Alton's eyes widen slightly and he shakes his head "A changeling; a rat-man. There are legends among my people of men twisted by some sorcery to be both animals and men; they sneak into our villages in the dead of night to steal the young, using them to create more of their own kind."
DM Mothman:
Keildrithe and Nicolai, directed by Laithe through the Message spell, meet the others in the alley behind the inn. The knockers arrive, carrying the Devil Box between them.
Everyone is now together, excepting Kajetan.
"Laithe! Can you hear me now? Good."
"Nicolai! Laithe whispers excitedly as he once more hears the man's whispered voice in his head. "Are you and Keildrithe ok? I was getting worried." He listens to Nicolai's description of their chase before chiming in with their own. "We are ok here - Pharris killed one of the rat men, and I knocked the other from the roof and am in the process of tracking it. I think we've overstayed our welcome at the hotel though - Pharris and Alton have grabbed our gear, the knockers and the box lest the watch turn up. So don't head back there, meet us in the streets. Still no sign of Kajetan, of which I am worried.
"Laithe!" calls the girl, her hands full and the two knockers nearby.
"Where did he go?"She starts tapping one foot on the cobbles, resting the demon box against the other hip.
Having moved a little way up the road, but taking his time for Pharris and Alton to gather the knockers and the gear, Laithe quickly moves back and signals for the group to join him. He then heads back on the trail of the rat, talking quietly as he goes.
"Nicolai and Keildrithe are ok and heading this way. They lost the demon but have an idea where the lair may be. I've followed the trail of the ratman to where it seems to have transformed into the form of a large rat. Not sure if I will be able to follow the tracks further, though I can try. Perhaps it is a better option to head towards where Keildrithe and Nicolai tracked the lair too?"
Once the group is re-united, Laithe sets about trying to pick up and follow the path left by the man-turned-rat. He requests a torch or lantern off one of the others to help in his search.
Pharris keeps an eye on the way head and to each side, leaving the rear to Alton. She keeps stopping and starting forwards as the druid tracks.
"You know Laithe that I killed a partman-partrat thing and he turned back into a normal man again. Headless and dead. What gives?"
She makes sure that Raspit and Lumbie are happy to come along too. "You boys fine? Wouldn't want our favourite knockers getting down, would we?"
"You know Laithe that I killed a partman-partrat thing and he turned back into a normal man again. Headless and dead. What gives?"
Laithe is down on one knee, studying some marks on the ground when Pharris asks about the rat-man. He takes a moment to respond, and when he does, he does not look up from his study. "I don't know. Obviously there are those such as I who have the ability to change into animals, but these creatures seem different. I certainly don't have the ability to turn into a half-man, half-animal."
Standing, he now looks back at the warrior woman."They also seemed curiously resistent to weapons: I watched Alton skewer one of them and a lesser man would have fallen to the wound, but the creature barely flinched. And my bite did it very little harm. Though obviously they are not completely resistant - you handywork proved that!"
Tracking over hard ground – such as city streets – is as hard as it comes, but with Keildrithe’s help, and the dark alleys helpfully bathed in lantern-light, Laithe manages.
It helps that the creature, although small and fast, has made no effort to cover its tracks, and is still bleeding.
The trail (and therefore the ragtag group of adventurers and various hangers-on) move through the maze of narrow alleys and twisted streets, moving slowly whilst Laithe carefully searches for prints on the grime covered cobbles, spots of blood, disturbed pieces of trash that might mark the trail.
Turning a corner, the group comes upon a figure in a soiled night-gown, holding his head – it is Kajetan! His head is covered with blood, and he seems disoriented. Laithe sees that the rat’s trail comes a short way within this particular alley, seems to hesitate, then takes another way.
Nicholai grins as he and Keildrithe rejoin the others. Though he seems to pout briefly at Pharissa's fully-dressed armed & armored status.
