```col-mdflexGrow=2.5===# Outline## Players' Information One night in a pub, the players are approached by a man in a hooded cloak. He informs them that he is representing a man of considerable means whose son has been unjustly imprisoned in [[landmark/the-grey-halls|The Grey Halls]]. The man will pay well for the rescue of his son. He cannot be implicated, of course, since it would ruin him if word got out. If the party is interested in taking the job, the hooded man will explain further.## GM's Notes The rich man is only interested in getting his son out of prison. A suitable replacement will be provided for the boy if the group is amenable to the attempt. When the rescue attempt is made, the cell the boy occupies will be identified (the group will be told that he is imprisoned on the dungeon level), and it will be necessary to secure the cooperation of somebody on the inside of the prison. The hooded man will have a list of some eminently bribable guards, indicating their more prominent hangouts. [[person/recci|Recci]] the Beast (#1759) is the first name on the parchment, and is actually the best bet the players have to succeed (although they may not believe this). The GM should play him as a total jerk, so as to inspire the utmost lack of confidence possible - if the players do any investigation, they will likely learn of his reputation for incompetence and pure luck. Four others complete the probable bribables:- <u>[[person/brodeen|Brodeen]] (#1760)</u>, a blandly complexioned and totally average man in all ways, likes [[landmark/the-cock-and-bull|The Cock and Bull]], and loses lots of money there (he will cooperate with the group, but will only be completely "honest" with them if the bribe is in excess of 500gp. There is a 20% chance, cumulative, of betrayal for each 100gp less in the bribe amount - he works the shift from midnight to 8 am, and is assigned to the lower levels. He knows of a long forgotten side entrance through which he can bring the players into the courtyard of the prison relatively unnoticed).- <u>[[person/credence-bond|Credence Bond]] (#1761)</u>, a dark complexioned, dark haired man of melancholy countenance, can usually be found in the evenings at [[landmark/the-golden-sovereign|The Golden Sovereign]]. He is nursing a grudge against Turin because he feels he was unfairly passed over for a promotion to watch chief (there is a 65% chance he will cooperate with any attempt the group might make for pure revenge motive. Otherwise, he will accept the bribe and betray them, feeling that this will surely get him the promotion he wants - he works the shift from 8am to 4pm, assigned to the upper levels, but has sufficient clout to get aspecified prisoner brought to one of the smaller cells on the first upper level for a "talk with his lawyer").- <u>[[person/benni-couldro|Benni Couldro]] (#1762)</u>, a half-orc (his looks favor his orcish ancestry), lives in [[settlement/the-labyrinth|The Labyrinth]]. He is greedy, and would like sufficient money to get out of the area - he can usually be found, when not working or sleeping, on Silk Veils, trying to get a little cheap action (if the bribe is sufficient, Benni will cooperate heartily, as his greed will overcome his fear of getting caught. For every 50gp less than 1000gp, there is a 5$ chance, cumulative, that he will get cold feet, and back out, even in the face of threats to his life - Benni works the shift from 4pm to midnight, assigned to the ground level. He knows of a secret passage from a currently unoccupied cell on the ground level through the walls of the old fortress to the dungeon level, and will tell the players all about the guard schedules).- <u>[[person/roderick|Roderick]] (#1763)</u>, a slender black haired man with a mangled left hand, can normally be found In the evenings at any of four taverns in the area of the [[settlement/horse-market|Horse Market]], [[landmark/the-arrows-flight|The Arrow's Flight]], [[landmark/the-iron-horse|The Iron Horse]], [[landmark/the-four-ox-team|The Four Ox Team]], or the Carriage House. He is an old plainsman, who led horse trapping expeditions on the Golden Plateau, far to the north, until his hand was trampled in a stampede. He likes to drink, and is usually stinking drunk by 10pm (Rod will cooperate on the outside, but will surely betray the players should they use his services, not necessarily through malice, but through simple clumsiness and stupidity) He works the shift from 8am to 4pm, assigned to the ground level, and claims that he can have any prisoner he wants brought to the courtyard for exercise. This claim is easily proven false if the players do any investigation at all, since Rod is relatively new at the prison, having worked there only six months.Assuming the players pick the right man in the right conditions, the switch may go off without a hitch. This assumes, of course, that the players use a modicum of common sense in preparing the production. Having reasons for entering the prison (lawyers, visitors, delivery people, etc.) which will not arouse suspicion is of prime importance. The hooded man will be readily available as the group makes their preparations and will supply money for bribes and expenses as needed - up to 10,000gp. He will inform them that their limit of funds (including their payment) is 10,000gp - this may affect the willingness of the players to offer large amounts of bribe money.The group will learn the cell number of the prisoner only on the night (or day) of the rescue, after all other arrangements have been made. Once the rich man's son is safe, the players will be paid a substantial sum - 10,000gp, less whatever they laid out for bribes. Should the group fail, or be discovered, they will get to attempt the heretofore impossible - escape from [[landmark/the-grey-halls|The Grey Halls]]. Attempts to betray the man and his son will net only the hooded man, a faithful old family retainer who would die rather than betray his master. Since they have not yet learned the cell number, they will not be able to identify their intended target. There is a chance for someone other than the players to recognize the retainer if such betrayal should occur. Otherwise, the only way for the players to betray the father and son is to be caught in the act, after they have learned the cell number.``````col-md**Start / Locations** - **Key Participants** - ---### World Anvil Metadata**Id:** 226319b0-e928-43f5-ab74-bb3e6df90e77<br>**Entity Type:** Article / plot<br>**Category:** Haven Encounters and Scenarios<br>**Tags:** FCoH-plot```