Rexus watches as the three remaining dogs are each placed in separate stalls. Two of them were conscious and barking, the other was unconscious and badly injured.
The nobleman looks nervous as he listens to Gregor, Didiana, and Evander argue back and forth. The rebellion had barely begun and there were already deep rifts among members of the group. Rexus decides it is time for him to step in.
“Well that fight was exciting!” he says. “Perhaps we should think on other matters besides the dogs now. Let’s not forget what we came here for.”
Rexus gestures around him, then says, “We still have to find information on the Silver Ravens and there doesn’t appear to be anything out in the open. Perhaps we should do a thorough search now that we’ve dealt with that… conflict.” The way Rexus said it, it was clear he had a double meaning in mind for the word ‘conflict.’
The group searches the livery, looking for anything related to the Silver Ravens.
While searching the livery, you notice a ring of some sort nailed to one of the rafters 15ft above. It’ll require a DC 15 Climb check to reach it.
As you search the northeastern pair of rooms, you discover a single key at the back of a drawer in a desk.
You hear strange music. It sounds like it’s coming from somewhere beyond the grated off and locked area to the south.
Gregor dismissively waved off the comments over his shoulder as he headed toward the back of the livery. He just hoped their decision didn't literally come back to bite him or them in the ass.
Returning from one of the small back rooms, he offers, "Well, I found an old key in a desk back there. At this point I'm thinking it may have been for the lock on the chain out front." He squints, and points upwards into the rafters, "Also, if I'm not mistaken, is that a ring 'nailed' to one of the rafters? Anyone have any rope, or is a much better climber than I am?" He seems disheartened, a key and an old ring can't be the only signs of the Silver Ravens they find.
Didiana smirked as she listened to Rexus's earnest attempt at diplomacy while fishing whatever meat she could find out of her rations.
Bless you, Rexus.
Two decent handfuls of dried meats flew over the stall doors to the dogs. Might as well go to them, she reasoned; she had already opened the packets earlier. As she dusted off her hands, Didiana looked up to where Gregor indicated.
It was indeed a ring.
"Hmm. That's funny..."
The armiger suddenly froze. Something even more bizarre than the curious ring had come to her attention. Was that... music she was hearing? Didiana's first thought was an apologetic one; Gilda was apparently not as batty as she had feared when the older woman had spoken of music at the livery yesterday. This thought was quickly followed by dread and dismay. Just what the heck was going on here?
She walked south to test the grate barring them entry south.
"Can anyone else hear that? They're notes. Ms Grabapple?"
Matiscio nods at Rexus. "You are absolutely right, but combat tends to put people's blood on fire and in the moments directly after it, reason usually plays second fiddle to emotion. Regardless, you are right, excuse me for following that up with a 'but'." He bows respectfully and then goes off after Gregor and Didiana, aiding them in their search for clues, secret trap doors and whatever else they might find in this place.
--
Their search ends in success, with Gregor producing a key and pointing out a ring, some fifteen feet up. "Whoever would nail a ring to a ceiling, let alone do it some fifteen feet above the ground?!" If anything, it was an indication that this ring held some importance. "I can try and get it, though I'm not a trained climber."
Matiscio's statement turned out to be true. He wasn't.
Evander stopped arguing as Rexus intervened. Gregor willingness to kill the dogs shoes just how little separated him from his former colleagues. They could only hope he wouldn't be a liability in the end.
Evander looks up at the ring, knowing he wasn't a particularly skilled climber - abysmal, really. He looks over at Didiana. [b]"I don't hear any music. Where is it coming from?"[/dice]
"Lia, are you alright? That was some retaliation. You literally skewered the mutt."
"I got bit." Lia rubs her bite wound. "And I don't think I've gotten over the random nobody kicking my butt earlier... that's probably why." She sighs.
"Is Gregor always this much of a prick?" She asks, her tone unapologetically blunt.
"I told ya I heard music! See, I'm not crazy!"
Gilda smiles, seeming to sense that others may have harbored suspicions about her sanity at this stage.
She turns her gaze upwards as her attention is brought to the ring nailed to the rafter.
Once she's confirmed the dogs are secure and there's no risk that a small "dog" ascending the rafter could fall into an occupied stall, she reaches into her oversized pocket, producing Sprinkles Too and setting the oversized rodent onto the ground.
"Sprinkles Too, sweetie? You see that little ring up there? Fetch!"
