Devan leapt across the sludge, but instead of uselessly trying to outperform the shrieking mushroom, he instead set his blade at the ready, intending to skewer any of the enemies that wandered within reach.
Guard Post - Round 3 - concluded
22 Blue Wererat (17hp dmg)
18 Yellow Wererat
15 Nargun
14 Atticus (prone)
13 Twilight
11 Red Wererat (5hp dmg)
10 Mirela
10 Whisper (3hp dmg)
10 Orange Wererat
8 Green Wererat
8 Devan (16hp dmg)
5 Green Dire Rat
Leaping away from the snapping rat jaws, and clearing the filthy stream, Devan still cannot hear himself think, and rather than trying to play, he merely waves his rapier around a bit, ready to fight if one of the lycanthropes closes in.
Hurt badly, Green Rat bites at the dwarf. More of a scratch really, and the effort causes the wounded rat to expire, and Nargun barely notices.
End of Round 3
Guard Post - Round 4
18 Yellow Wererat
15 Nargun (1hp dmg)
14 Atticus (prone)
13 Twilight
10 Mirela
10 Whisper (3hp dmg)
10 Orange Wererat
9 Purple Wererat
9 Rat Swarm
8 Green Wererat
8 Devan (16hp dmg)
Reloading and firing, Yellow Wererat shoots at Nargun who just decimated his ally. The bolt flies true, narrowly missing the dwarf's face, but sticking in his shoulder instead.
Grinning (with a bolt stuck in his shoulder), Nargun advances and strikes again, putting all his might in the blow as usual.
If it hits, the axe will do serious damage.
Whisper whirls around and snaps at the wererat that is threatening her.
Meanwhile Mirela meanwhile quickly snaps off two shots at the strange purple mushroom that is making so much racket.
We do be needing to be able to talk to resolve this peacefully!
Seeing Devan's wounds, Twilight briefly considered moving to heal him, however this would have her standing in the fetid stream.
Instead, she raised her wand once more and attempted to render the vermin senseless.
Guard Post - Round 4 - concluded
Nargun steps up and chops at the nearest wererat, his footing nearly costing him, but the lycanthrope ducks back just in time, and the axe only catches its whiskers, narrowly missing.
Atticus stands from prone on the slippery ground. He shrugs off his backpack to improve his balance and moves forward straddling the nasty stream.
Whisper growls and attacks the nearest rat, but cannot hit. Mirela fires a pair of normal arrows at the shrieking mushroom and the noise cuts off with a startling silence.
Twilight activates her wand again, trying to disrupt at least one of the several wererat guards. The enchantment works well, freezing Green in place for a few precious seconds.
Orange wererat advances, right into the readied attack by Devan. Unfortunately, his attack misses the rat, and the attacker strikes Devan hard, pushing past his parry attempt and wounding the bard/swordsman severely.
From the neighboring cave, another rat guard arrives, firing his short bow at Atticus. The arrow just misses.
End of Round 4
Guard Post - Round 5
18 Yellow Wererat
15 Nargun (4hp dmg)
14 Atticus
13 Twilight
10 Mirela
10 Whisper (3hp dmg)
8 Devan (26hp dmg)
10 Orange Wererat
9 Purple Wererat
9 Rat Swarm
8 Green Wererat (dazed)
Yellow Wererat advances 5' and then attacks Nargun with his short blade and bite. The steel clangs off Nargun' armor and the bite is rebuffed with a stiff arm from the dwarf.
Whisper snaps again at the wererat while it is dodging the swing from Nargun
Meanwhile Mirela gasps Devan! as she sees another blow strike home on her lover. Quickly she fires at the creature that hit him trying to keep the bard safe. (Orange)
As she watches the arrow fly she calls out. 'Ware the crack! Lots of things do be coming!
Devan's cry of pain echoed in the chamber as the shrieking mushroom suddenly fell silent, the pain flaring up and joining the already terrible burning in his shoulder where the bolt had struck. He heard Mirela's worried tone, and was able to hear the sound of scurrying feet, as well. This was going to get uglier. Squaring up, he thrust again at the rat-man, trying to remember his lessons with Orisini.
Nargun stands his ground and strikes at the werecreature
The dwarf's axe buries itself deep in the wererat's skull, in one swift and powerful motion.
