It's the third day of a hot, humid trek. The caravan began in Tishar, the harbor town providing the main link to the Northwestern part of Hirat, where the mining towns lie abutting against the mountains which rim the Great Waste. As the sun sinks lower into the sky, the caravan halts and prepares for nightfall.
In the chaos that is typical of setting camp, seven of the travellers meet briefly out of sight behind a large cart, which happens to be carrying items for one of them. This man now speaks. "My name is Garrett. I have been assigned to organize this investigation which your respective employers have hired you for...." He speaks quietly enough so as not to be overheard by outsiders, detailing the events in the small mining town of Pinik. A caravan, of house Rigald, attacked and destroyed in a nearby mountain pass - presumably by demons. A missing mining crew, which just "disappeared" in one of the Shong mines. Two barges in the harbor destroyed by fire.
Silence from the other six members, as they listen to the tale. In turn they nod here and there, as the events are mentioned. "You are to investigate these events and find out if there is anything behind them. The rivalries between the houses can run hot in the lucrative mining towns, and it is feared that one or more may be making a bid for power." Plans are set to meet at the DelNorr hotel at six bells to report in, while Garrett will make arrangements for their accommodation in town. With no further questions from the six, Garrett bids them good night and they disperse to go about their duties.
The next morning, the caravan sets out once again toward Pinik. This day is oppressive, and dark clouds have rolled in over the course of the night. By the time they reach the town, the stench of the alchemical founderies is mixed with sludgy multicolored rain from above. The mud of the street is streaked with the colors of the rain.
Once in town, the travellers pass the DelNorr, leaving Garrett and his company behind. Coming down along the road into town they can see twelve somewhat large houses. As they head toward the docks the weaving streets become more compact, narrow and winding. The houses they pass are squat and small with no windows. Most of them have chimneys which are slightly bent and the houses all appear to be partly underground. Shortly, however, they find themselves on the busy dockside. The dank smell of fish combined with the chemical smell of the founderies and the rain leave an unpleasant taste in the mouth of any not used to it. The harbor, which is fair sized for a town this size, currently holds sixteen decent sized ships on the near side of the river. The far side does not appear to be used.
Kerani leads the others to a bar called Tim's which is barely marked outside. It appears to once have had a sign, but what used to be the lettering is only a smudge. As the others duck inside out of the rain, Kerani slips off to lodge her elk, Joni, promising to meet them in just a few minutes.
Inside the others try chatting with the sailors. Casslan flirts with one, while trying to get him to talk about the burnt ships. Distracted by her, he stammers that he doesn't know much, but that the ships belonged to the Pollak House. Though he doesn't know who caused the destruction, he does know that "Johnny got beaten up for talkin' trash about Rigald house - they broke both his hands." However, as they try to leave, the guy refuses to let Casslan alone. Pysmo attempts to rectify this by coming up to her and pretending that "Princess Casslan" must come now, as she's very contagious. He is "helped" by Sam, who blows dust on the man, as if it would cure him for a brief while. Blowing dust behind them and leaving in a hurry, the group reunites with Kerani outside the bar, where she views them skeptically and leads them away.
With the knowledge that the ships were Pollak ships, the group advances then to the Pollak warehouse. Casslan briefly talks with the fellow at the back entrance, who informs her that "Robert" was the one on watch that night, and that he is currently at the front door doing guard duty. Heading that way, the group then finds the warehouse front onto the docks has a large opening guarded by five guards (one female). Casslan, followed by Reg (as a "bodyguard") sidles up to one, smiles, and asks if Robert is around. The guy nudges one of his buddies and winks. Casslan proceeds to ask about the ships, and Robert tells the amazing tale of how three ("no, it was just two, Robert" "THREE") rowboats came alongside the barges at night, nailing barrels to them. Being on watch he "heroically threw his sword at one of them, slicing him through. The others, worried about being caught lit the barrels, which exploded." (Robert has shrapnel scars from this, which happened a few weeks earlier) Then, seeing the other rowboat pulling away, he threw his torch at it, setting the whole rowboat on fire. Thus, he managed to kill "all of them". He then called for help to put out the fires on his ship and the one next, but by the time the bucket brigade was organized it was too late.
