Live in Infamy

"Wait," you call out, grabbing the attention of the bald man and the scarred orc alike, "We should help them both."

Mikael frowns, looking uncertain, while it is the Orc who speaks first.

"Why?" he grunts, fixing you with his bright red eyes.

"She's the reason we're out of our cells, and every extra hand will help in getting out of her," you say briskly, hiding your nerves beneath brisk professionalism, "and we have the time. The shift change won't be for hours yet."

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Valka tests Diplomacy! D20+2 = 15. Success!

The other two prisoners don't look entirely convinced, but in the end they opt to simply move into the guard room at the end of the corridor to keep watch, and that is enough for now. Moving quickly (and trying not to look at the corpses) you root through the assorted old plates, playing cards, spare shackles and other detritus until at last you find what you are looking for. Prisons can be dangerous places, and while you expect anything truly serious would still necessitate a trip down to Varyston or a quick funeral, the aid kit in the watch room is more than enough for most minor work.

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Valka uses the Medicine skill to Treat Wounds. DC is 15, roll is Natural 20 for a total of 25! Critical Success!

Lisara regains 4d8 (21) hit points and removes the Wounded condition. She is at full health.

Treat Wounds takes ten minutes, and a given person can benefit from it once per hour. This is your main source of out-of-combat healing.

You attend to Lisara swiftly - fortunately her jaw is not broken, merely bruised, and a topical painkiller and anti-inflammatory is sufficient to treat her direct injury, followed by a quick pass of smelling salts beneath her delicate nose to rouse her to consciousness. She blinks, clearly disorientated, then clears her throat.

"Well. That was embarrassing," she mutters, wincing slightly at the way her jaw twinges with the words before hauling herself back to her feet. For a moment it seems she is going to leave it at that, but then she hesitates, and nods to you. "My thanks for the aid. It seems I am in your debt."

"We'll talk later," you grunt, packing those pieces away and standing up in turn, "Come on, let's get the big guy."

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Valka uses Medicine to Treat Poison. The DC is 15, roll is 11+5=16, success!

Normally, Treat Poison gives a bonus to the next test the target makes to resist the poison, and can be done in combat time. For this incidence, it is used to flush the worst of the sedatives from the ogre's system.

You've only the basic idea of an ogre's physiology, but in the end you settle for mixing together the antivenoms and purgatives and chucking it down his throat when he opens his mouth. The following purgation process is very unpleasant to witness, let alone smell, and in defence of your nose and lungs you opt to wait it out down the far end of the hall.

"Urgh…" the ogre groans a few minutes later, slowly rolling to his feet, "What… what did I eat…"

"Hey there, big guy," Lisara says smoothly, only wrinkling her nose a little at the stench as she steps up to the bars and looks up at the monstrous humanoid hunched within, "We're breaking out. You want to come with?"

The ogre blinks once, then grins, revealing stained and jagged teeth. "Oh yes. Let me out of this cage, little one. I will tear them all apart!"

"Mm, no, what you'll do is follow my orders," Lisara shakes her head, voice hard, "Otherwise my friend here, with her poisons and her magics, well - she'll make you regret it."

You didn't exactly plan it out in advance, but you can pick up on what Lisara wants easily enough, and with a degree of theatricality you wiggle your fingers and conjure a series of tiny magical glyphs into being around your hand.

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Lisara tests Intimidate! Valka provides a +1 circumstance bonus to this test. Normally this would require an action, in this case the earlier medicine check counts.

Coerce DC is 15 (the target's will save plus ten), Lisara rolls 10+5+1 = 16, success!

The ogre swallows, his beady black eyes following you nervously, then nods. "Alright, alright. No need to be hasty. Grumblejack will be good."

Satisfied, you unlock the cell with the guard's liberated keys and let the lumbering creature out of his cage. Then, on a whim, you step back into your own cell for a moment and pull the sack of clothing from the veil, changing as quickly as you can into something more respectable. You may be about to die, but by your ancestors, you will do it warm and with a proper pair of boots on.

By the time you rejoin the rest of your little band in the guard room, Lisara has stripped one of the guards of their uniform and is adjusting the fit of his chain shirt over her lithe torso. The disguise probably won't hold up under close inspection, but it might buy her a few moments, which could be all you need. She nods to you, then turns back to the others.

"What do we have?" she murmurs, the swelling of her jaw making her once-melodious voice rough and thick.

"Those stairs lead to the main corridor downstairs," Mikael replies promptly, accepting her assumed authority with shocking ease for one who was prepared to leave her for dead mere minutes ago. "Dorgo says he saw lots of doors leading off. Probably barracks, armoury… main doors at the end lead outside, but they've got two guards there, watching the whole place."

"You weren't seen?" Lisara clarifies, looking over at the towering form of the battle-scarred orc - Dorgo, you assume - with a raised eyebrow. He just grins.

"Nobody sees a rat," he replies, rough and amused. For a moment you are about to ask, then you force your mouth shut again. Shapechanging magic is not unknown by any means, but if he is still here then there must be a limitation on it - perhaps he cannot hold the borrowed form long enough to get from the cells to the shore?

"Alright," Lisara nods, before turning and making a quiet hum. A moment later she steps over and into the unlit fireplace that dominates one wall, peering up and down the chimney at the back. When she returns, she is frowning thoughtfully. "Chimney is big enough to climb down, at least, looks like it leads to the kitchen… but there's a fire in the hearth. The servants must be cooking lunch."

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Which route forward do you propose the group follow? Write-in sub-votes are allowed for each, such as suggesting how you might handle the guards in the corridor, or who goes down the chimney first.

[ ] The Stairs
Simple, straightforward, gives you immediate access to the rest of the Great Hall, such as the armoury and offices. However, it is also the most well guarded - there are two men in the hall, and there may be more in nearby rooms.

[ ] The Chimney
This will lead you down into the kitchens, where you can coerce the serving staff into providing supplies and information. However, it will require an athletics or acrobatics check to not be burned by the flames.

[ ] The Wall
Use the portable window to make a hole in the wall, then rope down to the courtyard outside. Will bypass all enemies in the Great Hall, but the window cannot be reused, and will also be very obvious should a patrol spot it.