Arabella, roll a Notice at -2 for darkness and confusion.
Result = snake-eyes, FWIW.
If asked, Arabella will deny crying fire, using her best persuasion techniques.
"I'm too tired to drink the lake!" Marko said as he awkwardly awoke.
He blinked several times. Wondering what was going on. He heard someone shout fire. He quickly grabbed his glasses and woke his comrades.
"Get up! Everyone get up! We need to get out of the building."
Marko stepped outside still dressed in his night clothes and clutching his pack of gear.
Arabella, you didn't see which way the thief went.
For the next 30 minutes or so, the hotel is in utter chaos as under-clad people run into the street. Policemen arrive, firemen arrive with a crude (by today's standards) 6-man manually-pumped water tank and unwind the hoses as other firemen rush inside. Eventually it is determined that there is no fire, and the hotel manager gets everyone (now mostly put-out and grumbling) back inside.
While everyone was waiting outside, the police were talking to everyone, and eventually a female human cop comes up to Arabella (before people start going back inside) and says "Excuse me ma'am, but I need you to come to the station with me to answer some questions. I will escort you to your room to get dressed first if you wish."
Everyone else in the party notices this (you're probably all standing together as you wait outside, and I assume Arabella's told you the real story of what happened by now).
Arabella, do you do anything other than get dressed (the cop goes with you into your room and never lets you out of her sight) and go to the station?
What does everyone else do (as in, go with her or not)?
K'Don will follow down to the police station.
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Immediately after losing sight of the intruder, Arabella would want to get back inside and back to her room to check to see if anything is missing. Before leaving again, she'd probably take her goggles if they're still there. After that she would return to the street level to mill about with the rest.
If the goggles or anything else valuable was stolen, she'd try to find the manager of the hotel or someone in charge and complain that someone broke into her room and stole from her. She might also seek out the police, if they are present, to complain about a theft.
Let me know what would happen when she does these things and then let's pick up from there.
Edit: if she can't get back to her room (due to crowd crush or whatever), she will seek out the hotel manager to complain about the intruder and talk to the police when they arrive, insisting she get back up to her room as soon as possible to see if anything was stolen.
You can get back up to your room if you head up right away, before the flood of people leaving gets too large.
Your goggles and everything important (money, etc.) are still there. You can grab what you can carry, and get back outside before police and fire arrive.
If I've interpreted what you've said correctly, then you would *not* talk to the manager or police on your own at this point?
So, what are you going to do about the request to go to the station?
If nothing's missing, she'll secure her valuables and put on some regular clothes before leaving again. She will tell her friends about the intruder, but as she tells it, the intruder yelled 'Fire,' probably to hinder her pursuit.
If Alexander or Marko suggests she talk to the manager or the police, she'll consider it. Otherwise, she will wait for things to calm down, which means she won't get around to it before the police make the request.
She will go along with the request to talk to the police.
Alexander, doing his best to look indifferent to wandering about in his nightshirt, kept hold of Connor's hand to make sure the boy didn't scamper off.
"Ah, the police! Splendid. I shall accompany you, Miss Watson. We'll soon have the culprit who cried fire in custody, don't you worry. I presume you already have people out looking for this person, utilizing Miss Watson's description?" he addressed the policewoman.
"She didn't do anything wrong, constables," Marko made a point to say to the police. Marko felt that escorting Arabella to the station in such a manner was highly unnecessary.
"The thief might double back," he explains to everyone.
Marko would believe Arabella about the thief calling out "fire." So he would have suggested talking to the manager.
While everyone was waiting outside, the police were talking to everyone, and eventually a female human cop comes up to Arabella (before people start going back inside) and says "Excuse me ma'am, but I need you to come to the station with me to answer some questions. ..."
"Of course. Someone tried to steal from me. I can't describe her, but as I tried to catch her, she started yelling 'fire' and people swarmed out of their rooms and I lost her in the confusion."
"Ah, the police! Splendid. I shall accompany you, Miss Watson. We'll soon have the culprit who cried fire in custody, don't you worry. I presume you already have people out looking for this person, utilizing Miss Watson's description?" he addressed the policewoman.
"Thank you, Alexander. It has been a trying night," Arabella says, looking disheveled and worried.
"She didn't do anything wrong, constables," Marko made a point to say to the police. Marko felt that escorting Arabella to the station in such a manner was highly unnecessary.
"The thief might double back," he explains to everyone.
