"This group is lighter on their feet than most. One of you big lads . . . I mean big for you all. Should stay with Aster."
Vandomir decides that his stonemasonry skills may be of use reinforcing the bulwark, and so decides he'd prefer to stay here with Aster. The Skritt busy themselves with collecting materials for the two to work with. As they blur in the background, the two get plenty of time to talk with each other as they work.
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Bazzle, Abbo, and Rexandi head due south to the area called Yoloobliscratch. Two Skritt come with them as guides, and introduce themselves as Hippalinda and Tikitek. They have no issues if they're referred to by some nickname.
"Talls with us. Must use bigSkritt path. Longer, but still good. Come come, talls. Skritt help."
They nimbly weave through rubble and trash, often beckoning for the talls to move faster. Most of the traps they come across are fairly simple things, like broken glass caltrops or sharpened spikes. There are a few more clever traps, such as a falling boulder should someone tug on a tripwire. The Skritt climb and skitter, and at one point use a rickety rope bridge to cross running river water below.
Then the two stop, and Hippalinda whispers "Look. DeadSkritt."
A single Skritt lays dead on the sewer floor. It's tail is missing, and a long trail of blood comes from the left.
Vandomir does his best to help shore up the works...
Aster is slow (sliding her misshapen leg around as gracefully as she can manage) but as a rat person she is strong, and never seems to tire. In the end she is not much help in comparison to a skilled stonemason.
So she chats as she works, "So young man, why is a member of an esteemed family like yours helping a ragtag band of rebels?"
Abbo follows the skritts until the dead body is found. He circles around, scratching his chin, and finally knees down nearby trying to analyze the scene and notices anything in particular.
The trail of blood to the left is so obvious that his paranoid side can't help but notice.
Look at that... It almost feels like they wanted us to see it and follow. Like a trap... Yet, we might have to follow. Carefully, and checking our steps.
Abbo doesn't immediately discover anything of interest, but he can see from the angling of the body that the Skritt was probably going to go through the entrance Abbo just came from.
Bazzle looks ahead toward the dead Skritt. His eyes track the trail of blood to the left. "We have seen traps before. Perhaps that is what got our friend there."
Tikitek, the brown Skritt, says "Maybe that Skritt went feral and forgot Skritt traps?"
Hippalinda, the white Skritt, says "Maybe that Skritt escaped RatCatchers, but bled to death? Be careful, talls. We're in Yoloobliscratch now. We don't know where Skritt traps are now, and RatCatchers could be anywhere. Maybe Skritt survivors, maybe not. Us Skritt know right goes to salt waters, and left goes to stink pipes."
Tikitek mentions "Tikitek can track with scent, if talls want."
"Don't want to talk about your family?" Aster says to Vandomir "I understand, and apologize for bringing up a sore subject. Mine is not something I like talking about either. At least my birth family." Aster lifts a loose rock into place, holding it there why the nobleman slaps makeshift mortar that has a truly wretched smell (making her glad she missed the process of making it). "Now though, I have a foster daughter who has made me understand what family is truly meant to be. Do you have any children?"
"Well I think that our friend fell in the stink pipes. Judging from the sickly trail."
"Hmm... children not a good topic... what do you like to eat? Flaky bread drizzled with honey and cinnamon? A crusty cookie sweetened with strawberries and cream? More savory than sweet maybe?" the attempts at conversation continues.
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The party skitters down the left passage, with Bazzle taking the lead on searching for traps. The two Skritt try their best to aid him wherever they can, though some of their information is quite useless. These creatures never seem to shut up. Bazzle does find several traps, most of which he can easily circumvent once he knows where they are. There's little use in disabling a tripwire or a snare. It isn't until the stench of the 'stink pipes' fills his nostrils that he starts finding traps that are already tripped. More accurately, already disabled.
The stink pipes are a multitude of stone tunnels carrying sewage across this section of the sewers. The tunnels are sometimes very small, so small that even Bazzle would have to squeeze, but other times they're large enough for anyone to walk though, sometimes even two at a time. Two more Skritt bodies lay on the floor within these tunnels, both of which have their tails cut off. There is also the body of a dire rat, who's tail is also missing.
Though Tikitek is the actual tracker, it's Hippalinda who catches a meaningful scent. "This way, I smell talls and wolf, Skritt too."
As she leads the group through a narrower single-person tunnel, they emerge on quite the scene. In what was once a basement of some home, no less than a dozen Skritt bodies are found. It's a massacre, with Skritt suffering all sorts of wounds and just left to rot. Each Skritt is missing their tail.
"All business, okay. It seems to be most defenses start with a wall. We can't build a castle. But a solid cover that will make them come to us. Then we want them to move slow (rubbish and rubble, some of those bear traps maybe) and preferrable make them stop at this wall. That would be when our ambushers will hit them from behind. Rock and Hard Place later, they are vanquished and we are victorious." Aster suggests.
Abbo refrains from his shock - underneath his entire facade, he was a good man, and wasn't comfortable with the creatures suffering.
