Elysia and Eozindra both offer hand crossbows to Adran. Ishi calms the horses (still a little unnerved by Morik the bear) and mounts up. While Eozindra gives some "suggestions" to Elysia, Adran and Elowin enter the jail. There are two more dead guards inside and several cells. Elysia enters while Eozindra mounts a horse. Elowin looks on the corpses for keys while Adran inspects the lock and starts to pull out his tools to disassemble it. But by then Elysia has picked the lock, releasing the tiefling and several older gnomes. They are upset - freaked out from detention, questioning, the sudden darkness, and the sight of their jailers, dead - but physically unharmed. Adran removes the spear point from a shaft and gives it to the tiefling, who accepts it with poor grace. Elysia retrieves a couple of daggers and then hops in the saddle.
Eozindra leads Morik away to the bolt hole. Elysia and Ishi lead Elowin, Findal, and Adran back to the inn. As the two groups arrive at their destinations, they hear horns sounding in the distance: alarums blown when the Duke or his men arrived at the Castle Dungeons. Elysia sneaks into the inn first; they were fast enough, and more guards have not arrived. The inn’s staff have apparently fled, and thieves picking over the bodies of the guards outside scatter at the approach of mounted people (the heroes). No one has yet ventured inside; the party is able to retrieve their items. Findal has a LOT of stuff compared to the rest of you: a trunk full of books, a trunk full of sundries, and a trunk of clothes and valuables. Mostly he’s excited to be reunited with Peppercorn. He digs through the chests to pull out two books, a large pouch, and a small rucksack. "It pains me to leave the rest, but if I must…"
They leave just ahead of the arrival of a troop of guards, rounding the corner just as what sounds like at least a dozen mounted warriors arrive. Elysia leads the party along a winding route, and eventually has everyone dismount and release the horses as there is nothing the could work as a stable or could conceal all these horses caparisoned in the Duke’s colors. After a few more blocks, Elysia leads them down into an abandoned basement. Eozindra and Morik await them there.
As Findal examines the map and the guards throughout the city are put on high alert, the PCs rest and take stock of the situation. They’re safe here, for the time being. As they consider what to do next, each PC gains inspiration, the benefit of a long rest, and advances to level three!
