Book 2 - Chapter 1 - Rats! Again.
March 17, 2009
Having returned from a successful job, the heroes, Tovi, Serena, Sophia and *DAVE* took time off to enjoy their newly filled coin purses. While perusing the local markets, a strange commotion on the opposite side grabs their attention. Following the chance at a little local glory, the heroes stumbled upon the attempted kidnapping of Professor Soren Lios by nothing other than rats of unusual size!
Encounter: Rats! In the Streets.
Successfully defeating the intelligent rats, the heroes were able to save the Professor and his strange egg shaped artifact. In a moment of fright and gratitude, the Professor asks the heroes if they were interested in a bodyguard for hire job, and to seek him out at Morgrave University.
Deciding that they could use the work, the heroes agreed to meet the Professor. Serena went to meet the Professor while Sophia sought treatment and Tovi went back to her books. Serena found the Professor in his lab, working on a fresh corpse of a blink dog. While trying to keep up with his blinking movements throughout the lab, she learned that since his purchase of that egg shaped artifact, he had been repeatedly attacked by the unusually intelligent large rats. Seeing a connection, and through sheer curiosity, Serena took the job and removed the artifact from the halfling possession, promising to return that evening when he was off the safety off the university grounds.
Meanwhile, Tovi had begun to do research on the rats, hoping to find any records of similar attacks in the past. She discovered Sharn's history with this type of rat infestation, however notes the difference between those attacks and the current ones. Just as she records the information on the source of the original attacks, she, and the others, are simultaneously attacked by another wave of rats.
Encounter: Rats! In the home.
Staving off the attacks, Tovi and Serena quickly find each other, and they all convene at Sophia's home. Discovering they had all been attacked, they begin to share information. Tovi shares her discovery and Serena shares her encounter with the egg artifact, including the strange voice and the glowing mark. Seeing the artifact as a threat, Sophia attempts to destroy it. The egg stays intact, and shows to all the heroes the strange mark and the voice. The heroes decided that the source must be defeated. They decide to follow the paths of previous attacks into the sewers the next day. Sophia takes the night shift and protects the halfling professor in his home.
The next day, the heroes head into the depths of Sharn, discovering old sewers systems no longer in use. They follow the path laid out in the reports Tovi discovered, and quickly come across a large crevice, a wound in the underground network. Here they discover countless amounts of trash and dozens of rat tunnels. They also find the source of the rat attacks, as they see a large rat golem appear from underneath the trash heaps.
The large golem, bearing a similar egg shaped artifact on it's back, the source of it's power, begins to burn the trash. As if answering an unheard call, the living rats begin to open tunnels in the ceiling, where smoke can pile up through. The reason for this is quickly ascertained by the heroes as they see one of the rats, exposed to the magical smoke, fall and die, it's body consumed by fire, and reborn as a fire rat, which scurries back out through the tunnels and into Sharn.
Seeing the threat that was about to befall Sharn, the heroes attack the golem, in hopes of destroying it.
Encounter: Rats! Grandmamma!
Defeating the golem, the heroes retrieve the second artifact from its back. The fires around them die out, as their source was destroyed. Serena quickly realizes that the artifact is not a gem, but a dragonshard, and the random veins have formed the same symbol they have been seeing over and over again. As if on cue, the dragonshard cracks, as the mysterious voice claims that the "Bait is sprung, and the trap is set."
Knowing that the fire rats may still be on the loose, the heroes quickly return to the surface and discover various sections of Sharn are under attack by the rats, who are setting fires as they go. They adventurers quickly join the locals in an attempt to stopping the burning of what has become their hometown. The rats' random attacks changed during the attack, as the symbol appeared on them, and they came after the heroes. About to be overwhelmed, new heroes arrive, a warforged and a dragonmarked half-elf.
Encounter: Rats! On Fire!
They begin to quickly dispatch the rats, and the heroes are able to defeat the ones immediately around them. The threat however was not gone, the rats one again change tactics and this time swarm the warforged, unleashing a firestorm on him that leaves his body mangled and burned. The half-elf is able to destroy the rats, but the warforged was left incapacitated. As if the magic faded from them, the remaining rats all begin to die, and turned to ash.
Hoping to save his friend, the half-elf seeks help from anyone to help carry his friend. The heroes do so, but instead of leading them to the tinkerers, he leads them to a secret entrance on one of the Sharn towers, where uniformed guards, reminiscent of House Deneith Sentinels, take the warforged. The half-elf, now introduced as Leshy, thanks them, but suggests they forget what they have seen, and disappears into the tower.
With the immediate threat gone, the heroes return to the professor to claim their reward for permanently ending the danger against his life. On their way to his lab, they encounter Lady Eva Lorraine, surrounded by the same guards they had just seen.
