Fírinne's conscious mind hesitates in the face of the onslaught, trying to understand what is happening, but her swordarm has no such concerns. Her blade lashes out in a flurry of punishing strikes upon the rats.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Firinne's reactions are most impressive: She slays all three dire rats and a jab to the nearest wererat trying to push past her leaves it on death's doorstep. The tiefling's darkvision picks up more movement in the shadows: three more wererats in hybrid form scurry into the cavern from the east, positioning themselves around the room. Through some narrow passages to the north swarm hundreds of normal rats. Firinne also notes that the high-pitched shrieking (which continues unabated) comes from a man-sized purple mushroom near the south wall.
Meanwhile, the two closest wererats stab at Firinne with their short swords and awkwardly bite at her as well. All the attacks miss, and each wererat takes a quick step back from Firinne. The one to the north is likely afraid of getting caught in the impending rat swarm but the other seems to be trying to bait her deeper into the room.
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Emi enters the room in support of Firinne, tacking to the right to take on the wererat beside the big purple(?!) mushroom.
"That swarm of rats is going to be a problem!" Fírinne shouts back at the others, breathing hard.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
The mushroom's intense keening is so loud no one can make out what Firinne's shouting! Meanwhile, Emi moves to join the fray but her attack is dodged by her opponent.
This human-sized purple mushroom--called a shrieker--emits a piercing sound that lasts for 1d3 rounds whenever there is movement or a light source within 10 feet. This shriek makes it impossible to hear any other sound within 50 feet. The sound attracts nearby creatures that are disposed to investigate it. Some creatures that live near shriekers learn that this noise means there is food or an intruder nearby.
A swarm made up of Tiny creatures takes half damage from slashing and piercing weapons.
A swarm is immune to any spell or effect that targets a specific number of creatures (including single-target spells such as disintegrate), with the exception of mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms) if the swarm has an Intelligence score and a hive mind. A swarm takes half again as much damage (+50%) from spells or effects that affect an area, such as splash weapons and many evocation spells.
With no one able to hear her shouted warnings, Fírinne grits her teeth and stands her ground, refusing to let any of the rats pass her by.
Emi is very pissed off about the mushroom. At her distance from it, the sound is very uncomfortable aside from the inability to communicate.
She curses a blue streak at the thing, and holds her ground waiting for Firinne to start retreating from the oncoming rats before she does the same.
HP 81/81
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (-2 to all when raging), DR 3/-, 1 cold resistance
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 Will when raging) [Defiant luck]
CMD 23 (25 vs. grapple)
Rage: 0/22; Harrow points: 2/3; Auspicious Mark (1d6+1) 0/1; Defiant Luck: 0/1
Effects:
Nebbin follows Emi into the room, jaw dropping slightly as he sees one dead wererat already, and Firinne's blade covered with blood. "" he says to her, the sound lost in the mushroom's keening.
Seeing Emi in a fight, he closes to her side and swings at the rat creature's chest.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Nebbin enters the fray, but his initial slash misses the mark. Kayleigh (barely!) hops across the sewer channel and moves up behind Firinne, casting a spell .
A wererat is first to invade Firinne's space and pays for it, receiving an icy rapier thrust to the gut. Two of its fellows stab at Nebbin with their short swords and one thrusts at Emi, but none manages to connect. The rat swarm descends from the north, threatening to engulf some of the party.
Each affected creature gains a +2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls.
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Emi holds her position and continues her attack against the wererat. Now that she's had a few moments to watch him, she's better honed in on his way of moving and how he tends to use his weapon.
HP 81/81
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (-2 to all when raging), DR 3/-, 1 cold resistance
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 Will when raging) [Defiant luck]
CMD 23 (25 vs. grapple)
Rage: 0/22; Harrow points: 2/3; Auspicious Mark (1d6+1) 0/1; Defiant Luck: 0/1
Effects: good hope (+2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls)
Nebbin slices into the swarm of rats, chopping dozens in half with a single swing, then sets about him with his blade, which seems to be ever more suited to his hands. Where once they were wild swings, now they seem to have a touch of control to them.
As she and Nebbin scatter the swarm of rats, Fírinne's mind is already turning to the rest of their larger cousins. She strikes out at the closest wererat with her rapier, though her focus slips when she tries to follow it up with another spell.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Nebbin and Firinne make short work of the rat swarm; then they start carving up their wererat masters. Nebbin drops the lycanthrope Firinne wounded previously, and then the big man and the smallish tiefling put some serious hurt on two more of the furry defenders. Emileva still can't quite find her battle rhythm as her falchion barely misses her chosen foe.