As the "dog" ascends to reaches that no real dog could possibly reach, Gilda takes a couple steps over to Lia.
"Ah, he's dottari."
She clears her throat.
"Sorry, former dottari. I think they're all pricks? It's part of the job requirements before they's allowed in the building."
She smiles Gregor's way, as if this is some form of a compliment - that a prick is someone who takes serious matters seriously.
Lia is about to say something else when Gilda pulls out a small... dog? Or is it an overly large and resourceful rat? The caricaturist jumps a little in surprise.
"Eh, uh--wha? Um, Gilda, ma'am? What is that?"
“Oh my…” Rexus says as he watches Sprinkles Too climb up to the ring.
Rexus was trying to hide a look of disgust, but doing a poor job of it. The rat was clearly an affront to the man’s noble sensibilities.
The rat reaches the ring and manages to bring it back down with itself and the ring intact.
The ring is platinum and has a symbol on it that appears to be a family crest.
It is a signet ring and the crest is that of the now-dead Juliac family. Though the noble family is no more, many merchants would be interested in the relic. It can be sold for 300 gp.
Gilda’s efforts to detect magic have surprising results. She doesn’t detect anything magic on the ring. However, she does notice a magical aura coming from beyond the locked and gated area to the south.
Anyone who looks into that area sees the walls beginning to bleed, droplets of blood streaming down both sides of the narrow walkway.
The ‘bleeding walls’ are caused by the prestidigitation cantrip. The source of said cantrip is impossible to determine.
Looking down the hallway from its north side, a door can be seen hanging partially open on decaying hinges. There appears to be an area beyond, but it’s impossible to see what’s there from the north side of the gate.
"I got bit." Lia rubs her bite wound. "And I don't think I've gotten over the random nobody kicking my butt earlier... that's probably why." She sighs.
"Is Gregor always this much of a prick?" She asks, her tone unapologetically blunt.
Didiana's reply was similarly brusque.
"Don't call him that. When you fell to that 'nobody' yesterday, Ward stepped in to defend you. He acted according to his principles then as he does now. He doesn't deserve our scorn."
The armiger was perfectly aware that people like Gregor and herself, those who dedicated themselves to the law, could come off as conceited bullies. Perhaps that's all they really were. But there was no one more dependable than those harsh, uncompromising authoritarians. She trusted Gregor to be a 'prick'. She trusted him to be true to himself. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
Returning to the matter at hand, Didiana was relieved that the strange music did not reside solely in Gilda's head (or her own). However, she soon found fresh cause for doubting her sanity: the walls were bleeding. The armiger stepped back in alarm.
"By the Nine, what is this?"
Despite her trepidation, Didiana once again tries to see whether the gate south can be opened.
"Gregor does what he must and for all that it matters, he is here, dedicated to the cause just like the rest of us. Please, harmony. There is already too much discord within Kintargo."
With disgust he then takes in the sight of the walls oozing forth blood to the south. "Good Gods above, what in the name of all that is holy and pure is this?! Wisdom dictates hesitation, but we must push on regardless."
Seeing people crowding up at the gate, Evander waits towards the back until it is unlocked, keeping an eye on the door to the street. As he does so, he studies Sprinkles Too, before saying to Gilda, "So, is, erm, that your new dog?"
Lia sighs in resignation and quiets herself. "I apologize--it was out of line, and I was...angry."
You can save people's lives and still be a prick, you know.
She busies herself with the ring Gilda's dog/rat fetched. "...huh. The Juliac crest. This family's been long dead. A pity."
When the walls start bleeding, her anger turns into fright and morbid curiosity. "Uh... does anyone else get the feeling we need an old priest and a young priest here? Or at least a physician? Because I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to do that."
Gilda waves her hand dismissively as she returns Sprinkles Too to her pocket and appears to feed it something dark and possibly moldly.
"Ahhh, that's just a cantrip. A simple parlor trick! You know in some brothels, they actually have walls that moan? Supposed to do somethin' for Chelish ambassadors..."
Moving ahead she looks about the room, down and up, before turning to Gregor.
"Should we try that key you found in the lock? Might be somethin' goods behind them bleedin' walls?"
Gregor eyes Gilda warily when she dismisses the walls. He is inclined to believe her solely for the simple fact that it would take a rather large creature, pressed against the other side of the wall and bleeding profusely, to evoke that much fresh blood. Otherwise, it would have to come from an already collected amount, and for a former slaughterhouse, that may not have been that hard to find.
