Adventure Writeup: Rats in the Walls

This writeup isn't designed to be a work of fiction, it's primarily an aid to my group to summarize what transpired in our adventure. Based on Jeffrey Talanian's adventure of the same name, which was in turn inspired by HP Lovecraft's short story "The Rats in the Walls".

Year 576 (Tempest), Month II, Day 4
Cast of characters:

• Aaron Cèampach, Kelt Warlock
• Hoom Feethos, Hyberbrean Thief
• Morrow, Pict Druid
• Saratos Ochôziakos, Ixian Fighter
• Sarukê thugatêrOchôziakos, Ixian Witch
• William "Billy" Welsh - Common Human Pyromancer

Henchmen hired by Saratos and Sarukê:

• Tai, Medium Infantryman
• Zell, Heavy Infantryman

Our bold adventurers had paid a visit to the dockside tavern of the Silvery Eel in Hyperborea's greatest city, Khromarium. They'd heard it was a place to find adventure - even that the tavern keeper might have work he needed doing.

They learned that Xill Vuntos, tavern keeper, was dealing with an unusual rat problem. Rats, many of these rodents being of unusual size, had infested his tavern. His young daughter was killed by one and his wife killed herself shortly thereafter. He and his older daughter Annesta were the only ones left - the serving wenches he had hired were gone - two dead from rat bites, one had quit. He constantly patched holes in the walls but to no avail, they kept returning. Now he had no customers left. He was prepared to reward them with a magical shield and a pearl necklace should they prove able to resolve his problem.

Xill had told them a Hyperborean customer had hinted at some evil past to his tavern. Xill knew that the previous owner of the building, a spice importer, had killed himself after falling in debt to the city. Going to the docks the adventurers found the Hyperborean - Kiloplo Vheez, first mate of the Berg Braker, told them how his father, a great sorcerer, had told him that once there was a sorcerer's tower at the place of the Silvery Eel. It was burnt to the ground after the Green Death.

The basement of the tavern was filled with boxes, sacks, etc. Some searching revealed an iron trap door under a flagstone. It proved difficult to open and attracted a swarm of giant rats which the adventurers and their henchmen dealt with.

After collecting some shiny coins the rats had collected the adventurers went down the spiral staircase hidden by the trap door. It eventually led to a sacrificial temple to Aurorus. They find a pair of secret rooms. One was filled with animated skeletons which they were able to deal with - Zell putting up a surprisingly good showing, resulting in them awarding him an enchanted halberd from one of the skeletons (a +1 halberd). They also found a variety of potions - healing, invisibility, and cure disease. They used some of the healing potion on the badly injured Zell.

The other secret chamber was a summoning chamber with a cage containing the skeletal remains of some form of swine daemon and a protective circle with a silver dagger at the center. Nervous to disturb the circle they let it be and descended stairs beneath the temple.

Beneath the temple was a dungeon with a giant daemon rat and a number of suckling rats on it - the source of the infestation. After a glorious battle (helped by a sleep spell taking out many rats) they dispatched the daemon rat. As it died all of the other giant rats died - hooray!

XP Total: 8132, assuming all magic treasure is kept and not sold for gold

Gold Total: 2000 gp necklace, 50 gp gold chain, 1250 gp jeweled ceremonial gowns100 gp pearl ring, 242 gp, 78 ep, 102 sp

Magic Items: +1 Small Shield (light 50' radius when held), +1 Halberd, Potion Of Healing (half used), Potion of Invisibility, Potion of Cure Disease, Periapt of Health