“Hold on!” The watchmaster says. “Take this!” He throws you a golden badge with an eagle emblazoned on it. “This will convince anyone reluctant to talk that you’re working for me. You should check out the prison first.

Valen catches the badge and nods.  "You don't think we can catch up with her then?"  He asks.  "If we check out the prison it means we will not have any chance of following her trail as it is."

" Anyone uses to tracking among us ?" Hothren asks the people around him. 

"I can try but I m not really any good in a city."

“If you go to the prison, there might be clues about who helped her escape, which could help you in the long run. Just my two crowns on all of this.” Your gnome companion interjects.

"off to the prison then I guess..." valen says with a shrug.

As you walk to Gearhole Prison, it’s easy to see the metallic sheen of many tall steel plates affixed to the mountainside—the outer walls of the prison. Moonlight and still-smoldering fires frame the billowing smoke that pours from a gaping cavity in the rock and metal, marking the violent escape route taken by the goliath and her accomplices. What do you do?

Upon approach Ulfgar can't help but feel a bit of awe from the mar on the prison cause by just three individuals.

He looks around to everyone else and asks,  "any o'you wantin' ta be tha talker for dis? Badge aside, I assume they be more comfortable givin' out information wit a presented leader o'sorts. Not nominatin me'self or anythin', as people tend ta find me accent abrassive." He gives a wry smile with that last bit.

Hothren looks at the others and then at Ulfgar. 

" I have to agree with that accent of yours" he smiles to alleviate the stings of it. 

He looks at himself and mentions at his all body with his hands. 

"Not sure I m the best one in this capacity either. I have no knowledge of the race prejudices they have here but I m pretty sure that it would prefer a dwarf or a gnome doing the talking." 

The nearby Crownsguard notice you and approach. “Halt! Please leave the scene, civilians! We’re currently investigating this crime by order of Watchmaster Bram Gulchwasttle!”

"We were told to come here by the watch master."  Valen tells the guards.

“I’ve heard that story quite a lot, and it’s never been true. Is yours any different?”

Valen describes their encounter with the watch master, his attitude, his threatening them with jail, the whole nine yards.  He gives a detailed description of the man, what he asked them to do, leaving nothing out.

"Does that sound like your watch master?"  He asks when he is finished.

“I suppose it does. Step right this way, please.”

Valen nods and follows.

You are led by the guards to a ten-foot-wide hole edged with twisted steel and jagged rock opens up above a pile of rubble. Beyond the hole is a badly damaged stone prison cell, little more than soot-stained walls and an overturned bed charred on one side. A thin skylight above the hole matches others alongside it in the steel wall, and was apparently the cell’s window. A mangled chamber pot is embedded in the right wall, where a elf in a long leather coat is pulling it from the stone. She pockets three charred pieces of paper from the brass pot before turning and acknowledging your presence.

(Am I the only one left playing here?)

(Nope, sorry. A little over a week ago I found out my job is being moved offshore. So if I wasn't working, taking care of my kids, or sleep, I was updating my resume and hitting the job market hard. This unintentially fell to the wayside.)

"Scuse me ma'am. We've been sent by watchmaster Gulchwasttle to check out dis mess and catch da culprits who blew a hole in ye prison here. We were directed ta find any clues as ta where they may be going. Have ye found anything dat may help in dis inquiry?.. Oh and we have dis here badge from da watchmaster himself, if ye be needin' verification." Nudging Valen's side to show it... well with Ulfgar's height it's more his thigh.

(Still there also. Got an eye surgery so have a hard time staying in front of my computer. It's getting better. ) 

Hothren looks at the elf trying to see what she pocketed. 

(Hothren, make a Perception check)

"If we could see the cell, or anything of interest in relation to the escaped prisoners that would be helpful as well." Valen says as he takes out the badge and shows it to the prison guard.