Session Notes: 3/10/2024
While Arythas was talking to his uncle, Inky had gone off to commune with his uncle. He comes back and has grown to almost the size of Dia, which surprises all of us.
We come up with a plan for the dinner and then head out. Arythas pretends to be a body guard and stands to the side as one of the help, but the rest do their wine and dine. We learn that the leader of the city is a rather opportunistic type. He has morals, but they are buried under and swayed by the promise of money. It becomes clear that many people here don’t care much of what is going on at the prison except that it makes them money.
The help do not like the prison, the bodyguard does not like the prison, and the auntie does not like the prison for sure. The son, Ford, is aware that his father isn’t great and might do better with a push in the direction against the prison. Crag really dislikes the borgirmaster, but he approves when Aunt Betsy speaks, and he likes the kid.
Dia asks whether she should speak to Aunt Betsy or Ford. Arythas can tell that Aunt Betsy is playing up how drunk she is, and he confirms at the idea of talking to Aunt Betsy. Dia asks if she should be honest, then, and Arythas nods while giving a gentle hand gesture to take it easy and go slow to see what the vibe is before being completely honest about it.
Dia wordlessly invites Aunt Betsy to another room and explains that she has a friend in the prison that does not deserve to be there and needs to be sprung. Aunt Betsy mentions that most people there should not be, and then explains that Cruelwind Prison is cursed. She says that after what happened to General Chase, she’s not sure if the curse is just a story: there is something in the mountains. She explains General Chase was an honorable man in the war, and something has happened to him so he is now different. Dia asks about how he changed and she says that he used to be a hard man, a warrior who fought in a war, but he was not cruel. It never struck her that he would run a prison after the war, but he started Cruelwind.
She explains that the mad mage killed his family and she understands the grief in that, but it is very strange that he created Cruelwind and went there after the war despite the trauma. Betsy advises she probably should not know much, and Dia agrees she ought not to share too much. Dia admits that we have not been here long, but she does not wish to see this place in shambles. Betsy explains that the prison built this mansion, and she would not miss Cruelwind, but the rest of the family disagrees. She mentions Ford and explains that his father is chipping away at the kindness of Ford over time, and Dia asks if Ford has a good head on her shoulders, but Betsy says absolutely not, but he has a good heart.
Betsy sets her wine glass down and explains she can get us all into the prison. She can drum up some fake charges for us, or she can take us in as her entourage to visit the good ol’ general. She can definitely get us an invite to the party for the general to size him up before we go to the prison.