Scourge of the Slavelords
A1 – Slave Pits of the Undercity
A Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition PBP game
The Heroes
BlueLotus – Levanna, Female Human Wizard Sage
KahlessNestor – Tirion Cayde, Male Human Life-Cleric
Scotley – Kelvyn Black, Male Human Arcane Trickster Rogue Squire
Zeromaru – Alegast, Male Grey Elf Bladesinger Mercenary
ArwensDaughter - Quellathe Meliamne, Female Elf Ranger Beastmaster
The Lost
3SpdDragster – Evendur Buckman (Grigor Marsk), Male Human Rogue/Warlock Charlatan
Cathmore – Cedric White, Male Human Ranger “Bastard”
ForgedFury – Brak Blood-Bear, Male Human Barbarian Gladiator
OCC Thread
Original Recruitment Thread
[sblock=Background]
The setting is Greyhawk pre-Greyhawk Wars.
Once a minor jewel of the barons of the Pomarj, Highport was the center of a bustling shipping and trading industry. But a dark tide of death swelled out of the hills - murderous bands of humanoids. Highport was too rich a target to be ignored, and although it resisted, five times repulsing the attackers with bloody losses, it could not stand. A whirlwind of destruction entered the town: fires, lightning, and hail mixed with the savagery of the attackers. Highport burned and its few remaining citizens were slaughtered.
Much of port today remains in ruins dating back to "The Night of the Bloody Spear," a legacy of that great conquest. But slowly the city is being rebuilt and repopulated. It is now ruled by a coalition of humanoid tribes, split by factions and blood-feuds. Humans and demihumans have slowly returned: none of the original inhabitants, but evil men with evil reputations. Half-humans mix freely with full-blood humans and humanoids. Justice is unknown and the laws are simple: a strong sword-arm is judge and executioner, a dark alley the execution ground.
Still, the lure of trade and profit brings many here. But it is a much different trade than what it once was - an evil trade dealing in misery and hardship. Many slaves pass through this port to stand on the block in its dark markets. Many come to buy. And all are under the eyes of the slave lords.
===
For years now, the dark humanoid races that shacked the old city (now called Port Fury by most residence and sailors of Woolly Bay and the Wild Coast) have made a living by raiding the coastal towns around them. They descend quickly and ruthlessly; pillaging, killing and carrying off innocent citizens into the night. Feuding amongst the lands of the north and lack of funds (and the growing threat out of the lands of the Bandit Kingdoms, Horned Society and the lands Iuz) have prevented all but an occasional naval battle with the villains and the slow fortifications of coastal towns. Bribery was often a more effective method of protecting one’s lands from incursion of these avaricious sea-wolves.
Recently, however, the attacks have become more frequent and vicious and the raiders venturing farther than ever before; from the Azure Sea all the way north onto the waters of Nyr Dyv (the Lake of Unknown Depth). A new organizing force has sprung up amidst the pirates and reavers. Calling themselves the Slavelords, the Nine and the Pirates of the Yellow Sail, they have burnt entire villages and pulled down the walls of many towns. Women, children and whole families have disappeared; and through bribes are accepted, the agreements of old are now ignored. Vast tracts of coastline have been reduced to ashes, left barren except for packs of wild dogs.
The free cities of Greyhawk, Dyvers, Hardby and Safeton, along with the nations of the Kingdom of Furyondy, and the County and Duchy of Urnst have finally become determined to take action against these raiders. Through information gained from escaped slaves, and those fortunate enough to have been found and bought by family and friends, the alliance has determined that the slavers are using Port Fury as a major hub of their illicit trade between the lands of the south and parts of the Old Kingdom.
While many have advised taking a fleet and crushing the port once and for all, no one is will to commit such a force. Instead the alliance has chosen a plan of stealth, and gathered several bands of adventures to infiltrate the settlement and find out where the slaves are taken and by whom. Caution is recommended, for the true strength and extent of this slaver ring is not known, but they seem stronger and better organized than the humanoids whom nominally rule the city appear.
