Chapter 3 / Episode 78 – The Slave Pits of The Undercity

Chapter 3 / Episode 78 – The Slave Pits of the Undercity

Date: Planting 5, 576 CY — Beneath the Temple of Highport

Weather: Subterranean; air cool and heavy with moisture. Faint southern drafts carry the scent of mold, rust, and decay.

Players Present:

• Dog the Ranger of the Gnarley Forest

• Irving the Reluctant, Paladin of St. Cuthbert (with familiar, Harvey the Hare)

• TerryOr, Cleric of St. Cuthbert

• Dixon the Dwarf

• Silversun, Magic-User of Greyhawk

---

The Trapdoors and the Pits

The stench of gutted ogre still hung in the air, as did the cloying taint of blood and sweat. Winded, but recovering, the would-be rescuers pushed on into the confusing maze of passageways, now fairly certain that this was indeed the abode of slavers. With a modicum of luck, these slave dens might hold prisoner the nobleman they sought.

A light at the end of the passage indicated the outline of a door, that Dixon the dwarf quickly opened. The room that lay beyond left no doubt. These were indeed the warrens of slavers.

The chamber beyond the door was filled with trapdoors that formed the tops of barred cages that were obviously intended for slaves The tops of these cages formed narrow beams stretching above the pits below. Undaunted by this gymnastic challenge, Dixon grunted but once before tying a hundred-foot rope about his waist and beginning the perilous crossing. Each step required precise placement as the avenues formed by the tops of the cages were disturbingly narrow. The dwarf had just killed a number of enemies that were the ancient foes of his race, however, and he would brook no further delay. Every step tested his balance, but Dixon proceeded rapidly, as though unaware of the fifteen foot drop that lay on either side of the narrow cage tops. “Holy crap,” muttered Silversun the magic-user to the cleric, Terry Or. Terry watched the dwarf’s progress in stunned silence, awe and admiration writ large upon his normally sardonic visage.

“Look at him go!”, finished Silversun, also astonished at the dwarf’s skill. Still stunned, the cleric only nodded. Two large pillars, obvious supports for the ceiling some fifteen feet above, demarked the center of the room. As the dwarf rapidly approached, two shadows stirred from behind these columns; Aspis drones, giant insect horrors that balanced upon their back legs and strode forward as humanoids. Walking forward in this fashion their additional limbs bore both broadsword and shield. Even Dixon paused for a splintered moment as he faced these seven-foot-tall monstrosities. Quickly recovering, he swung his mighty hammer with all of the pent-up rage of a people persecuted by giant-kind and their ilk. “Come and test my hammer, bug-boy,” he roared through gritted teeth, “I think not that you’ll enjoy the taste.”

Steel met chitin with a resounding crack that broke the reverie of those watching. Dixon’s hammer struck to great effect, but the drones’ counter-blows landed with brutal precision. Silversun, the first to respond, yelled, “Eat these, abominations!” as three magic missiles streaked through the dark, bursting against the creatures for a searing 14 points of damage. Dog loosed an arrow that clattered against stone, while Terry and Irving threaded a precarious path across the beams to join the fray. The clash of battle echoed through the chamber as the cleric and paladin did their best to reach their outnumbered comrade before he could be further injured. A second volley of magic missiles from Silversun perforated one Aspis that fell soundlessly into a cage below, while Terry managed to close the range with the last. The sound of a strange metallic clang reverberated through the room, but the embattled warriors were too occupied to note its source. Not expecting an attack from the direction of the cleric’ approach, the Apsis drone fell as, with a satisfying ‘Crack’, Terry’s mace penetrated his tough insect-like outer shell. Soon the panting of exertion was the only sound present within the room. At least until Irving the paladin made himself heard. Terry quickly began to help Dixon with his wounds, while Silversun tried to locate the origin of Irving’s voice. The paladin was nowhere to be seen.

“If you’re not too busy,” the voice rang out once again, “I’m down here!”

Irving had lost his footing and fallen into one of the holding cells. The clang of armor and his muffled curse rang out below. “Got a rope?” he called from below.

Dixon chuckled aloud as he tightened the last bandage that Terry had applied to his wounds. “Be with you in a second,” he answered in a cheery voice, “I always have rope.”

The paladin retrieved from his erstwhile prison, the group made their way cautiously across the room filled with slave cages.

