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Message: <blockquote data-quote="IndyPendant" data-source="post: 3346381" data-attributes="member: 8738">Session 01: Of Sewers and Ratlings, Pt 1In Ptolus, there are over 20 words for 'rain', and today that word is 'misting'. The air is thick and heavy, with tiny drops that seem to hover in the air, seeking out openings in your clothing to gather and run in droplets down your skin. At least the grey, low-hanging clouds obscure the constant, looming presence of the Spire today; Although it is only early afternoon, you walk in constant twilight, and if you squint you can almost pretend the Spire is just another hill. Still, both the rain and the Spire are constants; most residents barely even notice them.And this is the South Market. The newly-paved streets are thick with people, travelling singly and in groups, talking and silent, animated and grim--but always moving. Most of them are on foot and carrying their purchases, though there a few carriages scattered here and there. The smells, both pleasant and foul, waft intermittently on the laden wind.  The South Market is a place people come to when they need to get something specific, usually from a skilled craftsperson. Its known for its safety; the townsfolk tend to watch their own purses and purchases more than the people around them, since the worst criminals are usually a cutpurse or a con artist.Which is why it is so surprising to hear the screaming.Like hounds following a scent, you almost instinctively begin to converge on the sound, some charging forward, some cautiously scouting.  The Delvers are immediately identifiable; they're the only ones dressed for trouble, and they're the only ones actually hurrying towards it once it becomes revealed.  There are a number of people pointing and whispering to each other, fear on their faces. There are sounds of a scuffle froming from an alleyway, clean but almost pitch dark in the cloud-enshrouded twilight. One word keeps coming through the babble: ratlings.Eran is the first to arrive--but the others are not far behind.  He pushes to the front of the throng, subconsciously declaring his affiliation to the City Watch.  "What's the meaning 'a this, then?"Nicholas had just been paying for a cup of tea from a street vendor to warm himself against the rain when the screams reached his ears. Stifling a curse, he turned and ran towards the direction of the screams, one hand slipping to his sword scabbard and easing it out several inches in case it would be needed.  He spots the other City Watchman ahead of him and follows after him, pushing his way through the swiftly gathering crowd.  "Out of the way, I'm a City Watch! Clear the way!"Xath had been observing Darrel--a childhood 'friend' he did some...questionable activities with a while back--accept a small package from some sort of cloaked figure, nod once, say something, and disappear into the streets.  Darrel was a real prick when Xath knew him; Xath dropped him because he insisted on excessive cruelty and destruction.  Now Darrel has probably gotten into drugrunning.  Xath watched them leave the market before moving his way towards the front of the crowd, wiggling and weaving his way through the crowd to get a better look.  He stands on his toes, then moves his head to one side, then the other, trying to get a better view.Valice peers out the window of the carriage she had hired, more than mildly surprised. No rest for the weary, she thought to herself, glancing back at the unadorned casket she had laden the small buggy with earlier.  She taps silently on the shoulder of the driver sitting ahead of her and directs him to proceed down the lane the sound is most apparent from.  Armed men rush past her meandering cart, and, recognising them as Delvers, she resolves to disembark and investigate on foot.  She brushes her dark hair from her eyes, squinting suspiciously as she hears the whispers of the throng.  Ratlings?  She is distracted from her musings by the sudden push and shove of several figures making their way toward the fray.Zetrin hears the screams and can't help himself from following with the delvers... he stays close to the back of the crowd as he approaches and watches, asking a nearby person what happened."Ratlings!" "A throng of them!" "There were thirty. I counted!" "Took Alyce and Shaune! Just took them! Bruice went in after them, and--" At that moment from the alleyway there's a coarse male yell of rage, the meaty sound of something hard meeting flesh--and then silence from the darkness.  The crowd holds its breath. Like any other crowd, they seem entertained, horrified, and riveted, all at once.Zetrin , upon hearing the sound, attempts to make his way closer to the front, finding it difficult to push past.  Valice taps on the shoulder of a young man trying to get a view on his tiptoes.  "What is amiss?"  Xath: "I'm not sure. Did you see anything?"  Valice: "I've only just arrived." Cutting the dialog short, she makes her way further into the crowd, toward it's center.  Xath pushes through the crowd, bumping into a woman and causing her packages to go flying, moving towards the alleyway.Eran's face hardens as he listens to the account, and the more vivid tale coming from the alleyway.  Nicholas: "If there's still any people in there... come on. Let's go."  Eran, recognizing the cut of Watch cloth regardless of attire, Eran nods to his fellows and advances cautiously, sword drawn.  