IC II

[thirdkingdom]

Babu the Monkey

Babu heads down the rope, and takes up a position watching the tunnel.

"Which way should we go?"

The only visible way to go is down the tunnel.

[sulldawga]

Harald

"Can the person behind me hold the torch, so I can have sword and shield at the ready?"

Once the lighting situation is sorted out, Harald will carefully proceed.

[Hrafn]

Kaa, shaman


"Pesha, hand me the torch and take my spear. I'll need a hand free for magic anyway. It gives you something to do, and I've still got my shield."

[NJWilliam]

Tychon the Blue, Mage

Tychon follows the others down the rope.

[drpete]

Babu the Monkey

"Kaa, we need a torch up in front. I've got the front spear rank, so he needs to hold the torch." Babu possess the torch to Pesha..

[thirdkingdom]

The companions have just gotten their lighting situation figured out and are preparing to head down the tunnel when a chittering, squeaking sound drifts down the tunnel towards them. In the torchlight, the adventurers see a brown mass approach them along the floor. It is a horde of rats!

I know it is the weekend, so if we can actions declared within 48 hours that would be great.

[Fearghus]

Pesha the Wanderer

Pesha hands off the torch at Kaa's request and accepts the spear, "I like the distance".

As the rats approach Pesha hollers, "Set the torch against them! Set the torch against them!". He digs one of the two flasks of oil from his pack and hurls it at the rats.

[sulldawga]

Harald

The barbarian will hold his ground and allow whoever is throwing oil & torches to do so in front of him. He'll attack any rats that make it past the flames.

Atlanaut (sword) - +4 to hit, d6+4 dmg

[Hrafn]

Kaa, shaman


"You're up front after this then, Babu. Someone pull a spare torch, we're immolation these things!" Kaa has the torch in one hand and her spear awkwardly clenched behind her shield in the other. Noticing Pesha dig for oil saves her some time though, since she would have herself, and instead she waits to either light his bottle or to toss the torch into the pool when Pesha throws it.

Worst case, she can light the next torch herself, and find it in the ambient firelight of burning oil.

holding initiative to toss the torch on Pesha's round so there's little delay between oil and fire. As much as initiative will allow, at least~

[drpete]

Babu the Monkey

Babu has no torch, so backs against a wall and tries to keep out of the way. He send Bibi up out of the hole while he fends of the rats with his spear.

[Rodriguez]

Styr the Axe Murderer

Styr mumbles something about bats and rats in the dialect of the north, ready to stomp any rat that manages to get to him at the end of the column.

[NJWilliam]

Tychon the Blue, Mage

Tychon throws a flask of military oil in the path of the oncoming horde of rats.
If no one is throwing a torch to light the oil, Adtas will, otherwise Adtas will also throw a flask of military oil in the path of the rat horde.

[thirdkingdom]

Round One

The rat swarm pours forth from the tunnel, engulfing the adventurers and covering the rock floor with a writhing mass of brown fur. Harald, Ishanter, Kondo, Pesha, Styr and Tychon are all subsumed by the teeming mass of rodents. Ishanter gives a shriek of pain as dozens of rats bite into her flesh, blood flowing freely from multiple wounds. Mordred is able to ward off the rats and retains his footing.

Babu jabs with his spear but misses. Adtas tosses a flask of oil towards the entrance of the tunnel and Kaa alertly follows it with a torch; rats die in the resulting conflagaration by the dozens! The smell of burnt hair and charred flesh begins to fill the air.

Six characters failed their saves. Here is the text from the book for dealing with rat swarms. Please note that there are multiple swarms, but only one will fit in the shaft at a time.

Rat Swarm: A rat swarm consists of hundreds of ordinary rats. Any character within the rat swarm must make a saving throw versus Paralysis or fall to the ground under the writhing rodent horde, taking 1d6 points of damage. He may stand up the following round, but makes a new saving throw if still under the rat swarm. The character can make no attacks until he gets back on his feet. A character warding off or fleeing from the rat swarm gains a +4 bonus to his saving throw.

Damage is as follows: Harald 6, Ishanter 6, Kondo 2, Pesha 3, Styr 3, Tychon 3. Ishanter has been reduced to -5 hp.
The burning oil will inflict another 1d8 damage the following round. Additional oil can be thrown for additional damage.

[Fearghus]

Pesha the Wanderer

Pesha flails about wildly in an attempt to regain his footing and be rid of the clinging rats.

[drpete]

Babu the Monkey

Seeing the sea of rats engulf his companions, Babu screams and chops at the rats, killing a few and trying to drive them off.

Kondo will attempt to climb to his feet, warding off the rats.

Bibi will attempt to get/stay clear by climbing out of the hole. once she is out, she will throw rocks down on the rats.

[thirdkingdom]

Damn. Rat swarms are brutal.

[sulldawga]

Harald will stand back up, waving his sword wildly in an attempt to slap away rats as he rises.

"More oil!"

[Hrafn]

Kaa, shaman


Kaa considers tossing more oil close to the fallen, in hopes of catching more of the furry vermin, but realizes that guaranteed burnin is not a cure for potential continued chewing.

"Kūndala, feed!" The shaman gestures wide, throwif out her shield arm to the rats and unslinging the serpent enough for it to move towards the swarms. She reaches for a ceramic oil flask, intent on lobbing it – hard – into the flames when they begin to gutter and fail.

Kūndala: fend off rats (nearest to Pesha)
Kaa: retrieve oil. If action remains, lob oil. Somewhat closer to the opening to create a bit of a choke.

[NJWilliam]

Tychon the Blue, Mage (hp 13/16)

Tychon opens his eyes wide, points with both hands at Adtas's feet, and as he raises his hands up in a grand gesture, quietly exclaims, "subvolo excelsus!"
Adtas's boots turn blue as he levitates above the horde of rats.

Tychon casts levitate on Adtas to get him above the danger of the rat swarms.

Adtas, Explorer

Adtas fends off the swarm with his sword, and levitates out of reach of the rats as soon as he can.

ooc: It appears Adtas did not get a first level hp roll, my sheet just has him as "1d6" for his hp.

[thirdkingdom]

Round Two

Styr is able to grind a number of the rats into a pulp beneath his boots before the burning oil scatters the rest of the swarm. The surviving rodents, of which there are not many, flee into remote corners and tiny crevices rather than retreat down the tunnel from whence they originated. Ishanter lies insensate on the cold, hard ground of the floor, flesh torn in dozens of places.

A faint squeaking can be heard drifting from the mouth of the tunnel, suggesting that there may be more rats in that direction.

Sorry that took so long, guys. I usually try to get a post in early in the morning before I head to work as well as in the evenings, but a summer flu has kicked my ass in addition to an increased workload.