Mogall performs some arcane repairs on the prism, trying to stabilize the magic in the crystal. It might hold, it might not hold...
When the two crystals are put in their niches, the acoustics of the room clearly change. Everything seems to quiet down to a whisper, and moving around the prison becomes more straightforward.
Each of the inmates has a little sign near them, denoting their offense, and the time left until departure. Most of them are in for petty crimes, and are close to release. In fact, the only inmate that has more than a month left on his sentence is... dead.
The door to the inner area are locked.
One of the men looks at Lance and says leave? I cannot leave, I have nowhere to flee. They'd haul me back in no time, and the punishment would be horrible indeed.
Lance opens the doors to the interrogation room. Barbed chains hang like streamers from the pyramidal ceiling of this large chamber. Several chains wind around the room’s grooved, bloodstained central column. Each corner of the room bears an iron statue of a regal, four-horned devil standing over a network of winches wound with the wicked chains. Light pours in from a dirty pentagram-shaped skylight set in the roof’s highest point, casting a shadow of Asmodeus’s unholy symbol crisscrossed with chains over the stone floor.
Zefiro Balinger and three humans are wedged into the grooves of the central column. All four are gagged and secured by the room’s spiked chains.
Jalthas moves forward to try and open the manacles. When he does so, he inevitably brushes against one of the chains. Immediately, the winches whirr into action, transforming the room into a vault filled with whipping chains.
Apart from making a terrible racket, the spiked chains flail around the room, and will surely hit adventurer and prisoner alike.
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Anaristiel
Jalthas
Mogall
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Chains
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Adrianna
Lance
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Giving up on disabling the whinces, Mogall goes ahead and cast shield from his staff on to himself, then as swift action when he cast cast liberating command {link} on Zefiro to help him escape, "I only have one such spell to cast, but I can use a pearl to recall it once."
Zefiro doesn't wait to be told to get out, and Mogall's spell make escaping a lot easier.
Jalthas starts growing in size.
[ooc]Anaristiel still has an action, but I'll resolve the chains now.
Jalthas, Anaristiel and Lance find that the chains near them are mostly harmless - for now - but Mogall and Adrianna find themselves in dire straits as the chains whip about
Zefiro gets up and moves out of the room.
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Anaristiel
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Adrianna
Lance
Anaristiel
Jalthas
Mogall
--
Chains
Zefiro (12)
Johnny (9)
Dee Dee
Joey
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"Wait! What about the other prisoners in here? We should free them too..." she yells as Lance starts to pull her away.
"Zefiro is the priority - I'm not having him get shanked to death and failing our mission whilst we go rescue some random prisoners - we lose him we lose more than two strangers. Those guards won't be distracted for long"
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"We have our priority. GO! We can't save every prisoner or slave in Cheliax! "
-Posted with Wayfinder
In their panic at the flailing chains, the other three prisoners fail to wiggle free of the statue. Meanwhile, Lance and Jalthas prepare the retreat, dragging Adrianna out of the room.
The chain whip around at those in the room, and suddenly, the screaming falls silent.
As the party leaves the complex, the interrogator can be seen in the distance, moving back to the Bloody Nail. Tamrin is trailing, distraught, and spots the adventurers before the interrogator does. Promptly, he tries to stall the guards before they give chase.
Zefiro, weakened from his torture, moves around sickly. [ooc]Sickened, and half speed (DC 20 Heal to cure)
During each phase of the chase, each PC can attempt one full round of actions to cause disruptions—sufficient to attempt one of the suggested distractions on the card or use the aid another action. However, the PCs may need to dedicate additional attention to helping injured companions move quickly. For every character traveling with the PCs whose movement speed is 15 feet or lower, each PC suffers a –1 penalty on checks attempting to cause delays. For every unconscious member of the group, this penalty increases to –2. Casting spells while weaving through the crowds is di cult, requiring a concentration check (DC = 10 + spell level), and the PC takes the above penalties on these concentration checks. Zefiro focuses on escaping and do not create distractions.
The Bloody Nail: This is the starting point for the chase and does not have any special opportunities for the PCs to cause delays.