Kayleigh enters the hideaway, shouting something to the wererats before dropping to one knee to bandage the wounds of the first wererat to fall to her friends' weapons and battle prowess. The shrieker keeps shrieking, however, drowning out the healer's words.
The wererats keep fighting to defend their home from the human (and tiefling) invaders. Another frightened-looking hybrid wererat scoots from the shadowy area to the east, hugging the back wall and closing on Kayleigh. Seeing reinforcements, the badly-wounded wererat already cowering to the north gathers its courage and tries to stab and bite the cleric, but to no avail. Likewise, Firinne dodges the incoming attacks of her opponent.
Emi and Nebbin are not so lucky, however. Though each easily dodges the foes' stab attempts, the follow-up bites are frightfully accurate, drawing spouts of blood!
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Emi curses at the thing blowing her ears out with its noise while she continues to press her attack.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
The luck of Emi's foe runs out: With two swipes from her falchion, the wererat is dropped, bleeding out on the ground.
HP 72/81
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (-2 to all when raging), DR 3/-, 1 cold resistance
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 Will when raging) [Defiant luck]
CMD 23 (25 vs. grapple)
Rage: 0/22; Harrow points: 2/3; Auspicious Mark (1d6+1) 0/1; Defiant Luck: 0/1
Effects: good hope (+2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls)
Nebbin lets out a hiss as the rat's teeth sink into him. It doesn't hurt so much but ... "I don't want to be a wererat!" he cries, chopping furious at his attacker.
As she swats away another swipe of the wererat's claws, Fírinne notices their cleric being attacked by yet another of the gang. She quickly gestures her intention to Nebbin before stepping to within reach of Kayleigh's attacker and attacking.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Nebbin's fear of contacting lycanthropy seems to give an extra urgency to his attacks, as both nearby wererats fall beneath his blade. Firinne slides to assist Kayleigh, missing the last uninjured wererat with her first thrust before skewering it nicely with her second. Kayleigh's silver morningstar flashes out at the badly-wounded wererat who'd dared to attack her while she stabilized his dying packmate, scoring a glancing hit that is nonetheless sufficient to drop the creature. She takes a step north, all the while yelling something at the last wererat standing that can't be heard over the shrieking mushroom's incessant wailing. Just as Kayleigh finishes her tirade, the shrieker finally falls silent. With a huff of annoyance, the healer simply growls, "Surrender."
The final lycanthrope gives Kayleigh a return growl but doesn't drop its weapon; neither does it attack, however.
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HP 72/81
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (-2 to all when raging), DR 3/-, 1 cold resistance
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 Will when raging) [Defiant luck]
CMD 23 (25 vs. grapple)
Rage: 0/22; Harrow points: 2/3; Auspicious Mark (1d6+1) 0/1; Defiant Luck: 0/1
Effects: good hope (+2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls)
"She told you to SURRENDER!" Nebbin yells at the last lycanthrope. He sweeps his sword around, trying to indicate all the fallen wererats, but it has the strangely amusing appearance that he's trying to dance, utterly spoiling his attempt to get it to do what Kayleigh said.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
The remaining wererat seems to be considering surrender when a slightly larger wererat joins the battle from deeper within the complex to the east. Perhaps sensing Kayleigh's distraction at Nebbin's 'dance of surrender,' the beast tries to stab and bite the cleric but misses on both counts! It shifts a bit to the north.
The new wererat wears a sturdy chain shirt and appears to wield a graceful rapier forged of silver.
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HP 72/81
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (-2 to all when raging), DR 3/-, 1 cold resistance
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +3 (+2 Will when raging) [Defiant luck]
CMD 23 (25 vs. grapple)
Rage: 0/22; Harrow points: 2/3; Auspicious Mark (1d6+1) 0/1; Defiant Luck: 0/1
Effects: good hope (+2 morale bonus on saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls)
"Leave her alone!" Nebbin yells at the wererat as it attacks Kayleigh, rushing to her defense with a mighty swing.
Still keeping his cool, he swings again.
EMILEVA MAVRAKIS said....
When the new wererat, who looks like he just might be their ultimate target, makes his appearance, Emi scoots around the mushroom and attacks him. She wants to leave him the option of coming on in to the place they occupy, or giving her allies easy access to him if he doesn't, so she wedges herself in against the walls.
"Fancier company incoming!"
Attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
Damage: 2d4 + 6 ⇒ (1, 1) + 6 = 8
Fírinne turns at Emi's warning, and she quickly moves to engage the much-better equipped newcomer. Pausing only long enough to charge her own rapier with another spell, she lunges forward with a killing strike.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Nebbin comes to Kayleigh's defense--emphatically, as usual. The creature's head flies off its shoulders when Nebbin's sword meets flesh, spraying his girlfriend with blood. The look on the cleric's face seems to be something along the lines of: Well, I'm not going to waste my time trying to stabilize that one!
The wererat you assume to be Girrigz sneers and snarls at your party; its expression is hard to read, as it seems to be under the effect of a blur spell, last seen when your party battled the spider cultists. No problem--consecutive hits from Emi, Firinne, and Nebbin leave the wererat barely alive. He opts to go out fighting, managing to catch Firinne with one well-executed rapier lunge before perishing under a trio of blades moments later.
Kayleigh does her best to stabilize fallen foes, but two are beyond salvation (three if you include the wicked leader). A quick examination of the rest of the hideout reveals a few more dire rats which prove no real threat to your group. Firinne and Nebbin spot the hidden cache in the common room: three smokesticks, a tanglefoot bag, a thunderstone, 20 tindertwigs, a bent copper trumpet bearing a pennant with the city’s coat of arms worth 120 gp, and a complete set of masterwork carpenter’s tools.
The war chest for Girrigz's planned invasion of the surface world is stored in two large chests in the easternmost chamber: 22 daggers, 12 short swords, three light crossbows, 60 crossbow bolts, four chain shirts, 12 flasks of alchemist’s fire, a masterwork longsword, and a masterwork suit of chainmail. Firinne and Emi are wise enough to find a much smaller coffer half-buried underneath one of the larger chests; this contains: four potions of cure moderate wounds, a bottle of air, and a pearl of power (2nd-level spell).
Looting the wererat underlings nets 6 suits of masterwork studded leather, 6 masterwork short sword, and 6 light crossbow with 120 bolts total. Girrigz wears a +1 chain shirt, wields a +1 mithral rapier, and carries 2 potions (bear's endurance, cure moderate wounds) and 230 gold pieces in a leather sack. On the floor of the far chamber lie three empty potion vials...for all the good they did the now-deposed wererat lord.
As you're finishing gathering loot, a plaintive wail comes from the trapped otyugh to the south: "Don't forget promise to free me!"
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After their final enemy falls, Fírinne leans against a nearby wall, clutching at her stab wound and trying to catch her breath.
"That," she says between breaths, "could've gone worse."
Emi is less happy with the end result.
"One of those f%#+ers bit me!" she exclaims, quite angry about that part of things.
Fírinne taps an imaginary hat with her claw as acknowledgment of Emi's point.
"I can do a healing channel and try to remove any disease you may have contacted from the bites," Kayleigh tells Emi and Nebbin. "But let's wait until we've fully disarmed Girrigz's soldiers before I use a channel...and made a decision on what we're going to do about the otyugh."
"That's good," Nebbin says, with a warm smile. "We don't want you to become a wererat!" He squints slightly, trying to imagine Emi with whiskers.
"I don't know. I don't want the otyugh to hurt anyone, but ... it also doesn't seem right to leave him stuck there. I think ... we should let him go," Nebbin concludes in a rush.
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Freeing the otyugh from its makeshift cage will take some effort: You'd either have to widen both entrances to the wererat warren (possible, as the walls around each opening are rather crumbly, but dangerous for that same reason) or manually lifting the western bar-gate in the sewer channel. A quick examination seems to reveal that the latter method will require a simple--if strenuous--manual lifting of the heavy grate, as it doesn't appear to have a functional locking mechanism.
Emi really isn't much in the mood for helping an otyugh after a fight and her upsetting bite. But, she decides she would feel really bad if she didn't after talking up friends helping friends and so forth to it, even if the otyugh did nothing useful in the end. That wasn't it's fault, just the way things unwound.
She looks despairingly at the grate.
"We should at least try it before we go tramping around looking for another way. You and me together Nebbin?"
Fírinne quickly moves to Emi's aid, planting her feet and lifting the grate with all her might.
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SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
Emi starts lifting the heavy grate on her own and Firinne rushes in to help. The otyugh, sensing a real opportunity for freedom, thunder-waddles forward, getting most of its bulk beneath the half-lifted grate and using its two non-seeing tentacles to push the metal bars even higher. It scoots out of its improvised cage under the watchful eyes of Kayleigh and Nebbin.
