Prisoner's Dilemma

"Prisoner's DiIlemma" is the title of an episodic podcast made by NerdsETC and based in the world of Arellan. It is available on Spotify (via Podbean), and consists of the adventures and misadventures of a group of adventurers in their efforts to uncover a potentially dangerous plot as they roam across the lands. It is played using a modified form of the Dungeons and Dragons release under the OGL.

## The Party

The primary party in "Prisoner's Dilemma" consists of the following:

* Plainswalker
* Iolanda
* Qixi
* Armmina
* Calree

They have taken the name "Justice Blobs", in reference to the anonymity-enforcing suits they were required to wear during a legal trial once. Calree arranged for the party to receive several of these as partial repayment for their services in the matter.

## Plot Summary

### Sailing and Sal Al Maris: The Party's Beginnings

#### A Trio of Captives

The plot began with three of the characters - Plainswalker, Qixi, and Iolanda - waking up in a cell with no memories of the recent events or how they got there, and covered in small wounds. A man who called himself Mirdan Esto apologized to them, visibly haggard and in possession of a vicious-looking sword that seemed to be obsidian or something like it. The walls were decorated with white tapestries bearing a symbol in gold of a sword with the hilt shining with rays like a sun rising or setting, and Mirdan's robes had similar decorations, but the sword and sun had been torn up.

Mirdan unlocked the party's cell and told them to flee, and that he would make a distraction. The trio found a storeroom which had most of their things, as well as keys which let them continue their escape, while Qixi found a person seemingly alive and standing at the bars to their cell, but unresponsive and hollow. The trio fled out to a courtyard, only to find themselves on an island, unknown to any of them, which had a large fortress-like structure built upon it.

Stealing a boat, the trio set fire to one or two others in an attempt to slow down any pursuit. They were not sailors, but Qixi - having read a few books on sailing once, and having a solid understanding of mechanisms like block and tackle as well as some of aerodynamics - was able to figure out enough to at least get them moving. They took a path southward as much as possible, with Plainswalker and Iolanda providing fish and everyone fighting to control the boat during a storm. In the bilge they discovered an octopus which Iolanda originally mistook to be a demon; it proved difficult to stab, and so was given the nickname "Blade-Dodger", a moniker which was later applied to the whole boat.

After a little over a week's sailing, the party made landfall, spotting lights which spoke of settlement. They found themselves in a small town called Sal Al Maris, and were quickly sought out by both the Mayor, Valentina Grierda, as well as the head of the local Business Collective, her brother, Horatio Grierda. They both sought to hire the party to clear out a nest of vicious crabs which had apparently overtaken the town's newest fishing venture, an enclosed dock and small processing wharf on the edge of town. Horatio had lost a hand in an attempt to fight the crabs off, thinking that his fencing skills would be enough, but they proved insufficient.

#### A Lone Ranger Comes Into Town

On the morning that the party was to confront the crabs, a wind blew a few tumbleweeds into town, and the long shadows stretched out before the leather duster and wide-brimmed hat of Armmina Wessonsmith - she had been in a nearby city and had come into town in the hopes of dealing with the crab problem in order to gain some added funds. Agreeing to team up with the trio, they fought the crabs, and while they nearly died, luck and determination won out and the party reigned victorious. The largest crab was eight feet across the shell, and Plainswalker managed to harvest one of its claws intact (which was eventually turned into a weapon, The Clawntlet, by Armmina and Qixi working together). The remainder of the giant crab, as well as all the other ones which had been slain, were brought back to the Grierdas who promptly announced a feast. The whole town gathered for a giant crab boil, at which the party were paid - not in money, but rather in credit for the Sal Al Maris Business Collective, which Horatio assured them was just as good.