Chapter One: A Slave's Escape – Dysis' Story

This thread and adventure is exclusive to Dysis

Nearly a month had passed by Dysis' reckoning. It was hard to tell and honestly had felt like it may had been longer. But she was intelligent enough to count the feedings and estimate out the time. While it felt like a year, it was probably just a month.

Dysis reflected on how she got into this situation. Somehow, things had gone horribly, horribly wrong. The quest that she had been on with her companions to recover the Bow of Herakles had failed miserably. Dysis struggled to remember where precisely things started to take a turn for the worst. First, Doria and Aleta had abandoned the group, deciding to run off on some lovers' honeymoon. Despite the loss in numbers and strength, they had pressed on. Then, at some night while camped at the edge of the Frozen Sea the party had been attacked while they slept.

Dysis couldn't even remember being hit over the head and the last thing she could remember was that Arthanos, Itylus and Lysandros had been yelling, and Eurenomes was uttering some prayer to Hermes. All had gone to darkness at that point. The next thing she knew when she came back to consciousness was that her her hands and feet bound and had a gag in her mouth, in addition to a splitting headache. She had been placed on what she could only assume was a slave ship given the creaking wood, the rumblings of the vessel and the salty air. She had been placed in irons along with others in a nearly complete pitch black hold and only had the hood and gag removed from her face long enough for her tormentors to shove a spoonful of gruel in her mouth about twice a day and allow a long drink from a waterskin. The gruel was a vile substance but it had kept her alive. She was almost getting used to it but still the though of eating more would churn her stomach unpleasantly. Otherwise her only other company had been the groaning of her fellow slaves on board the ship and the unrelenting smell of filth that invaded her nose.

Her tormentors had said nothing to her or the others in the hold that she could understand. The language was completely foreign to her. It didn't sound like the guttural language of the Boreans. To their small credit, they had at least not physically abused her in any other way: There had been no beatings or other indignities that slaves would typically endure during a passage such as this. However Dysis knew full well that if at some point she was sold at a slave market then sugh indignities would be at the whim of whoever her new master would be. There was no question about it. She had to escape.

Her captors had been lax in keeping tabs on their prisoners chains though. It was almost amusing. They did take pains enough to keep them alive, but not to make sure they stayed bound. After what was perhaps a month of traveling and with a very restrained diet, Dysis found that she was able to slip her wrists just out of the iron chains that restrained her. It was very painful to do so. She could only just barely get out of them but she was just able to do so.

She was free! Well, her hands were anyway. Indeed with this freedom she was now able to free the hood from her head and the gag from her mouth now and nearly retched as she inhaled the stale and stinking air of the ship's hold. She was still in a terribly perilous situation. She knew that her tormentors would eventually come down for the first of the twice daily feedings although by her estimation it would still be at least a few hours still.

Now free of her chains and gag, she observes her surroundings. This was the first time she had opportunity to do so for longer than a minute or two since she had been prisoner. Although pitch dark in the hold she had been down here long enough even with the hood over her head to get some semblance of night vision and could see the faint forms of her fellow prisoners bound to the walls. Dysis couldn't tell if they were men, women or children though. She could also still hear the moaning and groaning. Looking around, she sees a small outline of light some distance away and above her, she she figured that this was the hatch that her tormentors would come down from above.

Reaching out her hands blindly on the ground, she goes a short distance away before sharply recoiling her hands bringing her right index finger to her mouth, tasting blood. She had touched something very sharp! Reaching out carefully again in the same direction, she carefully grabs a hold of a sharp item that she brings closely to her face to examine. It was still very hard to see, but her sense of touch was telling her that this was probably a shiv of some kind. It didn't feel like wood. It could have been iron or perhaps bone? For all she knew one of the other prisoners had fashioned one and lost it some time ago, and had been unobserved by their captors.

Regardless, it was her weapon and tool now. But where to next? What would she do?

OOC: Welcome to your thread. I hope you find this setting interesting. Feel free to post whenever you feel ready. However, please note that right now you have no equipment except for basic clothing and now a shiv (1d3) that you have just picked up.

