Episode 288 - Welcome to Grull

Dang! We are in the slammer! No big deal though, I am sure we will come up with something. Many adventurers have been locked up and then came up with their most daring stories from their dangerous escapes. Sure, we have no way to access our magics… and we can’t find Skud or Frank… but we are making new life-long friends. No prison in all the planes can hold the Tower of Grey!

## **Story**

### Long Story

The Tower of Grey has just been aprehended by the mysterious figures of Grull. They are separated and taken to rooms. Rowan is sent to her cell, where she meets her new cell-mate, Nibor Worra, and the two bond over their respective situations. Worra is a fan of the Tower of Grey, and is honored to meet it's creator. He is an archer as well, and shows Rowan a stick he has hidden under his bed that would be perfect for a bow, and he also has some rudimentary arrows. He says that he knows where to get a second such stick as well. He does not, however have any string, but tells Rowan that she should try to get on kitchen duty, so she can take some sausage casing, and they'll use that.

Toby is brought into his cell, and meets his new cell-mate, a half-Dwarf whom Toby immediately attacks. Luckily, the half-Dwarf is very amiable, and is not mad about it. He does punch back, though, since Toby says it's how he says "Hello." Toby also introduces himself as Brad the Braggadocious for some reason, and the other guy is Steinar Ulth. He shares a drink with the gnome, and asks what he is in for. Toby also lies about this, claiming to have fed a rich mogul to a mimic for not paying his servants sufficiently. He then asks Ulth how he got into prison, and Ulth responds that it was poisoning. Toby is nervous, but tries to put on a tough-guy persona. He asks Ulth where he can find someone strong to beat up, say, like, a god. Ulth tells him that he'd have to "go down" for that kind of action, to the sub-basement. He also says that he has a theory as to why they take the blood. His old cellmate was a spellcaster, who said that if they kept the blood in a "special room", it acted as a magical suppressant. The person the blood belongs to wouldn't be able to cast any spells as long as it's in that room. The last thing Ulth says is that Toby should watch out for Stymer Dunkan, a "piece of shit" who killed his old roommate, due to "not liking his beans". Dunkan is a guard, who likes to kill inmates sometimes. He also lets slip that Josail Longshadow is the warden (or something like it) of this prison, and she comes by every now and then.

Lahni, too, is thrown into her cell, where she sees a large figure standing at the only window, looking outside. Lahni starts by kicking the bars, to see if they are electric. They are not. She sits on the bed and sighs, prompting the large figure to turn and ask who she is. She tells him her name, and that they will probably be new best friends. The guy introduces himself as Bercy Hamhands!!! He tells her a number of things:

* Josail Longshadow is, in fact, the Warden of Grull. She was here yesterday, and comes by about once a week
* He accidentally killed his last roommate, Jerry, in a knuckle-punching contest (he used to be a big deal back in Mastwick)
* She should find the biggest person in the yard and fuckin' punch 'em in the face
* She should watch out for the guard Stymer Dunkan, because he's mean
* It's impossible to break out of Grull
* They burn the dead bodies
* The Warden stays somewhere in the city
* They are going to be made to work
* Bercy works in the laundry, and they burn all the unneeded laundry
	+ They burn a lot of stuff, hence the ashes floating in the air

Before she can ask about her friends, the dinner bell rings, and everyone is escorted to the cafeteria, where The Tower of Grey meet up with each other again. Lahni yells out the others' names and Toby pretends not to hear. They introduce each other to their own respective cell-mates. Nibor Worra is excited to meet another member of the Tower of Grey, prompting Toby to bristle in irritation, due to not getting the recognition he wants. But then Worra recognizes him and yells out his name in excitement! Toby exclaims that his name is Brad and he tries to kick Rowan in the groin to prove it, but she steps out of the way. He commits though, and Lahni tries to pry his ego out of him, saying that their Toby is the smartest and knows all the magic. Toby tries to punch Lahni, but also misses. Lahni then asks about Frank Ubell, but they don't know where he, Skud Derringer, or Eckhart Dayhammer are. Another dude dressed just like Toby/Brad (sleeves torn off, headband) tells Toby that he will give him cigarettes if Toby kills "that guy over there" and points to Bercy. Toby goes to Bercy and motions for him to lean down. Toby whispers that he will share 10 cigarettes if he pretends to go down when Toby punches him. He refuses, so Lahni says Toby can help her take down The Whale. Toby asks the cigarette broker if that is okay, but he and the Whale are like brothers, so now, he will have to warn him. The guy points out Stymer Dunkan, warning Toby not to start anything while he's around.

