Continued from Bastard Greyhawk: The Mad God's Key: https://paizo.com/threads/rzs43q94?Bastard-Greyhawk-The-Mad-Gods-Key
Dramatis Personae:
Galena, Lawful Neutral human female monk of the Twilight Monastery in the Cairn Hills, 3 days east of Greyhawk. Age 25, 5’7”, 120 lbs, auburn hair, green eyes. (Rachel out, played by Jason)
Nico Bolas, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue of Greyhawk City, originally from the Wild Coast town of Fax. Age 28, 5’9”, 170 lbs, black hair, blue eyes. (Ryan)
Preh, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue of Greyhawk. Age 18, 5’5”, 135 lbs, red hair, green eyes. (Jason)
Toben Ricos, Chaotic Good half elf male ranger of the Bronzewood Lodge in the Cairn Hills, 3 days east of Greyhawk, originally from the nearby town of Diamond Lake. Age 30 (22 equiv), 5’8”, 150 lbs, brown hair, geen eyes. (Shaun)
Planting 7, 594 CY, morning (campaign session 9, played December 27, 2019)
Preh and Nico meet Toben and Galena that morning at the Blue Dragon Inn for breakfast. Halfway through their meal, they are interrupted by a young boy wearing a blue sash across his chest, identifying him as a member of Greyhawk’s Union of Couriers and Messengers.
“Nico Bolas?” he asks. “I have a letter for you.”
Nico takes the letter and sends the boy on his way with a copper common. The rogue opens the letter and reads it aloud: “To the Slow Boys and their Slow Friends: Meet me at the False Duke’s Stables at midday, if you’re interested in a trade. –Jogg the Titan.”
“Wonder what that’s about?” asks Preh.
“Only one way to find out,” replies Toben.
The four finish their breakfast and make their way east along Horseshoe Road, dividing the River Quarter from the Foreign Quarter, and then turn south on the Processional, the main road bisecting the city on its north-south axis.
“So why does Jogg always refer to you and Preh as ‘slow’?” Galena asks Nico.
“My boss, Meg, started that,” answers Nico, “when Preh and I needed to borrow horses to chase down Irontusk a couple weeks ago.” [see Growfest 1, 594 CY]
“Yeah,” adds Preh. “She wrote a note for us to give to Jogg. It asked him for ‘two fast horses for two slow boys.’ And the damn half-orc ran with it.”
“And dubbed me and Galena slow by association, apparently,” says Toben.
The four follow the Processional through Greyhawk’s Low Market before arriving at the Black Gate, separating New City (the High, Garden, River, Foreign, and Artisan’s Quarters, plus Clerkburg) from Old (the Thieves’ and Slum Quarters). At the open gates, a city watchman clad in a red tabard emblazoned with a stylized golden star records their names and checks their weapons licenses, before allowing the four to pass through to Old City.
Shortly after passing through the Black Gate, Nico, Preh, Toben, and Galena leave the Processional and head east into the Slum Quarter. After navigating a maze of twists and turns along filthy streets and debris-choked alleys, the four arrive at their destination, the False Duke’s Stables.
“Why does he call it that?” asks Toben.
“Jogg?” Preh replies. “The stables used to be owned by a guy nmed “Stairnezh,” who claimed he was Duke Karl of Urnst’s older brother, and thereby the rightful heir. A few years back he attacked the ambassador from the Duchy and was thrown in jail, where he ended up dying, allegedly killed by fellow inmates. The stables were eventually auctioned off by the city and Jogg had the winning bid.”
Nico, Preh, Toben, and Galena find Jogg, a bald, towering half-orc with greyish skin and prominent tusks, feeding the horses. “’Bout time,” he growls. “This way.”
The four follow Jogg into his office, a cramped room with a desk and a few chairs. A fat half-orc with mottled green skin, wearing a flour-covered apron and baker’s cap rises from one of the chairs.
“This here’s m’cousin, Mung,” says Jogg. He has a proposal for you.”
“Hi, Mung. I’m Nico, and these are my associates Preh, Toben, and Galena. What’s your proposal?”
“Well met,” says Mung. “I’m a baker by trade. Best meat pies in town! One of my suppliers, a fellow named Algie, has gotten himself lost. No one’s seen him for a week. I wouldn’t worry, except that four others have gone missing in the last month. All ratcatchers. Two showed up dead.”
“Your supplier’s a ratcatcher?” asks Galena. “So the meat in your pies is. . . .”
