The cells themselves seem very sturdy, being solid stone as they are. The doors are iron bound oak, and in fairly good condition as far as you can tell. You see no sign of weakened wood due to rot or age.

As Heironymus searches the cell he manages to find a few slivers of metal, about as thick around as a needle. You aren't sure what they're from, but they are rather sharp.

Everyone else seems to have decided that they are relatively content to sit in a dungeon. So time passes. Two days go by as you sit in the cells. The guards show up periodically to give you each a bit of bread and water, as well as seemingly random patrols.

It is now some time during the third day. Without a clear view of the moons, you have a difficult time determining the time of day.

Ele stayed quiet during the whole distasteful ordeal, she had quickly realized that truth had nothing to do with the "justice" being dispensed in this city, especially considering the animosity she and Arion had already been shown since their arrival.

Offering no resistance at any point Ele recognized that the odds were overwhelming against any attempt to free herself let along the others.. She was a rational woman. Though one day she would find who was behind their arrest and incarceration. She swore that to her Deity. She didn't even bother to guess who was responsible for their arrest. It was fruitless effort with out more information. She was not one to undertake a fruitless effort. There would be a time when she would be ready though.

The main door to the wing housing the newest prisoners slammed open as it always did when someone was bringing in meals for the captives. Something was different this time though, the foot steps sounded heavier than the usual guard's and this time the door was shut behind the person entering as opposed to being left open like many of the other guards did. The usual trays of horrible prison rations were slid into the cells, but this time a gruff voice was heard to ask, "Any of you prisoners good with locks?" (Assuming Airion speaks up.) The figure on the other side of the door then attempts to pick the lock of the cell housing the offender who spoke up, whispering a warning, "Don't speak too much, we don't need to draw too much attention at this point. Who I am is unimportant, just know I was sent by someone who wants you out of this prison."

((If the lock is not too complicated for Gronz to pick himself he will loan Airion his picks in order to unlock the other door assuming that he would be better at opening doors than he was. If the lock proves to be too much for me, then I'll ask if the rogue thinks he could manage to pick it from his side of the door and pass him the kit.))

After a few moments of work, the lock on the door holding Airion and Kyara clicks open.

No response from the guards outside as of yet...

(Again, assuming Airion spoke up when asked if anyone was good with locks.)

Gronz handed his leather roll of thieves' tools over to the male in the cell he had just unlocked, and offered only a short statement as reasoning, "My training with locks is limited, you'd probably have better luck." With a glare he added, "Just don't break my picks and get them back to me as soon as you get that door open." Again he made no attempts to introduce himself or even to inquire to the identity of the captives he had been sent to free. He had a job to do and he rarely asked questions when money talked.

((the tools are masterwork, just in case that truly matters to you at all. And for those of you who don't know, he is a half-orc, so if you have anything against half-orc (in character of course) it would probably be wise to hold off on judgment until the prison break is at least further underway.))

Ele moves up to the door as the outer door was opened creaking slightly as it always did for one of the infrequently meals or the guard patrol. However today was different. She motioned Kyara and beckons her to come over.

It was difficult to see much but at through she strained to looked out of the small opening in the door that the guards used to look into their cell. She had kept herself prepared, exercising a bit every day. She was eager to be free o this place but she was wary as well. She was desperate to get out as she had to return to those who had hired her with all the information she had gathered.

Airion watched as the half-orc worked on the lock to his cell. Once it had been opened he just stood there. The newcomer handed a lock pick kit to him and was speaking about returning it. Airions thoughts were racing as he ran his fingers over the exceptional tools. very nice but I would prefer to have my own tools. oh well can't be helped right now
Airion quickly moved to the other cell and carefully began working on the lock to release Hieronymus an Ele. As he was working he started quietly talking to the newcomer. "I can assume we don't have much time, but we need answers. First of all who are you? We should at least know the name of our savior."

The questions were quickly racing through his head and he wasn't sure how much time they had.

"It would also help if you told us who hired you. What the situation is outside of that door. Where we go once we are out of here. Oh and most important, how to we get our equipment back?"

Airion was fairly sure he had gotten the most important questions out. He had more but they could probably wait.

"I've just about got it. Shouldn't be much longer."

'snick' The lock opens. In moments the door keeping Ele and Kyara sealed in their cell is open. Freedom seems ever closer, if not for the guards outside.

A second later you hear the main door open, and a voice carry down the hallway.

"Are you sure you can handle all four of them? Do you need a hand?"

No one has yet opened the door far enough to actually peer down the hallway, though you are all in plain sight of the door, should they choose to do so.

