A Rat's Tale - Part 2: Drowning in the Muck

In this episode, the adventurers investigate the scene of the crime, finding clues that lead them to a secret hideout in the sewers.

A. THE VAULT

B. THE SEWER TUNNEL

C. THE "BASEMENT"

Deeper in the sewers, the adventurers run into trouble.

- Area Information

This area features:

Dimensions & Terrain. The sewer tunnels remain the same size as before, but here, on the east wall of the tunnel, is a large (10 foot wide) set of iron doors that reach to the ceiling.

Lighting. The sewer is in total darkness.

The Boat. A small rowboat is moored on the opposite side of the tunnel to a small post similar to the one the adventurers saw just outside the window.

- Behind the Door

The door isn’t locked, but behind it is a perfectly square pit, exactly 10 feet deep with walls exactly 20 feet wide with a 10-foot ladder leading down into it. A second, 14-foot ladder leans against the wall on the other side, leading to nowhere. At the bottom of the pit sits an oaken chest, a small bedroll, and a squat table. A steel mirror hangs on the east wall.

- The Trapped Ladder

The rungs of the ladder into the pit is coated with a fine crystalline dust, visible to anyone with a Passive Perception of 13 or higher.

Touching the Dust. Anyone who descends the ladder begins to feel their body go rigid and their joints lock up a few moments later. An affected creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become paralyzed for one minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the beginning of each of its turns, freeing itself on a success. The trap’s effects don’t set in until a few moments after the dust has made contact with skin. If the players head down the ladder one after the other, the first person down feels its effects once the second person

Disabling the Trap. A creature who is aware of the presence of the dust can mix up a concoction to render it inert by making a DC 13 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check as an action. A creature without an herbalism kit can substitute proficiency in the nature skill instead, but doing so imposes disadvantage on their ability check.

- Creatures/NPCs

The chest is actually a mimic the Grey Rat has named Marigold. One of the few of her kind to have developed greater cunning, Marigold can understand a little of the common tongue, though she can’t speak it. She is a loyal friend to the Grey Rat, and defends his treasure in exchange for meat. If the party took twenty minutes or less to arrive here from the Vault, Marigold is asleep and only awakes if someone tries to touch her or if the party makes a significant amount of noise. If they took more than twenty minutes, she is awake. Marigold attacks as soon as one or more of them becomes paralyzed, if awake, or the moment a creature touches her, if asleep.

Objectives/Goals. Marigold wants to protect her buddy’s treasure from interlopers, and stops at nothing to do it. Timfred, if present, has likely been convinced to help the adventurers. He wants them to survive and get whatever Marigold is hiding. He doesn’t trust Marigold, and wouldn’t mind if the players took out this “rogue agent.”

What Does She Know? Marigold is a simple predator, but she knows that the items she stores hold great value to Grey Rat. She doesn’t really understand why.

- Treasure & Rewards

A few interesting items are stored here:

The Table. A carpenter’s kit rests on the table, alongside a note which reads

“Littleknight has the ledger. Paid in full. You just need to set a meeting. The word is “flumph." Good luck.”

It isn’t signed, but the parchment does bear wax pressed with the signet of a ram’s skull run through by a spear.

The Chest. The chest contains a rudimentary sewing kit and a set of strange clothing patches which (judging by the loose threading on the backs) seem to have been torn from some piece of clothing. Their designs vary, including several black squares, one depicting a set of heavy iron doors, one a simple window, one a wooden ladder, one a rowboat, and two simple windows. A DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check (or a casting of identify) can identify these as similar to patches from a Robe of Useful Items, but with no magical properties. A DC 14 Wisdom (Insight) check can further intuit that the owner must have tried in vain to sew patches of their own to add to such a robe. Judging by their placement here, it doesn’t seem to have worked, but the owner hasn’t given up trying.

Wrapping Up

The patches the adventurers found match closely with the rowboat, ladder, window, and iron doors they’ve run across so far, and the adventurers might have pieced out by now what happened: The Grey Rat used a window patch from a Robe of Useful Items to create an entrance into the vault from the sewers, climb in, and steal its treasure. If they haven’t put it together, as is especially likely with new players, Tomas can immediately identify the patches upon returning to him, and is furious that someone with access to such “base magics” could penetrate his vault. He thanks the party for their help — graciously towards any humans, and a bit more coldly towards any non-humans.

Parent Plot

A Rat's Tale - Overview