"Um, yes. I don't know that we've actually found the devils lair." He says a little sheepishly. "But from the speed it managed to hide from us, and the fact that it was an area where at least one other body has been found, I thought it was likely, and too risky for just the two of us to be poking around looking for it."
He listens as Pharissa and Laithe discuss the man-rat creature, a thoughtful look on his face. "That sounds familiar,... like a tale I heard maybe?"
Nicolai:
But rat-men … yes, you’ve heard about them too, and tales of them are not unique to this part of the world. There was a story in Atus – disbelieved by most of course, but with perhaps a grain of truth to it – about a gang of thieves that lived in that cities labyrinthine sewer system … thieves that were not men, but humanoid rats, or shapechangers in some of the tales.
The clue here is that the creatures seem to be able to take three distinct forms; rat, man, and something in between. Lycanthropes, the old tales call this particular type of shapechanger … particularly dangerous in that their curse can be passed on through their bite, like a disease.
Laithe’s suggestion that the creatures seemed resistant to the bite of steel (or teeth for that matter) makes sense as well; lycanthropes, it is said, can shrug off wounds that would kill a mortal man, but are sorely hurt by the touch of silver.
Turning a corner, the group comes upon a figure in a soiled night-gown, holding his head – it is Kajetan! His head is covered with blood, and he seems disoriented.
Nicholai breaks into another grin at the discovery of his fellow caster.
"Kajetan! WHOoo! You look like you just went a few rounds with an outhouse! I hope the other guy looks worse!" The fastidious man wrinkles his nose with a smirk.
"Allow me to help. What happened? All I know is I woke up and you were gone!" As he speaks he makes a few gestures, then begins to wave his hand back and forth like a small broom in front of Kajetan without actually touching him. He does lose his customary smirk for a moment as he cleans the blood form the Wizard's head wound. The dirt flies from his garment in small puffs as Nicholai cleans it. He finishes with a small pinching motion, and there is a brief smell of,... flowers.
"Sorry." The dandy says as he covers his mouth with a handkerchief to hide his smile. "Just trying to help."
"Ah!" Nicholai declares, surprising the others in the midst of trying to be stealthy.
"Sorry, But I've finally placed that memory that was tickling my brain. I've heard stories of shapechangers of course, mostly wolves and bears and such, YOU certainly gave me a start the first time I saw your little trick Laithe!"
"Those stories are as old as man, but this region of the Empire – Thuringia – is particularly known for such stories. The hills around this town in particular are storied to be the hunting grounds of small bands of men with wolf heads."
"But rat-men … yes, I've heard about them too, and tales of them are not unique to this part of the world. There was a story in Atus – disbelieved by most of course, but with perhaps a grain of truth to it – about a gang of thieves that lived in that cities labyrinthine sewer system … thieves that were not men, but humanoid rats, or shapechangers in some of the tales."
"The clue that caught my attention is that the creatures seem to be able to take three distinct forms; rat, man, and something in between. Lycanthropes, the old tales call this particular type of shapechanger … particularly dangerous in that their curse can be passed on through their bite, like a disease."
"Laithe, your suggestion that the creatures seemed resistant to the bite of steel, or teeth for that matter, makes sense as well. Lycanthropes, it is said, can shrug off wounds that would kill a mortal man, but are sorely hurt by the touch of silver. So if anyone has any silvered daggers or arrows, that is what you want to use."
Pharris moves up and asks the one question that has been burning a hole since the attack started.
"How did they find us? I mean was this something that the imp was involved in organising. Perhaps he is in the sewers.."
The tall redhead puts the demon box down and rubs Kajetan's back. "I wish I had time to give you a big hug and a glass of wine. That's what you need."
"Maybe I should have my sword ready and someone else can carry this box? After all I have no silver weapons, maybe a few coins. What about holy water?"
She taps the stones and flicks an imaginary mark off her full thigh, impatient to get going.
"Maybe the imp was following us the whole time? Or these rat-men maybe."
"Yes." Pharris smiles at the master warrior, "thanks for clearing that up."
