Mogaruith Adventures - Explore the Sewers

Perry Played at http://www.mogaruith.com/

Text by Matthew Ellis. Edited by A. Penrose.

A local innkeeper and two of his regulars have gone missing. There was sign of a struggle and strange foot prints leading to a gate into the sewers. An old lady seems to have seen something but has been so scared that she's has been driven insane.

Chapter 1

The night before the first day of your quest is a night like any other. But the air of caution is noticable. You set off early and head towards the tavern where the inn keeper went missing. The tavern is closed and you spot the sewer grate where the strange tracks led those few days ago.
Jeg leads as you desend into the darkness, his katana at the ready. Bodwin creates a magical light to follow you and illuminate the darkness as you proceed down the sewer tunnel. The sewerage runs down the middle and you follow a raised path down the right hand side. Judging from the side of this tunnel, if a creature did grab the inn keeper, it could be quite big.

"I certainly hope that those people are ok", states Shannon suddenly.

"For who ever took them's sake", adds Jeg with a smile, as we hefts his sword.

But for now you see nothing but sewerage and rats. As you follow the straight tunnel you spot some fresh foor prints in the slime on the floor, you stoop down and notice they appear to be about human sized but more paw like in shape. They lead onwards and you are able to follow them quite easily into the darkness.
You can no longer see the day light behind you but Shannon begins to draw a small plan of the tunnels you have seen so far to ensure that you do not get lost.
A few hundred yards down the tunnel you reach a junction, the foot prints lead left so you follow them and come to am iron gate, it is locked but you quickly take out your lock picks and start to work upon the mechanism. It is an old lock of poor quality and you soon have it open and you continue on your way.
As you continue you get the impression that you are being watched.... although you see noone, nothing but you still sense it. You notice the others think so too, but they see nothing either. A sort of cautious silence desends upon the group as you trudge onwards. After about half an hour the path starts to desend but the sewer water does not, and you are forced to walk through the muck. The smell is getting worse but soon you reach an oaken door in the side of the tunnel, not part of the original construction, this door has been added recently. You put your ear to the door and listen, you hear sounds of chattering, in sounds like common but speeded up about 3 times. There maybe about 4 different voices there but there maybe others who you cannot hear.

Chapter 2

After thinking you decide to open the door cautiously with Jeg and Shannon up front with their weapons drawn and ready. Jeg swings the large door open to reveal a small room with one door on the far wall and a large square table. Around the table are sitting five strange humanoid rat-like creatures drink a strange smalling liquid from tankards. They turn, spot you and jump to their furry feet. Well.... four of them jump up, the other seems to be out cold.

"TELTHABOSNOW!!", one of them squeeks as he and two others run forward to attack you. The remaining rat creature tries to revive the other unconcious creature.

The three attacking creatures charge forward, the leader on Jeg and the other two on Shannon and Bodwin. Jeg meets his enemy and with one swing of his katana, almost cleaves it's arm off at the shoulder. Shannon begins to fend off her enemy and Bodwin seems to almost dance around his taunting it with a nervous bravery. You spot the other creature give up trying to revive his friend and start to run for the door at the far end of the room. Readying your sling you take aim spoting Jegs enemy flop lifeless to the floor. You let loose and strike it in the back of the head knocking it out cold. Shannon has almost defeated her enemy when Bodwins falls with help from Jeg. A final blow sends Shannons rat creature to the grave clawing at the ground.
After a quick check you find that none of you are seriously injured and the rat thing that you hit is dead ... obviously you got quite a shot in there! The unconcious rat man is so out cold that you seriously think it's dead, it cannot be woken and after finding it's fur infested with fleas, and nothing else of interest in the room, decide to go on.
Beyond the door you find a staircase going downwards into darkness, lit by Bodwins spell you continue expecting trouble. Soon to reach the bottom of the stairs and down a short tunnel you reach a cavern about 150 feet long and 100 feet wide, you cannot see the roof of the cavern since it is lost in darkness. At the far end of the cavern there is a raised draw bridge spanning a dark moat like pool of water about 20 feet across. The water looks deep, still and cold the light not reaching the bottom. Since the draw bridge is rasied you cannot see beyond but you sense that it is just another tunnel but slightly bigger.
As you carefully walk towards the middle of the cavern you notice two tunnels, like the one you have just left, exiting the cavern to the left and right, just before the draw bridge water. You cannot see what is beyond but you can hear noises from the right tunnel like the rat mens talking.

"Wywehaftadoit?"

"Custhabosayso!"

"Menowanafeeddabeest...."

"Ifweedontdoitwegetfedtodabeest!"

The voices are comming this way but seem quite distant. As you look at the draw bridge you notice that someone small could get to the tunnel behind it and probably lower it. You have some time before before the rat men get here and so have found no clues as to where the innkeeper and others are.

