Rosaleen rolled her eyes at the corporal's back as he left with Lady Bethel. So typical of a mindless soldier. As long as they had a pointy stick they would stupidly run head-long into whatever unknown danger there was. Once you were no longer a low-level soldier, you thoughtlessly sent others into unknown danger because it was no longer your own skin you were risking.
She waited until she was sure the corporal was gone, even going to the door to check he wasn't standing outside in the street, before returning to the others and asking, "So are we listening to the one who ran into a house of unknown danger and was quickly overwhelmed and risk that the same happens to us? Or are we going into this with a solid plan and adequate resources?"
"I think our plan is pretty solid. And there are 5 of us. And, while the corporal is being a dick, he's kind of right - there may be more people that need our help. Your bomb was good, but I don't know if it's worth the time to make another one, right at this moment."
She gestured to Nevitash, "When Rosaleen is ready, open the hatch. She'll toss in the last bomb. Then we kill whatever comes through."
Kita checked her borrowed pistol one more time, then looked to the others. "Ready?"
"I am good either way, but I am not following the orders of a fool, and yes, I will happily play the "we're special" card ANY day. That little d-bag has zero business needlessly putting us all at risk. But let's proceed."
Rosaleen fished her last flask out of her pack and nodded at Nevitash, "Ready when you are."
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Nevitash will move to the trapdoor and glances at everyone to make sure they are ready before pulling the trapdoor open. He says, "Let's do this!"
"That was...easy?" Kita frowned, unsure of what just happened. "I guess we need to check it out." She tried not to taste the air as she approached the trapdoor. "Erryll, a little light?"
Erryll raises the Ring of Light he inherited from his mother, and a bright beam shines forth ahead of him; shortly after, two small orbs of light appear as well, clearly under his control. He sends them down into the cellar ... "Anyone want to take a look?"
Anyone want to take a look?
Rosaleen resolutely shook her head, "Nope."
She looked over at Kita, "It did seem a little anti-climactic." The alchemist then turned her attention to the trapdoor, "Either the rats are super intelligent and are laying in wait after sacrificing a few to the acid...or the corporal can't count at all. Granted the rats may have returned to where they came from but then it's not our problem."
Rats scurry and hide... and wait for the vulnerable. I will go in alone and lure them out. Hand me a torch.
"No torch needed, Erryll's magic lights are down there," Kita reassured him. "I'll cover you from up here."
[ooc]Is it a trapdoor with a ladder down, or a proper staircase? After Mohammed goes down, Kita will go down a few steps/rungs and cover him with the pistol.
Nevitash will head down with his cudgel out looking for any more of the rats.
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Nevitash climbs down into the devastation of poor old Bethel's basement. Broken crockery, torn open sacks and smashed crates show that the rats had a merry time down here. It looks like the acid thrown down caught a swarm of the beasts and burned them to death. The smell of sewage wafts into this basement from a ragged hole in the northern wall. It looks like the rats dug into the cellar from an unused portion of the sewers.
The tumble of masonry leads into a stinking tunnel containing about a foot of stinking sludge in a five-foot depression with narrow walkways on either side (roughly 2' at the widest) The tunnel is curved some 10' overhead. The tunnel runs away into the darkness....
Kita wrinkles her nose at the smell, but doesn't hesitate to follow Nevitash into the basement. The tunnel into the sewers doesn't look like a fun time, but these rats were clearly coming from somewhere.
"Come on, it's only stink. We need to see where this goes."
Nevitash speaks an arcane word and light forms on his cudgel as he steps out onto the narrow path on the right side of the tunnel. "Watch your step." Nevitash says as he starts carefully moving down the tunnel.
Rosaleen poked her head through the trap door. "I'm out of anything helpful other than the small stick they gave us and I am less than useless with one. Are you sure you want to crawl into the sewers? Can't we just patch the hole in the wall and call it a night?"
Rosaleen poked her head through the trap door. "I'm out of anything helpful other than the small stick they gave us and I am less than useless with one. Are you sure you want to crawl into the sewers? Can't we just patch the hole in the wall and call it a night?"
Also casts light on his cudgel.
Kita looked skeptical. "The dug in through masonry. Is there anything here that could be used to make a better barrier than that?"
Rosaleen knew more about flora than fauna but she thought back to her studies when she was younger to try to remember anything she could about rats. How they could dig through masonry and whether there was something better that could act as a barrier to the rodents. Really she was just trying to find any reason to not go into the sewers.
Nevitash will move back into the basement and looks around. "I am not skilled at building walls. But if they ate through the mortar and bricks I am not sure what we could do to keep them out."
