Dragoncat |
"The sharks..." Raksi looks down at the floor and her whiskers droop. "...precious creatures, but being misled for reasons unknown to me." She looks up at Demitri. "Weapons that pierce the waters would serve you well--spears, knives, anything that can be used to stab a beast."
"And... may I ask something else of you?"
Karri Chouk |
Karri flushes bright red, embarrassed and terrified all at once. Kasdaye laughs and laughs in her head. Nausea churns in her stomach and she barely manages to blurt out, "Excuse me."
As the conversation moves to fighting the sharks Karri suggests, "Maybe we could chum somewhere and let the sharks sort themselves out?" Still laughing at her slip, Kasdaye chimes in with a suggestion too, Of course, fleshling, there are plenty of orphans you could throw into the water! I like the way you're thinking on this one! Tears well up in Karri's eyes at the horror he is suggesting. Hoping that no one notices her emotional state she busies herself checking her pouches, for what, probably nothing. Yesterday was too much, I was too tired, Legion got too close to being me!
Dragoncat |
"Of course."
Raksi nods in gratitude. "When you find the nest, and my kin with it... could you please spare them, if possible? They are scared, naïve--they want better lives for themselves, but know not how."
"Maybe we could chum somewhere and let the sharks sort themselves out?"
Raksi puts her claw on her chin. "Hmm. Could perhaps succeed. Even if sharks are bound to another, their instincts have their final say on what their actions will be."
Ortik Gutterrat |
"I might be able to intercede with the sharks as well," Ortik says. "Find out who - or what - is compelling them to circle the ship. And of course, any of your kin who wish mercy I will grant. I'm sure your people and mine could work out some useful arrangements."
Dragoncat |
Raksi's nose twitches. "He ministers to those above, as I do for those below. If he has not spoken of me, it is because I asked him not to; I feared some of his kin would not be as open-minded as he."
"My thanks once again for proving such fears unfounded." She taps her oaken staff on the floor as her grey rat skitters to the door. "Now, I have told you all I can--you must leave. Time is precious--squander it not here."
Dragoncat |
The party sets out from Raksi's home, following her little grey rat as it leads them through Korvosa's expansive sewer passages. The rat leads you to a ladder that's in slightly better condition than the last one the party climbed down, and watches as they ascend to the streets above.
-------------------
The party emerges north of South Shore, on Pillar Hill Boulevard. Several people gawk at them as they pass by, and many more hurry past you while going out of their way to avoid making contact with you. Coming down the street is a pair of Queen's Physicians, escorted by a pair of Grey Maidens and a patrol of three Korvosan Guards. Behind them is a wagon containing several crates, each of them bearing the strong smell of vinegar.
Off to the market?
Karri Chouk |
Karri wipes the filth of the sewer off onto the hem of her robes. "Disgusting place." Noting the physicians she says, And something tells me it's not much better up here. We should go."
Ortik Gutterrat |
To market, to market, to kill a wererat!
"And with haste," Ortik added, scraping the muck from his boots on a nearby stoop. "An alliance with those who dwell beneath Korvosa's streets would be invaluable." Though it sounds like there already was one between Raksi and Hartleby, Ortik said bitterly to himself.
Dragoncat |
Nobody challenges the party as they make their way to the Gold Market of Midland, but as they move, it becomes apparent that even with the Physicians handing out their remedies, the situation is becoming more and more grim by the day. Alleys between stone buildings are lined with corpses covered in stained tarps, and overseen by squads of Grey Maidens as they put them to the torch. Every single window and door on the streets is closed and darkened, with only slight movements within being any sign of life beyond them; whether they're from citizens cowering in their homes or less savoury sorts looking for trouble is unknown.
Reaching a manhole in the nearly-vacant market square, the party opens it and descends once again into the darkness.
A curious sight greets them as they descend--a jagged gap in the stone wall can be seen from the ladder some 20 feet away.
Karri Chouk |
Karri's eyes glow in the dim light, she mutters something unintelligible and summons enough of Legion to put as a smear on Ortik's shield, doubling the illumination. She offers no further comment, her will is focused on holding Legion close, and at bay. Almost as an afterthought, she whispers, Let's find this rat and be done here - Legion wants to play rough... Her shouders twitch a few times but steady as she maintains her hold.
Dragoncat |
Peering through the gap, Demitri finds a rough-hewn stone cave, with foul sewer slime pooling near its centre before continuing through a crude channel in the western wall. Fat black mushrooms and other disgusting fungus grow thick around the pool of slime. Several low alcoves are cut into the walls, each filled with moldering hay, filthy furs, and tiny bones.
Peeking around the corner are three ratfolk with crossbows and knives, two of them playing with a pair of oversized rats and the other looking on with a measure of irritation.
