Thoughts on: Slavers, Part 2, The South

 

“The 'what should be' never did exist, but people keep trying to live up to it.

There is no 'what should be,' there is only what is.”

― Lenny Bruce

The Pirates of the Yellow Veil

Welcome back.

I must have piqued your interest, seeing that you’re returned for the 2^nd part of my critique of Sean Reynolds’ and Chris Pramas’ sequel to the classic Slavers modules.

As noted in Part 1, there will be spoilers, so beware.

Where were we?

I remember….

Our heroes began their epic ordeal in Dyvers, a city of such dark doings and intrigue that it should come as no surprise that the Slavers based their northern operations there. Few there ask questions, so long as enough coin is pressed in their palm.

The slave ships aren’t operating in a vacuum. The Slavelords have made contacts through Markessa the Red with several people in the city of Dyvers. All of these contacts have financial needs, criminal ties, or a vendetta against the city of Greyhawk for one reason or another. [Slavers – 20]

These contacts are from both high and low circles; on the docks; within Dyvers’ thieves’ guild, the Alliance; and even among the nobility.

How did our heroes become embroiled in what will be the most arduous endeavour of their lives? Perchance they witnessed the end of a slave raid on an outlying manor house by the Pirates of the Yellow Veil. Mayhap they discovered that several of their friends were either slain by the Slavers or nabbed in the raid. [Slavers – 4]

Markessa the Black

How ever they were drawn in, they were. Adventures ensued, hopefully more than those just mentioned, what with the cast of characters listed in Dyvers and elsewhere. The heroes tracked the Slavers north to the Nyr Dyv, to a secluded cove and the cog, Eternal Sun, where they discovered clues to secret bases along the Selintan River and Hardby, where they run afoul of the town’s politics and the Slavers’ agents, who attempt to eliminate them. Eventually, the heroes are conscripted by the city to perform pest extermination in return for dropping all debts they come to owe to the city. [Slavers – 4]

Those pests would be a hive of ankhegs. What were you expecting, giant rats?

Hardby and its environs is as steeped in danger as was Dyvers, what with ever more complex plots of smuggling and subterfuge, culminating in a deadly confrontation with Markessa the Black at Bright Tower.

That’s two Markessas, thus far, if you’re counting. Two! The first, Markessa the Red was in Dyvers, yet she likely met her end at the PCs hand at Smuggler’s Cove. One wonders how many other duplicates that black-souled sorceress has planted throughout the realms, each supervising the slaving operations in her territory.

The scent led further south into the Wild Coast of the Woolly Bay, entwined with the foul reek of the orcs of the Pomarj, and Turrosh Mak.

The Slavelords have built many secret outposts and strongholds along the Wild Coast, but few more open about their affiliation with the Orcish Empire and the new Slavelords as the residents of the Port of Elredd, just south of the Buffer Zone. Orc pirate ships patrol the waters 30 miles to either side of the city, and land fortification—train trebuchets, heavy catapults, and other war machines—are trained on waves to ward against the Hardby Marines and the ships of other free lands. The heroes' path will eventually Iead south to this land as the first confirmed stronghold of the Slavelords. But, how will they get there? [Slavers – 62]

Well, there is that cog, Eternal Sun….

Turrosh Mak. Was there ever a more hated orc; or should I say half-orc?

Turrosh Mak

For anyone who doesn’t know who Turrosh Mak is, where have you been? Despot Mak is the “emperor of the Pomarj.”

His judicious use of assassination and brute force helped him to forge an enormous army of orc, gnolls, goblins, and other humanoids from the divided tribes. His professed goal was conquest of the Lortmil Mountains, and a reclamation of the homeland of the humanoid tribes. All the tribes rallied to his banner, and his power grew. [Slavers – 122]

Suffice it to say that not only did he band together these truculent tribes, he whipped them into an army capable of conquering the whole of the Pomarj, and a portion of the Principality of Ulek, not to mention their swarming up the Wild Coast as far north as the port of Fax.

It is into these lands that the heroes must venture, for the trail leads to the Port of Eldredd, and only the gods know where else. One suspects the Drachensgrab Mountains. It was from there they sallied forth from all those years ago; so, it could very well be that they are once again.