The greatsword comes out with a schwinngg then she goes over to Laithe ready to continue.
Pharris moves up and asks the one question that has been burning a hole since the attack started.
"How did they find us? I mean was this something that the imp was involved in organising. Perhaps he is in the sewers.."
"Ugh... please, no, let them not be hiding in the sewers," moans Keildrithe as he wrinkles his nose in disgust.
"Ugh... please, no, let them not be hiding in the sewers," moans Keildrithe as he wrinkles his nose in disgust.
Laithe grimaces at Keildrithe's comment, no more eagre to head below the streets than the bard. However, he is not quite ready to continue, wanting to hear from Kajetan how he ended up here in the street, and wondering why the ratman seemed to start this way, then take an alternate route? "It is good to see you are ok Kajetan - we were worried. What happened to you? How did you arrive here?"
Nicolai’s cantrip cleans Kajetan up – including the blood around the head wound, which appears more than superficial, but probably not life threatening. It has certainly muddled the man though, who appears rather dazed and incoherent. He mutters something about the latrine, and being bumped on the head, and dragged and a rat … then bends over and throws up.
Laithe continues to follow the trail through the wakening city; the few folk traversing these alleys on their way to work (or on the way home from late night festivities) give the motley group a wide berth. The trail leads, via back-ways, into the same general neighbourhood that Keildrithe and Nicolai followed the fiend into.
Laithe almost loses the spoor when it cuts out of the alley-ways and onto the busy street by the river, but manages to pick it up on the other side, where the prints descend down a steep, narrow space between two buildings that sit almost on the water, to the riverbank itself. The group hurries across the street, ignoring the stares of early-morning passersby, and heads down to the river.
Here, the cobbled street sits at an elevation some fifteen feet above the water, and is spaced a little away from the river itself, allowing a row of buildings to sit between the street and the river. Some of these buildings may once have been grand houses overlooking the water – but this part of the town is no longer grand, it appears to be a very working class district, and the large houses have been converted to other uses; a tenement, a warehouse, an orphanage and other such.
The buildings have their front doors up at street level, with a cellar level below that sits at the level of the lower bank. Spaces between the buildings follow the steep slope down to the water – some of these spaces are paved (though now much weed infested) and contain steep and crooked stairways down to the water, whilst others are just hard-packed clay slopes, filled with weeds and rubbish.
The prints continue along the narrow, muddy bank of the river – easier for Laithe to track now, but horrible to follow, as everyone’s boots become encrusted with clayey mud, and all must push through reeds and skirt around thistle bushes and split bags of old rubbish.
The tracks pass the back of several old buildings, until they disappear into one of several holes in the river bank at the base of an old, lichen crusted brick wall – the rear wall of one of the buildings along the bank.
The holes – about half a dozen of them, half hidden amongst the weeds and thorn bushes – are about seven or eight inches in diameter, and appear to be the entrance to a series of long, narrow, twisted tunnels in the hard-packed clay. They would be impossible for a grown man to navigate … a small child (or a humanoid of similar stature) might just manage it, but it would be an extremely tight squeeze, and there would be no hope of turning about or fighting once within.
The nearby wall rises about fifty feet at this point (at the rear of the building), meaning the building is probably two or three stories high above the (higher) street level up the slope. It presents a face about eighty feet long to the river bank. Up above, at what would be street level on the other side, some areas of slightly differently coloured brickwork show where some windows have been bricked up in the past. Up above those some forty feet or so above the level of the bank are three small, closed windows with dirty glass panes.
The brick walls are grey, dirty, crumbling in places, and covered with lichen and a few sickly strands of ivy at low level. Other buildings of similar size crowd this one to left and right; on the left (facing the building from the bank) a ten foot wide space slopes down steeply from the street, crowded with old rubbish. To the right, a narrow stone staircase, slippery with moss, rises back up to street level.