As the wererat get down on his knees, you start to hope he is dead on the spot, because Nargun twist his wrist once or twice to free his axe, doing even more damage on his foe's brain.
Nargun's grin widens and becomes even more unsettling, macabre.
You've been witness to the quite mad dwarf power and skill at arms...You know how much pain he can endure, and even of much more pain he can deliver.
But it never got so far like this.
Whay makes it even worse is that Nargun doesn't seem caught in one of his battle Frenzy...he's as calm and composed as he might be.
What had looked like a quick little skirmish was quickly becoming a protracted assault. While Nargun seemed to be in his element down here in the tunnels, Devan was not.
Twilight took both wand in one hand and while gingerly skipping across the stream of filth, drew a third. stepping in behind Devan she uttered the command phrase and applied the glowing energy to the battered bard.
The energy was anemic, barely slowing the bleeding from his wounds. Perhaps it was her growing resentment at using a wand that compelled her to advocate for another deity that hindered its potency. That would all change in time.
Guard Post - Round 5 - concluded
As more wererats crowd into the room, Nargun nearly obliterates the one nearest him. He seems not bothered at all by the shower of blood and gore he takes from his axe-work. Unlike other times where he reverted to a cold-killing machine, this time he seems in his rationale mind, which may be even worse.
Atticus steps to the other bank of the slow-moving sewer and swings his polearm at Orange, Standing firmly on the bank, the Professor scores a hit and wounds the lead wererat despite its resistance to normal weapons.
With the shrieker out of action, Twilight could use her offensive spells, but instead taps Devan with the healing wand, which gives only the tiniest bit of relief to the wounded bard.
Whisper continues attacking but her bite misses against any of the wererats. Mirela hits the front wererat with another silver-tipped arrow, the shaft sinking into the chest of the lycanthrope who is hurt badly now.
Wounded and off-balance from the slippery footing, Devan manages to hit the Orange rat-man, but his rapier strike barely seems to faze the target as if it didn't even feel it.
Hurt and bleeding, Orange wererat makes one violent lunge at Devan trying to strike with sword and land a bite at the same time. Devan is able to parry the wererats stroke, and flip his defense into another attack but again there seems to be no damage dealt.
Purple wererat casts down his bow and draws his shortsword advancing to attack the bloody Nargun. However the rat slips in the mire, and goes down flat, face first in the stream of filth and prone in front of the enemy.
From the small cracks to the north, the scurrying of feet turns into a writhing mass of tiny rats, swarming out of the openings in the rock, and all over the nearest target, the Professor. Atticus is covered with bites and scratches and the horror of it all distracts him as all he can do is brush off the tiny critters and scream.
His mental clarity returning, Green wererat attacks the closest target, which is Whisper. Nearly wiping out, the lycanthrope fighter cannot gather himself well for a telling attack on the wolf, and misses.
End of Round 4
Guard Post - Round 6
15 Nargun (4hp dmg)
14 Atticus (1hp dmg, nauseated)
13 Twilight
10 Mirela
10 Whisper (3hp dmg)
8 Devan (24hp dmg)
10 Orange Wererat (112hp dmg)
9 Purple Wererat (prone)
9 Rat Swarm
8 Green Wererat
Whisper steps up and tries to trip the Green Wererat that just threatened him.
As she sees the carnage in the room Mirela exclaims.
Why must it come to this!? We just be coming 'ere to talk!
Then seeing the hoard of rats coming in she calls out in a loud voice.
Professor just move away!
Then holding her bow in one hand with her free hand Mirela pulls out her wooden holy symbol and presents it's boldly saying.
In the Name of the Stag God, rest little ones!
Devan backed off a step at Mirela's exclamation, calming himself and forcing reason to prevail over the rush of the fight. Holding his weapon at the ready, he called out to the remaining wererats after the priestess turned her attention to the rat swarm.
"We just came to talk to Girrigz! There's no need for further bloodshed." The bard didn't hold out much hope that his words would sway the creatures, but it was worth a shot.
Guard Post - Round 6 - continued
As hundreds of swarming rats pour into the room, Mirela invokes her deity, a god of nature, and tries to calm the rampaging rodents. As if by listening ot an inaudible piper, the rats stop as one, whiskers and ears twitching, but no longer on the rampage.