Onto greater concerns, he looks over the gate, trying to make sure there's nothing likely to happen if he tries to unlock it with the key. If something wanted to make the walls bleed to scare them off, it wouldn't be hard to imagine they would set up more physical deterrents.
After examining the hallway, nothing appears to be obviously dangerous or trapped.
Gregor tries to use the key he found on the lock blocking their passage to the grated off area. The key sticks for a minute, likely due to the lock being a bit rusted, but eventually turns and the lock opens.
As soon as the lock is removed and the gate swings open, the ‘blood’ on the walls vanishes and the door on the side of the southern hallway opens and closes, seemingly on its own.
“I’m beginning to think this place is haunted,” Rexus says as he looks down the southern hallway. “If it is, I wonder how long it has been so and if the Silver Ravens were responsible in some way…” Rexus trails off, apparently unhappy with where his line of inquiry might end.
Stepping into the hallway, the group doesn’t encounter any traps nor does the side door move again. Instead, shuffling sounds can be heard from the area beyond the door.
Opening the door reveals another room in the livery. This old workroom houses numerous old slaughterhouse tools, veterinary equipment, and woodworking tools, all of which are covered with a thick layer of dust through which strange tracks and patterns have been traced.
Heavy mallets, crumbling ropes, and tools for restraining animals hang from pegs in the walls or rest atop leaning tables. On the western wall of the room, a trap door sits ajar, propped open by a block of wood.
A ladder can be seen leading downward from the trap door, but what lies beyond is currently impossible to tell as no light can be seen coming from the area below.
Matiscio presses his index finger against his lips indicating that a modicum of silence is desired. "Should we get a sketch of these patterns before we disturb them?"
His voice was little more than a whisper.
“I’m beginning to think this place is haunted,” Rexus says as he looks down the southern hallway.
"I don't know much about ghosts," Didiana replied, hunched over the dust trail, "but I'm fairly sure they don't leave tracks."
The armiger was feeling a bit skeptical about the supposedly occult quality of the livery. The bleeding walls, while shocking, were now gone and she was at a loss as to what could haunt a stable. Horses? Cows? More worrying was the fact that, based on the whole 'menstrual wall' greeting, the group was apparently expected. And on that note:
"Matiscio, I think whatever we're up against already knows we're here."
Still, she had whispered the comment, if for nothing else than to humour the man. The earlier fight must have alerted whatever other theoretical stable residents they had to worry about. Didiana considered the trap door leading into darkness. If said residents lived down there, the group was at an obvious disadvantage.
Stepping over the dust tracks over to the void, she fished a torch out of her backpack. However, instead of lighting it she placed her palm over one end. A second later white light was shining from the rod. She then dropped scintillating stick down the hatch.
Didiana's words made the man feel stupid. She was right, there's no way that after the fight with the dogs whoever was down below wasn't aware of their presence. The result is a light blush on his cheeks. "You are right."
Gregor actually seems a little lighter in spirits, despite the 'hauntings'. "It's not improbable that this place could be haunted, as there are a few places, specifically some of the older places here on Argo Isle, that have some disturbing histories. That said, I'm not sure what would haunt an old slaughterhouse turned livery. Unless it's the old Juliac family themselves." He gets a light in his eyes, "Otherwise, if someone or something is trying to keep us away, maybe we actually are on the right track."
As they enter the room full of odd implements, tools of the former trade, he seems a little more cautious. If any place here might be haunted, this or the slaughterhouse floor would be the most likely. He grabs and readies his shield, but no weapon. "I can go down first. I actually have pretty good eyesight in poor lighting from my time on both evening and night patrols. Not to mention," he looks around at each of the others, "I'm the best protected." He knocks on his shield with two short raps, to indicate what he meant.
Following the group into the backroom, Evander begins studying the rest of the room. "If it is haunted, hopefully the spirits will be more interested in talking than fighting. I don't think we can do battle with a ghost." He glances over at Gregor and says, "Given how heavily armored you are, as well as that shield, it makes the most sense. Although Matiscio seems pretty good at shaking off hits." Evander had no intention of revealing that he could see perfectly fine in the dark, to a certain distance. After all, he already had his share of oddities.
"Huh, a trapdoor eh? Whaddya bet the Silver Ravens hid out in the basement underneath, so that's where we're needin' to go?"