Chittering ensues after a few moments from the alleyway. Moments later, a single ratling, obviously terrified, sidles into vague view.Nicholas quickly draws his sword and levels it at the ratling.  "Hold, or we shall attack!"  Valice simply crosses her arms and watches silently.  Zetrin makes it to the front of the crowd, eyes widened and watching the scene.  The ratling spies the crowd and for a moment looks to bolt. Then its eyes focus on Eran and Nicholas, and it gives the universal gesture of its hand slapping its armpit, that arm raised and middle finger extended.  Then it bolts.Eran grunts.  Nicholas: "Alright, if that's the way it is..."  He slips his shield onto his arm, then begins cautiously walking into the alleyway.  "Follow me."  Eran gestures after Nicholas.  "You heard 'im."  Xath runs to catch up to the pair, drawing an arrow from his quiver and setting it to his bow string.  Valice seems content to wait at the alley's mouth.  Zetrin stays at the border of the crowd as well, letting the Watch take care of their business. He continues to stay and peer down the ally, curious to see what will happen, his fingers twitching.Eran spies his own son in amongst the crowd, watching.  He shies away from the vision of his own flesh and blood, concentrating on the ordeal at hand.  As they approach the alley, there's another broken scream, "BRUICE!!! No, not Shaune!" A young voice screams "Mommy! Aaieee!" in pain.  Nicholas starts running down the alleyway, abandoning caution to try and save the people quickly.  Xath moves in a low crouch along the left hand side of the alleyway, trying to approach unseen.Nicholas and Eran hurry into the alleyway, to see a woman kneeling beside the unmoving body of a man, her hand to her bleeding head, sobbing and trying to crawl towards the open grate beside her.  Eran ignores the wounded, determining the Ratling's escape route.  Xath comes up to a stop beside Nicholas and Eran, his eyes scanning his surroundings.  Nicholas: "Ma'am, where did they go? The sewer?"  The woman looks up at Nicholas, dazed and uncomprehending. "My baby..." she whispers.As the cries from the alley echo out into the square, Valice draws a small dagger and likewise proceeds into it's maw.  Zetrin pauses, looking back and forth, not sure to follow the others down the ally, but finally slowly starts after them and with much caution.  He looks upon the others, overhearing their conversation from about 15 ft away.  Valice approaches the injured woman and the fallen man.Nicholas: "They took your child?! Where did they go?"  Eran gestures.  "Where else?"  The foul stench rising from the hole the heavy metal grate covered attests to its function.  Xath takes a knee and looks down into the sewer, listening for any movement in its depths.  Nicholas: "If they're in the sewers, tracking them is not going to be easy, especially if they're ratlings."  Eran scratches his beard, considering.  Ratlings in the sewer's more a Delver's job....but they don't usually grab citizens, neither.   "Not gonna be a problem," he notes. "We gonna do this, or what?"Nicholas: "Alright. I've got a lantern, do either of you have a light source?"  Xath shakes his head.  Nicholasputs his shield away, then takes out his hooded lantern and lights it.  "Right.  I'll go first.  Watch my back."  Eran: "Uh-huh."Nicholas walks to the sewer grate and takes a look inside with the lantern.  He sees a crude ladder leading down into darkness. The bottom is beyond the range of his light.  The chittering from below can be heard by all now, as it instantly rises in volume in excited reaction to the light.  Xath looks up at Eran, a wide grin splitting his face. "This should be interesting.  We need to get moving if we're going to catch them. They're probably making good time now."Zetrin continues to turn the situation over in his mind. He seems to want to follow the others, but not sure if he should. He looks upon Valice looking over the woman and kneels beside her.  "Is he....? Is she ok?"  Valice lays a hand on the woman's forehead, murmuring to herself. "Did you survive him?" She asks, guesturing to the prone body with her free arm.  A quick examination tells her the man is alive, but badly wounded.  The woman has only suffered mild damage; she is more dazed than hurt.  She puts both her hands on the man's chest in a businesslike fashion. She whispers something inarticulate to herself, willing the energy of the spirits in the people and objects around her to revitalize him.  She manages to heal the worst of the man's wounds, although he does not awaken. The woman reaches out almost absently and takes his hand, tears running down her face.Nicholas hands his lantern to Eran. "Eran, hold this on the ladder for me so I can keep my sword handy."  Eran grunts in apparent agreement.  Xath: "It sounds like they're not moving.  Strange...just like they're rustling about."As soon as Nicholas starts down the ladder, they all hear the ratlings begin to flee, chittering to each other excitedly.  Eran scowls.  "'Ey...this is a trap if I ever saw one," he throws back in muted tones to his companions du jour.  Nicholas listens to the fleeing ratlings and climbs down as fast as he can.  "But if there's a child down there, we don't have much of a choice."  Xath: "Well, there's only one way to find out."There is a snort of the sort of pure scorn that only a teenager can manage at Nicholas' words.  A young human in black robes has limped into the alley behind a trio of brave commoners carrying improvised weapons.  His gaze is focussed on Eran, a mild sneer looking like it's had a long home on his face.  