Port Eldredd

Port Eldredd gets a similar treatment applied to Dyvers and Hardby. History, nearby towns, population percentages, potential side quests, and significant dramatis personae. It too gets its lackluster map, this one focussed only on the immediate area near the docks.

And, as per the lands of Dyvers, we are treated to a rundown on the Slavers in the area: who they are, where they are, what they’re doing, and how we can expect them to react.

One thing I shall praise, if Reynolds’ and Pramas’ sense of realism while developing these southern lands. The orcs are evil. They’re brutal. But they are also reasonable, insofar as evil beings can be. They have enslaved the inhabitants of the lands they conquered. Most of them. But not all. Fishermen are left to ply their trade—under supervision. So too businesses. They’ve contracted out, as well, as needed; to that end, not everyone the PCs will meet will be evil. They may even meet one or two NPCs who are sympathetic to their cause.

Rurik, Piera, and Davis

I need not mention that the players should be cautious from here on in. Extremely cautious. They are now surrounded by monsters and mortal enemies, with few if any allies to be found. Murder-hobos will earn their just rewards in due course if they try to put everything to the sword. It’s not as though the PCs will be able to conquer whole towns, let alone the Pomarj, will they? What they can do is watch and listen, and whisper questions…covertly…in those ears they deem might be trustworthy. If they are careful, they will, in time, gain what information they require to press on: specifically, intel on the Slavers Compound and the dastardly trio who command it, namely Davis the Reaver, the swashbuckling pirate commanding their Wooley Bay fleet; Rurik the Taskmasker, tasked with forging an army of charmed and brainwashed slaves; and Piera, the priest in command of the operation as a whole. It is these three the PCs must defeat. And it is from within this compound that their next clues await.

And it is there that we might learn that not all Slavers are as one. There are upcomers and upstarts; there are those disgruntled at recent developments within the Slavers and the cult itself. And there are those who plot the downfall of their superiors. Can these tidbits be of use?

They might be; but our heroes are there to discover if this is where the Slavers are commanding their operations, or yet another regional hub. And if not here, then where?

A table in the middle of the room is covered with maps and reports, empty dishes, and a water jug. The maps show the Wild Coast region, with estimations of troop strength and readiness.

Of the many papers on her desk, most have little meaning to the heroes. One letter, written on fine vellum, stands out. It reads:

Piera,

                You truly are a Child of the Dragon. Congratulations on the dedication of the new temple. I am gratified to hear that you new programming is going well. I a few years, you will have an army of devout slave warriors, surely a worthy tool for the Earth Dragon. If you can impart even a quarter of your faith to the young boys, our victory is assured. You’ll have to bring some of your charges with you the next time you visit Mount Drachenkopf. The brethren would be most interested to see what you’ve wrought in the Wild Coast.

                                                                                                                                For the Dragon, K—[Slavers – 71]

Maps? Mount Drachenkopf? K—? Our heroes are making progress. Calculating adventurers would find a way to get this information back to the powers-that-be before forging ahead; otherwise, should they be so bold as to plunge deeper into the Pomarj and fail to end the threat, and die in the attempt, the powers-that-be would still be in the dark.

Stalman Klim

Who might K— be, our heroes might wonder?

Could K— be Stalman Klim, the infamous Mordrammo, back from wherever he had fled all those years ago? If this is indeed Stalman Klim, that means that the heroes of the original saga did not finish the high priest off, after all, and that the Klim they had defeated (in The Last Slave Lord, in Dungeon #215) had only been one of the clones he had been cooking there, and not the genuine article.

That would be a Markessa-esque twist, wouldn’t it?

Speaking of Markessa twists….

It’s a pleasant surprise that “a” Markessa is not the “level boss” of each leg in the journey. Markessa the Green has slipped her knot, as it were.

Everything in the procedure seemed to go well; the surgical alterations worked perfectly, and the brainwashing drugs and spells supressed the victim’s mentality in favor of a duplicate of the evil elf’s. […] However, while she went northward as scheduled, and was seen leaving the ship at the port of Eldredd, she has not been seen since. Divination spells have been unable to find her, and her current location is a mystery. It is possible that she regained her original memories and is spying upon the Slavers, or is suffering some sort of madness from conflicting personalities and has fled the are. [Slavers – 81]

The Pomarj

The final leg of the adventure is deep in the Pomarj, and insofar as that, what follows is a fairly detailed gazetteer of the peninsula. Tribes of orcs and kobolds and goblins and gnolls and hobgobins are listed, their numbers, their rustic heraldry, their affiliations; how they fair within Turrosh Mak’s hierarchy.