"Nice not-ratty peoples," the great beast blubbers. "Almost grabbed rat-man through broke wall during fight! Want me to eat dead ones so you can move in?"
Kayleigh explains that, regrettably, the party and otyugh won't be neighbors going forward. She's not sure if the filthy-covered creature is wounded or not, so she decides it best to invite the otyugh within the range of her healing channel to treat her friends' wounds and revive the stabilized wererats.
The healing channel fully heals Nebbin and nearly does the same for Firinne. The four wererats that Kayleigh stabilized after the fight stir, but their remaining wounds are still rather grievous.
Nebbin thinks for a few minutes.
"Eries said most of the wererats would go back to not being trouble once Girrigz was dead, so I think we should maybe not eat them? I mean, you shouldn't eat them -- I definitely wasn't going to! Maybe you guys could live down here together..."
"There's plenty of perfectly ordinary sewer rats in that room behind us," Fírinne offers, pointing back the way they came. "Eating people is no good, but animals are just as tasty to you, right?"
SEWERS OF OLD KORVOSA (7 Desnus)
The otyugh gives Firinne's words lengthy consideration. "Me prefer meat dead and seasoned," it replies, its eyes-tentacle pointed toward the now-revived captive wererats.
"Girrigz brought this down upon you," Kayleigh tells the surviving wererats. "An attack on the city above will not be tolerated--we have enough troubles up there already. If you go back to your peaceful ways, you'll never see us again. If you don't...expect no mercy next time. And leave that poor otyugh alone. I'll heal you again and we'll leave some of your weapons behind so you can defend yourselves going forward."
The wererats nod reluctantly. After Kayleigh again channels positive energy, the party takes its leave without incident. The otyugh also waddles off into a side passage as the party makes their way back to the surface.
OLD KORVOSA ALLEY (7 Desnus)
When your party with Eries, they find the elderly wererat content with the outcome. She thanks you for minimizing the body count. Before departing, she gives a warning: "My people explore the streets at night when there's less chance of being discovered. But we avoid one section at all cost: Racker's Alley. It's been reported that feral humans with reddish eyes often visit that site after dark, possibly looting or otherwise defiling the dozens of plague victim bodies that are dumped there. They may be ghouls...or worse!"
Racker’s Alley, with its strange shape and shadowy corners, has long been a site of illicit exchanges, quiet murders, and criminal business in the tangles of western Old Korvosa. Already shunned by locals and constantly hidden from sunlight by looming buildings and the nearby wall, the alley makes a perfect dumping spot for some of the less scrupulous plague carters supplementing the Pharasman wains.
"Oh, thanks, we'll definitely avoid that area then," Nebbin says, gratefully. "Hopefully you can all be safe now, wherever you are."
"Even I've heard of that place," Fírinne adds. "If it is an infestation of ghouls, though, we'll want to sort that out." She sighs. "That, and everything else in the city."
Emi agrees with Nebbin for sure.
"We could run around putting out fires here, there, and everywhere until we're old. Moving Trinia out of town can't wait long. It needs to come first."
"Let's get to it, then."
OLD KORVOSA ALLEY (7 Desnus)
Backtracking through the sewers, your party comes to the ladder leading up to the grate you used to enter the subterranean passages. Tassira stands there, barely able to keep a grasp on a squirming and yowling Ravnos.
"I don't know what's wrong--she's never acted this way before!" the mage huffs in exasperation. Once everyone's topside, Ravnos gazes off to the south in that special way cats have, meowing mournfully. An idea forms in Tassira's mind.
"Before she became my familiar, Ravnos was the Vantyev family cat. Maybe she senses something I can't.... Maybe something's wrong back home."
"MEOW!" The cat's vocalization somehow has a tone that confers strong agreement with her master's last statement.
Tassira regretfully informs her friends that she's going to cross the river to check in with her parents. She says she'll send some sort of message when/if she's able to return to Old Korvosa.
Back at the clinic, the rest of the party finds Trinia upstairs, safe but getting a little stir-crazy. She gets excited when the party mentions that her flight from Korvosa and its mad queen is imminent.
"I think the simplest solution is the best one: we disguise Trinia or otherwise shield her from view, then escort her out through one of the busier gates."
Nebbin seems a bit doubtful, but he's not sure he has any better ideas.
"Maybe Eries knows a way out through the sewers?"
Nebbin thinks.
"Maybe we should go look and see how closely the guards are watching people? We could do that while we sell some of the things we got out of the sewers -- after we wash it!"