As you four enter the room, you hear a ratlike shriek and the sounds of chattering voices as you can see three furry bodies, each perched atop different bookshelves!
"Вот дерьмо, злоумышленники! Драйв их обратно!"
Two of them start casting a spell, the third gets a spell off. He points at Smallest Sun!
Smallest Sun is Shaken for the first round!
The ratlings go first!
The area around you all seems to suddenly erupt in hundreds of rats! Squeaking and chittering, they bite viciously.
These are rat swarms! Casting spells in this area will be hard; being covered in angry rats is... distracting at best.
They'll take half damage from melee attacks, but can be defeated by slashing. Swarms of rats harbor Filth Fever.
The Ratlings angrily yell at you in their language, and throw books at the two up front.
Smallest Sun is introduced firsthand to The psychology of Cats, 4th edition when the book manages to catch him square in the face.
Smallest Sun - 7
Helena - 5
Narcisa - 5
Elren'dor - 5
Ratling #1 -
Ratling #2 -
Ratling #3 -
Rat swarm #1 -
Rat swarm #2 -
When the rats come swarming out after them, there is a yowl of pain from the cat and a shout of fear from Elren'dor.
Keymys clings to Elren'dor's robes, hoppin up and holding on tightly as she pitifully meows in pain. Throwing another rat off of himself, Elren'dor shouts to the others.
"Everyone! Get away from the rats! Daggers work better than clubs but not by much! I have something for this!"
Elren'dor moves away from the door and out of sight of the ratlings, slipping a small, red flask from his coat as he moves.
Narcisa picks herself off the broken table with a wheezing grunt, however she faithfully follows after the group as they go to investigate the next room. She backpedals out of the room as the swarms of rats appear, moving to be behind Elren'dor, yelping, "Nope. Nope. Lotsa Nope!"
"Do whatever you need to Elren'dor, don't worry about me, I'll try and keep them from chasing others."
Smallest Sun will try to channel energy and keep everyone from dying.
He moved to the side by 5, but you'd be able to hit both swarms with direct damage. Unfortunately both Helena and smallest sun will take the splash.
The swarms of rats are not badly damaged by the fire; in fact, it seems to only drive them into a greater frenzy.
Both Helena and Smallest are subjected to more bites, though now that they've spread out a little they don't get chewed up as fast as before...
One of the Ratlings picks up The complete collection of Neurosis, 1st 2nd 3rd Edition and chucks it at Helena, while the other two cast spells on the two fighting characters in the room.
Helena is now Frightened, and flees from the room, screaming as her resolve is simply overcome by magic and the fire that stirs distant forgotten memories. She will remain so for at minimum 2 rounds.
A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.
Everyone is up!
Elren'dor will see how Helena reacts and flees from the battle, his eyes widening at the sight.
"Sun! We must retreat for now!" This fight was going poorly, too poorly for the wizard's taste. They had to ensure Helena wasn't grabbed by something terrible while they were stuck here.
Grabbing Keymys, who moaned pitifully in pain at the sudden motion, Elren'dor would go after Helena.
The small splash of fire lands on an exposed portion of Helena's arm, the minor singe has Helena hissing thru her teeth, when the scars along the left side of her body flair to life with pain. Her body wracked with pain her mind doesn't even acknowlwdge the intrusion, until it is too late to stop it. Her mind suddenly revolts, causing Helena to run from the room towards the far double door.
Helena wraps her arms around her stomach, her mind still rebelling, and begins to rock, her words not making any linear sense.
"Fire... sand... teeth... bodies... no, no, no... pain, oh the pain." Henela barely gets out between pants.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Smallest Sun will rush out of the library, going through the doors and trying to pull them closed behind him and stop the swarms of rats. The ones clinging to his body dropping off and scurrying away.
"Too many rats!" He shouts. Following the group as they flee.
