Not a Sewer Run
Log Info
- Title: Not a Sewer Run
- Emitter: Quixote
- Characters: Arynel, Zant, Devola, Sebropert
- Place: Alexandria - Sewers
- Time: November 20, 2016
- Summary: Doing what adventurers have done since time immemorial.
- APL: 3
- Encounter 1: 4 Wererats , CR 5
"So in essence," the gnome explains,"this is a sewer run. See, it's a brave tradition going back eons. Some place gets overrun by rats, and the locals hire adventurers to go kill them. An older gentleman, Raindark Fizzlesticks, misses the days of yore, and has made the decision to hire young adventurers to go out re-enact his glory days. Essentially, you're to go to the sewers, in this CAREFULLY scouted area, kill as many rats as you can find, and then come back to tell old man' Fizzlesticks the... ah... glorious tale of your triumph. We don't expected much in the way of trouble, so this is basically a milk run." Your guild representative is a squat gnome, of middling years, and not-so-middling middle. Like a butterball.
Acrid cigar smoke fills the air, and bottles of Miss Twinkles Raspberry Twilsy fill the desk as do various papers that have likely never been looked at or read, ever. The advertisement? It didn't pay much, but it basically screamed easy money, and networking with older retired adventurers never hurt one's future prospect. "I can't imagine there'd be any questions, but... Well, you young'uns have surprised me before, so lets hear 'em."
Arynel just smirks at the gnome. "No questions actually." She says softly as she looks over the desk. "Mmmmm....." She hums softly to herself.
One of those young'uns is a Sith'Makar of over four hundred pounds. Black, copper, and covered in burn scars, Sebropert nods his head slowly in understanding. His heavy horned head rests in a large clawed hand, his digits partially concealing his missing eye.
When the small morsel of a gnome finishes explaining, Sebropert gives a half-mirthful grunt. "Only where we enter?"
Devola sighs and looks down at her nice, fancy new boots. "Of course... And here I thought it was /not/ supposed to be a run through the sewers... and why rats? Rats?!" She pouts a little bit at that. "At least... be like... trolls or something." She lets out a very, very defeated sigh. "I should have worn something different..."
"I did think that city guard might usually handle things like rats," Zant murmurs from the side while he bounces idly along the balls of his feet -- too much energy with this one to just keep perfectly still at any given second, see. "Buuuuuuut... I Guess it's kind of a thing with stories of adventurers too, ain't it? Giant rats and all. Huh..."
Arynel hands Devola a pair of rather....old and smelly boots. They look like her own. "Here. This way you don't ruin your boots."
The gnome reaches into his desk at Sebropert's question, withdraws a balled up piece of paper, and nods. It has the sewer entrance marked on it. Goblin ghetto. Of course. "Someone will be waiting to let you in. We've carefully locked all the gates leading into the hunting area. Only rats should be able to get in and out." The gnome picks up a pair of those papers he's never read ever, and pretends to be working now. Is this his way of saying 'go away, I have to drink more raspberry twilsy'? "Go away now. I need to drink more raspberry twils- I mean look bus- I mean, important stuff. Away with you." He looks slightly frantic. What DOES he do all day besides this?
Devola looks at the boots that Arynel hands her with a certain degree of disgust, as if she can't determine whether its worth wearing the gross boots or going with the boots she has and potentially wrecking them. She settles on the later. "Uhm, thanks but I think I can survive. So, shall we go kill some rats?"
Arynel shrugs. "your choice. I figured you wouldn't want to wreck your current boots, and gave you a pair of boots that are already wrecked." She says before she starts her way out.
"I'd offer mine," says Zant. "But I doubt your feet would fit in them." His boots don't really look all that much better than Arynel's, though...
The Sith'Makar looks down at his own bare feet. "Is muck. Not that bad," he rumbles as he stands and begins to head out. "Just wash off." He thumps the ground with his tail. "Come come," he says, waving the map in his hand.