“Not always,” replies Mung. “I use pigeon, too. Sometimes even cat, dog, or anything the butchers’ won’t use. No sense in letting good meat go to waste!” he beams.
“Rat’s probably similar to field mouse,” Toben whispers to Galena, “only with more meat.”
Mung continues. “I don’t have much money, but if you find him, I can give each of you twenty-five orbs. Plus, everyone in the Slums knows Mung. Help me out and I’ll make your life a lot easier.”
“And I’ll sweeten the deal by stabling your horses at no charge until Richfest of this year,” adds Jogg.
“Does that include feed?” asks Nico.
“Yup. Water and groomin’, too.”
“What do you say?” asks Mung.
“Shouldn’t a job like this be going through the Guild,” asks Nico?
“Findin’ missin’ persons isn’t exactly something your guild’s known for,” replies Jogg.
“Have you told the City Watch?” asks Preh.
“Yes,” says Mung. “But this is the Slum Quarter. All the watchmen who care about people end up in better parts of the city.”
“As far as we can tell, somethin’ like this doesn’t fall under Guild purview. This kind’ve work-for-hire does fall under those freesword licenses around your necks, though,” adds Jogg, nodding at the strips of tough leather carried by the party, each bearing the city seal and an image of a coin pierced by a sword.
The four look at each other for a moment then nod. “We’ll help you, Mung,” says Nico.
“Mung can fill you in on the particulars,” says Jogg. “I have horses to feed.”
After Jogg leaves, the party presses Mung for more details.
“This was never the nicest part of town,” Mung begins, “but over the last month things have gotten really bad. First, the garbage collectors stopped coming around. Then the sewers started backing up. Word is that the Union of Sewermen and Streetcleaners is striking, but if true, it’s only happening in the Slum Quarter. Now the ratcatchers are turning up dead. Vermin everywhere—and they’re getting vicious!”
“Algie is a ratcatcher,” the half-orc continues, “a good one. Supplies me with nice juicy rats for my pies. Lately he’d been talking about trouble in the guild. Someone was leaning on them, threatening to hurt the catchers if they killed anymore rats. Weston, the guildmaster, might know more. He lives at the guildhouse on Spit Street.”
“Of course, the Ratcatchers’ Guild is on ‘Spit Street’,” says Nico.
“We might want to check Algie’s home first,” adds Preh. “You know where he lives?”
“Snot Alley,” replies Mung. “Second tenement on the right. Room number three.”
“’Snot Alley,’ naturally,” says Nico. “And people wonder why the Slum Quarter isn’t a thriving hub of tourism.”
After getting directions from Mung, the four leave the False Duke’s Stables and make their way toward Snot Alley.
Mung’s directions lead the party to a ramshackle house squeezed tightly between a pair of flophouses. Finding the door unlocked, the four cautiously enter. Finding the dwelling empty, Galena stands watch while Nico, Preh, and Toben investigate the premises.
“Hmmmm,” muses Nico. “The cupboard’s full of moldering food, his clothes are still in his wardrobe, and it looks like wood has been prepped in the fireplace. Definitely looks like Algie planned on coming back.”
“There’s a big crack in this table,” adds Preh, “and scuff marks on the floor. Sure signs of a struggle.”
“More than just scuff marks,” says Toben. “I make out two sets of prints; human-sized boots and larger ones. But they’re clawed!”
“Can you make out what they are?” asks Galena.
“Not really,” replies Toben. “Might be some kind of animal, but it’s on two legs.”
“Not a demon, I hope,” says Preh.
The others glare while the young rogue sheepishly shrugs. “Just sayin’,” he replies.
“Probably not a demon,” says Toben. “It’s hard to be sure on this wooden floor, but they’re vaguely rodent-like!”
“Maybe Algie finally messed with the wrong rat?” muses Preh.
“Like a giant, two-legged rat?” proffers Galena.
“Or a wererat,” says Toben.
“Were-rats?” asks Galena. Like werewolves?”
“Yes,” says Toben. “But they’re rats, instead of wolves.”
“Great,” sighs Galena.
“Can you follow the prints?” asks Preh.
“Not past the door,” says Toben. “No one’s seen Algie for a week, and it’s rained since then. However, there seems to be bits of greenish muck attached to the clawed prints—like the same kind of muck seen around the sewer grates in the Slum Quarter.”