She nods approvingly as Didiana drops the magically enhanced torch down the hatch, and again as Gregor volunteered to lead the way down.
"Watch them ladder rungs, no tellin' if they decided to add some old fashioned traps alongside their.."
She smiles at everyone as she holds up a pair of fingers and makes the "air quotes" gesture.
".. ghosts."
She glances down before Gregor descends just in case she sees anything suspicious.
"Fair enough. Just be careful." As if that needed to be said.
Lia looks around as well.
Didiana throws the torch into the darkness. It falls about 15 feet before hitting the ground. The floor below seems to be made of stone. It's hard to tell much else about the room below from above the trap door as most of the room is obscured by the angle of the ladder and the trap door in relation to the first floor.
There isn't much to see in the work room beyond what is readily apparent. It appears to indeed have been a workroom for the livery.
Gregor begins descending the ladder. It shakes a bit as he descends but it otherwise remains stable.
As Gilda descends she notices what is also evident to everyone else: the eye-watering stench of urine and feces filling the large room below. Nests made of chewed crates and barrels line the walls, while rusty knives and hooks cover the tabletops. A door can be seen along the room's western wall.
The last member of the group descends the ladder and arrives on the ground. As the group looks at their new surroundings, a pair of red eyes appears in one corner of the room. Then another. And another. Till a total of four pairs of red eyes can be seen.
A few heartbeats pass as the red eyes stare at the group. The eyes emerge from the shadows to reveal four enormous rats.
Upon emerging from the shadows and clearly seeing the intruders, the rats immediately attack.
Evander says in a low voice, "These are dire rats. They are a mean, vicious creature which inhabits filthy and foul-smelling underground spaces. They also carry a disease which they can pass on to others through their bites. Be careful."
Evander then draws his rapier and steps up next to Matiscio, adopting a defensive stance.
HP 9/9
AC 20
Conditions: None
1st-level Extracts
[ ]cure light wounds, [ ]shield
Gilda's mangy pet! It's multiplying?!
No, Didiana quickly realized; that nightmare scenario was blissfully not upon them yet. These were mere dire rats. It seemed that the party just couldn't help but intrude upon animal habitats today. Unlike the dogs above, however, these animals were not social enough to subdue with anything but force.
The armiger held aloft the shining torch as exactly that gathered in her other hand: force. The softly glowing ball of arcane power shot out of her hand and effortlessly navigated the group surrounding the caster. Flying right between the legs of both Evander and Matiscio, the missile, unerring by nature, then crashed into into its target.
Gregor sees the rats, and can't help but ask himself, will they get mad for me wanting to kill these too? He doesn't waste time thinking about it for too long. He draws his longsword, and keeping his shield before him, steps up to the nearest rat and tries a strike he would normally use to take the legs out of humanoid opponent. Unfortunately, for him, most of his training is against criminals, not rodents. Rodents are not well known for breaking the law.
Free, 5' west 1 sq
Standard, attack green
Gilda howls in shock.
"Nooo!! You cannot take Sprinkles Too back! He's not one of you anymore! Begone foul death-hounds!"
Gregor swings at the green rat, but misses.
Didiana, seeing that Gregor missed, launches her magic missile at the red rat. It slams into the rat, but it remains standing, if only barely.
Gilda tries to keep the red rat from taking back Sprinkles Too. The rat seems weakened by her gaze.
Evander moves next to Matiscio and takes a defensive stance in case he is attacked.
Green rat tries to bite Gregor and only manages to bite the air.
Blue rat moves next to Matiscio and sinks its teeth into the brawler's arm.
Yellow rat moves next to Evander, tries to bite him, and misses.
Red rat moves next to Evander, tries to bite him, and also misses.
Rexus assesses the state of affairs, moves to the right, and casts Acid Splash on the red rat.
With the rats now adjacent to him, Evander strikes at the wounded one in an attempt to kill it quickly.
She winced as the missile found its target. Her veins were aching. This was not a pleasant sensation, no matter how often she had been forced to endure it in training. It was a physiological warning sign from her body, foretelling the depletion of her arcane power.
Rats! Why did it always have to be rats?! The brawler instantly replies by adopting a light-footed combat stance and throwing vicious kicks at the mangly menaces.
Lia feels some measure of revulsion as the dire rats make their presence known. She's considerably less conflicted about stabbing these rats than dogs.
She walks up to one and stabs at it...
