H2. Gearhole Prison

If the adventurers head toward Gearhole Prison, read:

It’s easy to see the metallic sheen of many tall steel plates affixed to the mountainside—the outer walls of Gearhole 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.

Members of the Crownsguard are on site. They try to keep the characters away from the scene, though characters can talk their way past these guards by showing their delegate emblem or convincing the guards that they’ve come to help with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. When the characters are led to the scene of the escape, read:

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.

The elf asks the characters their business, and introduces herself as Yinra Emberwind, a bounty hunter who heard the commotion from the Idleworks Shelf. She brags about having already finished her work here, and wishes the characters good luck in finding Sken before she does. The characters can attempt to barter for the paper Yinra recovered, which she relinquishes for 50 gp in coins or other treasure. A character who wants to steal the paper from Yinra while she’s engaged in conversation must succeed on a DC 18 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. On a failure, Yinra grabs the would-be thief’s hand and laughs at them before leaving. If the characters procure the charred paper, they appear to be fragments of a damaged note written in clear handwriting. (Show the players Handout A.)

Inspecting the Bed

Any character who investigates the bed confirms that it is burned only on the side facing the hole, as if used as a barrier to protect against the blast. With a successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check, they find a jagged, fist-sized shard of bronze lodged in the bed. It smells strongly of sulfur and burned blasting powder, and doesn’t match any other objects in the cell.

Inspecting the Rubble

A character who investigates the rubble confirms that the explosion came from inside the room, with most of the stone and steel having been blown out from the inside. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check notes signs of multiple simultaneous explosions at various points on the inside wall. With a successful DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check, a character makes a discovery within the loose rock—a strange, flat automaton the size of a dinner plate. It appears to be made from iron, resembles a crab, and is damaged beyond the point of functionality. Its size means it would have fit through the skylight.