It is difficult to tell what the building is used for from this vantage, but it appears to be inhabited – two thin streams of smoke or steam rise up from chimneys on the roof, into the lightening sky above.
"Wonderful." Nicholai mutters he uses what little time is left on his cantrip to remove the blocks of muck now caked onto his boots.
"So, have we discovered their hideout? Or is this simply a hidey-hole that they use? Is that them by the fire, or do they have innocents above? I thought I saw a sign denoting one of these buildings was an orphanage. As much as I would love to torch the building and blast the ratters as they scurry out, I don't really relish the thought of taking out half of this block with it."
He puffs a lock of his hair away from his face in frustration.
"Perhaps we can block these small holes, preventing them an easy escape, while we enter through the front and back doors?" He shrugs his shoulders.
"I'm not a strategist. I'm just trying to come up with something practical. I'm willing to bet that they aren't expecting us to have found them. At least not yet. So whatever we decide to do, we should do it swiftly."
"Wonderful." Nicholai mutters he uses what little time is left on his cantrip to remove the blocks of muck now caked onto his boots.
"So, have we discovered their hideout? Or is this simply a hidey-hole that they use? Is that them by the fire, or do they have innocents above? I thought I saw a sign denoting one of these buildings was an orphanage. As much as I would love to torch the building and blast the ratters as they scurry out, I don't really relish the thought of taking out half of this block with it."
He puffs a lock of his hair away from his face in frustration.
"Perhaps we can block these small holes, preventing them an easy escape, while we enter through the front and back doors?" He shrugs his shoulders.
"I'm not a strategist. I'm just trying to come up with something practical. I'm willing to bet that they aren't expecting us to have found them. At least not yet. So whatever we decide to do, we should do it swiftly."
"Hmmm, not a bad idea," nods Keildrithe in response to Nicolai's suggestion, while looking enviously (not to mention expectantly) at the sorcerer's clean boots. "Anyone willing to volunteer to stuff clay and rubbish into the holes? And is anyone feeling nimble enough to scale the wall up to those high windows, or perhaps even onto the roof?"
As they make their way along the barren water's edge, Laithe grows increasingly agitated and incensed. After a while he shares his growing anger with his companions. Gesturing to the muddy waste around them he says "This is exactly why the exansion of the Artonite's should be opposed! They have managed to transform what was no doubt once a beautiful and leafy spot by the river into this gods-forsaken mud waste by the uncaring nature. So much for "civilisation". My people would never have allowed such a tragedy to occur.
"Perhaps we can block these small holes, preventing them an easy escape, while we enter through the front and back doors?" He shrugs his shoulders.I'm not a strategist. I'm just trying to come up with something practical. I'm willing to bet that they aren't expecting us to have found them. At least not yet. So whatever we decide to do, we should do it swiftly."
Laithe spends some time studying the building before venturing a reply. "It would certainly be a wise choice to block up these holes before venturing inside. I'm not a huge fan of splitting though; I think we should stick together as much as possible. Though I itch to bust right in and take the fight to them, I also wonder if we are ready? That last fight expended most of my remaining magic, and showed that my weapons and teeth have limited effect against the rat-creatures. And remember, the demons seem to have the ability to turn invisible at will, putting us at further disadvantage."
"It may be wiser to hole up nearby, watch and rest, and make a move on them in the afternoon, or even tomorrow morning?"
Having cleaned the gunk off of his own boots, Nicholai's mood seems much improved. Noting Keildrithe's pointed look, Nicholai raises an eyebrow and with a muttered "Ah, yes, sorry," Proceeds to clean his boots as well. He then offers the same service to the others. As he finishes Pharris' boots, he looks up, and UP at the tall warrior woman with a charming grin. Whatever almost-clever remark he might have intended to make is fortunately interrupted by the observations of Laithe.
