Hide & Seek with Rats 6/20 [Vesper, Draven, Galreth, Gaurbal]

[Eris]

Round 4-First Half

Okay, more complicated, but this makes sense to me...(x.y where x=full 10 minute Exploration/Delving Turns going from 5 to 0 and y=Combat Rounds going from 5 to 0)

Lights:
Gaurbal's Lantern(L4.4)
Galreth's Torch (T4.4)
Vesper's Torch on the sub-cellar floor (T4.3)

Draven braces himself as he lowers Vesper down the hole in the floor, she's heavier than he expected and he strains to keep the rope steady as she climbs down. Gaurbal holds his lantern high to give Vesper some light as she descends. Galreth finishes examining the rat's entrails and moves over to the group at the hole.

As Vesper descends, she finds she can use the ridges on the side of the hole as it does down to almost balance her descent, they are old and crumbly, so not quite and she is happy to have the rope. Below the flickering torch she tossed down the hole goes off enough light so she sees no rats in the immediate vicinity. The last four feet she has to drop to the sub-cellar floor. Looking around she sees that the sides of the hole form sort of a funnel from up top down to this level and the actual ceiling here is closer to 7 feet than the 4 she dropped from the end of the hole's walls to the floor. She can hear noises coming from her left and from her right...the scratching of small nails on stone and high pitched squeaking. She sees Galreth's "cats" moving back and forth to her left and right...perhaps holding rats at bay, she isn't sure.

Vesper picks up the torch and swings it around. She sees a corridor leading off to the left and another leading off to the right. She sees what looks like a pool of water in front of her...this once probably filled the area here and was "the well" but it seems to have receded a few feet from directly below the hole in the floor. The stone floor is damp, not dusty, and the air is humid...more so than above.

[Tiglath]

Vesper calls up "There are passages to explore and still more rats down here. Can you fix the rope and come down?"

Grateful for the shadow cats she stands guard while her comrades make their next move.

[terrymixon]

Vesper calls up "There are passages to explore and still more rats down here. Can you fix the rope and come down?"

Grateful for the shadow cats she stands guard while her comrades make their next move.

Draven will look for where he can secure the rope and be confident it will hold their weight. To be sure, he'll climb down.

[ateno]

Galreth will look for and tie the line off.

Galreth

[shaidar]

Gaurbal will climb down after the others.

[Eris]

Lights:
Gaurbal's Lantern(L4.3)
Galreth's Torch (T4.3)
Vesper's Torch (T4.2)

Vesper keeps watch as Draven climbs down the rope. Galreth, after double checking that the rope is securely tied off, and Gaurbal follow suit. Soon all four are in what looks like a tunnel. Water laps at their feet to what you think is the east. It appears that the water was once much higher and filled these tunnels. Perhaps other buildings around here also have "old wells" in their cellars that were serviced by water filled tunnels. With three torches burning the area is brightly lighted, but still the light only extends a short way down the tunnel to either direction.

You can see the tunnel is about 6 feet high and rounded at the top, but flat with tightly laid flagstones along its floor and about 6 feet wide as it heads off into the darkness toward what you think is the north and south. Where you stand is wider, a circular area perhaps 8 feet across. Looking at the shaft which you came down, you see it is narrow at the bottom and widens as it goes up and that there are indentions in the stone for hand and foot holds cut into the rocks.

The patrolling illusions of cats has faded away leaving the dark area around your little group quiet except for the scratching of tiny claws on stone coming from both directions of the tunnel. The air is damp and cool, but the floor is dry and dusty with thousands of small paw marks....and yes, a few quite paw marks quite a big larger, perhaps the width of your hand across! Something larger than rats is down here...

What do you do?

[shaidar]

Gaurbal

The warrior looks around trying to work out which way the big claw prints might have gone most recently "That's a big rat. Rat bites can go nasty if you don't treat them properly."

[ateno]

Galreth will stay close to the hole with his torch aloft.

He gathers his second torch out of the backpack and makes it easier to grab when he needs it.

