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Message: <blockquote data-quote="IndyPendant" data-source="post: 3346383" data-attributes="member: 8738">Session 01: Of Sewers and Ratlings, Pt 2The three in front hear a clanging clatter as the rusted and fragile looking portcullis behind them clatters down to splash into the sewage, spraying them even more--and blocking the path they just came from.  Nicholas: "What the... is it an ambush?"  Eran makes a rapid scan of the area, not looking backwards, and also saving the I Told You So for later.  Xath scans the area as well, moving to the left.And then, sure enough, the ratlings pour out of the other tunnels.  The ratlings gather around them all silently; they are dressed in filthy rags and wield crude weapons.  One however stands out: obviously female from the double-row of nipples exposed in her pure white, somehow clean, fur.  There is a big brute of a ratling beside that pink-eyed albino; it is holding an unconscious young girl.  There are nearly a dozen of the ratlings, and they stand there in their groups, chittering amongst each other.  Eran's brow furrows as he tries to understand the incomprehensible language. Are they gonna attack us, or what?  Xath points towards the girl and then motions his hand towards himself.The albino ratling points with the rapier she holds in one hand--and a well-made rapier it is, too! "We need two. For glory sacrifice holy Rat God. You choose, we give child."  Eran sighs, wishing he had a bow. Great...  Xath takes a step to the left, so that he has a clear view, slowly knocking an arrow to his bow pointing downwards at his side.  "One moment....we will choose."  Xath says under his breath to the group "So....any ideas."Nicholas eyes the ratlings and whispers back. "If we do nothing, they might just kill us all anyway."  Xath whispers, "We can allow the swap then make a break for it."  Nicholas: "But the portcullis is down... running may not be an option unless we can get it up."  There is a splash from behind the main group as two ratlings drop down from somewhere above them and on the other side of the portcullis.  The ratlings wriggle their filthy whiskers at them for a long moment, black eyes unreadable, and then turn and splash rapidly away through the sewage, back the way they came.  Nicholas: "Alright... here's the idea. Make the switch, get the girl back, then attack.""Stop talk! Decide! Two must go naked, dip in holy waters," --she points with her rapier to the sewage in the middle of the room-- "come to me. Now!"  "Shoot her," Eran mutters, put on edge by the high squeaking mockery of language.  The albino ratling chitters something to her hulking brute of a companion.  The brute lifts the girl to its mouth, and before your horrified eyes takes a bite out of the girl's side!  He flings the girl's body as the albino continues chittering, and the girl lands akimbo with a splash into the sewage in the middle of the room, spraying fine droplets of blood as she arcs through the air. "You take too long."  The brute chews with every evidence of relish.Valice and Zetrin meanwhile, almost trip as their legs strike something hidden in the sewage below them.  Valice reaches into the murky filth, unconcerned, hands questing for the foreign object, Zetrin looking to her as she digs through the sewage.  A quick examination reveals a rope or wire has been strung accross the tunnel, hidden below the water. And then the two of them hear the rattling of the portcullis faintly up ahead.Valice stares forward blankly then, making note to watch her steps more carefully. She stands and steps over the rope, not bothering to try to pull the muck from her now-ruined clothing.  Zetrin makes a mental note of where the rope was and continues towards the clashing sound from up ahead, when they  suddenly discover themselves facing four ratlings of their own, who approach cautiously, chittering softly.The four ratlings hesitate, perhaps in surprise at seeing them still standing.  Zetrin pulls out his crossbow "We don't wish to fight.  We only want the child back."  If the ratlings understand Zetrin, they don't show it. They just continue to advance, slowly and cautiously.  Zetrin attempts in several other languages, but the ratlings only continue to approach slowly...menacingly.  Zetrin opens fire, then Valice smiles grimly, and without addressing the creatures, brings her shortbow to bear.Zetrin nicks one of the ratlings in the arm as they hurry forward.  Valice stops one of the ratlings in its tracks, who looks down at the arrow protruding from its chest, swaying slightly.  Zetrin then backs up, but Valice stands where she is.  Zetrin, visibly nervous of the approching creatures, fires again at the rat he wounded.  This bolt strikes the ratling in the chest--and goes right through it to strike the ratling behind it, if without force enough to damage it.  Zetrin gives a half smile, even as he backs up further.  The two remaining ratlings rush forward and attack Valice, who almost falters as their weapons easily pass her defenses.  Within the octagonal intersection, the others attack immediately.  Xath angles forward and shoots at the brute, but his arrow goes wide.  Eran steps up to the relatively drier ground to his right, taking up a defensive posture and muttering about getting himself killed.  Nicholas moves to the right and up and attacks the nearest ratling, his voice choking.  "You..."  The albino ratling chitters something to her minions and then turns and heads away down the tunnel.  