Post by hubertbartels on Nov 11, 2018 13:43:17 GMT -5
So there we were - deep under the warehouse in the sewers of Midmeadow, following the information that there was a Queen Rat and her followers hiding out under the city. We had followed the curving brickwork of the sewers, trailing behind Gideon's back-tracking of the were-rat's passage when we had come across a branching of the tunnels. Our trip had already been interrupted once by the appearance of a gelatinous cube.
Now standing in the 'Y' of the sewer pipes, we could make out the sound of distant piping. Then with a chittering, a rush of rats engulfed us. Gideon used an item to cause fear among the rats, causing them to run off. THe piping fell silent. Moments later, the piping began again and the rat swarms came running at us.
We fought madly until the rat swarms were crushed, then ran after the piper. The were-rat ran in front of us, joining another group of were-rats. They turned to face us. They fought with short swords and bites, managing to bite each of us at least once except Saphie. But under our spells and weapons, they died.
The were-rats were trying to protect a closed door in the sewer - Wolfram checks it carefully for traps before opening it. Beyond the door was a small chamber, That chamber had a mixture of giant rats and regular rats. In an adjoining room, we could make out two imposing were-rats and a female were-rat that must have been the Queen Rat.
First, we had to deal with the rats and giant rats that were nipping at our clothes and legs. Aerwyn threw a fireball into the next chamber to clear out the rats and hurt the were-rats.
The Queen Rat counter-spelled it.
Then she threw up a Wall of Fire between us and the melee fighters that had advanced into the chamber. Aerwyn went down from the fire damage. Sir Thabo, Wolfram and Gideon faced the bodyguards and the Queen Rat by themselves. Behind the Wall of Fire, Duncan healed Aerwyn while Saphie jumped out of danger.
Then the Wall of Fire went down. Aerwyn ran up and cast Magic Weapon on Sir Thabo's sword. No longer did the were-rats have damage resistance to his sword, Sir Thabo began cutting his way through the bodyguards. Soon, we finished off the bodyguards and then the Queen Rat.
In the lair, we found an alchemcy lab. The Queen Rat had been studying 3 vails of something that resembled aging blood. THe infamous 'Demon Blood' that the watch had mentioned earlier. The source appeared to be near the existing orphanage in Midmeadow, the territory of the 'Red Hand' gang. Searching for Mika. we came across a charnel house of bones, some human, covered with rats.
Returning to our townhouse with the alchemical gear and loot, we recovered. The next day, we had to go to Jethro Jepson, the father of Mika and break the news. The woodworker was saddened by the news but took satisfaction in knowing that we had killed those responsible. He rewarded us with furniture and fittings for the townhouse.
In the next few days, Gideon made further inquiries about Demon Blood. Aerwyn made contacts with the local Wizard's Guild and finally joined to gain access to a larger arcane library. In her research on blood that has sinilar effects to Demon Blood, she discovered that vampire blood also gives strength and an euphoric feeling. Worse, repeatedly drinking vampire blood makes you susceptible to the vampire's control. The research by Duncan and the others seems to point to the vial being a mixture of preservatives and blood.
So, somewhere under Midmeadow, a vampire appears to be preparing to take control of a large number of addicted people through the use of Demon Blood.
Now standing in the 'Y' of the sewer pipes, we could make out the sound of distant piping. Then with a chittering, a rush of rats engulfed us. Gideon used an item to cause fear among the rats, causing them to run off. THe piping fell silent. Moments later, the piping began again and the rat swarms came running at us.
We fought madly until the rat swarms were crushed, then ran after the piper. The were-rat ran in front of us, joining another group of were-rats. They turned to face us. They fought with short swords and bites, managing to bite each of us at least once except Saphie. But under our spells and weapons, they died.
The were-rats were trying to protect a closed door in the sewer - Wolfram checks it carefully for traps before opening it. Beyond the door was a small chamber, That chamber had a mixture of giant rats and regular rats. In an adjoining room, we could make out two imposing were-rats and a female were-rat that must have been the Queen Rat.
First, we had to deal with the rats and giant rats that were nipping at our clothes and legs. Aerwyn threw a fireball into the next chamber to clear out the rats and hurt the were-rats.
The Queen Rat counter-spelled it.
Then she threw up a Wall of Fire between us and the melee fighters that had advanced into the chamber. Aerwyn went down from the fire damage. Sir Thabo, Wolfram and Gideon faced the bodyguards and the Queen Rat by themselves. Behind the Wall of Fire, Duncan healed Aerwyn while Saphie jumped out of danger.
Then the Wall of Fire went down. Aerwyn ran up and cast Magic Weapon on Sir Thabo's sword. No longer did the were-rats have damage resistance to his sword, Sir Thabo began cutting his way through the bodyguards. Soon, we finished off the bodyguards and then the Queen Rat.
In the lair, we found an alchemcy lab. The Queen Rat had been studying 3 vails of something that resembled aging blood. THe infamous 'Demon Blood' that the watch had mentioned earlier. The source appeared to be near the existing orphanage in Midmeadow, the territory of the 'Red Hand' gang. Searching for Mika. we came across a charnel house of bones, some human, covered with rats.
Returning to our townhouse with the alchemical gear and loot, we recovered. The next day, we had to go to Jethro Jepson, the father of Mika and break the news. The woodworker was saddened by the news but took satisfaction in knowing that we had killed those responsible. He rewarded us with furniture and fittings for the townhouse.
In the next few days, Gideon made further inquiries about Demon Blood. Aerwyn made contacts with the local Wizard's Guild and finally joined to gain access to a larger arcane library. In her research on blood that has sinilar effects to Demon Blood, she discovered that vampire blood also gives strength and an euphoric feeling. Worse, repeatedly drinking vampire blood makes you susceptible to the vampire's control. The research by Duncan and the others seems to point to the vial being a mixture of preservatives and blood.
So, somewhere under Midmeadow, a vampire appears to be preparing to take control of a large number of addicted people through the use of Demon Blood.