Quickly, check them! Any survivors? - he says, as he promptly moves to check the victims - And what with the fascination with tails?
Neither of the Skritt are of any use, but Rexandi is a skilled healer and is able to help Abbo. Abbo can tell that all the Skritt are deceased, and fairly recently. They must have died maybe an hour or two ago. He sees scorch marks on their fur, as well as arrows and piercing wounds. Each tail has been sawn off, which strongly suggests they were dead before the tails were removed. Nothing of even remote value remains in this room.
"RatCatchers very strong to kill dozen Skritt."
"But spells might be low."
"Must find them, but not all of them."
"Where might they go?"
"To the surface?"
"To an empty room to sleep?"
"Skulking rest of the scratch?"
"What are these scorch marks?" says Rexandi. "Magic? Alchemical fire? Whatever the case, this looks like the work of a pretty skilled team."
Bazzle thinks it's the same stuff he uses for his bomb making. They must be alchemist bombs dealing fire damage.
Our goal was to capture one of their scouts. This seems like a fully trained team, as you said, including an alchemist. But if it's one hour or two ago, we're right at their tail... I mean, trail.
Abbo ponders his words to be careful with their newly found allies.
Bazzle, do you think you can follow their tracks from here? I'd hate to risk more skritts getting killed, and I'm considering sending our friends back home while we briefly continue before heading back as well.
"What if Skritt lured RatCatcher scout into trap? Hippalinda has shadow trap spell." Tikitek mentions
Well, they seem to be oddly attracted to your tails, so the bait would probably work. However, so far it seems we had been following an entire party - not only a single scout. I fear that if we end up attracting all of them, we might have an issue larger than we can handle. - says Abbo, turning to Bazzle and Rex - What do you think? We might luck out and get only a single or pair of them, in which case I'd call it a big success for our future... Interrogations. If we get a full group of four, five or more, though - this might quickly turn into a bloodshed... And I can't say for sure we'd be the last ones standing.
"Y'know sometimes there's a bounty on rat-tails to encourage people to hunt them for pest control," says Rexandi. "Maybe these hunters are taking the tails because someone is paying them to hunt down skritt."
"Hmmmmm. We gotta find way to split party." Tikitek ponders. "Money for Skritt-tails!??"
"Well the burns are definitely bombs. Stippling here and this gritty powder."
Hippalinda says "Maybe we go back to scratch and talk with talls and Skritt for more ideas. Two dozen brains are better than one."
Tikitek's cogs are still churning. "Skritt tails for money. RatCatchers killing for money. They likes money, like shinies, but for talls. Can Skritt use money to stop talls?"
Aster starts to think her defense companion cannot multitask. Building and talking are beyond him, sadly. So she shifts to chatting with the Skritt, mostly about food.
Abbo signs for the Skritts to calm down. He approaches Rexandi while scratching his chin, then finally speaks.
Would you have any illusions, or other spells that could help us divide their group, in the eventuality that we end up meeting more than just a scout or two? - he asks the witch, before turning to Bazzle - And you... Would you be able to create traps, somehow? I don't really know much about your skills, my friends... I only saw that our tiefling friend here seems to have arcane powers.
"Hmm, yes, well, not all members of the nobility are unable to see the inequities of life. Not all members of the ruling class are comfortable with how the ruling is done. I will say that I was somewhat disaffected of the status quo as a child, but seeing the absolute tyranny of late, and when The Everbloom touched my heart, it gave me a purpose. Perhaps I cannot save all of the world, but at least I can struggle for the people of Kintargo."
Bazzle smiles. "Well you don't get a name like Blast-hazard for nothing. I am a scrapper, I can making this go boom as said. I am familiar with lots of traps and I have done some engineering so with tools and time we could come with something sure."
He looks ahead, "We could trap something but I think we're better off with some of us hiding and the rest baiting. The bait leads he quarry to the defenses our friends are setting up and the hiders follow the quarry so they are caught between the defenses and harassers. I think we already had the trap in mind."
Aster's eyes smile when her companion seems to awaken. "'The Everbloom can't take hold in hearts closed tight around indifference.' I heard a priest say that when I was young. I had no idea what an Everbloom was, but it sounded lovely. Made me want to find out, made me want more than what I was. And that allowed me to find... her." she smiled softly. "How did she find you? Did it happen at once, this touching? Or was it gradually growing day by day?"
Vandomir considers his response, "it is hard to say. I believe she slowly moved within me, and caused my feet to travel certain paths, it wasn't until shortly before Aria Park though that her gifts truly manifested. I witnessed a beating of a commoner by several guards who left him to die. I went to him him, and I tried to comfort him, and I felt a warmth, a glow in my heart, as her strength flowed through me and into the man and healed him. The guards saw this, and recognized it for what it was, which was more than I did at the time. I ran, scared, and have been a bit on the run ever since."
Aster drops an old flagstone down at the base of their makeshift cover. She listens to his story while taking a moment to stretch out the knot forming in her back. "A moment of genuine kindness condemned you." she gives him a sympathetic look, before she admits "As much as I wish you were not on the run for such a thing, we need the help, so welcome your predicament." her slight smile hopefully signaling it was meant as a joke.
