Game summary for February 4, 2025, Chronoshift: Spelljammer campaign, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, for Phoenix Gaming Club. Session included: Callum Spellhardt (Human Sorcerer played by Parker Harmon), Finch Bloodrain (Half-Hobgoblin Slayer played by Peyton Harmon), Hekera Nephera Mawhesk Vyk’sebekenka (Sebek-ka Fighter played by Preston Harmon), Helg Ingvar (Aasimar Cleric played by Chris Harmon), Hwrulf (Human Unchained Barbarian played by Paul Potter), Notch Bowman (Human Fighter played by Andrew Renfrow), and Snagyndar Blackthorn (Huldran War Master played by Casey Scruggs). Game Master for this session was Charles Plemons.
The team continued their daring preparations for a prison break within the formidable Granite Mountain Prison. Armed with new intelligence and a fresh scheme, the party maneuvered through the shadows of Tarvin’s underworld, seeking allies, resources, and ways to circumvent the many obstacles ahead.
Gaining an Inside Man
The session kicked off with the group consolidating their knowledge of the prison’s defenses, thanks to a previous conversation with Eldran Tallowmere, a former Spellward Marshal. His insights into the prison’s magical wards had already given them an edge, but their plan still lacked a crucial piece: someone on the inside.
To that end, they turned to the infamous Ikor Killfury, a well-connected fixer within Tarvin’s Thieves’ Guild. Meeting him in a dimly lit, smoky chamber thick with the scent of pipe smoke and treachery, they put forth their request—finding a guard who could be turned.
Ikor delivered.
He had located Garran Velt, a low-ranking prison guard with significant personal baggage. Garran had a gambling problem and a secret love affair with a woman named Lessa—either of which could be exploited to ensure his absence from work on the day of the infiltration. However, Ikor warned that he was only able to secure one such weak link, meaning the crew would need another method for smuggling aid to their imprisoned ally.
A Late-Night Visit to Garran’s Home
Armed with this information, the party decided to pay Garran Velt a personal visit. The group located his modest apartment in the lower districts of Tarvin—a cluttered and dimly lit space that smelled of cheap ale and stale regret.
Velt’s wife, Mara, was clearly caught off guard, eyes widening as she fumbled to close the door behind her, glancing nervously toward the hallway as the party filed in. Hwrulf, after running Garran down and bringing him back, and Helg took the lead in pressing him for cooperation, dropping veiled (and not-so-veiled) threats about his gambling debts and how easily his affair with Lessa could become public knowledge.
At first, Garran protested, insisting that he couldn’t risk crossing the prison’s administration. But as the group tightened the screws, it became clear that he was already on the edge—his financial ruin and personal indiscretions left him little choice.
- Snagyndar Blackthorn played the role of the cold enforcer, standing menacingly near the door as the others laid out his predicament.
- Hwrulf punctuated the discussion by idly cracking his knuckles, making sure Garran understood the gravity of his situation.
- Helg Ingvar offered a twisted version of encouragement, reassuring Garran that skipping his shift wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to him—so long as he cooperated.
In the end, Velt caved. He agreed to “come down with a sudden illness” on the next guard rotation, ensuring that his post would be vacant. However, he made it clear that if this came back to bite him, he’d be looking for someone to blame.
With their inside man secured, the crew had one piece of their plan in place. Now, they just needed to figure out how to deal with the mysterious bronze construct patrolling the prison’s upper ring…
The Construct Problem
Ikor’s next revelation threw a wrench into their smuggling plans: the guards no longer handled prisoner food deliveries. Instead, a bronze construct had been tasked with the job. This meant their initial plan of bribing a guard to sneak in supplies was now off the table. If they wanted to get a message or tool to Daisuke, their captured comrade, they would need to find a way to either bypass or manipulate this mysterious automaton.
This led to a deep discussion among the group. Theories ranged from the construct being a standard golem to something more exotic. A Knowledge (arcana) check yielded some basic insights—constructs often had strict programming, and some could be controlled or deactivated under the right circumstances. If they could learn more about this particular model, they might be able to disable or manipulate it.
A few ideas emerged:
- Identifying the construct’s creator – Perhaps the prison’s Spellward Marshal, Thorne Ironward, had information about its construction.
- Finding its control mechanism – If the construct had a master override, it could be hijacked or shut down.
- Studying its patrol pattern – Learning when and how it operated might present an opportunity for sabotage.
One thing was certain—ignoring the construct was not an option.
A Dangerous Game
With these two major pieces of information in hand, the party debated their next steps. Their current options included:
- Pressuring Garran Velt – They could use his gambling debts or illicit affair to blackmail or bribe him into skipping his next shift.
- Researching the bronze construct – Figuring out its creator, limitations, and potential vulnerabilities would be crucial to gaining access to their contact inside.
- Gathering prison intelligence – Learning more about patrol schedules, blind spots, and potential allies within the facility would increase their chances of success.
Then, they had the realization they might be able to bargain with their efreet contact, Amir Mahmout. The genie should be able to grant a wish, and perhaps he could use that magic to get Daisuke free. Helg cast a sending spell to contact the genie who came to meet them on The Perry. In an exchange for an undisclosed favor at a later time, Mahmout is willing to grant a wish…
The session ended with the crew considering their approach carefully, knowing that any misstep in their prison infiltration could turn deadly. With time ticking down before the next guard rotation, their window of opportunity was closing fast.
