The Battle with Mendel the Slaver

(Game Date: 5/8/10)

Loshdain. Thaymont 20

After much discussion regarding the fate of Nore and legalities of attacking evil merchants, it’s decided that the group will wait for the next arrival of Mendel and attempt to capture him. Much of the day is spent at the Keep, purchasing new pieces of equipment, and Pim departs the keep to return to his grove and speak with the Elder Druids of his order. 

Soladain, Thaymont 21

More waiting for Mendel

Lunadain, Thaymont 22

Yet more waiting for Mendel. When the news comes through that he’ll be arriving tomorrow, a plan is hatched – Shadarael and Elariah will pose as mercenaries for hire in an attempt to sign on to Mendel’s merchant caravan, while Varis will play a willing rube in an attempt to get himself kidnapped by the slaver. The trio recruits Dreeve, the butler at the Merchants Guild, to their plan – the older man will deny any knowledge of the group and recommend them as worthy hires, if asked.

Gromdain, Thaymont 23

Mendel arrives and the group goes into action, turning their considerable charm onto the heavyset merchant. Mendel’s caravan already has two guards – big, nondescript men who have the bearing of competent warriors – and two young women who travel with the wagons that Elariah quickly determines to be under some form of magical charm effect. A prolonged conversation sees Elariah and Shadarael hired as porters rather than guards, but they agree to rise in the early hours and load the Merchant’s caravans so long as they travel with him.

Tserdain, Thaymont 24

Mendel’s caravan heads out with Elariah and Shadarael onboard, while Varis sets off not long after and tails them for a distance. The pair assume their ruse hasn’t been as successful as they might have hoped, with both sides doing their best to set the other at ease, and thus they’re not surprised when Mendel tries his best to incapacitate both of them with a sleep spell.

A fight quickly breaks out between Mendel and his nondescript guards and the two heroes, with both sides trading spells and blade. Varis hears the sounds of combat and comes running to help, but the fray is short and results in two dead guards and Mendel fleeing via a potion of gaseous form. Shadarael briefly considers chasing the gas down, but even with his elf blood a cross-country chase through the thick forest isn’t going to end well. The caravan is searched and several barrels are found with kidnapped people hidden beneath false bottoms. When the barrels are examined in detail, they bear the mark of Asham, the cooper at the keep.

The initial assumption is that Asham is in league with the evil merchant and the cult, but he quickly crumbles when confronted by evidence of his involvement. Weeping with panic he explains that his eldest daughter, Arpad, went missing a year earlier. Mendel claimed responsibility for Arpad’s disappearance, using it to keep Asham making specialized barrels used to smuggle his victims from town to town. The cooper is distraught, begging for the group’s help in finding the missing Arpad, especially since she’s likely to be sacrificed to an evil god once Mendel contacts his allies…