“Looks like Nico’s gonna get his boots dirty again,” jokes Preh.
“Before we go traipsing through the sewers, why don’t we check out the Ratcatchers’ Guild?” says Nico. “Who knows? Maybe we won’t have to go down there.”
“Sounds good, Nico,” replies Toben, “but you know you’re just putting off the inevitable, right?”
“Yeah, probably,” Nico groans.
As Nico, Preh, Toben, and Galena exit Algie’s tenement, they see four rough-looking humans armed with crossbows enter the alley, two on each end. “Looks like someone’s nosin’ around where they shouldn’t be,” says one of the men.
As Nico prepares to talk their way out of the situation, Toben draws his blades and rushes forward to attack. At that moment, the four fire their crossbows, wounding both Toben and Preh significantly. Toben fells one of the thugs with a single blow from his longsword, leaving the fellow bleeding out on the ground.
Nico rushes forward and engages one of the thugs, who drops his crossbow and draws a longsword. Preh downs a healing potion while Galena rushes toward the other two, one of whom drops his crossbow and engages her with his longsword, while the remaining thug reloads his weapon as he back away from the melee.
Toben heals his wounds with a wand of cure light wounds (purchased a few days before with funds the party acquired after their foray into the Tomb of Blood Everflowing), while Nico continues cross swords with the second thug. Preh rushes forward to aid Galena, taking on the third thug while she chases the fourth, who fires a final bolt before rounding the corner out of sight. Within moments, Nico and Toben lay low the second thug, and join Preh, at which point the third one surrenders. They are soon rejoined by Galena, dragging the unconscious fourth thug behind her. The four decide to take their four prisoners, three of them unconscious, back into Algie’s tenement for questioning.
The conscious thug, Rarder Bene, tells them that he and his companions, Kyne, Alad, and Thiles, are members of the Scarred Shadows, a local gang in the Slum Quarter, and they were instructed by their leader to keep an eye out for anyone looking into the missing ratcatchers. When Rarder refuses to divulge his leader’s name, Nico plunges his rapier through the throat of the unconscious Kyne, instantly slaying the man. Rarder breaks and tells them that the leader of the Scarred Shadows is a half-elf named Needles, and that the gang has not kidnapped or killed anyone, but were only hired to “deal with nosy people asking too many questions.” He also tells the party that he thinks the person who hired the gang lives in the sewers beneath the Ratcatcher’s Guildhouse.
The party quickly decides to bind and gag the three living Scarred Shadows and leave them in Algie’s place for the nonce. They then exit the tenement once more.
“Was killing that guy really necessary?” asks Galena.
“It got him to talk, didn’t it?” says Nico.
“Not sure I would’ve gone that way,” adds Toben, “but they did attack us first.”
“And the other three are still breathing,” adds Preh.
“Won’t a dead body complicate things?” asks Galena.
“You heard what Mung said,” replies Nico. “The Watch isn’t too concerned with what goes on in the Slum Quarter.”
“Though Algie’s gonna be in for a big surprise if we’re wrong about him being kidnapped and he just went out of town to visit family or something,” says Preh.
Nico, Preh, Toben, and Galena make their way to the Ratcatcher’s Guildhall, a ramshackle two-story building located on Spit Street. They enter the office and speak with the ratcatcher on duty, a small, plain human named Horace. Upon learning the reason for their visit, Horace calls into an adjoining room, asking one of his fellows to fetch Weston, the guildmaster.
While they wait. Horace tells the party that four of his fellow guildmembers have gone missing in the last month: two human males named Emos and Algie, a human female named Zenna, and a dwarven male named Cabe.
“Emos and Zenna have since turned up dead,” he says. “Found ‘em in alleys, with their throats slit.”
The party also learns that the Union of Sewermen and Streetcleaners stopped working about a month ago, two weeks before the first disappearance. Horace suspects that the Union isn’t striking, but may be taking bribes from someone.
“Has anyone tried to bribe your guild?” asks Nico.
“Not that I know of,” replies Horace. “Weston said he’d received a couple letters telling us to lay off the rats, but he just figured it was some vermin-lovin’ druid or somethin’. Then Emos went missin’ some two weeks back.”
The conversation is interrupted by another guildmember entering from the back room. “Horace! Weston ain’t in his room! It’s like he up and vanished!”
“What about Beila?” Horace asks.
“No sign of her, either.”
“Who’s Beila?” asks Preh.