Dragoncat |
Rounding the corner, Demitri's light shines through an iron sewer grate that looks surprisingly solid, despite all the rust covering it. A steady flow of sewage is coming through a man-sized crack in the northern wall beyond, oozing into the greater flow of tainted water. A hulking pile of filth and debris partially blocks the stream of offal, a cart-sized clot in this disgusting artery.
An otyugh is sleeping on the pile of garbage in the sewer water... and upon closer inspection, Demitri can see that there are still remains of what appear to be tanglefoot bag goo on its legs and one of its tentacles.
Demitri Severin |
Okay, time for plan B.
Demitri walks back to the first crack in the wall and attempts to walk past the ratfolk undisturbed. If any of them look at him or look ready to attack, he will advise against it. "Stay back and it will hurt less than if you didn't."
Intimidate: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14 +4 for being bigger than them?
Karri Chouk |
Karri winces at nothing, then puts her hand on the slime covered wall to steady herself. She shakes her head and then rights herself, her composure back to normal - except the flickering in her eyes.
Assuming Nalun takes his place moving in right after Demitri...
Karri waits a moment before following the two men into the ad hoc guard room. She wonders about the oversized mushroom, A shrieker? Why do they call it that?
Dragoncat |
Yep, you get the +4 to Intimidate from the size difference.
The ratfolk guards suddenly look up as Demitri makes his presence known, with Nalun's bulk lending credence to his claim. The dire rats take one look at him and stop in their tracks.
"Wh-who are YOU? How'd you find us?!" One of them speaks up, nervously pointing his crossbow at Demitri. His arms are shaking, though whether that's from the oversized crossbow in his hands or from fear is unknown.
One of the dire rats starts inching towards the shrieker on the southern wall.
Dragoncat |
The ratfolk squeaks, then motions to the creeping dire rat to stop moving while lowering his crossbow. His comrades give him dubious looks before lowering their weapons as well.
"Don't know of no ratfolk that swiped no cash--we just keep watch for the warren. All topside ventures are conducted by the One-Who-Walks and his brothers." The ratfolk's nose twitches wildly as he speaks. "They didn't say nothin' about how surfacers could track us--how'd you find us, anyway? They said we would be hidden well enough here!"
Dragoncat |
The ratfolk turns pensive. "Come to think of it... well, he HAS given us these." He raises his oversized crossbow. "But we don't really know how to use 'em that well--we're more used to much smaller weapons. Hell, we can barely lift them."
"I'd much rather have the money he owes us instead..."
Ortik Gutterrat |
"If money's all you lack, then there may be a solution here that benefits everyone." He gives a small smirk as he watches the dire rats scurrying about on the floor, and reaches into his backpack to find a snack for them, setting it down a few paces away. "How much jink are we talking?"
Dragoncat |
"Uh..." The ratfolk seems genuinely puzzled by the question. "...well, they just promised us great wealth and a chance to make the surfacers recognize us for who we are. They didn't say anything specific."
The other ratfolk purse their lips and sigh. One looks down at the ground in embarrassment, and another starts fidgeting, unable to look anyone in the eyes.
Ortik Gutterrat |
"Well, I won't be able to help with the former all that much, but as to the latter, I've a friend topsy that speaks with your clutchmate Raksi. Now, I'd be willing to bend both their ears to see what we can do to improve relations between the topsies and the undersies - better living conditions, less intrusion into your affairs, if that be your wish. But as long as One-Who-Walks is around, all he'll be doing is causing strife. Help us take care of him, stabilize things in Korvosa Below in a manner that befits us all, and we can see about addressing your grievances."
Then he parses through the ratfolk's words again. "Wait...they. Who else does One-Who-Walks have with him?"
Dragoncat |
"Where is the One-Who-Walks now?"
"He's deeper in the warren." The ratfolk wrings his claws, still unable to look anyone in the eyes. "He's been hiding ever since his... well, his henchmen captured that otyugh."
"Well, I won't be able to help with the former all that much, but as to the latter, I've a friend topsy that speaks with your clutchmate Raksi. Now, I'd be willing to bend both their ears to see what we can do to improve relations between the topsies and the undersies - better living conditions, less intrusion into your affairs, if that be your wish. But as long as One-Who-Walks is around, all he'll be doing is causing strife. Help us take care of him, stabilize things in Korvosa Below in a manner that befits us all, and we can see about addressing your grievances."
The ratfolk all promptly turn their heads toward Ortik. "Mother Raksi? But I thought she abandoned us--she sent you to us?"
The news appears to have inspired something in the warren guards. "The One-Who-Walks and his mongrel brethren have been lying to us ever since we followed them... certainly. We'll help you stop him."
Wait...they. Who else does One-Who-Walks have with him?"
"Aside from his comrades? Most of the rest of the warren guards him. They were the most gullible & desperate. They follow him out of fear--of him, or the otyugh he captured." A different ratfolk speaks up, drumming his fingers on the hilt of his knife. "But fear only goes so far, doesn't it?"