The walk to the sewer leads to a predictably bad part of town with two guards looking bored standing near a sewer entrance. They will of course allow the adventurers to enter, and true to their word, much of the observable sewer has been set with a number of gates to prevent anything big wandering in. Ideally. And there are rats. So many rats. Never mind the smell, the filth, the poor lighting, and the failure of the local public works projects that sees much graffiti.
It's dark. It's wet. Things squish underfoot, and besides the general squeaking of the vermin, down to the right, one can hear a near-shrieking tempo of rats all getting worked up over... whatever it is rats get worked up over. Where the sewer tunnels turn to the left, things are relatively quieter and calmer. A guard calls down after the heroes,"Just kill everything you can get your hands on!" Arynel nods to the guard, but enters and zaps rats at will, tilting her head. "after the literal cacophony of rats in the sewers back there, there's.....less so here. Something is wrong." she says as she zaps another rat. "Oddly, no Otyguhs down this way....so far."
Sebropert allows the others to stomp, squish, and apparently zap rats to their hearts' content. He lifts his head up and sniffs the air, separating the filth from the needed information with his keen sense of smell. "Mmmmh," he ponders.
Devola goes along, thoroughly not happy about the entire situation, along with the fact that she really has nothing to eliminate regular sized rats with except for stomping on them, which is gross and she is not going to do that. "So.. anyone got like a club or something I can borrow?"
GAME: Sebropert rolls perception-2: (6)+10+-2: 14
Shockingly, Zant is completely unarmed and unarmored in this situation. However, he does take to stomping on the rats. Not that he's entirely *happy* about it, mind you. "What," he starts asking, with a curious look to Arynel. "Is an Otyugh?"
Sebropert stops at the cross way of the tunnels. He gives a snort of his snoot in both directions. Turning to his companions he motions to the two directions. "Lots of rats," he says pointing down one tunnel. "Rat that is not rat," he says motioning to the other. "Decide."
Arynel says, "An Otyguh is the 'cleaners of the sewers'. They literally think our waste is candy." She then looks to Sebropert. "it's possible there's more than rats down here....""
GAME: Sebropert rolls perception: (15)+10: 25 GAME: Devola rolls perception: (15)+7: 22 GAME: Zant rolls perception: (18)+9: 27 GAME: Arynel rolls perception: (6)+8: 14 GAME: Arynel rolls initiative: 14 + 5 = 19 GAME: Sebropert rolls initiative: 19 + 2 = 21 GAME: Zant rolls initiative: 14 + 2 = 16 GAME: Quixote rolls 3: (6)+3: 9 GAME: Quixote rolls 3: (1)+3: 4 GAME: You roll initiative for r1: Roll: 8 + Bonus: 3 = Total: 11 GAME: You roll initiative for r2: Roll: 9 + Bonus: 3 = Total: 12 GAME: You roll initiative for r4: Roll: 10 + Bonus: 3 = Total: 13 GAME: You roll initiative for r3: Roll: 2 + Bonus: 3 = Total: 5 GAME: Devola rolls initiative: 10 + 2 = 12
=============== Current Initiative Order - Round 1 ===============
---Init--Name------------AOO-Notes-------------------------------------------- 21 Sebropert 1
19 Arynel 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds active)
16 Zant 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds active)
13 R4
12 R2
12 Devola 1 Flat-footed (0 rnds active)
11 R1
5 R3
==================================================================
It's a dead end alright. Dead being the operative word here. There were four guards here, that look as if they had been watching one of the locked gates. Four guards who are now splayed in various poses of rigor mortis as the stench in this area thickens and grows nearly unbearable. Their throats are cut, and their belongings looted. The gate? It lays wide open.
