Escape from the Deep Six

Background Story:

  Deep within the Underdark lies the city of
Tarsian'ranik, known, as much in those cavernous depths
are, for the evil it spawns.  Tarsian'ranik, however, has a
special place in the Underdark's economy, for it serves as
one of the entertainment capitals of the deeper depths. 
Containing every vice you could imagine and even a few
virtues for those looking for a change of pace, the city is
continously receiving an influx of visitors to taste of
its wares.  By far the greatest attraction though is the
vast arena within the center of the city.

  Run by a group known only as the Deep Six, the arena
maintains hundreds of different species and creates some of
the most awe-inspiring battles on the Material Plane. 
Ranging the gamut from straight physical duels between
slaves to epic mage-duels (generally special events only,
as no truly high ranking spell casters are kept as slaves),
the Deep Six keep visitors pouring into the city.

  You are a set of slaves who have been captives of the
Deep Six for several years now and have grown closer than
most of those in the arena holding cells.  You're
frequently paired up for group battles, so you're well
aware of each others strengths and weaknesses and tend to
shore up those weaknesses.  These actions have gained the
attention of a new "recruit" for the arena, oddly enough a
wiry, quick-looking human, an unusual type of slave.  You
weren't able to see his first match, but you heard it was a
great success despite the fact that he nearly had to be
dragged back to his holding cell.

  After he had recovered, however, he approached your
group and subtly indicated that he wished to speak with
you, but not here.  Agreeing, he and your group eventually
met in the area he designated, and he explained his
plans...for escaping this place.  He explained that he
could disable the varied and stringent magical safeguards
built into your collars, but it would cost him dearly--in
other words it would kill him and activate the soul trap
built into every slave's collar.  For this reason, after
he's dead, he wants you to take his body, including the
collar, with you as you escape.  And whatever you do, do
not touch his collar.

  It was only after you had agreed (opportunities for
escape come along rarely and never) that he mentioned his
final instructions.  Once you reach the surface you must
head for the city of Waterdeep as quickly as possible.  The
Underdark, especially this deep, serves to protect
naturally against scrying, but that protection will
evaporate when it is left.  His friends will be able to
permanently remove the collars, restore him to life, and
provide some measure of protection against recapture if
they can make it to them.

  This is the point at which we enter, he has given you
directions to a music shop on the outskirts of Waterdeep. 
Where you are to ask if they have a Ritik Nanset for sale. 
If you show them his ring after they indicate it's
possible, his friends will take it from there.  Further, he
has mentioned that the only route out of the city is
through the caverns to either the west or the north, which
are specifically kept untamed in order to serve as a final
barrier to escape plans such as this.  The portals which
most use to travel in and out of the city are far too
heavily guarded, and might have traps laid in them for
those bearing a slave collar.

  After telling you all this, he went to work on your
collars, and as he had said, seemed to sicken almost
immediately.  He quickly grew worse, and only minutes after
finishing the last of the collars was dead, a single ruby
on his collar immediately beginning to glow with its own
light.  Your group is now standing around the dead body in
a back corridor of the arena, not too far distant from an
exit out into the city.



Game Rules:

The PCs will create characters with up to a +10 ECL and a
single class level.  This can be a prestige class so long as
all the requirements are met.  Characters will preferably be
either surface dwellers or outsiders, but this isn't
strictly necessary. Also, there should be no more than two
of any one race in the group if possible.  Since you will
have a class level, this excludes monster classes that are
greater than 10 levels.

In addition to your normal class levels and the ECL your
race will grant you, each character will have anywhere from
1-3 levels of gladiator.  This will be determined in one of
two ways. You can decide to play it safe and take the middle
of the road, giving you two levels with no chance of losing
them.  Or...you can roll for your level.  A simple 1d3 roll
will determine your gladiator level in this case.  The
prerequisites for the class will be waived.

Additionally, it is possible to get bonuses to either your
allowed ECL or your gladiator levels depending how good your
bio is (for ECL, send a rough outline of what you're
thinking and it will be confirmed when you send the final
biography).  While this is meant to be a one shot adventure,
if people like it the characters could be reused in another 
one in the future.  Another option for bonuses based on a
background story would be magical items that your character
has.  

Essentially, you will choose one bonus that you are
shooting for and then write about that in order to receive
the bonus (it helps if you tell me what you're shooting for,
but I will offer them without that).  If you're looking for
an ECL bonus, the reasoning (and thus bio) should come from
your life before capture; for magical items, the tale you
tell should be of how you were captured (and why they let
you keep that particular item); and for gladiator levels,
you should tell of your time at the arena proper.

The party will have a standard set of equipment that all
gladiators are assigned equal to 49,000 gold worth.  Each 
character will be able to gain access to this equipment, so the 
party will have to decide as a whole what was granted.  
Obviously, this probably isn't going to depend on specific class 
features unless all the members of the party have it available.  
Beyond this, each member will have personal equipment equivalent 
to no more than 11,000 gold.