Grenz nods in agreement, and assists Khamul as well as he can.
Grenz and Caprice strain against the door, feeling it give as they strive to keep the rats from overwhelming them. Khamul, with his short stature, musters as much strength as he can to drag the large table, easily several times his size, across the stone floor. If anyone did not know you were here, the whole house does now, as the terrible scraping sound of wood on stone echoes throughout the basement and beyond. As the table reaches the door, Grenz quickly grabs it with one hand and helps push it against the wood. Caprice darts around behind and all three cram the table up against the door. For now, the door holds, but it won’t be long before they work their way out or around it.
Khamul sets his shoulder against one of the table legs to pin it against the door, and speaks "Ok, me and Grenz can hold the table for a minute. Idun, look through the kitchen and find some stuff we can throw as weapons against the rats, so all of us have missiles. Get yourself something comfortable for rat squishing as well - that chopper of yours ain't the best for this . Then we set up, spread out enough that they can't swarm more than one of us at a time. The last one of us steps back and lets the rats push the door open. As they do, we pelt them with thrown stuff. Once they get out, they will have to choose one of us to swarm, and the rest of us pile in on the sides, and we squish rats until they give up, like the last one did..."
As Idun gathers the improvised weapons, Khamul will cast guidance on himself, Grenz and Idun.
"It may not be the ideal weapon for the job, but sadly, I'm not a very flexible combatant, haven't trained with many other weapons."
"Also, I think it's too wet and dank down here for the Alchemists Fire to catch. I used it in the last fight and it didn't catch the whole place ablaze, I think we can just use those. Other than that, I agree with the strategy." With a moment to talk, Caprice offers her opinions.
"Agreed" - Grenz nods at his companions - "Ready when you are"
As you put Khamul’s plan into motion, you each scatter to different parts of the kitchen, grabbing whatever you can to throw at the rats. Soon, the door gives and they come bursting through, heading towards the nearest person they can.
Khamul is too small and fast and Caprice is simply too quick. Plus, the rats have already had a taste of Grenz’s blood and are looking for more. They rush towards him, like a wave of disease and teeth.
As the rats boil through the door, Khamul bowls the heavy iron pot (that Idun had gotten him) into them, bouncing it along the floor to crush as many little goobers as possible...
3 BAB +3 spirit bonus +4 dex -4 improvised weapon +1 guidance
bludgeoning
3 spirit bonus +3 seance bonus +1 str
Then he starts bashing rats with his staff sling, as the tide of teeth foams at his feet.
3 BAB +3 spirit bonus +1 str +1 enhancement
bludgeoning
3 spirit bonus +3 seance bonus +1 str +1 enhancement
As agreed, Grenz unleashes a brutal attack, using a kitchen clay pot.
He swats the creatures as best as he can as they try to overtake him.
And Caprice lets loose with another Alchemist's fire, this time with a clear line of sight.
Even as the swarm gets close to Grenz, he is ready. Pots, pans, jars, lids, plates and anything else that could be thrown was, clattering to the floor and into several rodents, sending them scattering in all directions. The wave of doom broke in front of the warrior monk and the fury of his companions. Though the rats still lurked about, they decided that they were not that hungry. You stand relatively alone, looking almost comical with kitchen materials in hand, ready to go again if necessary.
"Well, back to sweeping for potential threats to the public..."
Khamul takes a look in the room that the second rat swarm came from
and another +4 if detect danger applies...
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint
"Well done" - Grenz nods at the others, twirling a heavy frying pan in his hand - "Would it be very odd if I told you this is not the first time I have been in a fight involving kitchenware?"
As Khamul enters the room, he notices that this must have been the wine cellar, as two large racks now stand with mostly broken bottles of wine which has dried and stained the floor. Carefully picking his way through the glass, he notices something odd about the top shelf of the left rack. There seems to be an extra hand's breadth of height to the center portion and there appears to be a tiny hinge up there.
"Grenz, Idun, back me up here, there's a secret compartment or something... " Breathing deeply to focus his psychic powers , Khamul examines the rack quite closely...
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint + 4 Detect Danger +1 guidance
He waits until Idun and Grenz are there back him up, and then tries to solve the mechanism of whatever it is...
[b]"Hey, theres a trap!" Certain things are getting interesting, he waits for Grenz and Idun to join him, and then tries to disarm it...
4 ranks +3 trained +4 dex +1 trait + 2 MW tools+1 guidance
Khamul climbs the rack, careful not to step on any glass, or nosy rats, and looks around for any mechanisms that might cause him or anyone else harm. He only finds a tiny latch keeping the small door closed. There does not seem to be anything attached to it. Sliding it open, the door creaks as comes out. Inside, Khamul can see a several bottles stuffed inside, all of them still intact and corked. Turning one over in his hand, he sees that they are marked as from the Vindegris vineyard in Cheliax, circa 4689, almost two decades ago.
Caprice stands ready, but curious, her eyes following Khamul's progress. "Find something?"
As he loads the bottles into his handy haversack, Khamul replies to Idun: "What I suspect are some very expensive bottles of wine, given they're being kept in a special concealed compartment... I hope they are still good. But no threat to the locals here. Still, we are burning daylight, or perhaps twilight, so lets get back to the sweep."
Grenz took a better look at the label for one of the bottles - "I remember reading about this year back at father Zanthus' library in Sandpoint - not sure on the taste, but they have been bottled at a particularly violent time in Cheliax’s history. Might be worth good coin to a collector" - he informed his companions, returning the bottle to Khamul, and moving to check the next door.
Hearing only the scratching of numerous small claws, Grenz decides the next door is safe enough to open, though when he does, he immediately regrets it. This room appears to have been the pantry, with several torn bags of seeds and flour strewn about, now being used as homes for the multitude of rats that have taken up residence here. The odor of rat refuse is extremely powerful and Grenz's eyes begin to water from it.