The brute finishes chewing, seems to consider for a moment, and then follows the albino out of the room.Three ratlings each crowd around Nicolas and Xath, the two below each of them in the sewage assisting the one that clambers up onto the ledge to attack. The four at the far end hurry forward--two of them stopping to sniff the body of the girl, who is lying facedown in the sewage, red spreading slowly around her.  The ratlings work as a team, each helping distract their foe so one of their number can strike past their defenses.  Xath gets off one more shot that also misses before having to switch to his rapier.  Nicholas lays waste to the ratlings around him, who are unable to touch him.  Eran grits his teeth.  The Captain's gonna have my liver for dinner if I don't try to save that girl.  He rushes the rat nearest the anonymous victim in a wild charge and maneuvers out from between two of the ratlings, attempting to avoid being surrounded.  He crouches into the filthy water and tends to the dying girl, pressing cloth into the still-bleeding wound...and taking no heed of the disease-ridden gouges he will undoubtedly take in doing so.  This is some old horse s---.Valice, gasping in pain, staggers backward a few steps before putting her hands upon her wounds and willing them to heal.  The ratlings step forward and Zetrin , shocked by the the preist unable to retreat, immeadiatly gets a look of fury on his face.  Zetrin slowly makes some gestures with his hands, suddenly thrusting them forward with a few words.  Glowing in the darkness, a dark blue bolt emerges from his hand, travels straight for one of the rats and strikes him in the chest.  The ratling Valice shot, in the rear, retreats out of the range of Zetrin's light.  The remaining two ratlings, seeing Valice almost healed and one of them severely wounded, almost bolt as well--until the sounds of more ratlings splash towards the battle...from both ahead of Valice and behind Zetrin.  Bolstered by the imminent arrival of their companions, the ratlings step forward and try to bite some more chunks out of her.Valice tries to summon an ally, but cannot maintain her concentration in the face of the ratlings' threat.  They continue to wound her, bite by bite.  ...And two more ratlings come into view up ahead of her.  And there's still the sounds of more approaching Zetrin from behind.  Valice risks retreating and healing herself once more, while Zetrin continues to shoot.  As the two of them face the four ratlings, the splashing approaches from behind--and an arrow streaks over Zetrin's shoulder, to strike the ratling he wounded, felling it instantly!The three surviving ratlings skitter to a stop, examine the situation...and as one, turn to flee back the way they came.  Valice turns to Zetrin. "Shall we pursue?"  Zetrin: "I think we will be lucky if we get out of here alive."  The splashing approaches from behind once more, and a human pushes past the two of you, a shortbow resting on one shoulder. His brightly-coloured clothing is stained with sewage, but he still somehow manages to look jaunty in his brightly glowing cap and leather. "Of course we shall pursue! A damsel is in distress!  Could you seriously consider any other action? Come!  The sounds of battle draw us forward!"  Valice stares blankly as Zetrin follows, crossbow ready.  She raises one hand to her head, checking for a fever.  "You see him too?" She mutters, finally following.  Zetrin manages a slight smile.Eran scowls at the stubbornly unstaunched flow of blood.  Too bad.  The ratlings by Eran take advantage of his distraction, wounding him slightly, forcing him to engage them or risk being killed.   He steps back and attempts to dispatch another beast, hoping to get another shot at the girl before it's too late.  Nicholas slays nearly every ratling he goes for, taking some attacks as he does so.  Xath trades many blows with his foes, neither managing to deal any actual damage.  In less than a minute however, most of the ratlings are dispatched by Nicholas and Eran, though they both suffer many wounds in the process.  Xath by contrast is unwounded and his sword unblooded by the end of the fight.  The remaining five ratlings, one severely wounded...have had enough.  As one, they withdraw and flee down the tunnels.Eran watches them go with a sour look, turning his attention back to the girl.  "Good riddance."  Xath sheathes his sword, taking a wide swing with his foot at the water in frustration, before picking up his bow and moving to Eran's side to look down at the girl, frustration clearly marring his face.  Nicholas sheathes his sword and examines the bite marks on his arm and leg, grimacing at the thought of what the sludge would do to it. Then he moves over to check on the girl.  "Yes... let's get the girl out of here."  Three ratlings run right up to the portcullis. They take one look into the room--and flee back the way they came.The girl still lives--but barely. She could die any moment.  "Gimme a hand," Eran says, stopping the others short. "I've done this before."  Nicholas: "Damn, she's in bad condition. Can you heal her?"  Xath looks anxiously to Eran, then back to the girl.   Eran: "I said gimme a hand, damnit!"  Xath kneels beside the girl, colour draining out of him as he tries to help Eran the best he can, turning away after he has placed his hands where Eran indicates.  