Meanwhile, Sam heads into the warehouse. He's detained by two of the other guards. Convincing one that he really needs to talk to the manager about getting rid of the boats in the harbor, he eventually finds his way to the foreman's desk and strikes a deal. While this is going on, Kerani, bored with the talk outside, slips away for a few minutes.
She returns to lead the others to an alley where they might talk a bit. Unfortunately, one of the guards, enamoured with Casslan, follows them a bit to the consternation of the other guards who try to call him back. Kerani faces him and tells him that "she'll [Casslan] be back later" only to duck a moment later as Reg takes a swing at the guy, flattening him against the wall. Immediately the other guards advance, drawing their swords. Kerani, Casslan and Sam quickly dash for the alley as Reg draws his staff. Setting Sam down on a crate, Kerani tries to get him to breathe deeply and stop panicking. Reg braces for a fight while Pysmo leans nonchalantly against a nearby wall, only to find that he quickly has his feet slip out from underneath him so he lands with a splut in the mud. Indeed, Reg and the four guards, as well as some of the horses in the street, lose their footing. While the horses only stumble, everyone else manages to fall. Reg uses his staff to help him regain his footing (and Pysmo uses the wall) while Casslan shouts "This way!" Somehow Reg manages to decide against fighting and dashes to meet the others. Pysmo casually follows later. Kerani leads them through several streets, twists and turns until she stops them some distance away. She turns to them with a scowl as Sam begins chattering and Reg starts to argue. "Shut up. Shut UP." With the silence, she turns her scowl to both of them, and Casslan as well, reminding them that they are up against possibly all ten of the Merchant Houses and that perhaps keeping a low profile might be good for them all.
They decide then to find out about the miners. Kerani shares some information about mining in the area (the mines tend to be heavily guarded, the miners may or may not be tight-lipped to strangers about what's happening, especially if foul play is suspected). It is decided that Kerani will attempt to secure a way into the mines for a few of the party, while the rest attempt to find out information from the miners themselves in the bars on the other side of town.
Pysmo heads to a bar by himself (specifically NOT with Sam and Casslan). He finds out about the caravan. (See below) He also finds out that the disappearances were from Mine 32.
Sam and Casslan head to another bar near the mines. Casslan's night is wasted by a guy who latches on to her and refuses to leave her alone. Sam attempts to find out things from the bartender, but the bartender seems to think things are pretty much normal for the area.
Reg goes and scams a bunch of sailors out of silver in one of the other sailor bars by arm wrestling.
Kerani returns to the Hotel DeNorr (as do the others) at 6 bells to report. She says nothing about her securing entrance to the mines (though Sam mentions that they plan to infiltrate the mines - something Garrett seems nervous about being mentioned loudly in public), but does mention that she followed Robert and found out where he lives and drinks, and that they plan to follow that lead as well.
Summary:
Everyone that evening has nightmares, individually tailored, involving rats. Many many rats, crawling over everything.
Reg heads down for his breakfast beer and pretty much stays that way through lunch.
Since Sam has not returned from wherever he went that evening, the rest of the party wanders down to the docks to see how his "remove the boats" plan went. Upon arriving, they see the front side of the docks as a complete mess. Flotsam, upturned barrels are strewn across the docks. A number of ships appear to be listing toward the docks. In front of the Pollock warehouse, however, the dock is clear of boats in or under the water. A yardam appears to be embedded in the side of the warehouse. It doesn't take much to realize that this probably had something to do with Sam's "plan" - which people might be a little irritated at.
Pysmo decides to try to figure out what happened and helps unload/move cargo around in the warehouse after some finagling. In doing so, he finds out that all the merchant houses appear to be hit roughly equally, and that some of the dock folks saw a few of the missing miners around, looking rather badly off.