Free Meal: A group of Asmodean priests distributes free food to pedestrians, emphasizing it as House Thrune’s gi to the loyal. The PCs can sow chaos in the food lines with a DC 16 Diplomacy check to request food and then toss it to the hungriest-looking spectators, a Combat Maneuver against a CMD 16 check to snatch food trays and send them to the back of the line, or by throwing an alchemical item into one of the cook pots (AC 9). Any of these actions cause the queues to break down as citizens begin complaining and rushing the priests out of order.
Parade: The runaways cross the path of a Loyalty Day parade, complete with oats, banners, and dancers. The PCs can bring the parade to a halt with ranged attacks against AC 15 that deal at least 6 points of damage to the various decorations (multiple attackers can contribute to this total), a successful DC 16 Acrobatics check to barge through the marching lines, or by casting any conjuration spell of 1st-level or higher to create an impediment.
Supply Delivery: The PCs come across a wagon loaded with supplies for the celebrations. They can stall oncoming guards with a successful DC 16 Handle Animal or wild empathy check to panic the dra animals, a successful DC 16 Disable Device check to unhinge the wagon and send it rolling down the street, or successful DC 13 Strength check to throw the supplies everywhere.
Asmodean Service: An Asmodean religious rite begins at a major intersection. PCs can sabotage the service with a successful DC 16 Bluff or Knowledge (religion) check, a successful DC 14 Climb check to disruptively scale the impromptu temple, by channeling positive energy in another deity’s name, or by casting any enchantment spell of 1st-level or higher. The outrage and confusion draws the guards’ attention away from the PCs’ flight.
Street Performance: The fugitives pass a street-side band that has gathered a crowd by playing Chelish anthems. The PCs can crash the performance with a successful DC 16 Perform check, a successful DC 13 Dexterity check to weave through the crowd, or by casting any illusion spell of 1st-level or higher. These actions stir the audience into a disorderly mass that clogs the avenue.
Fighting Pit: With guards blocking the main streets, the escapees cut through a tavern that’s hosting a boxing match in its fighting pit. The PCs can provoke a brawl that spills into the streets with successful DC 16 Intimidate checks, melee attacks against AC 13 that deals at least 6 points of nonlethal damage (multiple attackers can contribute to this total), or by casting a spell of 1st- level or higher that deals damage to a single target (such as magic missile).
Docks: The final stretch takes the PCs down Ostenso Harbor’s docks. PCs can attempt DC 14 Swim checks to throw off land-bound pursuers, DC 16 Stealth checks to reach their destination unnoticed, or DC 13 Constitution checks to just sprint the distance.
Rendezvous Point: The chase ends at the end of the phase when the PCs reach this point.
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Jalthas, still towering over the common rabble, treads through the crowd and attempts to snatch a food tray as he darts past a food stall. He grabs a bowl of soup and tosses it into the crowd, causing much screaming and chaos.
Seeing the parade ahead, he uses his wand of unseen servent and asks Jeeves - the aforementioned servant - to cause various mischief in the crowd.
Stumbling upon the wagon full of supplies, Jalthas doesn't think - he acts upon instinct, bull rushing into it.
Upon encountering the Asmodean priest, Jalthas stops for a second to breathe, and talks his way out of a religious dispute. "By the way, my Asmodean friends, have you considered the fact that Asmodeus might not be a god, but merely an archdevil like the others? Albeit more ancient, but surely a fraud."
His meeting with street artist does somehow inconvenience Jalthas, ever clad in his cumbersome armor. He attempts to help his companion through this one, not trusting his abilities.
He is, however, much more apt at scaring the brawlers away. He does his best to speak in a dark, guttural voice. "You will fight the guards following us, or I'll snap your neck, puny ones."
In the final run, Jalthas knows that he has little chance of remaining unnoticed, so he just makes a run for it. However, it seems thatthe race has run for too long, and he is just completely exhausted by the end of it.
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Free Meal:
Mogall helps Jalthas with creating chaos by using his Magic Hand spell to send food trays flying.
Parade:
In order to bring the parade to a halt, Mogall cast Glitterdust on the marching line of dancers and spectators causing them to be blinded in a shower of gold particles.