Nicholas: "Here, let me. God, I hope we're not too late."The strange man hurries through the muck, stopping only to put a couple of arrows into the wall above the badly wounded ratling still staggering away. "Dante's the name, bard extraordinaire, nick-of-time arrivals a specialty! And you?"  Zetrin looks at the man a bit oddly "My name's Zetrin... we must hurry.  Three watchmen are further down here. We don't know what kind of trouble they are in."  Valice doesn't respond, concentrating instead on seeking out signs of their one-time companions' passing.  They are startled by the three ratlings racing back towards them.  The ratlings skid to a halt, and two of them flee away again, even as one is brought down by two arrows and a bolt.  The two remaining ratlings are cornered up against the portcullis a minute or two later, as Zetrin, Valice, and their new companion approach.  Nicholas and Xath stand just to one side of Eran, who cradles the corpse of a young child in his arms.All are silent.Valice sights down her bow at one of the remaining ratlings. "Would that I could trade your place with her," she says before firing.  Dante takes one look at the situation and shoots as well.  Within moments, the cowering ratlings, drooling in their fear, are dead.  Dante rallies quickly.  "Well! At least those beasts won't plague the townsfolk again!"Nicholas: Another failure... you just can't seem to save anyone, can you?  "No, you're wrong. Their leader got away, the girl died... we failed."  Dante: "...Oh. I'm sorry. Truly. Perhaps I didn't arrive in the nick of time, after all."  Eran stands, shaking his hands free of blood and wiping them on his mostly-clean leather breastplate, and making a note to get a potion of healing.  That coulda been me. Prob'ly wish it had been, soon...  Xath: "We should have done something...."  He shakes his head before slowly pulling himself up to his feet and slowly wiping his hands on the driest part of his clothing remaining.  Zetrin walks up to the porticullis and tries to figure out how to open it.  Valice kicks the bodies aside as she approaches the portcullis, testing the metal with her free hand.The portcullis seems to simply need to be raised; it is rusty, however, and heavy. It takes two of you lifting to keep it up. Still, that's more than enough to let everyone out.  Eran carries the body through.  Xath looks fiercely towards the tunnel through which the albino fled, before quietly following Eran out of the room.  Dante goes to the ratlings, picks up the tail of one of them, and begins to saw at its base with his dagger.  He lifts the tail up, letting the body slide back down into the murk. "Gold, mate! 3 per tail. Courtesy of the Church of Lothian!"  Nicholas looks at Dante with a cold, hard stare before following after Eran. Zetrin looks around with a puzzled look on his face.  "So, do we know why these Ratlings kidnapped this girl?"  Dante is still making an effort to lift everyone's spirits--but it is taking an obvious effort now. "Once we're out of this, I can clean us all up."   Nicholas: "They wanted a human sacrifice."  Zetrin looks even more puzzled. "I have never heard of Ratlings behaving light this... they are usually never this organized..."  Nicholas shrugs. "I don't know much about them, so I really have no idea myself why they would do this."  Zetrin looks around the room for any other signs, like perhaps what God they were trying to appease.While the others converse, Valice motions Eran over. "If you would speak to her mother, I will handle that." She getures to the forlorn body. "I am sure we can find a suitable place for her in the Necropolis."  Eran takes in the rather waifish Halfelf and adjusts his burden.  "Yeah, sure. Once we get out of here."They exit the sewers to see four of the guard standing watch, with the child's mother and the fallen man, now at least conscious.  The guards are people Eran and Nicholas vaguely recognize, but they hold no familiarity, this not being their usual district.  Dante immediately casts a spell and begins cleaning the sewage off of everyone in turn, starting unobtrusively with Eran and the girl's body.  "I brought her back, like you asked," Eran mutters.  "Sir, ma'am... I'm sorry. We... we couldn't..." Nicholas can't finish what he is trying to say, and instead merely looks down with a tear leaking from one eye.  Xath quietly stands to the side.  The woman collapses in tears at the sight of her daughter. The man steps forward, his grief carving deep lines into his face, his voice cracked and raw. "Thank you for br--bringing her back."  Eran catches the poor woman's eye and nods tersely, deciding to leave out the details of what they saved the girl from.One of the guardsmen takes them all aside and takes their statements as to what happened down below.  Afterwards, Dante says "I don't know about you all, but I could use a drink. Or ten. Want to come?" He holds a brace of rat tails, an irrepressible grin forcing its way to the fore. "I'm buying."  Xath perks up at the mention of a drink. "Sounds good to me."  Eran: "Yeah. A drink."  Valice: "I don't drink."  Dante doesn't miss a beat, still grinning. "Then come for the company. Or I could use guilt. I did, after all, save your life."  Valice thinks a moment, then nods tersely. "Guilt, then."  Dante eyes Valice for a moment. "...Right. Okay, whatever floats your boat. Off we go then, to the Ghostly Minstrel!Nicholas follows along behind the others, reluctant to go off with Dante but wanting right now to drink himself into an alcoholic stupor and forget the feeling of failure he is in.</blockquote>

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