Chapter 11 - Slavers!

Theodoric headed for the government district not long after the clerk departed and he did not return until several hours later. The look on his face spoke volumes as he strode into the common room of the Copper Coronet. He spotted the others at a table and called for an ale as he joined them.

“I take it the meeting with Tolgerias was not fruitful?” Jaheira asked.

“That’s putting it mildly”, Theodoric said in consternation. “The Cowled Wizards are every bit as reticent and arrogant as their reputation makes them out to be.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing, for about three hours. The clerk kept me waiting until about an hour ago. And it turns out the clerk never mentioned Imoen to Tolgerias, so he had no idea of what I was talking about.”

“What about their offer?”

“Oh, that’s even better” the paladin replied with uncharacteristic sarcasm. “Tolgerias claimed that a local noble slew two of their number without provocation, and wants me to track him down.”

“I assume you refused?”

“No. I told him I needed some time to think about it.”

“What? You would do the bidding of the Cowled Wizards?”

“No, I would not”, Theodoric replied, frustration growing in his voice. “Except it may be the only way to help Imoen. Tolgerias promised he would look into Imoen’s case if I would agree to bring this noble, a ‘Valygar Corthala’, to justice.”

“You do not trust Tolgerias”, interrupted Yoshimo. It was a statement, not a question.

“No, I don’t. I don’t trust him to keep his word and I’m not even sure I believe his version of events about Valygar.” Theodoric looked to see if the barmaid was bringing his ale yet, then continued.

“Tolgerias wanted my word, my oath, before he would agree to look into Imoen’s case. A paladin does not give such a thing lightly. I would be honor bound to carry out the task.”

“Even if Tolgerias was lying?”

“Even if Tolgerias had concocted the story out of whole cloth, Yoshimo. The dishonesty of another does give me license to break my own oath.”

“I see. Not an easy decision to make. But what other options do you have?”

Theodoric exhaled noisily. “That’s just it. I don’t have any at this point. The Cowled Wizards operate independent of any other authority in Athkatla. I can either take a chance that Tolgerias is telling the truth or I leave Imoen to her fate while we scrape together the money for Gaelan Bayle and this group he speaks of.”

“Perhaps we should find out a bit about this Valygar”, Jaheira suggested. “It might make your decision a bit easier.”

“Not a bad idea, Jaheira. Have you any ideas on how we might do that?”

“I may still have a few contacts here in Athkatla. I will do what I can.”

“I may have a few ideas myself” Yoshimo grinned, stroking his mustache. “However, I will need to ‘borrow’ a small amount of coin from our purse to do so. Say, 250 gold?”

Theodoric considered asking Yoshimo what he was going to use the money for, and decided that he would rather not know. “Let’s try Jaheira’s way first, Yoshimo”, he said.

Yoshimo nodded agreeably and drained the last of his cup. “Where is that server?” he wondered.

At that moment, a tired looking barmaid brought them several pitchers of ale and a platter of roasted meats. “Compliments of the house”, she said.

“Yes, compliments of the house” added the man strolling up along side her. Theodoric recognized him as the Coronet’s owner, but could not remember the man’s name. Lettern, Lentinton?

“I am Lehtinan, as I’m sure you remember” the man said with a greasy smile. “We met when you first checked in, yesterday.”

“Ah, of course” replied Theodoric, making to his feet.

“Oh, please, sit, sit.” Lehtinan purred. “I just came by to offer you my hospitality, hrm? I have noticed you adventurers are men and women of means. Perhaps you are in need of entertainment, yes?”

“What sort of… entertainment?” Theodoric asked suspiciously.

“Hrm, indeed. There is more to the Copper Coronet than meets the eye.”

“Is that not always the case?” Yoshimo said, friendly but with wariness.

“Yes, I think you’re right. Well, should you wish to indulge, I have already told the guards to allow you access to the back rooms, hrrrm.”

“We shall..consider your offer” Theodoric said noncommittally.

