As the guard patrolled, Kelvar looked about to see if there were any others by the doorway, and tried to listen for anyone out in the hallway.
After the guard left, Kelvar turned to Iscar. "Prior to my capture, I asked Asmodeus for a spell that would allow me to perceive magical auras, and I have done some small study of them since entering His service. If you will allow me to, and if I can cast the spell with these chains, I may be able to tell you what it is."
When the guard comes into the room, Iscar pretends to be asleep to draw no attention.
Once the guard leaves, Iscar stretches his manacles as far as they will go to pass the veil to Mylan. "Well Master Mylan, I'm happy for you to hold on to our benefactor's gift, especially if your particular gifts can help us at all."
Kaath snarls at the guard as he comes by for his checks.
How long has it been since they've last checked on us? Could this be the night guard?
"Father, when they lead you out, did you catch a glimpse of the outdoors? Have you any idea what time of day it could possibly be? Be mindful of the guards. Perhaps we may be able to deduce based on their walks. It may be more appropriate if we wait to spring our great escape by moonlight."
"When they took me out, I was lead through a room with stairs leading down and what appeared to be a chimney space against a wall. From that room they took me to an enclosed meeting room to talk with Tiadora. This room had a table and chairs and little else. There were no windows in any of these areas, so I have no idea what time of day it was.
As to the guards, I was walk straight through and couldn't make any pattern of their movements."
Stretching as far as he could, Kelvar took the veil and focused himself to try and cast his spell. Unfortunately, the chains didn't give him enough reach to perform the necessary hand motions. Still, he could study the veil more closely, particularly the symbols on it. Perhaps he could determine something from close study.
While he waits for the father and the prisoners in his shared cell to figure out how to make use of the veil, Carnadine attempts to explain the concept watching for the guards to come and making noise before they open the door into the cells, in a set of squeaks of chirps to his friend rat. During a pause in this challenging task, he calls out to the enclosed cell, "Hello, the enclosed cell. Are you interested in escape if given the opportunity?|
Seeing Mylan struggling with his magic, Iscar suggests more mundane inspection. "I haven't done anything to the patches yet, but perhaps something is sown underneath them. Try removing one of them Master Mylan - perhaps the Lockpick patch given our current predicament -and seeing if anything in concealed beneath ."
When Carnadine calls out this provokes a reaction from the guards stationed outside, your luck is out and they have heard you this time. Two of them enter wielding torches and clubs, demanding to know who made the noises. "We said keep quiet in here." They look around at each of you, finding no one talking and nothing out of place they leave. "Next time it'll be the club ya here."
Barely managing to conceal the veil before the guards saw it, Mylan knew they had to be very careful. He quietly said to Iscar, "I do believe that may be what needs to be done, but perhaps it would be best to wait until we have established a plan of escape. We do not need the guards to wander in at an inopportune moment, say, while we are unlocking our cell."
To the others, he said, "For now, we should figure out the movements of our guards. We need to know how often they patrol, and when they change shifts. That way we'll know how big a window we have to enact our plan."
Kord inspects the chains that bind him, he might be able to break them with sheer force if they are old and rusty enough.
All I need is a Fair fight with one of these guards and there life is over. But if there is more than one I will need help...
Watching the guards leave, Kelvar waits a few moments, then slips the veil back to Iscar, whispering, ”Hide it as best you can, in case they interrupt us.”
He looks about at the shadowy forms of the others in the cellblock, takes a deep breath, and says, ”Fellow criminals, we have been presented with an opportunity to avoid our fates. To do this, we must escape a prison that no one has ever escaped, defeat guards who are reputed to be among the best in Talinguarde, cross the moors, and meet with a benefactor whose name we do not know. These tasks may be impossible, but Asmodeus does not give unnecessary risks without equal reward.”
“I believe that before this escape, we must create a plan, and for that we need to know all of the resources at our disposal. This means we must share any and all skills and magical abilities each of us possesses, holding nothing back.”
“I shall go first. I am Kelvar Mylan, follower and devotee of Asmodeus. As His devotee, he has granted me some magical gifts, including the ability to slightly alter my appearance to look as a different person, to heal small hurts, and a short augment to my combat abilities. I have also received training with various forms of weaponry, as well as being skilled at hunting, tracking, and stalking.”
"What of each of you?"
Carnadine shakes his head expecting the guards to enter and pummel the fool of a servant of Asmodeus, just as they did when he attempted to communicate with the large inmate of the enclosed cell.
He prays to himself, Please Asmosdeus, grant them the wisdom to use the tools that you have provided to just open the damn locks on the chains and doors. We outnumber the guards and can easily overpower them if we are unshackled.
Then, he continues his rat guard training.
|
Yzera hears the man in the next cell speak up, and waits for him to finish. After pausing, to give any others the chance to speak, she speaks, softly so that the guards cannot likely hear, but loud enough to be heard, at least into the adjacent cells.
He Who Walks In Blood has gifted me with some divine abilities. My training is in the wild, tracking and setting traps. I suppose I could unlock traps as well since most are fairly similar. I would need tools to unlock anything except the most basic though.
