Ilduvu attacks

1622, Dark Season,16

The morning after the attack by Lunar troops and the escape of the sorcerer and his henchman, the party finds itself wondering what route to take...  Should they continue to Prax, Pimper's block, risking detection in the open?  Or seek refuge in Boldhome, with Herculon's family, risking detection by the Lunar Home Guard or Ilduvu and his associates.  And if heading to Boldhome, is it best to take the trail through the mountains, in this winter weather, or track back to the Jonstown - Boldhome road and then south?
After due consideration, the decision is taken to return to the royal road and take a left for Boldhome.  So it happens.  After less than an hour of travel, the party spots a large convoy coming at them from the west.  It is quickly determined the convoy is not a Lunar platoon, and briefly after the characters can see what is heading towards them:  it is a slave convoy.  12 chained sartarite weak looking prisoners, clad in rags, and accompagnied by a dozen of Lunarese guards and their captain, as well as three sable riders.  They have the advantage of surprise, and hide in the shrubs, until the convoy has approached.  Sharkan, clumsily trying to hide behind a narrow tree, is quickly detected, and the Sable riders hurry over to make sure it's not a major nuisance.
Before Sharkan is captured, Giomanach steps forward from his hiding and starts casting Palsy.  Herculon starts incantating his Lightning ritual, and grills one of the Sable Nomads before he knows what hits him.  The remaining Sable Riders forget about Sharkan and charge forward towards Giomanach, who they consider the source of the lightning magic.  With the Lunars no longer paying much attention to him, Sharkan lets out his River Folk Warcry and leaps forward.  Sadly, he miscalculates the leap, and to make matters worst, he loses his footing when landing.  He ends up on his belly, with three Lunar guards closing in on him.
Herculon bellows loudly and charges forward, while Sharkan is hard pressed under the attack, almost losing his arm while backing up.  Daerius charges forward as well, and Raiko tries to sneak up behind the Lunars, but is spotted before he makes it that far.  Meanwhile, some of the prisoners have succeeded getting rid of their shackles.  Herculon kills one Lunar, then another.  The fight is turning against the Lunars very quickly.  Then Giomanach detects 3 flying shapes in the air, and he feels a cold shiver run along his spine.  Ilduvu has tracked them down, and he has brought help.  Two Wyvern Riders accompany the Griffin shaped Sorcerer.  Sharkan meanwhile scores his first Lunar kill, and, oblivious to the appearance of the sorcerer behind him, charges towards his next target.

The liberated slaves form a front before the approaching wyvern

The Wyvern riders land in front of the party and their released prisoners, and hostilities continue.  The prisoners quickly form a front, determined not to go into captivity again.  The Sartarites seem quite able to hold off the Wyverns, and our party members join the line and charge forward, but Ilduvu has other plans.  He feints a landing in front of the party, then pulls up slightly and lands in front of Giomanach, with the clear intention of ripping the sorcerer to shreds.  He attacks, grabbing hold of Giomanach's leg, blood pumping out of the open wound.  The Griffin then attempts to take off, Giomanach in his claw, and if not for the released prisoners jumping on the big bird to keep it on the ground, this would most definitely have been the demise of Giomanach at the hands of Ilduvu. The fight against the Wyverns goes well, one of the riders goes down, but the party is having a very hard time stopping Ilduvu.  The Griffin attempts once again to take Giomanach in the air, and another time several ex-prisoners jump on the shapechanged sorcercer.  Ilduvu casts wrack on those touching him, and the outcome is gruesome.  Five prisoners succumb, in their weakened state a single attack is enough to kill them, and the others back off, terrified.  Now Herculon, having dispatched his wyvern, charges forward, but even with his trememdous damage output it proves very hard to damage the sorcerer through his magical shield.
However, as the Lunars are all down, and the party starts concentrating on Ilduvu, he decides to live another day, and flies off south.
The party loot the victims, and use the equipment they find to outfit the surviving liberated prisoners.  The prisoners, according to Orlanthi Law, become endebted to the party, and decided to join them as henchmen.  7 survivors join their ranks, and a number of them agree to start studing the Talastaring Hoplite way of combat.  After using the equipment they can, they are sill left with 6 Hoplite shields, 11 Scimitars, 3 Peltast shields and 3 daggers.