Silence. Eerie silence. It almost looks ready to end in tragedy. Luckily, our adventurers are a bit more observant than most folk, for the most part. Out of the shadows skulks four men, each holding crossbows. The soft clicking sound alerts Sebropert, Zan and Devola that all is not as it seems. Short, lanky humanoids, wearing some sort of 'ratty' leather armor. Their faces, too, are ratlike in nature, elongated snouts with long wicked teeth and gleaming short swords at their waists. In their hands? Small crossbows. Soft, sibilant laughter follows,"Should've chosen a different path friends. Unterkoenig likes things nice, quiet, and free of a fuss." Long, ropy, hairless tails twitch behind them as fingers tighten on triggers.
GAME: Sebropert rolls melee+2: (15)+9+2: 26 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d8+6: (4)+6: 10 GAME: Sebropert rolls 2d6: (10): 10 GAME: Arynel rolls 2d4+2: (5)+2: 7
Sebropert does not wait for any further talking. Throwing himself across the room he rams a clawed hand into one of the ratmen's chest. The strike looks brutal, with blood and viscera rising to the surface, but when the Sith'Makar's claws clear the creature's flesh at least half of the wound seems to heal itself instantly.
Arynel takes Sebropert's cue and points at the humanoid he just hit. A pair of blue bolts flash from her hand and hit the man in the chest, where Sebropert cut him open. "That could be annoying."
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (15)+4: 19 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (5)+4: 9 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d8+1d6: (2)+(2): 4 GAME: You damaged Devola for 4 points. 20 HP remaining. GAME: Devola rolls ranged+1: (2)+6+1: 9
Devola gets shot. That's not cool. It doesn't help her aim, either, and her shot goes a little wild. "Ow.ow.ow.ow...." She pokes at the bolt. "What was that for!?"
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (5)+4: 9 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (15)+4: 19 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d8: (7): 7
The rats are dirty stinkin... well... rats. Upon foolishly announcing himself, the talking gentlerat finds himself gored by claws, scored by magic, and generally of foul disposition. A snarl fixes his face and still bleeding from multiple wounds, he steps to the side. In his haste, his crossbow bolt goes wide, but one of his compatriots manages to thunk one solidly into the mage's chest with a meaty slapping sound. Meanwhile, two of the beast, noticing Devola is slow to react excitedly fire their crossbows. One rattles off Devola's armor while another manages to lodge in her shoulder between its joints. Rather than struggle to reload, they drop their bows as one and reach for their swords, a snarl escaping their biscuit-filthy fangs.
GAME: Sebropert RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 10 temporary HP GAME: Sebropert rolls melee: (18)+9: 27 GAME: Sebropert rolls melee: (4)+9: 13 GAME: Sebropert rolls melee-5: (19)+9+-5: 23 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d8+8: (2)+8: 10 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d4+6: (2)+6: 8 GAME: Arynel casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15
Sebropert's anger rises. Stepping into the talker he swipes and bites. Any other creature would have fell before the onslaught, but the ratman simply shrugs it off.
The fact that she was shot with a crossbow just annoys Arynel. She breaks off the bolt and surrounds herself with her own force armor. "Use your full power on these guys........we're gonna need it."
GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (2)+6+1: 9 GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (17)+6+1: 24 GAME: Zant rolls 1d6+3: (4)+3: 7 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+6: (3)+6: 9 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+6: (13)+6: 19 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d6+2: (5)+2: 7 GAME: You damaged Sebropert for 7 points. 45 AND 3 TEMP HP remaining. GAME: Devola rolls ranged+1: (20)+6+1: 27 GAME: Devola rolls ranged+1: (12)+6+1: 19 GAME: Devola rolls 1d8+1: (6)+1: 7 GAME: Devola rolls 1d8+1: (4)+1: 5 GAME: Devola rolls 1d8+1: (5)+1: 6 GAME: Devola rolls 1d8+1: (4)+1: 5
Devola ducks underneath the attack from the rat and jams her dragonspitter up underneath its chin and fires, blasting a giant hole in its throat. "Go away!"