"Thank you, Marko," Arabella says to him. "I'm sure we'll have it sorted out soon enough. Do watch the rooms if you don't mind."
Ok, so welcome to the legal system of WeMadeIt (and by extension, all of Trellak)...
Arabella is escorted (the officer asks the rest of you to stay 20 feet ahead of her) a few blocks away to a building maybe 2000 sq.ft. in size. Inside the first room, there's policemen (all races and genders) manning desks, interviewing people, talking to each other, etc.
Arabella is taken to a desk to be watched by an officer while the female cop that escorted you goes off to check on something. The desk officer takes your official statement (which I will assume is that in your recent posts), writing it down on paper with a metal-nib pen constantly dunked in an inkwell, and asks you to sign it.
Maybe 10 minutes later, the female officer takes all of you thru a door at the back, down a hall and left into a small room that any player would recognize as a courtroom (ahead down the hall at the back of the building you see jail cells). In the courtroom, there's two people over in a corner with a cop, and Arabella recognizes them as some of the first ones out into the hall when she shouted "fire".
There's no prosecutor and public defender, just the judge, who reads your statement and then looks briefly at two other pieces of paper. An elderly male Elf, he peers at you over his spec-tec-acles and blinks, looking for a brief instant ever so much like a hare twitching its nose. "Young lady, we have a discrepancy in your statement - these people here claim that they heard a female voice shouting 'fire', and this woman (pointing at one of the witnesses) was already awake in her room, just having come back from the privvy (the woman giggles and blushes). She opened her door almost immediately, and says she saw *you* running down the hall yelling 'fire'. Would you shout 'fire' for us, please, so she can see if she recognizes your voice? Oh, bailiff, please go around the building and assure everyone there's really no fire. We'll give him a minute or two to do that. In the meantime - inciting a riot in a public place is a serious offense, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Oh yes - the bailiff asks you to put your right hand over your heart and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, before all the gods, before proceeding to exit the courtroom.
K'Don will sit and fidgit with the look of an unhappy caged animal prepared for fight or flight.
That reminds me, I forgot to mention that every cop in the building is carrying a sword and a (presumably ready-to-fire) pistol. There's 2 cops standing on either side of the door to the courtroom.
Arabella will cooperate, shouting "fire" when asked, swearing to tell the truth etc. She will stick to her story that she caught someone in her room, chased after, and the would-be thief yelled fire, not her. She will suggest that the witness is confused, perhaps did not see the thief and assumed the shout was coming from her, etc.
She requests that the police interview people again and ask if they didn't hear someone shouting 'thief.' If so, it supports her own story and adds weight to the idea that it was the thief yelling fire to start the panic. Why would she yell fire one moment and thief the next? It was the thief who had the most to gain by getting people out into the halls to block her pursuit.
She is hoping that the evidence against her will be weak at best, given to two interpretations.
Edit: Although Arabella's persuasion skill may not gain a special bonus from her 2 edges that add to her charisma, in arguing her case, it ought to be considered when comparing her account to the witness's testimony. It's her word against the witnesses and being charismatic ought to give her some advantage in being believed. Attractive people also tend to get better treatment, not just by people of the appropriate sexual gender but across the board.
I think it ought to count for something if there is any rolling of dice involved. I agree it shouldn't guarantee success, but it should make success more likely in some way or else what's the point of the edges that add to charisma?
The police are already aware of shouts of "thief" as well. The woman confirms that yours was the voice that she heard yelling "fire".
Arabella, the standard for lying is Persuasion opposed by Notice. You're lying to the judge, so make a Persuasion roll with full bonuses when you can (yeah, he's old and an Elf, but he's a guy ;) so include your Attractiveness).
Judge's Notice roll to detect lying (see Discussion as to why a d10 and d6) :
= 16
I can't say anything else until seeing Arabella's roll.
Result = 11 + 4 = 15
"Young lady, based on the evidence presented before this court, I find you guilty of inciting a public riot. Your sentence shall include jail time no longer than..."
One of the cops, who's been fidgeting for a while, finally makes a decision, walks over to the judge and whispers in his ear. The judge beckons another cop over and they talk, the new cop nodding his head. The judge looks out over his glasses again at the entire group, scrutinizing especially K'Don and Connor and WindDancer, and thinks for a minute.
"I've just been informed that you're the group that saved that little village out west from the Orcs - is that true?"
Assuming you all confirm that...
