Terra Povos: In The Hole

So, the dwarven Senator is dead, We’re in jail. 

The Lictor is Bjorn, the Senator was Goldbeard, and the senator’s son is Throg. The skull is Vinny. 

We sit in the cell for a week. Despite James’ constant questions, it isn’t bloodbowl season. At the end of the week, Ingrid – our Advocate – appears. She thinks we’re pretty much screwed, but she’s going to do her best to get us off. We are, of course, being charged with the murder of the senator. 

She is, to put it charitably, incompetent. It’s her first case, the Quaestor himself is judging it, and the fix is definitely in. 

A dwarf calling himself Gorm opens the door in the middle of the night. He obviously knows who we are. He thinks we can help each other. 

Archibald: “How?”

Gorm: “You guys have a problem. It’s Throg. He’s enraged, he’s hot-headed, and he’s the head of the family now. Myself, I’m concerned that this might have something to do with one of my guys. I need somebody who can track down somebody who’s outside the law.”

Archibald: “A rogue rogue?” 

Gorm: “No. But I need somebody to track this guy, and you need this Throg problem to go away.”

Note: the dungeon we’re currently in is one of the local city dungeons; we’re not in the Goldbeard estate. 

Gorm: “This person was potentially formerly working for Goldbeard, and if he turned on Goldbeard then I have a problem that needs to be cleaned up. Unfortunately, Throg has made this whole thing very public. But I can get you sent to a low-security prison and supply you with some equipment. That way Throg’s satisfied and you’re off his radar. And with everything that’s been happening in Stonehaven–” 

“Wait. Since we’ve been gone?”

“Yes. Your boat captain has been killed, for example.”

Ohhhhh, boy. 

We explain that there are other things going on, and Gorm reluctantly agrees to wait on hearing our additional information. Ingrid shows up bright and early and ready to go: “It’s time to argue my first trial, and in front of the Quaestor himself!” Also, the cake had metal in it and so wasn’t allowed into the prison. Throg comes in with a horde of lawyers; we have Ingrid. Quaestor Hammerheart comes in and Throg launches into his case. He calls some of the maids, and Dane (whose fighting ring we busted up). Ingrid stands up and proudly declares that we’re throwing ourselves on the mercy of the Court. 

Hammerheart stands up: “I am ready to render my judgement.” 

Gorm comes in and is sitting in the back. The Quaestor calls a recess and speaks with Gorm, and Whisper sees him say, “No souls? Truly?” 

He calls court back into session, but much less publicly; his judgement: “I’m sorry. You seem like good kids. The best I can do for you is ten years in The Hole.”

Throg looks like he has no idea what his father might have been into; he’s just straight up angry and lashing out. As we’re being marched out, somebody slips Whisper a pack of thieves’ tools and a note suggesting that someone will contact us on the inside. They cart us down to a small prison built off one of the abandoned mine tunnels: The Hole. Warden M’hole introduces himself; he usually goes by his first name, Hammer. 

Amergin’s going in the priests’ wing. James and Whisper are going in general population. Archibald is apparently going to start by spending a day in solitary, which has not only anti-magic but also Silence. Lithos gets classified into the wizard’s wing, not because Hammer M’hole believes that he’s a wizard, but because he’s pretty sure that Lithos is a camp slave and will get eaten alive in general population. We’re down about 4,000 feet and it’s about 100 degrees and damp. 

Amergin gets a little coil of thorns to worship, and the guard also asks about hours. Amergin has them mark him down as nocturnal; the shop won’t be open then, but Amergin doesn’t care. They don’t have any plants or animals except Monster, whatever that is. Waste bucket duty will earn him a bit of extra money. 

There are a couple of other people in the priests’s cells: a dwarven druid who’s been there for a while, named Lars, who has sworn a vow of silence. There’s an elf priest of Apollyon named Darexis, a priest of Amun who refuses to give his name. 

Things are a little tougher in general population. Guard: “There are three gangs. Join one. The Gravelers are mine workers. The Nomads are mostly dwarves, led by Naughty Hilda. The Chiefs are the most diverse gang, take care of their own, work with the guards.” They ask them about jobs. They both take up dish-washing as a job. 

Baldy is trying to sing, and failing. Eventually he gets the speech as well. He meets Trachelious, who wears fancy clothing but keeps muttering to himself. Rometta Blackblood is a convicted dwarven necromancer – she doesn’t eat with the others because she tend to try to eat the other prisoners. There’s also a bald, tubby human called Zaccharius The Wise. Amergin tries to get basic advice on what to do and what to avoid. The priest of Amun is like, “Oh, yeah. I know exactly how to get out of here. There are secret passageways all over this place. The guards have rings that let them see. I haven’t gone yet because I’m waiting to buy a bedroll.” Darexis is a dark elf priestess of Apollyon; she fought with a dwarf because he was weak, and killed him. 

Whisper and James eat by themselves. 

Trachelious seems to have been a sorcerer, and maybe not being able to cast spells has caused him to freak out. Zac is more helpful; he explains about Solvi, who runs the commissary. Some prisoners who’ve been here for a long time get to help her out. There’s one guy who’s this monster of a dwarf, called Monster; Zac thinks he seems nice enough. The guards have their own quarters, and that’s where the vault is; the warden’s room is back there. There are ballistae aimed to protect the front gate, and there are speaking tubes that the guards use and may also be able to listen in on us.

