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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Kid Charlemagne" data-source="post: 2823065" data-attributes="member: 93">For their second excursion into the Chenowith mausoleum, the investigators were joined by Amanda and Cass.  With the strange rats and who knows what else in the caverns under the tomb, they wanted as many swords as possible.“I think the women in this group are more dangerous than the men,” Nigel remarked to Artimis.“That’s true of most species,” Artimis replied.“So what do you think Amanda and Cass do when zey are not delving into tombs with us?” Sandor asked Nigel.Nigel reflected for a moment.  “Well, Cass is obviously from old money, despite the penchant for men’s clothing.  Of course, odd behavior is just one piece of evidence pointing in that direction.  From some of the things she’s said, he has a good grasp of English law.  She’s worked for the courts in some capacity.”“Amanda is easier to figure.  The last name Higgins-Rafferty and her looks give her away on that count.  Her mother is Miranda Rafferty, one of the great dames of the London theatre.  The father’s side is a little more difficult to figure.  Miranda Rafferty never married, but has been linked to a number of famous and powerful men.  I’m going to go out on a limb here, as she has none of her mother’s natural Irish accent, and suggest that her father may be the well known professor of lingusitics, Henry Higgins.”“Amanda is herself an actress, like her mother.  Not so successful yet, I understand.”Sandor and Artimis appeared suitably impressed by Nigel’s deductions, and as they were approaching the mausoleum, moved ahead to look for signs of any of the Green Daggers.“How did you figure out all of that, Nigel?”  Orla asked.Nigel grinned. “Mostly, I just asked them when we first met.”The mausoleum was the same as when they left it the night before.  There was no sign that anyone had been in or out.  They used the stone key to open the secret door into the caverns below.They made it as far as the storage room before the rats came again.  This time they were more prepared, and the battle was quickly joined.  There were three rat-things, each the size of a large dog, with patchy fur growing over scaly skin, and with spiny ridges along their backs.Amanda fired an arrow from her longbow, missing the lead rat, as Artimis passed a hand over one of his many tattoos, casting an ensorcellment of some sort.  From his muttered curse, it appeared to fail.  Cass pulled an old single-shot pistol from her holster and fired, hitting one rat in the side, sending it scurrying backwards.“Maybe ve can speak to it?” Sandor asked skeptically.“Speak to it with your knife!” Artimis replied.The rat that was shot by Cass made an odd convulsing, hacking noise, like a cat about to cough up a hairball.  It vomited a stream of foul-smelling green acid at Sandor, Orla, and Nigel.  Orla and Sandor were nimble enough to avoid the disgusting liquid, but Nigel was burned on his arm, and yelped in pain.Another stream of acid was directed at Amanda, Artimis, and, again, Orla.  Orla pirouhetted to avoid this as well, while Amanda and Artimis were each burned.  Orla tried to skewer the rat, but her rapier was turned away by its scaly skin.Nigel fired a shot from his longbow, hitting the lead rat, then dropped his bow and drew both of his Fir Bohlg handaxes.  Amanda also attempted another shot with her bow, and missed again.  She, too, threw her bow to the side and loosed her great axe.  She grinned wildly as she prepared to wade into the midst of the beasts.Artimis cast another enchantment at one of the rats, and a green ray shot from his hand, missing its target once again.  Cass moved to a safe point, reloading her pistol, as Sandor flung two daggers, one finding its mark.  The rat that engaged Orla lept up at her, biting her deep on her side, while the lead rat attempted the same with Nigel, who stepped back out reach of the thing’s sharp teeth.  Orla’s rapier found purchase this time, however, and the rat attacking her screamed in pain.  Nigel was not so lucky, as both of his axes were turned by the creature’s hide.  Amanda lept up to the lead rat, and took one strong swing at the foul beast.  It’s head came clean off it’s shoulders, and it fell.  Artimis had had enough of attempting to affect the rats, and cast a spell on himself.  Kendra the hawk swooped down and drew blood from one of the remaining two creatures, and they fled, haivng lost their leader.“What in the devil’s name are these things?”  Orla exclaimed.“I christen them ‘Scaly Spiny-backed Death Rats’,” Artimis replied.“Raticus Maleficus?” Orla answered with a grin.“I’m not sure that’s proper Latin,” Nigel said.  “In any case let’s get them before the get too far.”The rat-things had vanished into the tunnels at the far end of the chamber, but had not been gone long.  Laddie picked up their scent quickly, and happily bounded ahead, pulling Nigel along behind him.  The investigators quickly found their footsteps drowned out by the sound of water.  The tunnel they were headed down ended at the bottom of the waterfall.  The rats were almost halfway across the shallow pool, and Nigel’s lantern revealed the ruins of some sort of structure beyond.  They could make out columns in the mist beyond.  They ran out into the waist-deep water, chasing the rats.  Artimis held back momentarily.“Uh, guys,” he began, gesturing towards the pool.  “Don’t forget to look out for the…”The water around the investigators began to roil and boil, as something – multiple somethings – began to rise up out of the murky water.“…skeletons…”</blockquote>

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