Supply Delivery
Mogall aids in helping to throw supplies around.
Asmodean Service:
The small Wayang adds to the sermon "It's also known that Asmodean has a soft spot for yap-yap dogs!"
Street Performance:
This one Mogall enjoys, once Lance finishes his impromptu tale the illusionist cast a Major Image spell creating an illusion of a flame shrouded demon with sword and whip, the audience can feel the heat, smell the brimstone and hear it growl as the whip snaps.
Fighting Pit:
Seeing Jalthas threaten and Adrianna punch a boxer, Mogall adds to the confustion my casting a toppling magic missile, sending 3 missile of force into the most muscle bound boxer on stage trying to knock him over.
Docks
In the final stretch, Mogall helps everyone sprint to the rendezvous point by casting Haste on them.
As many as you can get...
Free Meal
Diplomacy - Pass
"Ho there friend, may I have that? Yes? Cheers - there's a good fellow" Lance gets a tray, then throws the crowd into chaos by tossing it to hungry spectators.
Parade
As above - Pass.
Supply Delivery
Handle Animal - Pass
Lance easily manages to get the horses to be quite uncooperative with their handlers!
Asmodean Service
Bluff - Fail
Lance is less convincing, clearly distracted by his earlier antics.
Street Performance
As above = Pass
Fight
Attack = Pass
Lance draws his sap and wheels Flash into a charge, looking to simply barrel through the crowd and cause carnage.
Lance
Sap
Damage
Flash
Bite
Damage
They thump through, one person getting sapped, another recieves a nasty horse bite.
Docks
As above = Fail
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Anaristiel requests some food, then proceeds to throw it to various others in the crowd; they scramble for it, causing the guards to stumble into them.
Anaristiel casts a quick spell, curing a small child's skinned knee; her family is so grateful, they crowd the little area, slowing down the guards even further.
Anaristiel fails to do much of anything to slow their pursuers.
Anaristiel attempts to disrupt the rite, but cannot remember enough to be particularly effective.
Anaristiel casts a quick spell to hide, causing a bit of confusion in her wake.
Anaristiel works to confirm her...powers of influence.
Anaristiel leaps into the harbor and begins swimming...to freedom?
The adventurers hostle and jostle through the streets, shifting and moving and causing distractions. As the guards emerge, the party is already halfway through the city, causing delays at the Loyalty Day parade, and causing a big brawl at the boxing club.
When the party finally meets up at the Rendes-vous point, they look back and see the guards hopelessly caught in the franatic brawl that spill out onto the street, the interrogator screaming in frustration and rounding up unruly citizens. Raising the sails, a speedy wind carries the party out of Ostenso.
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Lance laughs and smiles broadly as the ship pulls away, looking for all the world a fairytale hero as he waves goodbye to his pursuers. He then looks wistfully back towarss the prison as it fades from view 'Alas, I really feel I connected with those men"
-Somewhere in the streets of Absalom:
Once strums his new masterwork Mandolin, and catches the eyes of the pretty things in attendance
Day Job - Perform stringed
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Adrianna appears as she usually does on the outside - calm, pleasant, quiet. Having to leave the other prisoners in the Nail still eats at her, but over time she recognizes that her colleagues were correct, and that their mission took priority. So she calms her mind with her gardening and mixing soothing teas to be sold in the local shops...
The party boards the Queen Gale, which sails them swiftly east. On the way, Zefiro offers his thanks, and inquires as to the fate of his histories and how they managed to learn about his whereabouts.
Once in Andoran, the group reconvene with Zarta Dralneen and Venture-Captain Dennel Hamshanks for debriefing. Tamrin joins the discussion partway through, having escaped Ostenso on his own under the cover of the chaos the adventurers sowed. What a chaos you created there. Brilliance, absolute brilliance. I haven't seen the town guard confounded like that since... well, ever! Well done, lads, well done.
When Zarta is confronted with her connection to house Davian, she drops her lascivious facade for a moment. She reads to the document in awe, and then responds thank you for bringing this information to light.
After a pause, she says My ability to claim her ancestral legacy and lands is stymied so long as House Thrune is in power. This is, however, very significant news. If you excuse me, I need some moment alone to process this.