Baldy finally gets brought out of solitary. He, James, and Whisper are all out there in the yard with the gangs. The Gravelers are pretty obvious; the Chiefs and the Nomads slightly less so. The Chiefs are off to one side, calmer, a little better dressed; the Grvelers obviously just spend most of their money on beer. 

A dwarf comes over and shoves James over. Whisper steps up in front of him. The dwarf laughs. “It’s my job to clean up the yard,” he says. “I was just trying to clean up some vermin.” 

A big dwarf comes over from the Chiefs. “I want to fight him.” He points at James.

James, looking at a dwarf that’s twice his size. “Yes!” 

The dwarf rolls up his sleeves; James shakes out his arms. Baldy attempts to sing and inspire courage, which doesn’t work but sounds nice. (The whole place is under an anti-magic field.) She punches the dwarf, who grunts more in surprise than anything else. The dwarf swings and misses. He grunts again. She punches him again. This time he punches her, and looks surpised when she shrugs it off. He swings again and misses. 

The guards have faded back. Baldy starts trying to take bets, and the shopkeeper is just waiting for this to be over. Whisper steps into the crowd and swipes a mug of extremely watered beer. James kicks the guy in the shin. “Oi! That wee little thing, it hits so hard! How is it so strong?”

He staggering, and misses again. James hops up and punches him under the chin, and he goes over on his back. The guy from the middle of the Chiefs nods and motions James over. Baldy collects on the bets. Sven introduces himself: “Looks like you can hold your own. How about your friends over there?”

As far as Sven’s concerned, the Chiefs run this jail. They’re the ones who have a code of behavior. They take care of their own problems in house. They’re also basically on the side of the warden and the guards. Gaerm, who James just knocked out, got nine years for killing a man with a trident. One of the people Sven introduces is Kyril, a former smuggler who’s been here for a while; *his* job is to inventory the box.

Sven motions the other two over. Whisper isn’t having any of this, but Archibald is in. James, however, manages to sell Sven on the idea of using Whisper as an agent in another gang. They stage a quick scene, and it looks reasonably convincing. Whisper goes off to examine his new mug. 

Baldy goes and talks to Solvi, to see what’s available. It’s general stuff, including clothing, small decorations, One of the Gravelers, Scorr, carves tiny trinkets that she sells. Despite having won ninety copper from the betting, he doesn’t buy anything yet. 

Amergin has his evening shift. He goes around with the guards, and in the process picks up a better understanding of the layout. 

Lithos wakes up to see a small drawing in poop of two unicorns on the wall. He spends his time in the yard and buys a piece of chalk. A guy slams into the bars looking into the yard. It’s ugly Thrain, who inflicted all those scars on himself. Lithos stops to talk to Monster. He seems nice. He then tries to talk to Thrain. 

The guards out here have no armor, no weapons; just normal clothes, though they’re fit and athletic. He heads back to his cell. It’s a few hours before dinner when the skull shows up. It’s Vinny. He’s been talking to Gorm using a borrowed body. One of his teeth is growing bright brilliant green – it’s a new gem. He can offer us some health.

Our stuff is in the vault, except Amergin and Lithos’ stuff is in the storeroom for the stores. ·         

Create undead minions (no onyx required)

Move small objects telekinetically himself

Imbue other with ability to move objects telekinetically for 20rnds

Lv9: Time Stop (for somebody else) for 3 rounds
Lv8: Clone somebody, with sufficient flesh
Lv7: Statue (Recipient can “become statue at will”)
Lv6: Mage’s Lucubration, recall one of the lv1-5
Lv5: Telepathic Bond, Symbol of Sleep
Lv4: Minor Creation (1x cloth or wood object), Mass Reduce Person
Lv3: Greater Magic Weapon, Phantom Steed
Lv2: Detect Thoughts, Magic Mouth
Lv1: Disguise Self (but on other), Shocking Grasp (on someone else, they can discharge later)

He heads off and vanishes again. 

Lithos uses chalk to draw a little skull with sunglasses on.  Below it he writes, “He’s back.”

Amergin thinks this through. He’s aware that the yard is mostly empty at night. 

Day Two: 

Overnight, Whisper tests his lockpicks and explains about the inside man in the note, so James and Archibald are now up to speed. Archibald gathers some information and ends up talking to the Nomads. Gary, one of the Nomads, says the warden took his golden diamond from the vault. Kyril is the member of the chiefs who inventories the Vault; Ulf is the one who helps Solvi. 

James, it should be noted, still has the cursed mace that periodically leaps into his hand. There are possibilities here. 

Archibald attempts to seduce Solvi; one of the guards comes up behind him and jabs him between the shoulders. He’s stunned. Two of the guards haul him back out to the yard and toss him down on his back. 

That evening one of the guards comes up to the cell. “You. Baldy. You’re invited to a special gathering.” 

This is the point where Sven and a couple of the Chief beat the shit out of him and explain that he needs to stop causing trouble. 

Lithos, meanwhile, goes back to his room after dinner. Vinny is waiting. Lithos has him establish Telepathic bonds with Whisper and Amergin. 

The telepathic bond should last a couple of days.