…They see five figures, four of whom seem unaware of this new development. The room is a barren rectangle with multiple exits. Two doors are decorated with prison bar motifs and are guarded by a single figure in armor. Two of the same figures guard the corridor outside the room. In the center of the room, a beautiful dark elven woman in a stylish studded leather coat stands, looking out into the corridor.
Diggin strides through the door, sprinting along on his stubby legs, swinging his axe. He slashes at the elves while Fingers lurks in the corner, invisible throughout the battle. Kegdrain and Zaar fire arrows, while Sniffles and Veiga look a little confused as to what’s going on in the dark in the distance.
The advantage of surprise is great, but the tide turns when an armored undead slashes at Diggin, only to be grabbed by a child vampire and thrown to the floor. Diggin tries to bite him, but he presses the edge of his shield against his carotid artery.
Other undead attacked the fallen Diggin, while Kegdrain’s bow suffered a fatal malfunction, preventing Zaar from firing an arrow in close combat.
The tide of the battle turns when Sniffles enters the room and chastises the undead, causing them to step back in awe. While they are distracted, the rest of the party, including Badger, band together to take down the child. They eventually succeed, but not before Badger consumes some of the dwarf’s life essence. They fire their missile weapons at the chastised undead, eventually defeating them.
They investigate the cell and deduce that the large, muscular, bearded foreigner is the barbarian prince/king/sultan/pooba who is rumored to be behind the approaching invading army.
They have the means to end the conflict, but there are still obstacles to overcome. A terrifying moment comes when they open a guarded door and find themselves at the back of a giant temple/auditory hall filled with screaming cultists. OSR!
Fleeing as fast as their short gnome legs allow, they burst into the temple through the secret door they entered through only three hours earlier. They step out into the streets. It’s hours before dawn, and they find themselves in a city on the brink of war. Military patrols roam the streets, and a total curfew has been declared. The military has been mobilized, and the tension is palpable. They find a way to pantomime their intentions to the freed prisoners, and rely on the charms of the priests to forestall a worst-case scenario.
They plotted their route to the port, hoping to find a way across by boat. They correctly decided that the barbarians were unwelcome in the city, and that it would be best to keep their presence and location top secret.
Unfortunately, the wharf is also under military occupation, boats are searched, and traffic seems to be heavily monitored. They turn to the faraway personnel who were hired by the first party. They make contact, and after distributing some tips, the group reaches the fishmonger’s wine cellar. The next morning, they sneak aboard a fishing boat, but the guards, who have been heavily bribed, turn a blind eye. Still… the number of cases that remain unsolved is surprising.
The boat takes them about three miles north of the city walls, then returns to deeper water and is sunk, with all aboard declared missing except for one survivor. The party scales the cliffs and uses dead reckoning to find a path that will take them a few miles, where they might encounter barbarian scouts. Their intentions are communicated to the former captives, and the march begins.
