Wildwood Red in Tooth and Claw II [IC]

[Pyrex]

Weylan takes a step or two into the tunnel, coming up even with the badger, letting the glow from his mindblade illuminate the rats so he can see what they're up to.

 

[Shayuri]

"It's kind of weird," Inamar confides in Weylan.

"They're just sitting there, watching. One ran off when you came up...like it was going to warn the others. But they're just rats...aren't they?"

 

[Pyrex]

"I don't think we can be too sure of that given what we've already seen."

 

[Voadam]

Thelso makes it over succesfully now, having proceeded at a slow pace and is soon followed by NR4ZN who also proceeded at a slow and steady rate as no alarm was raised by the party.

One more rat comes out in the tunnel and another scurries back into the darkness. Two are at the tunnel's curve right now.

 

[Pyrex]

"Now that everyone's across, let's see what those rats are doing..."

If no one immediately objects, Weylan begins moving down the tunnel.

 

[Voadam]

Weylan presses forward in the lead, his mindblade illuminating the tunnel. At his approach the two rats turn tail and scurry back around the bend at breakneck speed, apparently fleeing the light.

The tunnel curves around and continues down a ways, the sound of a large number of chittering, squeaking and moving rats increasing. The tunnel opens out ahead into a larger chamber.

 

[Voidrazor]

NR4ZN moves forward very slowly at first, so as to not spook the rats. But once they run and there is room, the robot marches to interpose itself between the rest of the party and potential danger.

 

[Shayuri]

(is the badger still leading us, or still with us?)

Inamar flexes her fingers nervously at the squeaking and scurrying noises and says, "I hope this druid is still alive. I'd hate to go through all this and find a body at the end..."

 

[Voadam]

The badger heads down with you, its snarling and agitation increasing as you progress.

At the end of the tunnel around the curve a large room expands before you, smoothed out with more care than the tunnels and caverns through the rest of the burrows. A simple straw bed lies to the west, and a series of crudely constructed chests and crates lines the
western wall. But that’s not what draws your attention the most.

The sound of rats has been constant throughout the tunnels, and it is nearly deafening here.
Finally you see why. Near the northwest corner of the room, a five-foot patch of ground seems to literally bubble and churn with rats. Countless rats tumble forth from the area, scattering across the room and eventually running into the honeycomb of small tunnels perforating the walls of the chamber. Even as you watch, dozens of rats spawn from that part of the room and head into the complex of tunnels.

A wooden staff, a tattered green cloak, a length of rope and a leather satchel stick out from
beneath the churning pile of rats. The badger snarls at the rats in every direction, including the walls, and even the bed and the crates. Its attention is focused mostly on the swarming mass though.

 

[Shayuri]

"That," Inamar whispers hoarsely, "is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen in my life."

She looks at the others, gauging their reactions.

"What do we do? If we attack them, they'll swarm on us and eat us too!"