Chapter 3

Perry: "OK guys - we seem to be able to understand these rat men to some degree OK?"

Jeg: "I noticed that, they just talk really fast."

Bodwin: "And they've got fleas!"

Perry: "And they're the most likely source of info down here. Whaddya say we try to catch them and qustion them, since the last lot were a little on the un-informative side? Also, I wouldn't mind finding out about the 'beast' they're talking about."

She looks at the dark water and shivers slightly.

"I can swim and I'm definitely the smallest - so I'll try to swim over and lower the drawbridge - I mean - if it's there there's got to be something interesting on the other side, right? So you guys cover me while I go see what's on the other side."

Shannon: "Sure, we'll stand guard."

You put your equipment on the floor and lower yourself into the moat. With a shiver of cold you begin to swim smoothly and effortlessly across the blue waters. You get about two thirds across when you feel something hard brush against your legs. Your heart jumps and you look down, trying to see whats there.... nothing.

Bodwin: "Things ok?"

You look into the dark waters, seeing nothing but knowing something is there, this is fun. "Yeah sure, I'm fine", you say and start to swim a little faster towards the other side.

Bodwin turns towards the tunnel where the voices are coming from, "They're getting closer", he whipsers.

Shannon: "If we have to fight then we fight, but remember, try to take one alive for questioning."

Jeg nods as he draws his sword. He looks over to the other side of the moat and notices that you have climed out and are squeezing between the rock and the drawbridge. You disappear just as the rat men enter the cavern.

This part of the story is different from the rest of the parties story. Bodwin being second in command has now taken charge, for now. Their story is continued below.

You enter a long very dark passage way, larger than all of the previous tunnels. Suddenly to hear a noise ... movement, then you feel a stab of pain on the back of your head and then silence.

Sometime later you wake and find yourself in a cell. You spot one other person in the cell with you, he looks like one of the missing people. But as to where the other one is and the innkeeper... you have no idea. Looking out of the barred cell you spot a pair of rat men playing some strange game in which they roll finger bones. You realise that they are human finger bones and wonder again where the other man and the innkeeper are.

Slowly you approch the other prisoner to see if he is awake.... or indeed alive. As you reach out to tap him on the shoulder he looks up and grabs your arm painfully.

Prisoner: "Who are you small one?"

"I am Perry, I came here to rescue you and the others.", you reply pulling your arm away from his grasp.

The man laughs with irony, "you seem to have found me ... but I bet you wish you hadn't. My friend and the innkeeper tried to escape ... they were re captured and I havn't seen them since."
He looks out of the cell and back to you. Then he whispers, "I find it difficult to belive that you would have come down here to rescue me on your own."

Sensing that you can trust this man you reply, "You are correct, there are three others in my group. We were seporated and I was hit on the head. And then I awoke here, how lo-"

You heard a voice behind you, a high pitched voice like the rat men but slower. Turning you see a large rat man, with a worring look on his face, "woos for da pot now?"

Prisoner: "She is! Don't eat me I'm all bony! No meat at all ..."

Chapter 4

Realising the situation and the problem you are facing you come up with a plan. You suddenly double-up in pain and start wailing loudly.

"Oooohhh, urrgggggg! This man.... must have the plague.... and now I have it too! Oohhh, I can feel my insides turning all squishy....". You sneakily turn to the other prisoner and wink before continuing your act. "Uurrgggg ... my eyes.... I'm going blind.... help me!". You reach out through the bars towards the rat man, curling your fingers as though leprosy has set in.

Other Prisoner: "Ooooo.... dear me ... ooooo ... the pains ... I've got the plague ... ooooo ..."

In any other situation you would have laughed at this poor attempt at acting but that would certainly give everything away. The rat man, upon seening this, backs up and bumps against the far wall. He turns and flees from the room.

Other Prisoner: "Ooooo.... it hurts ... deary me ... ooooo ..."

You nudge the other prisoner and realising the rat man has gone he stops.

Other Prisoner: "So, whats your plan now?"

Chapter 5

As you think about what to do next the door that the rat man left through opens ever so slightly and you hear some noises from beyond. After a while the sounds stop and the door opens and three familar figures walk in. The party has found you! You note the motionless rat man at the doorway who wanted to eat you.

After being released, Bodwin gives you your equipment and the other man tucks into some of his rations.

"I see that you got to that rat man before him and his hunger got to me!", you exclaim pointing through the door the party came through at the still rat man.

You look around a notice one other door leading from this room, from it you hear slight foot falls, it sounds like only one creature, but you cannot be sure.

Jeg smiles, "What now leader?"

Chapter 3 The story past, as told from Bodwin's point of view.

(Bodwin turns towards the tunnel where the voices are coming from, "They're getting closer", he whipsers.