"This might be bigger than us"

Galreth

[Eris]

I can't remember is it's supposed to be a 1 or 6 that indicates an encounter, but I decided on a 6 before I rolled and guess what...

[1d6]=6

Suddenly, the sound of scratching and squeezing increases exponentially and a dark swarm of rats comes boiling out of the dark. The full width of the tunnel that faces south is filled with a moving black flow of bodies as the swarm of rats descends on your little group!

Roll Initiative!

[shaidar]

Gaurbal

Initiative [1d20+3]=11+3=14

[ateno]

Galreth

Init [1d20]=8

[terrymixon]

Draven initiative.

[Tiglath]

Vesper

[Eris]

Beginning of Round 1 - Swarmed!

Initiative Order:

1. Vesper
2. Rat Swarm ([1d20]=19)
3. Gaurbal
4. Draven
5. Galreth

Lights:

Gaurbal's Lantern(L4.2)
Galreth's Torch (T4.2)
Vesper's Torch (T4.1)

ooc: Note that if you use 2 handed weapons you'll have to drop torch or lantern. If you are using a one handed weapon, you can attack with it and also attack with a torch as a club (1d4+1), but risk the torch going out if you do.

Vesper is the only one that isn't caught by surprise at the Swarm coming at them and gets to act before they do. However the swarm flows around her, but not without biting at her ankles! Biting her (2HP) as she hops around!

The rats surround Galreth, Gaurbal and Draven all getting attention from the biting rats! Gaurbal takes 1 point of damage. Galreth quickly hops and the rats teeth miss him! Draven feels a bite get past his armor and takes 1 point of damage.

Your movement and action, please!


Galreth: AC 10, HP 4/4, Dagger(F) -1/0 (1d4)
Gaurbal: AC 14, HP 9/10, LBow(2h) +4 (1d8+1), LSword +2 (1d8)
Vesper: AC 16, HP 3/5 CBow(2h, skip move to reload) +3 (1d6), Dagger(F) +3/+3 (1d4)
Draven: AC 13, HP 3/4, LBow(2h) +3 (1d8+1), LSword +1 (1d8), Dagger(F) +1/+3 (1d4/1d4+1)
Rat Swarm: AC 10, HP 28/28, ATK 4 bite +0 (1 +disease)

[terrymixon]

Beginning of Round 1 - Swarmed!

Initiative Order:

1. Vesper
2. Rat Swarm ([1d20]=19)
3. Gaurbal
4. Draven
5. Galreth

Lights:

Gaurbal's Lantern(L4.2)
Galreth's Torch (T4.2)
Vesper's Torch (T4.1)

ooc: Note that if you use 2 handed weapons you'll have to drop torch or lantern. If you are using a one handed weapon, you can attack with it and also attack with a torch as a club (1d4+1), but risk the torch going out if you do.

Vesper is the only one that isn't caught by surprise at the Swarm coming at them and gets to act before they do. However the swarm flows around her, but not without biting at her ankles! Biting her (2HP) as she hops around!

The rats surround Galreth, Gaurbal and Draven all getting attention from the biting rats! Gaurbal takes 1 point of damage. Galreth quickly hops and the rats teeth miss him! Draven feels a bite get past his armor and takes 1 point of damage.

Your movement and action, please!


Galreth: AC 10, HP 4/4, Dagger(F) -1/0 (1d4)
Gaurbal: AC 14, HP 9/10, LBow(2h) +4 (1d8+1), LSword +2 (1d8)
Vesper: AC 16, HP 3/5 CBow(2h, skip move to reload) +3 (1d6), Dagger(F) +3/+3 (1d4)
Draven: AC 13, HP 3/4, LBow(2h) +3 (1d8+1), LSword +1 (1d8), Dagger(F) +1/+3 (1d4/1d4+1)
Rat Swarm: AC 10, HP 28/28, ATK 4 bite +0 (1 +disease)

Draven will dance to the side a bit and fire his bow.

[ateno]

More out of a feeling of being scared than tactics, Galreth waves both weapons around.