"I don't pretend to know about engineering ... and yet I know the construction of bricks & mortar is a lot like the construction of magic: what you construct poorly holds together poorly, what you construct well holds strong. Couldn't it be that we simply need to rebuild better than the original construction?"
Hands on hips, Kita stared at the others. "I'm sure that's true. But do any of us know more about brickwork than whoever built this place? I don't think so. And clearly big rats are a problem here. I say we investigate. It's that or go back up and clobber drunks. But if I'm outvoted I'll go with the rest of you. What do you say? Who's up for the stinky tunnel?" She raised her hand and looked at the others.
"I think we need to go deal with the rats. We lack the skills, tools and probably even supplies, to build a wall that would last. If the rats are attacking people then we should intervene." Nevitash says.
"I think we need to go deal with the rats. We lack the skills, tools and probably even supplies, to build a wall that would last. If the rats are attacking people then we should intervene." Nevitash says.
The two can both be true but represent different solutions. Short term? Kill and burn out rats nests... knowing they'll come back, we then arrange for stouter walls, for a long term fix.
He then squares his shoulders and pushes in deeper.
Rosaleen rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
She joined the others, "I guess walking through vomit in the sewers isn't any different than walking through it on the street. And Kita's right, the bonus is that we don't have to deal with the drunks if we chase the rats."
"You lead, I'll follow."
Nevitash again enters the sewer sticking to the path on the right side.
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The collapsed masonry reveals that Bethel’s basement adjoined a seemingly disused section of the city’s labyrinthine sewer system.
Damp, crumbling brickwork walls arch overhead, forming a semicircular tunnel supported by thick columns. Between them runs a veritable river of thick sludge whose nature is best not contemplated. Narrow walkways flank the stagnant water, and a crudely constructed blockade and wooden gate to the west bisects it and seals off the tunnel in that direction.
Two figures lie amid the refuse and bobbing debris. One is sprawled amid a pile of garbage across the channel to the east, and the other is partially submerged at the mouth of a smaller inlet pipe opposite the entry into Bethel’s basement, its upper body and arms draped across the walkway. A few smaller rats scatter into the darkness as you approach.
Kita grimaces. "What a place to die. Or, maybe they're not dead." She gingerly makes her way to the figure draped across the garbage, and checks to see if they're alive.
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As you move closer to the corpse, you notice a devil rat emerging out of the water to crouch directly on the corpse. It stands on its hind legs and gives a shrill chitter directed towards Kita. As if summoned by the foul creature's call, a number of other rats emerge from the fetid water and a number of metal drain pipes. All in all, about 6 of the evil rats now stand in this section of the sewer, with a swarm of smaller ones blocking the way east.
Initiative
Rats:
Kita:
Nevitash:
Rosaleen:
Mohammid:
Erryll:
Startled, Kita stumbles back through the foul water. Aiming the unfamiliar pistol at the devil rat, she shrieked as she pulled the trigger. However, her nerves were jangled and the shot went wide, echoing loudly in the sewer.
Cursing, the gunslinger pulled out the powder and shot, and began to reload.
Rosaleen pulled out her whacking stick but didn't advance on the rats. "And this is why I should have taken twenty minutes to mix more reagents. I'll hit them if they attack but I'm not going any closer."
@ Mohammed - I rolled them...unfortunately you got a 7...so you will be going last
Nevitash will move to be between the rats and the others and ready to smack it if it comes closer.
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Nevitash carefully moves forward and smashes the giant rat sitting on the dead body. The squeal of its death has brought several more of the creatures into this area. Climbing out of overhead drains and emerging from the fetid water, the rats clamber about the party and start biting.
Rat attacks:
Kita (AC 14): HIT Damage:
Nevitash (AC 20): HIT Damage:
Rosaleen (AC 16): MISS
Mohammid (AC 17): MISS
Erryll (AC 13): HIT Damage:
ROUND TWO
Kita
Nevitash
Rosaleen
Mohammid
Erryll
Nevitash refuses to get eaten by a rat, and his free had moves to ward off the blow.
"Die rodent!"Nevitash calls out as he swings at the rat that tried to bite off his toe.
Rosaleen found her big stick very inelegant but it was all she had to use at the moment. Even though her leathers had protected her from the rat that just tried to bite her, she retaliated by swinging at its head to make it think twice about trying to bite her again.
Clubbing!
for
Kita got her borrowed pistol loaded, and took a more careful aim at the rat that had just taken a nip at her leg.
Kita makes certain there are no more rats, then double checks that the pistol is loaded, she doesn't want to be caught unawares by more big rodents.
She then moves to the bodies and roots around, looking for identification, or other items of interest.