We are also given descriptions of Stoneheim and Blue, regardless of the PCs’ unlikelihood of actually going there in the course of this adventure. Like I said, this is as much a gazetteer as it is an adventure. Highport is mapped, if the others are not. Why? It’s the next stop on the way. The heroes don’t actually need to spend much time there, what with the intel they gained in Port Eldredd they could bypass it altogether; but the heroes need to gain entry to Turrosh Mak’s Pomarj, and Highport is the closest port. It may be that the city map was missing from A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity, much to many a DM’s annoyance. It is only a sketch, much like Dyvers’ and Hardby’s were; but that’s all you really need, isn’t it, if you want to flesh it out yourself. Personally, I prefer that to being handed the city in its entirety. It’s too much information, if done; it’s far better to describe the feel of a District, or Quarter, and only focus on those streets or buildings that are truly needed, lest you (I) get overwhelmed.

Markessa the Gold

There is another Markessa in Highport. Markessa the Gold (Tanva).

Of all the Markessa duplicates, this one looks the most like the original, even to the golden hair. However, this one maker herself look slightly different by putting broad snipes of metallic gold makeup across her cheeks, giving her a strangely savage yet attractive look. [Slavers – 93]

Needless to say, this Markessa is slightly more powerful than the last few. She is an 8^th level enchantress, where the Green was F6/M6, Vessa the Black was T7/M7, and the Red F5/M5.

The heroes should spend time in Highport, though, whether they need to or not. This is where they’ll embark from into the Heart of Darkness, so it is in their best interest to be as prepared as they can be.

How can they possibly travel in a hostile empire, you might ask? It shouldn’t be that hard; there are other humans/dem-humans in country, after all: slaves, slavers, farmers, and traders and caravans; so, it’s not like they will be the only ones, will they? As to whether they will be discovered, a thorough DM will have paved the way by providing maps and correspondence, and potential letters of introduction, and of transit, and the like from their capture of the Eternal Sun, to say nothing of what missives they’ve gathered while in Dyvers, the Cove, the Bright Tower, to say nothing of Port Eldredd. It would be a poor DM indeed who ushered the players along without scattering what they’d need along the way, don’t you think?

The finale is in the mountain community of Kalen Lekos, upon the slopes of Mount Drachenkopf. Under it, actually.

I won’t go into it, but it will be difficult. Potentially lethal. These are not the Big Bads of the original modules. These are an order above. Way above.

Markessa

Markessa was a but M5/F5 in A2, now F12/M13.

Where Icar was F7 in A2, Devon is F9.

Were it only Markessa and Devon. In the temple proper there are acolytes, and guards by the dozen. The guards are not the canon fodder of yore; these are NPCs of level and skill, with the equipment one should expect of mid- to high-level foes. Should the party survive them, they still have to face the high priest of the inner sanctum. This is not a cake walk. This is a grind. I suspect the odds are not in the players’ favour.

Let’s dare to compare the Slavelords, then to now.

From A3:

Minimal information was given about the Slavers, because the PCs were never meant to win. But we can glean what we can from what is.

Feetla:

Human 10th/Ftr; hp 90; S18/28, I 15, W12, D15, C16, CH18; 

Cutlass +2, Chain +2, Shield +2

Nerelas

Nerelas:

Human 11th/As; hp 58; S16, I14, W17, D17, C 13, CH15; Longsword +1, Dagger +1, Leather  +1, (Dagger +1 has blade venom type C: 35 hp if save is not made, no damage if save is made), Potion of Invisibility

Ajakstu:

Human 9th/M-U; hp 32; S13, I18, W10, D17, C11, Ch14; Dagger +1, Cloak of protection +2, Staff of power (3 charges {magic missile}), Crystal ball with clairaudience, Ring of spell storing

Spells (DM choice)

Casts: Slow, Flame Strike

Ring: (dispel magic, fireball, shocking grasp, slow, wall of force at L9)

Milerjoy

Brother Milerjoi:

Human (Suloise) 9th/Monk; hp 35; S15, I14, W15, D15, C13, Ch11; No magic

Takes no damage with successful saves, and only ½ damage (where applicable) when a saving throw is failed.