“Hrrm, well enough. Do let me know if there is anything else I can provide for you, yes?” Lehtinan drifted back to the bar, before heading upstairs.


“A thoroughly despicable man” Jaheira said contemptuously.

“Yes, he was” acknowledged Theodoric. “Yoshimo, do you have any idea what goes on in these ‘back rooms’?”

“I have not been back there. But I would venture a guess that whatever it is, it is probably unsavory, and not particularly legal.”

‘I’m sure of that” the paladin replied seriously. “Perhaps we should find out what is going on here.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Yoshimo asked. “I mean, you are planning on doing something heroic if we uncover anything distasteful?”

Theodoric gave the thief a sharp look. Yoshimo smiled and waved off his comments. “I apologize. I just am not used to stirring the waters so much as you are.”

Jaheira chuckled. Theodoric recalled several of her lectures on maintaining balance and his tendency to disregard them. He relented and chuckled a bit himself.

“Well, I think we should at least find out what is going on, Yoshimo. If we are to make this place our base, it would do well to know everything that goes on here.”

”I cannot dispute that” replied the thief. Helping himself to a joint of meat, he added “but perhaps it could wait until after dinner?”


*

The guard winked at them as he waved them past. There was something salacious in the way he did it that bothered Theodoric. They entered a room off the kitchens where a few guards were playing cards.

“That’s it?” puzzled Theodoric. “This is the entertainment Lehtinan spoke of?” One of the guards gave him a look that sized him up as a bumpkin. Another stood up and walked to the wall. He rapped on the wall sharply three times and in a moment a hidden door swung open. He looked at Theodoric expectantly.

“More to this place than meets the eye” murmured Yoshimo.

They descended a short flight of steps into a longish hallway. Along the hallway were rooms to each side. As they passed them, Theodoric understood what Lehtinan’s idea of entertainment was.

‘It’s a brothel!” Theodoric said in disgust.

“It is more than that, I think” Yoshimo murmured, sniffing the air. He walked over to a curtain and pulled it back. Several people sat on cushions, smoking from a large water pipe. One man looked up and grinned, his eyes glazed over. “Black lotus” Yoshimo said.

Jaheira looked about. “A squalid place” she said. “But I see no danger to us.”

“M-maybe we should tell someone about this?” Aerie said meekly.

“Likely the guard has been paid to ignore minor infractions such as these” Yoshimo reasoned. “Athkatla is the City of Coin, after all.”

“Boo says we should look behind this door.”

Minsc had wandered down to the far end of the hallway, holding boo aloft in front of a wooden door. Unlike the others, this one had been reinforced with bands of iron. “Boo smells something behind this door he does not like”, he said.

The others joined him. Yoshimo knelt by the door and placed his ear against it. He frowned as he stood back up.

“Yoshimo?”

“There is activity behind there, Theodoric. I hear voices, and… I think, I hear the sounds of animals, too.”

The adventurers exchanged puzzled looks.

Yoshimo tried the handle. “This door is locked.”

“S-something is very wrong here”, Aerie whispered. “I can feel it.”

“Yoshimo, can you pick the lock?” asked Theodoric.

“I think so” he replied. Taking out his pouch of thieves’ tools, Yoshimo delicately manipulated the tumbler mechanisms. After a few seconds, the lock opened with a soft click.

Theodoric motioned to the others to get into formation while he went to the door. Slowly, he opened it.

*

A row of cells lay before them, each containing one or more filthy humans. A pair of guards taunted the occupant in the nearest cell.

“Word is you’ll be fighting the keeper’s pet today, Hendak”, laughed the first.

“No one has beaten Samantha yet”, chided the second.

“To hell with the both of you!” snarled the filthy man, lunging at them through the bars of his cage. They stepped back and struck his hands with a club, laughing.

“What is going on here?!?” bellowed Theodoric. The guards spun around and grabbed their swords.