As unknown ships are generally attacked on sight at Port Fury the group that the players are a part of have hired a captain of ill repute to take them the free port-city of Elredd, itself a vile cesspool of barely tolerated scum and villainy that still does some trade with the free cities. The twisted streets of Elredd are lined with taverns, brothels, gambling halls, and other vice dens. Its teeming market squares do a brisk trade in all manner of stolen goods and contraband, such as exotic silks, spices, poisons, and dark relics. From there they are to make their way south to Port Fury by land and the supposed lair of the Slavelords.[/sblock]
[sblock=House Rules]Right now we only have a few
Rolling Dice: Most of the time I will allow you to roll your own dice but for Initiative (just to get any combats going as fast as possible), or certain secret rolls I will make them. Otherwise when making any of your rolls, please use the one here on EN World and have them at the bottom of you post. You can use a third party online roller so long as you post the results and the link to your roll at the bottom of your post.
If you opt for the EN World roller, this is the nomenclature you use:
{roll}1d20+3{/roll}
{roll}4d8{/roll}
{rollv}2d6{/rollv} – displays each roll separately
You replace the { } with [ ]. You can name your dice rolls, too. This:
{roll=Initiative}1d20+2{/roll}
will yield this result:
Initiative - (1d20+3)[22]
Group Initiative: Everyone will still get a roll, but if the group of characters wins they all go first but if the set of bad guys wins they all go first, etc.
Inspiration: with at least a good basic background (and those not familiar with Greyhawk can just use generic terms and we can fill in as we go) that you will start with 1. When you really play up your Personality Traits or Flaw, and its’ a good point in the story I will give another BUT I want you all to suggest it also ("Hey Dave really played the heck out of Two-Boars just now I think he deserves an Inspiration point")
Also I am going to allow you to also spend your Inspiration to re-roll, instead of using them only for Advantage (you can still roll with advantage if you want to).[/sblock]
[sblock=Posting]
I would like it very much if everyone could post their characters name and class(es) at the top of each post you make so that everyone can remember who is who.
If you want to use a color for your dialage, please do. Thoughts should be italic so we know what your character is thinking.
Any rolls, skill checks, ability checks, saving throws, etc. that your character is asked to make (or you want to on your own, like making a Wisdom (Perception) check to look for something, etc.) please use the dice roller and post the results as an OCC or sblock at the bottom of your post.
OCC questions and comments should be directed to the OCC thread that I linked above.[/sblock]
A foul wind of rot and sea-algae blows across the bow of the Ghoul as a small band of hardy adventures slowly pulls into the port of Elreed, this night of Starday in the month of Readying (Spring). Under the captain known only as ‘The Mad Elf’, he and his crew of privateers who had been hired out of Hardby to transport them here. Dirty and ill-tempered the adventures had been warned not to trust the crew or its captain overly much as they are not above raiding those they have not been ‘commissioned by Hardby’.
The port of Elredd is a dark and reeking place. Garbage and dead fish float on the surface of the brackish harbor. A battered fleet of fishing smacks are lashed to the moorings, and a few broken-down cogs lumber at anchor. Ramshackle huts and buildings lean precipitously over the stone quay. For all its decay, the port pulses with activity. But as the Mad Elf maneuvers up to a dock for unloading, no ‘yellows sails’ can be seen. A crowd of grimy stevedores gathers as the mooring lines are thrown out. Most quickly disperse when the Ghoul produces little cargo. The party does notice though that a number of hanger about and never-do-wells remain, eyeing the ship and anything (and anyone) offloading. They don’t appear to be doing anything more than loitering but all are arms and lightly armored.
Some of the crew, evidently released for shore-leave, scramble onto the dock and away into the town. One sailor in particular hurries away, but amidst a hail of curses from the first mate (by the name of Rottgum, a huge half-orc or maybe half-ogre who seems very loyal to the Mad Elf), ending with “ Yer a son o’ the bottomside of a goose-necked barnacle, desertin’ inna first port we enter!” he throws a broken block at the retreating sailor, who breaks into a run. The mate stumps against the rail. Anyone nearby hears him mutter further, “ No good runt got passage fer work, and nae much good o’ that too.”
About then the harbor master, an ugly and fat human with grease stained green robes, boards and speaks to the first mate whom hands him a heavy bag of coin.