Shannon: "If we have to fight then we fight, but remember, try to take one alive for questioning."

Jeg nods as he draws his sword. He looks over to the other side of the moat and notices that Perry has climed out and is squeezing between the rock and the drawbridge. She disappears just as the rat men enter the cavern.)

"Wotweegotear?", squeaks one of them and the other five laugh in high pitched voices that grate in your ears.

"Foodfordabeest?", replies another.

"Fitepraktis!", the other nod in agreement as they draw cruel looking swords.

Jeg: "I can probably take three. You two take other three?"

The six rat men leap at the three of you, and a bloody melee begins. The rat men realising Jegs skill try to gang up on him, four attempt to take him out while the other two hold off you and Shannon. Jeg seems unphased by his four opponents and dodges, parries and ducks out of harms way. Until he spots an opening in one of the rat mens' defence and strikes a telling blow with his foot into its belly, sending it backwards almost 10 feet! The others strike out and catch him with a small but deep cut on the arm. Meanwhile you and Shannon are fighting as quite a team, almost as though guided by some unseen force you predict each-others' moves and fight to good effect. But the rat men are simply defending and when an enemy is only defending it is often hard to get a blow in.

You glance over to Jeg and spot him feigning weakness and then counter attacking, cleaving a rat mans' leg off. It falls backwards on top of the other, knocking them both into a pile of limbs, blood and fur. Sweeping its legs from under its body he plunges his sword into the other's belly, pulling it out to parry a blow from the one he kicked earlier.

A simple wave of your hand and a bright light shoots out of your fingers in front of the eyes of Shannon's opponent. Stunned for a second the rat man's defences drop and Shannon strikes a killing blow. With Shannon's help you finish off the other rat man and turn to help Jeg.

Both of you are surprised to see Jeg surrounded by three slain rat men, sweat dripping from his body, holding his katana to the throat of a floored rat man.

"You wanted one alive? Here you are", Jeg pants. Although you are all tired, and Jeg has a few small cuts, there is no permanent injury and you turn to the drawbridge. It hasn't moved for several minutes after Perry went behind and you have heard nothing from her.

Then, suddenly, there is a huge explosion of water from the moat and above you is a huge, 30 foot high, serpent-like creature, a huge reptile like head sits on its long snake-like body and is filled with rows of sharp white fangs. It could easily swallow any one of you whole. It regards you with a look of pure animal hunger and you are momentarily distracted by the sound of the rat man fainting away to unconsciousness.

Bodwin: "Do you think that might be the 'beast' they were talking about?"

Chapter 4

The huge snake-like beast hovers over you, tasting the air with its forked tongue, searching for some meat to fill its considerable belly.

Jeg whispers to you: "Bodwin, do you have some sort of shielding or protection magic?"

Bodwin: "Eeerr.... no."

Suddenly the fainted rat man wakes and seeing the huge beast above him looking for food, it jumps to its feet and runs for the right tunnel. Seeing movement the creature lunges forward, and although the rat man is fast and quite agile, it is not nimble enough and is enveloped by the beast's huge jaw.

Bodwin: "LET'S MOVE IT PEOPLE!"

The party runs towards the left tunnel as fast as you can and as you enter the darkness of the passage you glance back to see what the beast is doing. You see it chopping and chewing on the rat man with enthusiasm, then swallow it and slowly sink into the murky depths.

Jeg: "You see the size of that thing!?"

Bodwin: "A lucky escape! But what about Perry? We haven't heard anything from her and the draw bridge is still up."

Shannon: "Well I think the beast must have been sleeping when she crossed and now it's awake. It may have eaten but it probably wouldn't say no to a few more snacks."

Bodwin: "So we go on, and hope to find another way behind the draw bridge so we can find out what happened to Perry."

With the party in agreement you continue down this tunnel and illuminated by your light spell you make good progress. The tunnel slow curves round to the left and after several hundred yards you come to two doors. One door is on the left wall, the other straight ahead shutting of the rest of the tunnel. Listening at the doors you hear the odd drip of water at the left door' and what sounds like lots of high pitched wheezing at the door ahead.

Chapter 5

You lean towards the rest of the party and whisper, "Well, there're probably more rat men in the room forward, sleeping or something. So I say we go left, I don't like violence, and from the sounds of it, there may be a different way behind the draw bridge. We must find Perry."

Guided by your light spell, Jeg slowly opens the door on a huge cavern similar to the one before. But in this one there is a small stone bridge instead of a draw bridge.

Jeg: "At least crossing will be easier this time!"

After checking that there are no rat men lurking in the shadows you proceed with caution towards the bridge, trying to be as silent as you can. The bridge is sturdy and strong, easily holding your weight as you cross it.

