Prisoner guard stayed below decks during fight. Captain fetches 5 bottles of alcohol, drink to his retirement. Captain’s cargo was probably gems, don’t-ask-don’t-tell. “Hasn’t heard” (double speak) of Darius or his mining. Vara convince captain to wait for us for 1 pp per day. Desmond commune with nature to understand the local ocean corruption, feels a bad vibration. Drink until sleep.
Aengus commune at night:
- Is pirate queen Des’s mother? Scars burn –> Yes
- Is Darius on Whig? Clouded vision –> No, or I don’t know
- Are the orcs at the mine looking for the Ruined? Beard tugged in many directions, uncomfortable –> Possibly yes, but they are also looking everywhere?
Aengus falls asleep on watch, all still low on health. Vara wakes up below deck, hit hard by something, M&P is floating up the stairs. Vara shout, Aengus roused, M&P floating straight up, Aengus and Vara dimension door to it, fail to grasp it, Desmond turn into giant eagle and catch them as they were falling, follows Vara’s pointing, Aengus tries dispel magic on possible invis creature but it fails, Vara grabs M&P during fly-by but loses grip, we’re hundreds of feet in the air with Urs still asleep on deck, Aengus grabs it successfully, Desmond descend and land, prepare for fight below deck, nothing appears. Sleep the rest of the night.
Next day getting close to shore. Aengus notices rhythm wind and waves aren’t matching up. Des thinks there are tectonic movements below the water, earthquakes. Anchor off shore. Rovers + prisoners + guard + deck hand Sinyes get in row boat, row to shore. Can see shiny glinting in the inky black mountains of the island. Hear an omni-directional buzzing, energizes us to do work.
Frail old man receives us. Hastraud Sinclair, keeper/warden of prison. “This is where we keep the ones we’re ashamed of”. Heidi escaped. Dwarf prisoner knows of Leon’s affair and of Leon’s wife sleeping with someone else… dwarf also was saying bad things maybe about a council member (Darius?). Goliath is repeat offender, managed to swim to mainland with some gems. Hastraud: “Can’t have someone distributing those gems to random families”. Heidi was apparently well liked enough to get broken out sneakily. There’s a reward to recapture her. Prison has 12 prisoners who were interrogated using “special” techniques, but none knew anything about the breakout.
After conversation, Hastraud leaves. Vara approaches a hooded guard who is an orc or half orc.
Aengus commune again:
- Is Heidi on this island? Feel rumbling under feet –> Yes
- Is Heidi in the mine? Armor feels chilled –> No
- Is Heidi still in the prison? Armor is super cold (Moradin annoyed) –> No
Des and Aengus head toward prison to get the tour while Vara and Urs hang back. Prison is mostly subterranean. Hastraud gives tour from cell to cell in long tunnel. Hastraud says mine has no connection with prison. Person who runs the mine also supplies the orcish guards (Darius?). Drawl the Angry (orc) is in charge at the mine. Heidi escaped in secret with the door still locked while guards were posted. Was imprisoned for just a couple months. Heidi disappeared 1.5 weeks ago. Escaped as an animal? Prisoner across the hall is goblin, but Hastraud laughed that he couldn’t remember before looking who it was and was surprised she wasn’t dead. Desmond charms goblin, who doesn’t know anything about the escape.
Hastraud takes us to office. Hand motion, secret panel opens, chest inside full of gems. “Good place to work, but also a bad place to work, especially if you fail at your job.” Offers chest of gems in exchange for capturing and returning Heidi. Hastraud shows Desmond his map of the island.
Return to Vara and Urs. All unhappy with the prison, think the prisoners may be unfortunate people locked away because they were inconvenient for someone in power.