While Pysmo does this, Kerani heads off to check on Joni... while doing so, she notices one of the miners in an alleyway watching the people go by on the street. Approaching him, she notices that he appears to have elongated teeth and face, and is quite grubby and malnourished. He hisses at her and scampers off down through a broken window into the basement of some Shong house barracks (where warehouse workers would stay). Since she doesn't want to go into a dark place she doesn't know by herself with a rat-man, she goes off to find the others.
Once gathered together again, they find Reg (Turm had balanced a flowerpot on his head) and pulling him away from his beer to come along with them, everyone (minus Sam, plus Turm) head down to the barracks to check out this rat-man, armed with cheese bread and a lantern (as well as the usual stuff). When they arrive at the alley, the rat-man appears to be rustling in a garbage can for food (or something). In an effort to draw him out and gain their trust, Pysmo tosses a bit of cheese into the barrel. This seems to cause a bit of stir and then some silence. Eventually, after getting him out of the barrel, rat-man attempts to get back to the barracks and Pysmo and Kerani pin him with rope and Pysmo's staff. Some attempts at communication are made and eventually he seems to snap a bit out of the rat mentality, pleading with us for help because "It" is turning him into something. We get out of him that his name was Tarak Falsch. Then he snaps back into rat-mind and struggles. Out of sympathy we cut the ropes and he scampers down the window again.
Taking a deep breath and sending Reg down first, the party follows. Kerani lights the lantern they brought along and hands it down. Once inside, it is apparent that this part of the barrack basement is fairly unused. It is packed enough with old stored stuff that it would be impossible to get to this area except by the window. Some searching shows no other exit except a hole in the floor. It appears some traffic has been from that hole, and likely where our rat-man disappeared. Again sending Reg, we head down the 15 foot drop into the tunnel below.
The party moves down the tunnel slowly and cautiously. After a short while, a sound is heard ahead and Pysmo moves forward to investigate while the rest of us stay back. Shortly, it sounds like Pysmo is in trouble and we also move forward to find him being attacked by a rat-man much further advanced in the transformation than the last one, as well as by a "man" composed of many rats to make a humanoid form. Fighting ensues, and squashing of rats occurs. Pysmo is not faring too well at this point, but the rat-man dies and the man-o-rats dissolves (and many rats squashed but some run away). Our adventurers continue on.
Eventually the tunnel opens up into a somewhat wider cavern (a small one, though). Within the cavern a faint glow can be seen, so the lantern is shielded. Once eyes become accustomed to the dim light, scraps of cloth and things can be seen littering the cavern floor. Toward the right along one wall, where the glow seems most intense, can be seen a large nest of sorts. Pysmo (I think) sneaks along the wall, followed by Kerani, Casslan and Turm, who stop about halfway to the nest as Pysmo continues on.
In the center of the nest is a white statue of a head of a rat. It appears to be made of marble. Pysmo decides to take it, and as he steps into the nest, he awakens all the rat-men sleeping there (oops!). They proceed to attack, and everyone else (including Turm, via mentalist things) tries to help. It doesn't take much to dispatch them, but upon grabbing the statue and heading back to the tunnel, two things happen - we hear squeaking from some of the other side tunnels, and Turm appears to be catatonic. Reg grabs him, and the party runs back up the tunnel while the squeaking grows louder and louder. A brief bit of confusion at a turn, but Pysmo rallies and leads everyone back to the barracks, clambering quickly up the rope, followed by Casslan. Quickly tying the rope around Turm, they pull him up and re-lower the rope. While Reg and Kerani try to climb, Pysmo takes a rusted crowbar to try to smash the head, in hopes that will call off the rats. The crowbar shatters. Unfortunately at this point, the myriad of rats catch up, and Reg clambers up over Kerani, leaving her the last. As she climbs, the rats swarm about her legs, biting and making her lose grip on the wall. She slips and nearly falls completely back down but at the last minute manages to catch, pull herself up. Fortunately, the rats do not follow out of the tunnel.