Hhmm, a plan, an escape. Perhaps she would not die here after all, hungry and cold.
She raised her beautiful voice in response to the one called Kelvar.
"Well met master Mylan." she said in a seductive voice. Rosemary checked herself, she had dealt with men for so long in this way that it was a force of habit. These are possible allies, and the followers of Asmodeus are oft smart and conniving, not so easily controlled by their feelings and petty lusts.
She continued in a more earnest and sincere voice. "I am Rosemary Thorn, aspiring profane priestess of Zura. I can see in the dark, and am much stronger than my small frame suggests. I've been gifted the ability to strike down those who walk in the light with unholy power. I also have some arcane and martial ability. I long to be free to feast again. A plan is a must and together we can be strong." she finished with fiery passion at the thought of her freedom once more.
Her eyes glowed in the darkness of the cell.
Caprin's eyes glitter at the inmate's descriptions of their powers. So much magic in such a small area! Truly, this is the best day ever. Except for the imprisonment and possible horrible death, of course.
"Well met, all! My name is Caprin, and through the wonders of fate and dumb luck I have arcane magic running through my veins. Through this blessing I have the ability to fire blasts of raw magic from my hands, give people armor of force, and create beams that weaken whatever they hit, along with various minor spells. I am also a fairly talented alchemist and surgeon, and I'm able to cause more pain to those I catch off guard. I can also brew some kinds of potions and can throw things really hard."
As i've already introduced myself to you all, I'll be brief. Asmodeus has blessed me with some minor divine magic, especially in sharing my combat expertise to others. Through training, I have blessed with some considerable powers of persuasion. In addition, I have some skill in sticking knives between ribs if people are particularly unaware. This is all delivered softer than before, as Iscar is more aware of calling guards into the room now.
Whilst rattling off his expertise, Iscar removes the lock pick patch from the veil despite Mylan's insistence otherwise. Planning is all and well, but if we don't know what tools we have available to us, then it is impossible to allocate resources efficiently. Hopefully he doesn't take affront.
As you wait and consider plans of escape not much seems to happen. Perhaps a few hours pass before the guard enters to make his patrol again. Also during this time the guards are relieved and you think you can hear them change shift. Your thoughts are confirmed when the one who does the patrol is not the same man as before.
When he leaves the room then you begin planning in earnest. Iscar pulls a patch off the veil and as he inspects it in his hands, there is nothing behind it. As he holds the patch in his hands however it begins to change. Silk turns to masterworked metal. A set of masterwork Thieves Tools lay in his hands.
Masterwork Thieves' Tools: This kit contains extra tools and tools of better make, which grant a +2 circumstance bonus on Disable Device checks.
The shackles are indeed non magical metal. You could free your hands with this (though your feet remain chained) and create a weapon or such as the trait allows.
The oni-spawn speaks with a raspy, heavy voice.
"My name is Kaath, blessed with the mixed blood of various devils, demons and oni. Asmodeus has destined me with a divine purpose . I intend to carry through with his plan, whether I am a knight or pawn. Through my bastard bloodline, I can deceive others by altering my appearance. By my lord's might, I can also deceive on the battlefield. I am skilled at hand-to-hand combat, and it is common that I enhance my martial prowess with the taint of evil.
In my past life, I served as a soldier for the Talingarde Military. That knowledge may be of use to us, yet.
He has out me here to serve, and serve I will."
|
|
Yzera holds her tongue as one after the other the other prisoners proclaim fealty for this "As-mo-dus". She knows little of who this person, or deity, might be, but not wanting to offend her possible saviors, and not knowing what, if any, relationship her patron might have with this deity, she remains silent hoping against hope that whoever gave the dwarf this veil did it to truly grant the prisoners a real chance to escape.
Seizing the opportunity, Iscar quickly conceals the rest of the veil amongst his rags and then takes his time picking his manacles.
Manacles and Foot Cuffs: simple lock, DC 20 disable device, DC 30 escape artist. Old, DC 24 strength check to break.
Observing Iscar attempting to pick the lock on his manacles, Kelvar mulled over what some of those had said in this cell block, crafting a simple plan to get out of the cell block. The real trick is going to be subduing the guards without giving them the chance to sound the alarm.
"Our plan should be simple. Iscar will unlock everyone's chains and cells. We will pretend to still be contained, and then we shall lure the guards in by having myself and Kaath pretend an argument. There are two dagger-shaped patches on the veil. If they are, in fact, weapons, we shall give them to two of you in the other cells. Once the gaurds come in, we shall use a blitz attack to overwhelm them quickly, and hopefully without alerting the rest of the guards. What say you?"
Iscar delicately places the ornate tools into the lock, the manacles forcing him to struggle with the right position to feel the tumbler's movements.
Iscar finds his hands free and now familiar with the cuffs, it will be easier to unlock the rest.
"Yes Kevlar, you are right. When the time arives I will use my magics to turn my hand shackles into a weapon that I may use to break my foot chains. then i will assist Yzera if given the chance."
Kord's voice sounds heavy with anticipation.