From A4:

The Slavers have been depleted of spells and hp while contending with the fallout of the Earth Dragon's wrath.

Edralve:

Drow 5th-level fighter/4th-level cleric; S 9, I 17, W 11, D 16, C 10, Ch 15; hp 20;

Long sword +2, black leather armor, a black shield, and a ring of warmth.

Her natural Drowic spells are dancing lights, faerie fire, darkness, detect magic, know alignment, levitate, clairvoyance, detect lie, suggestion, and dispel magic.

Her remaining clerical spell is silence, 15’ radius.

Lamonsten:

Lamonsten

Human 8^th illusionist; S7, I16, W10, D17, C15, Ch12; hp 21;

Cloak of displacement, dagger +1.

His spells are: wall of fog, hypnotic pattern, invisibility, and fear.

His spell book is as follows:

1^st level: Change self, Detect illusion, Detect invisibility, Hypnotism, Phantasmal force, Wall of fog

2^nd level: Detect magic, Hypnotic pattern, Invisibility

3^rd level: Dispel illusion, Fear

4^th level: Improved invisibility, Phantasmal killer

Slippery Ketta:

Human 10th-level thief; hp 30; #AT 1; D 1-8; S 10, I 15, W 13, D 18, C 12, Ch 16; 

Long sword, leather armor +2, gauntlets of swimming and climbing

Backstabs at +4 “to hit” for quadruple damage.

From Slavers:

Aside from Devan, there is Unjan, F10 (fallen paladin); Ah-Bey, a half-ogre F8/P8 (of Beltar); Nadanru, M14 (from the Lordship of the Isles); and Kent, a halfling T10; and a host of mercenaries of varying capability (most notably a gith names H’call).

Each has the magic items of an NPC of his/her level.

These others need looking at separately, since they inhabit a span of adventures.

Markessa:

From A2:

Elven M5/F5; hp 35; S 14, I 16, W 12, D 18, C 17, Ch 14.

Leather armor +1 with protection from normal missiles, short sword of speed +1, and 12 darts 3x round).

Markessa is +3 to hit due to dexterity adjustments.

Spells:

First level: magic missile; protection from good, shocking grasp.

Second level: darkness 15’ radius, scare.

Third level: lightning bolt

From Slavers:

F12/M13; hp 83; S14, I16, W12, D18, C17, Ch14

Black Robe of the archmagi, short sword of speed. Wand of frost, wand of  polymorphing, bracers AC2

Spellbook (5/5/5/4/4/2): I won’t list them here

Markessa has a contingency spell cast upon herself should she ever be reduced to 10 or fewer hit points, she will be teleported to the home of a charmed ally in Furyondy.

The Slavelords

Brother Kerin:

From A4:

Human (Suloise) 6th-level monk; hp 21; S 15, I 12, W 16, D 17, C 16, Ch 10;

SA: feign death; immune to slow

Brother Kerin is "unarmed."

From Slavers:

Mon10; hp 62; S15, I12, W16, D16, C16, Ch10

SA: he’s a high-level monk; there’s too many to note here and not bore you, or me for that matter.

Staff of striking, figurine of wonderous power, broach of shielding

Theg Narlot (Turrosh Mek)

From A4:

Half-orc 7th-level fighter/7th-level assassin; hp 35 (53); S17, I16, W12, D10, C17, Ch7

Theg’s sword is envenomed with insinuative poison, type A

From Slavers:

F10/As12; hp 80; S17, I16, W12, D12, C17, Ch7 (14 for orcs)

SA: infravision 60’ poison type D, assassinasions

Chainmail +2, boots of elvenkind, longsword +2/+3 vs enchanted creatures, arrows  +2, arrows of slaying +3

Stalmin Klim (Mordrammo)

From A3:

Human 11^th/Clr; hp 52; S15, I14, W17, D17, C13, Ch11

Mace +2, Ring of protection +2, Ring of spell storing (word of recall)

Spells: protection from good 10’ rad., flame strike, blade barrier (+ DMs choice)

From A4:

11^th /Clr; hp 31 (52); S 15, I 14, W 17, D 17, C 13, Ch 11

Footman’s mace +2, Bracers of AC 6.