Whisper bites the nearest rat-man, but cannot harm or trip the foe.
While the fight still rages, there is a mild break in the action, and Devan tries to reason with the inflamed wererats. "Upworlderssss and their pointy sssilvery weaoonsss alwaysss come and kill our people. Girrigzzz sssaysss no more. We fight upworldersss and they die for a change!"
It doesn't seem like the lycanthropes are interested in talking at present.
Moving slowly back again, to escape the ugly swarm, the professor hammers the filthy animals and tries to brush them from his body.
You should have talked. It was the easy way out.
Once again, the merciless axe strikes with deadly intention. The prone wererat might never get up again, as Nargun tries to cut his legs off
You're sure you don't want to reconsider talking with my buddy while you can?
Seeing the swarming rats, Twilight was about to retreat until Mirella calmed the squeaking hoard. Instead she took the opportunity to try thw healing wand on Devan once more.
Devan managed to give Twilight a thankful smile for the additional healing before stepping forward with a sigh, thrusting his rapier at the remaining enemy after he ensured his footing was sound. "Unfortunately not this time, friend. Girrigz steered you wrong."
Guard Post - Round 6 - concluded
Nargun crushes the wererat laid out in front of him. The wound is massive, and only the lycanthrope's natural resistance to normal weapons saves the beast from instant death. Still it is hurt quite badly.
Nauseated by the furry rodents crawling all about him, Atticus moves away from the calmed swarm. He might like to attack, but the mental distraction of all those rats, slows him as he withdraws, and no attack is possible.
Determined to heal Devan better than the first time, Twilight taps the bard with a healing wand once again. This time the result is more satisfying.
After getting healed, Devan steps up and attacks Green wererat with his silvered rapier. The attack hits the rat, and it squeals in pain as the silver burns it.
Prone and seriously hurt, Purple Wererat tries to stab at the murderous dwarf. The attack from prone is too awkward to have much hope of hitting, and Nargun avoids it easily.
The swarm of rats only mills about harmlessly, still being gentled by the spell of Mirela's.
The Green Wererat tries to both stab and bite at Devan. The bite misses badly, but sets up the blade, which scores another hit on Devan, pretty much undoing any of the healing he just received.
End of Round 6
Guard Post - Round 7
15 Nargun (4hp dmg)
14 Atticus (1hp dmg)
13 Twilight
10 Mirela
10 Whisper (3hp dmg)
8 Devan (23hp dmg)
9 Purple Wererat (prone, 16hp dmg)
9 Rat Swarm (calmed)
8 Green Wererat (10 hp dmg)
Nargun delivers another blow to the rat-man, hacking savagely at the already wounded leg.
When you're donw in the sewers, you fight dirty.
He gives an humorless, eerie chuckle
Worried that Whisper may attack the rats, Mirela calls her companion back with a sharp bark
Whisper, Heel!
Whisper quietly moves back to her mistress growling at the mass of Rats as she passes.
As the wolf returns to her Mirela continues to attempt to assault the remaining Wererat(s) that stupidly chose not to talk.
Wizard 0: Acid splash, Mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic. 1:Mage armour, Vanish, Magic weapon, (S)Colour spray.2:Spectral hand, Spectral hand[, (S)Blur | Subtle misdirection 6/6. Bonded item 1/1. Pearl Lv1 1/1
Twilight took a quick moment to stuff one of the wands into her belt leaving her with two, one in each hand, the dazing wand and the healing wand. Devan had stepped out of her reach, so she pointed the dazing wand at the wererat menacing him.
Grimacing from the latest hit, but determined to continue to press the last creature and prevent more damage, Devan relentlessly kept thrusting forth with his silvered weapon, hoping to put an end to this fight and regroup before confronting any more of Girrigz's chums. His expression was grim as Mirela's arrow flashed past him with unerring accuracy, reminding himself that the werecreatures had decided to attack the 'intruders' on sight.
Enjoying very much being free of the rats again Atticus uses his polearm to stab at the last enemy infront of Devan.
Guard Post - Round 7
Nargun's bloody march through the wererat guards continues. He has taken down two at least in quick succession and steps forward to deal with the last one visible. The axe wicks through the air once again, and crushes into the last wererat with enough force to shatter bone and sinew. Despite the creature's resistance to normal weapons, it is killed by this one, ending the fight.