It was not her first experience with slavery, this...

Once upon a time, years earlier, Dysis had been the only child of a renown artisan...a sculptor of sublime talent, whose works became much sought after, and acclaimed throughout the region of Thena her small family called home. Aside from losing her mother, so young she could barely recall her face, her childhood had been mostly idyllic, full of carefree days, and comforts most of the hard toiling populace only dreamed about.

But her father had another passion, in addition to his art.  One that Dysis knew nothing of, until the day it changed her life forever.  Her father was a subversive -- committed to a shady, secretive, group who'd been quite a thorn in the side of those politicians it had chosen to oppose. His sculpture found appreciation here, too -- in the satirical, mocking, or simply gross representation of those whom they worked against.

Unfortunately, on the day they were finally exposed, and their hidden hall raided, the subjects of these works were not so appreciative. It was the end of a brilliant career, as well as the end of the life Dysis had lived to that point.    And, while killing a child wasn't to their tastes (they were greedy men, more so than really evil), sending her off to a life of slavery was palatable and fitting.

It was in that new life that the darkness and the wind first touched her. The latter soothing her with its song, bringing hope, a sense that freedom would some day be attainable. And, the former --- a shadowy aegis, that fortified her spirit against the worst of what she must meanwhile endure.

She had put those days well behind her;  though the experience would ever be a part of the woman she'd grown to be.  She certainly hadn't planned to ever return to them.  But, life was just full of little surprises...

This predicament had been most vexing, as well as physically and emotionally trying.    But, it was also a situation she had experience coping with. She was patient, perceptive, and her power of will was uncommonly strong.  And ready to seize an opportunity for freedom such as the one that had presented itself.

A worker of magic such as herself was never unarmed.    As well as a bad enemy to make.  Yet, no one was an island --  her time with Arthanos, Itylus, Aleta and the others had taught her the high value of cooperation.  And, while it was doubtful any of her fellow captives were of their mettle, there were assets that the eye could not see.    Such as knowledge...of those who'd abducted them.

As softly as possible, Dysis moved closer to the others, striving to get a better look at them...

OOC- In particular, I'm looking for other adults, anyone who stands out for any reason, or at least someone who appears to be in good enough shape to wake and talk.

Prisoners had been shackled to both sides of her. It appeared the wall opposite of her was empty. The ones nearest to her on her immediate right and left side were both men. Like her they were chained with hoods over their heads and probably gags in their mouths but she could see they were still breathing. Neither looked to be in all that good of shape but it was hard to tell for certain in the dark.

Dysis is not certain how far the passageway goes in either direction but it felt as if she went to the left after maybe another prisoner she would hit one of the ends of the ship.

Choosing one of them at random, she leaned near toward that man's ear, and whispered softly to him:

"Hello - please nod if you're awake."   

If no, she then tried another, until she had one whom she could inform, still whispering, that-

"I would like to make you and the others free.  It would be much help if I knew a bit about who has taken us.  Can you tell me anything?  Nod, if so."

Finding one whom said yes in this way, she slipped off the hood, and undid the gag, noting something of the face so revealed; as much as was possible, in this low light.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:52, Mon 15 May 2017.

The first man she had spoken to appeared to be unconscious. Or perhaps didn't understand her language. However, the second man nearest to her on the left gave two weak nods in response to her questions.

Slipping the hood off and removing the gag from the man's mouth, he coughed slightly before croaking a low response in a decent enough Minean. "They are shadow men." he states. "They strike only at night and wears masks so none may see." he continues on, trying to suppress a cough as he speaks. "It is said... they take prisoners to far to the burning south. Human sacrifices to their dark idol. That is our fate."

He pleads "Stranger. Set me free. I will help."

She paused briefly, considering what she had just been told.

Shadow men...the burning south, sacrifices...Stygia?  Were these abductors Stygian?    She was well fluent in the tongue of that land, however, and it was not what these 'shadow-men' spoke in.