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+6: (20)+6: 26 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+6: (13)+6: 19 GAME: Quixote rolls 2d6+4: (12)+4: 16 GAME: You damaged Arynel for 16 points. 3 HP remaining. GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (20)+4: 24 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (15)+4: 19 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d6+2: (5)+2: 7 GAME: Sebropert casts Stone Shield. Caster Level: 4 DC: 14 GAME: You damaged Sebropert for 7 points. 41 HP remaining.
Screaming ever loving bloody murder, the rats draw their short swords. Ripping them free of their scabbards, one of the creatures charges the artificer, sword going wide just in time for it to get a bullet to the neck. It stumbles, clapping a hand to its bleeding throat, and hisses between its teeth. Meanwhile, yet another charges Arynel, sword slicing through the air with a yell. The thing collides with the mage full force, driving the sword nearly through the mage's belly. It rips the blade free in a spray of blood and pounds its chest wildly,"For Unterkoenig!"
And Sebropert? He gets dog-piled. Rat-piled? Rat-piled. A creature rushes him from behind, moving to deliver a mostly superficial cut to one of his legs. While the man SEEMS distracted, the leader leaps forward. At the last moment, the wall of stone erupting from the ground knocks the rat's blade aside, causing him to 'merely' draw a nasty spray of blood from his bicep,"You're going to die here, heroes. I don't know how you found out about our plan, but you won't live to capitalize on your good fortune."
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (10)+4: 14 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (16)+4: 20 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d20+9+2+2+2: (7)+9+2+2+2: 22 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d8+6+2+2: (8)+6+2+2: 18 GAME: Sebropert rolls 2d6: (3): 3 GAME: Arynel used a Potion. GAME: Arynel rolls 1d8+1: (4)+1: 5 GAME: You damaged Arynel for -5 points. 8 HP remaining.
Smelling the blood of his ally, the raging Sith turns away from his target and charges the ratman attacking Arynel. With a leap he buries a long clawed hand deep into the creature's back. This time he closes his fist and pulls as he removes his hand. "It is you who came to wrong place. Flee, or die vermin!"
GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (1)+6+1: 8 GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (10)+6+1: 17 GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (18)+6+1: 25 GAME: Zant rolls 1d6+3: (2)+3: 5
Arynel wasn't exactly the most sturdy of Mages, so the rat attacking her draws a lot of blood....which brings Sebropert to the rescue. Thankfully, Arynel had a pair of potions ready for just such an occasion and drinks one. It doesn't cure all of her wounds, but she's not quite as bad off.
GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (3)+6+1: 10 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+6: (11)+6: 17 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d6+1d6+2: (5)+(5)+2: 12 GAME: You damaged Sebropert for 12 points. 29 HP remaining. GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (8)+4: 12 GAME: Quixote advances the initiative order. GAME: Devola rolls ranged+1: (18)+6+1: 25 GAME: Devola rolls 1d8+1: (5)+1: 6
"Ary--!" Zant starts his yell of concern, but the instant he does, Sebropert is already charging for her -- or her attacker, anyway. "...Okay, good! In that case--!" He twists along the pivot of his foot to spin around and facing the De Facto leader of the rat people, and-- "ORA!" One punch flies. "ORA!!" Another gets thrown. "ORA!!!" And a third! ... but of all of them, only the very last actually goes through. All the others whiff and skid along the thing's sewer-dampened skin and such. And the last one, when it slams right in the middle of the rat-person's face.
...Nothing. The thing doesn't even flinch. And Zant is unfortunately left standing there, with his knuckles pressed against the guy's cheek. "Uhm," he lets out, tone just as awkward as his smile. "N-... no hard feelings, r-right...?" Sweating bullets.
Devola gets out of another attack by the rats and fires another bullet into the rat, but it doesn't seem to do much. "What is this crap!?"