“Beila Atcher, our newest member,” explains Horace. “She just joined last month. Keeps to herself. Not much of a ratcatcher, but she’s new. Went in to see Weston about two hours ago. We jus’ figured he was ‘oilin’ her rattrap,’ if ya catch my meaning.”
“Show us where they were,” says Toben. “Maybe we can help you find him.”
Horace takes the party through the guild’s meeting room and a storage area, before arriving at the guildmaster’s living quarters, where they find the door partly open.
“Could he have gone upstairs?” asks Nico.
“Nah,” replies Horace. “The upper floor’s rotted and not safe.”
The party enters the guildmaster’s quarters and begins examining the room.
“Weston’s desk is awfully small,” notes Galena.
“That’s ‘cause he’s a halfling,” says Horace.
“Look,” says Preh. “There’s some blood on the floor.”
“Something tells me Beila wasn’t here to get her ‘rattrap’ oiled after all,” comments Nico.
Toben finds a tuft of hair, a scuffed footprint on the floorboards, and another smear of blood leading from Weston’s room to a trapdoor located in the storage area.
“Horace! Where’s this go to?” asks Toben.
“That’s our disposal chute. Leads to the sewers. We use it for waste, plus any rats caught in our traps that we bring back.”
Toben opens the trapdoor, finding a dirty, narrow stone chute descending at a steep angle. “I bet we’ll find Weston down here,” he says.
“Great,” remarks Nico. “I guess I’ll go last, then. Maybe you guys will clean out most of the chute-muck before I get there.”
“At least there won’t be lakes and waterfalls of blood,” says Galena, referring to the group’s foray into the Tomb of Blood Everflowing over a week before.
“That we know of,” jokes Preh. “Don’t worry, Nico—I’ll go first.” The young rogue then reaches into his pouch, pulling out what looks like a fistful of flames, substantially bolstering the illumination from the sunlight streaming through the open windows.
“Whoah! What in the Nine Hells?” exclaims Galena.
“Relax,” says Preh. “It’s perfectly safe.” Looking closer, the others see that the object held between the young rogue’s thumb and forefinger is a greyish ellipsoid about the size of a large die, wreathed in flames. He holds the object about a foot from his forehead and releases it, but instead of falling to the floor, the object begins to slowly orbit his head.
“Nice. Where’d you get that?” asks Toben.
“It’s called an ‘Ioun torch’. Bought it from a friend of Tirra’s—a wizard named Khellek. Lives in a tower in the River Quarter, not far from the Cargo Gate.”
Using a coil of rope from the storage area, Preh, Toben, Galena, and Nico enter the chute.
The four descend into a 10’ wide, stone tunnel laying on an east-west axis. The northern half of the tunnel floor is higher, forming a stone walkway of sorts. The southern half, sitting lower, is filled with sewage and refuse. Preh, overwhelmed by the stench, begins vomiting, but the others manage to keep their breakfast down.
While Preh recovers, Toben inspects the walkway, finding fresh footprints heading east. The party advances about thirty feet, when they see an opening on the southern wall, about sixty feet east of the chute. The passage angles back to the southwest. Ten feet east of the opening, the main passage ends in a door cobbled together from mildewed boards and rusty nails. Splintered pockmarks stud the door’s surface, and dim light flickers around its edges.
“Wanna bet that’s where we’ll find Weston?” whispers Preh.
“What’s with the door?” asks Toben as they approach. “Looks like someone’s been using it for target practice.”
“Maybe it’s a sig. . . .”
Nico’s words are interrupted by a rustling sound, as a swarm of pigeons, disturbed by Preh’s Ioun torch fly from their nests above the door and attack the party. Finding their weapons practically useless, Preh throws a flask of alchemist’s fire at the swarm. Unfortunately, the flames are fueled by the noxious gasses from the sewer, and the entire party is endangered by the flames, with Toben taking the brunt. Luckily, the dampness of the environment keeps the flames from spreading too far.
Soon, the harried party is looking for an escape. Preh reaches the door, and finding it locked, tries desperately to pick it. Toben runs down the side passage and uses the wand of cure light wounds to heal the damage he took from the pigeons and the alchemist’s fire. Nico and Galena run back toward the chute, followed by the pigeon swarm, which passes over them and flies up the chute.
“Huh. Guess they were just looking for a way out,” muses Nico.
“I sure hope the ratcatchers know how to deal with pigeons,” says Galena.