"It certainly wasn't meant as a complaint, I mean imagine how boring my life had been, if I didn't have the chance to get high from those fungi back there, and the sewer smells? Well, I have smelled the sewers before, so let's focus on the fungi."
Abbo looks around as they hear the barks. It seems like a dog, or dogs, are coming their direction.
Dogs? I don't think there's any point in hiding or going invisible right now... The animals would probably smell us out. - he speaks rhetorically, looking at his two companions and the skritts with them. Should they risk the poor creatures?
Get ready to flee or fight. How many do you think are coming our direction? - he completes, preparing himself to decide based on what they can or cannot determine.
Abbo is pretty sure the barking is coming from a single dog. He can hear the dog's paws splashing through water. He can't hear anything else, though.
The Skritt look ready to bolt, but Hippalinda did mention she has magic, so the two must be at least somewhat combat-trained.
A pity we didn't have time enough to set your traps, Bazzle! - the brawler says, before quickly continuing - Okay... You all hide, quickly! I will stay out in the open, pretending I'm also trying to track skritt. Rex, if you can create an illusion of a skritt near me to help with my bluff, even better. Stay hidden and wait for my signal to engage, or any other good opportunities. Hopefully this will help us assess the threat before engaging... And if needed I will try to keep them busy enough for you all to flee, in case things turn dire.
Abbo is trying to come out with any kind of plan that still nets them the opportunity of capturing a living scout. If Rex can create any kind of illusion of a cornered skritt (he will drag one of the bodies to the same position so the dog can get attracted to it), he will pretend to be around the creature in a threatening way; otherwise, he will pretend he's analyzing the bodies as if hunting the skritts as well.
The rest of the group hustle out of the room and around the corner where they can still hear Abbo. The two Skritt share a brief glance, before Tikitek suddenly jumps into Abbo's arms and starts squirming around.
"Let go! Let go! Skritt, help! Tall gots me!"
A fairly big, white dog races into the room and starts snapping at Tikitek. Tikitek dodges the first, and Abbo helps keep Tikitek safe from the second, but the dog bites onto Tiki's tail the third time. After the third attack, a man runs into the room. A half-elf due to the pointed ears, this man is wearing a hide shirt and is carrying a shortbow and sword. None of them look to be magical, or even of fine make. He keeps an arrow notched, though not drawn, as he says "Bull, heel!"
The dog, clearly well trained, slinks back to its master, though growls low.
The half-elf man says "Who are you?"
Bazzle nods, "Try not get rabies."
Bazzle does a sort of half wave and then takes to the shadows.
Vandomir queries Aster, "so tell me more about how you came to this strange spiritual path of your own?"
Abbo literally doesn't hold - blaming himself for his slowness to act (the dog bit three times at his companion!), the brawler simply enters his shikigami style and unleashes a barrage of violent attacks against the animal using the blunt side of the light shovel from his traveler's any-tool set. He will stop if the creature goes down.
As he finishes, he steps to interpose himself between the skritt and the half-elf. Still dipping blood, with his empty hand he signs as if calling his allies.
I am the lord of these tunnels, and I will just tell you once. I won't admit anyone harming my slaves. Drop your weapons and surrender, now!
"Me, oh well... " the woman says as she tries to push that flagstone into place. "I grew up down here." she looks up around the damp muck "Seeing all the bad things a city has to offer city. The misery of poverty, the occasional bloated corpse of a mugging, the rampant diseases that tear through slums, so on. Then... I met someone that changed all that and made me see all the beauty a city can have. The smell of baker's row, the bustle of a market place, small kindnesses outweighing bitter horrors." she gave herself a sad smile, one that mournes but doesn't regret.
With two strikes, Abbo bludgeons the dog into unconsciousness. The half-elf cries out "Bull!" Then grimaces. "You're completely nuts, bud."
He dashes back from whence he came.
Bazzle moves to stop the half-elf. "Ah the lord of the sewers wants a word. You can speak up now or after we've beaten you bloody."
Stop him! - says Abbo, immediately engaging into chasing the half-elf with Bazzle - Rex, keep the skritts safe. Maybe you can attend to their wounds? Stay here, Tikitek and Hippalinda!
"I hope your shinies pile is really, really big!" Tikitek shouts back to Abbo, his eyes full of admiration.
Bazzle's call out only makes the half-elf run even faster.
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Back at Vittegrescratch, Aster and Vandomir are making excellent progress, despite the makeshift materials. Eventually, the Skritt run out of nearby materials to hustle back to the scratch. They are particularly pleased with a steal they just made, which contains several potions and alchemical items. They say that there's a Gnome nearby who was hiding. They stole a lot of his stuff!
The group has been gone for nearly an hour at this point.
Vandomir nods at Aster's explanations, "the juxtaposition of those two images of the city are stark, are they not? I daresay most cites have all of them, but they do not all have the iron heel of the Thrunes on the necks of the citizenry." He muses, "I hope the others are well."