Mists Over the Musarde, Chapter Three

[ewancummins]

Cirdan: Right behind Ben, ready to defend his companion with his sword should the rats attack him...

[OOC- Nope. Benn is still on the Bastion side of the portal. Cirdan went through the pool/portal, as per your recent post. That means Cirdan is in the woodland region beyond the portal with the rest of the party. Benn is alone with the rats.....]

[ewancummins]

He raises an eyebrow at Norzak, as if offended by the dwarf's suggestion, but the quizical look quickly becomes a wry smile. "After tasting dwarven ale, I am having no doubts about your healers.

"Now, this portal," he says, turning to the country side. "The other side, it must be somewhere here, yes?" He mutters a prayer of revealing.

In answer to Dorgio's prayer, a circular patch of open air several feet overhead begins to shimmer like a heat mirage. It is definitely magical. The hazy region is about the same size as the pool portal beneath the Grim Bastion. It moves a bit as Dorgio observes it, drifting like a fisherman's lure, never straying too far from the middle of the clearing.

[ewancummins]

Benn slowly brings the crossbow up to his shoulder, unnerved at the sudden coordination of the rat swarm. "Very well, mein herren," he mutters to the brown furry creatures, "Perhaps you will not be so brave without your leader."

Holding his breath, he pulls the trigger and fires.

Benn's aim is true, and his bolt strikes the big rat square in the face, sending it tumbling off its ghoulish perch. As it falls to the floor, the ugly beast drops the key, which is quickly nabbed by one of the lesser rats, one who just as quickly melts back into the black furred horde.

The big rat rises from the floor. Its jaundiced eyes blaze with hatred as it moves forward towards Benn. Dozens of its little cousins creep behind it, tittering madly as they come. Benn can see the the bolt buried in the creature's snout, and he can see that the bolt is twisting and moving. It appears to be working its way out of the wound! There is much less blood than one might expect for such a wound. In fact, the blood seems to be flowing back in, not oozing out of the puncture wound. The animal is healing with unnatural rapidity, right before Benn's eyes.

[ewancummins]

in the little clearing amid the woods-

Aii ! Aiii!

Yaaaaa!!!


A horrible screaming issues forth from the the woods to the east. It sounds like a full grown man...Buckman? A higher pitched wailing, possibly that of a younger of smaller person , rises to join the fullbodied scream. Both voices sound as if their owners are in terrible pain, frightened out of their wits, or perhaps both.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Cirdan: Right behind Ben, ready to defend his companion with his sword should the rats attack him...

[OOC- Nope. Benn is still on the Bastion side of the portal. Cirdan went through the pool/portal, as per your recent post. That means Cirdan is in the woodland region beyond the portal with the rest of the party. Benn is alone with the rats.....]

Whoops, sorry. Please disregard.

[steveflam]

Upon hearing the yells Norzak readies his Ray of Exhaustion spell even as he is running towards the sounds. He remains quiet though, not wanting to alert whom or whatever is attacking or doing wrong.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Cirdan!" The priest shouts. "I am thinking I've found the portal." He points in the direction with his spear. "I am going through for Benn, but Norzak needs your steel!"

With that, he moves to where the portal appears to be, and attempts to stick his head back through.

[Adam]

"Ah, haha," Benn says, stammering, "Apologies, but you have something that belongs to us."

He mutters the words to the prayer of Sanctuary.

"I'll have to insist that you return it."

[ewancummins]

"Cirdan!" The priest shouts. "I am thinking I've found the portal." He points in the direction with his spear. "I am going through for Benn, but Norzak needs your steel!"

With that, he moves to where the portal appears to be, and attempts to stick his head back through.

Dorgio is able to stick his head right in the middle of the hazy film of air, when it drifts close to him. The result is not impressive. Dorgio's head passes through the air as if there were no portal there at all- his head remains very much inside the confines of the meadow[ and happily attached to his body]. There is no more effect than one might get by stepping through a puff of smoke or a heat-mirage.

[Brock Marsh Runoff]

"Damn the daemons!" Dorgio knew he should have been grateful that his attempt at least caused no further harm, but nonetheless he spat angrily at the ground. Then, taking up his spear, he followed Norzak towards the shouts.

[ewancummins]

Beneath the Grim Bastion

"Ah, haha," Benn says, stammering, "Apologies, but you have something that belongs to us."

He mutters the words to the prayer of Sanctuary.

"I'll have to insist that you return it."

The brutish rat-beast lunges forward, but pulls up short of Benn. It sniffs the air, then shakes its head in a strangely human gesture. It settles back on its hindquarters. The swarm of normal-sized rats also pulls back and waits.

The huge rodent begins convulse violently in what looks like an epilectic fit. Along with the unnatural contortion of the body, there is a physical transformation occuring. The black-furred limbs lengthen as if being stretched on a rack, and the rat's posture shifts to become more or less bipedal. Forepaws stretch and twist to become more like human hands. Foam and spittle drip from the monster's noisome mouth as it thrashes about for a brief but horrible interlude...and when this episode passes Benn sees sitting before him, not a rat, but a hideous rat-man.

It speaks in a throaty voice that is not-quite-human:

''Talk; I am listening, human.''

[Lord Skybolt]

Alain on hearing the shouts from the woods rushes to what he assumes is Buckman and Jon's Aid . Making sure his pistol is ready for instant use if needed .

[ewancummins]

in the woods

Alain, Norzak, and Dorgio smash through the brush, moving rapidly towards the spot from which the screams seemed to come. They soon locate their companions, at the base of a gnarled old oak-


Jon and Buckman both lie on the forest floor, several feet apart. They both appear to be sleeping, but not well. They toss and turn, and sometimes call out incoherently. Buckman is thrashing about like a man grappling an enemy, and Jon is curled up into a fetal position, whimpering softly. There's no obvious sign of injury to either of them, and none of the gear seems to be missing. No visible enemy is present, nor are there any tracks or prints but those of Jon and Buckman, at least , not in this small area of the forest.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Cirdan will follow his companions several steps behind...

Fools! This smells of a trap!

[ewancummins]

Cirdan will follow his companions several steps behind...

Fools! This smells of a trap!

Hanging back a little ways, Cirdan spots something nearby, a short distance from the spot where Jon lays on the ground. The object is red, and about the size of Cirdan's foot. It looks as if it is made of stone, and might be a small statue or carving of some kind....being half concealed in the undergrowth, it's difficult to say for sure without taking a closer look.