“Does everyone still have their character sheets?” The DM asked, as the rest of the group took their seats at the table.

“The old ones?” Samantha asked, pulling out the binder she kept all her gaming stuff in, including all her character sheets. “I thought we’d be rolling up new ones this week.” The group’s last session had gone…poorly for the party, starting with grossly underestimating the number of bandits the forest hideout had held and ending with a fight that had resulted in a pretty conclusive TPK. 

“Well, I was thinking about that over the week…” The DM said, “And the fight technically ended with all of you unconscious, not dead. The bandits wouldn’t necessarily finish you off, if they thought you’d be worth more to them alive. And that gave me an idea for a new direction the campaign could go in.” She paused, looking at the players. “If you want to, that is…” 

“I’d like to keep playing my sorcerer.” Bethany chimed in, opening her laptop and pulling up the folder with the PDF for her character sheet. 

“And I really like my ranger.” Alice added, setting her tablet and dice bag on the table. 

Samantha shrugged. “If that’s what we want. I suppose Yierd Waal the accordion wielding bugbear bard will have to wait for another opportunity to make his glorious debut.” She put away that particular character sheet in the binder and took out another one. 

“Yeah, I think we’re better off sticking with our original characters.” Alice said, hurriedly. 

“So what does happen after the bandits overwhelm us?” Bethany added. 

“Well, the first thing they do is stabilize the three of you so their new prisoners don’t bleed out. You are stripped of all your gear…” The DM ignored the collective boos of the players. “And tied up with the rest of their prisoners. The next day, you are all brought via secret paths through the forest, known only to the Brethren of the Red Dagger to a secret smugglers cove. There, at an illicit slave auction…” 

“Ladies and gentleman!” The auctioneer called, looking out over the assortment of pirates, smugglers, bandits and ne'er-do-wells who had gathered in front of the makeshift stage. “We have some truly special merchandise up for sale for you today…” He waved a hand, which was the cue for the bandits standing behind the threadbare curtain to come out on stage. The two burly brigands hauled on the rope they held. 

A moment after the appeared came the first of the figures tied to the other end. A dozen young women and girls shuffled unwillingly onto the stage. Each girl had her hands tied at the wrists, behind her back, with cord and a cloth strap pulled tight between her teeth to muffle her frightened murmurs. They were all completely naked, save for the leather collars locked tight around their necks by which the whole group was tethered together in coffle..    

Most of the slaves were quite ordinary, the usual mix of local peasant wenches, traveling merchants and pilgrims snatched off the roads by the bandits, though quite appreciated, as the cheers and lewd whistles from the crowd to the red-faced captives showed. But the last three figures in line were something else altogether. Even naked and bound, it was clear at a glance they were a trio of adventuring heroines, albeit in somewhat humiliating circumstances at the moment. 

The first was an elf maid, only 80 years young, with a lithe, slender body that would be about 18 or 19 on a human girl. Her glimmering green hair was long and straight, tied back in a high ponytail which stretched nearly to the curve of her perfect, pale bottom. Her emerald eyes widened with horror as she looked out at the crowd, pale cheeks below burning red with embarrassment. When Yudalla, the elf sorceress had left the quiet, studious halls of the magical academy, hoping to get some practical experience in the wider world, she had never imagined she might end up like this, mere merchandise to be bartered and sold by human ruffians. 

Behind her was a shorter, but stockier half orc. In contrast to Yudalla’s shame and discomfort, the former ranger Gretha strode along, seeming to care little that her large, round green breasts or darky furred crotch were on full display. Rather, she seemed more angry at being bound and helpless, surrounded by such a representation of the criminal underworld. As one of the King’s Rangers, it had been Gretha’s job to capture such rogues and drag them back in chains. Now she finds herself on the other end of the leash. 

Bringing up the rear was a short, cute blonde human girl in her late teens. Her expression seemed to be one more of disbelief at things having gone so bad as the wind naked and bound on stage at a slave auction. Karie Karvel, cleric and crusader for the Lady of Justice wondered just what she could have done for her goddess to let her end up like this. 

“You have a few minutes to wait, as the rest of the prisoners are led forward, one at a time to be bid for and auctioned off. How do you want to play things?” 

“Karie will invoke the wrath of her goddess!” Samantha said, clenching a fist. “Asking her to smite this wicked place and all who reside in it!” 

“Hopefully not including us…” Alice shot back, smiling. “Gretha will glare defiance out at the crowd, to dissuade them from bidding for her.

“I’ll take the opposite approach.” Bethany countered. “Yudalla couldn’t stand it if she was worth less than any of the other items for sale. 

“Alright. Roll me some Religion, Intimidation and Persuasion respectively.” The DM declared. “At disadvantage since you’re tied up and naked…” She pointed to Alice. “And advantage since you have an 18 in charisma.” 

The three picked up dice and rolled. “7.” Samantha declared with a shrug. “Well, it was a long shot. Guess we’re gonna get sold after all, girls.”  

“That’s a 17…and a 3, with my bonus that’s gonna be an 8.” Alice groaned. 

“And that’s a…Natural 20!” Bethany said. “I am the hottest item this market’s ever seen!

“And here’s something very special…” The auctioneer declared, as Yudalla was led to the front of the stage. The elf did her best to maintain a poise of haughty disdain, which was quite hard as the manling beside her began to grope various bits of her anatomy, pitching their value to the crowd. Unsurprisingly, her price quickly shot up, from hundreds, to thousands of gold pieces. At last, the bandit cried “Sold!” his face grinning as he contemplated the windfall his gang had gotten for their captive. 

Gretha, likewise, tried to keep her dignity as she was dragged forward next, glaring out at the audience as she strained against the rope lead. It soon broke down, however, once the bandits handling her got the half-orc to the front of the stage. Spinning her around, one of them pulled sharply on the leash, forcing her to bend over. At the same time, the other kicked at her legs, forcing the ranger to spread them wide. Her green cheeks reddened as her privates were bared to the crowd. When the auctioneer called for bids, hands shot up throughout the crowd. After a short, but fierce bidding, she was sold and led off as well…

“And here is our final item…” The auctioneer called. Karie stumbled over the last few words of her prayer as she was dragged forward by her leash unexpectedly. She looked up to the heavens, hoping to see a bolt of divine reckoning forming in the cloudy sky overhead, and to avoid looking at the crowd as her naked, consecrated body was sacrileged by the auctioneer. Alas, the goddess must have been smiting heathens elsewhere that day, for the town remained unsmoted as the cleric was sold and dragged off. 

“Well?” The three asked, as the DM finished her description. “Who bought us? What happens next?” 

“Good question…let me roll for that real quick. I’ve drawn up a list of potential owners…” The GM rolled a dice behind her screen. There was a moment of silence. Then she laughed. “Natural 20…” She said, raising it so the others could see. Sure enough, the dice showed a ‘20’ on its topmost face. Placing a finger on a handwritten list, the DM read out…

“In attendance at the auction today is none other than Azmotep the Fiery Scourge, looking to purchase new slaves to staff his Fortress of Agony.” 

“Isn’t he the Big Bad we’re supposed to stop?” Alice asked, glancing at the other players. 

They nodded. “Well…guess we’re heading to the final dungeon a little earlier than expected…”