Seeing Evander nearly besieged by a trio of rats, Gilda continues to work her tricks, plying away at the confidence of the rats.
Gregor flails at the rat once more, irritated at missing such a simple target the first time. His frustration gets the better of him, as his swing is more wild and hasty. He doesn't understand how he can do so poorly just trying to hit a stupid little rat.
Matiscio shakes off the effects of the rat’s bite and slams his fist into the blue rat. The rodent crumples to the ground.
Lia, seeing the blue rat fall, moves around and flanks the yellow rat with Evander, and manages to graze the yellow rat.
Rexus tries to hit the red rat, but can’t manage to do so in the hecticness of the melee combat.
Gregor tries and fails once again to hit the green rat.
Didiana makes due with what she has on hand and swings at the green rat. The torch collides with the rat eliciting a squeak from the creature. It remains standing, though, and does not look happy.
Gilda tries to weaken the yellow rat and does so. Her determination to save Sprinkles Too is evident in her gaze.
Evander stabs at the red rat and it collapses to the ground.
Green rat decides Didiana is the bigger threat of the two people threatening it since she’s the only one who’s managed to strike it so far. The green rat tries to bite her ands sinks its teeth into her thigh.
Blue rat is unconscious and continues to die.
Yellow rat tries to bite Lia but misses.
Red rat is unconscious and continues to die.
Rexus moves further to the east, trying to hit the yellow rat with Acid Splash.
The rat carcass manages to hinder Matiscio's efforts to snuff out yet another rat's life as the man steps on it while preparing himself to strike at the other rat.
Lia stabs at the rat that tried to bite her.
She glances over her shoulder and cannot help but chuckle at the sight of Gregor struggling with his rat.
Evander teams up with Lia to stab at the rat between them to try and finish it off.
Unfortunately, his relative inexperience fighting causes him to miss the target.
AC 16
HP 9/9
Conditions: none
Level 1 extracts
[ ] cure light wounds, [ ] shield
Son of a...!
A constrained cry slipped the armiger's lips as the oversized rodent's teeth sank deep into her thigh. That hurt something fierce. What was it Evander had said about these things carrying diseases? Oh, this better not be infected! Didiana shot an angry glare at the rat, though truth be told she was just as annoyed with herself for lowering her guard. She quickly tried retaliating before backing away.
Gilda crosses her arms as the trio of rats seems all but dispatched.
Gregor curses both himself and the rat for letting his anger and impatience take over. He tries to regain his composure, stabilize his footing and act the guard he is.... fighting a rat. The notion itself disrupts his focus, his swing going wild once more.
Matiscio swings and misses.
Lia stabs the yellow rat, rendering it unconscious.
Rexus tries to hit the green rat, but misses.
Gregor tries and fails again to hit the green rat.
Didiana isn’t quite as proficient with her torch as she initially thought and misses on her second swing. She steps back toward the ladder.
Gilda surveys the battlefield and, upon seeing the green rat, realizes the trio of rats is actually a quartet. She turns her gaze to the green rat, but her gaze isn't as effective as it has been on her previous victims.
Evander only stabs the air.
Green rat tries to bite Gregor, the person now closest to it, but misses.
Blue rat is unconscious and stops dying.
Yellow rat is unconscious and stops dying.
Red rat is unconscious and continues to die.
Rexus tries to hit the green rat with Acid Splash, but will inevitably miss.
Lia walks over to Gregor's rat and stabs it.
She skewers the diseased creature and gives Gregor a cheeky grin.
"So, you'll get on us for not wanting to hurt dogs, but you can't bring yourself to kill a rat?"
Gregor is too literal himself to fully get sarcasm, so he doesn't understand if Lia is trying to make a joke or not. He gives her a sideways glare as he slams his sword back into its sheath. While returning his shield to his back, he turns to Didiana, "Are you okay? I apologize for my failure to offer adequate defense. Do you know if it will get infected?" He wastes no time in waiting for a response before crouching on his haunches and inspecting the wound in her thigh.
Once he is comfortable that the wound will not fester, he draws his bow, flexing his neck and shoulders to limber up.
Gilda moves up and puts a hand on Lia's shoulder.
"Rats... dogs... what's the difference? It's all about the eyes, sweetie. Once you see the eyes, you know everything..."
She then gestures to the door.
"Looks like the Silver Ravens had themselves a bonafied hide-out here.."