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

[terrymixon]

Round 3 - First Half

In the flickering light of the torch(T4) on the stone floor, Vesper holds her ground to reload and fires again, and her bolt strikes one of the rats. It looks like a rat on a skewer as the bolt goes all the way through the rodent, killing it. Draven's shot, however, bounces on the stone floor where a rat was a moment before missing any of the beasts!

Gaurbal lets fly with an arrow, striking true and killing one of the rats! His Lantern (L3) shines on the scene.

With his torch (T3) in a sconce behind him, Galreth strikes at the horde as they stream away from the illusion smashing a fleeting rat.

You have killed three rats, but more than twice that many scampered down the hole in the alcove's floor. Looking closely at it, you can see that it once might have been a well opening that had been covered over by wooden boards and flat stones to hide its existence. The wood, though, is old and rotten and has partly given way. Some of the covering stones may have fallen into the hole, but some are moved aside and piled into a stack.

What do you do now?

"The stones look like they've been moved," Draven said. "That's not rats."

[ateno]

"As usual its people who are the monsters." We could stand guard and some gather equipment and reclose the hole or ...

Galreth has the shadowcats jump down the hole in a comical nature and grabs his torch.

"see what in existence is down there. We cant fight them in a stand up."

Galreth examines one of the slain rats.

Galreth

[Tiglath]

Vesper says "Well, we've slain enough rats to get paid and earn us a loaf or two but..." she adds warily "... rats don't stack up stones...".

She reloads her crossbow and then gathers up her torch to peer into the hole.

[shaidar]

Gaurbal

"We could tie some rope to my lantern and lower it down."

[terrymixon]

Gaurbal

"We could tie some rope to my lantern and lower it down."

“That sounds like a good idea. We need to know what is really happening here.”

[Eris]

Round 3 - Second Half

The group of four stand around a hole in the floor. The rats have scampered down it and so have the shadowcats. There has been discussion about what to do next, but time waits for no Adventurer, so you need to act soon!

OOC: Tying a rope to the lantern and lowering it into the hole has been suggested. Is that the group's next action or do you have other things in mind. Tell me...

Oh, BTW, I have been lowering the rounds on the lights too quickly. So far this "combat" has been only about 10 minutes, so they should have gone down by 1 not 3...I'll be adjusting that.
Lights:

• Gaurbal's Lantern(L5)
• Galreth's Torch (T5)
• Vesper's Torch on the wet floor (T5)

[ateno]

Anything different or interesting about one of the dead rats?

Galreth looked last turn.

Galreth

[Eris]

Anything different or interesting about one of the dead rats?

Galreth looked last turn.

Galreth

That's right you did. No, all of them you see just look like dead rats, large and well fed, but just rats. As best Galreth can tell.

[Tiglath]

Vesper sets to facilitating the lantern on a rope ploy by covering her comrades while they make it happen.

She ventures "Why don't we just drop my torch down there? It's quicker".

[terrymixon]

Vesper sets to facilitating the lantern on a rope ploy by covering her comrades while they make it happen.

She ventures "Why don't we just drop my torch down there? It's quicker".

Draven readies his bow to cover her.

[Tiglath]

Vesper hefts her crossbow one handed and collects the torch she threw and drops it down the hole.

[ateno]

Galreth takes his dagger and slices open the rat and checks stomach contents.

"This will help in case she is someone's pet."

Galreth

[Tiglath]

Galreth takes his dagger and slices open the rat and checks stomach contents.

"This will help in case she is someone's pet."

Vesper glances over at Galreth's doings and regrets it.

Focussing back down the hole she asides "I can't see how that helps a rat already beyond help and I don't know anyone who would appreciate you doing that to their pet!" Returning to the practical she adds thoughtfully "If you can summon those shadow cats reliably and have them dance with me then we will be able to eat after we run out of bread. When I'm not shooting rats I'm a dancer".

[ateno]

Focussing back down the hole she asides "I can't see how that helps a rat already beyond help and I don't know anyone who would appreciate you doing that to their pet!" Returning to the practical she adds thoughtfully "If you can summon those shadow cats reliably and have them dance with me then we will be able to eat after we run out of bread. When I'm not shooting rats I'm a dancer".

"If there is only bits of fabric and grain in the stomach, that's one thing, if there is a few bits of a ham croissant, that's another. Might tell if there is a rat master or whatever."

Looks over stomach innards.

"I can have you dance with the Duke if you want. I thought cats were more frightening to the rats than anything else."

Galreth

[Tiglath]

Focussing back down the hole she asides "I can't see how that helps a rat already beyond help and I don't know anyone who would appreciate you doing that to their pet!" Returning to the practical she adds thoughtfully "If you can summon those shadow cats reliably and have them dance with me then we will be able to eat after we run out of bread. When I'm not shooting rats I'm a dancer".

"If there is only bits of fabric and grain in the stomach, that's one thing, if there is a few bits of a ham croissant, that's another. Might tell if there is a rat master or whatever."

Looks over stomach innards.

"I can have you dance with the Duke if you want. I thought cats were more frightening to the rats than anything else."

Vesper muses "I think people might pay more to see me dance with cats...".

[Eris]

Focussing back down the hole she asides "I can't see how that helps a rat already beyond help and I don't know anyone who would appreciate you doing that to their pet!" Returning to the practical she adds thoughtfully "If you can summon those shadow cats reliably and have them dance with me then we will be able to eat after we run out of bread. When I'm not shooting rats I'm a dancer".

"If there is only bits of fabric and grain in the stomach, that's one thing, if there is a few bits of a ham croissant, that's another. Might tell if there is a rat master or whatever."

Looks over stomach innards.

"I can have you dance with the Duke if you want. I thought cats were more frightening to the rats than anything else."

Vesper muses "I think people might pay more to see me dance with cats...".

The rat's stomach contents appear to be grain, the remains of flour and bits of cloth.

The torch falls down the hole for maybe a second before it thunks onto something solid. It flickers and almost goes out, but comes back (T3). Vesper peers down the hole. There is a stone floor down there with rocks and rotten looking wood scattered on the floor that she thinks is about 10 feet below. She sees the hole tapers slightly in as it goes down so it is only about 2 feet across at the bottom. She doesn't see any rats in the circle of light, nor any water, but she does see what look like hand holds in the stone of the well as it descends toward the floor below.

[Tiglath]

Vesper says "This no well but an entrance to a floor below. Set a loop in the rope and lower me down".

[terrymixon]

Vesper says "This no well but an entrance to a floor below. Set a loop in the rope and lower me down".

Draven will do so, ready to pull her right back up in a hurry if needed.

[Tiglath]

Vesper descends warily covering the room below with her crossbow held one handed.

[shaidar]

Gaurbal

The warrior holds his lantern high for extra light as Vesper decends.