(IC) Escape from Meenlock Prison (Trans-Atlantic)

[Farmerbink]

Ferdwhipple steps forward, extending the envelope to Mr. Rook.

I hope you will forgive the intrusion into the privacy of the documents, our patron was somewhat shortcoming with details, and many unusual occurrences have taken place along the path hither. Fearing we had been misled, I read the document to allay my concerns regarding the errand. The men we seek are one "Lyle Benedict," and someone who goes by "Blessed of Pelor." Hopefully they can be retrieved quickly, and we will be on our way.

After delivering the paperwork, Ferdie quickly bows, stepping back to just behind Braddock and Zalophar.

Again, my apologies for any problems or confusion.

He quietly and stealthily places a hand on the hilt of one of his daggers - beneath the folds of his cloak- ready to draw and throw the weapon at a moments notice.

[Untarr]

Before walking into the room, Ark pauses briefly. He listens as Mr. Rook introduces himself. While Ferdwhipple talks he casts Detect Magic and then walks into the room. He stands in the corner in an attempt to get everyone in the room within the effect of the spell.

Spoiler: Detect Magic and Skill Check

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Detect Magic:
60 Ft. Cone
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 Min. / level
Detect magical auras. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.

1st Round: Presence or absence of magical auras
2nd Round: Number of different magical auras and the power of the most potent aura.
3rd Round: The strength and location of each aura. If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in ling of sight, you can make a Knowledge (arcana) skill check to determine the school of magic involved in each. DC 15 + spell level, or 15 +1/2 caster level for non-spell effect.

I would like to make any necessary Knowledge Arcana Checks as applicable. These checks are with a +9 modifier.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Spoiler: Detect Magic Results (For Ark's Eyes Only)

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No magical auras are visible anywhere in the room.

"Well, let's just see your papers, and I will try and assuage your concerns," Mr. Rook says, taking the documents, sitting back down, and reading them thoughtfully. After a moment or two of reading he opens a desk drawer and places the documents inside with a small stack of other papers.

"The documentation for the release of your two prisoners is in order. You've already met Mr. Fine. He'll hand you off to Mr. Dee in the cellars, where the prisoners are kept. You'll forgive me when I say you must secure the prisoners yourselves - we are woefully understaffed at the moment, and my men are engaged in other, very important business matters."

At this the fat man nods and inclines his wine glass toward the party. The warden turns and pulls back a tapestry above a fireplace behind him. Using a key on a chain around his neck, he unlocks a wall-mounted safe and removes two large keys from within, which he tosses to Mr. Fine.

While he does all this, he says, "Your prisoners are in the seventh and sixteenth cells on the right. If you require provisioning for your return to Heerfur, merely let my men know and it shall be awaiting your departure. And with that, I am afraid I must bid you good day."

[MuffinMan]

"Good day, and thank you for your assistance" Zalophar gives a small bow towards Mr. Rook but doesn't lower his eyes. Turning towards Mr. Fine, "Mr... Fine, was it? It sounds like you have other important matters to attend to, as well, so if you'll show us to the cells we'll collect the prisoners and be on our way."

--

When the party files out, he catches Torban. "You've still got those ropes for the restraints, right?"

[12StoryCondo]

In a low voice, Torban replies "Aye. If we need 'em, that is. I just want to grab these two and get back without incident. This trip actually has me on edge, and I just want to be warm, dry, and a wee drunk." He follows the company into the cell blocks.

[Farmerbink]

Ferdwhipple takes a position somewhat near the middle of the group, keeping his mouth closed and his eyes and ears open. He keeps his eyes open, particularly, in the direction of Mr. Fine and any other "staff." His hand stays close to his dagger, but not so close as to draw attention.


As an aside to the party:
Well this should be interesting. Sure would have been nice if Breg had had manacles for sale. I suppose we'll have to do without.

[JWallyR]

Braddock continues to conceal his fist, spiked gauntlet at the ready behind a fold of cloak while staying near the front of the party, the only sign of his unease being the slight narrowing of his eyes as he scans the hallway walls for signs of anything not being what it seems.

Spoiler: Perception

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Perception check at -1

[DarkOne-Rob]

Spoiler: Braddock's Perception Check

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(1d20-1)[4] (Nothing to see that isn't visible to all.)