"It would certainly be a wise choice to block up these holes before venturing inside. I'm not a huge fan of splitting though; I think we should stick together as much as possible. Though I itch to bust right in and take the fight to them, I also wonder if we are ready? That last fight expended most of my remaining magic, and showed that my weapons and teeth have limited effect against the rat-creatures. And remember, the demons seem to have the ability to turn invisible at will, putting us at further disadvantage."
"It may be wiser to hole up nearby, watch and rest, and make a move on them in the afternoon, or even tomorrow morning?"
Frowning thoughtfully, and somehow managing to make it look like he's doing something important, Nicholai ends up nodding at Laithe's words.
"I have to agree with you. I'm not exhausted yet by any means, but I've already cast over half of the magic I would risk channeling in a single day in a couple of minutes, and then ran across what feels like half the city. If we could be assured it would be a short fight I would risk it. But to chance a prolonged battle running up and down an entire building, and risk it running back into the street again,... and without your blessings to aid in our recovery,..." He shakes his head.
"Even if none of us are injured, if they get away again we have no guarantee that they will be accommodating enough to lead us directly to their next hiding spot. Waiting and watching would be prudent. Setting a trap for them would be better. But that will be difficult to do on their own grounds."
The sorcerer waves his handkerchief in front of his nose to ward off the smell from the detritus on the bank as he ponders the back of the building. He turns to Laithe with a speculative look.
"Laithe, did it seem to you that the rat-men, were-rats, whatever, didn't seem to shrug off my magic blasts as easily as they did our weapons? Perhaps their resistance to damage can be pierced by more than just silver? There ARE spells I have seen used that can make one's weapon briefly magical. I don't know any such charms myself, and I don't know what he has in his spellbook," He says indicating the still incoherent wizard. "But can you ask the goddess for a charm to make your weapons magical, or better yet, your teeth?" He asks with a grin.
"I also dislike splitting up, but perhaps if we left the 2 or 3 stealthiest of our group here to watch and observe, the rest of us not capable of sitting still for prolonged periods could scavenge the shops for silver weapons and meet back here? Maybe even wait until they have left, then sneak in and be waiting for them when they return?"
The holes would probably be fairly easy to block with clay and rubbish – both of which are in plentiful supply along this stretch of river-bank. The trick of course would be to pack them tightly enough that they cannot be quickly dug through or pushed out … oh, and make sure you get them all. A quick search around revealed five holes but there may well be more hidden around the area, amongst the weeds and rubbish.
It seems a reasonable assumption that at least some of the holes lead under, or into the basement of the adjacent building, given their placement … though of course it is possible that they may twist their way elsewhere as well.
The wall is probably scalable (by a reasonably skilled climber), but the windows are fairly small, and it is not clear if they are openable. If they are, a small person might be able to squeeze through, or the panes and timber frames could possibly be smashed to allow egress by a larger person.
Of course, whilst this wall is sheltered from the street, it is quite exposed to the opposite river bank, where there are some small docks and warehouses. While there are only a handful of people about at the moment, it will probably get quite busy over there a little later in the day.
Alton sighs as he looks up at the wall and the windows "I guess I'd be the logical choice to climb up there, when the time comes."
"Resting might be prudent; for one thing, having non-combatants around when we go in might not be the best idea. And I don't fancy the idea of going into a fight without Laithe's healing gifts."
Alton sighs a little again "And I suppose if we want to keep watch, I'd be a logical choice for that too. If I shaved a little, smudged my face up, and wore different clothes I might make a passable orphan. Laithe, how would you feel about being my faithful hound for a few hours?"
"We should get these holes blocked up right away, and search the vicinty for more. Also, there's a technique used by hunters sometimes; if their quarry escapes into a tunnel, they light a fire so that the smoke goes into the tunnel. That way, their prey is either forced to go out or asphixiate. Just something to keep in mind for later."
Alton considers the holes for a moment "How easily could someone get me some broken glass? As a bit of a deterrent should they try to unblock them."
Laithe listens to Nicolai and Laithe's suggestions, nodding to each in turn. Before replying, he bids the group move away from their current position, so they are a little less obvious.