As the last wererat dies, the swarm of rats, now becalmed, disperses in a hundred different directions ending the threats in this room.
End of Combat
As the dust settles on the fight, you see the dead bodies of a half-dozen wererat guards, and a few massacred rats. The sewer stream runs through and out the room leaving a rather foul stench behind it. The crackling and popping of a fire, comes from the next room. Besides that, there is silence in the small warren, a welcome change from the near deafening sounds of the shrieker fungus.
Devan sighed as the last wererat succumbed to Nargun's axe. So much for talking things through...the musician hoped their wererat allies would accept such casualties as a cost of the conflict. "Let's hope we can talk with the next group and avoid a mess like this again."
He winced and help his side where he had taken a serious hit, but seemed game enough to continue, the crackle of flames in the next room indicating that more lycanthropes likely lay beyond the threshold.
Nice warm up fight. Is everyone fine and dandy, before we go and kill their boss? Because if his goons were so high up on his words, he will die before changing his ways. Unless he is a coward, and so Doesn't deserve to live. Who knows, Devan, maybe they are more talkative now that they are dead?
Expecting -hoping, in fact-a new fight, Nargun doesn't bother wiping his axe clean of the blood and gore. A quite unsettling sight.
Seeing the bards wounds, Nargun frowns, and takes a few seconds to forage in his backpack
Here boy, you might need this one more than me. Drink it to my health.
Weaving a quick dweomer Atticus checks for any magical auras.
"Nargun, do you want to check if any of our enemies had any items of quality?"
Sure, I can check
"Oft times, leaders who rile up their followers to such a fanatical degree don't have the same level of spirit to carry out their designs when faced with adversity. We'll see shortly enough, I suppose." Devan accepted the potion from the dwarf with a thankful nod, tossing it back and sighing as more of his wounds closed up with supernatural quickness.
The musician pointed towards the way to the next chamber where the fire crackled in the background. "Let's continue before they can regroup.
Wait all of you. Come over 'ere.
Mirela backs away from the down wererats, and gathers the others around her. When the others are gathered she calls forth the blessing of Erathis on all of them to heal their wounds.
She looks at the refreshed group with a satisfied nod.
Now I think we do be ready.
The weapons and armor of the slain wererats is mundane. There are shortbows, shortswords and arrows, but they are all of shoddy quality, either made cheap or pilfered from someone who wouldn't miss them. Nothing of value is on any of the dead guards.
As Mirela channels forth the healing energy of the good of farming, the rich smell of freshly tilled earth fills the room for a brief second, taking the place of human waste in an oh-so-pleasant reversal. Devan also drinks a healing potion and is nearly himself as the group girds themselves to continue into the rat warren.
Pushing deeper inside the cavern, you see the next room is some kind of den. Several pieces of broken furniture, dried hay, and fragments of lumber burn in a small fire at the center of this open ruggedly carved cavern. Short alcoves filled with filthy, oversized rats' nests dot the walls, and the disgusting drip of polluted black condesnation echoes through the chamber. A thick flow of sewage spreads across the western edge of the chamber, seeping from a crack in the western wall to another in the south.
The floor looks just as slippery around the river of sewage as in the prior room. It appears a group of wererats was sitting here until recently, likely some of the ones you fought in the other room who were roused by the shrieker. At present, this common den is empty of creatures or threats.
The sound of a rough voice speaking is heard from the opening to the south. Exactly what is being said or who is speaking is difficult to hear without going through the effluent stream's opening.
Nargun stops in his advance, unsure of what he might have heard
Mirela points out the holes in the back of Eastern Alcove and very quietly says.
Careful, Rats would be able to get through 'ere.
Looking at the sludge flowing through this room into the next where the garbled speech was coming from, Devan's nose flared as he fought against the urge to retch. As he peered at the small opening, he saw the chips and fragments laying near and in the murky water, whispering, "Looks like the wall is half falling apart. I'll bet Nargun could widen that up for us with little effort, if that's where we want to go..."
The stream do be 'ard to walk in. I say we do be going away from it. Mirela motions to the north.
Lets go there.I'll go first, if you Don't mind
Nargun leads the way toward the north passage