“Hopefully, they’ll just fly out the windows,” says Nico.
At that moment, Preh, unaware that the pigeons are no longer a threat, manages to get the door open, and shut it behind him, finding himself in a roughly 30’x30’ room occupied by a hairy, rat-like female humanoid in studded leather leveling a shortbow. The creature looses at arrow, barely missing the young rogue, who alerts his comrades to his predicament.
“Giant rat!!!” Preh cries.
Toben bursts into the room just as Preh, rapier drawn, is closing with the creature, who has dropped her bow and drawn her own rapier. The ranger finds his way to the beast blocked by a pair of snarling feral cats the size of badgers.
Toben quickly dispatches one of the cats, then moves to aid Preh. Badly wounded by the wererat’s rapier, the young rogue tumbles away and quaffs a healing potion.
Nico and Galena rush to the room and aid Toben, who also suffers a grievous wound from the creature. Preh manages to slay the other cat and joins his comrades, all who have been wounded by the wererat’s bite.
Toben, Preh, and Galena engage the beast in melee, with the ranger and monk finding the silvered daggers they received from the Thieves’ Guild to be quite useful. Nico attempts to activate the wand of magic missiles he took from Veltargo, finally succeeding on his third attempt. After several long moments, the four manage to subdue the creature, though Toben is nearly slain.
While Nico attempts to activate Toben’s wand of cure light wounds to heal the dying ranger, Preh and Galena tie up the unconscious wererat—who has now transformed into a plain young woman with dark hair—with Toben’s rope.
“How much you want to bet that’s our Beila?” asks Nico.
Once everyone is healed up, the party examines their surrounding more closely. Lit by a single, sputtering torch, the filthy room contains a number of small cages stacked against the far wall, one of which contains a hissing cat. The floor is covered with dirty straw, animal waste, and dried blood. On a warped table lie a whip and a small spiked collar. A stained curtain covers a hole on the south wall.
“How come that cat’s caged up?” wonders Preh.
“Probably not trained, yet, is my guess,” replies Toben. “See how the others are wearing collars?”
The ranger walks over to the cage. “Should be safe to free it.” As Toben opens the cage, the cat hisses one last time, then runs from the room in a grey blur.
“Hopefully he’s off to kill some rats,” muses Galena.
Beyond the curtain on the south wall, the party finds a small 10’ x 15’ chamber containing a rank pile of straw and a wooden crate. An unconscious, grey-haired halfling male lies bound and gagged on the ground.
“And this must be Weston,” says Nico.
After reviving Weston, the grateful halfling tells the party that Beila came to talk to him earlier, and knocked him unconscious while his back was turned.
“Well, she’s alive, unconscious, and human again,” says Toben.
“’Human again’?” asks the guildmaster.
“It just so happens that the newest member of the Ratcatcher’s Guild is a wererat,” says Nico.
“That explains the disappearances, I suppose,” replies the halfling. “As well as the threatening messages for us to suspend activities in the Slum Quarter.”
“Hey, I found some letters here,” says Preh, holding up a satchel found atop the crate.
“Anything useful?” asks Nico.
“They’re between Beila and her brother, some guy named Vernon. Looks like he’s been bribing the Union of Sewermen and Streetcleaners to stay out of the Slum Quarter, and threatening the ratcatchers, too.”
“You refused the bribes,” Nico asks Weston.
“Well, uh, no one offered any. . . .” replies the halfling.
“Maybe he ran out of money?” speculates Toben. “Do those letters say why he’s been doing this, Preh?”
“Yeah, the guy seems unhinged. Wants to create a paradise for his ‘people.’”
“So, I guess it’s a safe bet her brother is also a wererat,” says Gelena.
“One more thing,” adds Preh. “The last letter says that once Beila’s secured the guildmaster, she should bring him to Vernon’s garbage scow on the waterfront. It also says ‘Weston might change his mind if he sees another of his ratcatchers die before his eyes.’”
“It sounds like there’s a good chance Algie is still alive, then,” says Nico. “Weston, since you’re the primary victim, what do you want us to do with Beila?”
“Ummm, well, it’d probably be best if she were turned over to the Watch,” he gulps.
“Very well. Do you know a way out of here that doesn’t involve crawling up a dung-slickened chute or wading through sewage?”
The halfling nods affirmatively, and leads the party (with Toben carrying the unconscious Beila) from the sewers and into an alley behind the guild house. Back inside, Weston sends Horace to fetch the City Watch, while Toben takes his silk rope, tying Beila up with the hemp rope they used to descend down the chute.