Dagger [1d20-1]=18-1=17 Dmg [1d4]=1 Torch [1d20]=18 Dmg [1d4+1]=4+1=5

Galreth

[Tiglath]

"Oww! Galreth do cats! Do cats!"

Vesper triggers her crossbow



Hurrah!



Well that was somehow a given!

But "Luck Token"



Haha take that nibbly swarm!

[shaidar]

Gaurbal

The warrior tries to hit a rat with his long sword:

Long Sword: [1d20+2]=11+2=13;[1d8]=2

[Eris]

Round 1 - Swarmed!

Initiative Order:

1. Vesper
2. Rat Swarm ([1d20]=19)
3. Gaurbal
4. Draven
5. Galreth

Lights:

Gaurbal's Lantern(L4.1)
Galreth's Torch (T4.1) dropped in the combat and went out, 2+ on D6 to relight it.
Vesper's Torch (T4.0)

ooc: Note that if you use 2 handed weapons you'll have to drop torch or lantern. If you are using a one handed weapon, you can attack with it and also attack with a torch as a club (1d4+1), but risk the torch going out if you do.

Vesper cries, "Oww! Galreth do cats! Do cats!"

The Rat Swarm goes after each of our heroes biting at their ankles and lower legs.

Vesper feels several nip at her legs, but not penetrate to do her harm! Vesper triggers her crossbow critically striking the swarm killing 8 of the rats! OOC: Critical Hit get double the damage roll, so 8, but remove you LUCK token!

Galreth is just as lucky as he hops and dances causing all the rats to miss him as well! He drops the torch and pulls out his dagger. More out of a feeling of being scared than tactics, Galreth waves both weapons around proving much more effective than he thought he would be. The dagger skewers only 1 rat, but the torch bashes and sets 5 alight! What a sight, burning balls of rat flying off into the darkness! Looking down Galreth sees his torch guttering and it goes out as he watches it. (2+ on d6 to relight it).

Gaurbal , however, isn't so lucky as a rat gets through his armor and deals him 1 point of damage! But grunting with effort, Gaurbal swings into the rat swarm with his long sword slicing through 2 rats! That two that won't come after him next time!

Draven curses under his breath, as he dances about thinking he needs better armor, as another bite deals him 1 point of damage! Even while Draven dances to the side a bit he fires his bow with great effect, killing 8 rats!

These rats have had enough of you! More than enough as they turn tail and run off into the darkness as quickly as their little legs can carry them. Except for the squeaks and scratches of the disappearing rats and the heavy breathing each of you is doing the area around you grows quiet. You have survived this encounter, but not without some injury!

Gaurbal, Vesper and Draven have taken bites from the rats. Examining their wounds Gaurbal's and Draven's look unclean you are afraid the rats might have passed some disease on to you! Vesper's doesn't look so bad as the others and she thinks she might be safe from any diseases the rats might have been carrying.

Disease. DC 9 CON or 1d4 CON damage (can't heal while ill). Repeat check once per day; ends on success. Die at 0 CON.

End of Round 1 - End of this Encounter

You are back in Delving Mode.


Galreth: AC 10, HP 4/4, Dagger(F) -1/0 (1d4)
Gaurbal (diseased): AC 14, HP 8/10, LBow(2h) +4 (1d8+1), LSword +2 (1d8)
Vesper: AC 16, HP 3/5 CBow(2h, skip move to reload) +3 (1d6), Dagger(F) +3/+3 (1d4)
Draven (diseased): AC 13, HP 2/4, LBow(2h) +3 (1d8+1), LSword +1 (1d8), Dagger(F) +1/+3 (1d4/1d4+1)

[ateno]

Galreth cleans his dagger puts it away, then lights his torch, torch [1d6]=4

And pulls out his unlit one.

"I think we might worry about the caves later, we got two diseased and killed over a dozen rats. We could to the ratcatcher thing and string them together to prove it and help her clog it up.

Bye the way Vesper, I can only call on the shadows once a day."

Galreth