"In that light I'm inclined to be lenient with someone who has been such a help to our community. There shall be no jail time, merely a fee of 50 SP and payment to the hotel for any damages. You're lucky no one was hurt in the panic, young lady, or you'd be facing some serious charges. See that you're more careful about what you say in public in the future. Case dismissed." And he bangs his gavel.
If you don't have 50 SP on you, you'll be escorted back to the hotel to pay the female cop. She writes you a receipt.
The hotel manager assesses the minor physical damages during the evacuation at 10 SP, and asks you (just Arabella) to please leave immediately (it's probably about 4 AM at this point).
ALL - so, what do you do, short term (this morning) and for the next few days?
A couple of days after the "fire" incident, as you are all walking home one night from a fine meal at some restaurant a few blocks from your new hotel, you are walking down a fairly isolated stretch of street when you hear "pop pop pop pop pop pop" - not as loud as gunshots, and with the tinkling overtones of glass breaking.
Everyone make a Vigor roll at -4.
Drawing Bat'Leth and taking a combat stance.
Marko frowns when he hears about the judges' findings, but decides to ignore it. Arabella had enough to worry about without adding his enmity.
***
A few days later...
WOOHOOO!! it is not a negative number. I doubt it helps but it sure looks good.
Penalty -4
Result = 5-1 = 1
Waiting a little for Alex and WindDancer...
Alexander sighed to himself as Arabella's lies were exposed. She told you what she is, what did you expect? he asked himself.
K'Don - you might have *tried* to reach for your weapon, but as you do you see the pavement come up and smack you in the face.
One by one, each of you see the others crumple to the ground as you do likewise.
The next thing each of you is aware of is that you're in an enclosed wagon (based on the dim light, constant bouncing, and thundering of hooves). You find that you're thoroughly and completely tied up, unable to move a muscle. You're also gagged, so you cannot talk to each other. After a few minutes of twisting around, you can determine that Arabella, Alex, Connor, Marko, K'Don, and Katana are present, but WindDancer is not in sight. A few minutes later, you hear a gravelly voice say "hey, they're awake", hear another "pop", and you sink back into oblivion.
For an indeterminate time that seems like forever, you have groggy, dream-like images of bouncing around in the wagon, being made to drink some foul-tasting water, and force-fed some tasteless gruel-like food (if you can call it that). You can never remain conscious for more than a few minutes, and even then you can't seem to put two thoughts together in a row.
Finally, your heads begin to clear a little bit more, and stay clear this time. The world is no longer bouncing, but your surroundings are nearly pitch black and reek with dampness, mold, and human sewage. You hear various clangings, screams, and yelling in the distance, all very "echo-y". As you try to move your aching, stiff bodies, you find that you are not bound anymore, but your ankles are shackled together, as are your wrists (with about 18" of heavy chain between them). Patting yourselves down, you discover that you have been stripped of all your belongings except the clothes you were wearing. As your situation slowly sinks in, you hear a voice in the darkness say, "welcome to hell".
What do you do?
As Marko begins to come to he feels a sudden panic wash through him. He looks around, but everything is a blur. His glasses are gone. He feels for the fetish around his neck, but it, too, is missing. And of course his pack with his spellbook is nowhere to be found.
He tries to look around for something, anything that could help him, but he might as well be blind-folded.
Can we tell where the voice is coming from?
To his credit, Alexander's first thought was of Connor. He looked around futilely for his nephew, croaking, "Connor, are you still there? Are you alright?"
Less nobly, his second thought was of himself. Lurching up to sit against a wall, he clenched his eyes shut in an attempt to convince himself this wasn't happening to him. He wondered if he could buy his way free - but no, of course not, they had his money. Who on earth had done this to him? Perhaps they were arranging a ransom demand... but then why take his companions? Ah yes, his companions. "Are you all still here? Good gods, what is this place?"
Arabella looked around, listened as best she could, tried to get some clues about her position.
-2 Fatigue
Result = 4-2 = 2
She looked at the shackles to determine how they were locked onto her wrists. Then she checked her clothing to see if she could find anything with a stiff metal piece, like a belt buckle, with which she could begin to fashion an impromptu lock-pick.
She softly called out the names of the people she was with when the lights went out, pausing after each name to listen for a response.
She wondered if one of her angry disappointed investors might have caught up with her, but this didn't seem plausible. Those blokes would take her to court or beat her black and blue or both, but this was like something from a dark fairy story. Despite the desperate situation, she began to feel an adrenaline rush and she struggled against the hunger to work toward escape and if possible, revenge!