The group then bids Weston farewell. “Come see me after you find Algie,” he says, “or Cabe. We might be able to scrape together somethin’ for you.”
Session 10, Jan 3rd, 2020, Rob, Rachel, Jason, Shaun, and Ryan present. “Urban Decay,” Dungeon #138.
Dramatis Personae:
Galena, Lawful Neutral human female monk of the Twilight Monastery in the Cairn Hills, 3 days east of Greyhawk. Age 25, 5’7”, 120 lbs, auburn hair, green eyes. (Rachel)
Nico Bolas, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue of Greyhawk City, originally from the Wild Coast town of Fax. Age 28, 5’9”, 170 lbs, black hair, blue eyes. (Ryan)
Preh, Chaotic Neutral human male rogue of Greyhawk. Age 18, 5’5”, 135 lbs, red hair, green eyes. (Jason)
Toben Ricos, Chaotic Good half elf male ranger of the Bronzewood Lodge in the Cairn Hills, 3 days east of Greyhawk, originally from the nearby town of Diamond Lake. Age 30 (22 equiv), 5’8”, 150 lbs, brown hair, geen eyes. (Shaun)
Planting 7th, 594 CY, Greyhawk’s Slum Quarter, outside the Ratcatcher’s Guildhall on Spit Street, late afternoon.
Moments after exiting the Ratcatchers’ Guildhall, Galena, Nico, Preh, and Toben find themselves ambushed by two human thugs with longswords, led by a half-elven sorcerer.
“Warder, Fharling—attack!” he orders.
“How much you wanna bet that’s ‘Needles’?” yells Preh.
The party, though caught by surprise, outnumber their foes, and makes short work of them. While Galena goes back into the guildhouse to inform that ratcatchers there’s more work for the City Watch, Preh, Nico, and Toben loot the unconscious bodies, finding a total of 5 gold orbs, 10 silver nobles, and sixteen cooper commons, and four potions which smell slightly like almonds (potions of cure light wounds). In addition, Needles has two masterwork silvered daggers (one claimed by Preh and the other by Nico) and a pouch containing four sprigs of a purple-flowered plant, which Toben identifies as aconite.
“What’s do you think it’s for?” asks Nico.
“It’s more commonly known as ‘wolfsbane,’” replies the ranger. “It is sometimes used to prevent the onset of lycanthropy. Obviously, Needles knew he was dealing with a were-creature, and kept this in the event things with his ally went south.”
“Does it work?” asks Nico. “Both of us were bitten by Beila.”
“It’s a gamble,” answers Toben. “And the stuff is poisonous in its own right, so taking too much can kill you. However, it’s a risk worth taking, considering the alternative is turning into a man-rat whenever one of the moons is full.”
“Let’s do this then,” says Nico.
The pair each chew a spring of the plant, though Nico has a tougher time dealing with its deleterious effects than Toben.
“We should still visit Verben at the Temple of Pelor at some point,” says Toben, just to be sure it worked.”
“Good thing the next full moon is nearly a month away,” adds Nico.
Galena returns with two ratcatchers and some more rope, and after helping them secure the attackers, the four take their leave, making their way back to the Processional, through the Black Gate, into New City. At the Low Market, the four turn left and make their way west to Greyhawk’s Marsh Gate, where they exit the city walls behind a trash-laden wagon.
“So, this gate leads to marshes?” inquires Toben.
“No, not anymore,” says Preh. “It was drained for farmland long before our time, though it’s still prone to flooding during heavy rains.”
“Where’s that going?” asks Galena, pointing to the wagon.
“Garbage Hill, most likely,” replies Preh. “You’ll see it on the way.”
The four follow the road, lined with many huts and one room tenements. Stray dogs seem to be everywhere. South of the road lies a large expanse of farmland accompanied by a modest manor and more dwellings, while to the north the land rises, forming a steep, forested slope strewn with tons of refuse.
“Garbage Hill?” asks Galena.
“Yup,” says Preh. “A lot of the trash from Old City, the Wharves further north, and the River and Foreign Quarters ends up there—or in the Selintan River.”
“Well, that makes for a lovely countryside,” adds Toben.
“Every few years, the city tries to clean it up, but old habits die hard.”
“Maybe they should hire a druid to stand there and cry every time someone dumps something,” jokes Nico.
