Session 2
Slaves Again
Embedded Files
Chapter 1 The life of a slave
Chapter 1 The life of a slave
Hauling bricks up the ziggurat is hard work under the hot sun of Athas. With little water and food, and even less rest, exhaustion begins to take its toll.
As the characters toil throughout the day they pick out rumors;
"Tarasina the Brickmaker and some elf got killed on a breakout."
"I heard some templar say this was s'posed to be Kalak's tomb. Maybe after 1000 years, the old kank's gonna kick it."
"I seen slaves digging mass graves outside the city walls."
"Grand games and freedom?! Last time Kalak sounded so generous, thousands died. I don't like it."
"Oh, it'll be great to be free. I've been a slave all my life, but when Kalak frees me, I'll get a wine shop and drink all my stock."
"There's some what say Kalak's dealin' with the dragon - gonna feed us all t' the monster t' keep Tyr safe."
Chapter 2 Cruel overseer
Chapter 2 Cruel overseer
During one particularly hot afternoon while trying to haul a load of stones up the ziggurat, Jhava slipped and caused the sled to crash into other coming up. The overseer, noticing this began to whip him until he collapsed. No one stepped in to aid him and he was carried, bloodied skin stripped from his body down to the brickyard below.
Chapter 3 A Friend in need
Chapter 3 A Friend in need
On morning when gathering the crew together, the group overheard some elves taunting a half giant. An odd din rose over the caterwauling of the overseers and the party raised their sunscorched brows towards the distance. A crowd of slaves had quickly clustered around the scene, packed in elbow to elbow. The slouching half-giant was swinging his massive hands at the nimble elves with no success. Urgack quickly came to the defense of his fellow half-giant but soon too became the butt of the jokes. The rest of the group came and broke up the taunting and Urrgos, the tormented half-giant, soon took a liking to Jhava, his new BFF.
Chapter 4 Girl Trouble
Chapter 4 Girl Trouble
During mealtime, while Urgack was using his fingers to scrape the last of his greasy, muddy looking gruel, a spray of slop blanketed him. At the same time he heard a woman shout a searing epithet. Almost immediately afterwards, as he turned his head, a pair of bodies came crashing into him. Before he could react everyone heard the following comments;
"I'm stronger, faster, and tougher than you! I should have been his partner!"
"When you are dead, I will fight at Tachandrel's side."
"The trainer chose me because our skills complement each other."
Urgack's mighty hands gripped the much smaller women, with some difficulty, seperating the two. He earned a thanks from Lissan and a snear from Kanla.
Chapter 5 Informant
Chapter 5 Informant
At night, while everyone else was sleeping in the near freezing temperatures, huddled in batches and wrapped tight in their thread-bare blankets, Nyther spotted someone sneaking around the slave pits. The shadowy shape, that instead of huddling for warmth, was furtively picking its way among the sleeping forms.
Nyther attempted to sneak towards it and follow but tripped over another form, drawing the attention of the shadowy form and it turned towards him, startled. It than ran quickly back to a group and huddled back down. Nyther made his way to the group, but unable to discern which one was the skulker, decided to lay down next to them. Uttering a veiled threat to the shadowy forms, one began to shake with something other than cold.
The informant for the guards offered to provide easier duty and greater water and food if Nyther became an informant like him. Nyther pretended to accept.
The next morning, the informant was found tied to a post with his tongue and eyes removed.
Chapter 6 Escape?
Chapter 6 Escape?
Lunan, the halfling druid, changed into a lizard and snuck around the camp at night, coming into the tent of a group of slaves discussing an escape. He managed to convince them to leave now and they burst from their sleeping area and rushed to the gate.
Lunan's friends joined him and they used the immense strength of their half-giant comrades to shove open the door. On the other side they found guards ready for them, someone had squealed.
The group had some initial success but they quickly realized they were outmatched. Between the brute force of two half-giants wielding metal swords, three magic-wielding templars, and twenty humanoid guards they did not have much of a chance.
Chapter 7 The aftermath
Chapter 7 The aftermath
DURING THE NIGHT, AS THEY ATTEMPTED TO SLEEP, GUARDS SILENTLY MADE THEIR WAY THROUGH THE SLEEPING FORMS OF THOSE IN THE SLAVE PENS, LOOKING FOR THOSE WHO HAD USED MAGIC THE NIGHT BEFORE.
They managed to find, and identify, Jhava. They absconded with him silently. In the morning he was missing and not heard from again. No doubt he found himself tortured and beaten by a templar, or maybe even Kalak himself before having his throat slit and fed to some monster under the arena.
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