Our intrepid heroes heard about some murders in the slummier region of Kintargo, it seems tieflings were being especially targeted by someone who was averaging a killing every two nights. After some discussion, we decide that we'd check this out and see what we could do, that solving this could only help the cause of the rebellion.
Arriving in the slums, we quickly located friends of the those killed. Standard practice in Cheliex is to incinerate dead bodies (as it prevents any raising, speaking with dead, or other means to gain information on whom their killer may be.) Investigating the various sites of the killings, we find a lone tooth.
We disguise the paladin up as a tiefling and set a trap, but our bait is not taken. Come morning, there is another body. Since we are able to examine it this time, cause of death seems to be the aggregate damage of the many bits and punctures throughout its head and neck, and the tiefling's bloody mouth gives evidence to missing all its teeth…
We are able to track a sporadic blood trail to what ends up being a nesting place for eight tooth fairies. Nasty, diminutive creatures of fey origin wielding pliers and can paralyze opponents with touch; then wantonly rip out teeth, leaving victims to bleed to death from the brutal wounds.
We find out through the battle that these creature also explode in a cloud of sickening, gingivitis-smelling fairy dust when they die. After dispatching these disgusting little critters, we locate a small tiefling child, long dead, bound in sinews with aklo writing on the binding, and a collection of all the teeth from the murders, arranged decoratively in some sort of shrine with a large gold tooth in its center. The death of the child pre-dates the murders.
We remove the child and the bindings (and the large gold tooth), hand the child over to locals who will see to the proper disposal of the body, and take the bindings back to our noble patron, who is able to decipher that this was some form of sacrifice for a summoning. We deduce someone summoned the tooth fairies.
While recovering for a couple of days, our rebel recruits tell us of a small gang of anti-Asmodean mercenaries that they know are held captive at a prison salt factory near the shores. If freed, they could be more muscle recruited for the rebellion.
We scout the place out for a day and a night. There is the big building and a smaller outbuilding with a gate in between them that has a channel leading to the ocean. We find no windows, no movement, no guards, no visitors, nothing. The process seems to be that every few days, they open these gates and channel seawater into a hold in the building interior, then a furnace boils up the water, evaporating it, leaving behind the salt, which is then collected and sold.
Our Slayer picks the lock on the gate, goes to a door, picks that and opens it to disappear inside. Myself and the Tengu Samurai await outside the gate area across the street, while the Paladin for some reason decided to spy from the opposing side of the building near the front door diametrically opposed from us.
After a little time, the Slayer came running out of the prison, out the gate, and around the side of the outbuilding. He starts to climbs the outbuilding. I take this opportunity to cast Magic Stone and Longstrider on myslef. Eight guards led by an armored dwarf wielding a large mace and a shield with the Asmodean five-pointed star on it pour out of the building. The dwarf closes the gate, locking it and barks orders and set two guards to fetch crossbows and a ladder to get to high ground and the others to secure the whole area.
The Tengu decides to climb the wall of the large building at that point, the Slayer takes this opportunity to fire an arrow into one of the guards fetching the ladder.
As it turns out, a ninth guard was exiting the front door heading for local back-up, but was intercepted by the Paladin, who tried to interact, then subdue, but resorted to killing the guard when he would not be reasonable. The Paladin then went in through the front door using the keys that the guard had.
On the other side of the building, the guards are being peppered by arrows and firing them back at the Tengu, guards are climbing the ladder and getting into melee with the Slayer. From the opposing (safe) side of the gate , my Druid summons a few Dire Rats to distract and annoy the guards. The guards start falling by the wayside, knocked unconscious or dead, I take the opportunity to sling a Magic Stone into the dwarf, knocking him from the ladder. I bellow out a challenge that was QUITE insulting to his Asmodean faith and summon another Dire Rat (which will appear on my following turn.)
The dwarf rights himself and angrily charges the gate, putting his shoulder to it at full tilt, smashing it open, but he cannot quite make it to me this turn. The Paladin "smites" dwarf and charges at him, missing even with all the bonuses. The Samurai issues his challenge and swoops down on his wings from the top of the large building to make his attack, bloodying the dwarf a little. The Dire Rat shows up, fails to bite through the chainmail of the dwarf, and I smack him again with another Magic Stone from five feet away. He does not have room to charge me, and with all the other opponents…
NOPE, he is still far too offended by my Asmodean-insult and attacks me. I take an Immediate Action in an attempt to "enthrall" him… My Urban Druid is of the Love Subdomain, as an Immediate Action before my enemy strikes on their turn, I can attempt a Touch Attack that momentarily causes the opponent to be enthralled and lose their attack. It is not guaranteed, and indeed, it does not work this time. BUT, so angered is the dwarf, he swings wild and misses. The Paladin's sword strikes true, and the dwarf goes down for good. The three remaining wounded guards, seeing their leader die, immediately throw down their weapons and surrender. We tie them all up.
The freed prisoners are recruited, and we steal all the weapons and armor from their former guards to help outfit them (once they have regained their strength.) The prisoners tell us all the stories of their mistreatment and the guards (now tied and captive) are unrepentant; so they must die.
Thus ends this third session of Hell's Rebels!
paints a legend from the Trojan Wars.