Heironymus was very uncomfortable with the attempted escape. It wasn't that he believed that justive would always prevail or that all laws were just, but rather that he had very little faith in the motive of others at the moment. "prisoners killed while trying to escape" was a classic headline in the press of oppressors.

Still, it was only the work of a moment to decide to make a break for it. After several days, it was clear that sitting and waiting was not likely to work. So escape it was.

He wished the half-orc would share some information, but assumed he was correct - now was the time for speed and stealth, not talk.

*snik* the door to the cell came unlocked.
"Can you take care of all four yourself?" - as the door at the end of the hall opened.

Looking meaningfully at his cellmate and those in the hallway, Heironymus quickly and quietly pulled the door to the cell shut while also holding his finger to his lips in the universal sign for silence. Shhhhhh....

(The goal is to be back in the cell and look like nothing is going on. There are several assumptions here:
1. The goal is to get out of sight ASAP. Whatever would do that fastest would be his actual move.
2. I am guessing from the reading that the door to H's cell was not fully open yet. If it was open, he would wave the others into the cell quickly as the easiest way to get them out of sight. Or if everyone was right next to that door and it would be faster for all come in.
3. The other cell door might logically still be open - making a fast place for the others to jump into.
4. H would not pull the door shut if that would lock it. If that is a danger it would remain slightly open - and somethng would be put in it to keep it from being shut.
5. If the others are caught out in the open, the two in the cellmate would presumably (can only speak for H obviously) act like they are still locked in so that they could have some sort of surprise on their side.
6. H would want to work quietly and non-lethally. They have not yet actually committed a crime.

When the door opened slowly and the voice called out Gronz's first thought was to reply as quickly as possible so as to hopefully get rid of the interloper that much faster. He was at least slightly thankful that the one who had just been released quickly slipped back into the cell just in case at least. In a gruff, tough sounding voice, he called back, "How much trouble could they be, just four little unarmed prisoners, two of which are women. I'm pretty certain I can handle it just fine." In a rush of quick thought he snatched back his tools and slid them across the floor into the still open cell so they'd be out of sight should the other guard continue into the room.

A barely audible comment and then a torrent of laughter can be heard from the guard room.

"Suit yourself orcblood, but don't come crying back when those women put you in your place."

The main door to the hall of cells closes once again.

With the main door once again shut Gronz whispered, "We have to move quickly, no more questions, just cooperate!" He then rushed to get his tools from the cell he had tossed them into, such things were far too valuable to just leave lying around.

((I know its short, but it gives the group an opportunity to act in case they don't trust me 100% And why would they, they have no information, and as far as they know I'm actually a guard.. albeit a guard who had to pick the cell door and let them pick the other as well))

Well, that worked, Heironymus thought. Out of one frying pan anyway . . . It seemed the guard knew their rescuer, that was an interesting bit of information. Still, he saw no reason why they would have orchestrated that little bit of theater at the door, so it seemed that the guards outside the jail hallway were not "in on it" anyway.

He just wished he knew what "it" was. Who was helping them and why? nothing was straight forward about this whole situation.

Speed and silence. He could do that. But there was still a guard, at least one, on the other side of the door. How were they going to get out. He really did not want to kill guards who were only doing their duty. Not that he had anything to kill someone with at the moment anyway.

Heironymus prepared to follow their rescuer. Once again, the next step seemed to be out of his hands.

Airion was not happy with the current situation. He was lost. He had no idea what the plan was. Well, other than other than shut up and cooperate. His questions weren't answered. He didn't know his rescuer. His rescuer seemed to know the guards. He had no weapons. Worst of all he had no assurances of his safety.

Airion spoke very quickly and quietly. "I for one am not pleased. It seems I need to cooperate in order to survive. I can't trust someone I don't even know their name. You will answer all our questions once we are in a secure place."

Airion slid in step behind the others, wishing he at least had a dagger.

Kyara kept herself active stretching out her muscles and exercising her muscles. Their meals were infrequent and the food not fit to feed to dogs. She did not think much of human justice. The days were much the same. little food little water. The only blessing is that they were mostly ignored as well. Then there was a change. Kyara moved to their door and tried to lookout to see what was happening. She couldn't see anything but she heard words that gave her some encouragement that their stay here would soon be over.

Kyara quickly moved out of her cell when the door was open. Kyara waited for a moment before venturing out into the area inf front of the cells, and surveyed the area and then Hieronymus and the small make darkskinned elf. She would not risk talking so that others might hear them.