“More likely he’d turn into a bear and tear them apart,” says Toben.
“I suppose that would work, too,” says Nico.
Preh continues. “These shacks and tenements are mostly occupied by poor farmers and laborers from the Wild Coast, Nyrond, and other refugees who came here some ten years back after the Greyhawk Wars. A lot of them work for Lord Wheatsmill, who owns the fields and manor house to the south.”
It’s near dark by the time the four reach the Wharves and locate Vernon Atcher’s garbage scow, an ancient boat bobbing in the dark waters of the Selintan River, far downwind of any other human activity. The deck groans under the weight of piles of refuse, their stench almost overwhelming the dock smells of fish and tar. A wooden shack rises from the filth like a fungus.
As they step on the gangway, Toben’s enhanced vision catches something.
“Look,” he says, pointing. “There’s a large bowl by the shack. It says ‘Skull.’”
“Great,” says Nico. “Vernon apparently has a watchdog.”
“Named ‘Skull,’” adds Preh. “Maybe it’s one of those krenshar things Cyrathas had, that can peel the skin back from its face?” (see Growfest 2, 594)
“If so,” says Galena, “Skull’s certainly a more appropriate name than ‘Foreskinface.’”
Suddenly, a skittering sound is heard from behind the shack, and a vile, nauseating stench fills the air, overpowering even the smell of garbage on the scow.
“Uh, guys,” gags Preh, “It sounds like we woke up Vernon’s watchdog.”
“I think you mean ‘watchroach,’” Toben replies, pointing at a gigantic roach, nearly six feet long with an oversized head, crawling over the refuse towards them.
“Gods, I hate bugs!” Galena exclaims.
The four retreat to the docks as the roach advances. Preh, overwhelmed by the stench, staggers away and vomits while the others prepare to engage the beast. The three are hard-pressed, suffering grievous wounds from the roach’s bite. Preh finally recovers and joins the fray, and soon Skull is no more.
After a few blasts from Toben’s wand of cure light wounds, the party step onto the trash-strewn deck of the boat.
“Over there,” says Toben, pointing at a boot sticking out of one of the garbage piles. “We may be too late to save Algie.
Using their weapons, the four push away the refuse, uncovering the partially-eaten body of a male dwarf.
“Not Algie,” notes Nico. “This must be the other missing ratcatcher, Cabe.”
“I’ll get the door,” says Preh, walking over to the shack.
Pulling out his tools and ioun torch, the younger rogue examines the door carefully, finding it trapped.
“Poisoned needle,” says Preh. “Easy fix.”
After disarming the trap and picking the lock, Preh moves aside. “All done.”
“I’ll go first,” says Toben. “If it’s dark, I’m more likely to see him.”
“Great idea,” replies Nico. “Preh, you go next, then Galena. I’ll guard the rear.”
“Bravely, I’m sure,” quips Galena.
“Well, I am the guy with the wand that can hit anything,” responds Nico. “It only makes sense that you’d want to keep your supporting missile fire in a strategic location.”
The others roll their eyes as Toben opens the door to bilevel, crowded cabin, lit by greasy, gray light from a single oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. A paper-strewn table stands to the left of the door, and a short staircase leads down to the cabins lower level. On the staircase stands Vernon, in wererat form, who shoots Toben square in the chest with his heavy crossbow!
The ranger steps back to heal his wounds with his wand while Preh and Galena rush forward with their silvered daggers to engage Vernon, who has now drawn his rapier. Galena jumps on the table to attack Vernon, while Preh attempts to flank him, but to no avail due to the crowded conditions. Nico gets off a few magic missiles, two of them striking, before Vernon decides to concentrate his attacks on the older rogue, managing to bite him fiercely. Toben eventually rejoins the fray, and before long, Vernon is slain, reverting to human form.
Taking a closer look at the cabin, the party see a number of crates, a hammock, and a door. There are also a number of normal-sized rats which scurry about, attempting to avoid the party. Toben searches Vernon’s body while Preh examines the door, Galena searches the crates, and Nico peruses the papers from the desk.
“Take anything that looks valuable,” says Nico. “Even if it has no use to you, we can always sell it and split the gold.”
Toben removes Vernon’s finely-crafted studded leather armor, and takes his heavy crossbow and finely-crafted rapier. He also removes a potion that smells of almonds (cure light wounds) and a large platinum loop earring from the corpse.