Mr. Fine escorts the party past the double doors opposite the chateau's entrance and into a hall at the rear of the building. All of the side rooms look neglected and unused except for Mr. Fine's office and lounge.

In the final room on this floor sporadic patches of plaster are all that remain on walls stripped to gray bricks and wooden slats. At the far end of the room is a 15 foot tall empty cage made of iron bars. A metal chain rises from its solid metal top, threads through eyehooks across the ceiling and down the wall, and wraps around a wheel with a crank bar embeded in the floor. Mr. Fine walks over to the cage and opens its door with a rusty creak.

"Your ride awaits," he says, producing the two keys. "Here are the keys - remember, they're the seventh and sixteenth cells on your right. Mr. Dee will meet you outside the cellblock hall. Once you have your prisoners, return here and give a holler."

Mr. Fine bends down to the floor and, through a small hole covered in steel mesh, yells, "Party to transfer prisoners coming down, Mr. Dee."

A faint echoing voice replies, "Right. Send 'em down."

[JWallyR]

Braddock eyes the makeshift elevator with undisguised suspicion.

Is that thing going to hold us all at once? he says in a loud voice to Mr. Fine.

Under his voice, Braddock mutters to the others,
Maybe Torban or I should man the winch and guard the rear... I know I don't want to be stuck down there.

[DarkOne-Rob]

"Certainly will, sir. It may be a little close, but it is strong enough. We use it for even the violent prisoners who require armed guards, so it will hold you all just fine. The winch is designed to be operated by one, and the pulley system makes it possible to lower or raise a great deal more weight than all of you. Are you ready?" Mr. Fine gestures politely to the door, holding it open.

[Farmerbink]

Ferdwhipple steps forward and takes the extended keys, before hopping into said elevator.

Seems in order to me. I'm sure you have other important business to attend to, particularly given that the prisoners will be ours to wrangle. The winch seems simple enough, surely Torban could operate it well. Thank you for your assistance, I think we'll take it from here Mr. Fine.

With a meaningful glance to Torban, Ferdwhipple contines.

Well, gentlemen? We're not getting home any faster looking at it.

Spoiler

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Diplomacy +9, Bluff +9, Sense motive +6 Not sure which of these are most in order, but I really want to convince Mr. Fine to leave the room (and/or figure out why he doesn't want to)

[DarkOne-Rob]

Spoiler: Skill Checks in Response to Ferdwhipple's

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(1d20+9)[18] Diplomacy to improve Mr. Fine's attitude, DC 20 (Unfriendly),
(1d20+9)[13] Ferdwhipple's Bluff (not sure what this is for, going to wing it for now...)
(1d20+6)[7] Sense Motive (vs. Mr. Fine's Bluff)
(1d20+9)[15] Mr. Fine's Bluff (hiding his unfriendly attitude...if you have read this as a player, you shouldn't have! )

Smiling, Mr. Fine replies, "I am quite sure your comrade could manage the winch, sir. However, then he would be stuck up here waiting on you all to return. I will help get everyone down to the cellar, and then carry on my business. Mr. Dee will contact me from below - we have a system for this sort of thing - when you are ready to come back up.

I really would advise you all to go down together. We pride ourselves on a well managed prison, but what you are trying to do could get complicated. Several of the prisoners down there are rough sorts, they are not restrained within their cells, and you may be surprised at how difficult it can be to subdue a desperate man." He looks at the party appraisingly and continues, "I know I wouldn't want to cross you gentlemen. You are quite the intimidating band, if you don't mind my saying so."

[JWallyR]

Braddock shifts his pack around his shoulders and sighs heavily while eyeing the elevator.

Let's get this over with, then.

He draws himself up to his full height before trudging into the cage, pack, shield and all.

[MuffinMan]

Zalophar walks over to Torban and, with a hand on his shoulder, leans down and whispers in Dwarven

Spoiler: Dwarven

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"Remember, stick together."

Rising, he addresses Mr. Fine as he backs into the cage with Braddock. "That makes a great deal of sense, Mr. Fine. Of course, hypothetically, if the winch should break while we are down there collecting the prisoners, there are other ways back up to the surface, yes?" He finishes his question with a pointed look at Torban, making eye contact before he turns back to Mr. Fine.