With Pysmo and Kerani fairly hurt, and Turm catatonic, the group staggers back to the Inn. Somewhere on the way back to the , it is decided that we really don't want this rat-head-statue in the hotel room, so Pysmo and Kerani sneak into a foundry and toss it into one of the giant furnaces, which run all day and night and are never shut down. Then returning to the hotel, Reg places Turm on a cot and it is decided to tie him down (just in case he becomes possessed). Garrett shows up shortly afterward, since we had missed our meeting with him at his hotel. Explanations (omitting the statue head) are given, and he says he will try to figure out what to do with Turm. Casslan does a bit of healing on Pysmo and Kerani, who then feel much better.
General occurences:
Summary 4
The night is divided into watches; Casslan and Sam on first, Pysmo and Reg on second, Kerani on third. The night passes uneventfully, and they spend the morning getting ready for the upcoming journey. Reg and Sam leave early to go to the mines. Kerani gets breakfast for the others and brings it up to the room. After breakfast, Pysmo heads to the Gos section to get supplies while Kerani and Casslan pack what they can.
While travelling to the Gos section, Pysmo sees many people dive and duck out of the way. He quickly does so as well and sees Guild pikemen wearing chainmail and armed march past, headed for the Warehouse District. A quick confirmation with another person who ducked into the same alley finds that battle between the Guilds has begun - Shong House lost an entire team of enforcers last night. Someone has started the war. Arriving at the Gos section finally, he procures some oat meal (what they feed the oats...), and some more rat traps. Supplies are scarce. He then returns to find the others getting the mules ready.
As they saddle up, Garrett tells them a bit more about where they are going - a town called Quinn, to see this "mystic" or "oracle." Reg and Sam have not yet returned; unfortunately heading toward the mines is a bad idea as the Guild wars will be going on there. The party leaves a note with the hotel, and heads out.
After about a half day ride, the rain turns clear; this heartens Casslan somewhat, thinking she can get clean, although Robert metions that it just means you can't SEE the contaminants. Kerani nods in agreement. Still, by the end of the day, the rain actually ceases. Pysmo and Kerani scare up some tubers and wild onion to add to their evening gruel. While not particularly great, it does add some flavor to the meal. After the second day of travel, Garrett suggests taking a detour and heading to Tannis, a town to the North. However, since it would have added about four hours of travel time, both Kerani and Pysmo argue for keeping the course - and Garrett concedes with a whimper. (Someone's not used to travelling hard in the countryside... Denise agrees...) The third day passes again with no visible animals and again they spend the night with just tubers to supplement their meal.
On the fourth day, the low moorish scrublands give way to more rocky ground as they turn slightly northward toward Quinn. Around 5PM they arrive in the town of Quinn, which is ... very small. Approaching, they can see a caravan of Gos settled about to the South. A river runs around the town, but several shallow fords allow easy passage to the town. Garrett spurs his horse swiftly ahead to book a room in the town's only Inn for them. Pysmo heads around to the North, saying he will meet up with the rest of the group tomorrow morning. When the rest arrive, Kerani helps make sure the animals are secure while the others bring the packs up to the room.
Casslan takes the Head, picking it up carefully and staring at it. As she does so, she hears a rustling in the bag and drops it with a scream which draws the attention of the locals in the near vicinity. "Just.. a mouse ran across my foot," she explains. Most of them shrug and go back to business, except for one guy who comes over to her. Through the usual trying to get on her good side, etc, he manages to carry an inordinate amount of stuff up to the room for us. Stuttering and managing to make his way through attempting to get Casslan to come with him to see his "herbs," he mentions the healing salves that can be made from them, and "I'm told... the purple flower is an ... aphrodesiac."
Kerani, with an interesting expression on her face whispers to him "You're not supposed to tell her that before giving it to her.." It takes a moment for him to realize what she means...
