In a previous game, we decided that Aeris, Kasskar, and Ord were right-handed, but Beowolf was left-handed. Since it was going to come up this game, we discussed this again and finalized those choices.
At the end of Game 11, the party discovered that the silver ring Beowolf had taken from Ishild was Ishild's phylactery. Beowolf tried to destroy the ring to dispel Ishild permanently, but the ring was indestructible. Beowolf decided to throw it into the river, in the hope that Ishild wouldn't be able to survive rematerializing underwater.
But with intense lobbying, Aeris convinced Beowolf to give him the ring instead, and he waited for Ishild to reappear in secret. Aeris and Ishild agreed that Aeris would put Ishild up in Haas's former apartment in the financial district, and Ishild would teach Aeris necromancy.
In Game 11, Kasskar found out that the Shambles fire that killed his family was started by the Hobnail Auld, and that Auld was in Heath Prison. Now the party resolved to hunt Auld down.
Going to Heath prison, the party was surprised to discover that the prison was relatively porous. Prisoners could talk with or make friends with the public if their barred windows faced the street, and outsiders could even come into the prison unescorted if they had business there. Inside, the prisoners self-organized into work teams that contracted with outsiders, and could have metal work implements that would be unthinkable in another prison. But, this arrangement wasn't because Heath was safe or a minimum security prison - quite the opposite. It was necessary so prisoners could make money to pay for their own imprisonment.
Since the party didn't have business at the prison, Kasskar asked Captain Burns to bring them in on trumped-up Admiralty business. Because Kasskar had supported him in the fight with Krill, Burns agreed and escorted the party through the administrative building, Stapleton Hall. Once past Stapleton Hall, they found themselves in the prison proper, in Farthing Hall. There, a graybeard prisoner Clem gave them some candid advice on making improvised weapons to protect themselves inside.
They continued through to Marlow Hall at the back of the prison. They found that Marlow had two stories of prisoners' cells on its periphery, but the interior was a shell over the previous building on this site, Dera'a prison.
The characters recognized the Dera'a building as the same ancient era and style as buildings in Hollin's City of the Dead, with a long facade of repeated arches and crumbling sandstone. The prison administration no longer housed prisoners in Dera'a, but Heath prisoners told the party that some listless people entered the old building and lingered there, and that Auld had been seen going in.
Since Dera'a was no longer used, it was unlit, and the party lit their torches and lanterns before entering. Navigating through rubble-choked corridors and stairwells, they found that Dera'a had two floors above ground and three basement levels. In the basement levels, they found the panopticon that had been Dera'a's main cell block. There they saw something disturbing.
On the lowest level, someone has dug a hole in the packed dirt floor and exposed a double hatch. There are a few stoned-looking, pale, wide-eyed, loin-cloth-wearing prisoners sitting cross-legged nearby.
Both hatches are marked with runes. On a successful Arcana roll, Ord recognizes them as divine runes. Ord would pronounce the first as "Kacha," and interpret it as "warning." Ord would pronounce the second as "Narshasa," and interpret it as "prison" or maybe "divine prison."
The stoned-looking prisoners had been sitting in the dark, repeatedly muttering "Narshasa," and wouldn't acknowledge the party. Taunting the prisoners with their own "Narshasa" chant, the party ignored the warning runes and descended through the hatches.
Under the hatches, they found a clay and stone stair just wide enough for one person at a time, with a tunnel at the bottom. There were low, tomb-like openings in the rock on each side of the tunnel, some with boulders rolled in front of them and some with the boulders rolled away. At the end of the tunnel, they emerged into a square stone room with four groups of supernatural prisoners.
Aeris approached a prisoner frozen in ice and moved to touch its exposed face, but a silent curator there warned him away with a motion.
Passing through that room, they found another tunnel, opening into another square stone room, where they found Auld. He was in a stupor, tattooing himself in the near dark with scenes from his own life.
Despite his stupor, Auld was steeled and fought the party alone (character sheet here). But, the party killed him, with Kasskar delivering the coup de grace.
Their mission done, the party continued exploring out of curiosity. They entered another stone tunnel, this one exiting onto an apparent clifftop in the dark. There, they were surprised to meet the Witches' Chorus a second time. The witches warned them that they were not prepared for the rest of the Narshasa. But like the first time, they answered the party's questions, prefacing each answer with condescending commentary on the character's actions so far. They noted that unlike anyone else in Hollin or the wider world of Balaal, Beowolf was left-handed.
"Ord Redding, bearer of Isra, heretic, exile, obsessive conspiracy theorist. You're searching for Prosper. The party killed Alaric Volker, and now the other Volkers are holding Prosper to draw the party in. But, the party can't overcome Gerholt and Harlan Volker alone. Prosper was a consoler to many people who can help. Contact Gregor the naturalist and his friend Crispin for help."
"Aeris...umm...selfless...advocate of science? It's not our place to judge you. Sailing back from Hilde, you met a second Captain Krill, confused and not knowing how he got onto the Hedgepeth's canon deck. Not knowing what the second Krill was, you and the others set him adrift. But, Beowolf was found as an infant on Hilde, unaware of where he was or how he got there. Was he a second Beowolf? You didn't set him adrift?"
"Kasskar. Sailing back from Hilde, you met a second Captain Krill, confused and not knowing how he got onto the Hedgepeth's canon deck. Not knowing what the second Krill was, you sided with Burns and set Krill adrift with his own corpse. But, you saw Prosper lost on Hilde, unaware of where he was or how he got there. Was he a second Prosper? You didn't set him adrift?"
"Beowolf, bearer of Aria and hapless bearer of Ishild's lich ring. Left-handed, like a fell warrior - out of a looking glass. No one noticed that you're the only lefty in Hollin, because no one would think to even look for something so...unlike any other human. Child of Hilde, we call you Beowolf Left-Handed, or as the heralds would say, Beowolf Sinister."
Gregor's friend Crispin that the witches mentioned was mistakenly renamed Bruhl in later games.