At the far side of the bridge, in a dark alcove, there is an oaken door. As you approach the door it swings open and a rat man comes through, failing to notice a band of three hardened adventurers, and closes it behind itself with a relieved sigh.

Rat man: "Damdharfling notplag notplag daboswilkilm-"

Suddenly spotting you the rat man slowly smiles (sort of) and then as quick as it can starts to open the door. Jeg lunges forward and grabs the rat man it a painful arm lock.

Jeg: "Tell me what you know about our halfling friend."

Rat man: "Menoonotinotinatorl!"

Shannon: "What?"

Jeg: "me no notin, notin at orl.... aaah, you *do* know something, and if you don't tell us I shall feed you to the beast!"

The rat man's eyes widen in obvious fear and it briefly struggles, but Jeg has it firmly in his grasp.

Rat man: "Mmetelmetalorl!! haflinginrooombeehinmebotboslhertmmenow!"

"A room? The room behind you? Ok, good.", with a swift blow Jeg renders the rat man unconscious and the party continues beyond the door into a small, smelly room.

Perry: "There you guys are! I've been waiting here for ages!"

You spot your leader locked in a cell in the corner of the room with another man, probably one of the missing men.

/The story returns to the point of view of Perry/

After being released, Bodwin gives you your equipment and the other man tucks into some of his rations.

"I see that you got to that rat man before him and his hunger got to me!", you exclaim pointing through the door the party came through at the still rat man. You look around a notice one other door leading from this room, from it you hear slight foot falls, it sounds like only one creature, but you cannot be sure.

Jeg smiles, "What now leader?"

Chapter 6

You reply "Well guys - I don't know what you've been up to - but I've been bored stiff in here! Up to a little 'charging around like maniacs' action? Let's find those other prisoners!"

You listen to the foot falls and as they stop at the other side of the door and shout "Now!", Jeg gives the door a solid kick and it swings away from you and connects with something. Hearing a muffled cry of supprise and pain the party forces the door open and getting up from the floor of the tunnel you see a very large ratman. It must be about 8 feet tall and its muscles seem to bulge unnervingly. On its left arm you see a red armband, it seems to radiate some sort of heat and you sense that it may be magical.

Big Rat Man: "Yoo ooman fifth! Yoo gona get hert!"

It advances on Jeg who strikes out with his, now drawn, Katana. It darts forwards and grabs Jegs sword arm and puches him in the chest with its paw making him stumble backwards. Jegs tries to free his arm but fails and lashes out with a solid kick to the rat man's belly.
Although the kick was solid the rat man seems only slightly harmed by the forceful kick. The rat man laughes as it strikes out towards Jeg's face but Shannon's hand axe swings down upon the rat mans arm allowing Jeg to free himself and dodge the blow.

Jeg: "Out into the room!"

The rat man's arm bleeds slightly and the sight of its own blood drives it mad. It charges out into the room and into the middle of the party with white foam dripping from its mouth! The rat man seem incredibly strong and time ofter time it knocks various party members to the ground but you out-number it and slowly the wounds you cause it and the wounds it causes you start to take their toll.
Bodwin, with a bruised face, collapses in a corner, holding his broken arm, and being injured yourself and out of ammo for your sling, you see to his wounds. Jeg and Shannon fighting against this monster look beat and tired, black eyes, a bloody nose, Jeg seems to be nursing a broken rib, Shannon's limp is quite bad now but still they fight.
Eventually the rat man's defence is left open and Jeg finds his sword in the monsters belly, it grasps the blade with its left paw, causing its fingers to bleed. It staggers forward as Jeg twists the blade, trying to bring it down. Shannon's axe forces itself into its furry chest as it trys desperatly to kill its enemy. Forcing his blade up towards its heart Jeg is struck be the monster's right paw and is almost knocked senseless, but keeps his grip on his Katana. Shannon frees her axe and her next blow brings the their enemy to its knees, and like a huge oak, it falls forwards, lifeless to the floor.

As the monster bleeds, the only thing that can be heard is heavy panting from all members of the party.

Bodwin smiles and says, "Does my arm hurt, I think it may be broken!"

The other prisoner is found hiding behind an upturned table and soon the party have recovered enough to continue. Bodwin notices the rat man's armband, since it is probably magical you put it in one of your pouches and continue down the hallway.
In a room at the end of the tunnel you find some human clothes and, more worryingly, human bones.

"Oh my god! That's my brother's shirt! Oh my god....", the prisoner breaks down and cries.

Shannon: "I hate to say this, but I think we may have found our other missing people."

Perry: "There is nothing we can do for them now. Best just take their clothes and ... err.... remains back for their families to bury."

After the long treck back to the surface you stop off at the prisoner's family (whose name you find out is Hurgan) to give your condolences. Your next stop is the temple of Shawia, the godess of healing, hope and life.

THE END (for now)