"Oof. Not a good start."

The three guards who are also playing, flip over their cards, smiling at Jan's Brass Dragon card (2).

Guard 1: 10  Guard 2: 4  Guard 3:5 

@ 3 Dragon Ante Curious

Guard 1 claps his hands together and calls out "Ante 5 Silver".

The others all toss 5 silver coins into the middle of the table.

He then leads off with the next card (Guard 1: 10 

The others follow and then look to Jan. (Guard 2: 5  Guard 3: 7   )

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For the other group - anyone resisting being escorted to the mess hall?

Ethel has no plans to resist.  She does have a new idea taking shape but it isn't for discussion in front of the warden or any non-party members.

Assuming no resistance from Marta/Marrin, and Hammerdasher only needing the sound of his rumbling stomach to encourage a break from Korda, the group follows the guard to the mess hall.

The group are escorted down the southern passage to the hexagon corridors. Rather than turning, they go through the door to the south which leads to another short passage way. They turn and go through a door on the eastern wall, entering a guardroom where a group of guards appear to be in the middle of some sort of patrol shift change or something. Four of them sit around a table playing some sort of card game.

Jan, Avaria, Soren, and Geffroi number amongst the guards.

This is somewhat surprising but not completely unexpected that the two groups would see each other at some point - however, all please give me a Deception roll if you're trying not to let on that you recognize each other.

Jan antes in and flips her next card. 

7

Winning that hand, Jan considers. 

"Still think you're taking it, so let's call that two."

Once everyone has squared up, she'll flip her last.

7

((20 total for her, so G1 can't lose, I think?))

Deception: 9

Deception: 6

Marta sighs and looks over to Ethel and whispers back,

"I wish I knew. That's why we brought her. But if you have an idea, we're certainly open to ideas."

She doesn't resist the guards and is too distracted by her thoughts on what to do and what just happened and so, on entering the room and seeing group Guard, heads over to sit next to them before pulling up short and looking between them and the other (more real) guards.

Deception: 9

((Okay at this point I think anyone paying attention is going to see that we recognize each other. So much for acting.))

((If it's clear to Jan that they've been startled, she has a play.))

Jan scrambles to cover for being caught by surprise, turning her eyes to Ethel briefly before looking away from the woman's partially ruined face, her lips tightening slightly as she makes a show of steeling herself to look Ethel in the face.

"Inquisitor...", she gives a polite node of professional recognition. 

"I hope you've been... well."

Last 3 Dragon Ante Cards - G1 3  G2 10   G3 6 

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Jan beats out two of her competitors, but does lose to Guard 1. He happily smiles as he scoops up his winnings.

Those playing don't notice any exchanges between the two groups but those not playing do. It's clear all eight have met before and are surprised to see each other.

"How do you know this group?" the patrol leader asks.

"Surviving a giant squid attack makes for a memorable experience. I still occasionally wake up thinking I can smell the rotten fish the Captain had us chum the waters with to get away."

The guard patrol leader raises an eyebrow at the mention of giant squid.

"I've heard horror stories about those bloody things wrapping up whole ships and dragging them under. Where did this happen?"

"Not much of a sailor, I'm afraid. Open ocean, much too far to swim without a boa- ship.  It was near enough to pulling us under! Great big tentacles, wider around than a man, just bursting up from the water, sea spray raining all around as you try to get your bearings. Everyone shouting, the creak of timber as the tentacles tighten their grip, your heart pounding in your chest as you try to keep your footing. The slick deck underneath, pitching out of time with the waves as a great beastie lifts it up to drag it under. And me... with a crossbow, firing as fast as I can set a bolt, might as well fend off a hurricane with a fart. Lucky the ship had ballista, and luckier still they let a few barrels of fish go off and get a bit too ripe even for sailor stew! Turns out that giant sea squid like the taste of rotting fish more than they like the taste of elf and dwarf seasoned with bolts and ballista! And here I thought it was just owlbears with a taste for bad fish! But that's a story for another time. In fact, I wager in a few years, every ship that sets sail will have a few barrels of rotting fish in the hold just to fend of the creatures! All the more reason for MY feet to stay firmly on dirt!"

Jan's recounting is punctuated by her standing up, making the chair her bit of planking, seeking to transport the audience to the deck of the ship and into her slightly tall tale.

Performance: 24

The group of guards is enthralled with the story.

The one who won the 3 Dragon Ante game, looks to Avaria and asks "Truly amazing. Did you work the ballista?"

But before she can answer, the escort guard says "This group are headed to the mess hall. Wait until you're off shift if you want more."

That shakes the patrol leader back to reality too and he gestures at the 8 member patrol to get their gear and get out into the corridor again.

The dwarves and inquisitor are lead through a door on the east side of the guardroom, which opens up into the mess hall.

Tables and benches fill the room, and dishes and dulled cutlery are stored in cabinets along the south wall. On the north wall stands an open doorway, through which the sounds of a busy kitchen echo.

There's another closed door on the east side of the room, and to the south a hallway stretches off.

Two off duty guards sit at one table near the east side of the room, but there is lots of free space in the rest of the mess hall, well out of earshot.

"If you're hungry, stick your head in to the kitchen over there and they'll take care of you. The warden will be done in an hour or so."

The guard then heads back the way you came, through the guardroom.

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The guard patrol group runs over the same route they did on the first patrol, except this time there are no prisoners exercising in the yard. But you do pass another two prisoners who are being escorted that way for their exercise time. One of them is a heavily tattooed dwarf with red hair.

When they get back to the guardroom, the patrol leader tells the four new members that they will be heading into the panopticon to take a shift in the surveillance hub.

They've a couple of minutes before that happens if they've any more questions or conversation.

(Sorry - busy weekend with dance recital.  Should be more frequent now that that is over!)

Avaria is about to answer the guard, also captivated by Jan's performance and ready to pile on, but the fun is broken up and off into the cold they go.  

Intelligence check to see if Ava would realize this might be the dwarf they are looking for: 9 - nope.

She continues to follow the guard's lead.

Once the group is alone, Ethel shares her thoughts.

"I apologize, everyone.  I had failed to anticipate the level of magical warding here.  Though admittedly, it is only alleged warding..." she says, he voice trailing off.  

[As an experiment, she attempts to cast light on the end of her staff.]

Regardless of the result of that experiment, she continues.  "Korda appears committed to her silence.  I don't doubt that with the proper offer - likely something along the lines of freedom and a lifetime of riches - we could get answers from her.  But we don't have those resources.  Still, I think we may have an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone here."

She leans in conspiratorially.  "Hargrove is coming.  And I am confident he would not have come all this way without a plan to get the information he seeks.  Nevermind that we came all this way without a plan..." she sighs.  "Anyhow, I propose this... we let Hargrove do the hard business for us.  Whether that is busting Korda out of here, bribing her, bribing the warden, breaking the magical seals, whatever his plan is... let him do the heavy lifting.  Then, once he leaves with the knowledge - we hit him and take it for ourselves.  Between the lot of us and without prison rules to obstruct us, I have faith we can extract the information from Hargrove or his aids.  And it will give us the chance to settle some debts with Hargrove in the process."

Ethel seems quite enthusiastic about this... perhaps to make up for her failure in interrogating Korda.

((In the mess hall, Ethel has no issue casting a light spell))