Episode 11 - Rat Bastards
General Summary
2nd of Midyear, 1442
We resume precisely where we left off last time, as Kain , Roan Cordelaine and Jarvin Cadwalader encounter the Sandoreale agent Drosta within the upper levels of Lonsley Manor. Apparently dispatched by her patron to search for clues as to the disappearance of Annabeth of Risevarand her bastard daughter Mair Dillestone, the group agrees to work together and share the knowledge they’ve recovered, as their interests align for the time being. Drosta also mentions that she’s not working alone… her associate Bexley is down in the manor’s library, searching for a document of great importance. However, the manor is still being heavily patrolled by House Dillestone soldiers sent there at the behest of Artigan Dillestone, and their safe exit from the estate is not guaranteed. The front and back gardens are ringed with Dillestone soldiers, so their safest exit will likely remain the smuggler’s tunnel that Roan, Kain and Jarvin used to infiltrate in through the cellars. As the team maneuvers through the servants passages between the bedrooms, they find themselves in a guest bedroom left in some disarray, with a letter remaining unopened on the pillow bearing the seal of House Dillestone. Jarvin snaps up the letter and cracks it open, revealing correspondence from Artigan Dillestone himself, who stayed here at the Manor just three days before Annabeth and Mair’s disappearance. The letter suggests that Artigan came to visit to persuade Annabeth towards a course of action, one that she steadfastly refused. The disdain in the letter was apparent, but it did little to reveal where Annabeth may be now. Out in the halls, sounds of alarm could be heard quickly spreading throughout the lower levels; the Dillestone guards had stumbled across the body of one of their own. Drosta quietly cursed beneath their breath, suggesting that Bexley got cornered and had to take drastic action. Maneuvering stealthily towards the kitchens, Kain seized the means to create a flammable distraction in a bottle, while Roan continued to notice the rats peering out from the shadows, watching his every move. An unexpected appearance by a Dillestone soldier nearly disrupted their plans, but Kain was quick to dispatch the man with a single blow. However, in an attempt to conceal the evidence of the murder while Kain stashed the body downstairs, Jarvin accidentally found himself in plain view of other Dillestone soldiers. Cornered in the kitchen, the team braced for a fight… and then Roan stepped forward and entreated his dark patron Rottur to conceal both him and his comrades. In the blink of an eye, moments before the Dillestone soldiers could burst into the kitchen, a stream of rats poured forth from the kitchen walls, flowing around the quartet in distinctly unsettling geometric patterns before dispersing once more. Everyone tensed when the guards charged through the kitchen doors… but were utterly baffled when the soldiers seemed to look right past them, unable to perceive the infiltrators. They quickly moved to investigate the cellars below, offering Kain, Roan, Jarvin and Drosta the opportunity to quickly cross the manor halls unimpeded towards the library, where sounds of fierce combat were rapidly rising. The clash of blades and a yelp of pain lead the team directly through the towering maze of shelves in the library. Backed into a dead end, a wounded Bexley was attempting to fend off five Dillestone soldiers while clutching a well-made scroll tube under his arm. Without hesitation, Kain lobbed his bottle bomb into the fray, scattering the soldiers and burning one of them alive. As he and Drosta threw themselves into the melee against the remaining soldiers, Jarvin quickly scaled the bookshelves and reached down to haul Bexley up to safety before the flames or the soldiers could endanger him further. With the last member of the infiltrators secured, Roan, Jarvin and Bexley raced back to the kitchens to escape while Drosta and Kain dispatched the remaining guards and the library fire continued to spread. But escape would not be so easily found, as the baying of hunting hounds echoed through the great halls. Despite his best efforts, Roan was brought down by a pair of burly mastiffs, who tore into his leg with their vicious teeth, and Bexley urged Jarvin to leave the fop behind, but Jarvin instead ran to the kitchens to find meats to distract the dogs with. Kain, however, was quick to act when he saw Roan about to be torn to shreds, working in tandem with Drosta to kill one hound and drive the other away. Something about the dogs triggered a memory in Kain, a flashback to his half-starved youth, running for his life from the alley dogs, but he quietly pushed the memory back as he and Drosta made for the escape tunnels. However, when Kain and Drosta returned to the root cellar, they found one final obstacle in their path; Roan and Bexley had gone ahead and stumbled right into the three Dillestone soldiers that had been previously deceived by Roan's strange abilities. This time, however, they were caught trying to escape and violently seized, and the guards now had blades at Roan and Bexley's throats, demanding the surrender of the rest of the group. Kain produced a forged Dillestone emblem, trying to persuade the soldiers that they were on the same side. It was a gambit, but it distracted them long enough for Roan to seize the initiative and call forth his darkest gift yet. Roan is a survivor. Roan always survives, no matter the cost. With a blade to his neck that could sever his life in an instant, Roan called his dark patron forth for a boon... and Rottur answered. A wave of rats surged forth from the cellar walls, engulfing the man holding him hostage. His dying screams echoed through the cellar, and Kain ensured the other two Dillestone soldiers would tell no one of their encounter. Meanwhile, Jarvin reached out to his own patron Pyx and beseeched them to create a false trail for the other Dillestone soldiers to follow. The mirthful, half-drunk laughter of Pyx reverberated through the kitchens, and Jarvin was able to join the others in their escape, assured that they would not be followed. The rats that had now devoured three people alive quickly parted at Roan's behest, and the team disappeared into the tunnels below.3rd of Midyear, 1442
In the small hours of the morning, the team emerged from a tunnel in the countryside of the Barony of Risevar. In the distance, Lonsley Manor was a flaming ruin, flickering like a candle on their horizon. With the danger behind them for the time being, the five strange allies took a moment to assess their position; two amongst them were wounded, and while their goals were the same, their patrons might have different designs on what to do with the bastard Mair if and when she was found. But, for now, Kain was able to forge an agreement between Drosta, Bexley, Kain and Roan to work together to find the missing child. In accordance with their agreement, Drosta and Bexley revealed the contents of the scroll tube that they had sought; it contained a signed and officiated copy of Mair's birth record, notated by the Church of the Six Saints, detailing any distinguishing marks that could differentiate her from another child of the same age. With clues in hand, the team set out to find a physician to treat their injuries before they began their journey onwards, following Annabeth's trail towards the city of Springbrook in the Barony of Bridemare.Rewards Granted
The PCs have secured valuable information about Mair Dillestone's disappearance, and are on Annabeth's trail.
Notes
- Artigan Dillestone paid a visit to Lonsley Manor three days before Annabeth and Mair disappeared.
- The man's body in the cellars bearing strange tattoos remained unidentified... though Drosta insinuated that she knew more about him than Kain, Roan and Jarvin. No one has approached her for more information as of yet.
- Drosta and Bexley are very wary of Roan and his seeming ability to call forth and command hordes of vermin.
- Despite his best intentions to keep his dark gift a secret, Roan needed to rely on Rottur extensively to protect himself and his friends during the last twenty-four hours. If the Church of the Six Saints ever learned of his talents, he would likely wind up on a pyre. Even worse, he is now deeply in Rottur's debt... what will his patron ask of him as recompense?
Kain Unknown
Jarvin Cadwalader
Roan Cordelaine
Report Date
12 Feb 2023
Primary Location
