Ptolus: 165 Vock Row - "Rat-catchers"

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Mairan opens the door and the group is assaulted by the smell of rot and garbage.

She finds herself in the corner of a wide chamber, with two other doors -- one to her right along the wall and one in the opposite corner of the square room. Each door is located beneath a lofty arch. Every corner of the room is heaped with rotting garbage, feces and unidentifiable masses of trash and refuse.

The room clearly serves as a guard room, for a group of ratlings sit around a chalk circle on the floor, playing with bones. They wear piecemeal leather armor (which look like castoffs stolen from garbage piles or the bodies of dead Delvers) and spears are within easy reach.

Looking on with a scowl is another ratling in rusty chain armor and hefting a corroded mace.

On the far wall, a heavy disk the color of dark gold and scored with many dents hangs from a pair of hooks. Beside it hangs a metal rod with padding on one end.

Looking up at Mairan, the ratlings squeal, and the spellcasters in her group can catch a word of two in Draconic mixed in with orders shouted in unintelligible Rattish by the ratling in the chain armor. All of them scramble for their weapons and leap to their feet.

 

[Vdou]

"Marian... What was that sound?"

 

[Aeshen]

Aeshen follows Mairan into the room, quickly taking in the scene before him. He steps to the left, allowing a small rise of garbage to obscure him from the ratlings' eyes. He sprints unseen to the gong as quickly and quietly as possible.

 

[Vdou]

"Oh, rats!"

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Aeshen follows Mairan into the room, quickly taking in the scene before him. He steps to the left, allowing a small rise of garbage to obscure him from the ratlings' eyes. He sprints unseen to the gong as quickly and quietly as possible.

[sblock=ooc]There is no cover sufficient to doing that; the garbage is ankle-height for the most part, moving up to knee-height. You can try it as Hide and Move Silently rolls, but it won't be particularly easy, especially sprinting.[/sblock]

 

[Voca]

Mata steps into the room and grabs a small item from her component pouch as she starts to mutter a few words, her stare firmly fixed on the chain mail wearing ratling.

[sblock=ooc]I'm going to attempt to cast Daze on the chain mail wearing one - taking the leadership out for a round seems like a reasonable strategy for gaining the upper hand.[/sblock]

 

[Aeshen]

Aeshen realizes his initial plan won't work. Hoping the gong is there in the event the group is overwhelmed he takes a more cautious route, using the shadows cast by the garbage to slowly edge his way toward the sinister metal disk.

OOC: If none of the Ratlings seems to be heading immediately towards the gong I will go as slowly and carefully as possible to get there. If necessary I will crawl military-style on my elbows and stomach.

 

[Vdou]

Ella rushes to secure her map, and ready her staff for battle. Deftly stowing the map in her pack, Ella reaches out for her staff and drops her torch which rolls into the room and comes to rest at the foot of one of the refuse piles.

 

[Filthy]

Valana takes a short step back from the doorway, giving the others space to pile into the room. Nocking an arrow she fires an arrow at a nearby ratling.

[sblock=OOC]5' step directly back from the door so she still has a line of fire into the room, but so that others have room to get by. Target is any ratling she has a clean shot at without endangering the other party members, with a preference to 1) chain mail ratling, 2) any ratling charging the door, 3) any ratling going for the gong, 4) any other ratling[/sblock]

 

[Wool]

Thurst casually draws his Dragon Pistol, but makes no move to enter the fray. Instead he takes a position near the doorway that lets him monitor both the room and the sewers behind them.