After a night of disturbing nightmares, even Dhran and Jalabu, experienced travellers though they may be. are shattered by the experience. Jalabu loans the lighting buckler to José Juan, and the two leave to seek a quieter spot where they might forget the dreadful visions that sent them shivers and palpitations during the night.
So it was left to Jushuur, José Juan, Farshad and Utana to investigate the cellar, to see what might be coming from below. The cellar seemed unremarkable, in fact so unremarkable that it stymied our adventurers (and a set of Perception rolls over 90%). The stone was obviously sign of older construction, but architecture had to wait, as tales of the giant rats had Jushuur and Utana seeing rodents where there were none. The Cellar seemed the normal storehouse that it should be, save for the depredations of rodents and the sad attempts of Vuntosghan to keep them at bay.
Eventually, between Utana and Jushuur, a movable flagstone was found, leading down to a spiral staircase, into the darkness and stench of a temple chamber below. The altar was of a goddess whose figure the group had seen represented elsewhere locally, but the style was southern, Mada or Haxamanis. The goddess seemed to be looking up at the light, but the statue had been defiled at some point. There was the detritus of chests, crates, barrels and sacks that gave the group two conclusions.
1. This subcellar was used for someone’s purposes, possibly storing illicit goods, some 40 odd years ago.
2. No one else had had been around lately
Ferreting around the detritus, the group disturbed rats as big as dogs that launched into the attack. If they got close enough to bite they clambered up their target and hung on to them, making combat difficult, though Jushuur’s pommel proved useful to stave in rodent heads. José Juan, Jushuur, Farshad and Utana ended up with shredded armour, ripped by rodent teeth and claws, Utana and José had to deal with rodents on their backs.
But it was Farshaad who had the hardest time, his blows went awry, and he soon realised why, something about this rodent of immense magnitude reminded him of a childhood pet, some spark in the beady eyes, a twitch of the whiskers, it was like Mr Squeaky had come back. Sadly, though, Farshaad slew the memories of youth though, in the rat’s gaze and quiver of the whisker, Farshaad saw, not hatred or fear, but understanding and forgiveness.
An uninviting set of stairs down, redolent of rodent urine, did not immediately invite exploration, so the group hunted around the temple room, finding a bedroom, containing rotting furniture, five skeletons on stands bearing halberds and cloaks pinned with silver as well as a shelf of clay tablets. In the main room, Jushuur found the statuette of some divine figure, Utana some silver and Farshaad some electrum.
Doors east and west were found. The door west had not been explored, but east led to some relaxing changer for hedonistic pursuits, though in Farshaad’s case it was more of an opportunity to be attacked by another oversized rat. There was also a robing room for priests, devoid of any extraneous rodent rampage.
However, a secret room, leading to a summoning chamber, in which was imprisoned the skeleton of some demonic looking thing caught the most attention. Jushuur was fascinated, though José was more interested in the silver dagger lying in the summoning circle. Disturbing that seems to have been a bad idea, for the skull of the demonic figure glowed as a voice spoke, condemning those there as she had found other hosts.
And then a noise was heard, and there we left it