Characteristics
Physical features
Tattoos
Most of Prisoner 13’s inkwork is covered by her uniform. Her tattoos include the following:
- Dwarven Poetry. An excerpt from a poem in Dwarvish script on her neck and across her shoulder blades reads, “Endless dreams entombed in stone.”
- Flames. A roiling storm of brilliant flames covers her back and ribs.
- Shroud. Black and gray smoke and shadows coil down her left arm, ending in runes on the fingers of her left hand.
- Knotwork. Purple and blue knotwork and runes run down her right arm, across the back of her right hand, and down the length of each finger. The runes on her fingers, known as the keystone tattoo, form the key to the vault in Uldaman.
- Mountain. Silver and brown mountain peaks cover her chest, the tips following the angles of her collarbones.
- River. Swirling green and blue waters form a cascading river across her stomach, with scaly creatures leering from the water.
- Power and Plunder. Dwarvish script on her hips reads “Power” and “Plunder.”
Traced among Prisoner 13’s tattoos are tiny magical sigils, each one matching a twin tattooed on one of her agents. A character who examines any visible tattoos and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices some of the hidden marks. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check determines that the sigils have something to do with minds or telepathy.
Abilities
While confined to her antimagic cell, she is cautious since she can’t rely on her magic tattoos to defend herself. Outside her cell, she grows overly confident and even banters if she’s able to do so without being caught by guards. In battle she poses a potent threat, creating blasts of flame and striking with magical force in both melee and ranged combat.
History
Prisoner 13 is a dwarf named Korda Glintstone. Prior to her incarceration years ago, Korda was a member of Carta, an underground organization in the ice-peak concord. Korda built a network of informants and agents, ostensibly all to the benefit of Carta. With each success, she paid tattooists to inscribe a memorial of her triumph onto her skin. Using ancient rituals, Korda infused many of these artful etchings with magic.
Korda grew too ambitious for her role as an agent, so she devised a plan to take power for herself. Over five years she took careful stock of Vul Darum’s wealth and, in one fell swoop, used her network of lieutenants to steal away most of the city’s gold, leaving only a pittance.
With that feat and wealth, she secured her positon as the new leader of Carta. However House hardheart discovered her. They rounded up her agents, who either fought to the death or were executed. They captured Korda and interrogated her, but she never revealed the location of the stolen fortune, even under magical compulsion. The Axebreaker dwarves used their influence to have her sentenced to life in prison at Revel’s End. This played right into Korda’s hands, since she had made copious enemies who can’t move against her while she’s incarcerated.
Korda, now known as Prisoner 13, prepared for her imprisonment by laying the groundwork for a Carta's network, which cost her much of her stolen fortune. She now runs her operations from the prison. Using her magical tattoos, she telepathically coordinates agents throughout the ice-peak concord and beyond, none of whom know the identity of their employer. As for what remains of the stolen Axebreaker wealth, it rests in an unmarked vault in the depths of Uldaman, sealed by a magical lock that only the runic sequence tattooed on Korda’s right hand can open.
Acquiring the key
If she’s approached with the possibility of freedom, Prisoner 13 looks genuinely surprised but quickly assumes her usual neutral mask. Here’s how she responds to some likely questions:
What do you know about the vault and key? She plays coy: “I don’t know what you mean.” If pressed further, she shrugs. “I’ve been asked about this vault and key before. Assuming I did know where the key might be, what would be in it for me to tell you?”
Do you want to be set free? “As flattered as I am that you care, I’m afraid I must decline. I’m fine where I am, thanks.”
What do you want for the key? She ponders for a moment before answering: “The warden has a ledger, probably in her office. It contains all the names, crimes, and prisoner numbers of everyone ever incarcerated at Revel’s End. Bring me that list, and I’ll see to it that you get your key.”
In response to a verbal threat, Prisoner 13 shakes her head and says, “I could make quite a scene and bring the guards down on you. Maybe even the warden herself. You really don’t have anything to threaten me with.”
Finding the Key. When Prisoner 13 talks about the key, each character present can make a DC 19 Wisdom (Insight) check. If the check is successful, the character notices Prisoner 13 flexing her right hand and tracing a fingertip across the tattoo there when she mentions the key. The character deduces that the tattoo is the key.
Forcible Jailbreak. Taking Prisoner 13 alive and delivering her to Varrin is difficult but possible. She won’t go willingly and fights back if the characters try to force her. In that case, they’ll be hard-pressed to knock her unconscious and make their escape without alarming the guards and placing the prison on high alert. If a fight breaks out with closed doors between the battle and the nearest guards, on initiative count 0, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check for the guards to see if they notice the commotion. If they succeed, roll initiative for the guards. They investigate on the following round.
Trade for the Key. If the characters acquire the prisoner files from the warden’s office (area R22), Prisoner 13 demands to read them somewhere outside her cell. She takes 20 minutes to read through the documents and telepathically relay the information to her agents for later use. Following that, she reveals that the tattoo on her right hand is the key to the vault. She allows the characters to study it so they can replicate its image using magic such as disguise self or minor illusion, or even copy it with pen and ink. In any case, a character must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check to correctly re-create the tattoo, which requires 10 minutes of study or drawing. The characters can retry if they fail, at the cost of more time and more risk of discovery.
Last Resort. A gruesome but effective option is killing Prisoner 13 and taking her body back, or just her right hand. If the characters are working for the Golden Vault, they know the organization would not approve of this method. The characters receive no reward from the organization if they kill or mutilate Prisoner 13.
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