Narcisa shrieks as the rats are whipped into a frenzy, unable to articulate an appropriate expletive as the group flees the room. She helps Smallest Sun slam the doors closed, "Rats! It had to be rats! Can we please burn this part of the hellhole to the ground?!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
You four flee to lick your wounds and rethink your approach. To your surprise, the rats do not leave the library to pursue you, now that the doors are closed.
Once it is clear that the rats will not be coming after them, Elren'dor waits for just a few moments to catch his breath. An apologetic look comes upon his face as he carefully approached Helena.
"Helena...I'm sorry for the fire and that poor, terrible toss. It must've become stagnant since I first received it, it was in the pile of our belongings. Are...are you alright?"
He looks towards Sun, smiling at the bald man for a moment. "Sun, I know Keymys and I could use your healing touch. I think we all could. Are you able to do so, my friend?"
Helena's eyes are still glassed over, seeing something only she can see. The pain seems to have stopped, but she is still caught in some nightmare, as she clings to the wall.
"No, no...please... no...."
She doesn't seem to notice Elren'dor is talking to her.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Now clear of the enemies, Smallest will channel energy, trying to get everyone patched up quickly just in case someone takes advantage of their weakness.
Elren'dor will let out a sigh of relief as he feels the most painful of the rat bites seem to fade away from his mind. His body still aches but there will be time for them to heal later. Keymys seems to trot out from under the table, brushing against the cleric's leg for just a moment before returning beside her master.
"Shhh...it is okay Helena. Whatever you're seeing, it isn't there. We're here with you, you're safe with us." Elren'dor will struggle to think of what could help gain her focus.
Sitting beside her, he began to sing. The notes were soft and not particularly incredible. The Elven flowed elegantly and made up for his lack of skill, the lullaby soft and simple.
Narcisa seems to regain her calm after they are safely away from the rats. She listens to the song, then shrugs at Smallest Sun, speaking quietly, "If that doesn't work, I can always try slapping her..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Now is probably not the best time." smallest says.
"She's still armed... Let me try."
He will appoach, his arms spread and his weapon put away. "Helena, we are here for you. It is all right to be afraid, but we are still in danger. Talk to us, so we can help."
hit points healed.
-Posted with Wayfinder
After a few more seconds, Helena comes out of her fearful daze to find that she's out of the library, and her comrades are standing around her, worried expressions on their faces. Smallest Sun is closest, trying to soothe her by placing a steady arm across her shoulders, while Elren'dor sings an (of course) poorly remembered lullaby. Narcisa stands to the side, her eyes skeptical of the other two's efforts.
When Helena's eyes seem to center, Elren'dor smiles and stops his singing. Standing back up, he brushes himself off and offers a hand towards the mighty warrior.
"Welcome back Helena. Are you alright? We shouldn't stay here waiting for them to press their advantage." He gives a cautious glance back towards the library's doors, wary of even them opening a crack.
"What happened?" Helena asks, looking around confused. "When did we get out here? Are the rats dead?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
"I believe a spell was cast on you, driving you into fear-induced hysteria. As for the rats..." Elren'dor's face remains anxious, as he looks back towards the double doors across the way. "...they pushed us back, everything was going wrong for us and right for them. We retreated, for now, and will try again another time. I'll have to study and attempt some new patterns, see if I can do something to deal with the swarms."
"When you are ready, we'll continue onwards. Perhaps we'll find something in our search that can help defeat them." Resettling the backpack on his shoulders, Elren'dor carefully keeps a look out along the corridors for any trouble.
"We may be benefitted by searching a little bit cautiously for a way around," Smallest Sun agrees. "They also were shouting something, did anyone understand the language?"
"I didn't understand it, not one I've been taught."
Helena shakes her head still trying to reconcile what just happened. "Sorry, I remember yelling to you to do whatever you had planned." Helena says to Elren'dor. "Getting hit in the back with something, a book maybe? Then... " Helena's brain finally catalogs what happened, Helena recalling fear, her brain trying to protest against it, but the fear overriding everything. "Fear, blind fear. I couldn't fight it. You think it was a spell of some kind?"