As Grenz investigates the former pantry, Khamul heads over to the other door in the kitchen , and pauses to listen at it...
and another +4 if detect danger applies...
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint
then he takes a deep breath and checks the door for traps..
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint +4 detect danger
assuming he finds none (and didn't hear anything to dissuade him), he tries to open the door...
4 ranks +3 trained +4 dex +1 trait + 2 MW tools
"The smell..." - Grenz grunts. He tries to find something long (like the leg of a table) to poke around the nasties for a few moments with a hand over his nose and mouth, but once convinced there is nothing dangerous, he gets out of there.
At the last door, Khamul hears very little coming from the other side. Opening it slowly, his light comes upon what appears to have been a servant’s quarters, with simple wooden beds and old rotting away blankets and pillows. The foot lockers have been overturned and the wood on them looks to be starting to rot. Other than a rat that scurries away when the light shines on it, the room appears empty.
"All right, no obvious purple people eaters in here." Khamul turns away from the servants' quarters and heads over to the stairs he had previously ventured down, "Up to the main floor..."
Leaving the rats to their domain, you head up the stairs from the basement, each creak reminding you of the building’s age. You re-enter the main hallway and stand just near the hole that Iesha tore into the floor. There is the foyer to one side and the dining room to the other. Now to determine where to go next.
Khamul pipes up: "We didn't check the north side of the house on the main floor before Grenz started chasing ghosties." As he speaks he heads on over to the side passage, and peeks into the north room ...
and another +4 if detect danger applies...
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint
Moving back through the foyer, you go to the hallway that Caprice had checked before. This time, there is nothing but two doors, one directly in front and one down the hall a bit. The door in front of you is slightly open and you think you can hear the sound of piano music. Peering inside, you can see that this must have been a dance hall once upon a time, but now the boards are warped and the windows covered with that same substance as the rest. A lonely piano rests in the corner and the two doors leading outside are chained and locked. The piano music continues, though no one sits at the instrument.
"There's definitely a ghost or something playing that piano.." Caprice frowns. "Dunno if my sword could hurt a ghost."
"I'm none too sure that I have anything to hurt a ghost either." Khamul replies, and after a pause for a second's reflection, continues "But do we care right now? If it ain't running around eating travelers, like say that bat thing obviously was, it can play all the piano it wants as far as I'm concerned. There's another room down the hallway."
Khamul heads down the hallway to check out the last room on the first floor...
and another +4 if detect danger applies.
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint
The final door reveals a simple washroom, complete with rusted washbasin, a more rusted iron washtub and mold ring around it, plus a broken mirror on the wall. You hear an odd scratching sound coming from the tub..
"Grenz, can you punch ghosts?" Caprice asks the seemingly ridiculous question with a straight face.
"Guys, get over here, there's something moving in the tub here!" Khamul interrupts Caprice's line of questioning... He wants backup, and perhaps someone tall enough to see into the tub from several feet away, rather than right next to it.
"Grenz, can you punch ghosts?" Caprice asks the seemingly ridiculous question with a straight face.
"Never tried it" - Grenz shrugged, not really knowing the answer.
"Guys, get over here, there's something moving in the tub here!" Khamul interrupts Caprice's line of questioning... He wants backup, and perhaps someone tall enough to see into the tub from several feet away, rather than right next to it.
"Let me have a look" - Grenz cautiously moved forward, armed with... A frying pan? He only then realized he was still carrying the kitchen implement after their 'scuffle' with the swarm of rats.
Caprice, when she herself notices Grenz noticing and thus the object of his notice, is surprised. But she follows Grenz nonetheless.
Grenz inches closer to the tub, armed with a wicked iron skillet. His eyes pick up movement, as if something is trying to get out of the tub. Peering just a bit closer, he can see a single rat, clawing and scraping its way up the side and then sliding back down again. Over and over. And Over. It seems very intent on escaping.
"Put that skillet to good use, squash the damn rat and let's get on..."
"Put that skillet to good use, squash the damn rat and let's get on..."
"Naaah, it is just trying to get away" - Grenz replies, carefully approaching the rat, and placing the skillet in a position so the rat can climb and get out of the tub.
...
"Naaah, it is just trying to get away" - Grenz replies, carefully approaching the rat, and placing the skillet in a position so the rat can climb and get out of the tub....
"About 5 minutes ago, those things were trying to eat your face, remember?"
"Well, considering this one isn't smushed, it must have clearly been one who learned its lesson." Caprice smiles at the shenanigans.
Grenz leans over and puts the pan near the rat. As it starts to climb, it begins to race up Grenz’s arm and then Scourge squeaks rather loudly at it, causing it to turn and race back down Grenz’s arm, leaping to the floor and running between Khamul’s legs and disappearing, probably never to return. You are alone, once again.
"It almost got your nose, but I don't think it's a threat to wander the countryside eating travellers... So let's keep going - upstairs next."
Khamul turns from the empty room and heads upstairs to the second floor , and goes to the nearest room that we have not inspected on the 2nd floor. He listens at the door and looks for traps before testing the door handle...
and another +4 if detect danger applies...
4 ranks +3 trained +1 trait +7 warpaint
Carefully going upstairs, you make your way down the hall and towards the first door on your right. It has crude drawings of horses and knights and castles, all done in chalk. The door is not locked and is actually partially open. Peering inside, your can see a massive hearth that stands cold and a bed that would just about fit Khamul. Or a human child. A large toy box with wooden toys strewn about lays on one side. The windows in the room are covered similarly to the rest of the house. At first, it appears that you have found another empty room, but then, the unmistakeable sound of a child sobbing comes to your ears, though no child is in sight.