Zetrin stands and moves to the side, watching the commoners approach.  Recognizing the sound, Eran looks up to see the youth, and appears briefly torn between climbing into the sewer and questioning him.  Something seems to pass between the robed lad and Eran. He snarls in sudden anger, "No Dad, I didn't have anything to do with this. And f--- you too. Go get your jollies playing the hero. You always do."  Eran mutters to himself.  Ain't got time to screw with whining kids.  He drops down the ladder as quickly as possible.The commoners, once they take stock of the situation, lower their weapons mostly in relief at not having to use them.  One tentatively asks "Is 'e...is 'e dead?"  Valice: "He is yet with the living, and shall remain. He merely slumbers."  Zetrin seems happy to hear Valice's words, as are the men, before being startled by the robed youth's rudeness.  "That is good ne--'ey now, someone needs to learn some respect!"Nicholas stands nervously on the narrow ledge of a large pipe of sewage. It is very dark in here until Eran follows him. Gradually he can see that the sewage today is somewhat high--looks at least knee deep, and thick. And the stench!  Nicholas grimaces at the smell and the thought of what the sewage is doing to his pants and armor greaves, but says nothing.  The tunnel is ten feet wide in general, rounded, and with narrow 2-foot raised ledges on either side that are more or less free of sewage.  The ratlings may have seemed to be milling about when Nicholas started down--but if so, they aren't anymore.  He can hear them receding rapidly.  Xath coughs a few times, looking to be at the point of vomitting, before closing his eyes and regaining his composure.  He looks to Nicholas and Eran. "You know, they usually leave the stench out when they describe things like this."  Eran smiles faintly, Xath's words recalling a romanticized novel he had once been shown about the life of a City Watchman.Valice, ignoring the willful youth, looks back to the mouth of the alley distractedly. She ought to send her charge on it's way.  "You," she says, fixing her peircing gaze on one of the townspeople. "I bid you tell the carriage in the lane yonder to go about it's business."  The man looks startled for a moment, before automatically touching his finger to the brim of his hat. "Yes ma'am!"  Grimacing faintly, she then kneels next to the grate, trying to make out the descending figures.  Zetrin approaches the grate, following her.Valice can clearly see the three others in the torchlight, moving out of her range of view.  Nicholas: "Come on. If those ratlings get too far away, we could lose them. I'm sure they've got plenty of hiding places in a stinkhole like this."  "I'll find 'em," Eran notes confidently.  They quickly find that they cannot move fast enough on the ledges; the ratlings are rapidly widening the distance.  They're faced with a choice: either clamber off the ledges and push through the filthy liquid in the middle, or follow as best they can far more slowly on the ledges.  Eran drops into the water without hestitation, leading by example.  Xath jumps in a split second after Eran, accidently spraying some drops across the group in his eagerness.  Nicholas briefly eyes the sludge with a look of distaste, then sighs and steps down into the muck.Gathering her cloak about her, Valice too descends the ladder, covering her mouth with a bit of cloth to ward off the smell.  Zetrin , seeing the frail priest decend down the latter, decides to follow close behind.  Just before Zetrin disappears into the darkness beneath the ground, the woman calls out brokenly, "Please, delvers. Please. Bring my daughter back to me." Her gaze is almost mad with worry, fear, and pain.  Zetrin gives the woman an awkward smile to attempt to calm her nerves before disappearing from view.  He calls down to Valice "Do you have a light?"The other three push ahead, slogging through the muck. The ratlings remain ever ahead, although you do sometimes catch tantalyzing glimpses of the foul creatures as dim moving shapes ahead.  Xath: "I must say, it is nice not to be a halfling down here.  I'm sure it tastes worst then it smells."  Eran stifles a mad urge to laugh, failing to glare at Xath.  Nicholas: "If there was one, he'd be riding on your shoulders."By the time Valice and Zetrin reach the bottom of the ladder, the others are long gone--although they can be heard clearly, slogging through the muck ahead.  Before descending into the sludge, Valice tucks her cloak into her belt.  Valice and Zetrin stand in profound darkness.  Zetrin touchs his robe, muttering a few words before a point shines like a torch from his vest. "Lets continue."  He cringes as he steps into the sewage to attempt to catch up.  Valice follows silently, large eyes reflecting the light eerily.The chase goes on for minutes, the occasional terrified call of the child leading them on like a siren song, the ratlings always ahead of them, neither gaining nor losing ground--except for the one time they tried to stop to rest.  They quickly abandoned that idea when the ratling didn't stop.  Xath looks back as a few objects float by him in the muck.  "You know, people sure throw wierd things down here."Thoroughly covered from the chest down in sewage, the three in the lead finally enter a connector of two sewage tunnels--a rough octagon around 30 feet wide.  And that's when things go belly up--for both groups.</blockquote>

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