Spells are: command (×2), light, silence 15’ radius, continual light, cure blindness, dispel magic, divination, neutralize poison, and true seeing. (His other spells have been previously used, as explained later on in this section.)

From Slavers:    

P(Clr) /15; hp 60; S15, I14, W17, D17, C14, Ch11

Footman’s pike +2

SA: see Earth dragon specialty priest abilities, casts spells as 1 lvl above

Earth dragon helm, Dragon scales scale mail armour +4 (+magic), ring of spell storing (including word of recall), etc.

Spells (8/8/7/6/4/2/0*) *no 7^th lvl, but additional Elemental Earth spell)

The Slave Lords

The foes were notably stronger in Slavers being 2^nd edition, but so were the PCs, too. There was weapon specialization to consider, spell specialties, etc. But the PCs begin at 4^th to 7^th level. That’s a steep climb to the ultimate showdown with the Slavers, to my mind. Granted, there are side quests and a whole lot of combat to be had, and a good DM (with good players) can fill the gaps, I should imagine.

I have to…imagine, that is. I never played 2^nd edition, only mined it for what I could use, story wise.

But it reads well.

And there’s a slew of NPC personal information laid bare for the DM to make use of. It’s a veritable soap opera of goings-on. Motives. Relationships. Deals. Debts. It would be a shame to waste those tidbits by treating these NPCs as mere fodder for XP.

More importantly, this is a fabulous gazetteer (I believe I may have said this, once or twice), breathing life into what surely must be the most trod terrain in the whole of the Flanaess. And has since 2000, when, after its publication, it became the canonical version of the Woolly Bay and the Wild Coast.

To my mind, that is the lion share of its worth.

What do you think? Sound like the stuff of Legend?

It should. And it will be, what with the wealth of inspiration it contains.

That said, there is that pesky problem of the Earth Dragon to consider….

To be continued….

One must always give credit where credit is due. This History is made possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard Lakofka among them, and the new old guards, Carl Sargant, James Ward, Roger E. Moore. And Erik Mona, Gary Holian, Sean K. Reynolds, Chris Pramas, Frederick Weining. The list is interminable.

Special thanks to Jason Zavoda for his compiled index, “Greyhawkania,” an invaluable research tool.

The Art:

Slavers by asahisuperdry

Markessa the Black detail, by David Roach & Sam Wood, from Slavers, 2000

Wooly Bay map, by Todd Gamble and Sam Wood, from Slavers, 2000

Turrosh Mak detail, by Wayne Reynolds, from Slavers, 2000

Port Eldredd detail, by Wayne Reynolds, from Slavers, 2000

Rurik, Piera, and Davis the Reaver, by David Roach & Sam Wood, from Slavers, 2000

Wizard-sketch by sarakpn

Pomarj-Map-Sq by stuntman42

Markessa the Gold, by Wayne Reynolds, from Slavers, 2000

Markessa, by Mile Lowe, from A0-4 Against the Slaver Lords, 2013

Nerelas detail (from A3 cover), by Jeff Dee, from A3 Aerie of the Slave Lords, 1981

Brother Milerjoy detail (from A3 cover), by Jeff Dee, from A3 Aerie of the Slave Lords, 1981

Lamonsten detail, by Erol Otus, from A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, 1981

The-Slave-Lords by francisrpnavarro,  from A0-4 Against the Slaver Lords, 2013

The Slave Lords, by Wayne Reynolds, from Slavers, 2000

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

1043 The City of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979

9025 World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980

9039A A0 Danger at Darkshelf Quarry, 2013

9039 A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity, 1980

9040 A2 Secret of the Slaver’s Stockade, 1981

9041 A3 Aerie of the Slave Lords, 1981

9042 A4 In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, 1981

11374 The Scarlet Brotherhood, 1999

11621 Slavers, 2000

11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000

Dungeon Magazine #215, 2013

Dragon Magazine