The creature on Grotz finishes securing itself to the imposing half-orc's spiked armor then, despite the choppy ride on Grotz's backside, gingerly taps its needlelike probiscus into Grotz's skin. Grotz feels the creature begin to greedily suck away at his lifeblood.
Wanting to get the filthy creature off his shoulder and impale the beast on his spiked armor, Grotz tries to swipe at the bat/mosquito but fails to grasp even the creature's body or wings. Intent on sucking Grotz's blood, the creature keeps its nose stuck under Grotz's skin and swivels out of reach then re-settles into position dead center on Grotkoshter's back just below his neck.
From an old ring of stones and a pile of rubble on the sandy ledge, three pairs of yellow eyes look Grotzkoshter's way. One pair of eyes, belonging to a very large rat similar in height to a small dog and very much like the rat encountered in the tunnels underneath the Ol Boar Inn, blinks then steps out away from the rubble. Dire rat 3 skitters 15 feet to bite at Grotz, the mealy scales of its dull pink tail rasping against the rubble strewn on the ledge. The rat, however, misses with its bite as Grotz begins to flail away at the furry creature affixed to his neck.
Note on Climbing: Characters can climb 1/4 of their movement with a successful check. If you're willing to accept a -5 penalty, your character can climb 1/2 his speed. Also, no Dex to AC while climbing, and characters cannot use a shield while climbing. PHB 69. This particular climb has a DC of 5.
Karl, somewhat throwing caution to the wind, quickly moves down the rope and finds himself 30 feet into the climb at the end of this round.
Dire rat 2 scrabbles over a small boulder in the pile of rubble and darts toward the currently grappled Grotzkoshter. Joining Dire Rat 1 at Grotz's front, Dire Rat 2 bites at Grotz's kneecap and deals 4 points of damage. Grotz feels a surge of heat in the bite wound but his body shrugs off the effect.
Kiaphas jumps the last ten feet of the climb and lands directly beside Grotz, in between the half-orc and the rocky pile of rubble. Finding the light not to his liking, Kiaphas draws and lights a sunrod. The gold tip of the small iron rod flares to life, sending forth a 60-foot radius of clear illumination and visible shadows beyond that to a radius of 120 feet. Kiaphas notes the two rats biting at Grotz, plus a third rat that seems to be hanging back at the moment, favoring its hind quarters as if wounded. A set of switchbacking stairs plunges off the ledge into darkness and continues on past the limits of light shed by Kiaphas's sunrod.
Dire Rat 1, old blood matted on the fur of its right rear leg, slowly treads out from the pile of rubble and faces off ten feet distant from Kiaphas. The creature's yellow eyes shine in the light given off by the priest's rod and as the rat bares fangs at Kiaphas, the elf notes a hint of foamy spittle inside the rat's mouth.
Elyan begins readying the wicker basket and supplies up top the ravine.
Korgrave, finding that the rope is securely tied to the pillar that leans out over the ravine mouth, sees the action below with the aid of Kiaphas's light. Korgrave pulls out his sling and makes ready to fire a shot from 100 feet up, should an opportunity present itself.
By the end of the round, there is one furry bat/mosquito creature affixed to Grotz's back, and two very large rats biting away at Grotz from the half-orc's front. Kiaphas stands within 5 feet of Grotz and has a very large rat looking hungrily at him from 10 feet distant. Karl is roughly 1/3 the way down the rope. Elyan, Rogue, and Korgrave are up top the ravine.
Initiative
Bat/mosquito creature
Grotz 19
Dire Rat 3
Karl 13
Dire Rat 2
Kiaphas 10
Dire Rat 1
Elyan 6
Korgrave 5