Everyone hears Alex's call to Connor and the others. Everyone hears Arabella call out.
You quickly determine that you're all together, in a cell that's maybe 15 feet by 15 feet in size. Feeling around, you find the bars are heavy and rough, the lock is large and solid. You find a flimsy bucket filled with foul-tasting but drinkable water, and a foot-wide hole in one corner that's the "privy".
No one has anything on them that could be made into a tool or weapon. If you had belts, they've been replaced with ropes.
After everyone asks if everyone is alright (I'm assuming), that voice (which seems to be coming from another cell) says, "What a touching family reunion. At least you'll all die together."
Arabella will ask any of the men who normally have clean-shaven faces, "Touch your face and tell me how long you think we were unconscious, based on how long your beard is. At least we might get some data on how far we are from WeMadeIt."
Arabella will whisper the following instructions to each person, "Keep on the lookout for anything I might use to fashion a lock-pick. A bit of wire, a nail, anything. If we're working as slaves, we may get opportunities to find something like that."
I'm assuming that's a common knowledge roll:
Common Knowledge
Result = 3, failure
Arabella will move to the wall that seems closest to the voice and say, "I assume what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. So, friend Goose, where are we and how are you and the rest of us going to die?"
Arabella is going to try to put all this data together to form a hypothesis about where we are. Even if our neighbor in hell tells us some of that, she'll want to form her own opinion.
-2 Fatigue
Result = 6+4-2=8. If TN is 4, that's a success and raise.
K'Don will use his exceptional strength to test his bonds and test the "Bars". If they hold, which I assume they do, he will let loose a bull roar and throw himself against the "door" several times until it hurts too much to do it or someone stops him.
WindDancer is nowhere to be seen. Everyone else, including Katana, is here.
There's some penalties to your Know/Sci roll, but it's still a Success. The following is what you figure out :
The men have what you would figure to be about a 2 weeks' growth of beard.
Sometimes during the journey, usually when being fed, you were not bouncing around. You might vaguely recall, as if dream-like, the flickering flame of a fire at those times.
No one is injured. Except K'Don, who now has a very sore shoulder. :)
The bars of the cell are buried deeply into what feels like mud-covered rock, above and below. Probably not too much of a stretch to figure you're in some caves.
There's very little light here, some glow from around a corner providing far less than a candle's light. The sounds are coming from that direction.
The voice says, "Don't know exactly where we are, but I know we're all gonna die here. You'll be put to work soon enough like the rest of us, diggin' in the mines. They'll work you till you drop, feed you only enough to keep you goin', and then one day when you fall you won't be able to get up again - and that's when they kill ya."
Marko finally located his glasses in a side pocket. They were a little battered, but serviceable.
When he heard the voice speak, he asked, "Mining for what? Gold, silver, diamonds, coal? That seems unlikely. What's down here that they need slave labor?"
Arabella will ask the voice who "they" are. She'll also ask for the voice's name.
What kind of lock is on the cell door?
Once these discussions have run their course, Arabella will come by each person and ask after their health and state of mind. She'll each a hug.
Arabella will suggest to Alexander that he check with Connor periodically to see if he senses contact with WindDancer. She may be a valuable asset. If she could get a lockpick or a loaded gun or dagger, it could be a way to escape.
Otherwise, she tries to find a comfortable enough spot that she can sleep.
Arabella's questions seem to cover everything of value at this time. Waiting to see what comes next
"Name? I had a real name once...you can call me Deadeye, it's as good as anything else.
I don't rightly know what the things are, they look like gems - but not like any I've ever seen before. They come out of the rock already cut and polished, and every once in a while, one might even have a really faint glow to it. Those are the ones the Orcs get excited over.
Yeah, they're Orcs alright, but none like I've ever seen before. Bigger and meaner, almost like they're always hopped up on loco juice (a particularly strong alcoholic drink made from a native Keltica plant that enhances aggressiveness). Just as soon kill ya as talk to ya. But I've always thought there was someone or something behind them that scares *them*, which is sayin' somethin'."
Arabella, these sound similar to the crystals that power your goggles.
As for the lock on the cell, think old-West jail cell, but *massive* - the key that would fit it probably weighs a pound or two, and would take some strength to turn it.
Connor can't sense WindDancer at all. He spends a lot of his time crying, but trying to keep it quiet.
