Plotting Escape at High Tide

A corrupt group took control of the castle of Daumer following the unexpected death of Emperor Marcel IX. This was against tradition and many people protested it. There had always been one Emperor, not several rulers. Public protest was quickly silenced when the new ruling party announced a law forbidding dissent.

A small band of protesters started an underground resistance with the goal of overthrowing the ruling party when the time was right. They worked out of several locations, mostly under the cover of night. A plan was in motion. During the Festival of Radiance on the second anniversary of Emperor Marcel IX's death they would infiltrate the Royal Court and hold it by force.

On the eve of the festival, soldiers raided the Resistance meeting houses. Dozens were arrested on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the ruling party. They were marched down the winding stairwell into the dungeon. A gallows was erected atop the seaside cliff to make a public example of them. The dungeon itself was built into the cliff, such that the lower levels were partially submerged during high tide.

The Keykeep was an evil, ruthless person. After he locked each person in their cell he encouraged the guards to abuse them however they saw fit. Then he walked away laughing to himself. The guards were also cruel. They delighted in torturing others.

The leader of the Resistance quickly hatched an escape plan. She spread word to the other prisoners - at high tide they would overwhelm the guards and jump into the sea. What she neglected to account for was the increased number of guards. The ruling party tripled the amount of protection so nothing would go wrong.

The Resistance did break out of their cells. But they were no match for the well-armed guards. Many died in the damp passageways. The survivors were shackled and immediately marched to the gallows to be made example of. The townspeople gathered for this spectacle, many of them crying and feeling hopeless. The Resistance was their one chance at being free from tyranny. And they had failed.

One by one each of the prisoners were executed. Their bodies were dropped into the waters below, forgotten to time. But the spirit of resistance lives on...