“You’re not supposed to be in here!” yelled one of them. He shouted for the other to attack and charged the adventurers with his sword drawn. They did not live long enough to regret their decision.


The man in the cage eyed them suspiciously. Theodoric saw he had a number of recent wounds and many old battle scars. “We aren’t going to hurt you”, Theodoric said kindly, putting his sword away. “Can you tell me who you are?”

“I am Hendak”, the man said slowly. His accent was that of one of the northern barbarian tribes.

“What is this place, Hendak?” asked Theodoric. “Why have you been caged here?”

“You do not know?!?” the other man snarled, gripping the bars of his cage. “This is Lehtinan’s slave arena! This is where we are made to fight against each other, and against the beastmaster’s animals!”

“Slaves? ANIMALS?!?” shouted Minsc. “This will not continue! Minsc will kick many butts!”

Hendak pressed himself against the bars. “You are not with Lehtinan. Any fool could see that. Are you with the guard? Are you here to aid us?” Hope filled his voice.

“We are not with the guard, but you shall have our help, Hendak” Theodoric said. “Yoshimo, get to picking the locks on these cells, The rest of us-”

“Wait! That will not work. The cells are warded against tampering. If you try to force them they may explode, killing us all. The only way to safely open them is with the key the beastmaster holds.”

“Where is this ‘beastmaster’?”

Hendak pointed the way. “Just beyond the fighting pits. Beware, he has many wild animals under his sway.”


*

At the end of a short passage they found the entrance to the fighting pits, which were stained with the blood of many fights. Above the pits was a ringed balcony, where wealthy spectators bet on combatants or just reveled in the bloodsport. Disgust filled the adventurers, especially Minsc, who could barely be restrained.

“There!” pointed Jaheira. “There are the cages.”

They crossed the pit area and reached the animal cages just as a short, grizzled man was leading a leopard out. He wore furs and had what appeared to be ritualistic scars on his dusky face. Minsc’s eyes went wide when he saw the other man and he let out a bloodcurdling Rashemani war cry. The man looked at Minsc in terror and bolted back into the cage area even as the leopard leapt to the attack.


The adventurers dealt with the leopard quickly, but the beastmaster had used the diversion to release all of the other creatures in the cells and had given the command to attack. Wild dogs, several panthers, and even a grizzly bear sprinted towards the adventurers.

Minsc and Jaheira charmed several of the animals long enough to throw the attack into chaos. Aerie knocked out the dogs with her sleep spell as well. The grizzly proved to be the greatest challenge, nearly ripping Yoshimo’s arm out its socket before succumbing to their combined might. Minsc drove home the killing blow with his two handed sword. The great bear toppled back, Minsc’s blade deep in its vitals.

An arrow whizzed out from the cells and missed Minsc by inches. Minsc howled again and charged headlong into the cell area, grabbing a hand axe from his belt.

The beastmaster was already nocking a second arrow, but Minsc reached him before he could fire. The beastmaster fought hard, but was no match for Minsc or his fury. The Rashemani hacked the smaller man down, burying the axe deep in his flesh. When Minsc emerged from the cells, he held the beastmaster’s key and bow in hand. Blood, most of it not his own, covered his face and chest.

Kneeling by the bear he’d slain, Minsc stroked its fur and spoke gently. “Minsc is sorry for what he had to do. It is not your fault the bad ranger made you like this.” He stroked the fur of the grizzly once more before pulling his sword free.

“Are you alright, Minsc?” asked Theodoric.

“Minsc will be fine. Minsc has seen bad rangers like that one before. They are many in the Tuigan tribes east of Rasheman.”

“The beastmaster was one of the Horde?”

Minsc nodded, glumly. He walked over to Yoshimo and handed him the short, recurved bow. “This is a good bow, a chieftain’s weapon”, he said before walking off to pay his respects to the other animals.

Yoshimo took the finely crafted weapon, noting the magical symbols etched into it.


*

The cell doors swung open and Hendak dashed out, grabbing a sword from one of the dead guards. He addressed the other slave fighters.