Galena finds clothing and personal effects in the crate, as well as a large number of coins (72 gold orbs, 112 silver nobles, and 180 copper commons). She also finds a locked wooden case about 6” wide, a little over 2’ long, and about 4” deep.
“Toben, have you found a key anywhere?” asks Galena.
“Let me look. Yes, he’s got one on his neck. We might want to wait until Preh’s done so he can check that box for traps, though.”
After ensuring the door isn’t trapped, Preh opens it, finding a battered, bound and gagged figure near death.
“Guys! I found Algie! He looks like he needs your help Toben!”
Toben heals Algie while Preh frees him. The ratcatcher tells the party that Vernon has been interrogating and beating him for days, going on about his plans to turn the Slum Quarter, and eventually the entire city, into a haven for his kind.
“Yeah, these papers say much of the same,” says Nico. “Vernon was definitely delusional. He would’ve eventually attracted the attention of folks far more powerful than us. He’s lucky he got as far as he did.”
Nico begins gathering the papers while Preh inspects the box.
“What should we do with those?” asks Galena.
“Weston kept the papers we found among Beila’s belongings to give to the City Watch as evidence,” Nico replies. “But I’m thinking mine and Preh’s superiors might also want to know about this. Maybe not, but we should cover our asses, just in case.”
Preh, finding no traps on the case Galena found, unlocks and opens it, finding a finely-crafted silvered short sword. “Toben, you’ll probably have more use for this than anyone else,” he says. “Vernon probably had it locked up to make sure no one could use it against him.”
“Toben and Galena, why don’t you guys take Algie to the Blue Dragon and use Vernon’s money to get him some food?” asks Nico. “Preh and I have some business to take care of, first. We’ll meet you at his house later.” The five reenter the city via the Cargo Gate.
“I assume we’re going to take care of the dead body and captives we left at Algie’s?” asks Preh once he and Nico leave their companions behind.
“Exactly,” says Nico. “Hopefully, we’ll have time to take care of things before the others bring Algie home.”
It is over two hours past sundown when Toben, Galena, and Algie meet Preh and Nico at Algie’s home in the Slum Quarter. Given that the four adventurers will probably not have time to make it back to New City before the Black Gate closes, the four use some of Vernon’s money for rooms at the Whitehorse Inn, where they stayed a week before (see Planting 1, 594).
Planting 8th, 594 CY, City of Greyhawk
After breakfast at the Whitehorse Inn, Galena, Nico, Preh, and Toben collect their rewards from Mung, Jogg, and the Ratcatchers’ Guild. The rest of the morning is spent selling off and identifying much of the loot they collected from the wererats and their allies. That afternoon, they visit the Temple of Pelor in the Garden Quarter, where they donate some of their funds to see if the wolfsbane worked, and it is determined that only Nico is afflicted. He arranges to come back the next day to receive a remove disease spell from one of the more experienced priests (for a hefty donation of 36 platinum plates). Their old friend Verben uses his magic to determine that the silvered short sword claimed by Toben is magical. The rest of the day is spent selling off the rest of their loot and dividing the proceeds. That evening, Nico and Preh meet with their respective superiors, Meg and Tirra, at the Green Dragon and turn over Vernon Atcher’s papers and fill them in on events of the previous day. Luckily, neither woman seems to consider rescuing ratcatchers to be a “guild job,” and don’t ask the pair for a cut of their reward.
[Net loot for each character = 629.79 gp each. After sales, expenses, and current gp:
Galena: 1 potion of clw (25) and 604.79 gp + 552.16 gp (current gold) = 1156.95 gp
Nico: 2 potions of clw (50), mwk silvered dagger (161), 418.79 gp + 1 gp (sale of mundane dagger) = 419.79 gp – 360 gp (remove disease spell) = 59.79 gp + 325.35 gp (current gold) = 385.14 gp
Preh: 1 potion of clw (25), mwk silvered dagger (161), 443.79 gp + 1 gp (sale of mundane dagger) = 444.79 gp + 46.13 gp (current gold) = 490.92 gp
Toben: 1 potion of clw (25), +1 silvered short sword (1165); -560.21 gp + 157.5 gp (sale of mwk longsword) = -402.71 gp + 520.25 gp (current gold) = 117.54 gp]
Campaign continues at Bastard Greyhawk: Eye for an Eye: https://paizo.com/threads/rzs60ah7?Bastard-Greyhawk-Eye-for-an-Eye