The find the professor hard at work on a new corpse, this time of a scarcely clothed human, hand's and feet covered in rapidly decaying stone. The professor is ecstatic to hear that the threat is over and pays the heroes. They return to him the original egg shaped artifact. Before they could leave, the professor wonders if they were willing to do another job, a client of his who could use their help.
Encounter: Rats! In the Streets.
Successfully defeating the intelligent rats, the heroes were able to save the Professor and his strange egg shaped artifact. In a moment of fright and gratitude, the Professor asks the heroes if they were interested in a bodyguard for hire job, and to seek him out at Morgrave University.
Deciding that they could use the work, the heroes agreed to meet the Professor. Serena went to meet the Professor while Sophia sought treatment and Tovi went back to her books. Serena found the Professor in his lab, working on a fresh corpse of a blink dog. While trying to keep up with his blinking movements throughout the lab, she learned that since his purchase of that egg shaped artifact, he had been repeatedly attacked by the unusually intelligent large rats. Seeing a connection, and through sheer curiosity, Serena took the job and removed the artifact from the halfling possession, promising to return that evening when he was off the safety off the university grounds.
Meanwhile, Tovi had begun to do research on the rats, hoping to find any records of similar attacks in the past. She discovered Sharn's history with this type of rat infestation, however notes the difference between those attacks and the current ones. Just as she records the information on the source of the original attacks, she, and the others, are simultaneously attacked by another wave of rats.
Encounter: Rats! In the home.
Staving off the attacks, Tovi and Serena quickly find each other, and they all convene at Sophia's home. Discovering they had all been attacked, they begin to share information. Tovi shares her discovery and Serena shares her encounter with the egg artifact, including the strange voice and the glowing mark. Seeing the artifact as a threat, Sophia attempts to destroy it. The egg stays intact, and shows to all the heroes the strange mark and the voice. The heroes decided that the source must be defeated. They decide to follow the paths of previous attacks into the sewers the next day. Sophia takes the night shift and protects the halfling professor in his home.
The next day, the heroes head into the depths of Sharn, discovering old sewers systems no longer in use. They follow the path laid out in the reports Tovi discovered, and quickly come across a large crevice, a wound in the underground network. Here they discover countless amounts of trash and dozens of rat tunnels. They also find the source of the rat attacks, as they see a large rat golem appear from underneath the trash heaps.
The large golem, bearing a similar egg shaped artifact on it's back, the source of it's power, begins to burn the trash. As if answering an unheard call, the living rats begin to open tunnels in the ceiling, where smoke can pile up through. The reason for this is quickly ascertained by the heroes as they see one of the rats, exposed to the magical smoke, fall and die, it's body consumed by fire, and reborn as a fire rat, which scurries back out through the tunnels and into Sharn.
Seeing the threat that was about to befall Sharn, the heroes attack the golem, in hopes of destroying it.
Encounter: Rats! Grandmamma!
Defeating the golem, the heroes retrieve the second artifact from its back. The fires around them die out, as their source was destroyed. Serena quickly realizes that the artifact is not a gem, but a dragonshard, and the random veins have formed the same symbol they have been seeing over and over again. As if on cue, the dragonshard cracks, as the mysterious voice claims that the "Bait is sprung, and the trap is set."
Knowing that the fire rats may still be on the loose, the heroes quickly return to the surface and discover various sections of Sharn are under attack by the rats, who are setting fires as they go. They adventurers quickly join the locals in an attempt to stopping the burning of what has become their hometown. The rats' random attacks changed during the attack, as the symbol appeared on them, and they came after the heroes. About to be overwhelmed, new heroes arrive, a warforged and a dragonmarked half-elf.
Encounter: Rats! On Fire!
They begin to quickly dispatch the rats, and the heroes are able to defeat the ones immediately around them. The threat however was not gone, the rats one again change tactics and this time swarm the warforged, unleashing a firestorm on him that leaves his body mangled and burned. The half-elf is able to destroy the rats, but the warforged was left incapacitated. As if the magic faded from them, the remaining rats all begin to die, and turned to ash.
Hoping to save his friend, the half-elf seeks help from anyone to help carry his friend. The heroes do so, but instead of leading them to the tinkerers, he leads them to a secret entrance on one of the Sharn towers, where uniformed guards, reminiscent of House Deneith Sentinels, take the warforged. The half-elf, now introduced as Leshy, thanks them, but suggests they forget what they have seen, and disappears into the tower.
With the immediate threat gone, the heroes return to the professor to claim their reward for permanently ending the danger against his life. On their way to his lab, they encounter Lady Eva Lorraine, surrounded by the same guards they had just seen.
The find the professor hard at work on a new corpse, this time of a scarcely clothed human, hand's and feet covered in rapidly decaying stone. The professor is ecstatic to hear that the threat is over and pays the heroes. They return to him the original egg shaped artifact. Before they could leave, the professor wonders if they were willing to do another job, a client of his who could use their help.
Posted by Jim Toledo.