As the party collects any remaining personal gear, the Mad Elf bids the party farewell, able to spare just a few words of caution given the tremendous profit he has made from them:
“’Tis a wicked place, I tell ye. Aye, a leaking bilge o’ rat-water, or me Ewe’s nae the swiftest o’ this coast.”
“If’in ye wants to do some pokin’ around here, I would suggest the Broken Rutter just over yonder. But I would keep a hand on yer weapons and not sleep ther’ were I ye."
“And of course, iff’in ye are thinkin’ about hirin’ a ship to sailin’ ye the rest of the ways south, the Rutter have the rep of bein’ where a number of the Eyes of the Nine gather.”
If the shack that the Mad Elf had pointed to is the Broken Rutter lay, it looks like just another broken down hut; maybe slightly larger than others, and build partly underground (into the stone pier).
[sblock=OCC]This is a good place to introduce your characters and describe what you look like. NOTE that you have been advised to not advertise overly “good” deity symbols here (and especially in Port Fury) or societies that you might belong too. Even lawful good characters know that keeping their thoughts to themselves and using subterfuge in such vile and wicked places is not only acceptable but smart.
Also what would you like to do next? If you wanted you could head for the city gates right away and leave this night. You are all assumed to have all your normal gear and food, etc. If you want to take the Mad Elf’s advice you can make your way to the Broken Rutter as it is right along the docks. There are a few patrons outside drinking and singing and a light from inside spills out into the streets, so it appears to be open even at this late hour.
What you know of Elredd – it is a large independent village (population around 800) made up mostly of humans with a fairly large half-orc minority. The village is suppose too be surrounded by a wooden palisade (you can’t see it from the docks at night). The town is ‘ruled’ over by a Dwarf call Baron Ragnar Ruvik. Most of the villagers are fishermen, sailors and merchant traders but the slave-trade is rumored to be very important also. If you want to make an Intelligence (History) check to remember or think of anything more you can now.
Also one last note. The group that hired you all also front 1,000gp for you to use for expenses like buying horses in Elreed, etc.
[/sblock]
A1 – Slave Pits of the Undercity
A Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition PBP game
The Heroes
BlueLotus – Levanna, Female Human Wizard Sage
KahlessNestor – Tirion Cayde, Male Human Life-Cleric
Scotley – Kelvyn Black, Male Human Arcane Trickster Rogue Squire
Zeromaru – Alegast, Male Grey Elf Bladesinger Mercenary
ArwensDaughter - Quellathe Meliamne, Female Elf Ranger Beastmaster
The Lost
3SpdDragster – Evendur Buckman (Grigor Marsk), Male Human Rogue/Warlock Charlatan
Cathmore – Cedric White, Male Human Ranger “Bastard”
ForgedFury – Brak Blood-Bear, Male Human Barbarian Gladiator
OCC Thread
Original Recruitment Thread
[sblock=Background]
The setting is Greyhawk pre-Greyhawk Wars.
Once a minor jewel of the barons of the Pomarj, Highport was the center of a bustling shipping and trading industry. But a dark tide of death swelled out of the hills - murderous bands of humanoids. Highport was too rich a target to be ignored, and although it resisted, five times repulsing the attackers with bloody losses, it could not stand. A whirlwind of destruction entered the town: fires, lightning, and hail mixed with the savagery of the attackers. Highport burned and its few remaining citizens were slaughtered.
Much of port today remains in ruins dating back to "The Night of the Bloody Spear," a legacy of that great conquest. But slowly the city is being rebuilt and repopulated. It is now ruled by a coalition of humanoid tribes, split by factions and blood-feuds. Humans and demihumans have slowly returned: none of the original inhabitants, but evil men with evil reputations. Half-humans mix freely with full-blood humans and humanoids. Justice is unknown and the laws are simple: a strong sword-arm is judge and executioner, a dark alley the execution ground.
Still, the lure of trade and profit brings many here. But it is a much different trade than what it once was - an evil trade dealing in misery and hardship. Many slaves pass through this port to stand on the block in its dark markets. Many come to buy. And all are under the eyes of the slave lords.