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (13)+4: 17 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (6)+4: 10
The topography of the battlefield continues to change. While the rat menacing Devola keeps clanging his sword off her armor uselessly, two rats find themselves swinging at a departing Sith barbarian. This does not go well. What goes slightly better is when two of them find themselves in a position to gang up on said Sith barbarian. While one waves its sword in the direction of the barbarian, ignoring the departing mage, the other manages to jam its sword THROUGH the meat of the barbarian's thigh. And leader rat reaches up with its sword to bat Zant's fist off of its face. Thankfully, monks practice blocking with their arms and such, since he isn't injured by the practice. Still, it's snarling and covered in bleeding wounds,"Flee? When victory is so close? I think not!"
GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d20+9+2+2+2: (16)+9+2+2+2: 31 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d8+6+2+2: (8)+6+2+2: 18 GAME: Sebropert rolls 2d6: (8): 8
Throwing what amounts to a portion of the rat's guts on the floor at its feet he gives a smile before spinning of and charging back to another target. "Come to me morsels," he calls, as if trying to get all the rats to focus on him. This rage was not the slobbering kind of most barbarians, but the manic path of a cold-blooded creature toying with its prey.
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (10)+4: 14 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (18)+4: 22 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d6+1d6+2: (5)+(6)+2: 13 GAME: You damaged Sebropert for 13 points. 16 HP remaining. GAME: Arynel casts Flaming Sphere. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+6: (10)+6: 16 GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (5)+6+1: 12
Arynel makes sure to keep a bit of space between herself and the rat in front of her. So rather than give him an option of coming back to her, Arynel puts a flaming sphere between herself and him.....trying to burn the rat, but it dances out of the way....
GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (6)+4: 10 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (8)+4: 12 GAME: Devola rolls ranged+1: (18)+6+1: 25 GAME: Devola rolls 1d8+1: (4)+1: 5 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (2)+4: 6
"Wah wah wah wah!" Zant's whines roll out from his throat upon the impending threat of SLICY AND STABBY BITS, and he bends his whole body back in a nearly-impossible arch -- which coincides just perfectly with Seb making his way over. And with that, he duly decides to continue the bend to turn into a backwards flip, turning mid-way to facing the general direction of Arynel and the rat-people surrounding her. "Don't worry!" He calls out, while he's scuffling over, fist raised. "I'm he-eeEEEAAHH?!" Oh, hey. Turns out sewer floors tend to be slippery. Who’d a thunk. The young man ends up slipping with his foot right before coming to contact with the rat-person, and he ends up dancing around the thing with consequent slips before he finally steadies himself. Unfortunately, this does also mean his punch didn't actually go anywhere near it's intended target. "...I'm here?"
Devola continues to duel the rat, and shoots again, but to little avail. "Oh come on!" She grumbles a bit and gets to reloading.
That... is a very mobile barbarian alright. It keeps dashing all over creation, ignoring the people trying to cut him to bits as he does so. And really, isn't that what friendship is all about? The leader of the rats just stands there, eyes blinking stupidly, staring blankly.
One of the beings near the mage has meanwhile had a ball of flame wink into existence near it. This is not an ideal situation, and as it would like this to stop, it dodges narrowly and flails its sword ineffectively in Arynel's direction. Devola's new friend continues to find that Titan Armor is actually pretty tough stuff. And Zant? Zant's slippery antics cause him to slip right underneath the sword that WAS meant for him. It must've totally been on purpose.
GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d20+9+2+2+2: (17)+9+2+2+2: 32 GAME: Sebropert rolls 1d8+6+2+2: (7)+6+2+2: 17 GAME: Sebropert rolls 2d6: (11): 11 GAME: Quixote advances the initiative order.
The barbarian lifts a claw and presses it to the forehead of the talkative ratman. With the slightest of shoves the ratman's head rolls off its neck and splashing in the water at their feet. With a mirthless chuckle Sebropert spins and drops to all fours. Murky water splashes around him as he picks up speed. Muscles uncoil and he flies into the air, passing their rat on Devola, and taking its liver with him.
