superb half mer-person swordsman); and Marion (Nihrain Shadowdancer, who is currently carrying the Runestaff). However, these three are individually more powerful than any of the slavers. They have the advantage of surprise because Destiny has been using a wardpacted demon to protect them against scrying devices. They also suspect that one of the Nine, the Dharzi Edralve, is looking for a way to betray the slavers. So the odds are perhaps not so unbalanced. The scenario gives tactical advice on how to run the individual Slavers, which would help with quite a large number of skilled individuals.

The characters are poised and ready to burst into the Slave Lords' inner sanctum, having infiltrated the main complex via caverns and then through the lowest basement level. The action begins with Destiny's wardpact demon making a particularly disgusting laughing sound, accompanied by "Gotcha!" in High Melnibonean. At exactly that moment, a horrific scream erupts from somewhere behind the large door leading into the main chamber where the Slave Lords are all gathered. Sir Blanque opens the door and leads the assault.

The Slave Lords are gathered at a boardroom table; piles of loot are along the walls next to them. The characters enter at the bottom left of the photo; there is a flight of stairs leading up to the main citadel at the bottom right. This is slightly different from the description in the module, but it's been changed to suit the materials I had to hand.

Lying in the middle of the floor is the twitching body of one of the Slave Lords (Ajakstu the Diviner). It looks as though his scrying device blew up in his face; his half-melted remains have massive shards of glass embedded in them, and are still sizzling from the contents of his once potent magical item. One down, eight to go...

Ketta, the leader of the former Thieves' Guild, turns out to be almost as fast as Sir Blanque. Reacting almost instantaneously to the attack, she buries two throwing knives in Destiny's demon armour. Destiny tries to interpose her shield, but drops it instead (fumble!). In the meantime, Nerelas the Assassin downs a potion in one gulp, while Stalman Klim and Lamonsten both trace runes in the air.

Recovering from her fumble with the shield, Destiny fireblasts one end of the long table (represented by the fire elemental in the photo above). Marion draws the magic longsword she acquired recently on the way here through the mountains, and promptly turns invisible.

It is at this point that Edralve decides to intervene, magically silencing Stalman Klim before he can put into operation whatever that rune was intended to accomplish. There are now three characters plus a Dharzi sorceress against seven Slavers. The Slaver warrior Eanwulf retaliates by throwing an axe at the traitor, hurting her right arm a little. 

Millerjoi, the Warrior-Priest of Chaos, somersaults over the table towards the characters. He lands near the now mostly melted body of poor old Ajakstu, pressing down on a specific slab on the floor. This causes a large deadfall to drop from the ceiling in the corridor from which the players entered, sealing everyone into the room, and setting off a potent gas trap at the same time. The second assassin, Theg Narlot, misses Sir Blanque with a throwing knife, while Ketta readies two more.

Destiny still has not yet entered the chamber; her air elementals protect her from the effect of the gas. The way behind her is now blocked.

Marion heads off to the left after having turned invisible, and bumps into Nerelas, who had the same idea (his potion turned him invisible too!). Marion is slightly faster and gets in the first blow as they both become visible again; he parries her demon dagger with his longsword, which is glistening slightly - poison!? Stalman Klim is forced to use an action in dispelling Edralve's silence, which at least keeps the enemy's most powerful sorceror out of the action for a while. It is now Lamonsten's turn to become invisible.

Destiny now uses magic to paralyse Brother Millerjoi, while Edralve casts some protective Dharzi magic on herself, fully expecting a magical attack from Stalman Klim. Marion presses her assault against Theg Narlot; Eanwulf draws his scimitar and readies a shield.

Sir Blanque decides to take advantage of Destiny's magical attack on Brother Millerjoi and promptly removes the guy's head with a swipe of his Virtuous broadsword; the force of the blow sends the body twirling across the table. At almost exactly the same moment, Marion takes Nerelas out of the fight by slicing downwards, severing the artery on his right leg. He goes down unconscious, to bleed out permanently. The Slavers are now down to only five effectives!

Unfortunately for her, though, the renegade Edralve is surrounded by the remaining Slavers. The players want to keep her alive based on previous intelligence, so Sir Blanque orders his air elemental to push the Dharzi to safety against the far wall. This helps her a little as Ketta throws two knives at her, one of which grazes Edralve's left leg. She is now bleeding from two separate gashes. 

Deciding that discretion is a good idea, Stalman Klim conjures himself into the earth, and starts to disappear into the floor; he intends to abandon his erstwhile allies as only a good high priest of Chaos can. Lamonsten reappears next to Edralve and tries to stab her, but she just manages to parry with her own shortsword. In the meantime, Marion grabs Nerelas' poisoned longsword and turns herself invisible again.

Destiny takes advantage of her immunity to the gas trap by ordering her air elementals to blow it towards the far side of the boardroom table, which has caught fire and is blazing merrily away. This causes something of an explosion that quite nicely singes Theg Narlot and Ketta. However, it doesn't affect Eanwulf because he has rushed off to attack Edralve.

Sir Blanque jumps over the table to intervene and protect Edralve, but Theg Narlot (still smoking slightly) engages the Filkharian nobleman. Sir Blanque's swift response surprises the assassin, but he manages to parry, and then jump back out of the way. Realising the danger to Edralve, Marion uses the Runestaff to paralyse Eanwulf. Lamonsten swings at Edralve, but she dodges and moves towards the now paralysed Eanwulf. Ketta draws another couple of daggers; she must be carrying nearly as many as Marion!

Stalman Klim is now waist deep in the earth, and is about to disappear from view entirely; realising what he is trying to do, Destiny orders a pair of earth elementals to stop his progress. Marion joins in, running up to the high priest and slicing into what turns out, surprise surprise, to be demon armour. 

Edralve starts furiously to hit Eanwulf, but her little shortsword doesn't make much of an impression against his Master quality full plate armour. She is obviously more successful as a sorceror. 

Sir Blanque turns his attention to Lamonsten, catching him on the left leg with his force shield. This particular Slaver is now looking really battered. This is the last straw for Ketta, who makes for the stairs. Her decision to run away is not entirely unexpected; the players already know that she likely joined the Slavers to save her skin when they came down on hard on her Thieves Guild.

Lamonsten gets lucky and manages to cast a fear rune successfully on Sir Blanque, stopping the swordsman's onslaught. At this point, Stalman Klim calls on his goddess Xiombarg and rolls a spectacular critical failure. The room shivers as a powerful rumble cuts across the entire island - an earthquake!

Destiny puts a water elemental barrier across the stairs to stop Ketta and anyone else from escaping just as Marion puts another hefty slice into Stalman Klim's demon armour; at this rate, it isn't going to last much longer. He collapses.

Ketta, Lamonsten and Theg Narlot all join forces against Destiny, correctly surmising that if they can take her out, their escape route will be cleared. Marion uses the Runestaff to create a wall of force between Destiny and the Slavers, while at the same time Destiny starts calling on Grome Earth Father.

Grome manifests in his trademark unsubtle style. "Bad Chaos Lady! My island! MY VOLCANO!" He grabs Stalman Klim, who was in fact using magic to fake death, and pulls the hapless sorceror into the earth for ever. 

A great rumbling earthquake starts to rend the island as the surviving Slavers surrender and everyone runs for it...