===
For years now, the dark humanoid races that shacked the old city (now called Port Fury by most residence and sailors of Woolly Bay and the Wild Coast) have made a living by raiding the coastal towns around them. They descend quickly and ruthlessly; pillaging, killing and carrying off innocent citizens into the night. Feuding amongst the lands of the north and lack of funds (and the growing threat out of the lands of the Bandit Kingdoms, Horned Society and the lands Iuz) have prevented all but an occasional naval battle with the villains and the slow fortifications of coastal towns. Bribery was often a more effective method of protecting one’s lands from incursion of these avaricious sea-wolves.
Recently, however, the attacks have become more frequent and vicious and the raiders venturing farther than ever before; from the Azure Sea all the way north onto the waters of Nyr Dyv (the Lake of Unknown Depth). A new organizing force has sprung up amidst the pirates and reavers. Calling themselves the Slavelords, the Nine and the Pirates of the Yellow Sail, they have burnt entire villages and pulled down the walls of many towns. Women, children and whole families have disappeared; and through bribes are accepted, the agreements of old are now ignored. Vast tracts of coastline have been reduced to ashes, left barren except for packs of wild dogs.
The free cities of Greyhawk, Dyvers, Hardby and Safeton, along with the nations of the Kingdom of Furyondy, and the County and Duchy of Urnst have finally become determined to take action against these raiders. Through information gained from escaped slaves, and those fortunate enough to have been found and bought by family and friends, the alliance has determined that the slavers are using Port Fury as a major hub of their illicit trade between the lands of the south and parts of the Old Kingdom.
While many have advised taking a fleet and crushing the port once and for all, no one is will to commit such a force. Instead the alliance has chosen a plan of stealth, and gathered several bands of adventures to infiltrate the settlement and find out where the slaves are taken and by whom. Caution is recommended, for the true strength and extent of this slaver ring is not known, but they seem stronger and better organized than the humanoids whom nominally rule the city appear.
As unknown ships are generally attacked on sight at Port Fury the group that the players are a part of have hired a captain of ill repute to take them the free port-city of Elredd, itself a vile cesspool of barely tolerated scum and villainy that still does some trade with the free cities. The twisted streets of Elredd are lined with taverns, brothels, gambling halls, and other vice dens. Its teeming market squares do a brisk trade in all manner of stolen goods and contraband, such as exotic silks, spices, poisons, and dark relics. From there they are to make their way south to Port Fury by land and the supposed lair of the Slavelords.[/sblock]
[sblock=House Rules]Right now we only have a few
Rolling Dice: Most of the time I will allow you to roll your own dice but for Initiative (just to get any combats going as fast as possible), or certain secret rolls I will make them. Otherwise when making any of your rolls, please use the one here on EN World and have them at the bottom of you post. You can use a third party online roller so long as you post the results and the link to your roll at the bottom of your post.
If you opt for the EN World roller, this is the nomenclature you use:
{roll}1d20+3{/roll}
{roll}4d8{/roll}
{rollv}2d6{/rollv} – displays each roll separately
You replace the { } with [ ]. You can name your dice rolls, too. This:
{roll=Initiative}1d20+2{/roll}
will yield this result:
Initiative - (1d20+3)[22]
Group Initiative: Everyone will still get a roll, but if the group of characters wins they all go first but if the set of bad guys wins they all go first, etc.
Inspiration: with at least a good basic background (and those not familiar with Greyhawk can just use generic terms and we can fill in as we go) that you will start with 1. When you really play up your Personality Traits or Flaw, and its’ a good point in the story I will give another BUT I want you all to suggest it also ("Hey Dave really played the heck out of Two-Boars just now I think he deserves an Inspiration point")
Also I am going to allow you to also spend your Inspiration to re-roll, instead of using them only for Advantage (you can still roll with advantage if you want to).[/sblock]
[sblock=Posting]
I would like it very much if everyone could post their characters name and class(es) at the top of each post you make so that everyone can remember who is who.
If you want to use a color for your dialage, please do. Thoughts should be italic so we know what your character is thinking.
Any rolls, skill checks, ability checks, saving throws, etc. that your character is asked to make (or you want to on your own, like making a Wisdom (Perception) check to look for something, etc.) please use the dice roller and post the results as an OCC or sblock at the bottom of your post.