Assuming, of course, this man knew what he was talking about, or that he was not seeking to deceive her.   But, while possible, she felt that was unlikely.   She nodded to his request.

"I could use some help.  And, if these men are inactive during the day, as you say, then we have an advantage while there is light, yes?" 
This message was last edited by the player at 19:19, Thu 25 May 2017.

The man nods weakly again in response. "Yes." is all he states.

OOC: Might have been lost in my lengthy introduction post:







From your character's viewpoint there is still some time before the first of the feedings occurs, a few hours at most. She has observed over the past month that they do a second feeding within 4-6 hours after the first one, and then there is a much longer period before the cycle repeats.

Although your character can't know for certain what time it is right now, based on the light she had seen on the outline of the hatch it is plausible that it could be morning, or it could be evening.

Should have reread that!   Didn't remember all of that... I've edited that post to make it fit better with the info.

Dysis began to examine how she might liberate her new ally.    She doubted he'd be able to slip out, as had she;  but she did examine his wrists, and would suggest it, if she thought it possible.

If no, she went to work with the sole tool she had, that shiv she'd found.  Picking the lock would be her first choice, if the point of the shiv was slender enough, and the lock not more sophisticated than it appeared.    If no, then it would come to cutting or breaking the first link on his manacles, if that was possible...

While she considered and worked, she also asked, whispering once more-  "Do you know any of the others?  Any who might also help?"   

Although nothing in Dysis background included lockpicking, she knew enough from her travels that some were complicated and others were simple to where even a child (with the right tool) could open it.

Fortunately, it appeared her captors had invested in simple locks. Although she fumbles around with the shiv in the lock for a good period of time trying to trigger the mechanism (and doing so blindly) she is eventually able to find the trigger that the key would, and open it.

Of course, this was just one lock of the two chaining the man's hands, and so she gets to work on the second one. As she works, she asked her question and the man responded. "I don't know if they are here. I was traveling with friends to the great cities from far North." he continues. "They attacked while we slept. Next thing I knew I was here."

As he finishes speaking, Dysis manages to free his second hand. Now free of his chains, the man rubs his wrists where the locks had been which were swollen. "Okay. I will follow your lead. Should we find others?"

She nodded.  "Let's have a look at who else is here, your friends included.  Numbers should be in our favor.  But, we'd be better off not to release any madmen, in case anyone seems broken by this experience."

Will set about seeing who else is here;  who might also be capable of helping.   Will try to get as many as possible;  but, won't take too long, it case it is evening, and we are heading toward nightfall. 

Their work is slow as the two cautiously and carefully move to examine other prisoners to see who might be able to assist. They are also hindered by he fact they only had Dysis' shiv as their only tool at the moment. Fortune does favor them insofar that they find one woman who professes to being a thief and thus she is able to free both herself and a few others with the found shiv.

They now numbered five in total. Dysis, two men who were Boreans and warriors, the woman thief who claimed to be from Thena, and a skinny young man no older then 16 who claimed to be a young priest of Apollo. There were still another six prisoners, but these were unconscious or otherwise unresponsive to attempts to communicate.

The small party of five halted in their movements as footsteps from above are heard. Dysis hears as the chain and lock at the hatch are being opened. Apparently it was time now for a feeding!

Dysis lightly bit her lip, in hurried consideration, as she thought out what to do.  In a low voice, she swiftly told the others:

"Casting a spell!  It'll be pitch black; no one will see in or out.  Everyone start moaning and groaning, like you're pained, or dying. We'll see what they do.  Be ready for the dark to end, and to act, depending what happens." 

It was a bit of a gamble.  But, the only way she could think to hold the advantage of surprise...

Hopefully. She'd been told of these men's proclaimed affiliation with the dark.   No natural, nocturnal animal could see in such occult darkness -- she had to hope these captors were natural, as well, and it would be the same for them. If no, she'd spend her power for nothing.   But, at least, something would be learned about this enemy.

Casting eldritch eclipse :: Please take your time on reply -- hope all goes well.