Chains. ChainsChainsChains. Blackerly. Mmmmmm I can feel his pudgy little throat collapsing under my thumbs. I bet his eyes taste succulent like snail.
As Kord begins to drool, he stops himself and regains composure.
"I am known as Kord, The iron serpant. I hail from the sodden lands. The druids there taught me How to live, The serpents taught me how to kill, and the Hags taught me how to die. I am ready to leave this place and meet this "Benefactor"
With his hands free Iscar makes light work of his feet manacles. Thus freed, he addresses Mylan and Kaath. "Which of you two gentleman would like to stretch your legs first?"
Kaath gives the dwarf a sinister wolffish smile.
"Make haste, padre. I haven't got all day"
Hearing the father allude to him being free of his shackles, Carnadine attempts to set his new friend on guard duty to provide early warning of the guards.
"I think perhaps both of us should be freed as soon as possible. Once we are free, we shall take any weapons that may be hidden on the veil. That way we will be ready for the guards should they come upon us."
Kelvar waits patiently for Iscar to undo his manacles and the foot cuff.
Iscar tries to undo Kaath's manacles, but the height differential seems to be causing some problems. Of all my skills, I'm surprised that Asmodeus would stick me with this one. I'm sure one of these people would be much better at this than I.
|
In a dark corner of his cell, the one they call The Red Ledger starts to stir. He wakes up from a drugged slumber, and takes in his surroundings. He begins to smile, then laugh quietly, which rolls into a hearty chuckle, echoing ominously through the prison.
He knew it would not be long now... the havoc he so often yearned for. Chaos is a potential energy, and prisons are just suspended potential energy, trapping chaos like coiled springs. All it takes is a little tap in the right place...
He sees a gentleman working away at some other inmates' locks. Perfect, mania is already in progress. He thinks to himself. He then tries to open his own manacles.
Woodes Rodgers awoke suddenly, as he had been knocked unconscious for several hours. "I'll kill you all! I'll pull your tongues through your-" He stops himself a blinks a few times to get his bearings. "Sorry, I was having a dream, you know, usual chats with the elderly." Then, realizing that a breakout was underway, he quieted down and waited his turn.
Carnadine's rat friend scurries off presumably to watch the guards, though it's ability to get to you in time to warm of the guards entering is slim.
Iscar is now free but fails on Kaaths manacles as does Red on his own.
Carnadine quietly scans everything for Good just in case one of his fellow prisoners is not what they seem.
|
|
Red gets frustrated at the locks on his hands. Patiently, he calms himself down, and asks the fellow across the hall, "I'm fairly good with locks, my friend, I don't suppose there's any way you could get those tools to me?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
After a few more struggled attempts, Iscar manages to unbind both Kaath's hands and feet. Mitra Be Damned, if it takes this long to get through everyone's locks then half of us will end up at the gallows. There's got to be a way to expedite this....
" Kaath, is there anything you can do to help speed this up for the others? I'm afraid guards will return soon, and as much as we'd like to, you and I can't take all of Branderscar on our own."
Before starting on Mylans locks, Iscar reconsiders the veil in case there is something of use there, and decides to take two more patches off at random: the Asmodeus symbol and the sack/bag.
Kaath gives the chains a light tugging to test their integrity.
"I don't know Father, my methods may be a bit too noisy for our current situation."
As Iscar works in Kaath's bonds he fumbles and drops the tools, creating some noise. You freeze, listening for anything to indicate the guards heard you, "Was that a rat?" Thankfully the guards do not decide to check out the noise and you continue working, finally freeing Kaath.
With Kaath free, Kelvar patiently waited for Iscar to free him. Hearing another voice from across the cell block, he said, "Once we are free, it may be best to free him, as he may be able to speed freeing the others. I will see about any weapons we have on this veil."
To Kord, he says, "We will pick the locks on your chains. Could you then alter your chains into a weapon, and how long would it last?"
While he rubs at his sore neck and wrists, Kaath whispers out to Father Iscar "Do you think you can handle the door, Padre?"
Before the priest can reply, Kaath rubs his hands together, cracks his knuckles and then pats him on the head. He then reaches out to Kelvar and taps him on the shoulder.
The pentagram patch comes off and transforms in your hand as an easily recognised Unholy Symbol of Asmodeus made out of silver. The 'sack' patch transforms into a backpack sized cloth sack full of common clothes in various sizes. You have a strange feeling that there is a perfectly fitted set for each of the ten prisoners. Also inside the sack are several spell component pouches full of components (worth less than 1gp).
Kord breathes heavily, he is both calm and anxious.
"Ten minutes"
" Ten minutes? We'll need to make it quick and dirty then. When we're ready, you craft that weapon, we draw their attention, spring an attack. Their arms and armor will go to those who need them most. From there we may have a few problems. We don't know how big this prison is, nor do we know the layout. There could be a score of armed guards down the way and we'd have no clue. There are ten of us. This may work for us when attacking the guards, but it will most certainly be detrimental when it comes to navigating. The odds may well be stacked against us, but ambition is a prime virtue my lord favors highly. If I die here in Branderscar, it will not be to an audience of knights and noblemen, I can tell you that. Anyone have any doubts?"