OCC questions and comments should be directed to the OCC thread that I linked above.[/sblock]
A foul wind of rot and sea-algae blows across the bow of the Ghoul as a small band of hardy adventures slowly pulls into the port of Elreed, this night of Starday in the month of Readying (Spring). Under the captain known only as ‘The Mad Elf’, he and his crew of privateers who had been hired out of Hardby to transport them here. Dirty and ill-tempered the adventures had been warned not to trust the crew or its captain overly much as they are not above raiding those they have not been ‘commissioned by Hardby’.
The port of Elredd is a dark and reeking place. Garbage and dead fish float on the surface of the brackish harbor. A battered fleet of fishing smacks are lashed to the moorings, and a few broken-down cogs lumber at anchor. Ramshackle huts and buildings lean precipitously over the stone quay. For all its decay, the port pulses with activity. But as the Mad Elf maneuvers up to a dock for unloading, no ‘yellows sails’ can be seen. A crowd of grimy stevedores gathers as the mooring lines are thrown out. Most quickly disperse when the Ghoul produces little cargo. The party does notice though that a number of hanger about and never-do-wells remain, eyeing the ship and anything (and anyone) offloading. They don’t appear to be doing anything more than loitering but all are arms and lightly armored.
Some of the crew, evidently released for shore-leave, scramble onto the dock and away into the town. One sailor in particular hurries away, but amidst a hail of curses from the first mate (by the name of Rottgum, a huge half-orc or maybe half-ogre who seems very loyal to the Mad Elf), ending with “ Yer a son o’ the bottomside of a goose-necked barnacle, desertin’ inna first port we enter!” he throws a broken block at the retreating sailor, who breaks into a run. The mate stumps against the rail. Anyone nearby hears him mutter further, “ No good runt got passage fer work, and nae much good o’ that too.”
About then the harbor master, an ugly and fat human with grease stained green robes, boards and speaks to the first mate whom hands him a heavy bag of coin.
As the party collects any remaining personal gear, the Mad Elf bids the party farewell, able to spare just a few words of caution given the tremendous profit he has made from them:
“’Tis a wicked place, I tell ye. Aye, a leaking bilge o’ rat-water, or me Ewe’s nae the swiftest o’ this coast.”
“If’in ye wants to do some pokin’ around here, I would suggest the Broken Rutter just over yonder. But I would keep a hand on yer weapons and not sleep ther’ were I ye."
“And of course, iff’in ye are thinkin’ about hirin’ a ship to sailin’ ye the rest of the ways south, the Rutter have the rep of bein’ where a number of the Eyes of the Nine gather.”
If the shack that the Mad Elf had pointed to is the Broken Rutter lay, it looks like just another broken down hut; maybe slightly larger than others, and build partly underground (into the stone pier).
[sblock=OCC]This is a good place to introduce your characters and describe what you look like. NOTE that you have been advised to not advertise overly “good” deity symbols here (and especially in Port Fury) or societies that you might belong too. Even lawful good characters know that keeping their thoughts to themselves and using subterfuge in such vile and wicked places is not only acceptable but smart.
Also what would you like to do next? If you wanted you could head for the city gates right away and leave this night. You are all assumed to have all your normal gear and food, etc. If you want to take the Mad Elf’s advice you can make your way to the Broken Rutter as it is right along the docks. There are a few patrons outside drinking and singing and a light from inside spills out into the streets, so it appears to be open even at this late hour.
What you know of Elredd – it is a large independent village (population around 800) made up mostly of humans with a fairly large half-orc minority. The village is suppose too be surrounded by a wooden palisade (you can’t see it from the docks at night). The town is ‘ruled’ over by a Dwarf call Baron Ragnar Ruvik. Most of the villagers are fishermen, sailors and merchant traders but the slave-trade is rumored to be very important also. If you want to make an Intelligence (History) check to remember or think of anything more you can now.
Also one last note. The group that hired you all also front 1,000gp for you to use for expenses like buying horses in Elreed, etc.
[/sblock]
Last edited:
The blonde elf donned the hood of his brown traveler cloak while making sure he hid his weapons and leather armor under it, before he followed his companions slow enough to wait for Lavanna. She was a woman capable of watch for herself —something impressive, for a human—, but that harbor wasn't a place for a woman to go alone. As they left the Ghoul, Alegast tried to recall what their employers said about the place. The advise from Evendur was a wise one, and he want to be ready for any surprise. 