As they move, he replies to Nicolai first "Your magic was indeed far more effective than my weapons, though in fairness I figure it probably would have had similarly devastating effects on a human! Ehlonna can indeed grant me some magic which may help; another of the reasons I would like to wait before we move." On the talk of magic weapons, another thought occurs to him. He turns to Alton.
"Alton, I believe you carry a dagger which is imbued with some magic; found in the valley of Snails? Perhaps this would be of use?"
When asked about accompanying Alton in dog form, Laithe nods. "I can take virtually any form; though the wolf is obviously my favoured. I can certainly take on the form of a hound and accompany you as a street urchin and his dog. It makes sense, and may allow us to get a little closer without attracting attention."
"We should get these holes blocked up right away, and search the vicinty for more. Also, there's a technique used by hunters sometimes; if their quarry escapes into a tunnel, they light a fire so that the smoke goes into the tunnel. That way, their prey is either forced to go out or asphixiate. Just something to keep in mind for later."
"I'm not sure if we should block these holes up yet; i'm hoping they don't know that we've found their hideout yet, but if we block the holes before we are ready to act, they will know something is up."
Turning to the magic users he adds. "On top of offensive spells, anything which will help reveal invisible creatures and/or restrict flight would be of use. The only reason the demon escaped us originally in the Valley of the Snails was because it could turn invisible and fly; a combination making it extremely difficult to lock down."
"If it's rest time then do we have enough wealth left to buy a silvered weapon for Alton. He is our best fighter."
Pharris pays little or no attention to the general planning once people start discussing waiting.
"We should get these holes blocked up right away, and search the vicinty for more. Also, there's a technique used by hunters sometimes; if their quarry escapes into a tunnel, they light a fire so that the smoke goes into the tunnel. That way, their prey is either forced to go out or asphixiate. Just something to keep in mind for later.""I'm not sure if we should block these holes up yet; i'm hoping they don't know that we've found their hideout yet, but if we block the holes before we are ready to act, they will know something is up."
Turning to the magic users he adds. "On top of offensive spells, anything which will help reveal invisible creatures and/or restrict flight would be of use. The only reason the demon escaped us originally in the Valley of the Snails was because it could turn invisible and fly; a combination making it extremely difficult to lock down."
"Agreed. We shouldn't do anything to let them know that we've found out where they hang their hats,... er, whatever. We should only block them when we're ready to move in. Probably with two groups, one each in the front and back. And I think lighting a fire in one or more of the holes before we 'knock' is a splendid idea!" Nicholai says with a devilish grin.
"C'mon, Let's get out of here before we're spotted. There can't be too much traffic here normally." He says looking around at the opposite bank, then back to the windows of the building nervously.
"I don't like being this exposed."
"I have some money but we may need more to get a silver weapon." Pharris shows a small pouch with several platinum pieces.
"I can take a walk while the spellcasters have their rest." She shrugs.
"I have some money but we may need more to get a silver weapon." Pharris shows a small pouch with several platinum pieces.
"I can take a walk while the spellcasters have their rest." She shrugs.
"Sadly I have little I can contribute in terms of coin" Laithe laments to Pharris's suggestion.
"If you plan to go out, take at least one other with you. I would suggest that of everyone" he says, turning to the others. "I think we it safer that we not head out alone."
Nicholai nods as he looks around at the backs of the other buildings on the block.
"Yes, we should get out of sight quickly. I have a feeling that the ratters in there are not the only ones looking for us by now. I'm sure the watch is on our heels as well. If only because they want to hear a story about how a headless man appeared on the good innkeeper's doorstep!"
Pharris helps search for a suitable rest spot. "I have no qualms about finding a silver blade. I can alter my appearance a little, if necessary."
The girl pulls out a makeup kit and soon the red hair is tightly plaited ion loops around her head, severe and like a hat covering her ears.
She then works at the eyes, using sharp lines and colours to make a more vampish look.