"It was certainly a spell of some sort." Smallest Sun replies. "I almost got affected by whatever it was too, but it was right at the beginning of the fight. I cannot say for certain what it was, though."
Narcisa shivers a bit, "A few rats I can handle. People sized rats, whatever. Swarms of nasty, furry, writhing carpets of chattering disease carrying s+!& makers? I'll pass."
-Posted with Wayfinder
-Posted with Wayfinder
"We'll need to deal with them eventually, I'm sure. They were protecting a treasure trove of knowledge, knowledge we may need." Elren'dor muses, running a finger along his chin for the moment before looking back at Smallest Sun.
"Unfortunately, I didn't understand their tongue. Which is impressive and also alarming. I wonder what is was they said..."
Again Elren'dor looks down the hallways, checking for any emerging threats, before he speaks to the others. "If we are still able to travel, shall we take the ruined hallway that was near the haunted room? It may show us a way around the library and, perhaps, more tools to defeat the rats with."
Unfortunately, the passage to the east that heads north is blocked off by collapsed rubble a little ways up the passage. There might have been stairs to the upper floors of the asylum but they're blocked off too. Looks like the library I the only way forward. Unless...
There was that door in the haunted room that led out into the fog. Maybe there's a way outside there. Or, on your way back from checking the north passage you see a door near by to the north.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Narcisa wrinkles her nose, "I would rather try to smash a living rat carpet right now than find out the creature in our dreams is out there waiting for us."
-Posted with Wayfinder
As the group gathers their wits and starts to move towards your two considered options other than the library, something strange happens. The double doors in the lobby leading out into the fog burst open, tendrils of the fog immediately pouring in. The group can hear strange, fleshy, slurping sounds coming from within the fog. Helena and Smallest Sun rush to try to push the doors closed, and somehow they resist their greatest efforts.
A sudden reddish light erupts from within the fog, a single point of light just about at head level. It starts slowly approaching, and the group can hear a clip-clopping as it draws near. It arrives, and the first thing emerging from the fog are antlers, followed by the source of the light; a bestial nose whose nostrils burn with intense, burning coal-like light. Emerging into the room is a reindeer. A very burly one. The beast emerges from the fog, nearly plowing the reception desk over as it turns to the side.
Upon its body is bridling and a pack saddle smeared with blood. The creature chuffs, staggers, and it nearly drops to its knees, and it is at this point you realize that the being was badly injured. Multiple claw marks cut the beast's hide, and the tips of its antlers drip with blackened ichor. It doesn't seem aggressive to your group, instead, it turns its head back and pulls on a leather cord with its teeth. The packages on the back slump off of it, dropping to the floor.
Relieved of the weight. The reindeer draws in a deep breath, the red coal-like light of the beast's nose flaring into phosphorescent brilliance as it bellows and charges back into the fog, its work not yet complete. With supernatural force, the doors slam closed again, sweeping the foggy tendrils back outside where they don't even belong.
The group will find four packages. Each will find that one of them bears their name on it.
Helena finds a long, heavy paper box that contains a Masterwork Silver Longsword with a chicken egg-sized Amethyst set in the pommel.
Elren'dor and Smallest Sun each finds a satchel containing... Two strange Pearls.
Narcisa's package is a belt pouch that has more space on the inside than you suspected as when she turns it over nearly 8000 copper pieces pours out.
You will discover that Helena has a +1 silver longsword.
Elren'dor and Smallest Sun both gain 2 level 1 Pearls of power.
Narcisa's gift is a Pathfinder's Pouch.
Narcisa looks startled as the door bursts open, then panicked as the fog tendrils roll in. The panic switches to confusion as the reindeer enters the room. Her head tilts to the side as the great creature releases the packages and then she looks worried as it charges back out into the fog. She waits until the doors are securely shut before she investigates the packages. Picking up the one with her name, she examines it. She pokes around inside the pouch she got, unable to really see inside. Frowning, she turns it upside, yelping as the copper starts pouring out, "The hell?!" Her eyes widen at the pile as it grows, "This place is so weird!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Elren'dor watches with both curiosity and fear as the door slams open and the fog rolls in. Watching the strange creature with wide eyes, he finds himself unable to move. As quick as it came, it leaves back into the fog. Cautiously he moves towards the packages, examining them slowly and looking at the others as they begin to examine their presents.