“Our freedom has come, brothers! Today we take revenge for all we have suffered!”

Hendak placed a hand on Theodoric’s shoulder. “Thank you for what you have done, my friend. We can finish this now, though I would welcome your help against Lehtinan.”

Theodoric raised his sword. “We are wasting time, Hendak.”

*

The inn was in chaos. Hendak and the adventurers fought their way through the brothel area. The few guards that dared resist were quickly cut down. Several nobles from the arena also scrambled past Hendak. He grabbed one and headbutted him in the face. The noble fell against the wall and slid down, unconscious. That had to be satisfying , Theodoric said to himself.

They reached the common room in mere moments, bursting through the doorway to the panic of everyone around them. Lehtinan stood in front of the bar, sword in hand.


“Let no one interfere!” shouted Hendak, striding into the center of the room. “I have dreamed of this day, Lehtinan”, he said coldly.

“I might have guessed it would have been you, Hendak”, Lehtinan snarled. “And those damned adventurers.” With a bitter smile, he said “I am a dead man. Or I will be, once the actual owners of this establishment find out what has happened.”

“You will be dead well before then, Lehtinan” Hendak growled, raising his blade. Lehtinan’s face flushed in rage as he raised his own blade.

*

Lehtinan was a better fighter than he had let on, but bore the marks of a warrior who had not picked up a sword in years. Hendak defeated him quickly, leaving Lehtinan to bleed out his last at his feet. Hendak spat on the corpse.

“Well fought, Hendak” Theodoric said, approaching him. Hendak nodded, looking as if the weight of the world had been just lifted from his shoulders.

“It is finally over, all of the years suffering and misery he put us all through for nothing more than coins in his pocket. At last I have won my freedom and restored my honor.”

“What will you do now?” asked Theodoric.

Hendak gave the paladin a blank stare. “Now? I... do not know”, he said slowly. “I have dreamed of this day. But now that it is here, I am unsure what to do next.”

“Will you return home?”

Hendak shook his head sadly. “My village was overrun by goblinkin a few months after my capture. A captured survivor told me of it when she was brought here. I have no home to return to.”

“Well, perhaps some back pay is in order then” Theodoric suggested. “This inn could use an honorable owner for a change.” Hendak’s face brightened, and he broke into a wide, ugly grin.

“Yes! That is it! I will make sure this place is never used for wicked ends again.”

“A fine plan” smiled Theodoric. “My friends and I will be staying her for some time yet. Please, let me know if there is anything else we can do to help.”

Hendak studied Theodoric for a moment. “In truth, there is, my friend. I regret asking you for more than you have already done, but the slavers themselves still operate freely in this city. With coin for the guard and the support of many nobles, there will be another Lehtinan, another fighting pit, until the slavers themselves are stopped.”

“I agree” interjected Jaheira, who had joined them along with the others. “I have dealt with their kind before. If we can locate their base, we could deal a great blow to their activities in this part of Amn.”

“Finding the base is not difficult” Hendak said. “It is just to the east of here. It is built from an old sailing ship. Crossing the slavers is another matter. It has been years since I was in there, but I remember the defenses were formidable.”

“This will be a difficult task, Theodoric”, warned Yoshimo. “I will fight by your side, but do not underestimate the wealth and support these men enjoy.”

“You may be able to better your chances” Hendak said. “There is a secret passage to the slavers base from this inn. I was brought through it years ago. I do not know exactly where it is – I was blindfolded at the time – but I do know it exists.”

“We have to do this” Aerie said, with uncharacteristic forcefulness. Responding to the surprised looks, she added “I know what’s it like to be enslaved in a cage. It isn’t right. It isn’t. We have to stop these men.”

“Minsc and Boo agree with little Aerie” Minsc beamed, eager to administer some justice after what he’d had to do.

“I think you have your answer, Hendak” Theodoric said. “We will need a few hours to prepare ourselves and to search for this passage. We go at midnight.”