Alexander awkwardly tried to comfort Connor by patting his back. "I don't understand how we could be captured by orcs in the heart of the city - and why? Why go to so much effort for us? Deadeye, did they say anything when they put us in here?"
Crawling over to Arabella and Marko, he whispered in their ears, "Those gems - can you fashion something of them to help us to escape? Perhaps create an explosion with them, if Marko uses his mystic powers to aid you?"
Arabella's eyes widen more and more as Deadeye describes the situation. She has the adults gather round so she can talk quietly, in case anyone is listening.
"First priority: we stay alive and as healthy as possible. We do what we're told and avoid beatings and other punishments that might wear us down even more. Second priority: while we're working, keep on the watch for anything that could be fashioned into a lock pick, something small, like a stiff wire or small nail, for the manacles, and something bigger and sturdier that might work on the door. If you find something, try and smuggle it here for use after they've locked us up for the night. Third Priority: if we find any crystals, try to smuggle any small enough for me to work with. I'm not sure I can fashion much of anything without tools or other parts, but creating an explosion might be possible."
She looks at the bars, measuring the spacing between them with her arm, then compares that to Connor's head and her own head. "K'Don, if you're up to it, you might start testing the strength of these bars. If there's a way to bend them even a little, Connor or I might be able to squeeze through. Or if any of the bars are even a little loose in the rock above or below, begin to stress it. It might not give right away, but most materials will begin to fatigue with repeated stress and strain. Might be able to loosen one of them enough to get out that way. Don't wear yourself out, but it can be your project when we're stuck here."
She swallows and sets her face with a grim expression. "Finally, I may be part of the reason we are here. Whoever was poking in my stuff may have been trying to determine if I've got any of their crystals. They might no be the same, but word may have gotten out. I expect that weasel of a dwarf we worked for the first week we were here may be in cahoots with others. That's probably how we ended up kidnapped.
"In any case, I will try to find a way to let them know I've got some knowledge of the science around these gems. It might mean they'll let me work in a lab or something. If I do that, know that I'm not abandoning you or selling you out to save my skin. I'll be better able to help you escape if I'm not clapped in these stupid chains and locked up here half starved to death."
"Anyway, those are my best ideas at the moment. Anyone else think of something different or better, I'm all ears. I just wanted to get those ideas out in case we get separated."
For the next week, you adjust to living in "hell". You are worked mercilessly on 8 hour shifts until your aching, screaming muscles can take no more. People are assigned duties according to their abilities, however - even Connor is put to work lifting and carrying the smaller unwanted rocks that accumulate from the mining. Talking is not allowed during work.
The Orcs know enough English and/or Common to order you about. Each one is armed with a pistol, sword, and whip. The whip is used quite a bit on everyone on general purpose (and for talking), but not to the point of Wounding - they want to keep their labor force going as long as it can. Any open resistance is generally met with fists. You witness an outright attack by one half-crazed, half-dead Dwarf, who is promptly shot, then beheaded, both parts left where they fell as a reminder to all.
At the beginning and end of each shift, everyone is thoroughly (and rudely) patted down for any sign of contraband. Your overall impression is that this operation has been going on for some time, and past experience has taught them what tricks to be alert for.
After you are escorted back to your cages, bland but nourishing food is brought, sort of a gruel you eat by hand in a carved-out bread bowl, so there are no utensils or pans or cups. The water bucket is kept full, and you can drink out of it by cupping your hands. You can drink as much as you like, but they only feed you enough to keep you Fatigued (hence the -2 to all Trait rolls).
For the next 16 hours they don't care when you sleep or what you do - you are not watched over.
Rinse and repeat. The first week is the worst, as unused muscles are strained to near-breaking, and probably most of you except K'Don spend your 16 hours sleeping or not moving much.
It was with a heavy heart that Marko admitted to all that without his spellbook, he was absolutely useless. His wizardry required that he study his spells. And so no magic would be coming from him specifically.
He was amazed that the Orcs allowed him to keep his glasses. It was a small mercy. He kept his eyes out for anything he could use as a lockpick. He was hoping he wouldn't have to resort to using his own glasses.
K'Don will examine the bars that is their prison. Testing each to see if it will wiggle or twist, even a little. Examine how they are attached to the ceiling and floor.
During work, he will keep an eye out for lock pick material.
Is he familiar with the orc group that are here?
Following Markos lead