Heading back to the nearby streets and looking about, Keildrithe and Laithe spy a building that may suit their needs. It is not within sight of the building by the river, but is not far away, in a nearby alley.
The small, narrow house looks like it has been gutted by fire sometime in the past. The fire-blackened front door hangs ajar, most of the roof has collapsed, and the windows are empty, staring holes with no shutters or panes.
Still, it should provide some visual shelter from the street, and it is almost certainly abandoned.
Keildrithe:
Pharris, how and where do you plan to go about gathering information?
Keildrithe is quite pleased at the good fortune they have had in spotting what appears to be a reasonably good hiding place. "As for silver weapons... I've been giving it some thought, and I would expect that silver weapons would be extremely rare in this town. We're all more than familiar with the Artonite prejudice against magic, which means that the alchemical secret of bonding silver to steel has likely been lost, or is no longer practiced here. Any silver weapons to be found in Lichford likely will be heirlooms, probably in the possession of wealthy or superstitious warriors. I don't imagine they'll be too keen to part with their heirlooms... although I would imagine that if someone might be able to pursuade them to do so, it would be Pharris..." This last statement he mutters without much enthusiasm.
"I don't suppose that a Karand such as myself, who does not speak Thuringian, would have much luck trying to persuade a wealthy nobleman or warrior's wife to discretely let me borrow a family heirloom..."
(A bit of back tracking)
Kajetan mumbles his thanks at Nicolai as he cleans him up, looking around dazed and confused as he mumbles out his explanation for going missing.
As they cross the mud, he gets sucked in and has to be helped to cross the deepest gluiest part.
His head slowly clears and he contributes to the conversation.
"Since you first told me of your encounters with the winged devils I have studied the book we received from the witch doctor and I think I can be of help when we encounter it again. I can make the invisible appear and I can also sway the minds of men and other humanoids," he pauses, confused, "are these rat men still humanoids?"
"Nicolai, do you think you could use that spell of yours to get rid of this?" Alton asks, gesturing to his slight stubble. "I might not make such a convincing urchin if I have stubble."
To Keildrithe he says "Might the Church also maintain a small supply of silver weapons? They could be tricky to get at, but maybe a possibility."
"I'll go and see the weaponsmiths and then move onto more specialist crafters after that, if needed. It may take a while but I don't need the kind of rest a spellcaster requires."
Pharris shrugs off Keildrithe's negativity. "We stand a better chance of success here than in the wilderness. Anyway what about wealth, does anyone have anything for a silver weapon?"
"I'll go and see the weaponsmiths and then move onto more specialist crafters after that, if needed. It may take a while but I don't need the kind of rest a spellcaster requires."
Pharris shrugs off Keildrithe's negativity. "We stand a better chance of success here than in the wilderness. Anyway what about wealth, does anyone have anything for a silver weapon?"
"I can offer 31 gold coins, but that will leave me with only a few coppers and silvers to my name... but if you need them to purchase a silver blade, Pharris, then I will be happy to part with them," replies Keildrithe, evidently feeling self-conscious and guilty for having burst the amazon's bubble of optimism.
Alton sighs "I'm afraid I only have a a few coins to my name. Four, to be precise."
"are these rat men still humanoids?"
To Keildrithe he says "Might the Church also maintain a small supply of silver weapons? They could be tricky to get at, but maybe a possibility."
Knowledge, Local, DC 17+
Knowledge, Religion 15+ OR Knowledge, Local 20+
Two, magic was not always so frowned on by the Church, and silver weapons were once quite popular. It is likely that there are still quite a few floating about, perhaps used for ceremonial or decorative purposes within major churches;
Three, in a similar vein to the above, it is quite possible that martial heroes of the past would have been buried with their weapons … including, perhaps, weapons of silver.
Knowledge, Religion OR Knowledge, Local OR Knowledge, History OR Bardic Knowledge 25+
Knowledge, Local (only) 18+