Regardless he spends the rest of the evening trying to get Casslan to take some of the plant; she gets him to go off to get some of the healing salves, upon which she hides in the stables after procuring some cheese. In the meantime, Robert after seeing the exchange wants to watch but Kerani asks him to stay with her while she checks for the "rustling" that Casslan heard. Unwrapping the head, she finds that the cloak is a little... worn... in a spot. Perhaps even chewed. But she doesn't find any squirming things, although she doesn't touch the head to lift it up and check underneath. After that, she teaches Robert a bit about how knives work.
When Casslan doesn't reappear, and the guy returns looking for her, Kerani sets out to find her. She gets the guy to stay in the tavern to wait in case Casslan comes back. It doesn't take much to think of looking in the stables, and she meets Casslan. Per the Plan then, she pretends to look around town for a while (twice, in fact, ~10 minutes) and then heads back inside. She convinces the guy that maybe Casslan went to go look for him at the Gos caravan and he heads off. 20 minutes later, Casslan comes back into the tavern - unfortunately it only took 10 minutes for the guy to get to the caravan and come back... they have a stilted discussion and Kerani informs Robert there may be a spectacle going on downstairs for him to watch. He heads down to do so, and ignores most of Casslan's attempts to get him to help her out. Eventually she just claims that Robert is her "darling" and heads over to make out with him (which they do), utterly shattering the poor fellow's self esteem. Robert and Kerani decide that Casslan gets the second shift, since that's about when the guy would likely show up drunk to "work things out". This indeed happens, and someone throws a bucket of water on the poor sap, and he leaves, dejected. [Watch went Kerani, Casslan, Robert. We let Garrett sleep all night, which is not so bad considering what happens to him next...]
In the morning, Garrett talks about the Guardians of the Oracle, and how we will need to get past them. This is the first time he's mentioned so, and they pry him for more information. Apparently this "oracle" was a powerful magician or sorcerer a long time ago. He felt that his body was limiting his magical ability, so he skinned himself and became bodiless. Now... it... knows a lot of things. The stories tell of people who go (and come back) from visiting it. The Guardians are conglomerations of animals which guard it.
They pack up and head out after a hot breakfast, Pysmo catching up with them on the trail (he caught some rabbit for dinner last night). It does not take long on the trail before Pysmo notes that something is following them, something large and moving very quickly - as quickly as a horse. The group stations themselves on the top of a ridge, Kerani tethering the mules so that they may be untethered rapidly. They then position themselves with Robert and Garrett near the mules, Casslan, Kerani and Pysmo in the front.
Soon a tall man, very pale with long white hair can be seen galloping toward them. He appears well dressed but has obviously been on the trail - his cuffs and knees are a bit ragged. He does not have saddle bags with him, and comes from the West, not from the direction of town. He carries two swords with him, although he does not draw them. Kerani, on Joni, loosens her sword but does not draw. He slows and dismounts, approaching, and asks for the statue. Kerani tells him to halt, and asks why he thinks they might have such a thing. "I know these things," is his reply. After asking who sent him, and why, he states that its owner wants it back.