Spoiler

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Trying to silently encourage Torban to Sense Motive on Mr. Fine's response.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Without skipping a beat, Mr. Fine laughs and smiles. "If you are that concerned about the winch, please come and inspect it. We are running a prison here, so there aren't supposed to be an abundant number of exits from the cell blocks. However, there is a freight elevator by which we retreive wine from the aging room for sales. Now, is there anything else, or aren't you gentlemen looking to recover two prisoners today?"

He steps back, motioning towards first the winch and then the door to the elevator cage. Then with a slightly impatient sigh he walks over to the winch, waiting for the party to load the elevator.

[Untarr]

OK OK FINE. If we're all thinking it...

Ark waves his hands, mumbles something, and turns towards Mr. Fine.

Spoiler: Spell, Only look if you have spellcraft

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Charm Person
Will Save DC 16

Casts it on Mr. Fine

If all five of us are needed down there for this, why do you have a man stationed down there alone? Surely prisoners being out of their cell would necessitate additional guards to control them?

Spoiler: Questioning Mr. Fine

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I would like to do this without slowing down the tempo too much. Rob, you can write this out as you see fit (taking control of my character's dialogue). Assuming the spell works, Ark will ask a series of questions to discern the following.

Why is the prison understaffed?
What is going on that is keeping the guards busy?
Who were the other two gentlemen in the room? Why are they here?
Does Mr. Fine know anything about these two prisoners?
Did anyone at the prison know that the party was coming?

If the spell does not work, Ark will only ask the first question. The one outside the spoiler.

[DarkOne-Rob]

Spoiler: Mr. Fine's Saving Throw

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(1d20+5)[17] Passes

Spoiler: Mr. Fine's Skill Checks

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(1d20+8)[17] Mr. Fine's Sense Motive Check
(1d20+14)[34] Mr. Fine's Bluff Check

The party members would need a natural 20 to see through the deception, so Mr. Fine is acting overly friendly, but is not Charmed.

For a moment it appears something passes across Mr. Fine's vision. He looks down, shakes his head slightly, and then looks up at Ark again. "Oh, I am sorry, friend, I must have been unclear. The prisoners aren't out of their cells. However, we do not have them restrained when they are within their cells. So, should one of them reach out for you while you weren't looking it could get hairy fast. We guards generally know who to watch for and don't give them any opportunities."

Why is the prison understaffed?
What is going on that is keeping the guards busy?
Who were the other two gentlemen in the room? Why are they here?
Does Mr. Fine know anything about these two prisoners?
Did anyone at the prison know that the party was coming?

He smiles and continues to answer your questions. "The prison always runs on a small crew, but recently several members of the staff have left for personal reasons. This sort of work requires discretion, so the hiring process can be slow.

Mr. Rook is negotiating a major sale of our wine. The guards do double duty as crew members for loading the stores, so they are working to prepare the shipment.

Two gentlemen, sir? There was Mr. Rook and a Mr. Gage I believe. Mr. Gage is buying the large shipment I mentioned.

I cannot speak for Mr. Fine and what he knows, sir. Generally we keep to knowing only so much about the prisoners as we need to know to do our jobs, so I doubt I can help you much either.

No one expected anything like this today. Your arrival was a complete surprise."

[DarkOne-Rob]

While the remaining party members deliberate using the elevator, another guard enters the room and addresses Mr. Fine, "We need you to hurry up here and return to your post. Is everything all right?"

To this Mr. Fine responds, "I think so. They were just concerned about the safety of the elevator. Are you all ready to head down now?" He turns to the party, waiting for everyone to enter the elevator.

[12StoryCondo]

Torban steps into the cage and waits.

[MuffinMan]

From his position next to Braddock, in the elevator, Zalophar looks up from tapping his foot and says with a tenseness in his voice, "It looks we're all going together. We're ready." Crossing his arms, he nods at Mr. Fine to lower the elevator

[DarkOne-Rob]

With an initial jolt and the clanking of chains moving over metal hooks, the cage wobbles and staggers in slow descent. Inch by inch, a dimly lit room is revealed, with two statues of frolicking satyers flanking a dark doorway and a long hall beyond to the south. Wide wooden double doors stand to the west. Dust puffs out from below as the cage comes to rest on the cellar's flagstone floor. Overhead the cage's ceiling seals tightly with the floor of the hall above.

The flagstone floor and gray, stone walls rise vertically for 5 feet before arching up into a barrel-vaulted ceiling 15 feet high at the center. Continual flames in the ceilings cast inconstant, mottled light due to hundreds of moths that crowd them. Bright illumination is reduced to the 5-foot square on the floor directly below the lighting; all else is dimly lit.