He looks over the pearl and compares it to the one he already has, his head turning towards Narcisa.
"I concur...this place is very strange. Still, we'll take the blessings where we can get them. I believe that item is a Pathfinder's Pouch, Narcisa. Quite the useful item. And that sword is made of silver, quite the weapon against strange creatures. It even seems to be enchanted!" Elren'dor actually smiles at their turn of luck before looking back at the door.
"Seeing how that...deer...looked, I suggest we go through the other doors and see if there is another way around. Does that sound fair to you all?"
"Oh, good, you all saw that too. I wasn't just hallucinating."
Helena picks up the longsword, liking the weight and feel of it, giving it a few practice swings.
"Do either of you have any mind shielding spells? I don't fancy another attack by whatever those rats-things hit me with." Helena ponders a minute, "After all those noises we just heard when that beast game thru the fog, I'm wanting to explore outside even less. Should we try this door north over here?"
Elren'dor shakes his head, frowning. "My mastery of magic is strong but, alas, I have nothing to protect the mind from that fear. Not yet, anyways. In time, I may devise something to help battle against spells of that nature...or something to deal with the swarms."
Taking the pearl of power, he slips it along the other one and nods with a sound of bravery in his voice. "Let us go then, I do not wish to wait here any longer than needed."
-Posted with Wayfinder
You open the north door and peek. High asylum walls hedge in this spacious courtyard garden. Only thin breaths of sickly fog seep in from overhead, though beyond it's just as thick as ever. Misty wisps slip between leafless trees and simple benches, giving the impression of silent beasts prowling through the garden.
It's gently raining, though the water is surprisingly warm to the touch. Above and around you, the fog swirls ominously.
Occasionally you can hear a faint beat of large wings flapping, or a growl from a different location than the wings. Elsewhere in the area you hear an occasional rustling footstep.
You realize that the sounds you are hearing have no actual source, and seem to be drifting in from a distance.
As you walk forward, something lands between the interior wall of the garden and Elren'dor!
This creature is some kind of winged humanoid with webbed wings, a long black tail, and two horns that curl towards each other. However, most unsettling of the creature is its lack of face. The creature lashes out at him with his claws!
Its claws dig into the wizard's weak frame and picks him up! The creature's wings flap as it starts to take to the sky!
Elren'dor steps out into the courtyard, looking at the spacious place and warily eyeing the yellow fog.
"We should be careful..." The elf whispers, moving along towards the pathway through the empty courtyard. "The shadows seem to be moving, this place plays on the nightmares we have. We should move with haste."
The sounds that come in make the wizard jump, his eyes searching the dimness for a threat or a danger with every shuffle of feet, every beat of the wings. Yet Keymys meows curiously up at him and Elren'dor nods, smiling.
"You're right, Keymys. We must-"
It is the last words the wizard gets out before the thing lands in front of him. A claw and gasp follow and the ground is stained red with the wizard's blood before it begins to rise up into the air with him. The cat shrieks a terrible sound, one of surprise and also fear.
Narcisa follows after the group, looking uncomfortable as they head out into the garden, "I don't think this is the best of ideas..."
She frowns, looking around and then up at the fog, "Where is that sound coming from?" Unnerved by the sounds, she brings her rapier to the ready, just in case.
Narcisa then shrieks as Elren'dor is suddenly mauled by the winged creature. She moves in to attack it.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Not seeing anything immediately dangerous, Helena gets distracted looking to see if the garden has rosebushes. She doesn't see the creature attacking Elren'dor until he screams out in pain.
The creature starts trying to fly away with its prize. Bobbing in the air several feet away from you, it seems to be getting clear of the trees before ascending.
-Posted with Wayfinder