---

Hallway Battle and Healing

The passage on the far side of the cage room held an abandoned chair, a sign that immediately alerted Dog, the ranger. He motioned silently for the others to hang back as he stealthily crept down the hall. As if to certify his skill at sensing enemies, an Aspis drone emerged from the shadows of a slight bend on the hallway and swung twin blades at the fearless ranger. Dog responded with an arrow of his own. The other adventurers rushed forward, quickly engaging the giant humanoid insect. A quick thrust of the insect’s first sword connected with Silversun, a telling blow, but the mage bravely refused to back down. Its second blade blocked by the cleric’s mace, the creature was quickly dispatched by blows from the ranger and the dwarf. Dog, disugusted by these creatures, quickly dragged the body to the entrance of the cage room and dropped it into one of the cells below while Terry tended to the wounds of both the dwarf and the mage.

Silversun was in fairly rough shape. “I know I shouldn’t charge in,” he replied to the cleric’s concerned but retributive glare, “but these creatures are just vile.” Dog, his hearing amazingly acute, replied from the far end of the passage where he had disposed of the body. “Yes brother,” he agreed with a nod.

Investigating the now-Apsis-free hallway, the characters discovered three possibilities for their ongoing search. To the north, the wall was absent, and a second sunken room, fully ten feet lower than the floor of the hallway, presented itself. It closely resembled the room that had been filled with barred prisoner cells, but the cages were absent. That room appeared to continue onward to the south, passing under the hallway currently occupied by the party. To the east, the hallway continued for more then eighty feet and appeared to end with a stout, iron-band-reinforced wooden door. To the south, a similar door beckoned from a spot only twenty feet from the room of the cages. Unable to quench his zeal, Dixon quickly opened the door to the south.

Beyond the door a small chamber, perhaps ten to twelve feet by fifteen feet, lay empty, with a staircase that led downwards taking the place of its southern wall. Several experiments with these levers confirmed that they operated the doors covering the cells in the room of cages. Discovering this, even Irving, usually the most level-headed member of the group admitted, “Yes! This is definitely the abode of some vile traffickers in flesh. By the will of Cuthbert, they must be made to pay for their crimes.”

---

The Slave Cells

Beyond the control room, the adventurers cautiously descended the steps to the south. The landing was indeed a mere continuation of the sunken chamber to the north that they had seen from the hallway before entering the room of levers. Dog quickly signed for the others to remain quiet and still, while he and the dwarf moved forward stealthily to investigate, creeping down the stairs.

Human and orcish captives huddled within, eyes hollow with despair. Thirteen in total—one defiant barbarian among them—guarded by five orcs and three human overseers.

Dixon whispered in Dwarvish to relay his plan; Terry prepared his hold person spell. Irving stepped forward, calling out a false challenge to draw the guards closer. In a moment of perfect timing, the cleric’s spell froze three men and one orc in place while Dog’s arrow struck true. The melee was brutal but efficient. Within moments, the slavers lay defeated and the keys to the cages were theirs.

---

The Magic-User and His Fall

The only opponent left was cloaked in crimson robes, a Magic-User. His first act was a slow spell, warping time for Irving, Dixon, and Dog. Terry and Silversun surged forward. The wizard began a burning hands incantation, but Silversun’s thrown dagger struck him mid-gesture, shattering his concentration. The explosion of sparks backfired—engulfing the slaver mage in his own flames and Terry'Or finished him with the mace. When the smoke cleared, his spellbook lay charred but intact. Silversun claimed it, eyes gleaming in the dim light.

---

Aftermath: Rescue and Revelation

The group tended to the freed slaves and searched the bodies of the fallen. The Aspis bore only crude weapons, but among the slavers’ loot they discovered 3 500gp gems, a ring, and a map showing a route from Highport to the Slaver’s Stockade. One surviving female fighter, captured among the slavers, was bound and interrogated; she denied knowledge of any “noble prisoner” but offered her blade in service—for a price. The adventurers locked here in a cell.

After feeding and arming the eleven surviving prisoners, the party prepared to guide them toward safety before pressing deeper into the undercity.

---

Outcome

• XP Awarded: 6,000 each

• Treasure Found: 3 500 Gold Piece Gems, bracers of defense AC 6, clerical ring of spell storing, spellbook, map to Slaver’s Stockade

• Prisoners Freed: 13 humans

• Next Objective: Track the slavers’ route to the Stockade and visit the master of the Slave pits

---

Closing Scene

As the last of the rescued captives disappeared into the torchlit corridor, Dog turned back toward the darkness. “Slavers don’t work alone,” he muttered.
Irving tightened his grip on his mace, Harvey perched silently beside him. “Then we end the chain at its source,” he said.

The echo of their footsteps faded into the dripping dark—the road to the Slaver’s Stockade awaiting. First, they need to confront the master.