The room smells of a mixture of wine, dry wood, and human misery. Through the dark portal to the south you hear muffled sounds of life, as if from individuals far from the entrance. It is dark, and the flickering of the moths makes the shadows on the walls distracting as they move. The chill in the air is uncomfortable.

There is no sign of Mr. Dee anywhere.

[Farmerbink]

After a quick glance around, Ferdwhipple sighs, looking back to the party.

So, if you carry your own belongings, we should perhaps light a torch or two before we continue. All of mine are on the cart outside…

It's never easy, is it?

[12StoryCondo]

"O' man, Fate really buggered whoever lives down here. I interned in a craphole like this before I started working." Torban steps out of the cage, drawing his hammer and hefting it in his hand as he takes a look around.

"Well, at least it's not that dark." He grins and points his toothy horror sidelong at Braddock. "Aye, Braddock?" He pats himself up and down with his free hand, then produces a finger-length twig from his belt pouch and puts it in his teeth, "Got a light? Haaahahaha!"

Torban, self-amused and cackling, begins moving toward the Satyre statues to eye the craftsmanship while the party readies itself.

(Perception to check room and statues)

[MuffinMan]

Zalophar spreads his hands and shrugs at Ferdwhipple, "I left my gear in the cart as well. Torban's right, though, this light is fine for me, at least. "

Stepping out of the cage, he glances upwards towards the flames at the top of the dome for a moment before turning back to the group. "That Mr. Rook said the seventh and sixteenth cells on the right, wasn't it?" He starts walking over to Torban at the statues, but suddenly he pauses mid-stride and whirls back around. "Wait, where's Ark?! He was here a moment ago!"

[Untarr]

The image of Ark in the cage fades away as he stops concentrating on it.


There is no way I am going down into some hole with only exit being a deathtrap. I should have never left my books in the first place. I think I will leave the adventuring to the suicidal people of the world.

Ark exits the room and begins to walk back to town.

[Farmerbink]

Ferdwhipple sighs and looks to Braddock:

Please tell me a strong lad such as yourself has your torches handy? I feel more than half a fool, but as much as I expected something unexpected, this is… well… More unexpected than I expected. So, would you light one for me? And then step in front? I'll do my best to make it worth your while!

…though Mr. Shick's bag o' coins will certainly help.

With a grin and a chuckle, Ferdwhipple moves to the doors, and inspects them and the statues for traps or anything out of the ordinary.

Spoiler

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Perception +8 (for now!)

[DarkOne-Rob]

Spoiler: Perception Checks

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(1d20+7)[22] Torban's
(1d20+8)[9] Ferdwhipple's

The statues appear to be harmless and entirely decorative.

The quality of the lighting in the next room is similar to the first, though the contents are not.

A five-foot flagstone path connects dark doorways to the north and south of this hall. Twenty-foot long wooden wine racks tower ten feet high on either side. Upon them, thousands of bottles caked in dried mud rest in rusty wine cradles.

[JWallyR]

Braddock smiles grimly as he pulls out a torch and his flint and steel.

Been in and around dungeons like this enough to know not to plan on leaving through the same door you came in.

Braddock lights the torch and cautiously moves to the front of the group, peering into the hallways facing the group.

[MuffinMan]

"There's no Mr. Dee anywhere, Ark seems to have run off, and which way are the blasted cells seven and sixteen?!" Grimacing, Zalophar tugs his blade free of its sheathe and paces back and forth while Braddock is striking a spark for the torch. "This job is starting to stink. Once that's lit, I say we move fast to find the prisoners and get out, starting with that way." He points with his sword down the hallway flanked by the wine bottles..

[12StoryCondo]

Torban moves down the hallway, occasionally breaking his gaze from the end of the hallway to scan the wine racks. About 15 feet down the hall he runs his hand along a few of the bottles, letting chance pull his fingers to a halt on one of them. "Why the hell're they aging wine down here? Don't they know it'll taint the flavor with the sour notes of guilt that hangs in prisons? Amateurs."

Spoiler

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Torban eyes the bottle closely, opens and sniffs it carefully if necessary, then puts it in his bag, attempting to do the last part unnoticed.
Appraise +1
Sleight if Hand -7