GAME: Arynel casts Scorching Ray. Caster Level: 4 DC: 16 GAME: Arynel rolls ranged: (15)+5: 20 GAME: Arynel rolls 4d6: (18): 18
Arynel, not able to move the sphere like she wants to keep the rat man at bay, steps back and zaps the rat man with a ray that burns a lot. The ratman dies on the spot. "Maybe....it should be time for you to run...."
GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (12)+6+1: 19 GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (6)+6+1: 13 GAME: Zant rolls melee+1: (18)+6+1: 25 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+3: (8)+3: 11 GAME: Zant rolls 1d6+4: (1)+4: 5 GAME: Zant rolls 1d6+3: (3)+3: 6 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d20+4: (15)+4: 19 GAME: Quixote rolls 1d6+2: (3)+2: 5 GAME: Devola rolls ranged+1: (19)+6+1: 26 GAME: Devola rolls 2d8: (3): 3 GAME: Devola rolls 2d6+5: (11)+5: 16
Zant *totally* did all the further slippery that caused him to be missed on PURPOSE. (he did not) "Okay in that case--!" He bellows and spins around in place to drive an open palm into the rat's midsection to severely slam a specific collection of nerves there -- and the continuing spin carries into him leaping up, and further turning to drive his foot into his foe's shoulder before he lands down onto one knee. "Do you *really* want to keep go--" he starts before a ray of pure energy flies through and goes through the rat-person. And probably sends some blood and skin bits splattering on him. Zant's left staring wide-eyed at the carnage before him, thus. Blink. Blink.
Arynel rubs her face and sighs a bit. "ow. Well....at least they're taken care of." She then looks at Sebropert. "How're you doing?"
Suddenly, like that, the troublesome rats lay dead, smoking craters in them. Missing head. And liver. Smoking corpse... Actually, it's all around awful, alright. And what's worse, it smells even more poorly than it did before. The smell of slick, burning wet rat fur. At least the noise down the other direction of the tunnel has quieted. And the heroes are alive. And keeping company with about eight different corpses. Life is kind of gross.
Sebropert's eyes lose their manic fire, and his steps slow. Placing a hand on the wall he lowers himself to a knee, breathing heavily. "Different than was. Used to scream and howl. Now burn like acid." Once he catches his breath, he rises to his feet. "Am pretty beat up, honestly." He says, blinking his one good eye at Arynel. The carnage around him and covering his scales barely seem to phase him.
Devola holsters her weapons and lets out a sigh. "Alright. I am going to go find a cleric. This probably has about eighty types of diseases on it and I don't want a scar." She gestures to the bolt sticking out of her shoulder.
"What *were* those things?" Asks Zant while he.. well. Does his best to try and get gore wiped off of himself. And more quietly, he adds, "...and did they *need* to die...?" though he *probably* isn't really expecting an answer. Rather, his eyes move over to settle on Arynel, with a slight scowl. "What about *you*?" he asks thus, and shuffles his way through the sewage water to her way, reaching one arm into her vague direction in apparent offer. "Can you walk?"
Arynel pops her neck, but gets the bolt out of her shoulder. "I'll be fine...in time. For now, just help me to a cleric or something." She says to Zant. "And thank you." She says to both Zant and Sebropert. "I owe you both..."
It's a long, dirty slog back to 'civilization'. Thankfully, the injuries and such of the heroes are well within a cleric's ability to treat with magic. Doesn't even have to cleanse them of parasites or anything! It's practically a red-letter day! For all that, though, the job isn't quite complete. The heroes still have to regale the old man with their adventures. With tales of that oldest adventurer occupation: killing rats for hire.
There's ambush, horror, disgust! Sorcery and deadly combat! No less than two of our heroes during the regaling of the old man look as if they might finally sleep the long sleep! And the old man? The retired adventurer? He listens raptly, leaning in as each blow and elaboration is described. Hanging on every heroic word.
When it ends, he speaks in a quavery voice,"I just have one question."
"Who are you and what are you doing in my home?"