Pysmo at this point asks to see the man's sword. After an odd look, he shows it to Pysmo, who comments that it's a very nice sword indeed. Then the man asks once again, and we say we will not give it to him. At that, he sighs, and says he had to try... then he draws his swords, and in two bounds leaps over them and to the mules, slicing the saddle bag with the Head in it, so it falls to the ground (the bag). At the same time, he cuts quickly toward Garrett, slicing off his arm. Garrett falls to the ground. By this time, however, Pysmo is upon him and Kerani not so far behind on Joni. Pysmo attacks him quickly, and hits him hard, taking another swing which the man ducks, Pysmo's bokken swinging through the man's hair. Casslan fires a "fire arrow" at the man, but he dodges and it dissolves. Kerani then leans as Joni gallops past, slicing toward his hamstrings but he jumps at the last moment up out of reach to grab an overhanging branch - her sword swings through air instead. Robert puts his hands to his temple and concentrates, although it doesn't appear to do anything. As Kerani swings Joni around, Pysmo smacks him twice, missing once and parried with grimace from the man. Then Kerani is upon them again, swinging quickly with her sword toward his head, missing (and also missing Pysmo!). Unfortunately Pysmo takes that moment to attempt a swing at him, but drops his bokken as the man deftly blocks it! The man, however, also takes a swing at Kerani, but his sword is caught by Joni's antlers and flung far off. Kerani wheels Joni about and chases after it, to grab the sword while Pysmo does a graceful leap and roll around the man's cutting blade, grabbing his bokken and leaping to his feet in defense. The two fight, blade to blade, Pysmo deflecting a deadly stroke toward Garrett as Casslan attempts to get Garrett to safety - another stroke by the man hits Cassland hard. Garrett manages to stab the man through the foot, pinning him to the ground! The man takes another slash toward Pysmo, but Pysmo parries! Kerani shouts "Pysmo!", tossing the sword to him, which he catches and slices the man's leg. He falls to the ground, realizing that it is over... tosses his sword aside. "There will be more, you realize... see you soon" and then he stops breathing, and his horse bolts away. Pysmo makes note that his spirit possessed the horse and left.
Casslan does some healing on Garrett while Kerani quickly dismounts, repacks the bag. Robert also does some quick patchwork on Casslan. Someone takes the other sword the man-spirit had, and they decide to head rather quickly toward the "oracle". Garrett holds on for much of the way. They ride carefully now, as they have travelled further into the rocky terrain, even needing to traverse ravines now and again. When they are close, Garrett comments that it should be a cave, somewhere near here. Looking about worried, they note that could be nearly anywhere - Kerani offers to scout around on Joni, but Robert says he can sense it, over there. Relieved, they head in that direction. Soon, Robert lags behind, looking not so good. Casslan convinces him to go back - no need to hurt his mind like Turm. He agrees, and noting that Garrett has fallen unconscious, Kerani urges him to take Garrett and the rest of the mules back a way - he says he will meet them at a tree they passed. Pysmo, Casslan and Kerani (who has the Head), move on through the ravine. Soon they find a Pit where several ravines run together.
One one side of the pit, a sheer wall apparently has a cave or cavern - the opening of which is covered by a curtain of leather. This is tacked down somehow, and stretched tight, so that there is no space in. There are, however, slits in it. Pysmo approaches with the others wait. A human mouth appears in one of the slits - devoid of skin. "Hellloooooo" it says. It wants to know how we got past the Guardians (which we didn't see at all). Pysmo tries to explain, and soon Casslan and Kerani are called forward (it's rude, says the mouth - what precisely it means is unclear). Kerani explains about the statue, and then opens the sack to show it.
Some rather riddled and tortuous talk follows, wherein we explain the story about finding it, and the weird rat-men and the men-rats. What we eventually find out is that the statue is that of Krratis, the god of rats. What's more is he is not the only one like this - he is bound still somehow - he is not completely free. Yet. Anyway, apparently there were 77 total of these kinds of gods, created by the Creator, who also created "the Two". (So the One created the Two, and the One then created the 77) 74 of them were bound, mostly for the purpose of binding the One, and their subjects were allowed to run free as animals. And now Krratis is free - and likely some of the others as well. They will become unbound, and then... then... who knows what will happen. They likely will not like the current state of affairs. In any case once they are unbound, the Creator will also be unbound... and he will not be happy either.
So basically, we're going to toss the Head into the Void of the Firmament, in the hopes that that will drag them all into it, since they are all linked together, including at the last, the Creator. We hope. There are three places that lead to the Firmament; one is Grinoth's Knife - mmm, not so good since Grinoth is bound there. There are two others, one in Skae and the other in the Great Eastern Woods. Skae sounds better since many of the spirits/critters in the GEW likely worship these "old gods".
Point: Hmm, there were 77 total, hence 3 not bound, plus the Two = 5 and hmm, there are "five" gods now....