Eventually, they make it to the cafeteria, where they are served a gross glop with some gross beans. They sit at a table together, and Toby tries very hard to sit tough at the chairs, by turning his around, but he is very short, so he has to eat through the bars of the chair. They discuss where their friends might be. Lahni suggests that Dayhammer may have been taken to the rulers straight away, on account of how powerful he is. Same with Skud, since he does bone stuff. Rowan thinks Frank is in nerd jail for nerd people. Lahni suggests that she punch the Whale to create a distraction, while Rowan sneaks into the kitchens to steal the sausage casing. Toby, feeling left out, wants to be on "Distraction Team". Lahni says he could maybe use his tiny physique to climb up the Whale *("Climbing the Whale" is the name of my first album)* and help subdue him.

As they wrap up this discussion, a group approaches. There is a giant man, bigger than anyone they've seen here, wearing a trilby. There is also a smaller gentleman, with Frank's voice, who steps out and says "I hear you want a piece of my guy here."

### Short

Each member of the Tower of Grey are sent to their own respective cells, where they meat their cellmates. Lahni's is Bercy Hamhands! They learn that Josail Longshadow is the warden of the city-prison that is Grull. They then meet up at the cafeteria. Rowan needs to sneak into the kitchen to steal some sausage casing to make a bow, and Lahni and Toby (pretending to be Brad) need to beat someone up to prove they are tough. The biggest guy in the joint is a dude named The Whale, so they plan to attack him while causing a distraction for Rowan to get her casing. As they make these plans, Frank appears next to the Whale, and says "I hear you want a piece of my guy here."

## **Trivia**

* BERCY HAMHANDS!!!
* Lahni references the fact that she could be 102, "you don't even know". Interesting
* Bercy's story is that he had to get out of town after stealing some money, and he just kept "running and running." Seeing as how, in Episode 39 he was apprehended by Aludra, Thom, and Harper, and handed off to the Darkblades, it is unclear when he went on the run
* Bercy is not the biggest person in the prison. That honor belongs to a man known as The Whale
* Lahni states that her mission is to move fast enough to travel backwards in time, so that she can save her family from being poisoned
* The whole city of Grull is a prison
* Rowan is about 6 ft. tall. She is lithe
* Toby is 3'2"
* Toby rips the sleeves off his orange jumpsuit, so to make his tough guy persona more apparent

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Toby Treacletart / Brad the Braggadocious
* Jennifer Cheek - Rowan Grey
* Nika Howard - Lahnik "Lahni" Caplain

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Nibor Worra
* Steinar Ulth
* Bercy Hamhands!!!
* The Cigarette Broker
* Stymer Dunkan
* The Whale
* Frank Ubell

### **Locations**

* The Shadowfell
	+ Grull
		- Prison cells

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Active] - Find Pelor
	+ [On Hold] - Go to the Shadowfell and find Adira Harper
* [Active] - Find out who killed Tilly and Donnybrooke
	+ [Active] - Find and question Josail Longshadow
		- [NEW][Active] - Escape from prison!
* [NEW][Active][Rowan] - Steal a sausage casing from the kitchens
* [NEW][Active][Lahni] - Knock out The Whale, the biggest guy in prison
* [On Hold] - Find Lannie Caplain
	+ [On Hold] - Investigate Galanthis
* [Optional] - Find a way to pay back the Ferrim Pecunia bank of Pelor's Hope
* [Active][Jaeludra] - Investigate the Great Colosseum in Caer
* [Active][Jaeludra] - Investigate the Oracle's strange prophecies

### **Quotes**

**"I'll never back down from a fight. That's something that's probably real dumb about me, but also, if you can't knock sense into me, what are you gonna do?"** ~ *Wise Words from Lahni*

**"We're in medium jail, [Skud and Eckhart are] in super strong jail, and Frank's in nerd jail. And that's just how it is."** ~ *Rowan Grey, that's how jail works*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Tim - 8
	+ Jennifer - 3
	+ Nika - 3

* **Rowan** rolls *Insight* to see if she trusts her new friend - 23
	+ He's honest, but would probably turn on her if it was advantages to him

* **Toby** rolls an Attack roll to punch his new cell-mate, using Luck - 15
	+ He does no damage, but the guy punches back, dealing 4 damage

* **Toby** makes a *Medicine* check to see if Ulth's alcohol would kill him pouring it on his hand - 12
	+ It won't kill him

* **Toby**, only now, does a *Deception* check to fool Ulth with his tough-guy persona - 4
	+ Ulth is pretty drunk at this point, so...

* **Lahni** makes an Attack roll to punch really cool in front of Bercy - 17+11
	+ She looks super badass

* They all roll *Perception*
	+ **Toby** - 19
	+ **Rowan** - 17
	+ **Lahni** - 17
		- They all notice that their cells are near to each other

* **Rowan** rolls *Insight* to see if she knows what Toby is up to - 13
	+ She doesn't?

* **Toby** tries to kick Rowan - 6
	+ He does not

* **Toby** tries to punch Lahni - 19
	+ He does not

* **Toby** tries to punch the cigarette broker - 9
	+ He does not